Chapter 139: Guardian (2)

This brief moment was all it took for the tides of battle to turn.

*Dammit!* Bracha focused her powers and expanded the influence of her time compression technique, a unique ability imparted to her by her current form. Unfortunately she didn't make it. She cursed her luck inwardly as she came up just a step and a half too short. She could only watch as the Hulking Grimlock was pulled into the man-made pit caused by Ryo's earlier rampage.

The tentacle creature coiled around the other with snake-like precision and quickly dragged the helpless Grimlock to the bottom of the pit where it's bruised and battered body awaited. Bracha watched from several meters above as the tentacles squeezed, constricting the Hulking Creature and at the same time burst through its chest. She could instantly tell what the motive behind this sneak attack might be.

*Dammit. This is bad. It's after the core.* Yet there was nothing Bracha could do. The price of being a Runemaster was being locked into a particular specialty. She was forced to do battle unarmed, furthermore her abilities only worked on herself or others. She had no ranged techniques to speak of. There was no way for her to reach the bottom of the pit in time either, for her time compression also carried a steep penalty. For every second the ability was used, three times the cooldown would be necessary.

Suddenly a thought came to mind.

"Quickly, everyone who has ranged magic, fire upon the pit. Don't hold back." Bracha turned as she pointed towards the pit behind her and shouted.

Those watching were caught completely off guard, her performance over the past few minutes had left them speechless. Due to this, those who were able lost precious time. Bracha watched as Gates called forth a flame familiar, Gigi dashed forward with her blade at the ready and Katrin lifted her hand prompting her Grimoire's pages to burst open while Agni lifted her hands and began to conjure a lightning strike from above.

All of them began to pour their attacks into the pit, and along with it Bracha used her skills to further enhance the power of their strikes. Beneath each of them a light blue rune of enhancement came into being. Their stats all rose by 20%, giving them the extra edge they needed to pour on the heat. Katrin fired several earth shots which arced over Bracha's head and found their way into the pit like well aimed mortars. Gigi stood at the edge of the pit and called forth as much flame as possible before swinging her blade fliercely. The subsequent flame attack filled the pit with a spire of flames that spun upwards, guided by the coaxing of wind magic.

Gates' fire falcon also joined in, firing spurts of flame inside to further fuel the attack. Finally, Agni's orb of lightning energy struck downward repeatedly until the energy within it exhausted itself altogether.

All of them waited with bated breath as the results of their command were made clear. Bracha glared down into the pit as well, straining her vision to see amidst the receding flames and smoke. She gritted her teeth, her heart skipping a beat for the briefest of moments as she anxiously awaited some sort of confirmation.

And then it happened. Bracha was first to notice the pulse of energy building from within the bottom of the fiery pit. She reacted just in time to save Gigi from being consumed. Bracha activated her time compression and snatched Gigi by the back of her collar, pulling her away as a column of black and purple energy erupted upwards. The call was so close that even Bracha could feel the intensity of the destructive energy on her heels.

Gates' flame falcon was instantly consumed as the ominous energy spiraled upwards for several dozen meters, pushing aside all of the miasma along with it. Then, just like nothing happened the energy began to dissipate from existence.

Or so they thought. Everyone watched as small particles of black began to form in numerous places high above the pit's opening. These particles resembled solid and liquid state simultaneously, they both shimmered and undulated much like water droplets suspended in mid-air by some unseen force.

The droplets then came together, as if beckoned by a magnetic force to form a large black ball of rippling energy. This mass then fell apart, the droplets pelting downwards into the pit with such force that it sounded like hail striking the dirt. And then silence.

Bracha couldn't shake the sense of unease which quickly began to rise along her spine. She released Gigi, who was still frozen in place, and took a few cautious steps towards the pit's opening.

Before she even made it halfway a large, black hand thudded against the ground, gripping the circular edge of the pit. It's fingers seemed deformed at first but Bracha quickly realized that the creature simply had three thick fingers instead of five. Soon one hand was joined by many, one after the other. Four hands in total helped to pull the newborn creature into view.

What emerged was totally unique from the two creatures which contributed to the union. There were no tentacles to be found, instead there were four arms and two feet. Instead of hulking, the creature was significantly shorter. Rather than a circular body, it's shape was humanoid in nature with several long, red lines running the length of the creature's body. Where once there was no mouth, there was now a pronounced mouth filled with the teeth of a predator. It's body was lean and muscular rather than bulky. But perhaps the most disturbing development lay in the creature's newfound senses.

It's oblong shaped head leaned forward, showcasing two rows of bumps which cracked open to reveal red orbs -- six eyes in total. The eyes swiveled wildly in all directions, as if it were their first time in use, before finding their targets -- the group of adventurers standing in the distance.

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation of all was the blackberry colored gem embedded in the center of the creature's chest. To Bracha this was a clear sign that her worst suspicions had come true. The cores consumed by both creatures fused together into one.

Normally this phenomena would only occur when two cores were pulled into contact with one another. They would undergo the fusion process, causing the worlds governed by both shard cores to combine into a single space. When the creatures decided to consume the cores themselves they inherited the ability to spawn Grimlock, making themselves stronger in the process.

The cores seemed to still hold sway over the Grimlocks which consumed them however. Even after being swallowed and used for their power, when push came to shove the cores took over and forced both dying creatures to fuse into a single entity powered by the core itself.

*If I'm right...this thing's strength is probably off the charts.* Bracha suddenly felt the heavy weight of uncertainty upon her. The aura around the creature seemed dense and unapproachable, this was a surefire sign that the creature was much stronger than it's appearance might lead one to believe.

She quickly began to access her options, given recent developments. Her entire fight with the Grimlock had only spanned a couple of minutes. As long as she didn't move unnecessarily or over exert herself she could last longer. The issue was everyone else.

Vivian seemed unconscious or unresponsive, as did Ryo. The people behind her were out of their depth, without question. Now that the threat could see them, it would be a simple matter to track them down even if they were to try to escape. And yet, escape seemed like the only real option.

*If they could get Vivian and Ryo, we might be able to make a run for it. I might be able to hold this thing off until they get a good head start but..* When Bracha considered the distance they would need to cross while carrying wounded, the plan seemed less feasible by the moment.

She glanced towards the purplish gem in the creature's chest and realized that it would be best to smash it. If she could do that, the shard realm would collapse in on itself, thrusting them all into the outside world. The creature would be considerably weaker there, her 'powers' would be stronger and she could put an end to the battle decisively.

*0.45%.* Bracha thought to herself as she measured out just how much energy she'd used so far.

*The limit is 2%.*

Bracha focused her attention wholly on the creature before her as she decided definitively on her best action. The creature itself seemed preoccupied. It glanced down at it's dominant hands, flexing them repeatedly as it examined it's body further. The moment it's attention seemed to falter, Bracha dashed forth.

She bridged the small distance in less than two seconds, quickly entering the zone which represented the edge of her technique's area of effect. However-- she glanced to her left, partially due to a flickering shadow. Her eyes widened as she realized the creature was now next to her, preparing to strike.

"Shi--" Bracha reflexively activated her time compression, causing everything to slow down. She was surprised to find, however, that the creature's blow was still fast enough to graze her cheek. She hopped backwards to create some distance, allowing her ability to drop it's effect. Bracha gritted her teeth and brushed a trickle of blood from her cheek. She could only clench her fist as the creature's eyes swiveled towards her. It stood, motionless, marveling at its newfound strength and speed before it focused on her to press the attack.