Luca DR
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16 – Time warped fight (2/2)
🕑 Added 2023-05-13 23:33:52 +0000 UTC[Skill proficiency increased.]
- [Strengthening III] -> [Strengthening IV]
- Albert’s notes: further increase in Strength. More control over fine motor functions.
The fireball was launched with unprecedented speed and precision, hitting the tail while it was still in the air at the apex of its curve. It recoiled in pain, stopping dead before falling to the ground, uselessly charred and cooked. Some smoke seeped through the cracks in the body armor, armor that did nothing to protect the creature but instead only made the heat worse, the meat trapped in its shell.
It was not the end of the fight. The sand dune exploded, hurling Albert in the air with incredible speed, making him fly several meters in the air. He tried to regain his balance but failed, and braced for impact as best he could with the use of his skills. Colliding with the ground left him unhurt, but consumed the charge of his ring. He immediately activated [Bullet Time] and the world slowed down. Yet, it was too late. Behind him he could briefly see the soft tissues of the monster buried beneath the sand dune as it retreated back into its hard shell, and more tentacles tipped with sharp stingers began to emerge all around.
He missed his chance.
Except…
Rewind time. Sixteen seconds.
The Hazegem glowed, and Albert witnessed time rewinding itself. By a few seconds, not too much, just enough to witness the monster shifting in place from this new vantage point and retaining enough mana to hurt it. Time resumed its flow right when the monster emerged from the sands, thinking that it was throwing Albert off of the sand dune but finding nothing there this time. It stopped as if in confusion, giving Albert a window he didn’t miss. Already two incredibly fast and accurate fireballs were traveling through the air towards the monster, its hideous face and glowing eyes barely visible under the waterfall of sand it had dislodged.
The fire disappeared behind the curtain of yellow sand. A screech filled the air.
Silence. Only a stream of energy flowing into him, that he later confirmed raised his maxim mana from 15FU to 21FU.
[Daily challenge complete.]
There he was back again, in his room sitting on his chair by the desk. In front of Albert was a thin stack of paper money, 150$ conveniently divided in small bills as to be more easily spent, and a scroll. It was the scroll that captured his attention of course, and he immediately rushed to take it and examine its contents like he had been starved for knowledge all his life.
There was nothing written on it however, but before he could even have a chance to be disappointed Albert realized that the scroll had turned to pure energy and the energy was flowing into him. Much like it happened right after he killed the Scalehorn in the daily quest.
[Skill proficiency increased.]
- [Fireball II] -> [Fireball III]
- Albert’s notes: can be made to detonate on command, or on collision.
***
Monday.
Studying all yesterday afternoon left Albert more restless than usual. As a consequence of this, he was restless during class too, and while he tried to use meditation and various exercises to clear his head he found that they were nothing more than temporary solutions and that the restlessness always came back stronger than ever. It was raining outside, bathing the world in yet another day of grey. The drizzle was even colder than usual, and the wind had picked up, littering the streets with fallen leaves and garbage that accumulated in the corners between the sidewalk and the asphalt of the road, in the gutters, and in the hedges of the parks.
There was a storm warning, said the weather app on the phone. Strange in this part of the states, but not unheard of. Better to rush home after classes, and better to take the metro to do that. He didn’t mind getting wet in the rain, but it was another story altogether if there was a storm raging, with chilling wind that made his bones shiver. He was not a masochist. There were also news of other strange events happening, like tremors shaking the ground a few hundred kilometers from here, where there was to be no seismic activity. Some people were making tiktoks about cattle dying, and foxes falling ill, and chicken not making eggs anymore.
He texted his friends that he was going home, rain checking their usual coffee together until the weather was better. They agreed with him. None of them wanted to leave the comfort of home, it seemed, or of their student housings. Although the latter were more willing to make the sacrifice and brave the rain, and Albert only understood why after visiting one such houses and finding it no better than a shack. This was what the college provided, it seemed.
All for the better, in the end. Another afternoon to be spent studying, rewinding 5 hours and then doing magic until it was time to eat dinner. Perhaps it was better to eat and then rewind. Mother also called earlier, during class for some reason, warning Albert that she might not be back before very late at night. Work was becoming very hectic this time of the year, like every year, and Albert had learned not only not to mind his mother’s absence, but to somewhat enjoy it. It made him feel his age, instead of feeling like a spoiled child.
Ever since Dad disappeared, his relationship with Mother had been weird at best. The two were not estranged, they talked and sometimes Albert tried to share his mind with her. But she was always detached, and while he could not say that she was cold and distant by any means, this was how her behavior made him feel. She was always tired after work too.
Although perhaps this was how things were when a single child of a single mother reached a certain age. Perhaps this was how it was supposed to go. And, comparing his situation to that of some of his friends who didn’t even want to have any sorts of contacts with their families anymore, he could not complain.
As soon as he got home, and even on the metro while he waited for the train and while he waited for his stop, Albert browsed through his active quests in search of something to do. It felt nice, to be able to track at least a part of his life through the quests, and seeing them advance and be completed made him feel accomplished. The icing on the cake was his status, that reflected the slew of tools he managed to acquire, in the form of skills, thanks to his hard work. In a world of uncertainties, this felt more and more like the one thing he could hold on tight to, and he came to rely on its reassuring presence.
