「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
A barrage of arrows soared through the air, cutting the wind. A brief, high-pitched whistle could be heard as the arrows flew in my direction.
No time to rest
I quickly kick off from the mount's back, out of the rain of arrows' way… though not all of them.
Tch
I click my tongue internally, my wound inflicting great pain onto me. In my hurry, one of the arrows had hit my shoulder, right next to the other arrow that had pierced me.
The were painful, the two wounds somehow connecting, and making it all the worse. I reach for the arrows' shaft, pulling with all my strength.
Gahhhhh…!
With a pained scream, I dislodge the arrows from my shoulder, crimson blood leaking from the wound. My arm felt weaker all of a sudden, it was like all the energy that I had were sapped out of me along with the arrows.
No matter
I ready my weapons, taking a stance less stable than usual. I was getting tired of this.
The mage at the back's magic circuits flared to life, casting a somewhat bright glow that was visible even from where I was.
Then a cold chill ran down my spine.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Yeah, I got that
Mana converged into one spot, gathering and concentrating on the mage–specifically above him. It looked mysterious and somewhat mystifying, it's presence forming and constructing itself. Power was being concentrated above the mage, it's very construction enough to give me goosebumps.
Whatever the mage was doing, it could not be good.
Without hesitation, I made a break for it. The warriors and their mounts tried to stop me, but with me focused solely on dodging and running, it was difficult for them to even graze me with their weapons.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Several pointy arrows and sharp blades passed by my vision in a blur, I paid them no mind. Some of them hit me, pierced through my skin, cut my flesh, made me bled more than I ever had, but I was too focused to care. I was in a hurry, and I was not about to be late.
「Skill 'Tenacity' is activating」
My destination was clear.
Soon, I was but a few dozen steps away from the mage, just a little longer and I would be within range to strike it.
Several shouts rang behind me.
They were muffled, some even distorted to the point of unrecognition. While I could not understand a word of what they were saying before, this was even worse.
A blade soaked in what I assume to be my own blood quickly came into vision. This one, unlike the voices, was clear and noteworthy.
I duck, dodging the blade, only to be met by an arrow aimed to my temple. I party the soaring arrow with my blade, altering it's trajectory. The arrowhead whizzed by the back of my head, it's ear-piercing shriek completely audible to me–at least I thought it did. This sound, too, was muffled.
Another blade aimed for my head, my neck specifically. I take a calculated step back, the sharp edges of my assailant's sword snipping a bit of my hair. Perhaps because of the intense force behind the assumed final blow, the owner of the blade found his weapon stuck on the ground, trapped by his own strength.
I quickly swing my own silver blade and slice the warrior's arms clean off.
He shrieked, I assumed. Then the creature fell to his knees, his head tilted downward. Blood stained the ground on which he lay.
His group's other members quickly grabbed him, sending him out of the battlefield.
Now's my chance
I quickly dashed back to the growing mass of mana. The 'something' that the mage was creating had grown larger in the few moments that I had spent fending off distractions.
Without a second to waste, I threw the enchanted dagger with all my might.
The dagger soared through the air, letting out an unnatural sheen of green light. The archers in the back tried to intercept it, shooting arrows to disrupt the blade's trajectory.
No!
I scream internally, worried and scared of my last plan of action being turning into another failure. The blade betrayed my expectations.
As one of the arrows fired by the archers neared the dagger's blade, a brief glimmer of green sparks erupted from the blade's cross-guard.
The very next moment, a gust of wind enveloped the blade and exploded, sending the arrow about to hit it – and everything else in it's area of influence – flying. The rush of power also created a kind of boost to the dagger's speed, making it even faster and deadlier.
「Skill 'Instinct' is activating」
A sudden leap to the side brought me back into reality. A blade barely missed me by a hair's breadth.
"…?!"
Then, with the disappearance of a huge weight on my shoulders – along with the feeling of death loosening it's grip on my neck – the huge amount of mana scatters, along with the sound of somebody falling.
…Wait…
「Your attribute 「Absorption」 is activating」
Instantly, I could feel myself feeling lighter and stronger. The mana that had been drained from myself was now being rejuvenated with the leftover mana from the mage's failed spell.
While most of the mana from the spell had disappeared upon it's failure, there was still enough for me to recover my damaged magic circuits.
「Skill 'Quick Step' has been assimilated」
「Your attribute 'Assimilation' is activating」
「Your attribute 'Assimilation's' effect has been reduced due to multiple targets being selected」
I suddenly started feeling better, the recovery of my damaged circuits being enhanced by 「Attunement」 and 「Absorption」. Mana swirled inside of my me.
Mana started welling up inside of me again, empowering my muscles and bones. The broken connection I had with my most powerful weapons had been regained.
Though not a full recovery, I had managed to regain my ability to utilize mana.