The mad immortal a litrp.., p.22
The Mad Immortal: A LitRPG Adventure, page 22
Nate stretched his senses out in search of any nearby weaves. “I don’t feel anything. But then again, with my Insight, I’d probably miss something unless it was staring me right in the face.”
Ellie nodded absently, her attention still focused on her own survey of the surrounding forest.
“There’s definitely something strange going on,” Wes said. He raised up one of his arms and peeled back the Ice Skin to reveal the flesh below. The hairs were all standing on end as if they had been statically charged.
Ellie suddenly cried out, pointing upward toward the canopy. “There!”
Nate followed her finger. At first, he didn’t see anything. As he focused on the spot, however, he realized he could barely make out a flow of magic. The threads twisted around themselves, gradually forming a faintly translucent shape reminiscent of an elongated oval. An eye.
He squinted at the pattern. “Are the roddels doing that?”
“I seriously doubt it,” Wes said. “That’d be a pretty hefty escalation from nut-throwing.”
The lenses of Ellie’s goggles flared with essence. “I can’t tell the domain, but I’m pretty sure that’s scrying magic.”
Nate’s stomach sank. He could think of a half-dozen possibilities for who might want to track them, none of them good.
“It doesn’t matter what domain it’s from,” he said. “We need to get rid of it. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that whoever’s casting it will pinpoint our location.”
Even in the middle of a crisis, Ellie managed an eye roll. “Knowing the domain might be critical to dispelling the weave. Though I doubt there’s anything we can do on such short notice regardless.”
“What about your sourcebinding?” Wes asked. “Can you use that to disrupt the weave?”
“Absorption or Suppression might work if they’re properly infused, but it’d take me a good deal of time to figure out an effective countermeasure. By then, it’ll be too late to matter.”
Nate grit his teeth. “There has to be something we can do.”
“Well,” Ellie said hesitantly, “it’s possible that proximity to a strong enough source of essence would destabilize the magic. Of course, that could also cause a massive magical backlash.”
“Maybe it has nothing to do with us,” Wes said hopefully. “This is a registered sector; it might just be a coincidence that someone’s sweeping it while we’re here.”
Somehow, Nate doubted that. His thoughts flashed to Vince. If the old weaver had caught wind of their compass, this could be the start of an ambush.
“I don’t intend to wait around to find out,” he said.
He raised up his right hand and began infusing vera into his readied Fire Bolt. He was willing to risk an explosion if it meant dispersing whatever magic was spying on them.
Before he could fully empower his weave, however, the watchful eye winked out on its own.
“It’s gone,” Wes said. “I guess they weren’t interested in us, after all.”
“Perhaps,” Ellie said, her voice tense. “We should keep moving before it—”
A sudden series of cracking pops echoed from a nearby copse of trees. Nate spun, spotting movement as dark figures darted for cover behind the massive trunks.
He balled his fiery fingers into a fist. “We’ve got company.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Maybe they just want to talk,” Ellie said. She kept her eyes focused toward the spot where they’d last seen the arriving verists.
“Yeah, sure,” Nate said. “That’s why they’re taking cover and securing their position.”
“We could make a break for it,” Wes suggested.
Ellie shook her head. “If they tracked us once, they can probably do it again. Besides, we’re not exactly the most mobile or stealthy group around. I’d say our odds of successfully escaping are almost nil.”
“It’s too late to run or to hide, so we fight,” Nate said firmly.
“We should at least see what they want before we do anything brash,” she replied.
“And give them the chance to jump us? I don’t think so. We should hit them now while they’re still getting their footing. It’s our best shot at victory.”
“Against an unknown number of assailants?” Ellie scoffed. “We’ll be surrounded and overwhelmed.”
“Guys,” Wes interrupted, “arguing won’t get us anywhere. Why don’t we figure out who we’re dealing with first?”
