Chương 16: Chapter 15: Little Red

"Oh, Barnabas, where are you?" Mother asked. Why won't she leave me alone for five minutes? Barnabas thought.

"I'm right here!"

"Are you done playing with that salamander yet? You know you can't take it to the Capital, right?" He growled.

"I heard you before!" What an insufferable wench. Father demeaned himself by marrying someone so disrespectable to their heritage. Barnabas might only be ten years old, but the men of his family all became Platinum-Ranked beast breeders for a reason. Unlike all these lesser households, the State needed them! Barnabas caressed Little Red's chin.

"You understand me, don't you? You know how wrong this is?" Little Red blinked thoughtfully. Oh, how could Mother expect this from him? Little Red was just the runt of his litter, not even a decimeter long. Sure, he might not have a Mythic Trait, but his skin was brighter than the other fire salamanders, and he had already coughed up a few sparks too. Why in the Mire did they want to throw him away?

"Barnabas," Mother said, leaning into the chamber with a frown.

"I told you before. If you don't get rid of that creature, your father will do it for you. Is that what you want?"

"No," Barnabas said, dejected.

"Then I suggest you make this quick. The teleportation array will open in one hour. Your father is needed urgently at the Capital as they prepare for the next Crusade." Always with the Crusades. When would the barbarians stop resisting? The State had launched 115 of these damnable Crusades already. How many more did they need?

"I'm almost done, Mother," Barnabas said.

"Just give me a few more minutes!" Wordless, she stepped out of the chamber. Barnabas exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Little Red, but Mother is right. They won't let me keep you. The Capital doesn't want 'weak' spirit beasts, and they won't hear differently because of your Trait. It is unfair and foolish!" He looked over his shoulder, then leaned in closer.

"But I got something to help you, Little Red. You just have to keep it a secret." Barnabas pulled out the tiny mana crystal. His pet salamander's eyes narrowed on the pulsating blue rock. A hungry croak rolled out." Shhh," Barnabas warned.

"This is a very rare, heavily purified mana crystal. Only a few grams, but it was the highest grade I could get my hands on. I will be in a lot of trouble if Father ever finds out I stole it.

"But it will let you cultivate your spirit and grow strong, Little Red. If they want me to do this, then you at least deserve a fighting chance!" Little Red blinked, studying his gift. His throat expanded as he swallowed the crystal at once. A belch rolled out, tiny embers flying. Barnabas sighed.

"They say that this mana crystal grade is only supposed to be used when beasts are trying to break into Platinum or Diamond Rank. Since you are unleveled, I don't know what will happen. It has to be better than nothing though, right?

"Just do me a favor and live well. You deserve to be happy." He placed Little Red into the privy. The adorable creature swam playfully along the surface, beaming widely. Barnabas's eyes watered. This was the worst thing that ever happened to anyone! But he knew how this would end. Whatever happened next, at least he tried his best.

"Oh, Barnabas!" Mother called. His cheeks reddened.

"I'm coming!" Barnabas smacked the magical handle. Little Red swirled a few times along the privy's rim before disappearing down the drain… … Into Vrisgard's sewage system. * Torin smashed into the wall. The colossal salamander roared. Where had this monster come from?! It stretched at least ten meters long, slimy crimson flesh splotched by patches of dark orange. Razor-sharp teeth glinted off torchlight as the salamander hissed again. Its giant tail swept the area, sending Torin flying into another pillar.

He struck the stone with a yelp. Damn. Torin had seen the attack coming many times before it landed. Just like with his battle against Cornelius though, the difference in speed was too much between this monster and himself. He couldn't think through an alternative in the 5 second window that [Battle-Sighted] offered because the salamander's tail moved too quickly and covered too large of an area. The salamander pounced, but Torin was able to dodge this time.

Cracks formed along the sewer floor as its claws dug deep. Only for it to yelp a moment later. Casmia sneaked up at its rear and slashed. No blood spilled, but attacks from both sides had forced the salamander to confront their pincer attack. It hissed in anger. We can do this, Torin thought. This monster was quick and strong, but still within their power level, even if Casmia lacked her bow. They just had to avoid its sweeping tail attacks. The fire salamander glared at the two, its teeth spread wide.

