novelnext Chapter 123: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (2)
Chapter 123: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (2)
Chapter 123: Book 2: Loop 15.1 (2)
As powerful as the wave of Firmament heading toward us is, it's not focused. It breaks against my barriers like a tide of water breaking against a dam. The damage it does is still immense enough to shatter all six folds of the Hexfold Barrier, but it can't quite get through the Crystallized Barrier I've set up behind it.
"...Ethan?" There's a note of confusion in Vahrkos's voice, like he's not sure where he is or what he's doing. "Why are you here?"
I glance at Vahrkos. He's confused, but that confusion is quickly being replaced with a sharp focus. "Felt like you needed some help," I say, nodding toward the general.
Vahrkosturns, immediately bristling at the sight. There's nothing physical to it, but I sense the way his Firmament reacts—it ripples within him, almost like it's urging him to fight, to act. Surging toward his limbs, almost trying to fight its way free of his body. There's the smallest hint of physical change before Vahrkos grunts and forces the Firmament back down, his expression tense. "Anhar."
"...You going to be okay for the fight?" I ask, concerned.
"I will be fine." Vahrkos's reply is short, terse. "I've met Anhar before. He'll be a difficult fight."
He says that, but there's a tension there that has nothing to do with Anhar or with the fight. I vaguely recall what he said in the first loop we met—something about not wanting to use his other forms.
I'm not going to question it. Now's not the time, anyway.
"Ahkelios will give you signals," I say. "Keep an eye on him."
It's going to be the first time I'm fighting with Vahrkos, and I'm not going to get many—if any—repeated tries to get this right. There's a chance we'll just get in each other's way. But Vahrkos very clearly has a lot more combat experience than I am, and I'm hoping that'll be enough to make this work.
"If you're here to fight and not just get information, then I'm assuming something went wrong," Vahrkos says.
I grimace. "Integrators," I mutter. Anhar's approach is slow—he's taking his time, unconcerned by me and by the meteorites slamming down into the city. From the intensity of his gaze on Vahrkos, I'm guessing he's barely even registered that I'm here. "It's a long story, but right now we don't have the full advantages of the loop."
"You should make sure Wanders is okay." Vahrkos's reply is nearly immediate. "He's not a fighter. I can handle myself."
In the distance, Anhar laughs, like he heard what Vahrkos said. Now that I look a little closer at him, he's huge for a morphling. Most of them are six feet tall; Anhar stretches up to at least seven.
"This fight's gonna be hard even for the both of us," I say. It's telling that Vahrkos doesn't have an immediate response to this. "...I'll do my best to make sure no one on your team dies."
Vahrkos grunts. It's hard for me to read what he's thinking. Part of me wonders if he'll blame me for the situation, but he doesn't seem inclined to.
Instead, he says two words.
"He's coming."
Anhar bursts forward. A cloud of dust kicks up behind him. The rest of the soldiers have long since either retreated or finally realized that the city's under attack; Anhar's the only one left here to deal with us. Vahrkos dodges to the left, and I Accelerate to the right—
Anhar's suddenly between us. There's a blip in Quicken Mind, and before I can react—in that infinitesimal moment when the skill's flame gutters out—a strong hand grips my neck. Vahrkos is caught just as easily as I am. Ahkelios lets out a shout of alarm, and I see him turning into a streak of blue Firmament at the exact same instant Anhar slams us together.
The impact of an angry, ethereal mantis flying into his face makes Anhar let us go, and both Vahrkos and I collapse to the ground. I'm back on my feet near instantly, calling on the tiniest flicker of Second Wind to—
No. I'm not holding back with Anhar.
Second Wind. Aspect of Regrowth.
This is my first time actually using the newly-acquired Inspiration. I'm not prepared for the painful sensation of roots digging their way through my flesh—and I can feel something similar happening with the core of the skill deep within me. The Inspiration is digging its roots into the skill, altering it.
Boom.
I'm not prepared for the punch to generate an actual shockwave, though, nor for Anhar to be sent flying back, tumbling head over heels and crashing into the wall hard enough to form a crater within the concrete. Ahkelios flies back over to me, his mandibles splayed open with shock.
"What was that?" he asks.
I'm not sure I know myself. I don't think that combination of skills would have been nearly that powerful before, but whatever Gheraa's given me has pushed me close enough to the next phase-shift that I think I'm already beginning to benefit from the quality shift in my Firmament.
"He's not dead," Vahrkos says quietly. I turn my attention back to the battlefield, pushing the questions back to the back of my mind.
"How." I'm almost certain he wasn't protected by Firmament when I hit him. Not after the Void sucked it all away.
"With some help," Vahrkos says.
I tense. The dust is beginning to clear, and I see Anhar standing in the debris, his silhouette marked by a faintly glowing, crumbling object held in the palm of his hand.
"Is that..." I begin.
"It's an imbuement stone," Ahkelios says, a small note of frantic panic in his voice. "Whisper's given him skills—"
I dive out of the way before Ahkelios can finish, and beside me, Vahrkos does the same; a massive burst of Firmament beams out toward me like a streak of solid energy. I recognize the skill as the same one Whisper used to kill me in one of my previous loops.
Vahrkos won't dodge in time. I call on Hexfold Shield, and shape the six shields into a triangular, piercing sort of shape; Hueshift allows me to alter the color of the Firmament into a reflective yellow instead of the usual defensive blue, and the beam splits apart into six, cutting into the ground and walls around us.
"He's used two stones," Vahrkos says. "One to heal. Another one for that."
"Any idea how many he has in total?" I ask.
Vahrkos stays tense. "...A lot."
That's a non-answer if I've ever heard one, but before I can call him out on it, Anhar pulls out a third stone and crushes it in his fist. A golden spear forms, glowing with power.
"Ten!" Vahrkos calls out suddenly. "Seven left!"
I frown. Did he do something to figure that out? I don't have time to ask, because Anhar throws the spear toward us with a tremendous burst of power; it's packed with so much Firmament that I don't even need to see the skill window to know what it does—that spear is going to explode on impact.
Compounded Mind. I need more time to think than Quicken Mind can give me. The small amount of time I have to empower the skill doesn't allow me to boost it as much as I'd like, but any amount helps.
The first thing I notice is the string of Firmament leading from the spear back to Anhar. He's controlling it, even at a distance.
The second thing I notice is a flicker of a vision from both Premonition and Guardian of Fate. He's intending to swerve the spear at the last moment to hit Vahrkos instead of me.
The third thing I notice is that Ahkelios shares my accelerated mind through our Temporal Link.
I grin.
Here's what we're going to do.