Book 2. Chapter 44

Book 2. Chapter 44

Brin had expected that Myra would be here at the snake pond. Tawna had left a pretty big hint that shed be coming this way. It was lucky they had Marksi, though, because if Myra was really underground, he doubted hed ever find her by himself.

Marksi started to move through the brush, pushing aside tall grass, looking everywhere. Brin joined in, and Zilly and Davi helped as well.

What he really wanted to do was sit down and maybe do a little light sobbing to recover from their intense journey here. He needed to process the terror and pain from the fight with Simao, and maybe recover from the overwhelming awe from witnessing the Hidden Guardian. But they didnt have time to waste. He needed to keep going; this night was far from over. He searched.

As he searched, he realized he still had that level up to take care of. He pulled up his status to look over his options.

Upgrade - Call Light through Glass Increased mana efficiency when summoning light. Upgrade - Call Sound through Glass Increased mana efficiency when summoning sound.

Mana Well

+50% to the amount of mana you generate and hold per point of Magic.

Brin smiled in delight. With only two [Illusionist] Skills, it was no wonder what Skills the System would offer to upgrade, but he was very pleased with the new Skill he was offered. Sure, it wouldve been nice to see an upgrade to his [Glassbound] Title or even [Lightmind], but that might be asking for too much.

Hogg had warned him that [Illusionists] had all the mana they needed and not enough things to do with it, but that was an ordinary [Illusionist] problem. For him, [Mana Well] was perfect. Eventually his [Illusions] would be powerful, but for now he mostly used his mana to work with glass, and having another 50% mana to work with was extremely nice. He took the Skill without a second thought.

He still needed to spend his general Skill points, but didnt think hed be able to decide right now. He wanted to keep at least one free in case he got another Achievement that let him upgrade one of his existing Skills, like hed done from [Directed Meditation]. He decided to save them for later.

That done, he turned his attention back to the search. He should look for disturbed earth, he supposed. Was Myra really underground, though? If so, why? What was Tawnas game here? He could understand why she would take Myra and bolt. If she really thought that someone who cared about him would die, then she would want Myra as far away from town as possible. But he didnt understand how someone who would do that would then just leave her daughter underground and run away.

Oh, wait, I think I found something! called Davi.

Brin rushed over, but didnt see it at first. It looked like Davis hand was empty. Then he got close enough to see it. A tiny, thin line of thread.

Davi pulled, and the thread came free. At first Brin thought he mustve pulled too hard, until a rumbling sound came from underground.

The ground started grinding in a six-foot ring, so Brin and Davi stepped back. Mud churned up from below, almost liquid.

Zilly approached. Is that? Her question was cut off as a huge flower burst up from the ground. It was closed like a tulip at night, four feet tall, and a dirty grayish-pink. It didnt take a close inspection to see that the entire thing was made of cloth. The fabric was rough and uneven, hasty-looking, and completely at odds with Tawnas seamless craftsmanship.

Before they could think of what to do with it, it bloomed. The petals of the cloth flower folded back to reveal Myra, curled up in the fetal position.

Her hair was drenched and her dress clung to her with sweat or maybe water. She was soaking wet, like shed been dunked in a pool. Aside from that, she looked normal, but too still. Her eyes were closed, and he couldnt tell if she was breathing.

Zilly stepped forward and leaned down to check on her. As soon as her hand touched her shoulder, Myras eyes shot wide open and she gasped in a huge breath of air. She jumped to her feet and stumbled back, panicked and startled.

Zilly moved forward to calm her down but Myra scrambled away until her back hit a tree.

Hold on, Zilly, give her some space. Myra, its us, said Davi.

Myras eyes locked on Davi, then they flicked to Zilly and she started to breathe more calmly. Davi? And Zilly, and Brin. If youre here wheres my mom?

Zilly stepped forward to help Myra up, but she pushed her hands away. Im fine. If youre here, does that mean its all over? Wheres my mom? Did she?

We dont know where she is. Its only been a few hours since you were taken, said Brin.

Myra put a hand to her head. That doesnt make any sense.

Why dont you tell us what happened? Whats this flower you were stuck in? asked Brin.

Myra shook her head. Its a hibernation Skill. She actually used a Skill point for it, since she didnt have anyone to teach her how to make it normally. The plan was she thought

Take your time. Tell it from the beginning, said Brin.

Im fine. Myra shoved a wet lock of hair away from her eyes. Mothers visions were blocked, for the most part, when she made all those fate-catchers for the town. That was her idea, and she wouldve done it anyway, but telling everyone in town that it was her punishment got them on board with putting them in their homes. They probably wouldnt have if they thought she wanted to make them. [Witches] can read fate, too, and mother started to get nervous that they were better at it than her, so she decided to blind fate for everyone. But then that curse hit. She was barely able to keep it at bay, just enough to keep herself alive. She couldnt even get out of bed.