Light emanated behind its gums, its eyes tracing Casmia as she locked onto the flank. Before either could realize what was about to come, a stream of flame poured from the monster's mouth. Casmia disappeared with an agonizing shriek, but she wasn't alone. The monster arched its head instantly, and the fires buried Torin next. He cried out futilely, every centimeter of his body melting at once… Torin blinked, his mind snapping back to the present as [Battle-Sighted]'s premonition ended.

Light grew behind the salamander's gums again.

"Cover. Now!" Torin shouted. Casmia's eyes widened in horror as she caught the growing flame this time. She dove behind a pillar as the inferno rolled out. Torin did the same. Waves of living flame washed past his hiding spot, stone bricks softening where the flames bathed the walls.

"It can breathe fire?!" Casmia's voice echoed in disbelief. The salamander roared triumphantly, satisfied with its defense. As the pair tried to leave cover, it launched another fire attack. Casmia rushed screaming from one pillar to the next, unable to advance. Torin exploited the opportunity this time, closing the gap before it could redirect. With all the strength he could muster, he drove the sharp end of the war hammer into the salamander's gut. It withdrew with a moan, bumbling away as blood gushed out.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. But before Torin could try for another hit, his hammer suddenly caught fire. He thrust it into the ground instinctively, only to see more flames spreading. Where had these come from? It took a moment to catch the source. The very salamander's blood burned like pitch seconds after it leaked out from the monster's body. Casmia gawked.

"Are you kidding me? It bleeds fire too?!" The salamander chomped on empty space as Torin lunged away, scooping his hammer back up before it could be lost. More attacks came, with both him and Casmia now retreating. This wasn't good. [Battle-Sighted] only gave Torin advanced warning. He could do nothing to withstand fires this widespread. If Torin still had [Fireborne], he might've survived long enough to get close, but that Trait had been lost long ago. [Aquatic] only helped against water, not fire.

If only there were another fire Trait nearby. The fire salamander continued to roar angrily. Wait… Torin concentrated [Enigmatic]. The same resistance he'd grown used to again tugged back at him from the depths of the fire salamander's soul. He could mimic the salamander's Trait too.

"Stall it," Torin ordered. But Casmia only watched on, eyes quivering as more fires spread.

"Casmia!" he shouted.

"Keep this monster busy, or we're both dead!" That snapped her out of paralysis, and she zipped forth at once. The salamander redirected while Torin focused with all his might. The struggle was fierce. Torin willed deep into the monster's soul, but it flailed along the rim of [Enigmatic's] range, and with more fires spreading, he couldn't maintain concentration for long. Not without closing the distance. With gritted teeth, Torin did just that, abandoning any pretense of staying near cover.

The salamander kept chasing after Casmia, but her speed remained significant. She danced through the claw attacks before they could land. Keep going. Almost there. This was worse than with Cornelius. At least he'd given him the courtesy of staying still. But slowly, surely, Torin made progress, the Trait gaining cohesion in his mind. A few more seconds, and he'd make it. Then the salamander snapped back around. Fire grew again in the recesses of its throat.

Torin glanced behind to see it'd be impossible to escape the next attack. He pushed his mana with all his might. As the fire coalesced into a stream, the alert finally appeared. [Hot-Blooded] (Rarity: Legendary. Tier: Unranked) – You are a child of fire. Your blood bursts into flame once spilled. The temperature skyrocketed as his tunic went ablaze. Do you want to mimic [Hot-Blooded]?

[Yes/No] Torin tried to scream, but the air had been subsumed by a smoky, thick cloud, and it smothered his throat the moment he opened his mouth. But no pain came. That had vanished the instant he mimicked the [Hot-Blooded] Trait. The flamethrower died, but the monster balked in confusion at what was left behind. Torin stood where he'd been burned, only his clothing charred from the attack. His body remained untouched. Before the moment could be lost, Torin rushed forth.

Terror flashed across the salamander's smooth face, its prey escaping its ultimate attack. The war hammer became far softer from the bright-red color the shaft had taken from the flame attack, but the counterweight spike still held strong. Torin planted this into the giant salamander's eye. It stumbled back with a howl. Its tail rose for another attack, but no premonition came. Casmia leapt out of cover and snagged it, her lithe form wrangling against the beast.

The salamander growled, once again being assaulted on two fronts. The hammer spike cleaved through more flesh, smoke billowing as its combustible blood burned wherever it spilled out. The salamander chomped again and again, but Torin could avoid these close attacks with the aid of [Battle-Sighted]. Only the tail attack was unavoidable, but Casmia held it down while Torin faced the monster directly. Even blinded in one eye and crippled, the salamander made for a significant foe.

