Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 10
A/N: 3/3 for yall, technically 4 with the glossary! Once more, thank DemonLordShadowheart for the extra chaps!
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Basic Ritual Knowledge (Passive)
Grants instinctive knowledge of basic ritual magics. Assists in the creation of rituals.
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Oh, now I really need to learn some true summoning instead of relying on my conjuration. My constructs are good, yes, and powerful too. However, when I use so many, it becomes difficult to manage them all. I can give them limited autonomy, but that's only following my orders and responding to my will. The strain increases with the number I create, and before too long a migraine builds rapidly. Summons have true autonomy, what with them being summoned from another dimension entirely. A low, long hiss makes me stiffen before rolling to the side, just in time to dodge the massive snake that just blurred through where I was standing seconds before.
Blades form midair around me, shimmering faintly in the early morning light. As the dust clears, I see the snake coiled in the wreckage of the house. Glimmering black scales flow smoothly across its powerful form, patches of exposed bone the only sign of something wrong. Its slitted eyes glow the same haunting green as the revenants, giving me a pretty good idea of what happened here. It lunges again, meeting a transparent wall as a rune manifests before me. The rare barrier rune I learned from the lich; my grimoire lays open in my offhand, cutlass fueling the cast. The near-invisible pane vanishes, replaced by a different rune that burns itself into the air. The fire rune manifests, and my blade is cloaked in blue flames as I swing with all my might. The superheated crystal slices into the revenant snake like butter, shearing a large chunk of scales free to reveal only bone beneath. This thing has no flesh left beyond its eyes and possibly brain, but its scales are hard as ever and it has no issues moving. It bolts forward again, and the barrier overlaps with the flame to combine the runes, lines seamlessly joining to form a complicated glyph that drains a massive amount of my mana to conjure a solid barricade of fire.
I strain to hold it up as the colossal snake batters against it, face blackening and charring but not dealing any real damage to it. As it reels back to slam into it again, I drop the wall at the last second and roll away from the charge. I stab it as it whips past, holding the blade steady as it carves a massive gash into its side. Several cracks ring out as my cutlass breaks ribs and bones, and I'm forced to dodge again as pitch black fangs rip across my shoulder. Ignoring the pain of the necrosis as my arm goes limp, I dismiss my spellbook and conjure as many arrows as I can. Gleaming orange constructs burst forth, some embedding themselves in gaps between scales while others break apart harmlessly. Remembering what I did back in the dungeon and the mistakes I made, I quickly store my cutlass and pull out the mask. Slapping it on and ignoring the shaft pressing into my mouth, I call up the one power I haven't used yet.
Summon Phantom Wyrmling
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A circle of intricate blue runes flash into existence behind me, far beyond anything I can currently learn. The space between the runes fills out into a flat plane, and a massive transparent leg reaches out from the center. A second follows, and then its head emerges from the portal. It looks nearly identical to the snake I'm fighting, however two short horns denote it as more draconic than serpentine. Slitted eyes blink slowly as the beast drags itself free of the portal, and upon spotting me with magical rot spreading across my left shoulder they narrow. Its head swivels toward the revenant snake, a rumbling hiss drowning out the snake’s own. It rushes forward, powerful limbs propelling it towards the undead as its tail cracks like a whip. The serpent meets the wyrmling’s charge head on, blackened fangs struggling to find purchase on ethereal flesh. Corrupting mana flushes into the phantom only to be forced right back into the fangs, and it doesn't take long for them to glow slightly from the mana build up.
I shake myself from my daze and begin firing more and more constructs at it, not bothering to make anything more advanced than a tapered spike. I almost remove the mask, but refrain because I don't know if that will dismiss the summon. Distant system chimes ring out, but I ignore them in favor of inflicting more damage. The wyrmling bites the undead’s neck, lifting it up before slamming it down with enough force to crack the stone street. Again and again, until it eventually climbs on top of the snake and begins tearing into its scales. More bone is revealed, thin ribs and spinal segments splintering as it hisses in rage. It thrashes around, desperately trying to buck off the phantom, but it's firmly pinned beneath it. Glowing blue teeth rip into its throat, tearing apart the scales and bones but not killing the beast. The pair of giant undead continue to brawl, a few strikes landing on both but the wyrmling having the obvious advantage. By now, the snake looks more like a skeleton than a serpent, and the wyrmling is dripping pale smoke from various rents in its form.
Eventually, however, the revenant begins to falter, each lunge and bite coming just a little slower. Noticing an opening and my arm functional once more, I grab my club from my pouch and dash into the melee. A flap of my wings brings me above the head of the beast, forming a plate of mana to kick off with all twenty of my strength. I feel mana well in my throat past the mask, and a hellish shriek that makes the revenant's sound like a kitten fills the air. I crash down like a wrathful angel, the enchantment on my club flaring to its maximum. Twin cracks echo out as its skull shatters and its eyes dim, the wyrmling flickering and fading away as its task is complete. A burst of mana launches me off the corpse, the broken club releasing the last of its magic in one final burst. What little remains of the head explodes, scales and eye goo spraying everywhere. I groan in pain, the mask muffling the sound. I pull it off, coughing as the projection leaves my throat. Dropping it into the pouch with a wince, I look down at the severe burns covering the front of my body along with numerous cuts from the bone fragments. My habit is entirely wrecked, and trying to feel any power from it results in nothing. Another couple system notifications draw my attention as I finally begin to sift through everything I earned during the fight.
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Skills Learned:
Bladed Weapons Mastery [Beginner]
Blunt Weapons Mastery [Beginner]
Vicious Mockery
Mana Blitz
Rapid Conjuration
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Skills Evolved:
Enhanced Physique + Mana Veins –> Mana Powered Physique
Vicious Mockery –> Siren's Cry
Bladed Weapons Mastery + Blunt Weapons Mastery –> Melee Weapons Mastery
Water Creation + Water Manipulation –> Basic Hydromancy
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Greater Shadeblight Serpent Lvl 26
Level Up × 2
Skill Available
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I whistle at the amount of skills and evolutions I earned, nearly choking as I see the level of the snake. Almost twice the level of the dungeon boss, which was only level 15. And until now, that had been the single highest level I've seen. Setting the skill off for later perusal, I quickly empty my mana into my gloves, forming a new chest wrap, underwear, and a simple silk gown to at least ward off the chilly air. Dressing with a satisfied sigh, I throw my four points into speed and magic, to bring them up to a nice 15 points. I feel my movements grow faster, reactions sharpening and my mana pool growing deeper.
Turning to the two-time corpse that cost me two magic items, I glare at it before a wicked grin draws across my face.
I have clothes, and I have spare weapons… So why not have a bit of fun with this thing?
I laugh as I turn on Lecherous Looter and accept the prompt, the corpse lighting up briefly before three items drop to the ground next to the caved in skull. I send over a few mana construct hands to hold them up for my inspection as I identify them one after another.
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!
Ch. 10
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