You could have taken her to the chapel, said Brin.

Myra crossed her arms. Yeah, well, no one bothered telling us that. Besides, she couldnt move, but she could use her weaving. She could read fate again. And she saw that she was going to die. If she was still in Hammons Bog when the battle ended, she would die. And if she took off without me, somehow I would die? I think she was just saying that to get me to come with her. So she told me we were leaving, and then spent the rest of the day and night making that cape that would let her move around. Only, I didnt want to leave. Mothers visions arent always perfect and I well, you know the rest.

No, I knew that part already, or I had guessed, said Brin. What happened next is the part Im curious about.

The undead mobbed us. Mother was already tired from defending the gate, and they seemed to be everywhere we went. We made it here, and they didnt follow. I think theyre afraid of the snakes.

Zilly scratched her ear. What I want to know is why Simao followed us.

Brin had an answer for that. Undead that still have their original souls are more intelligent, and they have a little bit more autonomy. Simao probably had orders to kill us and also to stay away from here, but he couldnt do both so he made a decision. Honestly, he might have known the dragon would kill him. He might have been doing us a favor.

How do you know so much about undead? asked Zilly.

Simao? A dragon? I thought you said I was only asleep for a couple hours! Myra looked around, no doubt expecting something to jump out at her. There was nothing in the trees, and no sound except the gentle lapping of the water in the pond.

We didnt see a dragon, said Davi. The undead just disappeared. Actually, come to think of it, it might be a little reckless for kids from the Bog to keep coming here.

Brin snorted. Nonsense. The hidden guardian, still in the water over there by the way, wouldnt harm us any more than you would harm a baby snake.

It dawned on Davi immediately what Brin was saying. I would never!Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Me either! said Zilly.

Gods forbid! said Myra. She made the sign of Noctis, crossed fingers over her heart.

And then? Brin prompted Myra to finish her story. Did Tawna tell you what her plan was before she put you in a flower?

She told me that shed go on ahead and get help. If someone gets word to the outside world, this whole siege is over. Maybe thats why itll be done two or three days from now. She said that she also left a note in our house, so if she never returns someone would come find me eventually.

I guess she never figured that wed try to save you right away, said Zilly.

Oh, no, she did. She just assumed that Brin would talk you out of it. Myras eyes darted to him, and then away again.

There was an awkward silence until Brin realized everyone was waiting for him to say something. Well, I would have, but

Its fine! Myra said.

So should we head back? asked Zilly.

Brins first instinct was to say yes, that they should return as soon as possible, but was that really the right choice? They were safe here. It might be more responsible to wait it out.

We should go back, said Myra. And Mom said it would be safe. She said that this place wont be safe forever, not now that Im out of stasis. We need to get back to town.

What? When would she have said that? Zilly asked. Myra was nervously twisting a piece of thread in her fingers, and Zilly squinted at it.

Myra put both her hands behind her back, fumbling her words. What I mean, is, um She said that if Brin isnt in town at the end, a lot more people will die.

This was too suspicious. Brin used [Inspect].

Name Myra Corrigid Race Human Age 14 Level 21 Class Weaver Description Myra is a close friend. She likes you, but Davi likes her. Skills

[Spin] - Myra is able to twist materials into thread.

[Weave] - Myra can turn thread into fabric.

[Manipulate Thread] - Myra can move thread with the application of mana. She can imbue mana into thread, giving it additional properties. Myra can imbue thread with the aspect of Fate. This Skill has been upgraded three times.

She had fate weaving now. Did that mean that Myra was predicting the future? It didnt seem likely to Brin. She knew that her mother barely trusted her own predictions, theres no way she would depend on them herself.

That led him to another thought. How likely was it that Tawna had actually run on ahead? Much more likely was that she was hiding somewhere nearby, maybe using that same hibernation Skill on herself. After all, why break through the entire army when she could just wait a couple days for it to leave?

Zilly knew something was up, too. She grabbed Myras arm and twisted it around, forcing her to show the thread shed been fiddling with, but of course it was just ordinary thread.

Ow! Whats wrong with you?

"Guys? He's not talking to us to be nice. That shout gave us away, lots of undead are headed in our direction. We need to move fast," said Zilly.

Brin made a show of cracking his neck side to side and limbering up. Alright, let's do this. Wheres the music, Davi? Zilly, I want you jumping around like an annoying mosquito. Give me an opening.

