Silverspear (Rise to Omniscience Book 6)

by Aaron Oster

  Her best bet had been to try reducing her weight using Body Shift and attempting a climb anyway. However, that had ended in utter failure, leaving her despondent and exhausted.

  “Figures I’d fall into the one place without a way out,” she muttered to herself as she crawled over to the water for yet another drink.

  Quenching her thirst was doing a good job of driving away the hunger, but she knew it wouldn’t last for long. She also didn’t dare gorge herself on it, as having a stomach full of sloshing water wouldn’t be great if she needed to fight for some reason. Still, it was hard for her to resist as her stomach growled again.

  Grimacing, Grace reached down and scooped some into her palm, raising it to her lips to drink. She allowed her eyes to drift over the waterfall, which was now throwing up a rainbow as the sun moved higher into the sky. She grimaced again, letting out a snort of disgust at her own inability to do anything to save herself, not finding the rainbow even remotely pretty. In any other circumstances, she was sure she’d ask Morgan if they could stop here for a while.

  She’d dipped her hand back into the water for another sip when her eyes caught upon something behind the waterfall. Raising her hands, Grace rubbed at her eyes a few times, just to make sure the light wasn’t playing tricks on her. But when she looked again, she could still see something gleaming behind the water.

  Getting to her feet, Grace curiously approached the waterfall and tried to peer through. The thundering water kicked up a small breeze, sending up a spray and setting her hair whipping out as she drew near. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to peer through, and finally, she saw it through a tiny gap in the water. A tunnel!

  The thing that had caught her attention was a small bit of protruding stone that was a bit shinier than the rest. But even with that, it would have been hard to see it had she not come so close. Grace drew back, looking to the side of the falls to see if there was any way for her to enter without getting wet again. There wasn’t.

  Grace looked back, wondering if going into this tunnel was a smart idea. On the one hand, it might lead to some way out of here. On the other, it could just be a shallow tunnel and she would miss Morgan while she was inside. She debated for a few long moments before finally making up her mind.

  She had no way of knowing if Morgan would find her, so her best bet was to go into the cave and see if she could find some way out of there. At the same time, she wasn’t about to leave without giving Morgan some sign that she’d been here. Reaching up, Grace removed the second sleeve from her armored shirt, then tossed it across the pool of water, where it landed in a heap near the waterfall.

  Morgan’s eyesight was far better than hers, and if he saw this, he’d undoubtedly come down to investigate. He’d find the cave without any trouble and assume she’d gone in. Nodding to herself in satisfaction at thinking up such a smart plan, Grace once more stripped out of her clothes.

  She knew they’d be getting wet anyway, but if she bundled them really tightly, perhaps she could at least keep the pants dry. Having a wet shirt was annoying, but wet pants were far worse. The chafing alone would make travel less comfortable, and with her hip already injured, she didn’t much feel like adding to her discomfort.

  She added her boots to the pile as well, wrapping those on the inside and hoping they’d remain dry. She briefly debated taking her underwear off as well but decided that it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Also, if Morgan happened to find her right away, she didn’t much like the idea of being caught without any clothes on.

  Grace bundled her clothes tightly, trying to make her shirt as airtight as she could. She hurled the bundle through the waterfall and into the cave beyond. Taking a deep breath, she then dove into the water. The icy cold shocked her system, and she had to fight not to let out the breath she’d held. Kicking forward mightily, Grace made for the cave. The water pressure built up as she came near to the surface, and she felt the water trying to drive her back.

  She placed a hand behind her back and unleashed her Air Siren, blasting her forward, yet the power of the waterfall would not be overcome so easily. It pushed her back, and Grace felt her hip twinge in pain as the scab cracked. She gritted her teeth, fighting back against the pain and forced herself up again, this time using both hands to blast herself forward.

  She felt a brief moment of pounding water on her back, then she was inside the cavern, landing hard on her stomach and scraping herself on the rough stone inside. As she rose to her feet, blood welling from the cut on her hip once again, Grace felt a smile stretch across her lips. She’d made it inside, and now, she might have a way to get out.

  36

  Grace stared around the open cavern in unabashed awe. Never before in her life had she seen such a magnificent sight, and she was sure she wouldn’t soon forget it.

  Upon entering the tunnel and getting dressed in her mostly dry clothes, Grace had headed in with caution. However, after the tunnel had stretched out, seemingly endless, she’d picked up the pace. After nearly ten straight minutes of jogging, she had emerged into the room where she was now standing.

  It was lit in a strange greenish light that was coming from crystals set in the ceiling, but that wasn’t the most amazing part of this cavern. Craggy outcroppings of stone stood all around, vanishing off into the darkness, but it was what was on these crags, flowing down into the cavern, that had really captured her attention.

  Streams of water, glowing in all colors of the rainbow, converged into a single shallow pool at the center of the room. Smaller streams broke off the pool, flowing through the cracks in the floor, and lit the entire area in brilliant detail. Each stream of water carried a different color, and when Grace crouched closer, she could see tiny glowing crystals imbedded into the cracks, giving the cavern its unique look.

