Chapter 87: Can’t Lose (2/2)

His sin curse was one of the keys to his escalating damage combination. His new spell allowed him to apply it at range, so long as it wasn’t resisted. It was the first of Jason's two new spells. The broker he went to had taken a while to find a good trade for the rat essence, as it was not popular with anyone who could afford to be choosy. He could have traded it for a half-dozen awakening stones of the fish but instead went with two stones of the magus. It was a common awakening stone, especially with humans. It almost guaranteed a spell, which humans rarely awakened, with an outside chance of a coveted summoning or familiar power.

Ability: [Castigate] (Sin)

Spell (curse, holy)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].

“How’s it going?” Humphrey called out.

“It’s coming along,” Jason called back.

“If it could come any faster, that would be really, really great!”

Jason kept casting spells until his mana ran low, chugged a mana potion from his belt and started casting some more.

“Carry the mark of your transgressions.”

Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Mark of Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Mark of Sin].[Mark of Sin] does not take effect.

Jason let out a whoop of triumph. The mark of sin effect was of little use in the current battle, so it didn’t matter if it was resisted. With inexorable doom, sin and Colin’s necrotoxin in place, the damage would increase exponentially.

“Everything’s done,” Jason called out. “Stay strong and we have it!”

“I’m not sure if waiting is an option,” Clive said, his voice enervated. He drank a mana potion even as he poured his mana into his familiar. One of the runes on Onslow’s shell lit up, then dimmed immediately as a cloud rose up out of his shell. Water bullets erupted out of the cloud, pounding into the hydra.

In front of the hydra, Humphrey was bloody and exhausted but defiant, pushing on through sheer force of will. The hydra was doomed now, but it could still take them with it. Jason resumed casting spells, trying to hasten its demise.

“Bleed for me.”

Spell [Haemorrhage] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] is already affected by [Bleeding]. [Bleeding] is refreshed.Spell [Haemorrhage] has inflicted [Sacrificial Victim] on [Marsh Hydra].

“First time,” Jason cheered. “Good stuff.”

The affliction reduction from Jason’s aura had limited effect at the start of the fight, but it penalised resistances further for each instance of the sin curse. With the curses now stacking up, afflictions from both Jason and Colin were becoming more reliable, including those from Jason’s other new spell.

Ability: [Haemorrhage] (Blood)

Spell (wounding, unholy)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes the [Bleeding] and [Sacrificial Victim] afflictions.[Bleeding] (affliction, wounding): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.[Sacrificial Victim] (affliction, unholy): Any drain attacks or blood afflictions suffered have increased effect.

The sacrificial victim affliction would help bleed away the hydra’s health, but the massive monster had a lot of health to bleed. Clive had a huge amount of mana, most of which he had thrown at the monster. He no longer had enough to recharge the powers of his rune tortoise familiar.

With his afflictions applied, Jason could do little else without wading into melee range. He was confident that would lead to his near-immediate death, probably getting Humphrey killed trying to save him. He had one more spell, but the thirty seconds between casts felt like an eternity.

“Suffer the cost of your transgressions.”

Ability: [Punition] (Doom)

SpellCost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 1 (06%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.

Despite the afflictions built-up on the hydra, its resistance to iron-rank damage prevented the spell from taking full effect. Jason had nothing left to contribute.

Humphrey’s will was strong, but he had been going full power from the beginning. The hydra was finally fading, but Humphrey was fading faster. He staggered back one step, then another. It looked like he could barely lift his sword, but he did so again and again.

“I don’t think I can hold it,” Humphrey called back, despair in his voice.

Jason let out a reluctant groan, then steeled his shoulders.

“I’m coming in,” he yelled.

“You’ll die!” Humphrey said as Jason appeared behind him.

“Then I guess you’d better protect me,” Jason said.

Humphrey glanced at Jason, seeing nothing but determination. He turned back to the monster, letting out a wild yell. His wavering stance straightened, waning arms renewed. Where he had been reduced to only defending, he once again went on the attack. Light started shining out of him, the blue-grey of iron rank. He didn’t notice Jason stepping back into safety.

“I was just trying to get him pumped-up,” Jason said, looking at the light shining from Humphrey. “What is that?”

“Racial gift transfiguration,” Clive said in wonder. “It seems his drive to protect is so strong it literally changed who he is.”