Its sheer girth absorbed Torin's hits easily, while each swipe delivered enough force to shatter stone. If a single hit landed, he wasn't sure if he could survive. But the flow of the battle had shifted back to them. The salamander cried out as more blood spilled, burning harmlessly against Torin's flesh. [Hot-Blooded] provided an extremely massive boost to his fire resistance. If he could find a critical spot, he could bring the beast down. Suddenly, the salamander jumped backward, no longer within Torin's reach.

It glared behind, where a flabbergasted Casmia watched helplessly from its tail. Light began to grow, burning gas rising inside its throat. Torin dove forth with the last of his energy and drove the hammer down. This time, he arched the spike directly into the monster's neck, right where the fires had spawned from. When he yanked the spike free, the flammable gas vented sideways. The salamander's remaining eye widened as it caught the leak, but it was too late.

The neck injury exploded in a miasma of scorching flame, sending Torin flying into the wall. He struck with a yelp, his mouth tasting coppery. But the damage had been done. As he wiped the grime away, he saw the giant salamander sprawled on the cavern floor. Dead. Yet, a strange energy radiated from the dead beast. Not like the aura he had experienced from cultivators, but something that drew him in. It was almost as if a fresh meal had been placed, or a lure cast out just for him.

"Are you alright?" Casmia asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She chewed his lip.

"Are you sure?" Torin realized some fires still burned on his shoulder. He quickly patted them out before investigating the creature again. Casmia must have sensed the same thing, because she followed tepidly as Torin dug into the monster's flesh. He cut into the navel where the lure pulsed strongest. Burning blood dripped from the wound, but Torin could reach inside. He felt something small and round, like a marble. Huh? Torin drew what looked exactly like a marble.

Perfectly smooth and spherical, but with a fiery interior, glowing brightly. He held the marble closer. Flame swirled within, only blocked by an outer ring of smoke along the marble's edge.

"No way," Casmia said.

"That thing dropped a monster core?"

"What's a monster core?"

"It's the spiritual essence of a monster. Not all of them will drop a core, but those that do are very valuable." She leaned in closer, shocked.

"I've never seen one so clean and pure. How in the Mire did this random salamander absorb so much high-quality mana?"

"What does the core do?"" A lot. If you're developing a new Skill, they can accelerate your understanding, or even mutate with one you already have so it absorbs the effect of the core, but this can be unstable. Oh, this can also happen with your Trait when you're doing regular mana cultivation to clear a bottleneck, but this is rare. Like, super rare. Trait mutations get even harder to manifest the higher your starting Trait Rarity is, too.

"Even outside mana cultivation, you can enchant weapons or armor with monster cores to externalize the effects. Suddenly your sword can spew fire or lightning, and because it draws off the core's mana well, it'll never run out." She looked closer.

"They're basically compressed mana crystals that contain the monster's soul." Torin retracted the core a bit. He studied her suspiciously.

"It sounds like it can do many things." She grimaced.

"Before you ask, no. I don't want it. Or, rather, I do, but it wouldn't be right. This kill was yours. You deserve to keep it. I just… I can't believe you got this lucky. Finding a monster core that is this pure at this level is like finding a diamond in a trashcan."

"I see." He went to tuck the treasure into his pocket, but the moment he slipped it into his burnt vest, the pocket burst. Frustrated, Torin bent low to collect the dropped core again before noticing that the prying bar also sat nearby." Umm," Casmia said, her cheeks reddening as she stared at his waist. Torin hadn't just lost the vest pocket. His entire Hawk uniform had disintegrated from the salamander's flamethrower attack.

Now, he stood in front of this woman, naked as the day he'd been born, save for Thaddeus's boots. Of all the things, those boots had been the only article of clothing to survive. He quickly tucked the monster core inside the boot before looking back up. Casmia suddenly yanked Torin behind the nearest pillar, his nude body pressed against hers. Her warmth radiated out as she pushed her face mere centimeters away from his own. Her eyes stared deep, and her lips pursed wide for a kiss.

But before Torin could even think of how he'd handle this proposition, Casmia's finger formed a wall between the two. She let out a silent shush instead. Torin perked his ears and understood why. Though the fires had almost died down, another appeared at the corner of his vision, coming down from the passage they had entered. Footsteps broke the stillness as lights closed in, and a low whisper followed, deep and raspy.

"I hope that beast is hungry."