Silverspear (Rise to Omniscience Book 6)

by Aaron Oster

  The beast was powerful, and even with her skill hitting it dead on, it was only powerful enough to knock it aside. The beast let out a roar that shook the cavern as it veered into a wall, slamming into the stone and breaking off huge chunks, sending them splashing into the water below. Grace dashed after the beast, sending droplets of water flying as she neared, then unleashed another sonic attack, blasting the beast directly in the head.

  The beast, which had been trying to remove its horn from the wall, found itself slammed back, cracking the stone with the force of the impact and causing its knees to buckle.

  Grace let out a cheer, then reared back and punched the creature’s unprotected side, much as she’d seem Morgan do in his fight against the Pinnacle beast. Unfortunately for Grace, she seemed to have forgotten two things. One, Morgan had a Strength attribute in the high triple-digits, and two, that hitting something hard with a soft fleshy fist would hurt her as well.

  “Son of a bitch!” she cried, as her fist slammed into the beast’s rocky hide.

  Though it did cause a small crack to spread, the loud crunch from her hand, followed by the jarring, burning pain that ran up her arm, told Grace that she’d just undoubtedly broken her hand. The beast let out a snort, then kicked back with one of its legs, catching a distracted Grace in the side and sending her sprawling.

  She hit the ground, bouncing once and sending up a spray of water, her clothes, already sodden, soaking up the contents of the wet ground. She groaned as she came to a halt, forcing a knee up and trying to regain her feet, all while clutching her broken and bleeding hand. It hurt so much that she hardly even registered the new bruises and cuts, as well as the blood seeping from her side where the beast’s foot had hit her.

  She gritted her teeth, looking through blurry vision as the beast freed itself from the wall and turned to face her, snorting its displeasure at being attacked. If she’d gained anything from their exchange, it was the knowledge that she shouldn’t be punching it if she liked her bones to remain intact. The worst part was that she knew that if she’d used Body Shift, she could easily have avoided such a bad injury.

  Sure, the punch would still have hurt, but with her body being twice as dense, it definitely wouldn’t have broken any bones.

  The beast pawed at the ground once again and charged, sending water spraying into the air. Grace knew she didn’t have the strength to fight it head-on, nor would she be fast enough with her injuries to avoid its attacks. She would have to use her brain for once instead of her fists. She only wished she’d have started doing that sooner, so this fight wouldn’t be so difficult and painful.

  The beast approached and she took a single step to the side, holding her arm low and using Air Siren. The blast of sound caught the charging beast at an odd angle, throwing it off course once again and sending it careening into the wall. As it passed, Grace used the attack again, this time slapping its side before activating it, causing the blast to be much more powerful.

  The beast slammed into the wall headfirst, while its back half was thrown to the side, a massive crack sounding from its body as it was bent in a way that it was not supposed to. Grace didn’t delude herself into thinking that it was her attack’s power, no matter how close she’d been, that had caused it. She knew that the beast’s own momentum had turned against it.

  The beast was several tons, and with a charge like the one it continued to perform, it would become its own worst enemy if she applied the correct amount of force at the right time. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the best she had. Right now, she depended solely on her mage skills, as her body was in no shape for melee. All she had to do was keep a careful eye on her MP and regen and hope that the beast didn’t change its attack patterns.

  The beast snorted, pulling its head from the wall once again and shaking it. It snorted a few times, stomping its front leg and sending tremors through the cavern. It then turned its eyes on her, the small girl that had somehow injured it. When the beast roared again, Grace felt her momentary sense of victory flee. Then, the creature did exactly as she’d been hoping and charged her once more.

  Grace had angled her body so that she was facing another wall, and when the beast closed, she pivoted once more. Her hip twinged in pain, throwing her aim off, and the beast was only partially knocked to the side. Grace let out a cry of pain as the oversized horn tore a furrow in her ribs, right under her outstretched arm. She managed to fight through the pain and deliver another blow, using Air Siren once more.

  She barely felt the pain from her ruined had as it slapped the beast’s side, throwing it off balance once again. This time, although she’d gotten unlucky with her timing and suffered yet another injury, she also got lucky with the terrain. Just as the attack hit, the beast slipped on a loose bit of stone.

  Due to the water now liberally coating the floor, it was more than enough to make it lose its footing completely. So, instead of merely slamming into the wall as she’d hoped, the beast’s feet went out from under it, and it flipped end over end, slamming into the wall with enough force to shake the entire cavern. Its side split along several areas, and dark blood began oozing through.

  Grace was tempted to try and close with the beast to deliver an attack to the weakened areas, but she needed the time for her MP to recharge. If she became greedy now and tried to inflict more damage, she’d only be hurting herself. Seeing as she was already in so much pain, that wasn’t exactly something she wanted to do.

  Her heart was practically in her throat by now. The sheer terror of the situation was so high that Grace no longer had the capacity to even feel it. She briefly wondered if she’d become so scared that she could no longer feel anything.

  Is that even possible? she wondered.

