It felt empty, the only sound was Jarec panting at his labor. The shadows flickered against the rough walls as the battle unfurled. And the bandit pack had all died in that struggle, only for Jarec to find himself facing his last and greatest challenge: he fighting against the Con-imbued Monus-bandit-fucking-leader.
The heart of Jarec began to beat in his throat as the shabby figure kept watch, eyes boring into those strewn about him. Among them was their leader, a blood-soaked giant in grim armor who called himself Harek. At his side stood Torvak, a hulking monstrosity of combined elements that took the shape and texture similar to raw flame with eyes ablaze: The Con. Torvak was an Ignisian Con, Capable of pulling flames from the very air around him due to his elemental fury.
When Harek saw Jarec, his eyes turned into stone. Do you really believe that this is how it will go down? he growled. "You're got guts,.
Jarec grit his teeth tighter over the gun in hand and triumphed at that wild vibration rippling through him. This was no mundane fight; this could be everything that he had studied and more. The chaos surge was his last chance.
'Stop it right there,' Jarec's voice spoke up, and this time his tone was firm. "Let's finish this."
The clash was immediate. Harek broke into a charge his great sword swinging hard. Jarec was slow to respond, swinging up his weapon at it. When he shot, the impact of it echoed through his arms and back to where Jarec stood—he nearly lost balance.
Fires roared from the maw of Torvak, licked at Jarec as he moved to meet it thrust for charge. Jarec flipped, dodged and averted fire that came his way. The heat scorched his clothes and he nearly gasped.
His Con had a horrific synergy with Harek. As he used Ember Flicker to fire off fast-moving blasts of intense flame with practiced efficiency, Torvak weilded his sword deftly.
Fire erupted from Ember Flicker as it flicked and lapped at Jarec's feet, but he danced left and right to keep out of reach. Torvak's Flame Guard had created a bubble of burning heat around Harek, so that when Jarec came to bludgeon down the Ukrainian as hard as he could with his club it felt as if each blow fell against immovable shafts of fire.
The fight had began to straw approaching boiling point. Harek's blows were both exact and fierce, his greatsword pounding down without mercy. But instead of the amber dragon and Torvak's own breath, a fiery barrier erupted between him and Jarec whose light—thanks to his nature as an illusionist—his allies could see plainly. The pain was brutal and bewildering, cooking his skin from within.
Jarec's manic swinging caused his chaotic energy to spike in unpredictable directions. He fought on and the more he did, the more he recognized what one gifted with a Con who worked in accord could be capable of. His, against the bandit leader's teamwork starkly humbled him.
Jarec could feel the sweat running down his face, and he struggled to maintain his balance. The surge of chaos was it, or else nothing—his one opportunity as well as his most terrible danger. Every burst of energy was uncontrollable and hazardous, like if he let it escape from his hands — a terrible effect would result.
Jarec bit down hard, directing all his attention to the writhing mass of light. With a roar, he released the Chaos Surge and sent the dark energy swirling forward with explosive effect. ◊Techniques used: reached Chao surge unitarial form. The burst hit Harek head on, and he staggered.
The chaotic energy smacked him in the heart, and his eyes widened. "What the hell is Ignis going on there?" he yelled, completely amazed by the hidden strength. Oh, I never seen something like that
Torvak snarled back, his fiery eyes showing the confusion and rage he seemed to have shaken off from being hit. Harek stepped back, looking into Jarec's eyes. "Who the hell are you, Nyxian? he demanded. Your strength— it is unlike I have seen"You are different.
Jarec huffed, his breath rattled but defying from behind the glare. You have no reason to tell this. And all I know is that Azar has given me a gift and its mine to utilize… so use it best.
Harek's confusion only grew. "Azar?" he echoed, puzzled. "That name is unknown to me. But you are something, and I'm saying to never underestimate that. Just remembering Azar is sufficient to do you in.
Jarec took his very last strength and let go a final Chaos Surge, focused this time. A flash of the energy exploded out, swallowing Harek and Torvak in a vortex hurricane chaos. The earth trembled, and fire vomited everywhere.
Once the dust cleared, Jarec was left alone in the remain of carnage gasping for air. Harek lay on the ground, burned black and his armor is scorched. Torvak as well, convulsed in pain as the irregular energy played havoc with its flames.
Jarec staggered forward and he was trembling with fatigue. He triumphed, yet this victory came at a price. It had been the final showdown that brought him to his knees, and no other Chaos blast rivaled it.
Jarec caught his breath, but a shadow of doubt still elbowed its way in––for not at all was he thinking about Velaris. He had seen what Harek and Torvak could do when they worked as one, how efficiently it moved everything aside like a crashing wave. Velaris had pretty much been out of the picture during that battle, supporting in little more than name.
Jarec turned to see Velaris, who floated a few meters away with an expression of some small regret on his face. You, why did you not help me more. Jarec said, his voice almost full of anger and disappointment. "Why are you so mindless, next to their Con?"
The light in Velaris's eyes was gone, replaced by regret. Velaris whispered, "I am of a different type. Go and do your thing, but I'm not the exactly a frontline fighter like Torvak. I am awful at strength but I know how you feel.
With a final, weary glance at the defeated bandit leader, Jarec turned and staggered toward the exit. The mine was silent once more, the threat of the bandits quelled. But Jarec knew this was only the beginning. The chaos within him was a force to be reckoned with, and mastering it would be his path forward.
As he emerged from the mine, the dawn's first light greeted him, casting a pale glow over the landscape. Jarec's battle was over, but the journey ahead was just beginning. The chaos surge had proven to be a formidable tool, but he had much to learn if he was to wield it effectively and face the challenges that lay ahead.