NOVEL NEXT Chapter Thirty Four - The Surge
Naea and I were quite different individuals. Due to our connection as Familiar and Patron, the parts of our personalities which aligned were often heightened by each other. When we both found something funny, the reverberation of that humour through our connection caused the joke to tickle all the more. If we agreed something was disgusting, the revulsion was doubled.
Apparently, neither of us enjoyed being awoken by attackers in the middle of the night. I found it hard to calm myself down as we both egged each other on spiritually. Naea was doubly protective of Home Base since the addition of her new Fairy Garden, so we moved to the barrier closest to the beautiful garden.
I had spent a short time there the previous night, having a meal with Naea. The area was small, a patch of only around fifty square feet but it was idyllic. There were toadstools for Naea to sit on, and a gnarled tree stump for myself. A tiny stream started and ended curiously, running through the garden but nowhere else. Strange glimmers could be seen in the water, but they were just tricks of the light. The air itself seemed to be more wild there, and Naea loved it.
The pressure on the barrier varied in places but the assault was from all sides. A hazy shimmer like a heat mirage made it difficult to see the attackers until we were close. Stopping around ten yards away, I hesitated for the first time. My Manasight picked up their levels, but nothing else. My normal eyes couldn’t help but avert. These things are nasty, I whined mentally.
Monster - ??? - Level 32
Monster - ??? - Level 36
Monster - ??? - Level 35
Monster - ??? - Level 39
“What the hell am I looking at, Naea?” The monsters were all clearly the same base creature, but there were dozens of bizarre variations to the group. I’d never seen anything like it. Due to her connection to the System as a Dungeon Fairy, Naea received encyclopaedic information when asked questions, but not before. Her face scrunched up like she had swallowed a mouthful of lemon juice.
“No information?” She growled, tearing her eyes away from the strange creatures to look skywards. She shook her head and we took a calming breath simultaneously. “Nothing. I have no information.”
“Well, not from the System,” I agreed, disappointed, “but my eyes and Dao are telling me these things are bad news.” The closest description physically for the creatures were spider monkeys, but without a head. Ranging from the size of a large dog to a hulking monstrosity as big as a shed, most were about the same height as myself. If it was just their general masses separating them, I’d have already jumped in.
I struggled to make heads-or-tails of their physical form. They weren’t moving naturally, the limbs which pounded on the barrier of Home Base emerging from and disappearing into their bodies at random. The lovecraftian, unnatural forms held something scarier than their appearance. My Dao creased in rage at the realisation.
Each of these creatures contained a whisper of Dao, mutated to give life to something evil. I doubted I was actually seeing what they really looked like, but I had no desire to remove the veil. With a flex, my aura spread over my body. Naea saw me and did the same with a nod. “You should go first, quick hit and run.”
Her expression hardened. She hadn’t stopped twirling the Stunchucks since we left the building and the tension was getting uncomfortable even for me. If she slipped and glanced at me with the nunchuck I would be annihilated. She glanced at me, and I gestured to the largest one. “Go big or go home.”
“I’m already at home!” Naea had to shout to be heard as she sped off towards the massive variant. Hammering at the barrier constantly, it was a great target for Naea’s first use of the stunchucks. I suspected the attack might not be effective on its own but I had high confidence in Infused Strike being able to deal with the creatures.
Some of my skills translated through to Naea like Harmony of the Storm had, and some didn’t like Weapon Mastery. Infused Strike was one which translated through to her. The air around Naea sang with the Dao of the Fairy Dragon, sounds of burbling streams and early morning birdsong filled the air. She slashed through the air, the charged length of wood trailing behind her, the tail of her comet.
She smashed into and through the creature like a meteor. It was the highest level of the lot at level 41, but she tore through it like sandpaper. I almost shivered as the feeling of progression returned, the kill bringing me closer to my own next level. It had been a while since I felt it. With a whoop, she returned, swapping the stunchucks for her half-sized katana. I gave her a high five and we got to work.
With Naea at my back, I left the protection of Home Base’s and attacked. As one, the creatures ceased their attack on the barrier. Even ones which were on the far side stopped and I felt the ground tremble a little as dozens of the nameless monsters began making their way towards me. I looked back to safety a single time before abandoning it. Naea wouldn’t forgive me if her garden got damaged.
