2 — A Mark and A Trial
Added 2022-01-01 16:01:05 +0000 UTC“[Lune Stone: Guard]!” Jennifer shouted, using one of her newest skills. Her mana dipped rapidly, fueling the skill as a shimmering blue layer covered her body.
The ogre slammed its four arms to the ground, sending a shockwave through the chamber that had Jennifer stumbling.
She quickly cut off her skill to conserve mana.
Irwys ran ahead, charging at the beast. His sword glowed, runes shimmering on its surface as he faced off against the Ogre.
“[Sword Art: Mistblade]” Irwys shouted, mist billowing around him as a shimmering blade rose extended from his sword. “[Piercing Lunge]” he shouted once more, using another skill as his form blurred.
The ogre roared as the mist blade cut through its flesh, trying to swat at Irwys with one of its four arms.
Jennifer found her mind blanking as she watched the fight. Her heart thundered and her mind washed itself white with terror. She hadn’t ever had to fight a monster before. Lienmont was a well-guarded city, all the more so because it was on top of a massive dungeon, and there were always guild members who took up scouting quests to prevent monsters from slipping out.
Another blow shook the hall, and she fell on her behind, watching Irwys cut out a chunk of flesh from one of the ogre’s arms. She felt surprised at his agility and skill. The monster was easily twice the size of the orc he'd fought mere hours earlier.
Jennifer slowly shifted back away from the hall. She would just be a hindrance even if she tried to interrupt. Her spell base consisted primarily of Tier-1 spells, and otherwise mostly Tierl-0 cantrips used for convenience’s sake. Interfering would do more harm than good.
Sera, this is how he wanted to get out?
Her backwards crawl eventually had her back bump against a metallic surface and she turned to face the entrance of the hall. The gates leading outside were closed, still glowing with shimmering blue light as runes flashed across them, the silhouette of the dragon glowing brightly.
Of course, they're closed. It’s some kind of stupid trial. What am I going to do? Make my way through the dungeon alone?
Jennifer felt the tremors from the dungeon mix in with the rumbles of the massive ogre stomping around a single swordsman. She wasn’t needed here. All she had to do was to stay put and survive.
Irwys moved swiftly, showing surprising agility compared to the fight with the mercenary. He dodged another blow from the ogre, his sword embedding into the massive arm, drawing blood. The ogre stumbled, and Irwys took the chance to get in close.
His enchanted sword cut through the ogre’s thick skin and reached bone. The blade grew in size, burning with a flash of light as a raw howl of agony from the ogre shook the hall.
Jennifer saw one of the four arms sever itself from the monster’s body, falling with a loud crash. Blood flowed freely from the stump and the Ogre roared in rage. The beast grabbed its arm, using it as a makeshift club as it lunged after Irwys. She saw mist swords slash through the massive beast, drawing dark blood.
Jennifer pushed herself closer against the door, crouching and hugging her knees to not catch the enraged monster’s eye. Her heart threatened to leap out of her throat as she watched the fight continue.
With a sudden shake, the hall lit up with runes around them. Mana shifted around the chamber, flooding the runes that covered everything. Jennifer’s gaze drifted towards the horned woman sitting on her throne. The magic continued to build around the statue until she once more heard stone grinding against stone.
A second set of statues rose through the chamber. This time, armored knights that carried a single long sword. Jennifer felt the swirling magic rise to a peak as the knights rose, the halls shaking around them. In a single motion, all eight knights raised their swords as one, the blades pointing downwards at the ground.
Then, with a long swing, they struck the ground together.
Clang.
Magic exploded through the chamber, carried by the note. Jennifer felt the mana vibrate something within her body. Something at her very core. The noise sent her reeling as her mana sense cut off, nausea overwhelming her. She tried reactivating her [Enhanced Mana Sense] but the skill refused to work. Frowning, Jennifer tried once more, before switching to any of her other skills.
All of them refused to work, even the most basic ones.
Eyes wide, Jennifer turned toward Irwys. The swordsman clutched his head, reeling from the sound. He also seemed to have lost the use of his skills, his inhuman agility nowhere to be seen.
How the hell is he supposed to survive against that thing without Skills?!
Jennifer’s heart thundered, her mind finally snapping out of the terrorized freeze it'd been locked in. What am I doing? I could die here and I just sat on that ground like an idiot?
She felt her chest tighten, each breath coming in with a burning pain. She forced herself to calm down.
Keep it together. I need to think. There has to be a way to escape this place. There's no way Irwys can defeat the ogre without his skills. And I don’t even know why our skills aren’t working.
Pushing herself to her feet, Jennifer tried to think as the ogre roared, causing her to stumble again. Without his skills, Irwys struggled against the beast, his mist fading. Yet he still managed to run circles around the monster, dodging blows.
Don’t dwell on the problems. Think. What can I do?
