Chương 88: 1-87 Impossibility

"Can't we maybe just talk about this?" Josef tried to negotiate with the incoming mountain of scales.

'Onyx': Komodo Earth-Wyrm - Level 34 Looking at the status display, Onyx hadn't leveled at all during the dungeon. On top of that, the number was still displayed in that ominous red, something he hadn't seen on anyone else before. The reptile hesitated a second when his eyes scanned him. At first, he thought his words might have had an effect on him, but then he remembered how his newest upgrade made it obvious whenever he checked out someone's status.

"I'm afraid that's not an option." Then he lunged right at Josef, covering the remaining distance at a moment's notice. His first impression was that his opponent was definitely a lot faster than even Zippa in a full charge, creating a stark contrast to the lizard's lumbering size. Then came the gut-wrenching sensation that always accompanied his teleportation. He had more than enough time to set it up, though his range was far from impressive.

Even within the zone he had cleared of the white haze, his magic just refused to be as stable as usual. He suspected that the sheer quantity of spells which had been cast in the area had something to do with it. He barely had half of his current platform's size in range, though in theory that would have been enough to reach its closest neighbour. Unfortunately, that was where they had deposited the incapacitated, with the dead not far either.

Unless he wanted to draw those into the fight, he had effectively cut off his own escape backwards. Still, he managed to buy himself several extra seconds of preparation, as Onyx lost sight of him and was distracted by Sprout. Unable or unwilling, he wasn't entirely certain, his familiar had not joined in the teleportation and instead remained right where she stood. Capitalizing on the lizard's whiffed attack, claws raking through empty air, she lunged from her position on the ground.

Swelling rapidly in size, she finally got to use some of that built up mana inside her body. What tackled Onyx was no longer the adorable pug that had obediently sat by his side, but a snarling hound of bark and strangling vines, almost as large as a horse. Their opponent didn't seem phased at all about his initial target disappearing, and pivoted on the spot, carrying his momentum into a second strike that struck right at the familiar's muzzle.

For a fraction of a second, the vines making up her body rippled like a liquid. The next moment, she was swatted away like a fly, tumbling over herself, vines unable to dig into the stone below in time, and slid over the edge. They had not expected her to be thrown off so quickly, but Josef couldn't pull back, already committed to his attack. When choosing his teleportation spot, he had aimed for the reptile's blind spot, appearing a fair distance behind him.

Now, under the cover of Sprout tangling him up, he had rushed in to land a strike to his opponent's back. His right arm was visibly bulging, rippling from all the mana and pressure locked within. A plan that now came face to face with a solid wall of scales, as Onyx turned around to catch his fist with almost casual ease. Maybe he had expected the pumped up arm to be a sort of strength enhancement, as Josef's own skill set should be unknown to everyone but his own companions.

Whatever the reason was for that maneuver, he wouldn't complain about a stroke of luck. Taking down one limb early would make this marginally easier. With a barely suppressed grin, he unleashed his fully powered Water Jet, blasting all of its explosive force right into the reptile's palm. The grip holding him loosened, allowing him to pull back his arm. Then, purely out of reflex, he pulled up his other arm. He had filled it with earth mana, keeping a defensive option before heading into melee.

However, nothing could have prepared him for the force behind the strike he had just barely caught. Onyx's attack broke through his defense so easily that he could have just as well saved the mana. Pushed back at an angle that no limb was built to support, his arm snapped. Not once, or twice, but many times over, the force spiking through it having pulverized the bone, ripping it out of the socket.

"Fuck!" an involuntary scream of pain ripped out of his throat. He registered how the blow had barely missed his torso, diverted by the initial impact, realizing how close he had come to dying in a single strike. Then, he felt pain spiking through his stomach as the lizard pivoted once more, hitting him with a devastating tail strike. This time, he had barely any mana in place to mount a defense. Josef's only saving grace was that a lot of the force ended up spent on sending him flying.

If his body had been fully reinforced, he might just have snapped in half instead. It didn't prevent the gruesome wound to his body, though, as his blood was sent spraying through the air. For a weightless second, he wondered if he should first pump healing magic into the wound, or use his water magic to anchor himself before falling into the void below. The decision was taken from him when his back impacted something hard, driving the remaining air out of his lungs. Otherwise, he would have howled in pain.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Using a focus born of walking through fire for his friend, he managed to finish a spell, dumping most of his energy into a broad regeneration, trying to mitigate the damage. Then, from that short sensation of relief, he restarted his mana streams, desperately reeling in more mana, which was immediately dumped into the gaping cleft that had opened on his stomach. Health 20/684 What was the saying?

Every point of health above the last was optional? Finally, he opened his eyes, groggily blinking through the dust his impact had sent flying. He was right at the barrier where he had first met up with the big bull, a sturdy creation of their impromptu commander's design. Now it had saved his life, even though the projectile had technically come from the wrong side. Though maybe 'at' was not an apt enough description, because right now, he was practically a part of the fortification.