  The air smelled oddly fresh and clean, though she had no idea where the air was coming from, and the water ran in smooth, even flows, barely making a sound as they passed. Up on top of one of the smaller crags, Grace could see another tunnel. She decided to wait, as she wanted a few minutes to just sit and admire the beauty while she recovered.

  Her earlier impatience, which had led to her jogging like an idiot, had resulted in the pain of her leg flaring up once more, and she now needed to readjust the makeshift bandage. She grumbled about it but knew that she had no one to blame but herself. She went over to one of the walls and placed her hand against the craggy rock for balance and lifted her leg to tug her boot off.

  It was then, right as she was removing her boot, that the wall did something that walls weren’t exactly supposed to do. It moved.

  Grace jumped back with a surprised yelp, as what she’d thought was just another section of stone turned a glaring red eye on her and let out a snort of anger. Steam billowed up from its grayish nostrils, which Grace now realized were quite large. She quickly scrambled to get her boot back on as the creature rose, shaking itself and allowing loose bits of stone to fall from its craggy hide. She resisted the urge to scream, both in fear and frustration.

  It was just her luck. She’d fallen into a place that had no way out, then walked straight into a freaking Beast Zone without realizing it!

  ***

  Morgan walked along the swath of destruction that had been left in the wake of his battle with the monstrous beast the previous night. Never before had he faced such a strange and uniquely terrifying monster, not even when he’d faced the Pinnacle King, Octagon the Bitter. Facing Octagon, he’d known what he was getting into, but facing the humanoid skeletal woman who conjured monsters from thin air was quite a bit different. He examined the core one more time, just to make sure he’d read it right the first time.

  Name: Howler-Banshee Core

  Rank - 53

  Total available energy - 1,440,260/1,440,260

  This core was taken from a howler-banshee. As this core was taken from an Intermediate beast, the amount of available energy has been greatly increased.

  “Do you have any idea what the
hell kind of beast that was?” Morgan asked Lumia, and not for the first time.

  Never before had he heard of anything looking so human yet being considered a beast. Well, no one except him, technically, but he didn’t count himself.

  “The answer is still no,” Lumia replied grumpily.

  Although he didn’t need a full night of sleep, he knew that Lumia did, so not getting to sleep at all last night had left her cranky and moody, not that he knew what she was complaining about. He hadn’t slept in four whole days now, and he still felt fine. In truth, he felt like his brain could use a bit of a rest. Right now, though, he couldn’t allow himself the indulgence of sleep when Grace was still out here on her own.

  He sighed, heading away from the site and back into the forest. They were well away from where the initial battle had happened, so the chances of them finding anything out here were slim.

  Morgan’s thoughts came to a screaming halt as his eyes swept over an oddly shaped lump on the ground. He felt his heart skip a beat as he jogged over, crouching down to lift Grace’s pack.

  “I found something!” he called back to the drake, who was lazily drifting through the air, now back in her smaller form.

  “Oh, yeah?” Lumia asked, landing on his shoulder and yawning widely. “And what was…” She trailed off as well, as Morgan practically shoved the pack into her face.

  “Can you use this to get a scent?”

  “I’m not a dog!” Lumia snapped back, pulling her face from the pack.

  “Sorry,” Morgan replied, lowering his arm as he felt his hopes fall once more.

  He didn’t understand why Grace’s disappearance had him so worried. It made no logical sense. He’d only known her for a short while, and logic dictated he leave her in favor of finding the smith. He’d already wasted enough time here, and he likely had more beastmen on his trail. Even so, the very thought of leaving the lively and excitable girl behind physically pained him.

  Grace had brought something to his life that he’d been lacking over the last two years. It was something that he still couldn’t quite place his finger on, but he knew that it was important. Lumia must have sensed his change in mood because she rolled her eyes and leaped down to sniff at the bag once again.

  “I can use this to track her, but don’t let this give you any ideas,” the drake said, inhaling lightly through her nose a few times before her head twitched around.

  “As far as I can tell, she went in that direction,” she said, flying up to his shoulder once again.

  “Are you sure?” Morgan asked, brows wrinkling in confusion. “Why would she go that way?”

  “Beats me,” Lumia shrugged. “But I can smell blood, so she may have been hurt.”

  Now that got Morgan’s attention. If Grace was hurt, then she was in even more danger than he’d feared. It meant that wherever she was now, she could be in mortal danger. He drifted up off the ground and began streaking along at a speed that would have been dangerous for anyone whose body wasn’t denser than steel, the wind tearing at his clothes and hair as he barreled through the forest.

  Every few seconds, Lumia would call a change in direction, pointing out a few small droplets of blood, a mark where Grace had rested a hand or left behind part of her outfit. It didn’t take them long to find the waterfall, all signs pointing to Grace having fallen over the edge. Morgan didn’t allow himself to panic, flying at breakneck speed out over the open basin and searching for his lost student. He didn’t see any signs of a body, but he easily spotted the discarded sleeve.

  “She was definitely here,” Lumia said as he landed next to the discarded article of clothing.

  Morgan could see that as well. Judging by the wet spots on the ground and the small impressions all around the basin, Grace had clearly been down here. There was no way up that he could see, and because she wasn’t here, he surmised that she must have found some other way out. He turned to examine the waterfall then, squinting a bit as he spotted the tunnel on the other side.

