EPISODE 190: WYVERN’S ROOST 5

  — GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR: 7292. SEASON: NEW BEGINNING.

  Magic is a wonderful thing. It allows powerful expressions of the natural elements of the world and can turn the weak, powerful—the powerful… Mighty. Most humans possess neutral affinities but find themselves using the four elements that constitute the Nature Affinity: Fire, Water, Earth, Air. It only takes a small understanding to combine all four affinities into something greater and manipulate the natural plant matter around you. These four have many combinations and several branches spread from all the elements for greater affinity understanding and control.

  Fire can change into True Fire, which constitutes a purer, more natural expression of the element. It can also evolve into Explosive Affinity should you possess a sufficient understanding of the Wind Element and combine them. This ultimately is what gives [Mages] and other classes who possess the Mind Attribute such harrowing, destructive abilities. The higher one’s affinity to an element, the more damage they can produce with it, as its percentage will apply a natural increase to all attacks of its element. This affinity does not halt one from casting magic of another element, but it does apply increased pressure when attempting to understand multiple elements. To have more than three elements under your control constitutes a genius of genius—to have four and more is rare but considered impossible for the current Saphens to achieve.

  What does elemental control allow a God to do…?

  Their control over the Natural L—

  — Excerpt from the Scholar’s Reprieve Elemental Research Department.

  “(Imperius Synchronization),” Lawruthian activated. It was time to try something new. The nightly battle drew onward—a rush of higher starred creatures silently infused themselves into the creature horde. Not all were as large as the Tygrex Lawruthian faced and magi would die for it.

  He moved Adam into the path of the charging Tygrex, while he moved his body toward the golem’s rear. Ever since he gained his heroic class, Lawruthian hadn’t quite figured out the best method of utilizing it in combat. The [Imperius Golemlord] class further diverged from its original heroic template, its skills seemed to evolve into a manner that attempted to meet their users’ expectations. Throughout the years, he’d tried several different approaches—this was just another.

  Lawruthian found it easy to control both Adam’s actions and his body—the hollowed golem suit raised its shield as it activated another defense skill, while Lawruthian cast a spell behind him. He focused his mind toward the light element as he tested its effects in battle.

  “ Light is the Origin of Courage, let its radiance burn through the Intent of all foes through this (Light Beam).”

  The spell was basic and was similar to a (Fireball) in terms of its spell tier and power. He studied all elements of in the vast libraries on the palace ground, but he was most familiar with the four that together would constitute the Nature affinity. The (Light Beam) spell construct formed as a golden-white magic circle with runic writing outline its ends, and Lawruthian pointed the hilt of his sword to angle it. A beam of light shot out instantly as the Tygrex bore down on Adam, striking its face before its attack could complete.

  …

  The creature was dangerous… but so was Lawruthian.

  …

  THUMP!

  Adam’s hammer stuck, its heavy blow knocked the Tygrex back a half dozen meters. Lawruthian felt the mana in the air—gauging the amount of Light mana present. He hadn’t really harmonized with elements outside his first four, and there was no better practice than now.

  “Not enough to harmonize—not yet.”

  The Tygrex shot its head as it returned to its feet—its iron body held well against Adam’s attack. The wyvern snarled, its maw dripped with fluid like a rabid beast. The creature’s gaze held a hint of intelligence—nothing like Olvido, but its spark was strong enough to cause a hint of wariness to appear in Lawruthian’s actions. His gear, both [Legacy] and his new [Dark Prince Armor], boosted his strength to a grade where he could single-handedly slay the land wyvern. However, he didn’t possess the strength to instantly one-stop it unless he scored some sort of critical hit.

  This time, he struck out first—not allowing the Tygrex to keep the attacking momentum. Adam sprang forth, (Velocity Stride) activated as it flew. Lawruthian was right behind, momentarily causing the wyvern to hesitate on whom to focus. It hadn’t been given the time to build up a charge, and its attack options would now be limited.

  Lawruthian counted on his knowledge of its Theorized Weaknesses to formulate his next steps. He hadn’t checked its full range of abilities but what he saw was enough to generalize what the creature would do. In the background of his mind (The King’s Indifference) helped him analyze his next steps. (Political Mind) was silent as its main focus wasn’t present.

  Lawruthian moved to the left while he controlled Adam in a frontal attack. “(Sovereign’s Stride),” he activated, his steps suddenly accelerating that it appeared he no longer touched the ground.

  His goal was to combine and understand the skills of [Divine Sovereign of Edryan] his second class.

  The Tygrex reared back, its tail whipped the ground in challenge as it turned to face Adam. It deemed the golem the bigger threat from its much stronger attack. It pushed forward on its forelegs, its chest expanded for a single moment before it compressed as it released a might roar.

  “( Aegis of Faith ),” Lawruthian quickly summoned a barrier around him—he heard the sound of glass breaking as he began to use his true mana levels.

  Adam paused in its movement, but Lawruthian did not—the Tygrex’s roar would usually stun its prey or any who challenged it for territorial rights, giving it the opportunity to retaliate viciously. Unfortunately, the skill also left its center mass completely exposed for the duration of the ability. Lawruthian’s speed was quick—nearly a second passed from its (Roarquake) activation before he already upon it.

  His blade carved a nearly horizontal slash from the creatures left shoulder until its waist as it glowed with the light of (Sovereign’s Strike).

  The Tygrex buckled, and its eyes immediately turned a glowing red as it fell under a {Berserk} state. Lawruthian’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected the large creature to survive such a strike, but he didn’t hesitate to use a new skill in conjunction with the rest.

  “(Sovereign’s Edict),” he attacked—sword flashing with golden-white starlight.

