Essence Wave Book 2 Chapter 17

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Note too bad of a week! I put in paperwork at my day job to drop to 32 hours per week, instead of 40. I'm hoping that, with another full day to write every week, I'll get three books published this year instead of two. Wish me luck.

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE *** 

The portal was smaller than it had been, but still nearly five meters in diameter. Through the suddenly clear surface, a massive Daemon beast was visible. It barely looked like it could fit through the portal, making David feel small and insignificant. Its face was covered in tentacles, looking kind of like an Illithid from D&D, but undead. The visible parts of its body were peppered with pustules and rotting flesh, and a smell that made him want to vomit floated out of the Daemon Realms.

A massive arm pushed up against the portal, but there was still a clear film that prevented it from getting through. “Elk, lightning on the portal!” David screamed, then shoved every drop of Mana he had into it. Energy followed, then he tried to sink into his core to meditate. His channels hurt, reaching a point where continuing would cause damage, but he refused to stop. Don’t panic. It can’t get through. Quiet thunder crackled over his head. The elk are helping. We got this. Just relax, meditate to fill up quickly, and we can beat it.

He opened his eyes a few minutes later, ready to drop more Energy into the portal, when the beast screamed. It shrank, diminishing before their eyes to only three meters tall. All the Corruption around the portal flowed into it, vanishing as if the Corruption had never existed. It backed off the portal, then leapt through it. This time, the film parted, and David scanned it quickly as he leapt to the side.

Type: Daemon Harvester

Level: 10

Aspects: Unknown (Skill level limited)

The Daemon was the unholy mixture of a gorilla, a bug, and an octopus, that all died a few weeks ago. It had patches of chitin covering its back and legs, thick fur, and short stubby back legs. It bellowed in agony as it landed, the Elder Mountain Elk having created a spike field right under it.

David copied the cervidae, wincing as the Mana for a Spike Field flowed through his outstretched arm. Not sure how much I can do, he though, then summoned his sword and shield.

The beast smashed through the stone spikes, then hooted as it shambled after the elk. They split apart, circling the Corruption and fleeing the Daemon. The Harvester turned towards the right, then blurred forward in a leap. It crushed an elk, then ripped off its head. The tentacles surrounding its mouth buried themselves into the animal’s skull, and pulsed as they sucked its brain out.

“It’s a zombie!” Colin cried out, forming his halberd. He Sprinted and then used Berserker's Leap, a Skill that propelled him through the air almost as fast as David’s Vanguard’s Charge. It was supposed to be used to get over the Vanguards, or so they thought, once the Vanguards had disrupted the enemy line. The Skill enhanced his fall, sending him crashing into the Harvester. It grunted, turning towards Colin and opening itself up to David’s Charge.

A second later, David slammed into its side. It swiped out at him, almost sending him stumbling backwards. It only failed due to a hasty Earthen Bulwark and it being off balance from both of their attacks.

It was enraged that David didn’t move, screaming in anger as both arms lifted high to smash down on him. David wasn’t waiting around to take the hit, using Shield Bash at the same time as deactivating Bulwark and leaping backwards to send himself out of range of the beast’s arms, which were glowing a bright white.

His move was prescient. The Bash barely did anything to it, but it gave him the extra oomph needed to get out of the way. When the Harvester’s hands hit the ground, the area underneath them exploded outward and showered David in dirt. The shockwave propelled him farther away from the Harvester, giving him a chance to create a Mana Bolt and send it into the creature.

Colin attacked its rear leg, pulling its attention away from David. As it turned towards him, Aly seemed to step out of its shadow, driving her spear deeper into the cut Colin had made with his halberd. Three lightning bolts struck it, causing it to stumble and only clip Colin, who’d turned his weapon back into the arm blades he’d started with. He blocked the Harvester’s attack with his arms crossed, getting knocked onto his back but slicing a finger off.

He rolled away, but not quick enough. A massive fist smashed down at him, only to be deflected by an angled plane of stone. It shattered but moved the fist just enough that Colin was sent flopping away with the explosion, rather than being splattered by it.

