Rise of Tyrus

Paying no heed to the Shaman, Tyrus and Igneal pressed on, navigating the unforgiving terrain. The landscape was a disarray of uneven terrain, with jagged edges jutting out in every direction, a terrible experience that Tyrus couldn’t help but groan at. Then again, it was better than fighting beasts on a narrow bridge or being assaulted by unknown magic. Really, what exactly was the green beam the Shaman kept pouring out? Tyrus could only think of the light element, but it didn’t seem logical. It would be sunny yellow if that were the case, not green.

Even more bizarre was its belief that it received blessings from a goddess. Now, Tyrus was already told that gods and goddess existed. Heck, Wanderer mentioned Sthito blessed him with the power to use magic. Whether that was true, he didn’t know, let alone care. If a deity bestowed upon him the power to use magic, he would believe it unless persuaded otherwise.

The treants and spirits revere Mevena, while the sorcerers show gratitude and loyalty to Sthito. Jericho even made a joke about being an apostle to someone named Ethera, whoever that was. Basically, a good deal of praise and thanks were sent to the gods, so they must be real. In that case, where were they and what were they doing? Were they residing elsewhere, silently observing the people of Dharmere, or were they concealing their presence until absolutely required? Or maybe they didn’t care.

Bringing himself back to the present, Tyrus squinted ahead. Spotting another bridge, equally as battered as the previous one, prompted him to let out a groan. By now, it was hardly unexpected to stumble upon another crumbling bridge that lead to yet another stretch of land. Frankly, he was getting sick of it.

Heavily panting and exhausted, Igneal moved past him, leaning on a rugged and sharp rock spire. “We... must be... getting close to the artifact. The corrupted mana is thicker than ever. I can feel my body growing heavier.”

Finally, Igneal looked ahead to see another bridge waiting for them. His mood worsened further. “Let me guess: you’ll destroy that bridge as well?”

Tyrus ignored the jab and said, “I’ve been wondering about something for a while. How are we still fine in this corrupted mana? I was hesitant about that technique you told me, but its seems to work great. No tainted mana has entered my body yet.”

Igneal straightened and wandered to Tyrus. “Does it matter? It just means we’re resistant to the corruption, so long as we keep the technique up. We’re just that adept at using it, and it’s all thanks to my skills and instruction.”

“Can’t go a day without rubbing it in,” Tyrus mumbled. “Let’s just hurry and group up with the overseer. I want to get out of this swamp as soon as possible. If we tell him what happened here, the exam might be—”

When a heap of rocks shifted to the right, he accidentally caught his tongue. Igneal and Tyrus swiftly turned and readied themselves for combat, keeping a vigilant eye on the cascading rocks. At first, he assumed it was nothing but the wind playing tricks on them. That changed when a shadow in the fog l blurred behind a long rock.

“Igneal, did you see that?”

When Tyrus glanced sideways, he saw something quick jump off that same rock. His heart leaped into his throat. The shadow moved fast, faster than anything he’d seen in his entire life. He even noticed a faint glow gliding across its body before it crashed into Igneal, sending them rolling some place else.

“Igne—”

An incantation interrupted him and soon came a green beam that struck his left shoulder. Tyrus cried out as he held his wounded shoulder. Blood poured down his arm as he shambled for the nearest tall rock.

Growling, he looked over to see the Shaman levitating near the entrance of the bridge. Not only could that thing walk on water, but stay in the air as well? From which god did it derive its magical prowess to achieve such remarkable feats? Tyrus began to question if it was still possible to switch to receiving blessings instead. If he could stay in the air, use magic that resembled the earth element, and shoot green beams reminiscent of light, he’d pray and beg to whatever god would grant him such powers, and then some.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the moment to grumble and complain. It was crucial for him to act swiftly and assist Igneal before the situation escalated. That guy was still alive, given he could hear crackling flames sometimes, but he couldn’t afford to waste any time. If he had to guess, it seemed likely that Igneal was engaged in a battle with bone helmet. That lizardman, along with the Shaman, was the only beast beyond the range of his magical abilities.

Tyrus cast a glance at his bloodied shoulder. The pain was searing, but he didn’t believe it was a fatal wound. Blood was trickling out, but that seemed to be the extent of it. He didn’t catch sight of any bone protruding or feel the magic penetrating him. A swift application of Healing Touch should suffice, although he had never tested it on this type of injury before.