Ellie leaned against the nearest tree trunk, crossing her arms. “Fine. I’ll stay here and keep my eyes peeled. You two skirt around the side and scout them out. If you run into any trouble, just holler, and I’ll lay down some covering fire.”
Nate nodded and walked toward the woods. Then, he paused, glancing back at her. “You sure you’ll be alright here by yourself? They might try to rush you.”
Ellie smiled grimly. “Your concern’s touching, hotshot, but I’ll be fine. I’ve still got a few essence grenades on me. If they get too close, I’ll keep them on their toes.”
“Good.” He turned to Wes. “You ready?”
For a moment, he thought Wes was about to argue. Then, his friend simply shrugged and said, “I’ll follow your lead.”
That was good enough for him. He dashed to the side, Wes trailing after him. They tried to stay low, darting from tree to tree for cover. The trees were too far apart to keep them fully concealed, but the trunks were thick enough around for both of them to duck behind.
Nate winced every time a leaf crunched underfoot. At any moment, he expected to stumble unwittingly into an ambush. There was little they could do to disguise their movement; they just had to hope that their foes were as bad at perception as he and Wes were at stealth. At least, his new Frost Shield impeded his mobility far less than his old armor.
Light flashed behind them, and they heard distant shouts. Ellie had engaged the enemy. So much for talking. As long as the newcomers played it safe and didn’t immediately rush her, she might be able to keep them at bay for a time. He had seen how much one of those beams could hurt, even through an aegis.
They were about halfway to where they’d first spotted the enemy when they emerged from behind a tree and found themselves face to face with three verists. They must’ve had the same idea as Nate, skirting around the edges of the battlefield to come up on Ellie from behind.
“Sandra? Dale?” Wes exclaimed.
Sure enough, two of the figures were their former squadmates. Nate didn’t recognize the third. That at least explained who had been searching for them, if not how the Riftwalkers had known where to look.
“Hello, Wes,” Dale said. He took a cautious step forward, his golden eyes flicking over. “Nate.”
Nate bobbed his head in greeting, his gaze locked on Dale for any signs of aggression. “Hi, Dale. Don’t take this the wrong way, but what the Null are you doing here?”
Dale barked a laugh. “Do you really need to ask? We’re here to bring you home. Commander Grisham didn’t appreciate your vanishing act back in the city. What were you thinking, running off like that?”
“Oh, you know; it’s been a stressful couple months. I decided I needed a break.”
“In the middle of the biggest treasure hunt the Nexus has ever seen? Sure, sounds like the perfect time to abandon your post.”
“It’s not how it looks,” Wes cut in. “We were going to return as soon as we could. Everything we’re doing is still for the good of the Riftwalkers.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why didn’t you have the twins report what you were really up to instead of running off in secret?”
When Wes bowed his head, Dale grunted. “That’s what I thought. It doesn’t matter. Save your excuses for the commander.”
Nate had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going. He didn’t see a way to avoid a confrontation, not without forsaking their quest. Still, he feigned examining the small clearing.
“I don’t see Commander Grisham anywhere around here. The three of you could report back that we escaped. Then, we could all go our separate ways.”
Sandra spoke up then, her voice pleading. “You know we can’t do that, Nate. Please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be. I’m assuming that’s Ellie back there, firing at us. Call her off, and let us escort you to the commander so we can work this out.”
“And if I don’t?” Nate said, his heart heavy.
“Then we’ll drag you back instead,” Dale growled.
Wes made a soothing gesture with his arms. “Let’s all just calm down. There’s no reason this needs to—”
Nate didn’t wait for his friend to finish. He might not know what the third verist could do, but he had a pretty good sense of Dale and Sandra’s capabilities. If he and Wes didn’t act fast, they’d be overwhelmed by the pair’s powerful buffs and debuffs.
I’m really sorry about this.
Stifling his regret, he infused three vera into a Quick Fire Bolt. The pattern completed in a split-second, and he launched it forward. Fire bathed Sandra’s chest before she could react.
