noct

146. There You Are

Ike froze. He glanced toward the voice, revealing the absolute minimum of his face. No way. I couldn’t get caught this fast.

A man strode toward him, dressed in beautiful but not functional robes. He shook his finger. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” a second voice replied. Gentle and mellifluous, Ike couldn’t immediately identify it as a male or female voice. He peeked in the opposite direction, toward the second voice.

A pale...

145. Secret Tunnel

They wandered through the woods for a time. Usually, the walk wouldn’t have bothered Ike, but with Shawn’s extra weight weighing him down, he felt every step. His breath came short. He adjusted Shawn’s weight a little, trying to make it a little more comfortable. Damn kid. Should’ve left him on the ground. Made him walk by himself.  

Clarina wandered ahead of them. She looked left and right, occasionally darting to either side only to drift back to the center. Ike ...

144. Rescue Mission

As they walked, Clarina spoke. She spoke softly at first, but grew louder as her story progressed. Ike half-listened, keeping his ears and eyes enhanced in case any more puppets crept up on them. The gist of it was about what he’d thought. Her sect had been attacked by the New Republic dissidents, who were mostly lower-level nobles and not the low-level hunters they claimed to be. The dissidents were originally small in number, and expected to go down easily, but they suddenly multiplied. N...

143. Enemies of the New Republic

Ike activated Lightning Clad. He smashed his fist toward the man. A dagger glittered in the man’s hand, plunging toward Ike’s hand.

Blade sparked against blade. The man startled, shocked for a split second as his dagger bounced off the invisible blade in Ike’s hand. In the next moment, his eyes hardened. He pushed back, fighting against Ike’s dagger.

Ike twisted his wrist, throwing the man off. The man fell behind him. Even as he dropped back, another one charged at Ike. I...

142. Chase

Ike and Wisp ran through the woods. The two of them exchanged a glance, then ran on, faster now. Ike nodded at her. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

“Are we just doing this to have the justification to kill a bunch of dudes?” Ike asked.

“You might be. I don’t need any justification to kill some humans,” Wisp returned.

Ike snorted. He thought to himself for another few seconds. “I figured it out. What’s bothering me about this.”

141. No Hunter

The man cleared his throat. “Have you seen a woman in blue?”

Ike watched the man silently, pretending to think about it. He wore a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and stood near the invisible lady, prepared to block the man off if he approached her. He honestly didn’t care much about the fate of the lady. If the man had simply asked for her and offered an appropriate reward, he would have almost certainly handed her over. But instead, this roundabout way of approach, pretending...

140. A Wild Lady Appeared! Wild Lady Used Explode Core!

Light gathered around the lady’s chest and abdomen. Before anything else could happen, Ike blasted off. Lighting flashed after him, booming against the air. In a split second, he reached the lady. Rather than try anything fancy, he simply introduced his knee to her forehead at top speed. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped to the floor, unconscious.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Ike muttered, hopping on one leg. His other knee ached something fierce. Salamander Healing quickly cleared it up, bu...

139. Oh Deer

Wisp and Ike led Shawn through the woods. At first, the boy kept up with them, but before long, he flagged behind them. Ike paused and injected a tiny bit of aether, checking Shawn’s Rank. To his surprise, the boy was barely Rank 1.

“I am a mountain. We grow slowly. Our lifespan is measured in eras. Millions of years. Are you really that surprised?” Shawn asked.

“When you put it that way…” Ike allowed. He gestured at Wisp, who reluctantly came back to his side.

�...

138. Your Grandfather

All the way down the mountain, the kid ranted at them. He let loose a expletive-filled tirade that would’ve been at home in a seaman’s tavern, let alone coming out of a captured child’s mouth. Ike tired of it at about the quarter mark, but resisted the urge to double-handed throw the child and ran on. Just until the bottom of the mountain. Once we’re out of Mont’s territory, he can go his own way. He cut his eyes at Wisp, who gave him a beleaguered stare back.

At the ...

137. The Same As Me

Ike whirled. Wisp turned, less surprised.

Mont stood there, slightly up the mountain. He smiled at them and clasped his hands together. “Have you figured it out, yet?”

Ike looked at him, then turned. The landslide. Power that couldn’t be used subtly. “I have a guess. Are you the mountain?”

Mont smiled. He nodded, just slightly. For just a moment, he released his pressure. The full weight of the mountain came crashing down on Ike and Wisp. Ike staggered, almost fall...

