Magic Breaker Ch 58-60

Chapter 58: Hive Champions

Meg tilts her head, moving from Inu to me. I feel mana brush against me, and it feels a little like someone waving their hand in my face, as if asking for attention. In return, I hesitate little, doing the same to her.

[Hive Queen, lv. 38]

Strong. Not unbeatable - well, definitely unbeatable where we are right now. But in a one on one? I bet I could kill her. 

She gives me another tilt of her head, looking confused. She chitters at me, and already, I can feel the noises become clearer. Perhaps being around so many ants is helping? Probably that.

Richard moves to translate, but I hold up a hand. “I wanna hear it from her, this time,” I say. It feels personal.

The ant queen, Meg, looks at me, and chitters pleasantly. A few seconds pass, with her running through a dozen noises. Then, the translation finally kicks in properly. “You,” she purrs. Her voice is low, raspy, and there are almost rhythmic clicking sounds. She stares at me, and I stare back.

“You look at me like you hate talking. Then speak for your group. You feel my inspection, then audaciously poke back.” She gives me a long, long stare. “Do you want to die?” 

I shrug. “Not particularly.”

Her eyes stay locked on me. Slowly, a pressure descends, the kind of regal authority one might expect from a monarch. I bear with it elegantly, simply staying upright. My mana fights it off for me. The pressure increases, and I still ignore it. Her mandibles click in surprise. “Strong.”

Slowly, a smile spreads on my face. If she tests me, I might not be able to kill a million ants… but can I kill enough to get out? I wonder. 

“A suitable champion,” Meg announces.

Seems like I won’t have to test it. I look at the ant that brought me here. The worker looks at me and chitters her displeasure at my antics. I just smile, faintly. Maybe I wouldn’t have wanted to kill them all. “Sure,” I tell the hive queen.

“We are willing to work together. Our goals are, in some ways aligned, yes?” she asks.

Talking is getting exhausting again, so I turn to Inu and Thatch. They’re more patient. Opal loves talking, but they’re a bit blunt, and Sylves might try to trick her. She almost can’t help herself. 

Inu nods, confirming for our group. “The tower asks that we cause change. We have… a gripe with a part of Espiree.”

Meg looks curious. “You would burn down the city.”

“No,” Thatch shakes his head. “No, we would not go that far. Our grudge is with the church of Respitia.”

The queen of ants chitters in amusement, resting her head on one of her clawed hands. “I see. Any reason?”

I see the way the others tense at that. Do we tell the ants? I am tempted to. But I don’t wanna stir up trouble. Ah, how bothersome. On one hand, I don’t want to hurt the critters, on the other hand, I’m curious if I could. So, I want to be honest and provoke them, but I also want to keep the peace.

People are troublesome. I am troublesome.

A small sigh leaves my lips. “The paladin, Philia, tried to kill me.”

“Why?” Meg asks.

“That’s a secret for later,” I tell her.

She nods understandingly. “Good. Most of my children aren’t much for talking, but it is good to be silent on some things. Now then, what is your goal with this in the tower?”

Richard replies. “Changing a biome, helping one species with a significant enough claim expand or achieve more safety in some variety,” she explains. “We were hoping to assist you in some variety of ways.”

Meg purrs in satisfaction. “There are… tasks that you may be suited for,” she agrees. “Generally suited and uniquely suited…”

We wait for a few moments, as Richard gestures for her to continue. “There is an errant batch of eggs. Stolen from me by human bounty hunters. We have been scouring the caves for them since. You smell of them, a little.”

I drop the special [Suppression] I’ve been keeping up. The queen recoils in disgust.

“A lot,” she amends. “How-”

“We killed some,” Dar says, simply. The queen eyes him in confusion, and Richard quickly translates. 

Meg’s demeanour flips again, suddenly more pleased with us. “Ah,” she says. “That makes more sense. We shall cleanse it off you without trouble. I am glad you revealed this. Yes, a stolen clutch of eggs, up for auction in Espiree. A curiosity, companions to be used against us.”

I nod. That makes sense. Inu hesitates. “We may have some trouble getting into the city.”

The ant queen huffs. “You are newly integrated. They will not yet be good at differentiating members of your species.”

That… sounds incredibly silly, but it also makes sense. I can barely tell some bird species apart, yet to them it might be obvious. In fact, telling the sumeen apart was difficult for me. Same with the wulven. Richard is still the only hiy’ht I know, so I cannot speak for that but… If it’s the same for others?

Dar snorts. “Yes,” he confirms. “You all do not look too distinct to me.”

How strange. I smile, faintly. 

