Mike dodged to the right, and immediately had to start running through the knee-deep water along the outer edges of the room. The stag was stitching a line with its stone javelins, creating a continuous rain of fire like that of a machine gun. Disturbingly, the spells were launched silently, so only the sounds that echoed through the circular chamber were the projectiles impacting on the wall behind him, and his own sloshing efforts to move quickly through the pool.
[What the hell? Did I change genres again? Am I in an action/adventure video game now?]
Getting annoyed with the water impeding his movements, he stopped, threw both of his hands forward while sinking his will into the liquid, and created a massive wall in front of him, which he promptly froze into a solid barrier.
His momentary feeling of accomplishment was quickly overturned as several stone projectiles punched through the ice with terrifying power, forcing him to duck into a roll.
[Serious, what the hell? Does this thing have unlimited mana?]
The constant stream of fire stop briefly, long enough for Mike to peak through one of the holes in his barricade. The stag had raised one foreleg in a graceful, elegant manner. As he watched, it brought the limb down hard. A premonition of danger had him launching himself to the right again, this time with the aid of Air Magic.
After slamming it into the ground the stag's hoof created an expanding cone of jagged, stony spikes, which quickly engulfed a quarter of the room. The remains of his ice wall were completely destroyed. Had he remained there, it would have left him skewered.
[Whew. I can see why most adventurers would have problems with a monster like this. I guess I need to take this seriously.]
With a wave of his hand, he sent a roiling cloud of boiling steam at the stag, more as an effort to distract it than anything else. While its vision was momentarily blocked, he quickly chanted his upgraded version of the stone javelin spell, pumping it full of mana.
The cloud of steam was met with a wall of water that emerged out of thin air. Evidently the monster could use more than just Earth Magic. Undeterred, Mike took aim at the area he recalled the stag occupying and let loose with his four humming spears made of dark obsidian.
They quickly punched through the wall of water, displacing large sections of it with the force of their passage. This gave Mike a chance to watch the stag's response. He was already preparing his next move, suspecting that his enemy wasn't out of tricks just yet.
Unsurprisingly, the stag was able to dodge three of them with a quickly executed sidestep. However, it was forced to deflect the last one with its antlers, which proved to be its undoing. The sheer amount of force behind each of the spears, thanks to the large amount of mana Mike had poured into them, was not something that could be parried so easily.
With an audible crack, one section of the stag's antlers broke off, eliciting a heartrending cry of pain that echoed through the chamber. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Mike threw himself forward and placed a hand on the wounded creature's forehead, directing his mana and will into it.
According to the Beast Taming guide, this was the most direct method of taming monsters. Assuming the user had a strong enough will and potent enough mana, it could forcibly create a bond between both parties. Unfortunately, when he had tried it on the dungeon monsters before this, it had failed.
Mike wasn't sure what was supposed to happen, but it had felt like he was attempting tie one end of a string to a puddle of water. It was clear that something was there, but he didn't have anything to connect it too, like the dungeon monsters were missing something that would allow the bonding process to take place.
While the stag was significantly more potent (its spirit, mana, or whatever felt more like pudding than water) it also lacked the connection point, confirming his suspicion. Monsters from the dungeon almost appeared to be artificial magical constructs, which imitated living beings, but were fundamentally different. If that was the case, it made sense that he couldn't use Beast Taming on them.
[However, if they are basically high spec biological robots, there should be a way to hijack them as well. Maybe something worth investigating at a later date.]
He didn't quite have the luxury of experimenting at the moment. Once his attempt at taming failed, he was forced to dodge backwards once more, as the stag lashed out with its remaining antler. The two of them were left facing each other on the small mound.
Not wanting to expose himself to another round of heavy fire, Mike summoned a stone spear, before launching himself forward. Strangely enough, the stag stepped forward to meet him, elegantly blocking his attacks while countering with a combination of kicks and slashes with its antler.
After a few exchanges, Mike was actually getting pushed back. The monster seemed preternaturally skilled, almost as if it could read his every movement, and it was taking all of Mike's concentration to avoid being skewered on the sharp horns. Finally reaching his limit on patience, he decided to try another strategy. One he'd been planning on trying since his duel with the Eternal Blade.
With a shout, he summoned a nimbus of lighting around himself, forcing the stag to take a step back. Flexing his will, he channeled the power into his body. His limbs crackled with energy, and he felt his hair stand on end. Blinking once, he focused on the monster.
The world seemed to slow down. He could see the beads of moisture falling from the stag's fur, moving at a snail's pace in their route to the ground. With a start, he realized he could actually see the passage of the arcing energy that was dancing across his limbs. The stag was attempting to rear, and bring its hooves into play, but it was almost pathetically easy to avoid.
He pushed his spear forward, momentarily confused by the sudden difficulty of the action. It felt like he was moving through molasses. Nevertheless, it didn't take much planning to simply point it in the right direction.
[This must be what it feels like to operate with enhanced speed. I can see why those elves felt so haughty. I doubt anything could really stop me like this.]
Watching his thrust strike home, Mike took a moment to use Appraise on his enemy. It had been the first time since entering this floor of the dungeon that he'd had the breathing room to do so, and he wanted to know the identity of the monster, before it disappeared.