“Come on! I’m the target!” As I shouted, I released a wisp of Dao into the air. A mistake. Dozens of techniques were unleashed at once, all in my direction. I yelped and thanked my stars I had activated Infusion along with my shout. The world slowed to a crawl and I shot away quickly. The spot I had just been was variously vaporised, demolished or exterminated by the slew of attacks.
Balls of flame, boulders, metal spikes, you name it. It was as though the core of the earth had decided to attack me from beneath and above at once. Each attack landed short but the danger I felt from them was unmatched by anything but the Storm Dragon. These things were truly nothing next to its power, but underestimating them would still get me killed. I doubted I’d heal so easily from the burns and lacerations caused by a Dao strengthened attack.
The stampede was on my trail the moment I broke away. They were already after me, and I had just wafted my tasty scent in all of their faces. “They can smell my Dao!” I had to shout as ungodly noises had begun retching and heaving from behind. I hadn’t seen any mouths, yet horrific screeching was all around me. I tried not to think about it.
Keeping a pace, I led the group of around fifty enemies on a chase while I studied their capabilities. Before long, I was able to pick out the particular attack which was coming my way just from the ability of my new race, the Stormborn. Sensing the affinity of mana in the air, I began to understand the “flavour” of the attacks.
The Dao of Fire stank like smoke and sizzled my nostrils, despite being downwind. The Dao of Earth made the world feel dull as the boulders flew towards me, colour returning as the heavy attacks smashed against the ground or trees. Attacks created by the Dao of Metal were preceded by the mana in the air screaming like rusty nails on a chalkboard.
My speed was higher than any of the monsters, so I slowed to let the fastest catch up. Picking it off, I repeated the process. I was voracious in developing my understanding and took way more damage than I had to. When a creature came close enough, I watched its pathways and allowed one use of their technique. The paths were murky and hidden by the shadowy forms, but it was still insightful.
Hurt, too.
My legs were the worst off as more than a few spikes had shredded the skin. It also had the unfortunate effect of ripping my new bottoms, removing a portion of my mana regeneration. I was burning more than I was recovering to keep ahead of the pack but it was too slow. Naea was starting to pant from exertion, most of her mana being used to heal me. Using her own mana was important to her growth, but it was time to use everything at our disposal.
The first step was one we hadn’t leaned on much as it hadn’t been needed up to now. It had seen some use in the trial tower of the Storm Dragon, but that was a whole evolution ago. Battle Bond was vague in its description which really meant it had a wide range of uses.
Skill - Battle Bond (Dragon)
A bond forged in battle is as strong as they come.
Effect: Patron and Familiar may share mana, for various effects.
Harmony of the Storm allowed me to charge my energy with storm affinities. For myself, this presented as attacks coated in lightning, thunderous strikes which caused shockwaves and, less noticeably, a more fluid ability to dodge incoming attacks. When activated together, Battle Bond had a pronounced effect on Naea. Her form was slightly changed from when I met her, her evolution to Grade 1 to thank.
When my magic coursed through her, it was a whole different story. The changes which had been only hinted at before became focal. Her eyes narrowed and took on the slitted lizard shape of a dragon. Her hair slicked against her back and became ridges while her wings took on a leathery batlike appearance. I recognised her as looking more like the dragon created by my Dao visualisation than the Storm Dragon itself, which made sense.
Naea’s pool of energy was shallow enough I couldn’t take the same, form-altering amount of energy. For her sake, I drained her well enough that my power wouldn’t shatter the container. Naea being the container, this seemed sensible. The colours of nature became more pronounced, mostly. If there were illusion or trickery afoot, I’d be able to see through it, but the enemy was simply to a fault.
They were raw power. Misshapen Dao grown into a monstrous form, desperately hunting for any more. Mindless chunks of energy chasing after me on instinct. Their movements were unnatural but simple, already well understood. I spun the Yo Staff and planted it into the ground. Using its flexibility, I vaulted backwards as a human sized cannonball. The first attack didn’t kill the creature I collided with, but the second did, infused with Dao. My eyes glimmered. These things really were monsters. Which meant they were something else, as well.
They were levels.