Chapter 77: Decree
Multiple green symbols lit up underneath their feet. Together, they formed an intricate circle, woven out of the same script decorating the rest of the cube. Gazing up, Percy noticed a similar shape forming on the ceiling right above them, as a beautiful gem glistened in its centre.
It fell, flying through the air like a verdant droplet, before landing on their forehead. The liquid was cool to the touch, swiftly seeping into their skin. Percy felt an itch snaking down through their body, as cuts and scrapes closed in its wake, the pain fading a moment later. By the time its effect was exhausted, all the injuries above their chest had healed entirely, the discomfort replaced by a gentle chill. Only then did they look up again, watching a second droplet about to coalesce.
However, things didn’t go so smoothly this time. As the soothing sensation lingered in their torso, latching itself to some of the many wounds marring it, something else stirred inside their body.
‘Ah, there it is…’ Percy grimaced.
An all too familiar vortex awakened right around their abdomen, exerting an attractive force on the mana. At first it was weak, unable to sway the substance off its path.
But it was nothing if not persistent. The pull kept intensifying, until a trickle was finally pried from the wounds. And the very moment the mana reached its new home, all hell broke loose. While the minuscule snack wasn’t remotely sufficient to satiate the vortex’s hunger, it was more than enough to fully whet its appetite. The force instantly quadrupled in strength, as the rest of the mana was violently snatched from its original purpose.
‘What’s going on?!’ Gabe asked, only now registering something was wrong.
‘Well, now we pray this cube of yours isn’t cheap enough to skimp on your reward…’ Percy said, knowing there was no stopping what was about to occur.
The third droplet barely landed on their head, before getting sucked right into their abdomen. But the inscriptions appeared too proud to accept their loss, tossing more life mana at their patient, trying to outmatch their new competitor. Little did they know that it was only getting started. The new droplets were gone as soon as they landed.