Nickolas started to relax his grip on his staff and felt the staff start to disintegrate. He looked at it with a disheartening expression. The wood drifted off into the wind and he felt annoyed that he had to depart with one of his favorite staff. Nickolas had several staffs crafted for him in his inventory compartment. He spent countless nights channeling excess mana into them for rainy days. The amount of mana used in just ten minutes was the cumulative amount of six months of channeling. Any item can be used to hold mana, but some items are better suited to hold vast amounts. If the wrong material is used to store mana, it could end up exploding. Spells can also be cast without an arcane focus but they are significantly weaker.
He looked down to the crater where Bucrok was thrown to and noticed the orc standing up from the wreckage. “ I suppose his thick head saved him,” Nickolas said with a chuckle. There also seemed to be a man helping him get up. He seemed to be a demihuman leading him away. Nickolas sighed a breath of relief. He didn’t want him involved anyway because Nita would hate him if something happened. He looked back to the egg and studied the structure. Panic struck Nickolas like a sword in his heart and he immediately cast another spell.
“Where’s the blood?” Nicholas said, his worry building. “ A high tier spell like that struck true and there was not even a drop of blood.”
“Lufritry.” A small, swirling vortex of silvery-grey energy materialized beside him. This magical phenomenon was a relatively common inventory spell among practitioners of the arcane arts. From within the vortex, he grasped a long, elegantly curved staff, a twisted piece of craftsmanship. It had a few centuries of experience dwelling within the wood. Multiple owners enhanced and added their own charm over the years enhancing its capabilities.
Nickolas took careful aim at the vast and ominous void that yawned open within the massive egg looming before him. He raised his staff toward the heavens. As he did, the clouds overhead began to roil and churn ominously, the sky turned like an impending storm. Rumbles echoed through the atmosphere, reverberating ominously, as streaks of dazzling lightning began to paint the sky with jagged brilliance. The thunder that followed roared like a mighty tiger, resonating with an impressive ferocity that sent shivers down the spines of those who witnessed it.
Nickolas’s eyes then transformed into a brilliant shade of yellow, glowing with an intensity that reflected the raw, untamed power gathering within him. It was a captivating sight, as if the energy of the world itself was concentrated in his very being.
“Begreura!” he bellowed, unleashing an enormous bolt of charged lightning that rocketed forward with ferocious speed. The lightning struck the interior of the shell with a deafening crack, resulting in a spectacular burst of light that illuminated the entire city below. The explosion sent shockwaves through the air, a cacophony of sound and raw energy that seemed to shake the very foundations of reality itself.
However, just as pride swelled within Nickolas for his astounding display of magical prowess, he was met with laughter echoing through his mind—a chilling sound that seemed to reverberate from the depths of the creature dwelling within the shell. It was an unsettling laughter, as if the being relished this encounter, mocking the efforts of the wizard.
Undeterred, Nickolas began to twirl his staff gracefully around his body, as if engaging in a mystical dance that stirred the air. With a deep intake of air, he exhaled a torrent of flame, his body radiating heat that surged forth like the sun itself, raising the temperature around him to unbearable levels. The environment sizzled with energy in response to his powerful spellcasting. He swiftly ceased his spinning, pointing the now-charged staff toward the egg with an unwavering resolve. Yet, despite all his efforts, the laughter persisted, an incessant reminder to Nickolas that in this fight he might actually be the underdog. That haunting sound suggested that his attempts to vanquish it might have merely grazed its formidable defenses.
Nickolas knew in his heart that he was perhaps the only flicker of hope left for the troubled city beneath him, the metropolis of innocent lives and dreams that now faced potential annihilation from the devastating threat of this colossal eggshell. The stakes were impossibly high, and he could not afford to falter.
He shouted, “Imparium!” As a massive fireball erupted from the end of his staff and hurtled into the depths of the egg. The once-red flames transformed into a vibrant azure just before Nickolas let it loose. The sheer force of the explosion within the shell sent ripples of energy across the land, but to his bewilderment, the creature persisted in its obnoxious laughter, as if dismissing the catastrophic impact with scorn. The cunning monster seemed to absorb the spell's potency without a scratch, rendering Nickolas's explosive onslaught nothing more than a mere inconvenience. With the fire spreading within the shell, Nickolas was finally able to witness the horror that has been plaguing him and this city. It was a black dragon with scales that shone like the night sky. But there was something weird about the creature as it seemed almost translucent.
