Chapter 220: Let's go
The others also kept themselves safe with their essence forge and getting out of the way as fast as they could. Only Stallus couldn't move away she gasped and heaved on the ground, her hands around her throat. Her essence forge has doubled, thickly layered but the heat of the fire still pressed on her.
Azaroth gripped the fire with his will and drew it towards himself, slamming it down to burn in a ring around him, feeding it just enough essence to remain alive. "I must really get a fire-resistant skill or enchanted tool. Well monster?"
A growl followed and space peeled back to reveal the monster, one hand limp and the other half blasted away. It shot Azaroth with a glare.
Stallus dragged herself to her feet, gaining part of the monster's attention and she returned the gare with one of her own, her blue eyes coiled with fury. "Let me take care of this, Azaroth. Please."
Azaroth paused, his eyes stilled and then he shrugged. "Very well. Just be quick about it."
She nodded and took a step forward, her eyes narrowed to point, the ring on her finger gave a silent pop and crystals floated around her, five fist sized chucks that glowed with blue energy as she poured power into them. "You should have snapped my necks."
The monster growled in returned and leaped at her, fangs open to tear her apart, not waiting for her magic to take place.
Stallus jumped back, immediately using her new skill, Crystal Manipulation, to take of the crypts and shaped them to the shape she desired.
Five crystals blades shimmered around her and shot forward with blinding speed, trailing blue light on the way. Every though the monster is in midair, it twisted its body, throwing its weight away but not entirely.
Two blades caught the monster on the right shoulder and immediately they pierced its flesh an inche a small explosion turned to wound into jagged holes. The monster howled in pain and stumbled as its hand was blasted clean off.
It's eyes landed on Stallus, and it's anger radiated from it in waves. The monster snared with pain and tensed but it suddenly flunged itself aside just in time as the three crystals knives that missed earlier slammed down.
Stallus frowned at the explosion. "I've not met a monster like you before, you perspection is good and you have the speed to match. Too bad you decided to come after us. You must have the wors luck."
Five more chunks floated around her, shaped into blades that shimmered with blue energy.
Blood dripped down but the monster just shook its head as if shooing away an annoying fly. It considered Stallus flatly, intelligence shining from its eyes then the monster simply slumped.
Alex broke the silence that followed. "I think it's surrendering?"
Azaroth raised a brow. A monster surrendering? He's not heard that before so he stood among his ring of fire and watched what was happening.
Stallus frowned, still touching her swollen neck. "What exactly are you doing? Just fight...!!"
The monster suddenly leaped at her, clearing the distance between them with a roar. But just as quickly as it began, it ended just as fast when the creature stiffened and dropped.
Azaroth looked at Stallus, when did she make a move? But the monster isn't dead though, it's still breathing and it eyes still flickered with fear. So what did she do? Azaroth didn't see her make any move.
Stallus walked forward, her tone as dark as her face. "So you were waiting for me to let my guard down. Stupid. Do you know how many monsters we have killed? We've long past where we'll ever let our guards down."
She kicked the monster then she used her leg to flipped it. Finally, Azaroth knew how it was defeated. One crystal spike was lodged below its head, cutting off its spine.
Stallus shook her head. "I don't explode all the crystals. There's smaller chucks still on the ground waiting to be pulled together."
Azaroth narrowed his eyes, so that's what happened, very smart and tricky. He noted it in his mind for the future when they clashed. Especially as her powers will only grow, maybe she'll even be able to pull together crystal dust.
Stallus use her sword to cut the monster's head, wiping the black blood on her weapon on its skin.
Azaroth gutted the fire around him and turned. "Let's go. We should use to platform to see more of it place."
Alex and Catena joined them as they made their way towards it.
Alex scowled. "Do you guys think there's more of the monster? It can keep itself in a space like thing. Maybe this room is full of them."
Catena shook his head. "I doubt that. You remember its been trailing us for long right? But that's a strange monster for sure. It's like fighting against an human Awakener."
Azaroth paused at that. He'd never looked at it like that but isn't it strange? Basically that's what they are doing when fighting monsters, especially at the Acolyte rank where they use skill. But this monster was especially showing that. And who's to saw the monster they just killed is actually..a monster? And not just another species.
Well, there'll be time to analyze that later. He thought to himself as they reached the platform and climbed atop, holding into the rails while Stallus went around to the control board.
She looked at it enchanted runes arranged neatly on it and then back at them. She shrugged and then spread her palm atop it, pouring essence into it. And for a moment nothing happened, but then the runes lit up and the platform rumbling to live.
Just like she moved the ship, Stallus sent her will. The platform shuddered up, took a moment to stabilize and then it rises up, lifting into the darkness.
Stallus made more of her light and sent it forward. Time to continue their exploration.