Awaken Online- Flame

by Travis Bagwell

  He just barely crested the pit as he felt the ant barrel over the edge behind him. The creature raced out into the darkness before landing with a massive boom and the resounding screech of metal chitin. Large clumps of gravel, dust, and dirt rocketed out of the trench, ricocheting off the walls. The tremor was enough to throw Finn to the ground and send Kyyle and Julia stumbling.

  As Finn struggled back to his feet Julia half dragged him down the tunnel, the walls narrowing into a thin sliver only two feet wide. She shoved Finn through, and then dove in after him. Finn saw that Kyyle stood just inside the entrance, already working to seal off the narrow opening by creating layer after layer of stone. Once the barrier was a few feet thick, his hands finally slowed.

  “Do you think it died from the fall?” Julia gasped from nearby, her chest heaving and sweat streaming down her face. Finn could only imagine he didn’t look much better as he leaned against the cavern wall.

  A dull thump came from the other side of the barrier, and Finn eyed the unnatural stone wall nervously. Another thump shook loose a fine dusting of dirt.

  Finn winced. “Doesn’t sound like it.”

  A tense silence hovered in the air.

  Thump.

  Kyyle glanced between Finn and Julia. “So, I don’t want to be that guy, but… uh, what now?”

  Chapter 17 - Rash

  Bilel’s Journal – Entry 71

  Since the guild leadership was unwilling to support my research, I have been forced to undertake more extreme measures.

  In exchange for access to the library’s upper levels, I was able to convince one of the healers to participate in my research. Renquist was more than willing to accommodate me. At least someone within the guild understands the importance of my studies.

  I used myself as an initial test subject. With the healer’s assistance, we inserted a foreign material into the Najima in my left arm and healed the wound shortly thereafter. However, I was unable to duplicate the results of the injured mage. My mana pool was unaffected, and I did not experience any of the physical symptoms that were previously observed. I suspect the damage may not have been sufficient, although I have some ideas for how to address this issue.

  I believe there is a fire mage in the guild who may be willing to accommodate my needs. The promise of additional knowledge and spells serves as a considerable inducement, particularly to those mages who are out of favor with the guild leadership or are unable to easily navigate guild politics.

  ***

  Thump.

  Finn rubbed at the bridge of his nose, trying to ignore the rhythmic slams. He needed to think. What the hell were they going to do now?

  Thump.

  “So, is this a bad time to ask what exactly was chasing you?” Kyyle asked. “I didn’t get a good look while I was, you know, saving your asses.”

  Thump.

  Kyyle’s gaze shifted to the nearby wall he had formed, watching the dust drift off its surface with each slam. “Some kind of subterranean dinosaur? Elemental behemoth? Maybe a fire demon?”

  “It’s an ant,” Julia answered, wiping the dust off her arms and armor. Despite their hectic dash through the tunnel, she seemed relatively relaxed and rested. How fast did her stamina regen exactly? Finn was also impressed with how she had made it across the pit with little trouble, despite his haphazard timing. He had to admit he was a little jealous of her physical stats at a time like this…

  Not right now. Focus.

  “An ant?” Kyyle replied, an incredulous expression sweeping across his face as he stared at the nearby wall. “That thing is an ant. I don’t believe it.”

  Thump.

  “They’re telling the truth,” Daniel chirped. The ball of flame flashed once, and a three-dimensional model outlining the fire ant’s form appeared in the air beside him. The shape pulsed with a bright-orange hue.

  “However, it has deviated evolutionarily from native Earth species. It’s approximately 200 times larger than its earth-born cousins,” the AI continued. Daniel highlighted its shell and the crystals, information scrolling away along the margins of the model. “The shell appears to be extremely hard, reinforced with an unknown metallic substance. Crystals are also embedded in the same metallic armor.”

  “Best guess is that they’re fire mana crystals,” Finn offered. “Maybe natural crystal formations that absorbed the ambient fire mana down here? Also, they explode on impact.” This earned him a grimace from Julia.