136. Landslide Slope

The earth flowed down the mountain. Rocks crashed down on the camp. Trees snapped and broke. The very ground itself bucked and shuddered, threatening to turn liquid under Ike’s feet. Terrified, the boy clung to Ike’s shoulder. Ike held on tight, sprinting at his full speed. Wisp dashed ahead of him, occasionally pausing to make sure he kept up. He had to use his Lightning Dash, but with that, he was able to keep Wisp’s pace.

Behind them, the black-robed mages fled. The landslide c...

135. The Strategy

He held his breath as he jumped through the barrier, watching Wisp closely. The barrier shimmered over his body, and he and Wisp both landed smoothly on the other side. Ike let out a breath. “We’re through.”

“Awesome. See you on the other side.” Waving a foreleg, Wisp hopped off his shoulder and scurried away. In a few steps, she vanished into the leaves.

Ike watched her go. He waited a few moments, then dashed toward the camp himself. He pulled the wolf pelt tighter aro...

134. The Tent Flap

The tent flap lifted away from the tent. For a moment, Ike caught sight of its contents.

A young boy laid in a steel cave. Heavy chains bound his neck and limbs. Only a short length of chain spanned between the cage and the boy’s manacles. He didn’t have enough slack to stand, not that he was trying to. He laid lifelessly on the barred floor, his eyes half-open. A dazed expression stretched across his slack face.

Ike stared. What the fuck?

There was no way that ...

133. The Main Camp

Ike wove through the trees, moving silently. Mont’s help went with him, the branches clearing out of his way only to fall back into place behind him. He lost track of Wisp after a few steps, as she crawled through the trees and out of earshot. Ike alone walked through the trees, silent, invisible.

He kept his eyes on the ground, looking out for the black stakes that marked the edge of the barrier. Before long, he came upon them once more. He nearly missed the first one, hidden, as it ...

132. Contested Vein

A tight stand of trees blocked their view of wherever Mont had pointed. The man stopped, frowning at the trees. Ike glanced at him, and Mont nodded. Drawing out his wolf pelt, Ike pulled it around him, going invisible save his eyes. Beside him, Wisp hopped into the trees and did the same. The two of them circled toward the trees, pulling wide to get a better angle at whatever awaited them on the other side.

They came around the edge of the trees. Tents stood in a semicircle around the f...

131. Mana Veins

They headed out of the inn. This morning, no black-robed mages leaped out at them from the aspens. A gentle breeze blew, cooling the bare heat of the high atmosphere’s intense sun. Ike lifted his hand to shade his eyes. “Bright.”

“Nothing like it. I love these high mountain mornings,” Mont said. He sighed happily and stretched his hands to the sky. His brightly-colored jacket fluttered on the breeze.

“Did you live up here, before you went into seclusion?” Wisp asked....

130. Morning Light

Ike woke refreshed and light. He stretched, yawning wide, then closed his eyes again and snuggled into the bed. I want to stay in bed forever. Beds are so nice. Dear gods, I love beds.

Sunlight played over his face, warming the back of his eyelids to a translucent pink. Unable to remain asleep any longer, he cracked his eyes open and sat up.

Wisp snoozed in the other bed. She sprawled wide, taking up more room than her tiny frame suggested she should. All the covers laid ...

129. Worth It

A new Unique skill. Ike bit his lip, his eyes sparkling. Infinite potential spread out before him, the incredible strength of a second Unique skill opening up routes he’d never considered possible for him.

And then he glanced at Mont and sighed. “Right. Because that guy over there is just going to let us take it.”

Wisp looked at Mont as well. After a moment, she shrugged to herself and said, loudly, “Hey, big guy. That mana vein of yours, is it about to erupt?”<...

128. Black-Robed

Ike vanished before the black-robed mage’s eyes. Startled, the mage looked left and right, searching for him.

A hand wrapped around his neck. The mage kicked and grabbed at his neck. Ike shoved electricity into him. The mage spasmed, then went still, stunned.

Ike looked at the other black-robed mages. He tightened his grip, and his eyes narrowed. “Get outta here, or I kill this guy.”

At the head of the table, Mont continued to peacefully eat his meal. The fox-servants ...

127. Mana Veins

“So, what kind of room do you want?” Lanie asked. She slid behind a heavy wood desk and pulled out a large ledger. An enormous picture window opened up behind her, giving a beautiful view of the gardens.

“First floor, please,” Mont requested. He smiled and laid a heavy pouch on the counter. “I don’t do well with heights.”

She nodded, gracefully accepting the pouch. “And you?”

Behind her, a pair of foxes tackled a black-robed mage to the ground and eviscerat...

