Chapter 236: Mage Impact

Chapter 236: Mage Impact

Hes gonna lose, someone whispered in the dimly lit room.

So far Dallion had gone through four items in total: a corroded silver goblet, a rust knife, a nearly shattered crystal earring, and a wooden jewelry box full of woodworms. Each of these items seemed deceptively easy to fix. However, in each case, the effort involved became greater and greater. In the case of the jewelry box, Dallion had had to fight with the actual creatures in the mending labyrinth itself. That was an unexpected turn of events, though not one he wasnt prepared for. In many aspects, it was almost like fighting guardians with one major distinction: defeating the worms made the box spit them out in the real world. In the end, when the box was completely repaired, it was brand new, while a small pile of woodworms surrounded it on all sides. The creatures were quickly brushed away by the fury, leaving the table spotless.

For the observers, less than five minutes had passed, but Dallion was starting to feel the pressure. Back in the inn, he had mended more items per shift, but in each of those cases, the damage was minimalless than a few percent here and there. In some cases, he had managed to get the item flawless in a matter of true time minutes. Here, each of the items had taken him hours, at the very least.

The real challenge begins now, dear clients, the fury said loudly. Half of the colors are done. Four more remain, but does our challenger have enough strength? For those of you who are awakened, you know how difficult it is to repair an item in this state, and it will only get more difficult from here on.

The large chest was closed with a band. Two rather strong men took it away. In its place, a new one was brought. It was less than a quarter of the size of the previous one.

Its no longer about repairing common items. Now its time to repair artifacts!

The room exploded in cheers. Apparently, this was all it took to get the crowd excited. Bets poured in, with more and more people betting against Dallion than for. Three quarters of the piles of money had a black marker on them, indicating they their owners were betting on Dallion losing.

Does anyone want to be the one to select the next item? the fury invited again. Up to now, there hadnt been any volunteers. The woman had just opened the chest when a hand shot up.

Yes, someone said.

He was older than most of the crowd, possibly as old as Adzorg. A long white beard covered his chin and neck, making him almost look distinguishable along with his expensive fur clothes.

So, we do have a volunteer, the fury smiled. Please, come here, valued client. After you give the necessary amount.

The man tossed a pouch of coins to the nearest waiter, then walked up to the table, not even pausing to look back. Judging by the waiters reaction, there was more than enough in the pouch to let him have his fun.

Do you want me to remind you of the rules? the fury asked.

No. The man reached into the small chest and almost instantly took out his hand. There was a small metal brioche in his hand, one that didnt have any gem whatsoever.

Total silence filled the room. According to the rules, when an item didnt have a color, it was understood that the color was blackafter all, the Star didnt deserve any distinguishing markers.

This is quite a surprise, the fury said. Even she was slightly taken aback. Already black. This is quite the unusual challenge. Seems none got their bet tripled. Would you like to make an additional bet, dear client? As our volunteer, the Drum extend you this cour

No, the old man cut her short. Ill keep my bet for the end. Much more exciting this way.

Something in his voice didnt feel right. Both the fury and Dallion felt it, but neither could do anything about it. To ruin such a high stakes bet mid-way would create chaos. Even if the Drum agreed to pay back everyone, their potential gainswhich was a lot of moneywork of this disgrace would spread, costing the Drum a lot of its reputation.

Giving Dallion a quick glance, the fury placed the brooch on the black section of the table, then turned the hourglass around.

You have one minute to get ready, she told Dallion. It was made to look like part of the game, but he understood what she was saying.

Tell Lux and Nox to get ready, Dallion said. I want them there when I get in.

All three instances were taken in different directions. Normally that would be a bad thing, but right now it gave Dallion greater maneuverability. This time, only one of his instances was engulfed.

Do you work for the Star? Dallion persisted with his music skills. Or are you linked to the copyette somehow?

You have no idea what youre talking about, the opponent said. The voice was identical to that of the old man who had given the brooch.

An echo? Dallion thought.

It made sense. That also suggested that as long as Dallion could get one good hit, the battle was over. On the other hand, he had to be careful to evade the echos magic. So far, he had only seen one spell, but there was no guarantee that more wouldnt follow.

Nox, try to take care of him, Dallion said. One good thing about the darkness was that the crackling felt at home here.

Its not your place to get involved, the echo suddenly became chatty. The overconfidence that Dallion had put inside him was finally starting to have an effect. Forget about the Star and the copyette. Return to Dherma and enjoy the rest of your life there.

Quite a tempting offer. But what if I dont want to? There are a lot of things going on for me here. Maybe Ill stay.

Youre meddling with things that are beyond you. This isnt a League of Legends tournament. Theres a lot more involved.

Dallion froze. That was more than a coincidental reference. The old man, whoever he was, wasnt just some disgruntled mirror aristocrat, or a puppet of the Star, he was someone from Earththe first person Dallion had found other than his grandfather.

I dont want to kill someone from Earth, but I will if you dont back off. This game is too important for you to interfere. Maybe if youd show up a few decades earlier things would be different, but not now.

A large grouping of magic symbols appeared in the darkness. Like a wild programmer, the echo slid his fingers along all of them, completing the magic formula. Dallion had no idea what the effects would be, but he knew they werent going to be good. Focusing as hard as he could, he split in five instances in an attempt to stop the echo from completing it. Lux thrust him forward at almost instant speed, just in time for one instance to pass over the layer of markers.

What followed was enough to freeze the will of any person. A wall of flame, as large as half the realm, appeared and moved forward like a curtain. Four instances of Dallion were burned to cinders as the merciless flames went on, crashing into the wall.

Already the echo had started to create another spell, when a red rectangle appeared.

HAND SEVERED

Enemy will no longer be able to make use of his right hand.

Nox, Dallion thought.

As expected of the crackling, it had bided its time, finding the perfect moment to act, then slashed what he perceived to be the echos greatest weaponhis hands.

The wall of multicolored markers disappeared. The echo looked at his arm in disbelief, then poofed out of existencefar slower than a normal echo should. Possibly, the remnants of the magic spell had kept its form until the spell itself had ended. That was a whole different field, Dallion knew nothing about.

As tempted as he was to exit the realm right now and continue his conversation with the old man, Dallion had enough reason to know that was not an option. After all, he was still in the Drum, and the bet was ongoing; and while the brooch wasnt among the items that needed repairing, he had to mend it nonetheless.

Thanks, Nox, Dallion said as the crackling meowed, licking its paw. You too, Lux. You both did good.

No doubt about it, the familiars had saved him yet again from a nasty situation. The question remained, though, why would someone from Earth want to stop him, especially with everyone else going on in Nerosal?