Chereads / The Runic Mage / Chapter 36 - Breaking the Roots: A Battle of Adaptation

Chapter 36 - Breaking the Roots: A Battle of Adaptation

Evan's boots flared as he darted sideways, narrowly avoiding another strike from Arvid's thorned spear. The sound of it slicing through the air sent a chill down his spine. His core pulsed faintly as he activated Simulate again, tracking Arvid's position, but the glowing figure always seemed to vanish as soon as Evan prepared to attack.

Evan hurled another Sphere of Flame directly at Arvid. The flames engulfed his opponent, the heat distorting the air and sending tendrils of fire licking outward. But when the light cleared, it was the same result—a green husk lay smoldering on the ground, already crumbling into ash. A soft rustle from behind alerted Evan to Arvid's reappearance, untouched and standing tall with his spear at the ready.

"These husks…" Evan muttered, his mind racing. "They're not him. They're... plant-based. Regenerated somehow."

Arvid's voice echoed through the clearing, calm yet unyielding. "Your flames are powerful, Evan, but power without understanding is wasted effort."

Evan gritted his teeth, dodging as Arvid lunged again. This time, he pivoted sharply, slamming his boot into the ground to propel himself away. "Understanding, huh? Let's see how you like this." He conjured a Sphere of Ash and detonated it, flooding the area with a dense, choking smoke.

But even as the ash cloud billowed out, Arvid seemed unaffected. His glowing veins illuminated his movements as he strode through the smoke without hesitation. Evan clenched his fists, his core pulsing as he adjusted his focus.

"He's resistant to the smoke," Evan thought, frustration boiling over. "I need something stronger. Something that targets his nature."

As Evan dodged another strike, an idea began to form. Arvid's husks were clearly plant-based, his movements unnaturally fluid and almost symbiotic with his spear. If his powers were rooted in plant life, perhaps Evan could exploit a weakness in that connection.

Evan's core pulsed steadily as he activated Simulate, his thoughts racing. Among the books he had borrowed earlier that week, one on runes and their applications in alchemy had captured his attention. While the text focused on enhancing plant-based magic—strengthening roots, accelerating growth, and stabilizing connections between magical flora—Evan considered a daring alternative.

"What if I inverted it?" he muttered under his breath. "If these runes enhance plant life, their principles could also be reversed to weaken it."

As Arvid lunged toward him, Evan dodged, the tip of the thorned spear narrowly missing his torso. He retaliated with a Sphere of Flame, shattering the spear into fragments that scattered across the ground. His mind, however, was elsewhere, formulating a plan.

"Simulate," Evan commanded silently, feeding the concept into his core. "Take the principles from that book—nutrient absorption, cohesion, regeneration—and invert them. Simulate a way to disrupt those processes."

His core pulsed again, signaling it had begun analyzing the possibilities. At the same time, Evan directed his attention back to the fight. Arvid summoned another spear, its edges glowing faintly, and lunged again. Evan sidestepped, pivoting sharply and slamming a fireball into the weapon mid-strike. The resulting explosion sent Arvid skidding back, his spear once again reduced to splinters.

As Evan dodged and retaliated, his core worked tirelessly in the background. He layered ash production with new variables, inspired by the alchemical runes he remembered from the book. The goal was to disrupt plant-based cohesion at its core. The core suggested sulfuric components to destabilize chlorophyll and phosphoric residues to block nutrient pathways. Evan adjusted further, focusing on compounds that could target cellulose, the backbone of Arvid's husks.

Arvid lunged again, faster this time. Evan barely managed to evade, his boots flaring to propel him sideways. The edge of the spear grazed his shoulder, leaving a shallow cut. "Hurry up," he growled, willing his core to finish the adjustments.

Finally, the core pulsed with completion. A new subproduct was ready—a modification to the Ember Engine that infused the smoke with acidic and corrosive properties, targeting plant-like structures. Evan smirked, his confidence returning as he directed his energy into generating a new Sphere of Ash.

Evan slammed the sphere into the ground, and the resulting smoke was different—denser, darker, and carrying an acrid, biting scent. The cloud expanded rapidly, wrapping around Arvid and clinging to him like a corrosive shroud.

Arvid froze momentarily, his glowing veins flickering erratically. He coughed, the acid-laced air gnawing at his plant-based constructs. His next spear, summoned hastily, was visibly weaker—its structure warped, the thorns dull and uneven.

Evan pressed the advantage, using his pendant to funnel the smoke more precisely. The toxic cloud concentrated around Arvid, forcing him to slow as the corrosive elements did their work. His glowing veins pulsed irregularly, their usual rhythm disrupted.

"You've changed the game," Arvid admitted, his voice strained but steady. He lunged again, but his spear was sluggish, and Evan easily dodged. With a well-placed Sphere of Flame, Evan shattered the weapon once more, sending brittle fragments scattering across the ground.

The next spear Arvid summoned was pitiful—atrophied and weak. His glowing veins dimmed further, and his movements grew labored. Evan prepared to strike a decisive blow, his boots flaring as he surged forward.

But then, Arvid stopped.

He straightened, his stance regaining its composure despite the corrosive smoke swirling around him. His veins flickered faintly, as if gathering strength from some hidden reserve. He smiled, calm and composed.

"You think you've understood my power, don't you?" he asked, his tone almost mocking. "Well, perhaps you've grasped a part of it."

He tilted his head slightly, his voice dropping to a colder, sharper note. "But only a part."