The ochelon charged as though it understood the words, immediately launching an attack aimed at my head. I barely ducked under the blow, with the pain of my wound nearly rendering me unconscious. I struck upwards, aiming for the elbow joint, but the only thing my sword sliced was air.
An attack came from overhead with the intent to squash me, but with an adept pirouette, I dodged the attack and sliced again. I found my target, but even with the mana-imbued sword, it did little damage.
"Oh, come on!" I shouted, meeting the monster's eyes after realizing the lack of damage. The creature roared as it flicked me into the wall like an insect. My back slammed into it, the pain riddling my body as I gasped for air. I could hardly stand, and noticed the creature looking at the wound curiously.
"So it does hurt," I said aloud. The creature snarled, realizing that the mana-flame wasn't dissipating. I thought back on my very first battle, and what my own spell had done to those glicks.
If I can use that on this bastard, I might just stand a chance. Mana-based attacks seem to work on him, even if my sword skill doesn't deal a lot of damage, I thought as I watched it scream.
After observing the ochelon for a moment, I sheathed my blade, and did my best to focus on what I was about to do. Although, it was something I'd never even dreamed of attempting before now.
Driven by necessity I took one deep breath, as I drew once more from the Ethereal, gathering as much as I could in both hands. The creature, now moving towards me a little more cautiously, noticed what I was doing. "I don't know if this will work, but you're going to kill me if it doesn't, anyway," I said, spitting out a wad of blood that had pooled in my cheek.
"Come and get me, you angry son of a bitch," I seethed.
The creature, showing more intelligence than I had anticipated, charged at me, moving much more quickly this time. I dove under the creature's hind legs, avoiding the blow from both claws, and was now behind it. My eyes began to glow like my older brother's, though less refined, as mana could still be seen seeping from them.
I whipped both of my arms, releasing the mana I held in my hands and wrapping each of the beast's limbs in it. "Hold this for me," I said with that same power from before in my voice. I screamed as I pulled the tendrils away from the creature's body. The ochelon roared, and tried to fight against it, but as this was a battle against mana, there was little it could do but feel its limbs being torn from its body.
"Tell your wife I said hello!" I shouted in response.
A squelching sound could be heard beneath the loud roar that resonated throughout the cave, as the massive limbs were flung in opposing directions. The ochelon's massive body flopped to the ground, as its blood meshed with the previously formed pool. my eyes stopped glowing, as reality set back in.
"Fuck!" I shouted, realizing that for a few moments, the pain had subsided while I was casting the spell. I panted heavily, feeling the pain from every bruise, scratch, and cut growing more intensely by the minute.
I fell onto my knees, reveling in the silence after my victory. Even through the immense amount of pain, I chuckled. "Master sure knew what he was talking about. Keep your sword sharp and wits about you," I said with my best imitation of the Master's voice. Through the quiet of the cave, I began to hear footsteps rapidly approaching.
Please don't be another creature. Please don't be another creature, I thought.
Bernar sprinted into view, stopping a few paces away from the entrance of the main cave. "I heard the roar come to an abrupt stop, and thought you had been squished," he said, seeing me on my knees. Since I was still losing blood, I could only weakly smile at my older sibling.
"Oh, shit! Are you okay?" Bernar asked, realizing I wasn't my usual self. "Do I look okay?" I replied weakly, but still maintained my smile. "With that attitude, I guess you're better than you look," my brother said warmly. "You should see the other guy," I pointed towards the pair of carcasses and multiple body parts strewn about the cave.
"Gods above and below!" Bernar exclaimed. "I knew they were ochelons, but I didn't think they had gotten this large yet. How the hell did you…?" I lost consciousness, falling flat on my face.
A few minutes later, my eyes reopened, and I could feel a calming warmth over me.
Did I die? I thought as I began to regain my focus.
"How do you feel?" my brother asked, helping me sit upright. "A little better, but my back still feels like it's on fire," I said, moving my shoulder around. "Well, you did sear the wound shut. Good thinking, by the way," Bernar said. I grunted and groaned, barely able to get to my feet.
Looking around, I realized how much darker the cave was without the eyes to help me. "Here," my brother handed me the mask which I donned with a little difficulty. Shortly after, the cave became bright once more with the infusion of Bernar's mana.
Observing our surroundings for a few moments, I walked over to a curious object by where I had encountered the first ochelon. I moved in to get a closer look. "A torch? It seems to have been freshly lit, too. Maybe not even a month old," I told my brother. "That's odd. No one other than the Master should have come through here recently," Bernar stated.
I wonder who the hell would have gotten past not one, but two of these titans, I thought.
I stepped over the dead ochelon's torn limb, and moved towards where I had seen the female sleeping. Its lair was covered in old, gnawed bones from many meals.
I felt a small gust reach my sweaty cheek.
A breeze? Better check that out, I thought.
I moved into the deepened ground where the beasts had lain, and noticed a small crack in the rocks. "How good are you with earth magic?" Bernar asked, seeing what I had found. "I'm not as good as you," I replied. "Care to do the honors?" I asked weakly.
Bernar snorted, but seemed glad to see me in better shape than when he first arrived. He gathered mana from the Ethereal, and condensed it to his left hand. He pushed his hand forward, seeping the mana into the rock. It pulled the crack open like a curtain, scattering dust and gravel as it moved. After the dust had cleared, we walked through the hole Bernar had made, looking around the revealed room.
Books? Scrolls? What in the world are they doing here in a place like this? I thought.
Shelves as high as the ceiling were completely filled with books, and lined the walls of the inner chamber I had just stepped into. There was a desk in the corner of the room, which had various notes strewn across it. "Someone obviously left in a hurry. Either that, or this person is more disorganized than Batch," I told my brother.
The two of us looked over the notes, analyzing the titles and what secrets they held in the ink. "These are probably the oddest names I think I've ever seen," I began.
"Dissection by a certain Nexis Pelantyr. I wonder who that is. Here it talks about uses for the plant the Master mentioned. Look, there's an incomplete copy of it. It's not the same handwriting. Someone else was obviously in here, but what they copied is hard to tell. Judging by the handwriting itself, whoever did this must have been in a rush," I continued. "I agree," Bernar said, reviewing the handwriting. I took a glance at the other notes, but found nothing of importance.
I moved over to the shelves to read over the selection of books. 'The Effects of the Ethereal', 'Habits Of Trolls And Other Beasts', 'A Voyage To The Underworld', 'Wards And Other Defenses Against Dark Magic', 'How To Make Alcohol By Using Citrus And Mana', I read to myself.
The last one definitely caught me off guard.
Not even gonna take a look at it. Think I'm still too young for that, I thought.
I shot another glance over at the first book I had seen, and noticed something was different about it than the others present.
Must be a good read. It doesn't have much dust on it. I can tell it's been frequently read, and possibly more recently used than the others, I thought.
I picked up the book, and began sifting through the pages. I turned a few pages, and realized a small number of them had been torn out.
Damn, just when it was getting good, I thought.
"Bernar, come look at this," I beckoned. My brother immediately recognized the book and noticed the torn out pages. "This is bad," he began, his eyes widening. "This book… We need to inform the Master quickly," he said urgently. I took the book with me, and left the cave through the main entrance.
There was still so much more to be seen there, but it's too dark to tarry any longer. I'll have to come back another day, I thought.
We set off at a slow trot rather than a walk as we made our way back to the fortress.