  When the beast righted itself, getting back to its feet and turning its hateful gaze on her, she discovered that no, it was not possible. She also discovered that yes, she was indeed still terrified. Not only that, but she was beginning to become lightheaded as the pain and blood loss really began to set in. Her hip was bleeding freely once again, and her side was stained crimson from the beast’s last charge.

  Blood dripped from her ruined hand, and the spot the beast had kicked gave her the feeling of having crushed glass beneath her skin each time she moved. In short, she was beaten to hell and close to passing out. Still, that didn’t mean she was going to give up and die. No, she’d fight to the very end, and even if she died in the process, at least she’d die on her feet!

  The beast snorted once more, then its horn, the one that had torn up her side, began glowing an ominous red. The red light flowed from it, lighting up the chinks in its armor as it went and giving the beast an altogether ominous caste. It stomped its foot then, and Grace couldn’t help but notice as the solid stone beneath its feet began to splinter and crack.

  Grace didn’t know whether the glowing horn had increased its strength or signified the use of an ability. What she did know was that this fight had become a whole lot more dangerous, and seeing as it was already life-threatening to begin with, there really was only one phrase to accurately sum up her current situation.

  “Well, shit.”

  ***

  Despite how battered and bruised Grace was, Morgan had to admit that she was doing quite well. After the initial blunder of trying to punch the beast, resulting in a broken hand and likely wrist, Grace took a step back and adopted a more intelligent approach. It consisted mainly of waiting and striking at the right moment.

  If he’d had any doubts about teaching her before, what he witnessed next completely alleviated them. In fact, it actually made him more excited about teaching the girl in the days to come. She expertly dodged the first charge, using the beast’s momentum to injure it. He could see the crack on the creature’s side as it hit the wall and wondered if Grace might actually be able to pull off a win.

  After the beast’s second charge, in which it took off a chunk of her skin and likely fractured a rib, Morgan wasn’t so sure. Still, the
beast’s slip and earth-shaking impact was quite impressive. However, when Grace didn’t capitalize on the creature’s injuries and instead decided to play it safe, Morgan knew that this fight was all but over.

  “Damn,” he muttered, already moving from his spot. “She was so close, too.”

  “Wait,” Lumia cautioned. “Don’t interfere just yet.”

  “Come on, Lumia. We both know she can’t win,” Morgan replied. “Look at her. She’s barely conscious, and the beast looks like it’s getting ready to use an ability. She might have enough MP to throw it off again, but with the ability in play, we don’t know if it will be enough.”

  “Are you telling me that you aren’t fast enough to turn that beast away if Grace can’t dodge in time?” Lumia asked, in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer.

  “No,” Morgan sighed, pulling back into the shadows.

  He knew he was fast enough. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Grace was already on her last legs, barely staying on her feet. She’d lost a lot of blood, and even with the healing supplies he had on hand, he wasn’t sure how well she’d recover. She already had some internal bleeding and broken bones that would take several days to heal.

  Sure, under normal circumstances, the healing process could take months, but even days without being in good shape to fight out here could be deadly, especially if he got into another fight and needed her to run away.

  “I know how you feel, Morgan,” Lumia said, trying to soothe him. “But you need to let her fight for herself. Who knows? She may surprise you yet and come out with a victory.”

  Morgan grimaced once again but didn’t otherwise reply. He’d already agreed to Lumia’s request to stay back, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He couldn’t stop himself from silently cheering the brave girl on, pushing her to succeed against the odds. This was an impossible fight, but he’d won many impossible fights before. He just hoped that Grace might be able to pull off the same.

  38

  The ground trembled, tiny water droplets bouncing up into the air as the beast, now burning with an angry red light, charged straight at her. The world was fuzzy at best, her injuries finally starting to take a serious toll. Grace knew she’d lost a lot of blood, but she couldn’t focus on that now. Right now, she had to focus on staying alive. Anything that came after would have to be a problem for future Grace.

  The beast sped up, water splashing and flying into the air. Grace tried to move to one side but found her leg uncooperative. She was barely staying on her feet as it was. She had a feeling that should she unlock her knees, she’d be dropping to the ground. The beast’s hide rippled and warped, just as its horn, now shining brightly, grew a full foot in length, looking more like a sword than anything else.

  Not having any other choice but to meet the creature head-on, Grace extended her arms and braced herself as best she could. She knew that she’d only have one shot at this, so she’d have to time it just right. The beast appeared to have grown bulkier and was probably a bit stronger with this ability it was using. It thankfully didn’t seem to have gotten faster. In fact, it was actually slower now than it had been.

  Whether that was due to its ability or the injuries Grace had managed to inflict was anyone’s guess, but right now, the would-be supermage couldn’t care less. Gritting her teeth against the pain and terror, she forced herself to wait. Even as the beast bore down on her, closing within ten feet, she resisted the urge to attack. It was only when the beast was practically on top of her, its hot breath wafting across her face, that Grace finally used Air Siren.

  Her muscles flexed – the ones in her left arm, painfully so – as the skill activated, sending out a blast of sound. The air rippled as the skill came into being, expanding swiftly as it flowed further away from her body and collided with the charging beast. For just a single moment, the beast seemed to hesitate, the power of her skill pushing it back. However, Air Siren was designed for a quick blast, not a prolonged one.