Davi began an adventurous song, but his hesitation came through the music. The [Battle Cry] had shaken him, and the music wasn't enough to shake it off. Zilly gripped her sword with white knuckles and gulped. Obviously they both thought they should run. Maybe they should, but [Battle Sense] was telling him something else. It was telling him they didnt have to. They could win. It was time to show them the way.

Brin pumped mana into his spearhead with [Shape Glass], strengthening it. He couldn't use projectiles, but he could use [Shape Glass] to make his weapon tougher and even to make it hit harder.

He ran forward, and to her credit, Zilly got there before he did. She didnt bother to strike, she just darted in and then dodged when Nicos sword swung down at her. That gave Brin the instant he needed to leap up and stab with his spear.

With speed that belied his giant size, the giant brought his sword around to parry Brins spear. The black metal hit glass, and Brin felt a pull on his mana, but the spearhead stayed intact. Still in the air, he spun the spear around and got a glancing blow onto the giants side. It broke the skin but didn't go much further. [Iron Body] was the whole body apparently, not just the skin. That was going to make this tough. He kicked off the giant to get some space.

As soon as he hit the ground, Brin jumped back in.

Marksi squeaked and leapt at the giant, climbing up and scratching at his face. He couldnt do anything to break through the giants skin, or even hurt the eyes, but it had to have been distracting. Still, the giant didnt even react to Marksi, he kept his focus on Brin and Zilly.

Zilly used [Dash] to speed in and out, avoiding the giants counterstrikes. Brin attacked head on, using his spears greater reach to keep some distance between himself and the giant while trying to think of a plan.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something cutting the grass. Myra was using thread to shave away the foliage and give them a clear arena to fight in.

They struck back and forth, Brin keeping his distance and Zilly using quick hit and run, but they werent gaining ground. The giant fended them off with smooth practiced movements, clearly at home on the battlefield and not totally new to fighting multiple opponents. All he needed was one good hit and Zilly or Brin would be dead, and he was content to take his time.

Brin couldnt see a way through it. Zilly was doing her best, but she wasnt quite enough. Brin needed a perfect stab to break through [Iron Body].

The next clash, Brin used [Shape Glass] to catch Nicos sword on his spear head, binding them together. Nico pulled and Brin pulled back. He had to release the sword or have his spear pulled out of his hands, but hed done enough. Zilly had a clear opening.

She jumped, sword aimed for Nicos throat. Nico raised his off-hand and slapped her out of the air. She bounced, hitting the ground and rolled.

Nico took a step towards her. Myra screamed. Not with fear, with anger. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Myras face contorted in rage.

Green ropes erupted from the ground, tying themselves around Nicos ankles and knotting. They pulled his legs together and he tripped. Brin dashed forward to capitalize, but Nico rolled away. It wasnt graceful, but it did the trick, giving him enough space to hack at the ropes with his sword.

What about me? Myra roared. Another rope burst from the ground, wrapping itself around Nicos wrist. You told them what to do but not me! Did you really think Id just stand here? You think youre going to leave me behind?

She hadnt been clearing the ground for their fight. Shed been gathering fiber and then [Spinning] it into thread.

Zilly stood, shaky on her feet, but then she was a blur of movement as she used [Dash] again. She planted a strong [Kick] into Nicos side. He freed his sword arm and swiped at her, but she was already jumping away.

Brin stabbed at his arm on the other side, and surprisingly, the spear went straight into the bicep. He stabbed again, but this time [Iron Body] stopped it.

[Kick] disrupts [Iron Body]! Brin shouted. Keep going!

Davis music swelled with excitement as for the first time, the big teen really started to believe that theyd win. He started directing them through the music, matching nearly perfectly what [Battle Sense] told Brin they should be doing. Brin didn't even think Davi had a Skill for that, he was just smart.

Myra reformed her ropes as quickly as Nico could pull them apart, and snaked out to pull him off balance, disrupting his perfect form. Zilly used [Dash] and [Kick] together, and now that she knew it would help, always made one or two cuts on her way out. Brin lashed out with his spear, scoring deep gouges and keeping the giant away from his friends.

He started to smile as they fought, and then started to laugh. All his hard work, all of the hard work of his friends, it was all coming together for this one perfect moment. He couldnt help but remember being a teenager himself, watching anime and dreaming about what it would be like to be one of those heroes in that moment.

It was everything hed imagined. His blood thrummed in his veins.

He saw it then, the path through the violence. In his minds eye he saw Myra pulling Nico off balance, Zilly focusing his attention to his left, and then Brin would jump straight on and deliver the finishing blow.

Davis song blazed with emotion. The ecstasy of battle, the inevitability of victory. And then just a little bit of envy.

