Chapter 83
Mice and Men
“Stop. Moving!”
“...Sorry mom. It itches.”
Jimmy reclined, attempting to relax, as the micro-fractures knit beneath George and his mother’s patient care.
The heat of the morning sun baking down on them in the pocket of still air didn't help.
I had no idea bone could itch.
All data is good data, I suppose… at least it is not burning agony anymore.
As he received one last wave of healing before they started their next pull, the rest of the group went about their own preparations.
A collection of clubs lies on the ground before Dan... as he weighs the arrayed armaments with a critical eye.
A soft cool breeze circled around the encampment as Kim, at long last, finished consolidating the recent Qi surplus.
Controlled micro-sparks flickered along Belle’s fingertips, the tiny flares of plasma reflecting on her hope-filled face
Jaime’s smile of encouragement fell just shy of full, nervously looking for any rumbling pile of rock. Aura unconsciously reaching for her daughter.
Chris shifted, from corded calf to titanium shaft, anxiously glancing around the valley.
Each tiny spec of heat, another breadcrumb along the path to his Core.
I can't wait any longer!
I’m about to Leeroy Jankins this shit.
Thankfully, Jimmy rose from the ground.
Dusting himself off, wincing, and scratching feverishly at his ribs.
Glaring intent drilled into his back.
He paused, carefully polishing his now cracked glasses, checking them intently.
Weight shifted behind him.
Jimmy bent down to re-tie his boot.
A dramatic sigh moved a respectable amount of air.
The archer started to take a step, then stopped, reaching down to collect and start counting the remaining arrows.
“Oh for the love of-”
“Okay, I am good to go. Are you ready, Chris?”
“I will never play chess with you ever again.”
The Elementals' patrols had continued.
Their next target: a nine-foot Elemental composed of loose sand and dirt, it was shored up by a scattering of small rock segments.
Its weaker apparent construction made the group slightly hopeful of an easier victory.
Jimmy initiated the pull as normal, Viking caricature in its helmet danced away in furry boots.
The Dirt Elemental lumbered out of the debris field, it flowed sluggishly but inexorably toward the annoying, bouncing figure.
Kim waited.
As it entered the exposed patch of earth, she slammed her spear down, channeling her Core of Inexorable Flow to dissolve the ground into slick, inescapable mud.
The Elemental stepped into the trap, its nine-foot bulk sinking instantly.
Jimmy smiled, pleased with their ever increasing technical prowess.
For a moment.
The Elemental’s form shuddered, and the living sand seemed to ooze into the saturated ground.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Kim froze, a sudden, cold dread overriding her.
It was only a moment before the soft earth ruptured directly behind her.
Luna's panicked Bark was the only thing that saved Kim.
A physical wave of noise slammed into the re-emerging golem.
The entity's ascent stalled, its form rippling under the assault.
The elemental turned its featureless, shifting body toward the true threat.
Soil around the dog began to roil.
She yipped out a quick yelp as the earth started swallowing her whole.
"Luna run!" Kim screamed, unleashing an instinctive, desperate heave.
Her Core surged, manifesting a massive, pressurized waterfall that poured down and crashed into the elemental's back, forcing its dense body to bend and slump over under the deluge.
The trembling stopped, Luna half submerged, crying and clawing desperately.
Kim stood channeling, well within range of the enraged Elemental.
Dan was charging in, projecting his domain.
The waterlogged dirt slowed, but the creature was relentless.
Core of Heavy Frost lurched, echoing the shifting weight.
“KIM, MOVE!”
Her eyes snapped open wide, moving faster than she had ever thought possible, and almost dodged the swipe.
A heavy forearm grazed her back, ripping shirt and skin, sending her tumbling through the rocks.
Luna redoubled her efforts, whimpering, as the dirt began to tremble.
She slipped a little deeper.
Dan reached the behemoth, face contorted with fury.
Ice rose on the golem, its body groaning under the weight of an imposing will.
The baseball swing cracked a chunk of frozen sand from the Elemental's side.
A growled “No” slowed its slinking descent into the earth, buying a moment.
Wooden limb a blur, the backswing connected, breaking off the bottom part of an arm.
The improvised club came around, up, and down.
A chunk disappeared from the top of its head as it completely submerged.
Luna tore herself from the now loose soil, running to a motionless Kim.
Rumbling preceded the Elemental’s rising form, shadow looming over the prone figure, preparing for a final crushing blow.
Paws planted, head lowered, and fangs bared.
A reverberating growl never heard before was unleashed.
Violent, chaotic, the sharp rage filled timber waves came crashing in.
The very air vibrated, the sonic pressure dramatically ramping up.
It trembled to a halt, a statue of dirt, structure vibrating and trembling under the sustained assault.
Dan arrived, pushing through the falloff of Luna's attack—ears bleeding.
Tinkling ice crystals preceded the thundering crash of a wooden log.
Deadwood exploded as it cratered the Elemental's side.
Small cracks from the vibration immediately blew open, the whole form crumbling into a pile of inert sand.
They rushed forward, looking to the prone woman.
Luna collapsed next to her, not even able to lift her head, eyes closed as she licked Kim’s ear. Luna absorbed the whole cloud of growing Qi, to no protest.
Chris reached down and scooped up the brown stone with a white knuckle grip.
“Kim, if you hear me, don't move. Dad, what do you got?” Dan placed a hand on Kim's shoulder, trying to keep her still.
She groaned in response.
George's face was grave,“Cuts, bruising, swelling… maybe a little bit of internal bleeding. Possible concussion? We need to get her somewhere safe, I need to concentrate.”
Dan felt the weight of the Tutorial crushing down around them.
“Let's get her back, and reinforce as much as we can. This... can't happen again.”
Not being far from their temporary camp was a relief, at least.
Dan tried to use his weight affinity to reduce the pull on Kim, with varying success, to make getting carried less strenuous on her battered body.
Lying the unconscious woman on a thick bed on pine needles, Jaime and Belle sat next to her cleaning her wounds, whispering words of encouragement.
George and Annette settled in to get to the tedious work of stabilizing and helping her as best they could.
Chris sat by the fire, looking at the dull brown stones with a hungry ferocity.
Dan and Jimmy’s eyes met, and they walked a few paces out of camp.
Dan started immediately with a harsh whisper, “What are we going to do Jimmy? I feel like we have to keep pushing forwards, or this new world will pull us down. But what if something happens to them? What if something happens to Jaime, or Belle? What if something happens to your Mom? Damnit man, Kim came this close…”
He looked at his shaking hands, hands specked with splinters and frozen drops of blood.
“I don’t want to tell him we let her die…”
He clenched his fists, splinters biting into his palms.
The lifelong friends stood in silence.
At last, Jimmy let out a sigh, “I wish I had an answer Daniel. There's no algorithm, no perfect checkmate...”
He took a couple of wayward paces, looking at the darkening sky.
“We do have to keep pushing forward, that I know. The one piece of the puzzle we do know is power will rule the world. Always has, always will. The scale just shifted.”
The bespeckled man turned back his bearded buddy.
“We advance. We overcome. Just need to get more creative.”
"Get more creative"… I wonder if that's a hint?
Certainly can't be referring to upcoming crafting chapters…
Also, I don't know if I can write, but I'll go toe to toe with anybody on chapter names.
