Chapter 11:
Ocean Slugs: The Tower of Stars
The giant rock spider falls by my gunfire. The smaller spider minions fall easier with no leader. My hard-light bullets decimate them all. That makes five of the large monsters defeated. I had already taken care of the Rock Zombie Champion, Rock Goblin King, Rock Conqueror Rat, and the Rock Marred Minotaur. Now that the Rock Giant Spider is also slain, the cave will revert back to its purified state. People will be able to fully re-explore the cave system and mine its mana-gemstones and harvest the mana-filled water.
I re-absorb the light essence from the fallen spiders. The myriad of colors approach me and blend to hard light in the form of bullets. I mash them up with my free hand and the light dissolves into my skin. I readjust my cloak and then stretch my arms. I’ve been down here for hours, but in the end it was well worth it since I defeated all five bosses in the same day. Any leftover monsters will be overtaken by the purity and dissipate entirely.
I had left a rock zombie alive after running into a human-lizard hybrid. I had not seen her in town at all and I do not take others' spoils of war. She might’ve needed help, but this is a fight-or-die world. She should learn first hand how dangerous these caves are. Whether she survived or died in that encounter is entirely up to her will.
But one thing caught my attention about her, I do not know if I saw fear or excitement in her eyes. There was clearly a fight response with her stance. Either way, she was later bitten by the rock zombie. There is medicine to counteract that curse in town. But then again, it would depend entirely if she defeats and overcomes the encounter.
I walk towards a wall. I reach and touch it following along, guiding myself towards the exit. After a good fifteen seconds, I know I’m not going to find the natural exit. Killing monsters is my strong suit, not directions. I follow the wall a bit more until I find what I’m looking for. The essence of natural proxy light on the other side. I feel a warmth radiate through my body and my magic cells react as well. I heft my assault rifle to my back and place my palm to the wall. I materialize a heavy light blast and obliterate the wall in front of me.
I exit towards the beach. The sun is already setting causing a light salty breeze to invade my nose. I once again stretch and crack my knuckles. This has truly been a long day.
“Hey, hey, hey!” an angry dwarf by the name of Todrick approaches me.
“Hello Todrick, I have completed the cave quest.” I told him.
“Seiko, how many times have I told you not to blast your way out? Regardless of quest completion, unguarded entrances can still pose a threat!”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Sigh, this is the fifth time you think about it. But, you completed it?”
“There were a few monsters left, but the purification process should eliminate them in the next hour.” I look at the town and notice much more activity and artificial lights.
“Curious? There’s a new American in town.” Todrick notices my curiosity.
“Ah, what are they like?”
“You ran into her in the cave. It was the lizard-human hybrid you ran into.”
“Ah, she survived. So she’s American.” I said.
The puzzle pieces connect in my head. So she was reborn in the cave. And she managed to survive and escape since she had a conversation with Todrick. This is all very interesting.
“I want to confirm something with her. Do you know where she went?”
“She was very eager to meet the other Americans, so she went to the Carmine Lion.”
“I see. She has probably been dragged into their game.”
“So you do know about the coin game. I thought you would normally just dwell in these caves all day and night.”
“People are loud, so I know a lot of useless information. For example, did you know mold has a natural defense mechanism that can shield itself from heat and radiation, effectively a sunscreen?”
“What does that mean?” Todrick looks at me confused.
“I don’t know, but I’ve heard it from the American fish.” I said.
I arrived at the center road. I pass the numerous shops until I make my way to the Carmine Lion. I will make an appointment with the guild hall to exchange the monster essence for the hundreds of coins I’ll be rewarded. I had Todrick scan me earlier to check, and I finally have enough to continue my adventure. I will ascend to the fifth floor.
I finally arrive at the tavern and witness the fish and my blacksmith playing against the lizard-human. There are numerous empty mugs and glasses all around the game table and the crowd is definitely enjoying the spectacle. I also notice that the lizard-girl now has a longer tail wrapped around her left arm.
“Is her tail different? I thought she had a dog tail?” I asked.
“Yesh, she changed it before the game began. Must be her magic. I don’t quite get it.” A patron answers my question. I had no intention of getting an answer, but I silently appreciated the gesture.
The lizard-human girl grabs three coins from her stack and carefully places them as a tower on the top of the glass. The coins sit on top of the glass without falling.