  “Lumia, is that what I think it is?” Morgan asked, not daring to open his Aura Sense any more than it already was.

  “If you’re thinking that it’s a Beast Zone, then yes,” the drake replied, now sounding just as worried as he was.

  “Damn it, Grace. What were you thinking, going in there alone?” Morgan muttered, blasting through the waterfall and into the tunnel beyond.

  “She was probably thinking that she needed to find a way out,” Lumia said, her voice echoing oddly off the walls as Morgan sped through the tunnel.

  “But to be so careless as to go into a Beast Zone by herself?” Morgan exclaimed.

  “How was she supped to know it was a Beast Zone?” Lumia defended. “All she probably saw was a cave and a possible way out. There’s no need for you to be getting so upset.”

  Morgan took a deep breath to calm himself and gather his straying thoughts. Lumia was probably right. Having found no other way out, and with no idea whether he’d even show up, Grace had taken the only course of action she could. Even a cursory glance around the basin had shown him that Grace had no way out with her particular skill set. After this, though, he was going to be doing a lot of climbing exercises with her. If she was even still alive, that was.

  He immediately banished those thoughts from his mind, speeding up as he noticed the tunnel opening up and a soft light beginning to shine through. He shot from the tunnel mouth and into the open cavern beyond, crossing all the way to the opposite side before he could check his speed and turn back around.

  The sight that greeted him upon entering made him want to immediately intervene on Grace’s behalf. The poor girl was clearly injured and favoring her left leg. She was bruised and banged up, and worst of all, she was outmatched. Morgan had allowed his Aura Sense to slip by mistake, something he’d discovered he was doing a lot since he’d arrived here. This time, instead of being blinded, he found himself seeing quite clearly.

  It seemed that the ambient reiki of the outside didn’t extend into Beast Zones, which was something that was very good to know. This meant that he’d be able to fight some beasts while he was here with some idea of how strong they were. Though this beast was technically weak from his point of view, it was far stronger than Grace, especially in her injured state.

  “Wait,” Lumia said in a low voice, as Morgan tensed to move forward.

  “What do you mean, wait?” Morgan hissed, turning to glare at the small drake.

  “Just look at her, and you’ll see what I mean,” Lumia replied, exasperation clear in her voice.

  Lumia rarely did or said things without reason, so Morgan did as she asked and looked. What he saw was his student, a girl he was growing to care for more and more, facing off against insurmountable odds and still standing her ground.

  His brows drew together as he watched the smaller girl, whose hands and body were clearly trembling, stand up straighter and face the massive creature head-on. It was clear she was afraid. It was clear she was in pain. Yet she didn’t try to run and didn’t back down.

  “If you interfere now, you’ll undermine her confidence and resolve,” Lumia said softly. “And you wouldn’t want to do that, would you?”

  Morgan ground his teeth in annoyance at his inability to help, but he knew that Lumia was right. Grace had to face this challenge on her own, even if it was a fight she couldn’t win. There was no way out for her, as she was too injured to get away before the beast could run her down. She was doing the best she could and standing her ground.

  “Fine,” Morgan muttered, floating back and into the shadow of a nearby outcropping. “But the second I feel she’s in mortal danger, I’m going in to save her.”

  “You won’t hear any argument on that from me,” Lumia said. “For now, let’s just see how she gets on. This will be a useful learning experience, both for her and you.”

  Morgan didn’t know what the drake meant by that last statement, but as the beast pawed at the ground, preparing for a charge, he had a feeli
ng he’d be finding out soon.

  37

  The beast was huge! Not huge like the Pinnacle beast outside Pinnaclefall in the North Kingdom, but huge in the way of being several times larger than her. It was way bigger than the gazelles she’d faced and far more terrifying in appearance. Its head, which was level with hers, wasn’t even the tallest part of the beast. It was the massive set of shoulders that soared well over six and a half feet that made it so big.

  The creature looked as though it weighed several tons. It was powerfully built, with short, muscular legs, a rocky, gray-black hide, and a massive horn curving up from its face. Grace had never seen anything like it before, though judging by the flat teeth, she knew that this creature wasn’t a meat-eater. Not that that gave her any great comfort.

  The beast snorted, and another puff of steam exited its nostrils. Its beady red eyes narrowed something unpleasant as it pawed at the ground. There was a great whoosh of air and Grace staggered. The beast stopped in its tracks and they both looked around for a moment. Then the beast seemed to lose interest, lowered its head, and charged directly at her.

  “Shit!” the girl screamed, diving to one side and narrowly avoiding being trampled by the massive creature.

  It was much faster than something that bulky should be, but when it came to beasts, Morgan had made sure she knew that physics very often didn’t matter at all. Water splashed up around her as she rolled to her feet, wincing at the pain in her hip as she twisted to face the charging beast once again.

  She knew she couldn’t avoid its attacks forever, so it would be in her best interest to fight now, while she was still fresh and able. This time, when the beast charged, she raised both arms, flexed her muscles, and used Air Siren. The blast of sound impacted with the charging beast just as it came into range, throwing it off course.