“Ah,” Meg says, turning to me again. “You may still be recognizable. The wound,” she says, tapping the side of her head for emphasis. 

Right. The bit of my skull that’s still sticking out under blistered, once-molten skin might give me away. 

“You did mention multiple missions,” Inu tries.

Meg nods, just a little. “Yes. There are… other threats to our colony, too,” she says. “There is a strong crawler blocking a tunnel, tearing through the workers I send that way. Another cavern with valuable mushrooms in it is overtaken by centipedes which could use culling. Finally, there are retrieval missions for certain items that we lost.”

Inu nods. “Okay. Give us a moment to discuss what tasks we are suited for. Then we can split up, and deal with them. If they’re enough for us to be deemed worthy by the tower, then we shall happily accept it. If not, well.”

“Just one thing,” Bay interrupts. “Do you have… metal, something I can work with?” she asks. 

I look at her, curious, and she gives me a sheepish look. “We do. Why?” Meg asks.

She gives a small smile. “I wanna try making some armor for you,” she says. “It seems like a fun tinkering challenge. If we could have some scraps in exchange, well…”

Meg purrs in agreement. “Very well. I shall have one of my children guide you there. Let us discuss.”

- - -

In the end, Opal, Thatch and Jess head for the city. They’re the most level headed and round out a solid team. Opal can blink in, Thatch can handle negotiation, and Jess is good backline support. 

Norman and Amelie are on retrieval duty. The man can spot items, and Amelie’s puppets can collect them at little risk. If there is a drawn out battle, she thrives, so it should be fine. 

Sylves and Bay move to the workshops. Our tailor volunteered to help with the armor and to create padding for the ants, in exchange for some raw materials. She should also be making me a nicer bit of clothing. Long sleeves here I come.

Dar and Inu head for the centipedes. They’re good fighters, and Inu especially seems to think that her [Resistance] might be strong against them. If they’re poisonous, which they are, she’s our best bet. 

And finally, Richard and I get to fight the cavern crawler. The large one, killing ants out there. I’m good at fighting single targets, after all, and Richard can all-round compensate for me. “What’s your class, actually?” I ask the hiy’ht.

“[Eater],” she replies. I tilt my head, and she elaborates. “I get to consume things, store them, and release them when needed. It’s an evolved form of the whole species bit where I eat fire.”

Huh. Neat. Wait. I hold out a hand to her, creating a long, solid mana needle. “Can you store that?” I ask.

She chitters for a moment, then sniffs the mana. “One way to find out,” she says with a shrug, then bites down on the construct I summoned.

I feel a pulse of mana from inside her, and the needle vanishes. “Huh,” I say.

“Neat,” Richard repeats.

“How… how many of those can you store?” I ask.

Richard, very slowly, breaks into a smile. “Many.”

That cavern crawler is in for a round of trouble.

Chapter 59: If it’s One on One, bet on Ion

/If it’s one on one, bet on Ion.

I’m serious. I once saw Ion walk up to a cavern crawler twice their level as a rookie, and then crush the thing. Monstrous./

-Bobby “Gossip” Rich, level 22 climber

- - - 

I’m in a spot of trouble. As the enormous cavern crawler charges at me, I throw my entire body to the side, [Suppressing] it with everything I have and finding that, for once, it’s just not quite enough.

[Cavern Crawler lv. 37]

The creature crashed past me and the wind sends my hair flying. It’s strong. Incredibly strong. Mana pours out of me as if I’m a fountain, tearing itself from my vessel to slow its movements. Even then, even when having to move through a swamp of trouble, the thing is fast.

Those dozens of chitinous legs tear up the ground, and it comes barreling at me again like a freight train. No projectiles, no tricks, just raw mass in motion, slamming towards me. It’s fast and vicious, with a dozen legs clacking against the ground.

It’s a huge thing, almost as big as a car, with wriggling, forward facing teeth on its jaw. They extend forwards on fleshy muscles whenever it tries to bite me. There’s nothing for Richard to eat, and frankly, I’m even more glad we stocked up on magic before, now. 

As I dive out of the way again, rolling against the stone, I focus in, my [Suppression] crashing down even harder. It gives me a nosebleed, wrestling with the crawler for control. Luckily, I don’t need to win.

[Suppression 11 > 12]

Richard appears from my side, opening her mouth wider than I think she should be able to. One of my needles exits from it - first slowly, like a sword being swallowed in reverse, then all at once accelerating and slashing forward.

The magical weapon sinks into the hide of the crawler, and it screeches, thrashing and breaking the hold of my skill. Its magic is tossed into disarray, but it still has enormous physical bulk to throw at me, and now, in desperation, it's deceptively fast.

