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Edge of apocalypse 102
🕑 Added 2023-08-04 15:41:28 +0000 UTC102 – Firelaser
The second day of travel happened at a much quicker pace than the first. Kainen pushed the limits of what Albert could do, testing whether the boy was able to follow him as he gradually increased his speed to superhuman levels and navigated the treacherous forest in ways impossible to a normal human.
This also answered one of Albert’s questions about travel in this strange world. Adventurers all had their own ways, tailored specifically to them, and warriors like Kainen simply moved very fast and ignored most obstacles thanks to their attributes and skills.
Or whatever their equivalent to skills, attributes and levels.
“What’s your magic system?” Albert asked.
“What?” Kainen’s voice echoed through the forest from a dozen meters ahead. “If you have enough breath to speak, then we can go even faster still, brat!”
“Fine. We’ll talk later.”
Speed was paramount. Albert had wondered, with increasing frequency, about why the system had been completely mum about him needing to return to Earth. He could not know for sure, but there was the possibility that time here flowed differently that it did there, and there were no guarantees that it flowed slower. What if instead it flowed faster?
What if every day he spent here was akin to a week of time back home?
Even if it didn’t, time was still a problem.
***
“Just how big is this forest?”
The duo were resting, recuperating mana and stamina for the last stretch before they stopped to eat.
“It’s big. Legend says the elves have lived here for thousands of years, since the dawn of the New Age. It’s their Essence that made the forest so big, so alive. Legend says, at least. I personally dislike legends, they sound all so… fake.”
“Huh.”
“By now we are not in the kingdom of Timoa anymore. We are in Elven territory. We need to go even deeper, cross it and come out the other side, at the base of those mountains you see at the horizon.”
Albert perked up. “Deep into Elven territory? Doesn’t seem like a smart move.”
“A detour would cost us precious time, brat, which you don’t seem to have. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?”
“Okay, straight line it is.” Albert said, dodging the question. “Now tell me about your magic system.”
Kainen scoffed. “World hoppers. Always asking questions about the most stupid of things. I will entertain you, brat. What do you want to know?”
“How do you grow stronger?”
“I train and I kill stuff.”
“Why do you have a damaged level?”
The word barely had time to leave Albert’s mouth before the full power of the armored man’s gaze fell upon him.
“How do you know?”
Albert frowned. “You said you were crippled.”
“It’s from when you appraised me.” Kainen mumbled, relaxing. “At my office. You did it so quickly, somehow, how did you do it? Another one of your strange abilities?”
“So? You can’t grow?”
“No.” The former guild master admitted, not without strain. “I can only temper my body. My magic is… stuck. But don’t underestimate me, brat. When it comes to fighting, it’s not sheer magic that matters.”
Albert smiled evilly. “I thought you, of all people, would be an advocate for brute force.”
“I was.” Kainen matched his gaze. “Now I can’t anymore, can I? It would be quite silly of me, and I am not stupid. You don’t hurt me with your little remarks. I have lived like this for decades, learned to deal with my situation. You know what else I learned? That if I temper my body, hone my martial skills, and refine my mind… I can kill someone with twice my magic. A caster? Even with ten times my magic, they wouldn’t be able to stop me. The difference is all here,” he pointed to his head, “in the brains.”
“Level really doesn’t matter much, does it?” Albert asked.
“Didn’t you claim to be able to kill me with a single move? What level does your magic say I am?”
“…32.”
“And you?”
“…one.”
Kainen shrugged. “There you have your answer. Level means close to nothing in a real fight.”
***
“Albert, Albert, Albert…” Other-him said in the video window. “What have we become… Psionic half-elves, really?”
There was a pause during which Albert did not breathe. Too many things happening in a short span of time left him unable to deal with the sass in an appropriate way.
“That’s so cool!” Other-Albert said, dispelling the tension. “Amazing, really. Less amazing is how long it took you before you decided to finally play this video. You have been busy, I know, I know. Try to be more organized, okay?
“Now, onto the lesson. Sustained magic beams, baby! The easy version, at least. The hard version is, well, hard so we won’t touch on that just yet. Now, consider this. What if you could channel flavored, err, attuned mana consistently? Well, you would have a beam! For now, it’s best that you use an easy affinity. The easiest to channel, despite your low rank, would be fire. Hence why firelaser.
“I am confident that you can do that, with sufficient effort.”
That was it. Fortunately, the spark was enough to ignite the fire of many ideas and ways to tackle the problem inside Albert’s mind. Aided by Analysis Mode and by an affinity for mana that made everything much easier than normal, Albert went to work on the new skill.
New Skill!
[Fire] Firelaser 1
· After activating the skill, stand still to gain charges. Reactivate to consume the charges, generating a laser of fire. You are free to move while firing, but the burden of the magic will slow your speed considerably.
