Chương 94: Chapter 93- Demonstrations

Elias and Astra strode across the arena with her current pair of guards in tow, Astrid and Smith, and when they noticed the group making a beeline for the spell range, Sasha, Taylor, and Tia dropped what they were doing and hurried over to join in the excitement. Eli checked his mana pool to make sure he was back to full before twirling a new wooden poleaxe, as the one from before had shattered around the middle of the shaft from the explosion.

The sharp spike of anticipation and glee trickling over from Tia told Eli all he needed to know about their expectations of a spectacle. Eyeing the audience with a faint smile, he settled his nerves by reminding himself that he was among friends before speaking, " Just so you know I have no guarantee there will be a reaction this time either, it literally only happened once."

A chittering laugh from Tia was joined by an amused snort from Sasha as she hopped up to take a seat on top of the small counter on the side of the beginning of each wooden firing lane. She rolled her eyes as the group gathered nearby to watch and Tia hopped up to join her, " Sure thing Mountain Man. You were breaking stuff before your Tier up, now don't disappoint the Lady, show us what you can do!"

A faint sense of mirth directed towards Sasha drifted down the tether between Eli and Astra as she nodded at the pillar at the end of the lane with a grin, " You heard her Eli, your audience demands satisfaction!" Eli rolled his eyes before looking askance at Astrid, " You can cast barriers right Astrid? If you wouldn't mind putting one up for everyone, the last time things got a little violent."

Astrid mumbled a few words under her breath and moved her hands in a swift motion and a faint shimmer of yellow light sprang up in a curved half dome a few feet forward of the group. Elias nodded his thanks before turning and settling into a ready stance, the drums in his chest stirring in anticipation with faint echo trailing down the tether from Astra.

Adrenaline spiking in excitement, Eli bolted forward his lead foot eliciting a creaking sound and a small crack in the paving stone beneath him from the force of the launch. As the adrenaline poured through his veins, the drums in his chest thundered a beat in time with his racing heartbeat as the song awoke in response to his heightened emotions, and his eyes dilated and his perception of time slowed.

Each step brought the basso rumble of a war drum, the steps themselves silent in his ears from his new armor's enchantment, but the song boomed in time with the rush of his pulse roaring through his veins. A low sonorous chant whispered down the tether slowly at first with his increased perception, but rapidly rising in a crescendo as the ember of Astra's song flared to life.

The small ember roared into a bonfire in a sympathetic response from the chorus that mirrored his own emotions, and a wild grin spread across Eli's face at the wave of exultation and joy that followed in its wake. As the final step approached, he pivoted flaring [Veilrend] as the stream of energy poured out of his hands, up the weapon's shaft, before weaving into a dense cocoon around the axe blade, that quickly refined itself into a razor's edge, visible only as a glassy distortion in reality.

Eli planted his foot on the final step, pivoting with his hips as he brought the blade around in a horizontal blow, transferring the momentum of his charge, the length of the shaft multiplying the force as the blade streaked towards the target. Bracing in expectation of the blow, Eli brought all his focus to bear on observing the effects this time. As the blade came within range of the target, the faintly glowing runes covering the stone flared.

At first the markings only glowed the slight ice blue from before, but as Eli bore down and stepped through the swing, the glow blossomed into a brilliant white, the light pouring from between the lines of the enchantment exuding a repulsive force that billowed outwards as the runes themselves deepened into a cerulean hue.

The outpouring of force slowed the strike but failed to stop the blow and, as the blade connected, it sheared through the cerulean lines of the runes as if snipping a thread before the blade buried itself in the stone and began cutting through. Elias's eyes widened as he watched, in this slowed segment of time, as the severed ends of the runes shivered slightly before writhing, violently recoiling and separating from the surface of the stone.

The glowing strands ballooned outwards, expanding in a boiling rush of rapidly expanding energy crackling with a primal fury. Snapping his eyes shut, Eli curled into a ball mid air, bracing for the blow he knew was coming. One moment he was floating suspended in anxious anticipation, the moment almost crystallizing in time, and the next he was bouncing off Astrid's barrier, the breath blasted from his lungs from the blow.

He at least caught himself this time, landing in a crouch, but still coughed out a mouthful of dust as he felt a stream of energy flow from his health pool towards a couple cracked ribs. A wave of warm light washed over him refilling his health as he shook the ringing from his ears, and the first sound to greet him as his hearing recovered was the delightful sound of his newfound partner's wild laughter.

