119 Watchful Waiting (1/2)

I crossed my arms, “Where would we fight?”

Yawm lowered his arms, “In an arena I'll create. We won’t have to worry about destroying everything around us either. You won’t have to hold back.”

I frowned, “See, that’s what has me on edge. Why would we want to fight like that while going all out?”

Yawm narrowed an eye and widened the other, as if he was raising an eyebrow,

“To challenge one another, and for the thrill of it.”

I shook my head, “If I’m fighting, it’s for two reasons, to accomplish a goal or to learn. Otherwise it’s pointless.”

Yawm’s chest deflated, “I suppose our time is better spent on other tasks.”

I waved my hands, “Well I’m not saying we can’t, it’s just we have to spar with some goal in mind. I’ll give you an example. Is there any technique or style of fighting you’ve been meaning to practice lately?”

Yawm shook his head, “I rely on the cipher for most of my strength.”

I turned a hand to Yawm, “Then how about learning some primitive human combat? I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Yawm cupped his chin,

“That does sound interesting. It’s always enjoyable to see other styles of fighting as well. Your world is in an interesting transition as well. Your society was just modern enough to apply science to your unarmed combat, yet undeveloped enough that you haven’t forgotten it altogether.”

I raised my hands, “Exactly. After we go through a few rounds of that, we can focus on your techniques.”

Yawm nodded as he lowered his hands, “I have wanted to share a few of the techniques I’ve learned over the years...I’ll do it.”

He spread out his hands, the air around us turning a shade of green.

“It will be more about growth rather than simply destroying one another. I can understand why you prefer this method of battle.”

Yawm clamped his hand together, streams of emerald energy pouring into his palm,

“I’ve much more used to chaotic styles of combat. I learned to fight against beasts that roamed my home world. After that, I mastered my own style from fighting in large scale battles of war. This seems much more small scale, if I’m understanding your reasoning correctly.”

The glowing pool of light in his hands condensed, turning into a brighter and brighter shade of green. After a few more moments, it turned white. It cracked and popped, compacting until the air around it hummed with an anarchic might. Yawm kept adding to the ball, until a tiny shade of red grew around its edges,

“No doubt you’ve never seen the creation of a dungeon core? Allow me to show you then.”

The energy collapsed into itself, creating a spiral of blood. A ring of white circled around the blood, the energy ring buzzing like a hornet’s nest. An eye opened at the center of the blood, and several tendrils of blood reached out. They formed limbs of all shapes and sizes, an amorphous ball of flesh. It was disgusting.

“First is the creation of an eldritch spawned from raw ambient mana.”

The energy ring shrunk like a chain collapsing onto the eldritch. Once the ring touched the eldritch’s skin, the white energy leaked into it. The aberration collapsed into another sphere of radiating power. This time, it was crimson with tiny tendrils fighting for an escape from its prison.

I shook my head, “The process isn’t very pretty, is it?”

Yawm shook his head, “Often times what is most effective is also the ugliest to see.”

Yawm lifted his hand, a fresh dungeon core created. Yawm siphoned mana into it, maintaining its vibrant light. I raised an eyebrow,

“So it requires mana to maintain that...thing?”

Yawm nodded, “It requires an exorbitant quantity, in fact. Most rifts sustain themselves off dimensional fabric disintegrating around them, at least in theory. I offer up the energy stored in atoms around us for the same purposes.”

I narrowed my eyes, “How are you maintaining the core that sustains the rift at the center of Springfield?”

Yawm lifted the core up, clasping his hand around it, “With several mana batteries.”

Whenever Torix and I first met, he mentioned mana batteries. It was when you harvested the mana from something and used it for a spell. In my case, it meant using my flesh and blood. Torix warned me against anyone who uses one. That meant people like Yawm. He slammed the dungeon core onto the ground of his observatory, interrupting my thoughts.

“I assure you, I would never use a sentient as a mana battery. I strictly use eldritch for the distasteful practice.”

Streaks of white cracked along the floor. This white glow spread outwards like a drop of ink bleeding into a page. That white coloration covered everything visible, as if we were floating in the middle of nothing.

A new ground materialized beneath us. Rocks formed, each color like lavender. Vegetation grew after, mushroom, moss, flowers, grass, and roots sprung from the ground. Pillars grew from the ground, each of them symmetrical and alike.

A few seconds passed and trees formed from the pillars, their bark black as charcoal. They branched out with flat, uniform branches, creating a clear line where the canopy started. The green leaves of the trees sprouted out with crystalline and geometric formations. The light bounced off them, creating blotches of rainbow. Yawm glanced around,

“Without Ajax, I cannot control where a core will take us. Some places are hellish fire pits not suited for life. This place, however, is like a forest of glass.”

I nodded, “It’s beautiful.”

A blue sky peaked out from between the leaves of trees. Yawm cupped his chin,

“This world’s atmosphere is blue...A rarity in eldritch worlds. It’s almost always red from my experience.”

I glanced around, finding creatures hiding between the trees. An elk stared at us. Well, it wasn’t really an elk per say. The fur of it was white and thick like a lion’s mane all over its body. The horns of the creature looked like lavender glass. The hooves were the same. It would also be beautiful, if it wasn’t for the large, toothy grin on its face and lack of eyes.

It ruined the aesthetic. Drool leaked from the gaping maw, sharp teeth glistening white like its fur.

Yawm raised a hand, “An interesting twist of biology.”

The air around us turned green. Before Yawm could obliterate the beast, I charged forward. I weaved through the trees between us before reaching a few feet from the creature. It dashed towards me, angling its horns towards me. I stopped myself, my foot dragging through the ground.

Roots tore beneath my heel as I raised a palm. The creature floated upwards, its attack rendered mute by a lack of levity. I turned and grinned at Yawm, “Why kill it so quickly?”

Yawm’s shoulders deflated, “Can you just let me blow things up, just once?”

I laughed a bit before jogging over towards him. After hopping over obsidian roots and lavender stones, I reached Yawm. The creepy ass elk squirmed around in the air, its cries growing shrill and loud. I pulled it between us. I leaned towards the creature before an eyelid formed over its face.