126. Fellow Man

Ike stiffened. He looked at the man slowly. I can’t feel his pressure, but if anything, that just makes me more scared. Wisp can hide hers, too. If Wisp just insulted an ancient mage, we’re so fucked.

The strangely-dressed man laughed. He patted Wisp’s head. “No, no. What’s a circus?”

“It’s a place where freaks go to—”

Ike stepped forward. “—where performers show off their talents in brightly-colored clothes.”

“Oh.” The man looked...

125. Foxes' Inn

Ike and Wisp ran toward the inn. Ike pulled ahead of Wisp, but still ran warily. He didn’t use Lightning Dash, and he kept his head on a swivel, extending his aether and his senses ahead of him. The mountain was thick with aether and mana alike. Ike had absorbed as much of it as he could as he walked, and now his core was full again. Where lunam had sat on his mana like oil on water, aether and mana mixed easily, as did lunam and aether. He only had the trouble of lunam and mana if he let t...

124. Mountain Pass

The ground sloped upward. As they walked through the forest, they stumbled upon a dirt path. It wound through the trees, barely more than a deer path. Ike followed it. Before long, the two of them came upon a clean, cobbled road. As it climbed up the mountain, the road cut back and forth. The switchbacks zig-zagged up into the clouds, climbing so high that the trees swallowed them up. Wooden planks reinforced the cobbles where the switchbacks turned and the earth climbed too quickly. The plan...

123. To a New Town

With their non-identifiable loot and the bodies safely dumped, Ike and Wisp took off into the woods. They left the Abyss behind as quickly as they could. Ike made a beeline away from their fight. They needed to put as much distance between them and the mysterious disappearances as they could, as quickly as possible. Once they went far enough in one direction, Ike hooked a right. Wisp followed alongside him, humming under her breath and totally relaxed. She tossed a gem in one hand, rolling it...

122. Cracking the Barrier

Ike dashed in. The man lifted his hand, tossing a dozen talismans at him. The talismans burned more quickly than the previous ones, already fizzling before they left his hand. Ike raised his arms, coating them with layer after layer of Ice Armor. The fireballs blasted against him, smashing into his body and jostling him around. His armor melted. Water soaked into his arms, heightening the heat of the fire. Scalding water burned past his face.

Pushing the pain away, Ike added more ice an...

121. Listen to This

Wisp’s nose wrinkled. She shook her head. “He’s using talismans.”

“He’s… what?” Ike asked, lost.

She pointed. “You saw that stupid-looking card, right?”

I didn’t think it was stupid, but… “Yeah.”

“That’s a talisman. They’re total cheats. Someone else casts a spell on a piece of paper, and until that paper degrades, you can release that spell at anyone else. It doesn’t matter how high your Rank is. As long as you hav...

120. The Charge

Lightning flashed. Ike unleashed a flurry of kicks at the man’s head as he ducked to grab his axe.

The man’s fist thumped down just on the inside of his axe. A pillar of earth blocked Ike’s kicks. In a few kicks, Ike demolished the pillar, but the man had already retrieved his axe. The axe-wielder sliced upward at Ike’s hips.

Ike sucked in a short breath and leaped back with all his might. The axe-wielder pressed the attack, pushing Ike back with a consecutive series of sw...

119. Cliff Hanger

Ike pulled himself up the face of the cliff toward the edge. Just under the upper edge, he paused, listening with the full force of his enhanced senses. What happened to Wisp?

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Wisp barked, angry.

A man laughed at her. “The question is, who do you think you are? You climbed up out of Lord Brightbriar’s prison. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear you got caught so quickly.”

“Caught? Do I look caught to you?” ...

118. A Spider's Thread between Hell and Heaven

Ike gripped the thread and pulled. It held his weight without budging. He grabbed onto it with his other arm, then wrapped his legs around it. The thread was so thin it was hard to grasp with his legs, but now that he was Rank 2, his arms were more than strong enough to haul him up alone. One hand over the other, he hauled himself up into the sky. Wisp stood at the bottom, watching him climb up.

Ike gestured to her. “Come on!”

“One at a time. My thread’s strong enough for ...

268. Afterwards

Mia gazed up at the night sky. Silently, she watched the stars. There was no moon, not anymore. Just the darkness of the night.

“Looking for him?”

Mia turned. Domi walked up behind her, holding Olivia’s hand. Olivia gave a little wave, and Mia nodded back. “Yeah. I always…wonder. If he’s going to come back.”

“I’m sure he will. Someday,” Domi said.

Beside her, Sparkles barked.

Olivia petted the dog. “It’s been so long. Is it still possible?...