Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (43 page)

She ran across the chaos zone screaming her head off and
waving her sword above her head. Eric followed at a measured pace behind her
and Nolien followed in a similar pace behind him. In addition to vertical
distance, they separated horizontally to avoid an area of effect attack. This
was the foundation of the Triple Orbit Layers strategy.

The elemental took notice of them all but only targeted
Tiza because she was closest, loudest, and bore a water weapon. It breathed a
steam of fire upon her hot enough to melt the snow. She side-jumped and ran
around to avoid the continuous stream while Eric chanted an attack spell. She
ran up to the right paw and plunged her water-powered sword into it. The Fire Tiger
screeched and squashed her with the other paw. She dodged again and it struck
with the right, knocking her away and of her feet. It hurt, but with the best
armor in the group and Nolien’s buffs, she was ready for another pass.

“Tidal Torrent!”

A water geyser shot from Eric’s staff and doused the
creature. This caused it considerably more distress than Tiza’s sword and it
immediately turned to the greater threat. Eric was already moving and starting
the chant over again. While keeping his eyes on the boss monster, he saw Tiza
move behind it.

“Why are you looking at him, ya mangy pussy?” she shouted.
She jump-slashed its main body. “Your fight is right here!”

She channeled mana through her sword and fired it through
the blade’s tip as a beam. Eric’s water enchantment empowered it to tear a hole
through the flame tiger’s torso. It roared and spontaneously cast Flame Wave at
pointblank. The intense flames hid the fighter from view.

 “Tiza!”

A ball of fire fell to earth and into the snow, melting it
all into slush. Inside was a purple shell and a moderately singed warrior. She
raised her fist in a thumbs-up.

“I’m all right!”

“Water’s Mercy!”

Blue mist enveloped Tiza. The damage to her equipment
remained but the damage to her body was erased before it could fester. Then she
jumped back in.

“Tidal Torrent!”

A second geyser doused the Fire Tiger while Tiza slashed a
third time and Nolien cast more buffs on them both. With the elemental’s
attention split between the physical attacks of the fighter and the magical
attacks of the mage, the healer could work unbothered and monitor their status
with little fear of attack. His Scanning Staff ability provided him all the
information he could want. When it detected serious injury or change of
condition, he immediately rectified it with a ready-made spell so they could
focus on dealing damage.

The three of them repeated this pattern of attack three
more times without incident. The Fire Tiger took a continuous stream of damage
while they remained in good health and formation. At this rate, Nolien believed
they could eventually bring it down. Then it zapped Eric with eye beams.

They pierced Nolien’s Ward, ignored Eric’s barrier,
bypassed his armor, and struck him in the chest. The power in the beams
penetrated further into his heart, rushed in his veins, and filled his mind.
His eyes shined with their light and heat. Then the Fire Tiger flamed Nolien
and kicked Tiza into a mineral hill. Basilard snapped his fingers and encased the
Fire Tiger in a ten-foot thick sheet of solid ice.

“Is everyone okay?”

Eric shook himself. “Yeah, I feel great. That didn’t hurt
at all.”

Nolien lowered his barrier and discarded a ruined fire protection
charm. “I am in good condition, Daylra. No problems to report.”

Tiza stretched without pain and said, “I’m still all right.”

“I’m glad to say that your teamwork has improved immensely
since you fought that Cecri last spring. With this battle, you’ve taken a step
toward becoming Guild Regulars.”

Tiza sword-pumped. Eric staff-pumped. Nolien smiled
discretely.

“Basilard,” Zettai whispered.

“Yes?”

“There was more to this than a teamwork assessment, wasn’t
there?”

“What do you mean?”

Zettai gestured for him to lean over and she whispered her
theory into his ear. He patted her head and said, “You’ve been studying. I’m
impressed.”

Zettai beamed at the praise but then looked away and said
she only did it to pass the time.

Back in Roalt and inside Axe’s Arsenal Lodge, the novices
dumped their collection of stones on his service desk. The old man sorted
through them, approved the load, and gave Basilard the payment for the mission.
Then he called for his pre-teen grandson.

“I gotta ask, Jacks, are you still trying?”

