Chapter 58 – Crystal defenders

  Fire clung to the Ushi as it struggled to pull itself back to its feet. Jack’s net didn’t withstand Daniel’s spell, but that was okay. He didn’t intend for it to last long. The Ushi didn’t waste time, throwing several globs of acid at everyone in sight. People dodged and activated defensive skills to stop the acid from getting on them.

  Jack jumped back into the fray alongside Victor and Zajowle. Victor slammed his giant Morningstar into the Ushi, breaking off more of its armored carapace. Sylvian followed up Victor’s attack shooting arrows into the unprotected flesh underneath. Victor only managed to land three solid hits before the Ushi had recovered enough to fight back.

  Zajowle made use of the Shadow Shifting skill alongside Jack. Appearing and disappearing as he stabbed the Ushi with his daggers whenever possible, never staying in one spot long.

  The Ushi met their attacks forcing them to go back on the defensive. Its claws tried to find an opening, but Zephyr was back buzzing around the creature’s head, using her light spell to continuously blind it and stop it from being able to aim properly. Ciao added her own attacks to the Sylph, sending needles of light and darkness directly into the creature.

  “Go for its eyes,” Zephyr called out to Ciao. Immediately, bright-white needles started appearing stabbed into the Ushi’s eyes.

  “Watch out for its sonic attacks,” Jack added. “It doesn’t need to see you for that.”

  The Ushi trashed in pain from the light and needles, knocking Victor across the floor. Zajowle appeared on the creature’s head. He managed to stab it twice before disappearing once again. The Ushi let out a screech of pain, causing most to fall to their knees from the force of its voice.

  The moment everyone was down, it made another rush for the crystal. Jack was ready for it though and summoned another shield blocking its way. The Ushi slammed into the new obstacle, bouncing off it and crashing to the ground once again. It roared in frustration as Jack summoned another shield on top of the creature. The shield pinned it to the ground, preventing it from standing back up. The moment the new shield appeared, the first one broke apart.

  The Ushi struggled against the new pressure holding it down. The shield started to crack as it put more force into rising, lifting with its legs, but Jack focused his Mana and willpower on the shield trying to hold it together.

  “Hurry,” Jack yelled. He could feel his blood pounding in his head from the effort. “I can’t hold it for long.”

  “We got this,” Bryant called from behind him.

  Several bolts of light started pelting the creature’s face as Bryant sent one Mana Bolt after another as fast as he could cast them. Elizabeth and Sylvian joined him, adding their arrows to his barrage as Daniel sent Lightning bolts into the creature. The combination of all the spells started showing some effect as the creature began to bleed and break apart from the onslaught.

  The Ushi spat acid and sent sonic blast in every direction it could. Everyone made sure to avoid the acid, but the blasts were too fast for most to avoid. Zajowle and Jack were hit and flung back from the impact, breaking Jack’s concentration over his shield spell. The shield broke apart an instant later as the creature moved to stand up again. Victor was there the next instant, moving to intercept. He slammed it back into the ground with a well-place downward strike of his Morningstar.

  The Ushi swiped at Victor, cutting into his legs and pulling him to the ground. It didn’t stop there. It grabbed onto Victor and tried to pull him into its snapping mouth. Elaine moved to help, appearing on the backside of the Ushi and sending another taser shot into it causing it to spasm on the ground. Both Victor and the creature took the hit of Elaine’s electrical charge, but it was enough to make it let go of Victor. Victor immediately moved to get away from it, but his torn leg didn’t let him move quickly. Reuf was already there, pulling Victor away from the creature’s reach. They scrambled away as it tried to reach for him again.

  The Ushi stood up just as another lightning bolt slammed into its chest. It let out a scream of anger as its carapace began to heat up. The chitin armor began to change from a deep black to bright red. Jack could feel an intense heat coming off the creature now. It reached out for Elaine who was the only one in reach. She shifted away just in time as the creature’s claws clamped down on the now empty air she had just been standing at. Fire burst in its hand, burning nothing but showing what would have happened if she had been a little slower. With Elaine gone, the Ushi shifted its focus. It turned away from the crystal and went after the next closest group.

