Chapter 522: Putrid Core (conclusion) (1/2)

/Alpha: Pon: Almost done, making a small circle for kiting. What is that spell you're using?

/Alpha: Nix: A variant of my flame strands. I anchor them to the ground instead of trying to hold them.

Nix dusted himself off just as the creature broke free of the bindings. The Putrid beast was missing a barely discernable amount of health.

[Your legs have been damaged and will suffer a twenty percent movement penalty].

/Alpha: Nix: Wonderful...

/Alpha: Pon: Problem?

/Alpha: Nix: Yep. My movements are slowed by twenty percent.

/Alpha: Pon: That's going to make kiting problematic.

/Alpha: Nix: Thanks, genius. You may have to finish this bitch off without me.

/Alpha: Pon: Don't roll over and die on me.

/Alpha: Nix: Worst-case scenario, I die and visit Hyai for a few days while waiting for a rez.

/Alpha: Pon: Two minutes, and we're golden.

The creature stopped for a moment; it's body slowly starting to shift. The general humanoid form grew more distinct as a face with mouth and features appeared on its gruesome visage. The screaming faces of its victims were still visible in several places.

”You will both die here.” The voice was easier to understand; it was cold as winter and instantly made the two men uneasy.

/Alpha: Nix: It may be right... If something happens to me, you might want to think about retreating.

/Alpha: Pon: I was going to tell you the same thing.

****************

The cave bear sat on its enormous haunches, staring at the small entrance. There was a fight going on less than a hundred meters from where he sat, yet he could do nothing.

”That entrance is very small, too small for you.” A small creature pranced down through the darkness, its black fur making him difficult to see.

”Eron? What are you doing here?” Morti favored the spirit creature with a glance before turning his eyes back to the entrance. ”Fajii sent you?”

Eron nodded. ”Nix is worthy... Even he needs help sometimes.”

Morti huffed loudly, a sound that echoed off the rock walls of the narrow passage. ”Summons doesn't work in here, so I'm stuck.”

”Are you?” Eron turned up his black nose and walked by the cub without slowing down. ”You are worthy... Don't make me take that rating back.”

The cub flopped down on the floor of the passage with a loud sigh. ”I don't even know what that means.”

Eron paused for a moment, his dark eyes glittering. ”Remember our first meeting? Your spirit was broken, and your fur was gone. You had nothing, not a single friend. Haven't you turned into one of Inferno's strongest Heroes?”

***********************

Nix moved behind the stand of trees, limping to keep distance between himself and the Putrid beast that pursued him. It had decided to completely ignore Pon, no matter how much damage the Fire Mage called down upon him. It single-mindedly chased the Inferno leader, who was doing everything he could to maintain distance.

/Alpha: Pon: The fuck did you do to aggro this thing?

Nix's Emerald aura caused the surrounding vegetation to wither and burn; as the seconds passed, it grew brighter and hotter. The flickering green flame seemed to solidify for a moment before exploding outward into a series of rings that hovered around him.

[You have learned Insurrection: Salamandric Djinn]

Nix's body disappeared as the rings closed around him; an instant later, that disappeared, leaving an emerald figure hovering over the ground. ”Playtime is over, Asshat.”

The Djinn's body blurred as it flashed toward the beast, without pausing. It slammed into the creature, knocking it back several steps while causing both of its arms to burst into flames.

/Alpha: Pon: You walloped him, but look at your health, it's nearly gone.

The Djinn nodded. ”We have to find a way to finish this...” His words filtered off as several spells landed on him at once.

Eron has cast [Spritual Cleansing][Flowing Spirit][Vigil's Armor]

Triple combination successful.

Your spirit has been cleansed of all contaminants.

Your injured limbs have been healed.

Your Djinn form has rejected Vigil's Armor.

The diminutive fox pranced out of the dark entrance, its intelligent eyes taking in everything at once. ”Your health isn't recovering, Nix. That form is rejecting a full heal.”

The Djinn shrugged slightly; ever since the Dread Beast's appearance during the Krelandur, he felt like he was in a constant state of flux. ”Going to blame the dragons; they must have done something.”

Eron nodded. ”Sounds about right.

Eron has cast [Spirit Shackle].

The Putrid Beast has been temporarily restained.

Nix stared as the creature's body was suddenly wrapped in spirit shackles. It didn't seem to be in distress, actually just the opposite. ”It's being healed, Eron.”

The black fox nodded. ”It's the side effect of using this restraint on him. Even though you've managed to injure it, this is a battle we can't win without help.” Eron moved beneath the spot where Nix was hovering. ”Can you drop that form?”

Nix shook his head. ”Nope, already tried. It's on a timer.”

Pon took a long drink from his flask before putting more distance between himself and the Core beast. ”A timer? How much is left?”

Nix shrugged nonchalantly. ”It's counting down by threes, kinda slow actually, so there's no telling.”

Eron fixed him with a dark-eyed stare. ”By threes?”