Clive gave Jason a wild grin.

“If he can manage that, how can I not make a full effort?” he asked.

Clive glared at the hydra with renewed determination. The red glow of life-force emerged from his body and started turning blue as he burned life-force to restore his emptied-out mana. Clive’s skin turned pale and he gritted his teeth against the pain, but kept pushing for more mana.

Clive dropped his staff into the water and held both hands out in front of him, palms facing out. A magic circle appeared in front of them, turning in the air. It grew and changed, becoming more complicated as Clive pumped more mana into it, then chanted out a spell.

“Feel the annihilation of reality unmade.”

A beam of rainbow light blasted out of the circle in front of Clive, locking onto one of the hydra’s four remaining heads. The rainbow colours started fading, one by one, until all that remained was black. The beam vanished and the hydra’s head was annihilated as a vortex of darkness replaced it. The vortex sucked in air, causing the hydra’s severed neck to flap like a streamer in the wind as the vortex sucked at it.

The spell ended, the dark vortex fading into nothing. The neck dropped limp, as did Clive, who fell to his knees in the water. Onslow gave him a concerned nudge and Clive supported himself on the tortoise’s neck.

Jason looked at Clive, who had burned himself out to contribute. He looked at Humphrey, who had given up escape to be the shield between the monster and his companions.

“I don’t know what kind of person deserves friends like this,” Jason muttered to himself, “but I’m pretty sure it’s not me.”

A blue-grey light lit up from within Jason, just as had from Humphrey. Jason looked at the glow shining from underneath his skin.

Ability: [Party Interface]

Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Interface].Interpret reality through a recognisable medium.You have access to a contacts list. You can form a party by sending invitations through the contacts list.Party members can access interface features so long as they remain in the party.Party members have access to party chat and voice chat. These functions have limited range.Quests from the [Quest System] can be shared with party members. Quest only remains available to party members while they are in the party.

“You too?” Clive asked wearily, still draped over Onslow’s neck. He watched the light shine out of Jason.

“I’m not sure it actually helps, right now,” Jason said.

Clive’s spell claiming the monster’s second head had marked the turning of the tide. Necrosis was turning the hydra’s flesh to rot as its blood, black with venom, spilled into the water. Humphrey’s sword claimed a third head and the hydra moved to flee, heading for the submerged tunnel.

As the monster was about to plunge into the water, a huge shab rose up from the depths, gaping shark mouth biting savagely into the hydra’s flesh. The shab then turned into a colourful parrot, flying over to land on Onslow.

“Nasty, nasty,” it said, spitting out black fluid.

The injured hydra was confused long enough for Humphrey to come up behind it and bury his sword in a rear leg. Jason followed, digging into the other rear leg with his dagger. The wound wasn’t deep compared to the size of the creature, and his special attack, punish, only dealt a small amount of necrotic damage. However, every instance of the sin curse amplified that damage and the hydra had been accumulating them for a while. The flesh blackened and withered, shrinking away from Jason’s slicing blade. Side-by-side, Jason and Humphrey laid into the crippled monster until it fell still.

Quest: [Contract: Fallen Comrade]

Objective complete: Eliminate the monster that killed your fellow adventurer 1/1.

Reward: [Awakening Stone of Absolution] (Jason Asano).

Reward: [Awakening Stone of the Champion] (Humphrey Geller).

Reward: [Ring of the Hydra] (Clive Standish).

Quest complete. All party members receive:

100 [Bronze Spirit Coins].

1000 [Iron Spirit Coins].

Humphrey went over to Stash the parrot, who was hopping up and down excitedly on Onslow’s shell.

“Stash chase worm! Stash chase worm!”

The parrot flew toward Humphrey, transforming into a puppy mid-air and landing in Humphrey’s arms. Humphrey was covered in hydra blood, but Stash didn’t seem to mind the mess as much as Humphrey’s armour. Humphrey dismissed the hard scale armour and Stash snuggled into his chest as Humphrey scratched him behind the ears.

The three adventurers stood exhausted, looking at each other and the dead hydra.

“Clear eyes, full hearts,” Jason said.

“What?” Clive asked.

Jason waved a dismissive hand.

“Ah, we’ll deal with that later,” Jason said.