The timeweaver screamed and stumbled, batting instinctively at the flames. Nate knew it wouldn’t do much through her aegis, but it would at least distract her.
He conjured his Ice Blade even as he charged forward at Dale. Sandra might’ve been caught off-guard, but Dale had the presence of mind to raise his hands and form the weave for a Decaying Cloud. A cone of green vapor sprayed from his palms. The effect was similar to the noxious gas that had filled the fungitera’s cavern, though far more potent.
Nate had seen the spell in action enough times that he knew to hold his breath. Even still, his eyes watered, the toxins blurring his vision until Dale was only a vague outline.
He slammed into the outline, tossing it to the ground. Then, he brought his blade up, ramming it down…only to realize that, in his half-blinded state, he’d driven the blade into the dirt beside his former squadmate.
Dale scrambled back, and Nate lost sight of him through the haze. He rubbed frantically at his eyes. The Decaying Cloud was already dissipating, but he still didn’t dare breathe in any of the air.
His instincts screamed at him to keep moving; however, right now, he was more of a liability than an actual threat. He forced himself to relax and spread his awareness into the surrounding environment.
He caught a slight shift in the air to his right and brought his Frost Shield spinning around just in time to deflect a heavy blow with the sound of cracking ice. He waited for a follow-up strike, but none came.
Then, he heard shouts and the sounds of a nearby scuffle. Wes must’ve followed him in. He’d wondered if his friend would fight against their guildmates. Good to know Wes still had his back, even in a terrible situation like this.
Gradually, Nate’s vera did its work, filtering out the toxins from his blood so that his temporary blindness retreated enough for him to survey his surroundings.
Sandra had moved off to the side and appeared deep in concentration, though he couldn’t tell on what. Likely, she was either providing Haste to one of her allies or using Slow to hamper Wes. He took a step toward her, raising his Ice Blade.
“Nate!”
He whirled toward Wes’ shout and saw that his friend was facing off against the third verist Nate didn’t know. Judging by the eddies of air that danced around his limbs, he thought it a safe bet he was a skyweaver.
He’d engaged Wes in melee, and while he didn’t seem to have an easy way through Wes’ Ice Skin, the wind buffeting him made his movements impossibly agile. Every attack Wes sent his way struck nothing but empty air.
As Nate watched, Wes lunged forward with a sideswipe that the skyweaver ducked under. He counterattacked with his own strike into Wes’ chest. Weaves of compacted wind sliced into the icy skin like blades, sending Wes staggering back.
Nate considered launching Fire Bolts at the skyweaver, then dismissed the idea. No way would the slow-moving projectiles be able to find their mark.
In fact, the more he watched the skyweaver, the more convinced he became that the verist’s agility had been bolstered. He spotted no signs of Sandra’s timeweaving, but there was a telltale glow of vital essence suffusing the skyweaver’s muscles.
Where did Dale go?
He scanned the area, finally spotting him leaning out from behind a tree about thirty feet away. Dale’s attention was focused on the melee, and Nate could sense the threads of essence pouring out from him. He’d definitely granted Invigoration to the wind verist.
But not for much longer.
Nate summoned the thermal energy needed for his Fire Bolt. Then, he poured three vera into a Penetrating infusion to ensure the weave packed a punch. He worried someone would take advantage of his distracted state to interrupt his concentration, but no one did.
Wes and the skyweaver were preoccupied with their brawl while Dale remained focused on the skyweaver and Sandra kept to herself. Maybe she’d decided to stay out of the confrontation altogether.
When his spell was finally ready, he launched the unstable ball of flame. It soared through the air, crashing into Dale. The Penetrating infusion did its work, fire erupting around the lifeweaver and eagerly tearing past his aegis to sear the flesh beneath.
Dale’s concentration on his Invigoration shattered as he screamed and collapsed to the ground. He rolled, desperately trying to quench the flames still coating him.
Nate’s eyes widened as the fire quickly caught on the dried leaves. It whooshed out in an expanding ring around Dale and lapped at the nearby tree. Oops.
Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to use fire in the middle of a highly flammable forest. Those roddels might end up facing annihilation, after all. That was a problem for future Nate, however; for now, he still had a friend to help.
The skyweaver’s shock at the roaring inferno that now engulfed his ally distracted him long enough for Wes to bullrush the man. He slammed into the skyweaver’s chest with one shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
To his credit, the skyweaver recovered quickly, using a gust to lift him to his feet in a single smooth motion. But Nate was already charging in, adding his Ice Blade to Wes’ thrusts and kicks. Together, the two of them were too much for even the skyweaver’s heightened reactions as they landed blow after blow.
A stab of Nate’s sword finally broke through the man’s aegis and pierced his shoulder. He fell with a cry of pain and a spray of blood.
Nate thought that would be it for the verist, but the skyweaver surprised him and Wes with a burst of air that sucked their feet out from under them. Nate tripped, crashing down beside the skyweaver while Wes stumbled back.
Then, the resourceful verist rolled on top of Nate. Dropping his Ice Blade, Nate barely got his arms up to block the skyweaver as accelerated wind formed makeshift blades along the edges of his hands. He pressed the whirring air down toward Nate’s throat.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Frostburn,” the verist hissed. His blades cut into Nate’s aegis, chipping away at his vera.
“Who…are you…again?” he wheezed out.
As the skyweaver’s eyes widened in surprise, Nate mentally whipped his Frost Shield around. Its edge slammed into the man’s head with enough force that the ice cracked and partially crumbled apart. The skyweaver tumbled limply to the side.
Nate caught his breath while Wes kneeled down beside the skyweaver.
“Looks like you knocked him out cold,” he said a moment later.
“Good,” Nate replied, gaining his feet. He eyed the fallen aerial verist.
The safest course of action would be to send him to reclamation. He was an enemy combatant, after all. If he recovered, he’d no doubt attack them again on behalf of the guild.
Yet, this wasn’t some clone created by an anomaly; this was a real person. Cold-blooded murder was a line he found himself unwilling to cross, no matter how temporary the death or how desperately he longed to claim the bounty.
Nate glanced toward Dale. The lifeweaver had extricated himself from the flames. Judging by his haggard appearance, he didn’t seem like an immediate threat.
The fire now burned merrily along the trunk Dale had been beside and continued to spread through the underbrush. If it wasn’t contained, this entire section of the forest might soon be ablaze.
“Help Dale,” he instructed Wes. “Make sure he’s secured, then see if there’s something you can do to put out those flames.”
Wes nodded, moving to obey while Nate turned to face the last of their assailants. Sandra still stood to the side in intense concentration. He had assumed she was hindering Wes or speeding up the skyweaver, but neither now appeared to be the case.
Unless she’d hit Journeyman in the last week, she should only have one other spell in her kit besides Slow and Haste. For the life of him, though, he couldn’t remember what it was.
He conjured an Ice Blade and strode toward her. Whatever she was doing, a blow to the shoulder should be enough to break her concentration.
He was a few steps from Sandra when she finally looked up, her eyes sad but defiant. “You’re too late, Nate. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”
“Oh?” He pointed his blade at her left shoulder. “Too late for what?”
Sandra sagged as a shimmer Nate hadn’t even noticed in the air winked out. A dozen figures suddenly appeared arrayed around them in a rough circle. Realization dawned on him, and he cursed himself for not targeting her sooner.
He’d seen her use Time Bubble once before to encase their squad in a sphere that sped up the passage of time so they could rest and regroup. Here, she must’ve done the opposite, slowing time down so that it passed faster beyond the range of the effect. She hadn’t been trying to stop them at all; she’d just been delaying long enough for the cavalry to arrive.
Vines lashed out from the ground, wrapping around Nate and binding his arms to his sides. He tried to cry out, but another vine slithered across his mouth, muffling the sound.