She turned towards the knights standing across the chamber. They stood, eyes glowing dark blue inside their hollow helmets of stone. She inspected the rows of women next to the knights, searching for clues. There were symbols engraved on the bottom of the statues, and they were all in pairs.
Women and knights. There was a chain of mana around them, links of mana forming before my Skills cut out. Spell threads have to be supported by a spell matrix. That means there’s a way to unravel it.
Jennifer heard the ogre roar with a strike that sent Irwys stumbling. Her heart dropped in her chest as Irwys was sent hurtling across the arena, but the swordsman recovered, turning around with a slash of his sword.
Irwys was struggling to hold the monster back. She needed to be quick.
Jennifer shifted her legs, getting up from where she’d fallen. Moving carefully to avoid drawing attention, she made her way to the closest statue.
The tall statue of the woman was carved in smooth white stone, with runes etched at the bottom. Jennifer tried to recall what runic language it may be using, but all obvious options came out blank.
Not Dwarven. Isholdic? Not Zweirilian either. Old Drakan maybe? I can’t say. This is outdated beyond belief.
Jennifer brushed her hand against the stone.
My mana sense, I can’t even use my mana sense. How am I supposed to dissolve the spell matrix without my mana sense?
She took a deep breath.
I can try. [Enhanced Mana Sense] was an extension. As long as I maintain skin contact, I can still feel the mana. There has to be a spell controlling this. I just need to focus.
She closed her eyes, trying to emulate the feeling from her childhood, from when she had been taught how to touch her mana for the first time.
It had been years since she had to use this method, as her skill passively provided a feel for the mana around her, even without needing direct contact. She tried to steady her mind, letting the fear fade away as she sank deeper into her consciousness.
She put her hand on the statue, feeling the smooth rock against her skin. It thrummed with mana rising from within the surface. She could feel the magic pulsing against her skin in a steady rhythm.
Deeper.
She let her mind sink into the layers of mana lines running within. The deep and complex array of spell matrices were spread around in a mesmerizing pattern, powering the spell, but the key wasn’t there. Something was missing.
Deeper.
She went past the outer framework, reaching the core of the matrix, her mind moving into each spell node within the massive web of magic. It was like trying to look at three things simultaneously and her mind struggled to keep the shape together. The lattice of spell matrices was layered on top of each other, and complex enough that just analyzing them was giving her a headache.
Jennifer couldn’t take a guess at what Tier the spell was. She knew that anything above Tier 5 was a complex spell lattice, much more diverse in application and mana threads than her spells, yet the layers present within just this single piece outdid even the wildest comparisons that she’d read about.
Concentrate. This is still just formation and shaping practice. Just slowly piece it together. Tier 6 or Tier 8, it doesn’t matter. I can still manipulate it.
Sorting through the complex shapes, Jennifer stringed the correct threads through the beacon as the spell slowly started to reveal itself.
A central link node appeared in the network of mana, connecting the entire spell together. Jennifer decided to use the simplest method she knew of to dispel any spell. Blasting it with mana.
She focused on the central node, holding the anchor in place. With a pulse, she poured her mana in, breaking the spell lattice.
A wave of mana rushed forth from the statue.
Jennifer stumbled back, opening her eyes. She looked up to see the statue’s eyes glowing with a bright blue light. She watched in surprise as it opened its mouth and began to sing.
Sharp harmonic notes rang out, powerful enough to shake her down to her bones. Magic pulsed in her chest, as she felt mana pour into her hand. A system prompt rose in front of her.
Trial Key (1/8)
Obtain all to form the Mark.
She heard a shout and turned around to see the ogre clutching at its ears. It roared, thrashing its arms and one bleeding stump in agony as if it was trying to push the resonant voice of the woman away. The song slowly ebbed, and the ogre soon recovered. It roared in fury, its deep red eyes searching around and eventually settling on her.
Rotten rats.
“Run!” Irwys screamed as the ogre roared and leapt towards her.
Jennifer swallowed, dashing for the next statue. The ogre crashed into the statue she’d been standing in front of, causing a cloud of dust to blow up. The beast roared, lifting itself up, and gave chase.
Irwys charged the beast, mist flowing around him. A cloud of white billowed out and covered the entire place in a thick haze. She watched as shadows flickered from the mist, rising into phantoms that attacked the ogre from all directions.
A misdirection and obfuscation spell. That should buy me some time.
Taking her chance, Jennifer sprinted to the next statue. She put her hand on it, closing her eyes as she once again tried to sense its internal workings. Within a minute, she located the spell’s core and activated it.
Trial Key (2/8)
Another bright light flashed into her mind as the woman let out a sharp, resonant note. The two beacons now hummed powerfully, their spells linking up and resonating with one another as a beautiful harmony shook the hall.