"To the left!" shouted Zilly.

A group of six undead burst from the forest. Brin didn't hesitate, and whipped his second exploding potion at their group. He used [Shape Glass] to shatter the bottle at just the right moment, catching all of them. Four of the undead went down instantly, and Zilly [Dashed] in to finish off the last two.

It took seconds. Brin blinked away the kill notifications. Nico had started to edge to the side, clearly thinking he'd do what Simao had done and angle himself for a surprise attack while they were distracted with the fodder. With them dead, he seemed to be flatfooted for the first time.

He lifted a hand. "A pause, if you will."

"Sure," said Brin.

"No! He's just waiting for more undead!" said Zilly.

Just a sec.

Davis music stopped, looking at Brin with his mouth open.

Brin tossed Myra a mana potion, who snatched it out of the air and drank it gratefully. Then he stepped up and pulled the lute out of Davis hands.

Im tired. You finish this, he said.

Davi shook his head, eyes wide like Brin had gone mad. Brin put Davis quarterstaff in his hands, and then pushed Davi around and kicked his back, pushing him forward. Then he began to play.

Hed actually given some thought about what song hed play in this moment. The turning point, the victory music. There was Bleach, but that wouldnt work. The music in that show only got good when the rest of the show got bad. Naruto was a little too sad. Natsus theme, now that was perfect.

Brin played the song, making the notes loud and pure. He didnt alter them to sound electric, because he knew that this was how Davi would like it.

He played the music, and Davis Skill picked it up, reflecting and magnified it. Brin poured his heart into the song, making it drip with power and strength. Now only would they win, they were going to be cool as hell while doing it.

Just as Zilly had said, three more undead soldiers appeared from the forest and attacked together with Nico.

Davis quarterstaff whirred as he charged it. He didn't even glance at the lesser undead as his humming staff struck them down, but kept his eyes fixed on Nico. Myras cords seemed to double in strength as she pulled both of the giants arms down. He thrashed like a panicked animal and pulled one arm free in time to swat Zilly out of the air, though he lost two fingers for it.

She landed on her feet and jumped straight out again, and Nico took a step back while fending her off, barely able to keep his balance against Myras attempt to trip him.

Then the hero was there. Nicos sword swung down with full force. Davis quarterstaff came up and met itand knocked it back.

Davis muscles bulged as he laid into Nico, striking again and again with his quarterstaff. Nico flailed at Davi, trying to fend him off, but Davi acted like he barely noticed the resistance.

Six undead burst from the forest. Davi smashed Nico with a staggering blow, audibly shattering bones. His blunt weapon didnt need Zilly to loosen up [Iron Body]. A Bog Standard quarterstaff and his unmatched strength were more than enough to destroy something as weak as iron.

Zilly and Davi fought back to back against the arriving undead soldiers, moving through them as if it were a dance they'd coordinated beforehand, while Myra disrupted their movements in a dozen different ways. They destroyed all six before Nico got back in the fight.

The three of them harried him, wearing him down, dodging every blow with ease and capitalizing on every mistake. Brin coordinated them through the music, but he hardly needed to.

They were majestic. Brin had another lifes worth of memories in his brain. He had unfair Achievements and the backing of some of the richest people in the kingdom, and he was still barely keeping up with them. Damn these talented kids.

A mighty crack, and Nico dropped his sword, wrist broken. Davi ducked under his legs and then swung around again, breaking the knee. Nico came down to a kneel and Davi struck him in the back, slamming him forward.

Zilly ran in from the front. Somehow shed gotten Brins spear, so he used [Shape Mana] to push it along with her movements and hit as hard as he could make it. Between the speed from her [Dash] and the power of his magic, the spear was a ballista bolt. It blew straight through Nicos [Iron Body] and pierced his heart.

Nico died.

Alert! You have defeated: Giant Undead Soldier Experience has been split between members of your party.

Level up! Level 25 -> 26 +5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes.

Level up! Level 26 -> 27

+5 Strength +1 Dexterity, +2 Vitality, +2 Magic, +3 Mental Control, +1 Will, +2 free attributes. You have 2 free general skill points available.

Zilly jumped, fist in the air. Yes!

Myra wrapped both of her arms around Davis neck in a hug, then pulled back, holding his head. That was amazing!

He couldnt help but grin at the elation of Davis face. Brin knew he was a hard person to be friends with, but he came through when it mattered. Although, the effect was a little bit ruined when Myra hugged him next.

Zilly made as if to check if the giant was carrying anything worth taking, but quirked her head and stopped. We cant stick around. The undead are all heading towards us now. We need to move!

Without another word, they ran.