Book 5: Chapter 28 — Ancient Echoes
Noah was getting very tired of those shadow-phasing arachleons. They were just big enough and fast enough to require him to pay at least a little attention, without being actually dangerous enough to take the fight seriously. The main thing they had going for them was their numbers and the ability to retain their memory of his tricks between respawns.
Which… yeah, some part of him couldn’t help but giggle at that. He was grinding a dungeon against respawning enemies who gradually adapted to his abilities, what more could he ask for? They were high enough level to give him decent experience while not being so high level that they required Zax to step in. It should be perfect for his purposes, right?
But in practice, they were so annoying. Their ability to phase in and out was quickly becoming a pain in Noah’s tail. The first few days, he’d still been able to catch them with Void Annihilation, but by the fifth time they respawned and came back to try and drive him out of their caverns, they coordinated and evaded no matter how fast he teleported after them or how many spectres he set on them.
They’d learned not to allow him to engage on his terms, and thus engaged in evasive hit and run tactics that turned what should have been a straightforward fight into an all-day protracted affair. More often than not, his eventual victory left Noah more frustrated than satisfied at the end, despite how much of a workout it was for his skills.
So it was a pleasant surprise when he returned to their camp that evening and noticed a stack of slender books beside Aurelia’s bedroll. He immediately forgot any frustration as excitement took over. “You found ability tomes? Where?”
Aurelia looked confused by the assertion. She followed his gaze to the books, then her eyes widened. “I didn’t. I don’t know where they came from.”
Noah glanced at Zax, but the dragon was sitting and pointedly ignoring them as he carved an increasingly intricate pattern into a stone with one fingernail. “I suppose we may never know.”
Zax continued ignoring him.
“Mind if I…?” Noah waved at the stack.