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Avatar of the Primal
Age: N/A
Race: Avatar
Class: Avatar
Title: Lord of the Wilds
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As powerful as the 'Avatar' was, a spear through the heart proved sufficient to end its life. With a mournful cry it sunk to its knees, gave Mike one last unreadable look, and collapsed onto its side, before slowly fading away.
He sagged, nearly collapsing to his knees as a wave of exhaustion and pain flowed through him. It felt he'd torn every muscle in his body at the same time, and expended most of his mana in the process.
[Oof. That is a pretty potent ability, but the side effects are a little steep. I think this one is going in the 'when I absolutely need it' file.]
By the time he'd recovered, a large blue mana core, about the size of a softball, was all that remained of the stag. A quick Appraise reveled that it was still considered a 'Mid-Grade' despite the obviously greater power when compared to the yellow one he'd found earlier. He didn't really understand the rating system on this thing
After a few moments, an elaborately designed chest materialized at the very center of the mound. This was evidently the reward for clearing the dungeon. A portal like the ones used to travel between floors popped up behind it, providing him a means of exiting when he was ready.
He took a moment to examine the chest for any obvious traps, regretting a lack of skills for such a thing. Then again, he wondered if there even was such a thing as a trap finding skill. Anyway, he inspected it for a few minutes. Once satisfied that it was reasonably safe, he lifted the lid. Inside he found two items.
The first was a spear, roughly 180 cm in length. The chest evidently had some kind of storage-like effects, which made such a thing possible. The weapon appeared to have been carved from a single piece of bone, but felt as hard as tempered steel. The haft was smooth, but etched with fine, almost invisible, scrollwork, allowing him to grip it easily. Its leaf shaped spearhead gave the whole assembly a strangely organic feel.
He spun it through a couple of forms, reveling at how perfectly it was balanced, and the ease with which is seemed to slice through the air. This was truly a masterpiece of a weapon, exactly the kind of thing he hoped to make for himself one day.
Once he had finished admiring the craftsmanship, he used Appraise to determine the rest of its features.
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Fang of the Primal
Magic Weapon (Tier 3, Rank 5)
Carved from the fang of a primordial beast and blessed by the chosen representatives of Teun herself, this spear bestows the power of the natural world upon its user, giving them several boons. With the exception of naturally occurring monsters, creatures of the wild will hold its bearer in high regard, refusing to harm them and occasionally providing some small measure of aid in times of need. The user is protected from the adverse effects of extreme weather, allowing them to survive in harsh environments without fear. While in wild terrain, the user receives a moderate increase in the effectiveness of all stealth and sensory skills. Finally, the spear grants a fraction of the beast's legendary power, allowing the user to channel mana to enhance their strength and agility.
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Mike was slightly overwhelmed by the wall of text. This was the first time he'd seen anything quite so complicated in Appraise, and it frankly caught him by surprise. Even Brenden's sword, Manslayer, which was of a similar tier and rank, only had a single ability, albeit a useful one.
[Most of the features don't really help me at the moment, although I like the bit about being friendly with animals simply by virtue of having it. Perhaps I can give it to Tal when I find something better. For some reason, I feel like it would fit her well. Still, this is far and away the best weapon I've seen during my time in this world. I really need to visit dungeons more often.]
He excitedly pulled the next item out of the chest. This time, it was a wooden circle about 20cm in diameter, with strings of white silk forming an elaborate geometric pattern at its center. Crystal beads, small animal bones, and feathers hung from it in various places. It reminded Mike of the Native American dreamcatchers he'd seen in his old world. A long leather strap intimated that it was meant to be used as a necklace of some kind.
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Talisman of the Guarded Mind
Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 5)
Crafted in the traditions of an ancient human nation who emigrated to Ea during the Second Age, this item serves to protect the mind of its wearer from external influence. Renders the user immune to all mental intrusion and magic that relies upon affecting the mind of its targets. This only applies to effects of Tier 3 or lower, but it provides a limited resistance against similar effects of Tier 4 strength. However, prolonged exposure will lead to the item's destruction. Has no effect on curses, diseases of the mind, or internal effects.
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Without hesitation, Mike put the item on, taking a moment to get a sense for his mental and emotional state once it was in place.
[I don't feel any different…but it's hard to tell. Anyway, this is great. Ever since I met Selene, I was worried about the possibility of being mind-controlled by a powerful enemy. While I have enhanced willpower and the Mental Resistance skill, it's not hard to believe that a sufficiently powerful user could overcome those.]
Feeling quite satisfied with his haul, despite not getting any crafting materials besides mana cores, Mike started moving towards the portal, when something caught his eye.
In the pool of water, a little ways away, he caught a glimpse of something branch-like. Not recalling seeing anything like that previously, he moved to investigate. The distorting effect of the water made it difficult to ascertain the identity of the item, so he simply reached in and pulled it out, becoming pleasantly surprised when he realized what it was.
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Antler of the Primal's Avatar
Magic Material (Tier 3, Rank 5)
Harvested from one of the rarely seen avatars of nature's embodiment, this material still bears the creature's powerful connection to the mana of the natural world. Can be used in all forms of crafting as an enhancer to mana conduction, but will provide the best benefits when creating items related to Water, Earth, or Life Elemental Magic, or that deals with nature in some fashion.
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