Chapter 19 - A Fitting Punishment

The construct had spoken. Not haltingly like the Construct Elders, in broken sentences, struggling to get out what little they could. No, this construct, or thing Nate supposed, spoke in perfect, eloquent sentences. Sentences that had basically said she, it, whatever, was going to kill him.

Nate looked at Frick, “Are dungeons normally like this? That construct seems cognizant.”

Before Frick could respond the sickly sweet voice returned, full of even more venom, if that was possible, “Cognizant? As though I have only the basics of awareness? I have been aware of you ever since you entered my domain! I could have crushed you like a bug beneath my feet if not for the restraints placed upon me by The System, curse its name for a thousand years! Go on, shackled Spirit, explain to your Master what I am. Explain how I languish!”

Frick’s big blue eyes looked at the construct for a moment, with something between pity and disgust, before answering Nate’s original question.

“I told you before, boss man, that The System tends to reuse things. This is one of those things. Not her, specifically. This entire temple. It probably existed at some point. Might still exist actually. That Construct and maybe some of the others are what are sometimes called Fragments. Pieces of truth I guess, modelled on it anyway. Usually The System just uses mindless monsters though. It’s got rules after all. So for her to be here, as a Fragment, she must’ve done something REALLY bad. What rule did ya violate lady?” Frick finished.

“You wish to hear my story?” the Construct asked, leaning forward languidly on its throne.

Nate looked to Frick then back at the Construct before speaking, “I would like to hear how you ended up here.”

“Why not? You’re going to die anyway. Perhaps you’ll be the fodder I need to break free of this wretched existence and live again. Sit, child. I will entertain your curiosity,” the Construct responded.

Nate didn’t react and he could tell that the Construct was displeased, but after a moment she continued speaking.

“My people were skilled at many things. This Temple is but a Fragment of the true edifice. A small and uninspired reimagining by The System. But for all our progress, for all our Skill, we could not master that which I craved above all else. We were still subject to ageing. Ageing and death. That was unacceptable to me! We were the Masters of all we surveyed. So I set out to conquer the unconquerable. To defeat that which even the Gods are subject to.”

Frick muttered a quiet “Oh fuck…”

Nate glanced at his Familiar but didn’t get to ask what the problem was before the Construct continued, standing, arms raised, shaking her fists at the heavens.

“What is it that sustains us all? Where is it that the deepest parts of us are stored?”

Frick was shaking his head and Nate couldn’t tell if it was in worry or fear.

The construct bellowed, “It is our soul. Our soul, which is capable of immortality, were it not tied to weak and withering flesh. I set myself free and in so doing achieved my goal, and for that The System punished me.”

The construct calmed down, looking off to the side as if in thought.

Frick took that moment to whisper quickly to him. “She moved her soul into that crystal on her chest boss. She’s insane. Like as insane as they come! Every meat sack loses something without a connection to the flesh. They ALWAYS go crazy!”

Nate was about to ask Frick more about the soul crystal when he heard the Construct speak softly, its words perhaps not meant for him.

“Perhaps I am still out there. Perhaps I escaped its unfair judgement. But for me, a Fragment of the truth, I suffer here, imprisoned… like an animal!” The Construct turned back to face him, the red gems that had flashed with a passion a moment ago now dead and baleful. “Now you know my story. Take it with you to your grave.”

With those final words the Construct began to float into the air. He recognized the magic. It was similar to what Radron the Green Elder had done, but on a whole other level. Radron had simply been able to float across the floor. This Construct was flying, slowly thankfully, but still flying.

He sent his mana to his Core and activated his Barrier with Runic Intent as well as firing off an  Identification at the Construct.

REDACTED, Radinka, Last High Priestess of the Q’ival: Level 30

Identification - Runic Level 9 > 10

Nate started moving, watching Radinka slowly float towards him, sceptre held out, the green gem alight. Level 30. He was in serious trouble. He’d managed to take out the Lobster but he’d had traps ready. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he felt the fear grow inside him and he debated running then and there. It took an effort of will to convince himself to stay and fight, and so he looked to Frick for support.

“Any advice, Frick?” he asked.