Liz stood a few meters behind Coin, her hands on the ground and her face flushed from how much Mana she put into that Skill. She then flung her hand at the Daemon, a javelin of Wood Mana forming as it shot at the beast.

David sent another Mana Bolt into it, forming it entirely out of Earth Mana, and saw more blasts of different types impacting the beast. It stood tall, growling at the minor damage accumulating on it, then both its hands glowed. It clapped them together, a shockwave spreading out from the Daemon and throwing both Aly and Colin back. Dirt and stones from the ground flew out, pinging of David’s armor but drawing blood on the dozen elk remaining in the fight. Two thirds of the surviving elk had left, returning to the herd, while the Elder Mountain Elk and many of the older males had stayed.

They retaliated with another bout of coordinated lightning strikes. Three elk combined their abilities into a single stronger hit, punching through the new, shimmering shield that had formed over the beast. It roared at them, slamming a hand into the ground and pulling up a chunk of dirt and rock. The massive handful collapsed into a beach ball sized boulder, and the Daemon pegged one of the elk, sending it crashing to the ground. The animal didn’t move afterwards.

Colin and David blasted forward at the Harvester again. David shot a Bolt at its face while Sprinting in. It reached for him, but he stopped just out of its reach. Colin used the distraction to stab into the injured leg again, flooding it with Fire Mana. The beast screamed in agony then fell sideways as Colin cut through its tendons. The Daemon grabbed at him, getting ahold of Colin’s arm before he could get away. It threw him by the arm, sending him flying into a tree at the edge of the farm.

David winced, but used the distraction to dart forward and stab at the thing’s chest. The chiton seemed to flow slightly, blocking the strike with only a small crack as the result. Swordsman’s Step took David to the side as its fist came streaking down at him, and Vanguard’s Strike cut into its tricep without any hard surfaces to block. It screamed, a beam of black shooting out and destroying a tree as the Elder Elk ducked under it.

The Daemon’s good knee tucked into its chest, hitting David and making him stumble over its planted arm. The gorilla beast flexed and threw him straight up into the air. Crap, it’s going to be waiting for me to land, he thought, then tried to force Vanguard’s Charge to let him dodge sideways. The Skill didn’t want to activate, but he pushed back at it. If you can instantly create momentum when I’m touching the ground, why can you not instantly create it up here! He bellowed at his core, then shoved Energy and Mana into the channels in his legs and torso, pushing it while he soared upwards.

Just as he hit the crest of his flight, a tiny platform of Earth Mana formed under his right leg, and he shot sideways. It took over a thousand Mana and Energy, five times a typical Vanguard’s Charge, to get him out of the way of the beast. He hit the ground ten meters away, collapsing onto his knees and panting as he grew dizzy from Mana usage. A quick check showed he was down to only two hundred Mana, but still had almost nine hundred Energy. Makes sense, I use Mana more, even if my Energy is higher. Really need to figure out if Energy can be used for ranged attacks somehow. I guess throwing things.

David Sprinted back to the beast. It had managed to get up, one hand helping it balance. It was trying to swipe at Aly, who was giving tiny scratches to its uninjured leg while dodging. Every dodge was enhanced by an aura of Energy as she used an active Skill. The Daemon grew tired of the game, its body covered by the bright white aura that its hands had before, and struck much faster than previously.

Aly mostly dodged it, her body bending unnaturally while covered in Shadow Mana. The Harvester’s arm almost seemed to clip through hers, like a bug in a video game, but the Skill it was using still caught on. The blow sent her tumbling across the field. The enemy turned towards her, but was distracted by more lightning bolts from the elk. It looked over at them, tentacles flapping as it bellowed in rage, and then the dirt under its balancing arm shifted.

It scrambled for a second to get its balance, giving David just enough time to reach it. At the last possible second, he triggered another Vanguard’s Charge, focusing on using only Energy as best he could. The drain left him exhausted, but he fought through it. His shield knocked the Daemon’s arm out from under it, the Power Attack he followed up with severing it completely at the elbow, then he collapsed into a roll that kept the body of the beast from landing on him.