The quiet hum of the barrier behind him dropped, but there was still a faint clatter as the remaining debris from the explosion pattered down around them. Eli grunted as a sturdy armored form tackled him from behind, wrapping him in arms with the strength of unyielding steel and squeezing a slightly unmasculine wheeze as he struggled to catch his breath. Eli grinned as Astra crowed out from behind him, " Did you all see that? That's my MAN!"

before stumbling as she released him and raced forward to examine the crumbling remains of the target in question. A wave of laughter followed in the wake of her declaration as Eli gasped for breath and Tia pranced over to join Astra. Sasha punched Eli in the pauldron with a wink as she strode past with a quiet, " Told ya." as Astrid stopped to ask him to check that his health pool was back to full. After thanking her for the top up, Elias joined the rest of the group inspecting the wreckage.

Eli coughed to clear his throat with a grunt, and still a little raspy he spoke up, " Don't get too excited, I don't think it will happen everytime." Rinsing his mouth with a canteen that Taylor handed him, Eli continued, " I was able to catch a glimpse this time now that I had an idea what to expect. Whatever enchantment that was supposed to repel blows wasn't strong enough, and once the strike connected it cut through the runes and into the stone beneath.""

Once it cut through, the edges of the rune frayed and unraveled into a burst of energy, so the explosion was not from the Skill itself but from the enchantment coming apart, so I can't guarantee I can replicate it in the future." Sasha scoffed as she rolled over a couple fragments to inspect the underside with the stave of her bow, and Astra looked up at Elias from her crouched position as if she was questioning his intelligence.

She seemed to catch herself as she noticed his confusion, replacing her incredulous look with a slightly embarrassed one as she dusted off her hands and stood." Sorry, I really must remember you are an outlander, so there is much you do not know." She dropped one hand to the hilt of her blade as she gestured at the target with the other, " Just breaking through the enchantment alone takes serious power, even without the explosion from it unraveling.

Most enhancements would just lose power and stop working, but these are built for maximum resiliency and have an internal feedback loop to bolster their strength, which can fail pretty spectacularly."" This is a target range and they are meant to be sturdy. I personally fire at such targets fairly often with little effect, that is the point of the enchantment. In truth, I could most likely break one myself if I put my mind to it.

Even if it is just a very strong penetrative effect, it is still a highly valuable one all the same." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. She nodded towards the other targets in the row, " How often do you think they have to replace the targets in the range?" Elias shrugged, " A couple times a month?" Astra smiled as a scoff, a couple snickers, and one disbelieving laugh came from the group of guards, " Try a couple times a year. Maybe.

You broke two in one day, both on the first try." Eli grimaced, " Sorry?" Astra laughed, " Do not apologize, it was an excellent test of the effect of your new skill, on the eve of battle no less. That is what these things are for, just do not break any more." She turned back to the target, before turning to look at him over her shoulder with a smirk, " Seriously though Eli, do not break anymore, the garrison does not have the budget for it."

After the excitement with the target Elias shared the descriptions of the rest of the skills with Astra and she asked to inspect the weapon he had used for the strike, this one actually surviving the blow in relatively good shape. She held the edge close as she inspected it, " Hm, there is some minor pitting on the face."

Pointing out the minute damage to Eli she tapped her lip for a moment, " Quality steel should fare better than simple wood, but if you prolong the use of the skill you will need to be careful to resurface and sharpen the blade. When we get to a larger city we can search for a more resilient material, however I am hopeful that higher levels of the skill or intentional shaping of the effect can provide a little more protection."

She gestured to their surroundings, " Repairs in a town are easy, but if you take your weapon on a long expedition or delve deep into the Abyss, you may not be able to keep pace with the damage." Astra took a moment to check over the armor that Eli had picked up from Graff, and after it passed inspection Elias and Tia walked her through some of their other purchases.

She readily agreed with Elias's choices once he walked her through his thoughts on the future utility of the [Displacement] skill, but she was absolutely delighted at their choices for Tia. Graff had been above to refit some smaller saddlebags in a harness that she could use, with a few rows of straps along the top, and a fitted pouch along her belly that she could reach into while in flight.

Astra thought the collection of small javelins to use in place of stones on her bombing runs when she needed better armor piercing was a great idea, but when she pulled out a small collection of clay jars sealed with wax and explained what they were for, Astra beamed a brilliant smile at the wyvern and swept her up into a hug and she let out a quiet squeal of excitement. She grinned down at Tia after spinning her around in a circle and setting her back down, " You mean to tell me you got those just for me?

Oh you are just the sweetest, yes that is a great surprise we are going to have so much fun with those!" Elias translated for Tia as she gestured wildly, chucking a few pebbles at Eli's practice stump in between stamping her feet and hissing with excitement, Yessss! I can splash them and you can set them on fire with a WHOOSH, and the short hairy two-legs said it I can fly fast enough the big ones can spread the oil almost twenty feet! Astra belted out a laugh in approval " Aye!

You may not have your breath yet, but those bastards will learn to fear the flames of the great and mighty Tiamat!" Elias rolled his eyes with a grin of his own as the two women cackled wildly and laid out plans for their new artillery strategies that would probably be classified as war crimes back on Earth.