Jennifer paused for just a second, to marvel at the mystical magic that seemed to be forming beyond anything she’d ever had the chance to see. Another roar from the ogre reminded her of the danger she was in, and she dashed her way across the hall.
Still six more to go. No, only six more. I can do this. I won’t die here.
A vague red blur from the corner of her eye made her jump. A loud blast rang, and Jennifer was thrown away by the shock wave. She rolled, eventually coming to a halt, and picked herself up. Looking back, she saw the ogre standing where she'd been moments ago.
Jennifer clutched her thundering heart as Irwys leapt after the ogre, pulling the monster away from her. Jennifer stumbled to the third statute as she hurried and pulsed her mana through it.
Another note of magic rang.
The ogre clutched its ears once more, roaring in frustration as the magic in the chamber turned into a swirling storm.
Trial Key (3/8)
She ran ahead, onto the next statue, and turned the beacon on. The sound traveled through the arena, now generating powerful currents, and she felt the mana around her start to vibrate with it.
Five more to go. Four… Three more… Two.
Irwys jumped out of the mist as the spell began to fade at last. His arm was bleeding and his armor was chipped in places. The ogre bled much more heavily, tracking blood all over the otherwise pristine hall from its missing stump and the massive gouge from the wound in his leg.
The beast rushed towards Jennifer once more, now free of the mist. Irwys leapt back into the fray, his sword singing out as he held the monster back.
Jennifer rushed towards the next statue and touched its surface. She closed her eyes as she focused on the spell lattice. The sensation felt practiced and familiar as the spell lattice came with ease. She turned on the beacon, hearing the sharp melody of magic that the women sang.
Trial Key (7/8)
Just one more. Just one more to go.
The Ogre howled as Irwys took a step back. The monster slammed its chest, its eyes turning red as a bestial roar charged with aura echoed through the chamber, causing Jennifer to wince.
The monster was going berserk.
The ogre grabbed its torn arm, now battered and with bone jutting through its flesh, and threw the stump at Irwys. The beat then turned towards one of the statues and walked towards them.
The massive muscles on its arms bulged as the monster bent down and grabbed the statue of the knight with all three of its arms. With a creaking noise, the hall shook, cracking in places as the massive statue began to lift up.
Jennifer stared dumbfounded as the ogre picked up the huge statue, sending cracks running down the hall. The beast then turned around, facing towards her and threw it.
“G-Guard! [Lune Stone: Guard]!” she screamed and froze in terror when a horrifying realisation dawned on her. She couldn’t use her skills.
Magic flared, mana pulsing and reaching out to her. A silver barrier flashed, covering both her and Irwys a moment later.
An explosion of rock and soil blasted over them. The world spun as she was flung across the hall like a broken toy. The barrier protected her from a quick and instant death, yet that was perhaps the only saving grace.
Chunks of rocks and debris pierced through her skin, stabbing her all over her body. Pain erupted across Jennifer’s body as blood ran down her forehead, dripping into her eyes. She tried to get up, but found her limbs strangely unresponsive.
For a terrifying second, she thought that her spine had been taken out, leaving her paralyzed and as good as dead. But the feeling faded as sensation returned to her limbs and soon she could move again.
Fighting against the pain, she pulled herself up.
“Agh!” Jennifer screamed as a sharp throb went through her leg. She looked down to see her ankle twisted in the wrong direction. Oh no no no, not now. Please.
Biting her lips, she took in a breath and slowly set her foot against the floor. Jennifer braced herself, closing her eyes as she grabbed her foot and then—
With a sickening crack, the feet set back into place.
“Mffgghh!” she bit her dress, screaming into it as she slowly moved her feet back, bit by bit. Tears streamed through her eyes as she blindly searched her belt, taking out the half-filled vial of healing potion. Removing the cover, she tipped the container at her leg, but stopped after pouring a few drops.
A cool sensation ran through the area, numbing the pain. She dared not use any more of the potion. If the bone healed the wrong way, it’d be much more difficult to fix it.
She stuffed the vial back in its pouch, climbing to her feet. Blood thundered in her ears, the pain from her foot slowly fading away. She knew it was just the hot blood that took the pain away and it would come back to haunt her later.
Only If I survive.
A scream echoed across the chamber, and Jennifer turned to see Irwys clutched in the ogre’s arm. She whipped around in panic, stumbling forwards as she screamed. "No! You can’t! I need him!”
Mana poured through her body, her blood seeping away from her as Jennifer pushed her pathways to their limits. She had one spell that could work. Delay it for the time she needed. And only enough mana to try it once. Just one. It would have to be enough.
Spell lines weaved themselves around Jennifer, as she shaked the spell matrix. Wind rustled her clothing, as Jennifer felt her mana pool drain itself completely. Her mind strained, feeling like it would snap in two as the symptoms of mana depletion began to set in.