He didn’t get a chance to hear his response, as Radinka flicked the sceptre towards him, red light appearing upon the tip before a fireball launched itself at him. Caught unprepared he weathered the blast behind his Barrier. He felt his mana dip from the blast. Not too badly but if he took too many of those he would fold like a wet paper bag. The fireball had assisted him though. It had steeled his resolve. He may not have been able to pick the battlefield or set up ahead of time, but he had his plan, and it could still work. He just needed to commit. He glared up at Radinka. He was going to win here!

“A Barrier Mage? How quaint. You’ll need more than barriers to deal with someone of my pedigree, whelp,” Radinka taunted, the sickly sweet voice at odds with the malevolence of the creature.

He was about to respond when he felt a shift in the mana behind him. Throwing himself forward he managed to reposition his barrier as he did so, rolling across the stoney floor as the barrier stayed between him and Radinka’s sceptre. Glancing back as he lay on the floor, he could see where he had been there was a spike of stone jutting up from the floor. It would’ve impaled him if he hadn’t moved.

With a growl he realised it was time to go on the offensive. Letting this thing take potshots at him was just draining his mana for no tangible benefit. Nate raised his right arm and shot off two Earthen Projectiles in quick succession. The conical stone bullets were pushed to the sides of the room before they ever reached Radinka, strong gusts of wind filling the chamber as the green stone on her sceptre lit up.

“You’ll have to do better than that fledgling mage. I learned such simple spells while still in school. Is this the best the young of this age have to offer? How far they have fallen!”

Radinka punctuated her words with another fireball which he was again forced to weather behind his barrier, not having had the chance to stand. He could feel his mana dropping again and knew he needed to do something. Pulling one of his wooden runes out of his storage he dropped it on the ground where he lay, before getting up and sprinting across the room towards the throne. With his heightened perception he was able to sense when Radinka turned and fired off her own bullets of stone. Her aim had been slightly off and he was able to drop his barrier and leap to the side, rolling across the stone floor, relying on his heightened Agility as he immediately came back to his feet this time and kept running.

He swung his arm back and fired off another two stone bullets before bringing his barrier back up. The stone was again diverted by strong gusts of wind that swirled dust throughout the chamber. He had to keep Radinka’s attention on him. The creature seemed like a narcissist and so he hoped by annoying fer, she’d focus on him.

“You’re throwing about those spells but my barriers still hold. Is this the best the people of Q’ival can produce? I’m disappointed!” he yelled back at Radinka as he kept running for the throne.

He heard an angry scream from behind him and looked back in time to see three fireballs, larger than the ones he had seen so far, manifest around the flying Construct before rocketing toward him. Throwing his Runic Intent at his Barrier he wrapped himself in a sphere. The fireballs went off around him, tossing him further towards the throne as he bounced around in the barrier like a ragdoll. The effect broke his focus and his barrier dropped as he landed at the foot of the throne.

“Where is your arrogance now child? Where is your bluster? You are nothing! A child playing at being a mage! I WILL BE FREE OF THIS PLACE!” Radinka screamed at him.

Nate lay face down on the stone floor. He could taste blood in his mouth and he thought he might’ve broken a rib in his tumble. Groaning he began to smile as he felt the tug on his mana. Pulling himself slowly to his feet he grinned at Radinka, blood staining his teeth.

“A child? I am just a distraction.”

As he finished speaking a stone bullet blasted into Radinka’s hand, knocking the sceptre free of her grasp as it tumbled to the floor. A second later, without the sceptre's spell, Radinka fell from her flying position, landing with a loud thud on the floor. Hovering near the ceiling next to one of the plinths, was Frick, his blue hand held against an Earthen Projectile rune burned into the stone's surface.

Nate had given Frick permission to use his Skills so the little Familiar had used Runic Replication behind the Constructs back, then activated it with Runic Intent. But that was just the start of the plan. Radinka dashed for the sceptre, moving surprisingly quickly when compared with all the other constructs he had faced. Frick managed to fire off two more stone bullets, aiming for the sceptre, before Radinka had reclaimed it. Shattered gem stones decorated the floor and Nate smirked at Radinka as she stood. Only the blue and green gems remained.