  Reuf and Victor were still nearby, neither had gotten far away, and no one was able to get close in time. Jack tried to intercept the creature, but he was a second too slow. The Ushi rushed the two. Reuf only had enough time to push Victor toward Jack before the Ushi was upon him. Jack shifted, dragging Victor out of the fight before moving back to help Reuf.

  The Ushi slashed and bit at Reuf, each attack passing through him harmlessly as Reuf’s form broke and shifted like vapors in the air. Reuf stood there, keeping the creature’s attention as fire, acid, and talon like claws continued to try and rip through him. The lack of anything of substance to touch only served to increase the beast’s fury.

  “We need to pull it off Reuf,” Daniel called as he channeled another lightning bolt into the creature. “His mist form won’t last long under that.”

  As though in answer to his plea, a hammer came flying out of the jungle, slamming into the back of the Ushi’s head, followed immediately by a roaring dwarf charging towards the creature. Savgar shoulder bash the Ushi with the force of a truck. He knocked the Ushi across the floor and to the edge of the cliff. He was joined a moment later as Teresa, Rayne and Sia rejoin the fight.

  Several more arrows began to pelt the Ushi. The heat of its new form must’ve had the downside of making its armor more malleable, because now arrows and weapons were no longer bouncing off its carapace. They tore into the creature’s flesh as Teresa and Victor worked to push it closer to the edge. Savgar only stopped long enough to pick up his Warhammer before joining them at the front.

  The Ushi, as though sensing what they were trying to do, fought back with a desperate frenzy. Reuf pulled himself back, throwing out heals on the front fighters whenever they needed.

  Daniel and Bryant continued to pelt the creatures with spells, and Jack added his own Fire spell into the mix. But it was clear fire was having little to no effect on the creature now. Focusing on the spell, he worked to shift the affinity. His Mana Manipulation skill mentioned he should be able to change the affinity of his spells now, but he had never tried to do it yet. Mentally, Jack was cursing himself for not testing the limits of his abilities.

  Fortunately, he had worked with his Shadow Shifting spell so much now, that he already had a feel for what Darkness affinity was like. He focused on that feeling now, trying to draw it into the flame. As he watched, the flame in his hands started to shift until the color changed from its usually bright yellow and orange to a deep black and purple flame.

  Jack didn’t wait to admire his work. He added this new flame into the mix. The new flame clung to the creature like oil, and the screech of the creature was all the proof Jack needed of its effectiveness. He continued to throw more of the dark fire as everyone worked to finish off the creature.

  “Are we trying to knock it over the edge?” Daniel called out to the others. “I can do that but will need everyone to get out of the way at the right time.”

  “No!” Savgar yelled in answer. “There is no guarantee that will kill this thing. I want to see it dead. Knocking it over, last resort only. Watch out, its about to scream or spit more acid.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The Ushi reared back once again. An idea came to Jack, and he summoned another of his shields once again. This time he positioned it right in front of the creature’s mouth as a glob of acid crashed into the shield. The acid cracked the stone and fell back onto the Ushi melting its carapace and dissolving several of its limbs. It fell to the ground still struggling as Teresa brought her sword down, cutting through into its head and killing it.

  The fighting came to an abrupt end as the System window appeared in front of everyone, confirming the kill.

  *You have killed Ushi*

  -Experience gained

  Several people crashed to the ground. Reuf was already going around making sure everyone was alright. Jack tried to join him to help, but his Mana was dangerously low. He pulled out a Mana potion, downing it in the hope that it would help. It only managed to replenish a small portion of his Mana.

  “It really isn’t worth keeping trash rank,” Jack sighed, but got up and joined Reuf. Reuf was already taking care of the worst of the injuries. Most of the things that were left were busted eardrums and acid burns. With time, those that went through the Trial should regenerate back to perfect health. If the wound wasn’t major, they often chose to leave it to help train the skill.