  “Ahh, intriguing,” Daniel chirped as he updated his model accordingly. “Finishing my report then, it also appears that the creature can cover itself in an aura of fire.” The image of the ant was abruptly awash in a slightly darker-red aura of flames.

  Kyyle just stared at the model of the insect that floated in the air. “Oh, is that all?” He peered at the image more closely. “So, it’s literally a giant, magical fire ant.”

  “Precisely,” Daniel chirped.

  Finn had a few more questions. Like when had Daniel learned how to project images or catalog other creatures? That was a rather useful ability, and one that Finn certainly didn’t remember programming. But he needed to put a pin in that too.

  Thump.

  “Okay, we need a plan,” Finn interjected. “It doesn’t look like this creature is going to give up any time soon.” He couldn’t tell if the ant was just persistent or was somehow still able to sense their presence, but he supposed it didn’t matter.

  “I say we get the hell out of here,” Julia offered. “You saw what my blades did – or didn’t do.” She held up one of her daggers, showcasing the broken tip. “It broke my daggers in one swing, and I didn’t even seem to hurt it. I’m not sure we have anything strong enough to pierce its armor.”

  “Where exactly are we going to go? There’s only one other way to get out of here, and it’s through the death chasm of sliding glass,” Kyyle said, gesturing behind them.

  Julia grimaced. “Well, you’re not wrong…”

  “The central shaft is probably worse,” Finn agreed. “We were even more exposed out there, and we still don’t know what else lives down here—”

  Thump.

  “Okay, which leaves what?” Julia demanded. She pointed at Kyyle. “He could carve us a path out of here, but we already agreed that would take too long. We also don’t know how far it is to an adjacent tunnel. And that ant is going to get through eventually.”

  Thump.

  As though to emphasize her point, a crack rippled through Kyyle’s barrier, a cascade of dust shivering off the wall. The group eyed the crack warily. Julia was right. It was only a matter of time before the ant beat down their defenses.

  “And we don’t know how it sensed us in the first place,” Julia pointed out. “It could just keep following us indefinitely.”

  “Or call for reinforcements,” Kyyle offered. They both looked at him in surprise. “What? It’s an ant. I think it’s safe to assume it’s part of a colony. Haven’t you guys ever kicked an anthill?”

  The group drifted into silence, and Finn felt a pit forming in his stomach. He had indeed kicked plenty of anthills as a kid, and he didn’t relish the idea of what would happen when the ants were eight feet long, heavily armored, and on fire. That narrowed down their options even further. What they really needed to do was figure out a way to kill the damn thing. And quickly.

  Thump.

  Think, Finn thought to himself. It must have a weakness.

  His eyes skimmed to Daniel’s model. It’s possible the joints were weaker. Or possibly its antenna? It might be using the appendages to see somehow, although he doubted that would kill the creature – probably only blind it and piss it off. What they needed was a way to weaken it enough to kill it.

  He shifted his perspective, trying another angle of attack. How was it so resilient? Most normal metals should have given way under the force of Julia’s blow. Hell, she had hit it so hard, the ant’s entire body had shuddered under the attack. Was something reinforcing its armor? Finn’s tho
ughts turned to the crystals along its back and the flames licking away from its shell. Maybe the creature was actively channeling fire mana? Those crystals could be powering the flames – perhaps buffing the ant like Finn’s Imbue Fire?

  Finn chewed on the inside of his cheek. He supposed there was one way to find out.

  “Okay, I have an idea,” he offered, finally breaking the silence.

  Thump.

  “Well, we’re all ears,” Julia replied dryly.

  “It’s possible that the flames are reinforcing its armor,” Finn explained. “Most likely powered by those crystals along its back. If we could knock out the flames, Julia might be able to deliver a killing blow. Maybe along a joint where the chitin hasn’t been reinforced?” As he spoke, Daniel highlighted several joints along the base of the ant’s neck, the underside of the creature’s abdomen, and its legs.