Its screams were harsh at this point, and got worse when Colin landed another Berserker’s Leap and sliced through its good leg. Its Hit Points must be really low or out, David thought as he struggled to his feet. That’s gotta be why our attacks suddenly got so much more damaging. The pseudo-shield of the Hit Points is gone.

The Daemon glared at him hatefully, and a dark aura sprang up around its mouth. David leapt to the side, frantically dodging the beam of Decay it shot at him. His Mana Shield held for a second, letting most of him get out of the way, but his left foot vanished. The damage spread upwards, so he grit his teeth then sliced his leg off just below the knee. He landed on his side and pushed every bit of Mana he had left into a Mana Bolt that took the Harvester in the eye. A massive surge of Essence flowed into him, letting him know it was finally dead.

Colin looted the Daemon, and they all got the popup.

Congratulations! You have looted a Daemon Harvester, level 10!

You receive 5000 Credits, 2000 Essence, and a Major Essence of Force!

Congratulations! You are the third person to slay a Greater Daemon on your planet!

Rewards: +1 modifier to all stats!

Well, that’ll be helpful. Should I level first, or try to see if my awesome Skill will fix my leg? Kinda suck to have to make a prosthetic in the apocalypse. Though, hey, never know, maybe there is something in the Market that I could get. Since I just got another eleven thousand credits. Killing lots of Daemons is super helpful for the old pocketbook. Or the new numbers on a screen. Eh, I think I’m delirious right now, David thought, his mind going in circles as his Pain Resistance Skill fought to bring him back to focus.

A wash of green stabilized his plummeting Hit Points and cleared his mind. “David, your leg!” Liz said, horrified.

“I’ll be fine,” David said, sitting up with a grimace. He looked at his leg, his armor pulling back so he could examine the stump. With a thought, he pulled up his Status, and saw that he had a new debuff. “See, my Status says the amputation will heal in twenty one days. With some assistance, I’m hoping we can get it down to a day. We’ll have the other teams do some more exploration before the attack.”

“Sure, and we can carry you to a better resting location for this,” Liz said with a grin.

“Nope, I’m gonna walk,” David said stubbornly. He looked back at his leg, then pictured a Mana prosthesis forming. His Mana-Weapon Creation Skill fought him a bit but he persevered. “Help me up?”

Liz grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. The prosthesis wasn’t quite right, and he nearly fell. She stabilized him, which let David focus on fixing the length to match his other leg. He then formed a cane, which his Skill didn’t fight him on, and hobbled around. “Okay, so I won’t be very fast, but this should work,” David said. “We need to get rid of that portal, though.”

As he said that, the Elder Mountain Elk blasted it with more lightning, and the other elk joined in. It visibly shrank and the surface clouded over again. David limped over to it, then plopped to the ground. “Well, I’m going to check my Skill gains and then level up. Afterwards, let’s close the portal and find a place where we can stop for the night.”

Aly looked worriedly at his leg from where she sat next to the portal. Liz and Collin had followed him there, and lightning shot at the portal over their head again. “Sounds like a plan,” Aly said. “But you’re not allowed to lose another limb, got it?”

“Sure thing,” he winked at her. She glowered at him.

He pulled up the consolidated list of gains again, glad that his System didn’t fight him against it this time.

Congratulations! Through usage and learning, your Skills have grown!