Coming to Aurum, he had not expected to one day end up as one of those people-shaped holes embedded in the dirt. Well, a regular human wouldn't have survived such an impact, so there was no reason to foresee such an outcome. It was only thanks to the massive amounts of Endurance he had built up that he was still drawing breath. For however long that would be, because death was looking right at him.

"You…" Josef tried to talk, but he could barely muster a whisper. Or maybe his lungs were too fucked up. Staring down the approaching reptile, he knew that getting up and running wasn't an option. That rocky mold might just be the only thing keeping him together right now. Onyx's mouth opened a smidgen, as if to talk, but then decisively snapped back shut. Stepping closer, he was now almost within striking distance. Refocusing his healing, he tried once more to speak.

"You… make no fucking sense." He saw those claws coming down, making to grab him by the throat.

"Why do you work for Sanctum…" He coughed, running low on breath. The lizard creased a scaly brow, but didn't answer.

"... when you sabotage them anyway," he finally said his piece. The one thing still on his mind from when Cana first recounted her tale of escaping Sanctum. After all, why was this guy slinging threats at anyone looking for healing, when his faction was looking to lure people in? Who just happened to cut off Cana's pursuers through friendly fire? How could she have even slipped past him in the first place? Having now faced this beast in combat, he couldn't see how he would ever let her pass.

That combination of strength, speed and reflexes was too absurd to outmaneuver for the lycan he fought alongside with. That one finally gave Onyx pause, halting his grip just a hair's width away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The reptile's clenched teeth were making it sound like he was using all of his strength to choke out an answer. Then, he gripped him around the throat, lifting the human body with ease. The pain only intensified as Josef was peeled from the ground, but his magic had stitched enough of the stomach wound to prevent it from immediately ripping back open. It was a superficial fix, but it kept his organs in. He remembered the story Marik had told him.

How Onyx had killed Chip at Sanctum's command, but used fire to incinerate his body. And that healer apparently threw a tantrum over it. Because he collected the pelts of beastkin, for whatever reason. That much was already clear from what Cana told him, and if they knew, then this reptile did too.

"Fire… body…" Josef couldn't speak anymore, but he fixed the reptile with a fierce glare. His eyesight was growing blurry, and his ears were ringing. Faintly he could hear voices in the distance. Within him, he felt waves of despair surging in from Pretzel, and something fierce and determined from Sprout. At least his plant puppy was fine. His words seemed to have some effect on Onyx, as his gaze lowered. That one eye held the unmistakable wet sheen of sadness.

However, the grip remained firm, and breathing remained a distant impossibility.

"It's too late…" The words were barely a whisper. Then his eye widened in shock, staring at the barely knit wound on his stomach.

"How can that be?" The grip barely loosened, but it was enough for Josef to take several gulps of life-saving oxygen. Some sharpness returned to his sight, and he could see the conflicting emotions racing across the reptile's face. More than that, he was now twitching, and he could see scales being pushed by veins that were doubtlessly swelling underneath. Something had put him under enormous strain.

"How can an elf have these scales? Tell me!" Onyx roared by the end, sounding more like a beast than a person.

"What are you! Speak!" There was this little voice inside his head that really wanted to correct him about being a human, not an elf. However, if he tried that, he feared his neck would be snapped before he had a chance to finish speaking. It wasn't as if he had anything to lose by admitting the truth now. As much chagrin as it gave him, he knew what he was becoming. What he was. Working his pained throat, he croaked.

"Drake." That single word fell like a hammer, striking Onyx so hard that he recoiled in visible pain. Gone was the grip that held him up, so Josef dropped to the ground unceremoniously. Gasping for air, he stared up at the reptile, watching as he was losing all of his marbles within seconds. He was raking claws over his own face, while panting painfully, his tail thrashing about.

"No, it can't be. That's impossible. The dragons are gone! There can be no more Drakes!" There was, surprisingly, neither accusation nor aggression in his tone. The lizard wasn't even looking at him anymore. It sounded like a wail born of sheer despair. Not wanting to take his chances with the half ton of scales flailing around madly, Josef triggered the spell he had been preparing ever since he was picked up. Of course, he hadn't just waited for his end, blindly pleading for his life.

He was simply trying to buy himself some extra time for an escape attempt. Still, it was a strangely lucky turn of events because Onyx no longer looked like he could chase him down, at least for now. Spotting the movement at the edge of their platform, he directed his teleportation straight towards his emerging companion. With a faint popping noise, he appeared right beside Sprout, who was hauling herself back up from the abyss, her vines acting like a pulley for her core.

Fortunately, she had grown enough connections between platforms to give her something to latch onto. He didn't yet have the strength to keep standing on his own, but his familiar was quick to prop him up with her vines, growing a veritable bed for him to collapse against. His body was a mess, but looking at the raving mad reptile, a desperate idea took shape in his mind.