With difficulty, Jennifer controlled her spell, which threatened to break apart from the amount of mana forcefully poured into it. She held the spell at bay and took aim. She only had one shot.
“Wind Blades!” Jennifer screamed with all that she could as all her magic poured out in a storm.
A howling blade of wind gathered in front of her palm, shooting forward like a shrieking arrow as it struck the beast. Dark red skin parted, her spell almost reaching the bone as thick blood poured from the ogre’s arm.
The monster roared, as another one of its arms went limp, slashed halfway across and hanging on from strands of muscles keeping it in place.
She saw Irwys free himself, jumping on the beast’s arm as he ran up towards its face. A flash of bright light flared around Irwys, a massive sword of silver light forming from the enchanted blade he carried.
Even without her skills, she felt the magic in the blade as clearly as anything else. Ancient magic of untold power coursed through it. The power of one of the gods.
Irwys climbed up to the ogre’s face, lifting his blade of light up and pointing it at the beast.
Then, with a slam, he stabbed it into the ogre’s eye.
A scream, louder than any before, tore itself from the ogre’s throat as the massive blade of magic cut through its flesh, tearing into its eye. The ground shook as the monster fell down, shuddering and twitching as the magic tore at it from the inside.
Irwys fell alongside the ogre, his sword slipping from his grasp and flinging across the arena. Dark blood covered him as he lay soaked in monster blood. He wouldn’t last much longer.
I have to hurry.
She turned and shuffled to the last statue, dragging her bloody feet behind. Jennifer fought to complete the magic, the process excruciatingly slow as the pain and her thundering heart made her mess the spell lattice up. Her mind kept returning to the thrashing ogre behind her. Jennifer fumbled, forcing her mind to still as she traced the spell lattice.
Then it was done. She waited as the spell activated and the last note was sung.
Trial Key (8/8)
Move to the pedestal, chosen one.
A song of magic ran through the halls, as the winged women sang as one. Magic poured forth a flood, unlike any she'd felt before and Jennifer felt herself drowning in it. Her nose burned, tingling as dense mana saturated her very being.
The knight-statues kneeled in place and the women spread their arms, their wings glowing brightly as the beacons of magic lit up.
A glowing pedestal rose in front of the central statue.
Jennifer turned towards the pedestal, staring at the glowing characters imprinted on it that shifted and moved around like a vague, flickering mass of text. Her body burned like fire as she limped forward, a throb of pain going through her feet with each step. She dragged herself closer, feeling the words on the pedestal resonating with power.
Putting her hand on the area, she pieced together all the eight pieces into one. The spell lattices began to link up, attracting each other as the spell began to take shape.
A symbol formed on the pedestal.
Moving on impulse, Jennifer slammed her hand down, pushing the last dregs of her mana through the mark on the pedestal. The runes lit up with a flash as the runes rose from the pedestal and crawled up onto her hand.
The magic broke free of its chains.
Pain worse than anything she'd experienced before surged through her. Veins of fire crawled up her arms, burning her skin and spreading up to her neck and through her mind, tearing her apart from the inside. Mana flowed into her like a storm. Blood seeped through her pores as her body broke apart from the inside, struggling to keep it all contained.
The beacons turned, swirling in a storm as eight pieces merged into one.
The Trial of Time
There is no truth greater than time
Jennifer screamed, yet only a broken whimper came out of her burnt and torn throat. Her body broke apart and mended itself over and over, as the mana continued to ravage her insides.
Vague images she didn’t recognize flashed in her mind. A tower stood above all, with eight dark figures standing around her. Dragons soared across the sky as the earth beneath was shattered under the steps of giants.
The eight figures moved, turning towards Jennifer as one.
INTRUDER.
YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.
Her heart stilled, her breath stopping in her chest. They ordered her dead, and she knew she could not refuse.
Hands grasped Jennifer’s soul, restraining her. Cracks spread through the vision as the world around her began to split into hundreds of thousands of fragments. Her soul was breaking apart.
A soaring dragon shifted, taking the form of a woman as the world stilled around her. Time turned upon itself as the cracks in her soul began to mend. The hands went towards the woman and she swept them aside with one sweeping motion, scoffing.
The horned woman turned to stare at Jennifer as her presence spread through the chamber, gripping her in place. Time itself froze under the weight, and the world ground to a halt.
The statue she’d seen lounging upon the throne moved towards her, extending its hand. She felt the limb go inside her body and touch something within her. The runes on her hand coalesced into one, forming a single mark.
Carry it well, my child.
The Mark seared itself onto her soul.
The statues stopped singing all at once as the flow of time resumed. The hall shook, its magic fading and the old ruin began to fall apart. Jennifer’s legs gave out as comforting darkness covered her eyes.
The last voice she heard, a fading whisper of the world ringing in her ears.
[Mark of Time] received!