  Savgar was distraught looking over his armor. “Masterwork armor!” Savgar moaned. “My first masterwork creation. Forged every plate, bent every chain. The hours of pounding out impurities for every ounce of metal that went into it. Cost me hundreds of gold coins. A month of work. Nothing more than scraps now.”

  “Maybe you can make a new armor?” Jack suggested. “Something even better?”

  “It was masterwork!” Savgar growled. “Do you have any idea what that means?”

  “No,” Jack admitted. “But I always figured you were one of those always looking to improve. Can’t do that if you are constantly looking at what you already did.”

  “Maybe you have a point,” Savgar sighed. “Might be time I set my eyes on becoming a true Essence Smith.” He said the last part almost wistfully.

  “I did get the blueprint of an advance rank workshop that includes a smith,” Jack said. “Maybe we can work on setting that up?”

  “Superior would be better,” Savgar grinned. “Rare even better. Afterall if you are going to build something, it might as well be the best it can be, so we should go Epic or Mythical for the smith.”

  “I think we might be a long time away from being able to make something like that,” Jack chuckled.

  “Well,” Victor started. “Suppose that is something to look forward to.”

  They chose to loot the Ushi rather than breaking it down manually for parts. It dissolved into a large amount of chitin material, another Apex monster core, and a two-handed fan. It all went into Savgar’s Storage for the time.

  “We are not going to the next settlement stage until we have a trained army,” Savgar said. Several people nodded their agreement.

  “Was it worth it?” Teresa asked. “What did we get for all that?”

  “Like from the creature, or the challenge?” Jack asked.

  “Both,” Zajowle said.

  “Some material that might make decent armor maybe,” Jack said. “There was another Core, suppose if someone really wants, they can use it for cultivation.”

  “Pass,” Victor said. “Not sure what that thing was, but I am pretty sure no one wants to take on its traits.”

  “It’s an Apex core,” Jack said. “We have two of those now.”

  “That could be useful,” Reuf said. “Apex cultivation is difficult though. Some tyrians attempt it.”

  “Many tyrians die trying that,” Sia warned.

  “It wouldn’t suit my path,” Reuf assured her.

  “We also got a fan,” Savgar said pulling it out. “Might be a weapon.”

  Zajowle picked it up, inspecting it. “It is a weapon. The wielder can create sonic blast using their Mana and direct it through the fan. It might also help people to learn how to create a sonic attack spell naturally as well. Best for someone with Air Affinity.”

  “Suppose that is something,” Teresa said. “How long was that fight? I feel like I just woke up, but I am exhausted already.”

  “Healing magic can sap your energy,” Reuf said. “It has only been a few hours into the day. But that should have completed the quest at least. We should rest.”

  “We need more arrows as well,” Rayne said. “We went through most of our stock during that fight.”

  Jack groaned. “We need some kind of automated process for making arrows.”

  “It’ll get faster as our skills improve,” Elaine said.

  “I also leveled,” Bryant said. “Says I can pick my classes now.”

  “Er, same here,” Elizabeth told them.

  “Congrats,” Jack said, pulling up his own notification. There were a lot of them, but several messages caught his eyes first. “We also have a few decisions to make about the camp.”

  *Settlement: Phoenix (Camp) has gained five race traits (0/5)*

  Each species can choose one trait. Trait must be chosen by a representative of that species.

  Assign representative?

  Y/N?

  Choose your Race trait?

  Y/N?

  “It says that each species involved in the settlement can choose one trait, but it must be chosen by a representative of that race, so who will it be?”

  “Should be obvious for some of us,” Savgar said.

  “Yeah, for you and Reynard, but what about for the elves, humans, and I am assuming Reuf will represent the tyrians?”

  “Yes,” Reuf said. “That will work.”

  “Rayne can represent the elves,” Sylvian said volunteering her.

  “Me?” Rayne stammered. “But Alzona should be the one.”

  “She isn’t here right now,” Sylvian said. “Is it possible to change the person later?”