“Of course I am, Belard, it’s my goal in life.”

“What are you talking about?” Zettai asked.

 “Jacks here thinks he can create a sword that’s better
than BloodDrinker.”

Zettai gasped and brought her hands over her mouth.

Ax laughed. “She’s your daughter, all right. All you
Bloody Blokes think that relic is the ultimate weapon, but I’m going to surpass
it and everything in that ‘elven imports’ case too.”

The case contained many exotic and powerful-looking
weapons: blades of fire, spears with extending shafts, quivers with arrows made
of light and others still more magnificent. Each one was more expensive than
ten of the standard iron and wood variety were.

“I’ve trained all my life in making weapons and, before I
croak….where is that slacker?” He left the desk to shout for his grandson
again. “As I was saying, before I croak, I’m going to craft a weapon that would
make elves leave their hidden villages and pay through the nose for.”

“‘The reins of history back in the hands of man,’” his grandson
said in a stage voice.

“Hush, slacker. Move these bags into the workroom.”

Ax’s grandson reached for two of the bags, and as he did
so, he got a good look at Zettai. Then he forgot about the bags and continued
looking. Zettai fidgeted. Whenever someone stared at her in the past, it always
led to trouble.

“You’re pretty. Do you want a bracelet? I could make you
a….”

Basilard stepped between them and looked down his nose
with glowing red eyes.

“Eeeuh, I mean, if it’s okay with you, sir.”

Ax flicked his forehead. “A slacker like you has no place
flirting with a bladi princess. Now for the last time, move the bags to the
workroom.”

Ax’s grandson finally grabbed two bags and disappeared
behind the desk. His grandfather muttered concerns about his business and
legacy and came back around to his original point.

“Yes, it is about my pride as a human smith, but it’s also
about my business. Elven weaponry is a big-ticket item, but the current trade
agreements with Dnnac Ledo and the rest of Avalon make buying them difficult. I
only receive five or six each year, if I’m lucky. If I could make the same
quality products then I’d be the biggest name in forging, and the wealthiest.”

As Team Four left the armory, Zettai waved to Ax's
grandson, who unreservedly waved back. This led to the classic “arranged marriage”
debate with her legal guardian and all the usual anger and stubbornness. It
lasted for the entire trip back to the guild and attracted both attention from
the warriors and sympathy for the girl.

“You could just run away,” Tiza suggested. “That’s what
Tenderfoot did.”

“I’m not considering that.”

“You’re not?” Nolien asked hopefully.

“If I did, Basilard would lock me up in the dungeon
underneath the clan compound to prevent anyone from gaining Bladi blood that is
outside the clan’s control.”

“Don’t you mean, you’re
afraid
he would?” Nolien
asked less hopefully.

“No,” Zettai replied flatly.

“Daylra, you wouldn’t really...”

Basilard didn’t stop walking and responded with a casual
reply. “Would I allow her to move out of the main house if I were afraid of
that?”

The humans bought it, but Eric, with his keen grendel
instincts, detected a subtle killing intent. He didn’t worry about it. In his
opinion, Zettai was a friend, not a sibling, and less important than his mentor
and leader. He would do what was best for the group and Zettai both if at all
possible. In any case, what happened in the guild’s lobby melted everyone’s
doubts.

“You must be my new cousin!” Mia said brightly.

Zettai shrugged. “Yes, that’s me. The walking heresy
herself.”

“Aww. You know what? You need a hug. I’m gonna hug you.”

“You’re what?”

Mia jumped over her desk and hugged her. It was unusual
for Eric to see anyone smaller than Mia, but next to Zettai, she appeared as a
big sister.

“You’re not a disease, or a curse, or a bastard, or
anything like that,” Mia lulled while stroking her hair. “You’re my cousin and
I’m going to hug you until you agree with me.”

Suddenly, Eric was reminded of another proud girl trying
hard to maintain dignity but also desperately wanting to let go of it. All it
took was a little kindness and compassion. Zettai cried into Mia and clutched
her.

Mia sent a scornful scowl at her uncle. “What did the
others
do
to her? I haven’t seen anyone this bad since I was confined
here.”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. In the meantime, I’d
like her to stay here in the guild if that’s okay with you.”