“What? Do you think this is enough to stop me? You little vermin! Enough playing with children. We’ll see if you’re smirking when your lungs scream for air!” She screamed at him, the blue and green gems of her sceptre glowing. Water began gathering around her in a swirl as she rose back into the air, hovering above him. Nate brought his barrier back up, knowing it was futile against what was coming.

The flowing water sped up until it flashed forward, the stream instantly coating his barrier and expanding until he was trapped within a floating sphere of water. He held his breath and looked on as a second stream of water blasted into the stone plinth in a constant stream, preventing Frick from using the rune.

The water had no impact on his barrier but he kept it up just in case. This had been his biggest fear and in his mind, the only thing he hadn’t had an answer for. His barriers were weak to water. He could’ve coated himself completely of course, and let himself be repositioned. Given her control of the water around him she likely would have bounced him off the plinths until the whiplash made him lose control of his barrier anyway.

The fireballs had been powerful and deadly, but his barrier had kept him from the worst of that. The stone spikes were in many ways the weakest of her attacks, given his perception he was able to detect them before they happened which made them easier to avoid. Not easy, but definitely easier. He’d have laughed if he wasn’t worried about breathing in the water. The flying had been unexpected but he was confident he had an answer to that too. No, it was just the water that he had feared. Drowning seemed like a terrible way to go.

It had been almost thirty seconds now. With his endurance he could likely last for minutes more yet, and he would. He needed to sell it. He needed her to believe he was trapped. Waving his arms he pretended to struggle. Pretended to try and swim to the side of the sphere, but the water held him fast in the centre, working against him no matter which way he tried to move.

He could see Frick flitting around the room, trying to use Runic Replication to copy the wooden rune of Earthen Projectile Nate had left on the floor for him. But it was no use, Radinka followed him with the second jet of water wherever he went. The minutes dragged on with no change as Radinka ran out his clock, his swimming becoming more frantic as he tried to get out of the water. As he did so she smirked but gave more attention to Frick, the little blue goblin still trying desperately to replicate the rune onto any surface he could. The time had come.

Nate knew he wouldn’t make it another minute. It was now or never. Pulling out his wooden barrier rune from his spatial storage he grasped it firmly in his right hand. Focusing on the rune on the left arm of his robe he pushed mana into it and his Core. He crafted the Intents for the rune, focusing only the first on where he needed it to release. All around him in a single burst. The remaining three all went to empowering the effect. Only then did he activate the Mana Exclusion rune he’d stored in his robe.

The mana in the water was instantly blown away and he fell towards the floor. The water washed away over the stones in a wave but Nate’s feet never hit the floor. As soon as he was falling he had activated the barrier rune beneath his feet, alternating between the rune on his robe and the wooden rune in his hands he made himself steps that he raced up towards Radinka.

The shock was clearly written on the construct's face as he leaped from barrier to barrier towards her. She tried to drift away but her flying spell was slow and Nate was fast across his steps. He felt the air around him begin to stir but he wasn’t concerned. He was running low on mana, but he had enough for what was left, as a stone bullet shot the construct in the back. Frick hadn’t been able to get an angle on her and had been on the wrong side of the room when Nate had drawn her attention, but the stone bullet was enough to distract her and the air settled.

With two more loping strides Nate reached her, diving forward arm outstretched he tackled the construct, wrapping arms around its abdomen as he unleashed his Mana Exclusion rune for the second time. As he fell the wooden barrier rune vanished into his storage and another wooden rune appeared in his hand.

They came down on the stone floor with the construct beneath them, with his arm still halfway around its abdomen. He screamed in pain as he felt his wrist break from the force as the two of them rolled slightly. Eyes watering from the pain he looked into Radinka’s red eyes and slapped his hand against the white crystal in her chest. The Skill activated in his core and the mana flowed out onto the crystals surface, Runic Replication copying the Mana Flow rune in his unbroken hand onto it.

“NOOOO!!!” she screamed as Nate tossed himself away from the construct, activating his barrier in a cocoon around himself as the world went white before consciousness fled.