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The creature within the fiery depths raised its massive tail, swinging it with formidable force through the air. It sent a hailstorm of smoldering debris tumbling all around, pieces of shell, and blazing fragments raining down around the city like angry embers. The once-peaceful skyline now buzzed with chaos, as trees ignited one by one, their leaves crackling and blackening against the encroaching inferno. With each fiery burst, a thick smoke began to swirl upward, choking the air and filling the hearts of the inhabitants with dread. A feeling of guilt settled like a cold stone in the wizard Nickolas's throat, an unwelcome sensation amidst the tumult. The flames twisted and roared, creeping closer and closer, almost as if they sought to construct a prison of fire around the city that he had sworn to protect.
Standing defiantly upon the sixth magical barrier, the dragon's massive form towered over the chaos, its talons drumming ominously against the shimmering surface of the magic that held it at bay. A voice resonated within Nickolas’s mind, the dragon mused,
“Interesting. You truly believe this barrier can hold me? It seems it has managed to stop me for a moment, but sadly for you, I long to feel the ground beneath my feet.”
At that moment, a palpable weight pressed down upon Nickolas, an oppressive force that attacked his senses with relentless intensity. He could feel his body beginning to buckle, despite the spell he had so painstakingly invoked still holding strong. It was the same unsettling sensation that had struck him when the dragon’s egg had first revealed itself to the world—a cosmic intensity that spoke of unfathomable power.
“Gravity magic!” he forced through gritted teeth, the words emerging like stones from his mouth. The dragon responded with a mocking edge,
“Oh, so you possess a smidge of intelligence? How quaint. Yet, it matters little.”
The weight only intensified, compounding in significance until Nickolas felt as if he were being crushed under the force of an entire mountain. The overwhelming presence of the dragon’s raw power seeped into the air around him. In a mere blink, the sixth barrier shattered like fragile glass beneath the dragon’s sheer force, sending shards of magic flying in all directions. The dragon descended upon the seventh barrier, its laughter echoing through the chaos, a sound both terrifying and proud. The seventh layer exploded upon impact
“No!” Nickolas whispered through gritted teeth as he watched as his painstaking efforts crumbled into nothingness, like a fleeting dream snatched away.
In a moment of sheer desperation, and an urgent need to protect everything he held dear, Nickolas thrust his staff toward the dragon and uttered,
“Dorthroc!” The command resonated through the air, creating a hum that lingered, slowing the dragon's descent. For an instant, confusion flickered in the dragon’s cold, calculating eyes, before irritation painted its scaly visage.
“You attempt to best me at my own game?” the dragon sneered, the words dripping with contempt.
In an instant, the pressure bore down upon Nickolas again, this time doubling in strength. The dragon pressed its assault forward, determined to crush him. As Nickolas strained to withstand the onslaught, beads of sweat trickled down his brow, each droplet heavy with the effort it took to maintain his position. It felt as though he was trying to hold up an entire elephant using nothing but one weary arm. Exhaustion clawed at him—every cell in his body screamed in protest, yet he knew he had no choice but to persist. Nickolas had only begun to dabble in gravity magic like a calf learning to walk while the dragon exhaled it like it was second nature.
Digging deep within himself, he sought that flicker of inner strength, focusing on the intricate weave of magic he had constructed. He then merged that with the power of the staff and the two forces merged seamlessly. Almost like a chain of people helping all at once, Nickolas could feel the hidden power resonating from inside the staff. Slowly, he managed to reduce the dragon's speed once more, forcing it to come to rest upon the eighth barrier. The dragon’s gaze pierced through him like a dagger, fueled by a hatred that sent chills coursing down Nickolas’ spine.
Then, with ominous intent, the dragon’s mouth glowed with an eerie purple light, baring its fangs in a menacing sneer directed at Nickolas. With a swift motion, it unleashed a beam of violet fire that cut through the air toward him with unrelenting ferocity. Reacting quickly, Nickolas released his gravity spell and conjured a protective barrier just in time.
“Denizarra!” he cried, as a golden shell enveloped him. The beam of fire surged forward, consuming him with a cataclysmic force. Nickolas felt himself propelled backward, as if struck by an invisible giant, hurtling hundreds of feet away. Just at the brink of detonation, he managed to dodge in the nick of time, the blast exploding above him with an ear-piercing roar that echoed through the sky. Fear wrapped around Nickolas’s heart, for he knew that had he been in that place just moments longer, he would surely have met a grisly end.
The dragon, now resting upon the ninth barrier, swung its gigantic claw down upon the last defense, shattering it effortlessly. Nickolas focused intensely, using the flight spell to will himself forward straight at the dragon. His mana at this point was nearly tapped out. His vision was blurry and exhaustion was setting in. He felt helpless as he flew slowly back to the city he desperately tried to save.