It crashes into my side a moment later, sending me flying, tumbling off to the side.

Ah. So that’s what it’s like to get hit by a car.

Not one to be outdone, I quickly stand to my feet, ignoring the blood from a half dozen abrasion wounds on me, and drive my knife into its side, having coated it with solid mana. It sinks deep into the monster’s body, and I start pumping even more mana in, lengthening the blade while inside the monster. More needles leave Richard’s mouth, stabbing into the critter.

[Solidification 6 > 7]

My enhanced weapon sinks into the thing, tearing through its organs. When it starts thrashing, I give it one last, horrible present, with a twist of [Solidification] and [Deconstruction] working as one, I weaken the solid mana, and when the monster’s internal defenses touch it to dispel the magic, it explodes.

[Deconstruction 8 > 9]

[Job up! Enchanter 8 > 9]

I barely have time to consider that the system thought of that as an enchantment as the monster shakes me off. Instead, I hop back, pulling at my vessel to [Suppress] the beast again. It thrashes and fights me, but with its mana disrupted and in a mess, it’s weaker, now. 

Richard moves in at the same time as my shadow. Kuro rears their head, a small, formless blob darting across the cavern, and sinking into the shadow of the crawler. Small, needle-like teeth rise from the darkness, sinking into one of its legs at the same time as Richard takes a big bite from its side. 

A moment later, the crawler thrashes, and a pulse of mana spins out from it. The wave slams into Richard, pushing her back, but I break it before it gets to me. Some kind of shockwave based skill? 

The crawler whirls, golden ichor flowing from its side, and leaking from Richard’s teeth. It turns its attention to the stunned hiy’ht, confused on the floor. [Selection] flies out, and I manage the [Deconstruct] the stunning magic a moment before its teeth reach Richard, letting her roll back as Kuro takes another nip at its legs.

Another pulse of mana, its insides slowly coming under its control again, this one travelling into the stone beneath me. I focus on it, throwing a [Deconstruct] at it, chipping the spell, but it holds. Another wave of my magic breaking hits it, tearing off a bigger piece of the working. It’s enough that by the time it hits me, it only stabs into the bottom of my foot rather than tearing my leg clean off. 

[Class up! Nullmage 1 > 2]

Three points trickly into my vessel as my ability to break magic was once again put to the test. I [Suppress] the monster again, just in time for Richard to dodge another attack. I’m lucky she’s small and nimble, able to avoid the worst of it. Her teeth close around the thing again, tearing off another chunk of meat, splattering her in ichor, and at the same time the flesh goes down, more of our stored needles come up.

I see the thing course mana through its own body, and its wounds begin knitting closed a little, when three of my needles hit at the same time, disrupting the spell, mangling it. The magic is broken, and the regeneration turns twisted, making more vital ichor spell forth from the monster, drenching the floor. Kuro greedily drinks it all.

Using the chance, I step forward, pulling my last goblin axe and slamming it into the monster’s face. It turns towards me at the last moment, and instead of hitting an eye, the axe glances off a tooth, digging deep into the thing’s gums. 

That does, however, put me in biting range.

Teeth dig into my arm, raking furrows through my flesh as I lunge back. Pain floods my veins with adrenaline and my heart pounds in my chest. I dull the horrible ache, and focus on everything affected by [Selection]. The caves matter just a little less, as it all reduces down to the fight.

Now, the crawler is fixed on me, having tasted blood. Even as another needle pierces its side, the monster comes at me, and I step back. It follows, and I hammer down some more with [Suppression]. Another needle hits its side, and Kuro bites another leg. We’re bleeding it dry.

Then, the monster sheds its carapace.

All at once, massive plates of chitin fall to the wayside. The thing shed half its weight in a second, lunging at me far faster than ever before, and tossing me to the ground beneath it. It’s lighter, but still easily enough to press me into the ground. 

My head slams against the rock and the world blurs for a moment. When my eyes focus again, all I see is teeth. My heart screams of death, and my mind sharpens even further. [Suppression] comes down with violence, my good arm grabbing its maw and pushing back against the monster. 

Second by second, the teeth inch closer to my throat. I smell the horrid stench of its mouth, so bad I can barely filter it out. A tooth touches my skin, my hand quivering as I push. It breaks skin, a drop of red flowing forth.

I grit my teeth, pushing with my arm and mind, before focussing, doubling down, and slamming all the rest of my mana into a [Deconstruction]. It’s inelegant, pure violence given form, and slams into the things face. 

