Chapter 331: Earthy Matters (2/2)
He was about to fly over and take a closer look when Sera's shout alerted him to the beginning of the boss fight.
”It's coming! Get ready!” She yelled before firing a pair of arrows in rapid succession.
Mike followed the path of the projectiles and was just in time to see them fly harmlessly by the boss as it gracefully leaned to the side to avoid them, the tip of its left wing passing close enough to brush one of the arrow's mana-generated fletching.
The Glacial Dovekie looked like a small seabird that had grown to monstrous proportions. It's wingspan was at least twenty meters, and it's oval shaped head had a beak that would have put many swords to shame in terms of length alone. It was primarily coated in greyish-white plumage that resembled hardened ice, although this transitioned into the soft white of newly fallen snow in the area covering its belly.
As it swept past the party, barely bothering to glance in the direction of the archer who'd been lobbing shots in its direction, a hail of ice shards rained down on the rooftop, forcing Morris and Sera to evade to the best of their ability.
[Seems like they might have a bit of trouble with this one.] Mike thought casually while summoning an air shield to deflect the few icy projectiles that strayed close to him. [I should probably wait until after it's dealt with to check out the ring.]
Summoning another chair with Earth Magic, he settled down to watch the fight, but was slightly distracted by how uncomfortable the seat was. In the past, he'd merely dealt with the discomfort without much concern, but now he was starting to feel a bit annoyed by it.
[I should really work on creating something softer. Maybe with Minor Creation?]
He began to experiment with a few materials, quickly finding that the ideal foam padding was difficult to reproduce. Something he suspected was due to the artificial and composite nature of its components. However, he had more luck with cotton, and was able to create a decent sized cushion that could be affixed to his chair without too much difficulty.
[It seems like natural products are easier, but I'm not really sure why. With Conjuration Magic I can recreate things from my old world, albeit with a massive mana requirement, but that means the methodology to make something like synthetic polymers should be available to the System in some manner. Does this mean that two separate components of the System draw upon different sources of information in some manner? Or is it due to my Earth Magic not being advanced enough yet?]
While experimenting a bit more with the two variations of bringing materials into existence, he absently took note of the yells of his party members who were still fighting the Glacial Dovekie. A small part of his mind was tracking that Morris had managed to summon a small cloud of papers folded into vaguely bird-like shapes, and was directing them to harass the boss. For reasons that weren't immediately apparent, these origami creatures had a tendency to explode when they came in contact with the monster.
Meanwhile, Sera was carefully picking her shots, obviously aiming for the creature's most vulnerable areas, and repeatedly forcing the boss to use its Ice Magic to create defensive barriers.
Even distracted as he was, Mike could tell that they had the fight well in hand, and only a major upset would prevent their eventual victory. With that in mind, he concentrated more fully on the task at hand.
[Alright, I can create something similar to stainless steel with both methods, but the Earth Magic version requires less than a tenth of the mana. Therefore, I can reasonably assume that Minor Creation allows me to convert mana directly into the substance I have in mind so long as it is reasonably simple in construction. Meanwhile, Calling will allow me to create just about anything I can imagine, but a lot of power is lost in the process.]
He wondered if one of the other varieties of magic had some similar method of spontaneously creating matter. It seemed probable that they would.
Satisfied that this phase of investigation had reached a decent conclusion, he moved on to the next logical step, and began experimenting with just how far he could push his Earth Magic when it came to creating complex and artificial substances.
[Let's see. I think electronics are probably still a bit too advanced, but I bet I could make a relatively primitive mechanical item. Something like…]
He concentrated his mana, willing it to take the required shape, only to feel a resistance, as if his efforts were straining against some kind of in-built limitation. It was a sensation reminiscent of the time he broke through to Tier 4. He was certain this meant he was on the right track.
While he focused his will on pushing through the immaterial barrier, this did not mean he was not at least partially aware of what was going on around him, and a small part of his mind noticed that the boss was intentionally avoiding involving him in the fight. Apparently, the boss had enough intelligence and perception to realize that provoking him would end badly for it.
[Really makes me curious on how these artificially created lifeforms function.] He had time to think before an element of his spell forced him to direct his full attention at the item he was creating.
In spite of the sheer volume of mana he'd poured into the effort, the barrier was holding firm and the energy involved was threatening to go out of control. While he'd been distractedly pushing his way through, the creation spell had morphed into something unstable. A glowing ball of coruscating energy had formed in the air in front of him, and judging from the way it was crackling and vibrating, he guessed that it might explode at any moment.
[It seems raw mana isn't the solution in this case. Perhaps it needs to be channeled in some manner?]
Suspecting the problem might be related to the way he was trying to cast the spell, he tried rerouting the frustrated energy through his Earth Magic, hoping that would stabilize it.
Suddenly, he found himself buried in immoveable dirt and rock that pressed in on him from all sides. The experience should have been terrifying, but it was strangely soothing, as if he were connected with the earth around him, and by extension the world itself. For a brief moment, he thought he could sense the full extent of the planet, but then he was back in his body again, eyes full of his handiwork.
The ball of energy had transformed, taking on the shape he'd intended. While it didn't quite look the way he'd imagined, it should serve his purposes nicely.
”Alright! I did it!.” He cheered, rising to his feet for the first time since the boss fight began.
Evidently, this was taken as a hostile action by the Dovekie, who released a panicked-sounding squawk in response. The large bird monster had already descended onto the rooftop, and had been fighting with Morris and his summoned creatures in a deadly exchange of close range attacks. However, Mike's cry had shaken it, causing it to hop back reflexively.
This in turn was apparently the moment Sera was waiting for, since no sooner had the Dovekie focused it's gaze on Mike than an arrow appeared in it's right eye. It reeled back on its taloned feet, jerking and squeaking in an agonized fashion, before collapsing onto the rooftop and lying still.