  “Let me check,” Jack started.

  “Yes, it’s possible,” Jasper answered before Jack could look. “It’s a simple matter for the owner to do.”

  “Who would be the owner?” Jack asked.

  All eyes turned to look at him. “Me?”

  “It is soulbound to you,” Jasper said simply.

  “That was because there was little choice,” Jack said. “I was just the only one able to remove it. I don’t want to be the owner.”

  “Little choice on that now,” Reynard said.

  “Alright then what about humans?” Jack asked. “Daniel, I assume.”

  “What? Me? No!” Daniel stammered. “I have no interest in politics.”

  “Then Victor or Teresa? Elaine?” Jack suggested hopefully.

  “Hard pass,” Teresa said. Victor and Elaine just shook their heads.

  “I think it should be you,” Victor said. “You’re already the owner. Might as well skip the middlemen.”

  “You’re just saying that so you don’t have to,” Jack muttered. “This sucks, I can’t run a town.”

  “It’s just for now,” Elaine said. “We’ll find other people to run it later.”

  “If it helps,” Jasper said. He was looking through several of the System screens on the crystal alongside Jack. “It does say you can assign someone bonded to you as an assistant. One of us Familiars should count. We can help to manage the town growth until you can find someone better.”

  “Fine,” Jack said. “But I’m on the record for saying this is a bad idea. Who should I assign? My first thought would be you, Jasper, but is it something you want to do?”

  “Either me or Ciao would be good choices,” Jasper said.

  “I will not be tied down with administration work,” Ciao complained from somewhere nearby.

  “Then I’m fine with it,” Jasper said.

  Jack assigned the representatives and assistant in the Foundation Crystal. Everyone pulled up their notification as they discussed the different traits to choose. They settled on some basic choices for the first trait. As the Foundation crystal gained in strength and the settlement advanced, they would get access to more. Each race had their own traits that were specific to their people, but some had similar traits to choose from.

  Rayne chose increased plant growth for the elves’ trait. It was a specific elven trait and would help speed up tree growth for their structures along with fruits, vegetables, and herb growth. Savgar went with what he said was standard among the dwarves and chose increased production. With it, people would get a boost to manual work and crafting speeds, and it should have an immediate effect once they started making more arrows.

  Reuf went with increased hunting. It was an unusual trait specific to the tyrians that none of the others had heard of before. With it, the area around the camp would encourage small game population growth and would also increase the number of materials you can get off looting beasts in the area.

  Reynard spent the longest of them all looking over the selection of traits. Like the humans, he had never seen any of the options available to beasts. He did mention that other beasts have joined cities in the higher realms before, but even then, they didn’t have access to a whole domain to control. Eventually he settled on a trait called spiritual bounty. It would increase the chance of spiritual treasures forming in the area. The chance of these forming naturally was rare, and it was something beasts needed to improve themselves, but they could also be used in crafting or cultivation.

  Jack had a tough time deciding what would be best for their trait. This was the first time humans had a settlement, so no one knew what would be best to choose and everyone had different opinions on the matter. Ultimately, they settled on something that they thought would be useful in all cases. Increased skill growth was something that none of the other species had heard of, making them certain it was a purely human trait, but due to the way the city was designed, everyone should gain the benefit of all the traits. Something everyone was happy to take advantage of.

  Once they set their traits in the System, the crystal began to glow. Jack could sense Mana begin to fill the area and funnel into the Foundation Crystal. As they watched, the crystal began to change shape as a five-foot pure white sapling grew from the ground embedding the crystal into its trunk. The tree looked like a smaller version of Arbour.

  *Challenge Complete: Camp Phoenix formed*

  Akashic Amalgamated Foundation Crystal – Level 1

  Designate Domains? (5/7)

  Traits chosen(5)

  -Increased Plant Growth

  -Increased Production

  -Increased Hunting

  -Spiritual Bounty

  -Increased Skill Growth

  *Reach crystal level two to unlock requirements for next settlement upgrade*