“Let’s go!” The lizard-human girl cheers a personal achievement.
“Wait, does that count?” The goldfish is befuddled.
He nods and makes a gesture as if lowering his invisible eyebrows. The numerous metal plates latching on his monochrome scales shake slightly. Clover also seems to struggle a bit as the shape of her arm looks shriveled up.
“I see. You didn’t just choose the cold metal as a deterrent to our body’s composition, but to also affect how the game progresses,” Clover said, “The beer froze enough to create an ice barrier at the top so it could hold more coins!”
“Precisely! I’m in it to win it,” the lizard-human girl declares, “Also I just found out I’m some sort of super soldier, so why is it heavy all of a sudden?”
She points to the stack of plates which honestly looks hollow and light.
“You are fighting multiple battles. The drinks, the weights, the concentration. As your mind drifts, what can you afford to focus on?”
All three chugged down a full glass of beer. There was an intense air of competition within that action. I’ve never seen Clover all fired up. Everyone involved in the game added three more freezing plates to their pile as they all shivered and shook from a pain they thought they could tolerate by now.
Clover picked up five coins, making it her last remaining coins from her pile.
“This technically means that it’s my last turn, but this is our declaration that we’ve won.” Clover said.
Clover’s body changed hue from its natural grey to a soft blue. Clover’s hand refused to open as her hand kept shrinking and tightening the coins further in her grasp. She swayed and groaned for her body to listen.
As Clover kept trying to open her hand and keep it steadily away from the glass so as to not tip it by accident she assumed a calm voice as she raised her head to face the lizard girl.
“So Gabriela. Was this a way to also counter my magic?”
“I think so. At first I thought it was weird that Aquastar could manipulate gravity,” the lizard-human girl put her free hand on her knee as she was still balancing a good amount of frozen plates on her other hand, “If anything, it could be a passive effect that is unique to his body so that he could survive on air. He doesn’t seem to need water and the use of oxygen within it, he’s fine breathing normal air. If he has a zero gravity effect on him, he could not possibly switch up the magic to allow himself to drop the stack of coins at the beginning of the match. Which got me thinking that Aquastar might have telekinesis. Meaning that you were telling the truth, leaving your magic to be nanotechnology manipulation. If I’m able to stop the network from functioning and communication, I could stop the metal plates from shifting or moving at your command to make it easier for you guys or harder for me to balance.”
“I see.” Clover said. “So the ice strategy was for me. You are formidable.”
Clover’s hand remains shut, but a coin manages to fall out. It rolls around the already placed coins and rests as its momentum dies down. A second coin falls. It also lands on its side but freezes in place on top of the glass as the ice overtakes the new presence. The last three coins fall with no problem.
The crowd murmurs. A new mystery enters the playfield and everyone wants to know the explanation. Eight coins sit on top of the glass and the ice moderately floats. The crowd’s attention shifts fully towards Clover and the goldfish.
The lizard girl pouts and breathes heavily, “How?”
“You are formidable, I’ll tell you that again. But the real threat was Aquastar.”
“My [Select Gravitation] allows me to control gravity to three objects at once. Myself, the ice barrier, and a coin of my choice at the time. The gravity goes in any direction too.”
“Gravity?”
“The nanotechnology statement was a ruse. I have [Metal Workshop] which allows me to create any metal object. It’s not far from nanotechnology, it is the same but without the remote control factor.”
“It’s not over though! As long as I can place one more coin I win!” the lizard-human girl’s morale did not waver.
Five more plates and another drink were chugged by the contestants and the game entered its final stage. The lizard-human girl grabbed one coin and immediately after her tail uncoiled and glowed, transforming into a matching green tail with the rest of her body’s skin color. Her left arm deteriorated away, as she used her remaining arm to catch the freezing plates. She screamed in pain as she embraced them all. She did not faint and she did not fall. The onlookers and I watched as her determination overtook our awe.
“You’ve lost. Just give up, don’t hurt yourself anymore!”
“What type of example would I be giving my students if I gave up?” she proclaimed.
I sense her fighting spirit once more as I see her collapse.
The crowd and Americans circle around her wondering what the next step should be.
“I’ll take it from here.” I also proclaimed feeling inspired from her.
She is the companion I’ll take with me to the fifth floor. I carry her over my shoulder and exit the tavern.
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