Chapter 178: Sulk

Chapter 178: Sulk

Judging exactly how much energy to use from Natural Disaster was surprisingly difficult. The Rune had the combined strength of seven Rank 2 Runes, but it was still functionally only twenty five percent full.

That meant that even the smallest spells would come out considerably more power – and Noah currently had a little under half of the power within his Rune gathering in the air before his hands.

Noah’s palms tingled as energy crackled between them, a storming black cloud condensed into a small sphere. He could feel a mixture of water, lightning, and wind magic swirling within the magic, pressing against Noah’s control and trying to break free.

His hands trembled slightly, but he rejected the idea of trying to pull any more power into the spell. He’d brought his gourd with him, and the chances of mistakenly blowing himself were going from zero to double digits.

I wonder what this will do. Another lightning cloud?

Noah thrust his hands forward, pushing the magic away from himself. The tight swirl of smokey black cloud erupted like a striking dragon, expanding into a roaring pillar. Hissing lightning tore free from the unraveling darkness, arcing across the ground as it shot out, striking the side of the hill.

It detonated with a loud crash. Blades of wind and arcs of lightning scored into the hill as Noah’s magic sank into it, ripping dirt and stone apart while blackening its surroundings and boring a large crater into the ground.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

The thick smell of ozone filled the air. A few arcs of lightning crackled through the air as the cloud dissipated, leaving the ground beneath it somehow both burnt and damp. Noah approached the damage, studying the crater curiously.

Well, that was something. If the Rune can do this while it’s barely guided, I wonder what I can make it do when I’m exerting more will over it.

Also, it’s interesting that the lightning energy is almost generating itself. I know that’s not the case – the basis came from water, and wind is already in the air. It must be taking the static electricity from the clothes against my body. So, hypothetically, it won’t work if I decide to run around fighting naked.

Noah drew more energy out, this time focusing on the earth. He’d seen water, lightning, and wind, but nothing from earth, vibration, or ash. There was always a possibility they’d been significantly reduced in the combination, but earthquakes felt too integral to natural disasters for that to happen.

The energy poured out of Noah’s feet and into the ground faster than he’d expected. A loud crack split the air and the hill shuddered. The dirt ripped apart in a thin line, stones jutting up in two lines of jagged spikes and leaving a hole about six feet deep before him. The ground bucked and the scar in the dirt slammed shut, the jagged stones shattering against each other with the force of their collision.

Even though the line had sealed itself, Noah could still see the rubble covered remains of where it had formed. He let out a slow whistle. There had been a lot of force when the ground had slammed back shut – more than enough to crush most things to paste.

Okay. That’s pretty damn cool. I bet Revin would be jealous if he saw that.

Noah took a few moments to get a feel of his Rune as it regenerated. He’d used a pretty significant portion of its magic with just a few spells, but it still had some juice in it. There was so much he still needed to test that there was no way he’d be able to run through everything in just a few minutes, and it felt like it would be a little over an hour before the Rune was back up to its current maximum capacity.

I suppose I’ll have to restrain myself and be happy with what I’ve found so far. I don’t want to waste everything I’ve got and be left with a few measly Rank 1 Runes to rely on. I should really figure out how to replace my tremorsense. I really hope it’s still possible with my new Rune.

Noah reached for his flying sword. If he’d still had tremorsense, he would have felt something rising up from the ground beneath him. Instead, he only had an instant to react as he felt the dirt beneath his feet start to buckle.

He threw himself to the side, hitting the ground in an awkward roll. Dirt exploded behind Noah and he shot to his feet, throwing his gourd and bags down the hill as he turned toward where he’d been standing.

A clawed hand covered in sleek white fur braced against the ground as a long, ferret-like creature slithered free from the ground. It was as white as snow, covered with thin streaks of black that ran from its thin, pointed face down to a flat tail that ended in a blade. The ferret was a little over seven feet tall, but was easily six times as long. It was one of the largest things he’d ever seen, outsized by only the Root Fiends.

The monster was strangely unsullied by the dirt that it had emerged from. Two thin eyes focused on Noah and it opened its mouth, revealing several long, pointed teeth as it let out a threatening chitter.

“The hell are you?” Noah asked, lowering into a fighting stance and calling on Natural Disaster.

Frozen Mist

Unfortunately, the other six of them were unreadable. They were monster runes of some sort, and Noah still didn’t want to risk taking one of those into his own soul without much more testing.

Noah wasn’t one to waste a perfectly good Rune, though. He extended a hand, closing his eyes as he pressed his hand to the chilly Rune and drew it into his mindspace. A grin crossed his lips and he let out a slow breath.

It was a Rank 2 Rune. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt good. A few tweaks would probably fix it right up, and there were a multitude of ways he felt like ice or cold could fit into his Natural Disaster Rune.

Snowstorm, maybe? That could work.

Noah opened his eyes again, then took a moment to study the dead monster. It really was huge, but there wasn’t anything immediately obvious to take from it. After a few moments, Noah tugged out a few of its teeth and put them into his pocket.

“I wish I could skin you,” Noah said. “You’d make a great fur coat.”

Actually, I could totally skin this thing. I don’t need all of it, right? I mean, I’ve never skinned something, but it couldn’t be that hard. I’m going to need my sword.

Noah set off, retrieving his bag and gourd before heading over the hill to re-locate his sword. He found it a few minutes later, then returned to the dead monster to set about skinning it.

A little over three hours later, Noah returned to the camp dragging several matted strips of fur along the ground behind him. His arms were covered in his blood and his face was etched in a scowl.

“What in the Damned Plains happened to you?” Moxie asked, staring at the huge pelts Noah was dragging.

“Don’t ask,” Noah replied with a sigh, dropping the pelts on the ground with a loud thud. They were surprisingly heavy. “And I never want to skin something again. That was way harder than I thought it would be.”

“What did these even come from?” Moxie asked as Lee meandered over toward them, eyeing the pelts hungrily.

“A rat. A long one,” Noah replied. “Had some ice magic, but waited too long to use it. Guess it doesn’t want its prey too crunchy when it eats them.”

“This doesn’t look very edible,” Lee said. “You left all the good parts behind.”

“They’re for clothes,” Noah said wearily.

“If they’re for clothes, shouldn’t there be less blood on them? They’re going to get ruined.”

“I am no longer taking questions at this time,” Noah declared. He shuffled off into his tent, then poked his head back out a moment later. “Need any help training the kids, or can I sulk?”

“They’re just practicing against some Bleaters. You’re fine,” Moxie said.

“Good.”

Noah went to sulk.