The teeth, so close to tearing out my throat, crack and crumble. My arm dislodges rotten enamel, pushing the breaking fangs inside the monster’s own mouth as its weapons fall apart. I quickly adjust, grabbing the axe in its mouth, pulling it out, and slamming it upwards, coated in the dregs of mana I can scrounge from the very bottom of my core. 

It strikes into the roof of the crawler’s mouth, pouring spittle and ichor on me, as the thing roars, leaning back. Kuro and Richard have been tearing into it, and once I wriggle out as it thrashes, we quickly kill it. I pull out the axe and give it a final slam through the head.

[You have killed a lv. 37 Cavern Crawler]

[Level up! 23 > 24]

All my points go into vessel. I smile, seeing that it’s naturally gone up by one, too, as well as my power. Then my lips twist downwards in disgust as I remember the sticky mess I’m coated in. It’s disgusting. I want a shower, desperately.

Still, when the new points come in, I turn to Richard, kneeling over her. She has a few scrapes and a couple shallow stabs and slices from the legs. I heal her with the bits of mana I have left, then struggle to my feet. 

Bloodied, covered in ichor, and feeling disgusted, I smile at her. “Let’s bring back the good news,” I say.

“You healed me,” Richard says.

“Yeah,” I reply, tilting my head at her. I’m limping on one foot, and one of my arms dangles by my side, deep, bloody furrows in it. “And?” I ask.

She gives me a look, then smiles. “Thank you, Snow,” she says. “That was kind of you.”

“I try,” I say. Then, I start limping back down the tunnel, ants already swarming past us, retrieving the body. “Now let’s tell them.”

Chapter 60: Return to the City

PoV: Opal Kingston - Gem

I heft my sword onto my shoulder, the familiar  weight of the [Bound Armament] calming my nerves. It’s solid, reliable, and I like it. Thatch and Jess stand with me, in line to be let into the city.

For a little while, I wonder if they’ll actually let us in, but then I look more closely and dang. I’m real crap at picking out the difference between the fuzzballs or the slender things. They look so similar. Sure, differently long arms, different fur somewhat, but… well. It’s new, and I’ve still gotta learn it, so I’m not good at it yet.

If we’re lucky, the same will be true for the guards. If we’re super lucky, none of the ones that first let us in will be here. Snow sure drew a lot of looks - which hopefully kept them off the rest of us. 

If not, I guess I might have to figure out how to take people with me across [Blinks] sooner rather than later. A small smile spreads on my face, finding its usual resting place there, and I scratch at my beard. 

Honestly, I don’t think we’ve been doing half bad at this whole integration thing. Man, when a werewolf challenged me to a duel I sure was scared. And then, Snow showed up, looking unshaken as ever. Even thinking of that bitch’s face makes me wanna compete, dang it. If Snow has a resting blank face, then I guess my resting expression is a grin.

Life’s better enjoyed when humorous, after all! Gotta find some joy in it, or it’s all pointless. 

Thatch elbows me. “You’re starting to stare,” he says. 

Ah. Right. I look down at him and flash the handsome bastard a grin. “Thanks for the reminder, will be sure to stare at you instead.” I wink. He rolls his eyes. 

Jess looks on with that frozen look on her face. I think she’s using one of her skills on herself. It’s kinda scary, and I don’t think it’s good for her. Maybe I should mention it. Ah, but then, it’s kinda troublesome…

I do it anyway. “Jess,” I ask, quietly. “You doing okay?”

Thatch has the audacity to look at me with surprise, as if I’m not the most empathetic of our little friend group. 

Okay. 

Maybe I’m not.

Still, though!

She looks at me, with an entirely level stare plastered across her dark face, then nods. “Just fine, thank you.”

Her tone is so even, I get goosebumps. In reply, I smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it. It’s okay to cry, y’know?” 

The words come easily from my mouth, and I find that I mean them. It’s our slogan, a little bit. It’s silly, but… well. What isn’t? I’m cool with being a bit sappy sometimes. Jess remains level headed, though I see her flinch for a moment. She takes my hand off her shoulder, holds it for a moment, then drops it. “Thank you,” she says quietly. “I’ll consider it.”

I nod. Her hand was freezing. Like a zombie. Damn, cold! I don’t say the pun out loud but still smirk at it. 

Waiting in line is so boring I almost start humming, but then I remember that there is a way more fun thing to do. I focus on my skills, on the one I developed myself. [Diamond in the Rough]. It’s a silly name for an elegant skill, and I think it suits me. I’ve always been good with stones. 

Hence why I named myself after one! Opals are cool. And I’m cool, so I’m Opal. It suits me.

