While true, magic worked. However, Eldrian soon found a problem even in using magic. He could manifest his spells just fine, keeping control of them, that wasn't as simple. This was especially true for higher tiered spells.
The salamander-drake creature shrugging of Eldrian's spells told that story clear enough. Not to mention that half of Eldrian's spells missed. Ice seemed a terrible match against the creature. The poison acid it spewed was easily capable of melting it. Fire, did little to no damage.
Earth and wind were the most reliable. However, Eldrian wasn't as well versed in them. Wind he could produce relatively strong spells, thanks to his flight training, earth, however, Eldrian had to fall all the way back to spells below Tier 5.
Needless to say, those didn't even count as pebbles to the creature. Luckily, Eldrian had managed avoiding taking any further damage. And while he and the creature danced, Eldrian had calmed his heart and analyzed his situation.
The biggest hurdle, he realized, was the lack of ambient mana. While this did not make casting spells impossible, it did make keeping control harder. Spells also tended to manifest for shorter durations, the mana that created them being sucked into the surroundings.
Where it went, Eldrian hadn't a clue. He simply knew that the upkeep for spells were astronomical even compared to Earth standards.
The lack of ambient mana also meant he wouldn't be able to recover. Thus, Eldrian had been slowing the rate of his attack to think things through first. Ultimately, he figured this was a battle of attrition.
Luckily, whatever sucked the mana from his spells, didn't do the same to him. Else, Eldrian was sure he would already have died.
Still, his situation wasn't good. He couldn't access his inventory. Eldrian felt certain he could call on Crystoi, however, he didn't particularly want to face the creature in melee combat. It was fast enough for Eldrian to be cornered.
'But I can't think of anything else. It won't give me the time I need to manifest a strong enough spell.' Regardless, Eldrian felt he might as well call upon his spear. And as he was so used to, it manifested right in his hand.
'I think it is just because I've attuned it.' Eldrian thought, trying to analyze the feeling as Crystoi answered his summons. 'Which means it didn't need to manifest the power of the voidstone imbedded into it.'
This didn't mean much to Eldrian, only that any soulbound item should be summonable. At the moment, however, Crystoi was the only weapon he had attuned. The Avyssos Ring wasn't going to help either. It was more a support item than anything else.
'I might be able to teleport away. But Ziraili brought me here for a reason. I need to do everything I can to win. Which means I need to gamble.'
Heart steeled and mind resolved, Eldrian stared at the creature as it spewed yet another ball of blackish-purple liquid at him. Like always, it sizzled as it flew past. This time, Eldrian used the opening to teleport in.
Appearing next to the creature, he brought Crystoi down with all his might. Yet, even teleportation did not catch it off guard. As if it already knew Eldrian was capable of such a feat.
'No, I'm sure it is.' Eldrian thought, letting go of Crystoi as he dodged the pillars of earth aiming for his heart. Followed by the creature's spiked tail.
Eldrian already knew it couldn't penetrate the defenses of his dark slime breastplate, however, it would still send him flying. As has happened one too many times.
Luckily, Crystoi had struck true. While the power behind it had been reduced, blood had been drawn. The creature's roar and hate filled eyes confirmed that much. It also caused its follow up to fall short.
With the spear still imbedded in its shoulder, Eldrian having missed its neck by a hair's breath, it charged. The same ominous liquid bubbling from it mouth, as if some type of smog. It seemed alive. Moving to cover the creature in a deadly armor.
'But we're done here.' Eldrian thought. Activating the delayed trap he had laid during all the running before his counterattack. As soon as the creature stepped on the area, the runes activated and sent it flying.
Even now, Crystoi remained embedded. And Eldrian used the opportunity while the creature was airborne to push it further with a gust of air and ether. Deepening the wound and distracting the creature from the true threat.
As it clawed at the spear, it failed to notice Eldrian taking position beneath it. Prosthetic swinging towards its neck. The arm morphing from normal to a massive blade, as thin as a hair. Yet, with the mana Eldrian had imbued into it, stronger than Adamantine.
With one fluid motion, Eldrian brought his motion to an end. And a second later, the creature landed. Its head no longer attached to its body.
"Phew." Sighing in relief, Eldrian moved to ensure the creature was dead. As with all things so far, he had not received a system notification. Confirming even more that where Eldrian was now wasn't considered part of the system.
'However, it isn't completely removed from the ANW I know.' Eldrian thought as he pried Crystoi from the creatures body.
"Well done." Ziraili commented, appearing out of nowhere as Eldrian was cleaning Crystoi.
"Care to explain what this is all about?" Eldrian asked.
"Of course. You are aware of Miracle attempting to bring more mana to Earth?"
"Yeah, I even went to talk with one of the big shots. How is that connected?"
"Well, remember when you lost control and then woke no longer human?"
Naturally Eldrian remembered. It was the moment which had ruined his entire life. He had nearly died. And more importantly, while in a rage, he had killed plenty of people. Now, Eldrian hadn't regretted it for a moment. Considering what they might have done to him, he believed he was fully in the right.
However, it didn't mean it hadn't weighed on him. To survive, however, he had needed to continue to run and fight. A cycle which had only recently ended.
So, naturally, Eldrian remembered.
"Well, the things is..." Seeing how hesitant Ziraili was, Eldrian just knew what he was about to hear was going to suck. Regardless, he told himself not to blame her. After all, she had always been on his side.
"Back then, GAIA used the opportunity your loss of control gave them to extend their control to Earth..." Ziraili paused, trying to find the right words to explain it all.
"Think of it like this. Earth's mana was paused, stagnant. And in that moment, GAIA made it move. Breathed some life into the world's mana. And, like a spark, the breathe of life spread. Quickly encompassing the entire world."
"I'm not following."
"Alright. Then consider it like an enclosed ecological system. Stagnant, unable to form any life, no plants growing, nothing happening. Like time has been stopped. And then, suddenly time started to flow again."
"The air moved, the plants grew, the micro-organisms lived, water condensed and formed rain. An entire ecosystem, which had seemed dead, now filled with life."
"Earth is kind of like that. It is now growing. Mana is no longer inactive, but active. It would have slowly started to evolved everyone and everything, however..."
"Then Miracle came along." Eldrian concluded. It was simple enough for him to figure out what the problem was from here. Since Miracle weren't working with the AI, and the AI were unlikely to work with them, their separate actions were going to cumulate in unpredictable outcomes.
'Yeah, this can't be good.' Eldrian didn't even have time to be angry at what GAIA had done. He was only worried how bad shit was going to hit the fan. And how soon.
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