Mana-Weapon Creation -> Mana-Artifact Creation [S] Apprentice 8

Running -> Beginner 8

Scholar’s Vision -> Beginner 4

Sword Mastery -> Beginner 16

Shield Mastery -> Beginner 19

Power Attack -> Beginner 10

Mana Bolt -> Beginner 11

Vanguard’s Charge [R] -> Apprentice 2

Pain Resistance -> Beginner 12

Vanguard’s Strike -> Beginner 11

Strengthen -> Beginner 12

Sprint -> Beginner 10

Omnicaster [E] -> Apprentice 1

Swordsman’s Step -> Beginner 9

Earthen Bulwark -> Beginner 6

Mana Shield -> Beginner 9

Shield Bash -> Beginner 1

Inscribing Scholar’s Focus [R] -> Beginner 17

Invigorating Shout [U] -> Beginner 9

A Lord’s Presence [R] -> Beginner 7

Lead from the Front [U] -> Beginner 1

Combat Reflexes -> Beginner 13

Spike Field -> Initiate 6

Earth’s Unrelenting Motion [A] -> Beginner 10

Minor Muscle Efficiency -> Beginner 1

Ooh, I wonder what I got for Beginner bonuses for Shield Bash and Muscle Efficiency, he thought, then pulled up their Skill page.

Skill: Shield Bash

Level: Beginner 1

Description:  Use Energy to smash an opponent with your shield, damaging them and potentially stunning them. Increased damage and stun chance with Skill level.

Beginner Bonus: Able to direct the rebound of the Shield Bash either directly into the ground, stabilizing footing, or directly backwards to quickly shift position. Costs additional Energy per use.

Skill: Minor Muscle Efficiency

Level: Beginner 1

Description: Increase the effect of each point of base Strength by a negligible amount. Increased effectiveness with Skill Level.

Beginner Bonus: Reduces required recovery time after extreme exertion by a negligible amount per point of base Constitution.

Okay, both useful. I didn’t check what Scholar’s Vision, Mana Shield, or Earthen Bulwark got either.

Skill: Scholar’s Vision [U]

Level:Beginner 4

Description: Concentrate on a living being to receive information about it. Higher levels give more information. Can examine the flow of Energy, Mana, or Essence in a living creature or construct. Use on a Skill may allow learning of said Skill

Beginner Bonus: Increased effectiveness in spotting Skill usage by opponents

Man, I still haven’t been able to learn a Skill with this. Not that I’ve seriously tried, but the chance must be really low or there is a specific way I need to use it to get it to proc. When we get back, I’ll spend some time watching others spar in the arena. Maybe that’ll let me pick it up?

Skill: Mana Shield

Level: Beginner 9

Description: Use Mana to create a small shield surrounding a target for a short time. Increased level increases damage shield can take before breaking. May increase Mana cost to increase damage absorbed.

Beginner Bonus: Increased effectiveness when used with aspected Mana

That explains why it worked better with Earth Mana than pure Mana.

Skill: Earthen Bulwark

Level: Beginner 6

Description: Infuse Energy and Mana into your feet and legs, strengthening them and attaching you to the ground.  Gives increased resistance to push, knockback, and force attacks by skill level. Increases armor by skill level. Unworked Earth surrounding you is strengthened by a tiny amount and will absorb a portion of the damage and force you receive. Increased effect by skill level. May slowly shuffle feet. Immediately ends if your feet move quickly.

Beginner Bonus: May strengthen worked Earth beneath your feet

Ooh, it’ll work on the wall now! Not sure how that helps, but I guess as I’ve gotten stronger, I can take a hit that would crack stone. This way the wall won’t collapse under me when that happens. Okay, enough stalling. Time to level. I need to spend sixteen hundred more Essence on stats. So eight more. Nerve and Agility are my lowest, so I’ll put three into each, and then two into Presence.

Congratulations! You stand tall in front of your people! You are the first person on your planet to reach level 9! You are the ninth person in your quadrant to reach level 9!

Rewards:

• +8 to all Statistics!
• +500 to Hit Points, Energy, and Mana
• Two Apprentice Skill Stones chosen from your Beginner Skills (Select)

“My Mana and Energy cores are getting ridiculous,” David said aloud. “I’m up to a maximum of three thousand seven hundred or so of each. My Con is over one hundred and fifty with modifiers. Also, apparently we’re catching up with everyone in our quadrant, whatever that is. I was the ninth in it, but first on our planet.”

“Great! My turn,” Colin said, pulling up his Status.

“Well, use your new Mana and Energy,” Aly said, pointing at the glowing portal over our heads. “Still got almost four hundred thousand to go.”

“Sure,” David laughed. “Going to go slow, though. My channels are all hurting still.”