  Grace’s skill ran out and the beast broke through. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground, even as the beast’s mass bore down on her. She so desperately wanted to close her eyes, not wishing to see the moment the beast’s oversized horn impaled her through the chest. But she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to look away. It was precisely because of that, that she got to see what happened next.

  One second, the beast was right on top of her, preparing to crush her weakened and fragile body underfoot, and the next, it was smashing into the opposite wall, blood showering into the air. Its once massive and majestic head was now reduced to a bloody pulp. It had all happened so fast that Grace was forced to replay the scene in her mind.

  The beast was just inches away from crushing her, then Morgan came barreling in from the side. His extended foot had slammed into the beast’s head, crushing it as easily as she might crush an ant. It was so unbelievable that she actually didn’t believe it, thinking her mind had snapped from the strain and that she was now seeing things.

  However, when she felt his strong arms on her shoulders and looked up to meet his eyes, she knew she was safe.

  “You came,” she said, her voice sounding strained and far away.

  The world was spinning now, and Morgan’s form was growing hazier and hazier. She briefly wondered if she were dying, if this was indeed the end. Then the world around her vanished, and Grace knew no more.

  ***

  Morgan managed to catch Grace’s battered and broken body before she hit the ground, and gently lifted her into his arms. He was no healer, but his vast experience in fighting already told him that she was in bad shape. He drifted off the ground and shot for the exit, Lumia flittering off his shoulders, likely to retrieve the beast’s core as he did.

  It took him less than a minute to exit the Beast Zone and get back into the basin, where he gently lowered her to the ground.

  “How bad is it?” Lumia asked, flapping out just a few moments later, a glittering core clutched in her claws.

  “Bad,” Morgan replied, already tearing the armor from Grace’s body.

  Though he knew she would have been mortified if she was awake, now was not the time to worry about decency. The girl’s life was on the line, and Morgan would do whatever he had to, to save her. It didn’t take him long to get the bulk of the material out of the way, and then he began a careful examination.

  Reaching into his bag, he produced the jar of healing paste provided by the alchemists of the North Kingdom. Medicine had come a long way in the last two years, and they’d developed an ointment that could heal damage far faster than ever before. It had cost him a fortune to buy this single jar, and even paying as much as he had, this was all he’d been able to get.

  He removed the canteen from his pack and began washing her off as best he could, starting with the largest wounds first.

  “Can you refill this?” he asked, holding the canteen out to Lumia.

  He felt the canteen be pulled from his fingers, but he was already hard at work. Dipping his fingers into the paste, he spread it liberally over the jagged gash in her hip. It was an ugly wound that, while not deep, was bleeding profusely. The next application was on her ribs, right under her arm, where the beast’s horn had scraped by.

  This one was deeper and had managed to crack the bone beneath. Bones would heal far slower than cuts, even with this healing paste. It would be several days before the pain was gone, and about a week before it was fully healed. It was still better than a month and a half, but not great while out here.

  He took the refilled canteen and washed the side of her stomach, now blotchy, red, and angry, and bleeding quite heavily. He poured more water to clear away the dirt and blood so he could see it better. It wasn’t pretty, and Morgan gently prodded at and around the wound to see how bad it really was.

  He winced when he felt it and liberally smeared the paste over it, hoping that the cream was as good as the man claimed. He continued on like this, covering her
hand and wrist and the other cuts and bruises she’d managed to accrue in the course of her battle. He then had Lumia help him wrap all the areas with bandages before turning Grace onto her stomach.

  Her back wasn’t nearly as bad, but there was still some extensive bruising and several fractured ribs. He ran his fingers down her spine, breathing a sigh of relief when he found it whole and intact. Had there been even a single injury here, he’d have had to abandon his mission entirely and head back to the Five Kingdoms to seek treatment. He’d also have had to use his long-range teleportation to do so quickly enough, which would have alerted them all to his exact location and made a return trip all but impossible.

  Even now, as he finished bandaging the small girl, he couldn’t help but worry that he’d still have to do just that. Grace’s skin, where not covered in extensive bandaging, was unnaturally pale. The fight had left her with some serious injuries, some of which might very well kill her if they didn’t start to heal immediately.

  “How long do we wait?” Lumia asked, shrinking back to her smaller size.

  “I don’t know,” Morgan said, lips pressed into a hard line.

  How long did he wait before giving up and heading back to the Five Kingdoms? By this point, he knew it wasn’t a question of if he would do it, even if it jeopardized the mission. The only question was whether it was going to be necessary or not. He wanted to be angry, to blame Lumia for what had happened, but he knew that he was just as much at fault as she. He’d allowed the fight to go on, and if Grace died, he’d have no one to blame but himself.

  “Let’s give it an hour,” he decided, lifting her limp body and carrying her to the shade of the bushes. “If she isn’t showing signs of improvement by then, we’ll have to head back.”

  Morgan laid her gently on the ground, then used his Earthen Shift to pull a small section of the wall over to block the sun and stop anyone from spotting them. He had to be careful to make it look natural, so no one would look twice. Then, he leaned back against the cliff face and simply waited.