Their excitement carried over into another session of dodgeball practice as Tia declared Eli their new foe and the pair chased him around the arena pelting him with rocks, sticks, and whatever else they could get their hands on much to the amusement of the guards waiting nearby. Once an exhausted Tia declared she needed a break, Astra and Eli stepped off to the side and he demonstrated his miniscule progress with his [Displacement] target practice.

Elias winced at his terrible aim, but Astra was nothing but encouraging. She rolled her eyes at his frustration, " Eli. No one is exceptional at everything on the first try, this is something very new for you, it took me ages to get my first sparks on target. You will progress to where you want to be before you know it, it will just take quite a bit of work, and I know you are the type of man to see it through."

She arched a brow at the missing stones scattered around the stump, " I would refrain from using this particular use of the Skill in combat just yet." She paused for a moment, " It does provide an excellent opportunity for a heavy surprise blow if your target is close enough though. Imagine bringing up a dagger in your offhand, your opponent brings his weapon around for a parry but you blast it outwards with enough force to punch through armor.

You would only fool a skilled opponent once, but sometimes once is all you need." Elias grinned, " Oh that's a fantastic idea! That sounds like the perfect thing to keep in my back pocket for a little surprise." Astra smirked, " I do have my moments, now. Speaking of surprises, show me this teleport skill, do you have enough mana to demonstrate?" Elias flicked his eyes down to check on his mana pool. Mana: 510/850 He nodded, " No more than twice right now, but I should be able to."

He grimaced as he took a couple steps away, " It's not very fun since it feels so weird, try not to make fun of me if I puke." Astra chuckled, " No promises." Focusing on the far side of the arena, Eli flexed the Skill, and now that he was paying attention he could tell that there was a slight time dilation that caused the discrepancy in his perception of the casting speed and Tia's. Great. Just a little extra time to enjoy the tongue bath, what a joy.

As the shroud spooled out to flow over his body, the layer seemed a little more evenly distributed than before, and with a slight stutter, he vanished from beside Astra and appeared on the far side of the arena. He was still buffeted by rampant forces the same as before, the swelling of nausea in his stomach was a little less than before, but the sensation was wholly different.

Instead of being swept with tongues, it was as if a single incredibly long oily tentacle had coiled around his body wrapping him from head to toe, and used the tip of the tentacle to caress his left eye underneath the bottom eyelid. A shudder rippled through Eli as he gagged slightly and shook off the sensation as best he could. He heard Astra shout from across the practice yard, " Everything all right? Still up for one more?"

Mana: 260/850 My estimate had the base at 230, either it's 250 or there must be a little variability with distance, we'll aim a little short just in case. Eli grimaced as he wrestled with the nausea and shot her a thumbs up, selecting a spot a couple steps short from where he had launched from before. Time slipped and the familiar feeling of the shroud spooled out and surrounded him, as he directed a mana stream into the Skill channel and focused his intent on his goal.

As the uncomfortable and unsettling twist approached Eli's mana drew low and, as it dwindled to dregs, the flow stuttered as if an air bubble passed into a garden hose. A sense of deep and unmistakable horror filled his mind as the twist approached implacable and unstoppable as the spellform continued to execute while Elias drowned in a sense that something had just gone deeply, deeply wrong.

Elias gritted his teeth, as his form turned and blipped, he was buffeted by a howling storm of forces, the nausea in his stomach deepened slightly, and there was the distinct feeling of passing through a field of thin bony limbs covered in coarse hair rubbing against his skin. The feeling of horror spiraled as the shroud covering his left arm stuttered, and the thin bony limbs covered in coarse hair shifted into thousands of wriggling, clutching bony fingers coated not in hair but with countless razor sharp spines.

Elias reappeared with a steaming hot spray of blood ejecting from his arm in a spiraling pattern from the back of his hand to his arm pit as the limb flopped uselessly at his side. Shouts of surprise and horror filled the air as a torrent of energy left his health pool towards the limb, and some of the guards spun and drew blades, while the rest rushed towards him.

The last thing Elias felt before he went unconscious, was twin spikes of fear and terror lancing through him, one in his mind and one in his chest, as he collapsed to the ground from massive blood loss as his blood pressure bottomed out. A/N: Just a tid bit I wanted to point it out in case no one noticed, since it's one of the fun little details I use to make the world feel more realistic.

Astra does NOT use contractions when speaking and if you look you'll notice neither does Mira, noble society stuff won't play a big part until later in the second book, but I just wanted to point out that she was just THAT excited about Eli blowing up the target. You can check if you want, but it's actually the first one she's used so far in the text, and a deliberate choice to show just how excited she was for her partner's success and growth.