Before Tyrus could attempt to use Healing Touch, the Shaman unleashed another beam towards him. The spell narrowly missed the rock that served as his hiding spot, causing a shower of sharp fragments to scatter through the air. Realizing he had no time to spare, Tyrus swiftly abandoned his position and sprinted away.

Currently, the Shaman held the upper hand because of its ability to cast spells while floating. It could unleash spells upon Tyrus with no concern, as he could not reach it. The only way to overcome this advantage was to cast spells in return, but even that proved challenging in itself. Tyrus had not yet regained enough mana, limiting his ability to cast spells. Even if he attempted to do so, the Shaman had a high likelihood of evading them due to the considerable distance between them.

In addition, there was the uncertainty about the lizard’s other abilities. As usual, the odds were not in his favor. However, despite the grim circumstances, Tyrus did not feel powerless. He was confident that he could come up with a solution. Whenever he encountered trouble, he always managed to escape.

He just needed a plan.

Tyrus scanned his surroundings as he ran, dodging blast after blast from the Shaman. Thanks to the terrain, there were numerous places to hide. Sadly, they did little to protect him. The Shaman would eventually locate him and force him out of place, whether it be from sprouting thorns out from the ground or bombarding the rocks until he moved because of flying debris. Better than nothing, Tyrus supposed.

When Tyrus rushed to a boulder and slid over it, a tendril of thorns shot up from behind. There was a pause, then the Shaman launched another beam that almost struck him in the head when he landed. Tyrus had to veer his body awkwardly, causing him to land on his bad shoulder. He pushed himself up and shielded himself again. The pain in his shoulder flared, yet he ignored it.

“Just a bit more.”

He had noticed something as he fled from the lizard. While it received blessings from a deity, it still had one common problem when using incantations: casting time. There was a brief pause between each spell, meaning Tyrus could expect when it would strike next. And if that spell missed him, the lizard had to recite the incantation again. He was given much leeway thanks to his excellent hearing, so he could hear it coming ahead of time. Add in his reflexes, he could dodge its spells, mostly. What was even better was that he had gotten close enough to finally take action.

With the Shaman levitating just nearby, Tyrus saw this as an opportunity. If he wanted to survive and defeat this creature, then it was essential that he utilize what little magic he had left in his reserves. Judging by his mana heart, he had enough mana for a Dual Shot, a spell strong enough to shatter a rock spider’s defenses. So long as the Shaman had no magic that could serve as a shield, Tyrus was sure a Dual Shot would do its job.

That was if everything went according to plan.

Tyrus tore himself away from his spot behind a rock as he caught the sound of an incantation. The ground beneath him trembled, and suddenly a multitude of tendrils erupted, thrashing about like a writhing nest of snakes. Hastily, he made his way towards the Shaman, who was positioned at a moderate height. Just as a spell was unleashed, he instinctively dropped and rolled to avoid a green beam that sliced through the earth. The spell narrowly missed him, barely grazing his shoulder and leaving behind a faint mark.

Gritting his teeth, Tyrus summoned his sword and swiftly activated augmentation, feeling a rush of power course through his body. With a swift motion, he hurled his sword into the air, watching as it spun towards the Shaman with incredible speed. The Shaman, caught off guard by the unexpected attack, dodged the spinning weapon, its abyssal eyes widening in surprise. As the sword flew past, the Shaman quickly refocused its attention on Tyrus, only to find him no longer on the ground, taking his place his own enchanted cost. Instead, he was perched on top of a nearby tall rock.

The lizardman let out a hiss of anger while attempting to conjure another spell, but it was too slow to react. With a mighty leap, Tyrus launched himself off the rock, causing fragments to scatter through the air. As the Shaman prepared to take aim, Tyrus raised his arm and pointed it directly at the Shaman. A surge of mana flowed through his body as he envisioned a sphere of lightning being unleashed from within him.

With silent casting, he carefully tapped into his mana reserves, enough to inflict damage on the beast without depleting his own supply. His heart pounded, his eyes flickered, and then the spell was unleashed. An orb of electrifying lightning, a vivid blue color, crackled through the fog, accompanied by a green beam emitted from the Shaman.