With a light tap of my knuckles on my forehead, I focus again. [Diamond in the Rough] activates, and I feel its effects propagate through me. It’s a crystalline kinda magic, turning myself more… solid. Rooted. Like I’m weaving a protective casing? No, that’s just not quite right.

Truth is, I don’t fully get the skill, but I know it makes me sharper. Faster, stronger, and even enhances my vessel. It feels like thin, crystalline growths sprout on me, burrowing in the parts of my body that are supposed to be sturdy, reinforcing my bones and stuff. It’s cool, honestly. 

Gems are cool. I still don’t have a job, which kinda feels like an insult. I was the only one out of all of us with a full-time gig! Now, Snow and Sylves already have jobs, and Inu’s basically set for hers. I have an inkling of what Thatch wants to do, but I’m not pushing. He’ll get there when he gets there. Gotta let him pursue it himself.

Ahhh, I really am bad at focussing. I let my mind drift to gems and jewels again. I used to collect them, but the collection got lost pretty fast when the world went to shit. Maybe I can start a new one, though! That’d be cool. I want more gems. I wanna make them, I wanna carve them, I wanna see them put into jewelry.

Maybe I can get Bay to set them in rings and necklaces, and Snow to enchant them? That’d be a suitable job for me. A jewelcrafter. With crystalline magic bones, named Opal, with the anonymous name Gem.

Now that’s funny. I love it.

By the time I am grinning ear to ear at my internal monologue, we make it to the gate. “More humans,” the guard groans, then launches into a spiel about not killing anyone, blah blah blah. I don’t care. We’re here to cause trouble, after all. Let’s be real, we aren’t winning the auction.

Thatch gets us in. I steal the eggs. Then, with Jess’ help, we get back out.

If I’m planning to break the laws already, then hearing them doesn’t really matter all that much, right? I zone out a bit, letting Thatch handle the negotiating. How nice it is to have friends that can focus for more than five minutes.

- - -

Walking to the auction house is more fun. People in the city stare, some more unabashed about it than others. It feels a little like I’m back home. Rural places are usually like that, too. Everyone gives you that look that makes you think you don’t quite belong.

Here, it’s a little different. I feel like a curiosity, like something new and fascinating. A few give me longer looks; I suppose I stick out a little compared to the other two, given that I’m taller. I return a few checks, and whenever someone’s mana sense brushes up against me, I make sure to poke them back in that way Snow showed me. What a clever critter my friend is.

It creates an annoying sensation, and I see multiple of them yelp. Idiots.

But, at the very least, there is something to do. I like the noise in the background, listening in and focussing on different conversations to see if I can’t pick something out. A younger climber getting scammed. A team planning to go on an excursion. Someone having just come back from an ascendancy well, having lost most of their team.

There’s a hodgepodge of experience here. People laughing, people crying, having good and horrible days. It smells alive. I can feel my heart beating in the middle of it all, and as we walk through the streets, I see stalls, too. Selling food, minor artifacts, some offering advice or maps from jobbed cartographers, and so on.

We ignore them all and move for a big, opulent building. All lacquered and fancy-like, boards of dried mushroom being used as wood, bits of giant bone, and stone, all melding together to somehow display extravagance. It’s carved and crafted… and it screams posh.

Ahhh, I’m excited. I kinda wanna tear it down, but I guess I’ll have to make do with stealing from it. Nothing quite like taking a blade to the rich. 

A pair of guards scans us, asking if we have an invitation to the auction, and we pull out three sheets. Another reason why only three of us went - that’s how many invites the ants pulled from dead bounty hunters.

The guards grumble, looking at us suspiciously, probably wondering how humans came about these. “Any trouble?” Thatch asks with a small smile. “We won these off a more established bounty hunting team for helping them when they were swarmed in the tunnels. They said it’d be a good place for newbies to start getting renown, and that credibility was worth its weight in gold.” 

He puts on a smile, and I can already tell we’re through. One of the guards starts looking at the group behind us, and the other one gives Thatch a smile. “You got a good deal out of ‘em, sir,” he says to our resident handsome bastard. “Come on inside, then. Do make sure you have the funds for any item you bid on.” Dang pretty privilege.

Thatch nods and smiles back. “Any advice?” he asks.

The guard smiles a little. “Sure. Keep an eye out for synergies. Don’t buy the flashy stuff if you don’t need it, invest in your skills, not gear. Don’t get fleeced,” he adds with a cheeky wink.

My friend replies with a happy nod. “Thank you.”

“Alright, in you go, don’t cause any trouble,” the guard says, waving us forward, and we head through the red curtains draped over the entrance.

I draw in a deep breath, grinning. I can’t wait to cause trouble.