  Lawruthian’s blade sunk deep, and he felt the creature buckled, threatening to fall on him with its massive weight. The Tygrex was just over twenty meters in length and stood at five meters.

  Many eyes watched Madris’s Chosen solely fight a four starred beast. General Ameri kept her fights close, ready to step in should need arise. Her consideration was unnecessary as It seemed Lawruthian defeated the creature with ease. Nearly two minutes passed since his initiation to battle the land wyvern, yet the creature hadn’t last the full time. Her eyes shinned with approval as she spoke to her cousin.

  “Do you see your difference? Even with armor as good as his, are you confident in defeating a land wyvern of such strength?”

  Ade Oni glanced at the victorious Chosen of Madris. He carefully held a hand to his golem as he applied a quick repair. His gaze scanned the battlefield and the other hidden threats in the hordes of beast that assaulted the Imperius Army.

  “He’s not much stronger—I might not be as fast, but I could do it,” Ade Oni stated confidently. He smacked his gauntlets together and rushed forward before General Ameri could respond—his target was a three starred beast that tossed a [Imperius Heavy Soldier] backward.

  The older woman shook her head. “Let him be stubborn—I’ve done my best uncle… blame Lady Oni for his ways.”

  General Alexandria exhaled in relief. She was confident in Lawruthian, but she couldn’t help but have a hint of worry about his safety. He was her Lord and much more. She sent him a message.

  “Well done, how’s your mana and stamina,” she mentally asked.

  “I’m still at peak—I’ve mainly used my buffer Life Points.”

  “Good. We could use your presence on the eastern flank, another one of those creatures is nearly here,” Alexandria stated, simultaneously ordering her platoon of [Imperius Archers] to fire. “This time, let some of our champions help you for the soldiers’ moral.”

  “I got it. It’ll be good to spread the burden. Who are you sending up?”

  “Lorde Drumian and Simra Enlar.”

  Above in the air, three figures watched the hordes of beast flooding the forest toward them. Their Intents spread out and allowed them a much broader view than the mortal eye.

  “Seems like they are surrounding us,” Liana commented. “Should we…?”

  The heavily armored, muscular woman hefted her shield-blade. Her hands itched for action.

  “No,” Queen Titiana stated, eyes on her sole son. Her eyebrows arched in concern. “Let them have the experience, such actions are beneath us now—wait for the calamities. Lawruthian, you are wasting mana and stamina,” she sighed, shaking her head.

  “Well, the prince does have little true combat experience. This will be good for his learning. Not every battle needs to be over instantly, although as one of his instructors I say he made the correct choices,” Liana responded.

  “Mmmmh,” Margret began. “He should have focused his attacks with magic and allowed his golem to do the close combat. His elemental choice for this battle is a mishap, wind or earth would have sufficed.”

  She tapped a black and white wand on her left palm, itching to fire a spell. She sighed before slipping the wand back into her sleeves. Queen Titiana was correct on saving the experience for the mortals. Any one of the woman could slaughter the horde below, either through hand or magic, in Margrets case. Barely half an attack would send the creatures to the Underneath Below, however the experienced the gain wouldn’t equate to a percent of what they needed to raise a new level. Only calamities could give them the trill of the hunt.

  “He’s still young, and he’s still finding his way—be thankful he no longer wears the golem as a second skin,” Liana chuckled. “That was…”

  The three ladies shared a smile and each let out a soft chuckle until it became a full laugh. When Lawruthian returned to the capital, he’d introduced his new… conceptual approach to utilizing golems in other effective manners. They understood his fascination with the man-made creatures, but to move past golem controlling to become the golem was not something they ever expected to see. It was such a radical idea that even the best of the researches gazed at Lawruthian with a strange gaze.

  “It won’t be his first…,” Queen Titiana waved her hand, using a term her son introduced her too. “…outside-the-box invention. This one is a far cry from his last.”

  She shook her head before he gazed settled on the Central Gate Army. “Order some men to assist the Imperius Army with the stronger four starred beast—leave all three stars and below to them.”

  Liana frowned, “they’re still a ways away from being able to conformably fight three starred creatures on a regular basis. Perhaps in another twenty levels…,” her voice trailed off as Titiana waved a dismissive hand.

  “They have already shed blood and become [Stormforged],” she looked fondly down on the Imperius Army. “Their predecessors are with them,” she nodded at the Central Gate Army, “they’ll have to live up to expectations.”

  “They’ll be fighting until dawn at this rate—should the forest continue attacks in this manner then we’ll be pushed off schedule,” Margret interjected.

  “That’s fine, Lawruthian’s army still lacks in certain areas. This will birth them a few champions outside our families.”

  The trio returned their gaze to the battlefield, back to the [Chosen of Madris] and his army.

  The wind whistle on this cloudy night—a section of the forest Wyvern’s Roost lit by (Mage Lights). The brightly changing moons were covered by said clouds, their light is not strong enough to penetrate them. The smell of spring was covered by the scent of blood—the red blood of saphens, magi, trickled into the ground. The same red blood of the beast flowed from the creatures they slayed.

  The army would carve their way deeper through a path of slain enemies and fallen allies. Fortunately, there was no need to worry about their supply of fresh meat.

  AN: Will you see more Monster Hunter-based creatures in Wyvern’s Roost…? Definitely LOL! The entire forest was based off one of my favorite series. Some of the areas of the world are based on my favorite games and shows!

  Thank you for reading BTBK. Read ahead here at , which is 31+ chapters ahead! All free members of the Patreon can access 5 chapters ahead (you can also read a few Patreon exclusive interludes—new one monthly)! If there are any grammatical mistakes, please comment below. I can only go further with your support!