  “There are a lot of assumptions in there…” Julia replied.

  Finn shrugged. “We also don’t have a lot of options.”

  Thump.

  “Alright, well, what do we do?” Kyyle asked.

  Finn nodded and stepped toward the earth mage’s barrier. “If we can wall off the tunnel on both sides, maybe the flames will burn off the oxygen in the room. Even mana-infused spells have to obey this world’s physics. Eventually, the flames should go out. Then we drop the barrier and attack as quickly as possible before it can reignite.”

  Kyyle’s brow furrowed. “How are we going to do that without dropping the wall on this side of the pit? I can’t exactly see what I’m doing.”

  Thump.

  “But maybe I can,” Finn replied, placing his hand on the wall, and feeling the last blow still vibrating through its surface.

  “Mashhad,” he whispered and squeezed his eyes shut.

  The darkened tunnel was suddenly awash in color, emerald earth mana shining around him. Finn focused on Kyyle’s barrier, noting that the rock was a slightly different shade than the surrounding walls. It seemed to glow faintly, likely indicating that Kyyle had formed and sustained it with his own mana. Beyond that barrier, he could just make out more swirls of green, intermixed with a ruddy orange glow a few feet below them.

  That had to be the ant.

  Finn needed to try something different. He had noticed before that his Mana Sight didn’t seem limited by distance or interposing objects. That was part of what had initially been so disorienting. His natural vision could be blocked by walls and people. Yet while using the sight, he would catch glimpses of the mana behind and around an object, the colors swirling and blending together in a way that made it hard to distinguish one thing from another.

  The question now was whether he could intentionally ignore the interposing mana.

  Finn focused on the wall, trying to remove the green mana that obscured his view. It was difficult, like he was fighting the vision, and his temples ached as he tried to tear away at the intervening wall.

  Thump.

  “Uh, I don’t mean to interrupt your intense staring competition with the wall, but I’m ready when you are,” Kyyle said from beside Finn. He could see that the earth mage had already begun casting his spell, streamers of green energy curling around his staff.

  Finn just grunted, frustration simmering in his veins. He should be able to do this.

  Maybe he was trying too hard? His natural vision didn’t require him to strain when switching from short to long distance. His eyes just compensated naturally. All he did was look at the distant object, and it popped into focus.

  He turned his attention back to the wall, forcing himself to relax. He could see the dull orange glow on the other side of the green barrier, and he focused on it, following the fiery streamers of energy back to their origin.

  Suddenly, the green wall disappeared, and the orange energy flared more brightly. The change was so abrupt that Finn accidentally took a step back and lost it.

  Thump.

  “I… I think I’ve got the hang of it now,” Finn murmured.

  He stepped back up to the wall and tried again.

  The ant popped into focus once more, a fiery orange mass of energy that was beating its head against the wall directly below them. Finn could see denser clusters of orange and red along its back – likely the mana crystals embedded in its armor. Even more interesting, he could now observe the way that the fiery energy seemed to infuse the creature’s metallic shell.

  Maybe he had been on to something after all.

  “Okay, Kyyle,” Finn began. “Aim for a spot about twelve feet from our position at the level of our feet. You’re going to build a wall pointed straight up from that spot. It needs to be about ten feet wide and eight feet tall – roughly the same width and height as this tunnel. You got it?”

  “We’ll see in a second,” Kyyle muttered from beside him.

  The earth mage finished casting his spell, and Finn looked on as a barrier of rock and dirt suddenly erupted from the other side of the pit, extending straight up into the air. Yet the wall stopped a foot shy of the tunnel ceiling.

  “Just a bit taller,” Finn urged him.

  The barrier continued its march upward until it merged with the tunnel ceiling.

  “Okay, I think we’ve got it,” Finn said distractedly, turning his attention back to the ant. He held his breath as he watched the creature, waiting for some telltale signal that the flames were waning.

  Thump.