Mia smiled her enchanting smile. “Of course it’s okay!
Zettai, I just have one question.”

“Yes?” Zettai asked.

“Do you want to braid each other’s hair?”

Training that night consisted of more unity drills.
Basilard wanted to build on their successful field demonstration by showing
them how to recover from a broken formation and shift between formations
seamlessly. He was pleased with their development. After the session ended,
Tiza and Nolien left to “discuss magical/martial combination tactics elsewhere.”

“Is that what they’re calling it now?” Eric asked.

Tiza blushed and punched his shoulder repeatedly. “Shut up
shut up shut up!”

Seeing them together made him think of Annala, and now
that training was over, he could go to her. He worried about her all day, but
after fighting the elemental, he especially wanted to be with her. It was a
restless energy that drove him to Scholar Town.

Only streetlights lit up the night. Eric briefly
considered using his darkness powers to sneak away from Lawful Scary because
his instincts told him to put as much distance as he could between himself and
the bigger, stronger, scarier threat. Ultimately, he dismissed it. A new train
of thought took the place of his initial instinct, but it was on the same
tracks.

The threat was under orders from his little sister to kill
him only if he himself became a threat to others; thus, at the moment, he was
harmless. If he disappeared without warning, then he might become a genuine
threat; an active threat. Furthermore, Fairtheora’s presence would eliminate
other threats, like Gruffle, and remove obstacles. Thus, he could be the
opposite of a threat—an ally. As Eric followed the ethereal leash that guided
him to Annala, he started to think he might need one. The leash led into a
section of town more dangerous than Annala’s apartment.

He stepped into a back alley between scholar town and
thief town. This area was lit only by the dim stars and he bumped into one trashcan
or debris pile after another. After the fourth one, he gave up and cast Illumination
Orb.

 A scream pierced the darkness. Around the next corner, he
saw someone dragging Annala towards a portal. Her wrists were bound, her ankles
fettered, and there was a noose around her neck. A sponge in her mouth
prevented her from screaming again. The sight lit a fire in his mind.

His eyes slitted and he shifted into the right arm of the
grendel. Then he reconsidered and pulled out his staff instead. With blades of
wind, he cut the leash and, with winged feet, he advanced on the kidnapper.

The loss of tension in the leash made them stumble. His
first plan was to aim for the head with his spear and skewer their brain. Then
he thought better of it and chanted an earth spell to restrain them. Mounds of
earth reached up to grab their hands and feet, holding them in place without
hurting them. He was about to check on Annala when her kidnapper flashed
eldritch light. Globs of dirt went flying and Eric jumped to shield his
girlfriend.

“An ordercrafter? I could use the practice.”

He called forth the Chaotic Point in his spear and his enemy
created a Shield of Order. He charged and the ordercrafter pulled mana from the
surrounding environment. Just before he slashed, they fired a high-powered beam
in his face. He moved his head minutely out of the way and thrust forward. The
golden tip broke the shield and stabbed the ordercrafter. Pushing forward, he
pinned them to the ground. Chaotic energy ran over them, disrupting their
power.

I could kill them right now. Just load mana into the
crystal, compress it, and boom! No more ordercrafter, safe Annala, happy me.

 
Do it!
a voice pounded in his mind.
Kill
him!
the voice commanded.
Threat!
Eric’s eyes slitted again.
There's
no one around! No one will know!
Eric looked around and indeed Fairtheora
was nowhere to be seen. There was only him, Annala and a threat to them both.
Kill
the threat now!

Then he remembered what Kasile said earlier. If he lost
control and killed a third person for Annala’s sake, then she would give up on
him. She would order his execution. The idea of his little sister becoming a
threat was too alien to comprehend.

“
Ordercrafter,
promise me something and I will spare you.
”

“What is it?” they asked, perfectly calm.

“
Go to
Roalt castle, right now, turn yourself in, and pledge eternal loyalty to Queen
Kasile. Do not stop for anything.”

They hesitated. Eric pushed deeper. They screamed and Eric
enjoyed it too much.