  The creature slammed its head against the wall again, seemingly unaffected by the change. Seconds and then minutes ticked past to the rhythmic thumping of its head against the stone wall. Finn was forced to drop the sight several times to let his mana and stamina regen. The crack in Kyyle’s barrier continued to widen with each slam of the ant’s head.

  He reactivated his sight one last time, placing his hand back on the wall. With his enhanced vision, Finn could see that the creature was slowly creating a massive indentation in the pit’s wall, green streamers of energy curling away from the impact – likely indicating loose debris.

  “Is it working?” Julia asked, her voice sounding anxious.

  “I don’t—” Finn began.

  He stopped speaking as he saw the signal he had been waiting for. The orange aura around the ant’s shell had dimmed ever so slightly.

  “Yes, yes, I think it’s working,” Finn said, the excitement clear in his voice. “You two get ready to start breaking down Kyyle’s barrier on this side. As soon as the fire aura goes out, we’re going to attack. I’ll aim for the fire crystals, and Julia, you aim for the head. The armor looks weaker at the base of its neck, and you might hit a vital organ. We’ll likely only have a few seconds after we reintroduce oxygen to the pit before it reignites.

  “And Kyyle, be ready to put the barrier back up if this fails…”

  “Way ahead of you,” the earth mage answered, his voice sounding strained as he channeled his mana into the barriers.

  Following his own orders, Finn dropped the sight, letting his mana regen. Then he cast Imbue Fire. A lone dagger soon floated in the air beside him as he kept a watchful eye on his mana. The sight was costly to channel, and he needed to leave enough mana to attack. Or if things went sideways and they needed to make a run for it…

  When his mana hit 70% again, he reactivated the sight. The fire aura had continued to dim. He glanced away from the ant for a moment, focusing on Kyyle’s barriers. He could see that the green energy was becoming less solid, slowly dissolving but not breaking apart completely. It would be just enough to allow Finn and Julia to burst through when the moment came.

  Finn’s focus snapped back to the ant. The orange aura continued to grow dimmer. Interestingly, the creature’s movements also began to weaken, each thump of its head now slower and holding less force. Maybe the ant’s stamina or energy was tied to those flames somehow…

  “Daniel, mark the fire crystals in my UI,” Finn instructed, anticipating the cloud of debris that he and Julia were going to create when they broke through.


  Another thought. “Can you also paint a target for Julia or push my highlights to her?” Finn asked.

  There was a brief pause as the AI mulled on that question. “Yes, I believe I can, sir,” Daniel replied. The crystals were soon illuminated in a glowing blue light, even without Finn’s enhanced vision, and the joint along the base of the ant’s neck was now outlined in sapphire.

  “Well, that’s a neat trick,” Julia commented.

  Finn only nodded. It seemed Daniel was full of surprises lately.

  He could feel his fire mana burning in his veins, barely pushing back at his anxiety. They needed this to work. Badly.

  Then the fiery aura around the ant disappeared.

  “Go!” Finn shouted.

  Finn dropped his Mana Sight and opened his eyes. He would need to preserve the remainder of his mana.

  He looked up just in time to see Julia speed past in a dark blur and crash into Kyyle’s barrier, splitting the earth with incredible force. Dust, rock, and dirt exploded through the air, creating a dense, almost-impenetrable cloud of debris. A moment later, his daughter was dropping into the pit.

  Finn hadn’t been lazy either. His flaming blade followed close on Julia’s heels, hurtling through the air. Luckily, the ant was well within Finn’s control range, and the fire crystals were still illuminated in a glowing blue light. He homed in on his targets, the blade crashing through the crystals in sequence as it made a zigzag pattern across the ant’s back. As soon as one crystal exploded, his blade crashed into another. Then another. Each blow caused a miniature explosion of flame to jettison from the ant’s back, melting the rock and stone that drifted through the air.

  He could no longer make out Julia, but he could feel the vibration in the floor as the ant thrashed in the pit, and he could hear the clang of metal – likely as her blades struck at the ant’s armor.