"Fuck you.", Typhus said while he stared directly into the overgrown crocodiles retinas. Sasha opened its jaws wide while holding his arm like a hawk's talons in a rabbit.
Her companion had lost, even if dooming Sasha due to blood loss, Sophia would be alone once more. She had been witness to a titan fighting a gladiator, mutual destruction was assured between the two. In her mind that fact alone was astonishing but her imminent death at the hands of the ghouls petrified her in a hopeless effort to step in the fight.
A small upward tilt of Typhus's lip and a look of encroaching insanity made Sophia second guess her summation of the fight. He lifted his injured palm to Sasha's face and a small wisp of light made the lizard's eyes grow wide with concern.
Seeing the features of the lizard man's face for a flicker before a torrent of flame exploded from Typhus's hand directly into the mouth of Sasha. Hot enough to set the grass below them alight and warm Sophia's face to the point of sweating. Swirling in the same pattern she was shown the day prior, until it turned into a single blue color. Sparks, teeth, and meat flew from wherever the flame was being aimed.
Slowly, the lower jaw of the Mentor had sinew and flesh melt until it detached entirely, letting the flames fan out further around them until enveloping the whole crocodilian skull. Dropping to their knees Sasha fell with enough weight to shake the floor, the sudden movement their eyes pop from their head as they began rolling and scrambling for safety.
Typhus refused to risk an accident of thinking he had won until he heard that god damned ding.
His vision began swimming, blackness crept from every direction as he only upped the mana cost and aggression of the flames. Releasing their grip after several seconds of being burnt alive Typhus initiated the gamble he would bet his life on. Keeping the intensity of the flame he turned the spell inwardly to stop the flow and directed the worst of it straight to the pouring wounds on his arm before his consciousness slipped entirely.
a bonfire was raging with the massive silhouette of Sasha serving as the fuel source, moments after releasing Typhus its thrashing and screams ceased.
*Ding*
[Level inc-
Slumping to his knees, the shadow of Typhus in front of the bonfire fell in the same way Sasha had just before. Falling from his knees face first into the mud with a blackened and charred arm.
Laughing while slapping her forehead Sophia couldn't believe the frankly stupid genius she just witnessed. With the danger seemingly passed, she looked towards the tall red grass and was shocked to see no eyes, or movement. Light crescendoed on the horizon signaling the start of the morning, Typhus stayed unmoving on the grass meters away from the inferno that raged where Sasha had once stood confident of their victory.
Serene rolling hills were coated all around her from the sheer volume of blood both warriors had lost. Her breathing intensified as she came to grips with what just occurred and what it meant. Her hands were so clean, soft, well maintained, and shaking violently.
Shock.
She was in shock, like the first time she had opened a cadaver in Medical School. Ignoring the semi common occurrence at this point in her life she answered the call to action.
Running in the morning dew to Typhus who lay unconscious. The sun's glare from the droplets littering the plains tried to carve her attention away from the injured man. She was resolute in committing to helping the man she initially planned to leave behind the second they found others.
Coming to a knee beside him she began her work, deftly dressing and doing her best to clean the wound before dragging him an agonizing distance towards the town in the distance. Long lines were left in the morning mud thanks to the dew that demoralized her from how exhausted she was, from so little distance.
Having decided to fall into her mind rather than focus on her strained protesting muscles she noticed her hands had been steadfast since beginning dragging the dead weight of Typhus.
Moments like these were what she wanted when she was younger. To be worthy of being taken seriously, she needed to respond correctly in these moments of calamity. She noticed her hands shaking uncontrollably and jumped into her own memories. Written test after written passed with a boldened and underlined, 100% handed back to her. Ready to raise a dispute for anything else as she had multiple times.
Yet, when the moment required it in the real world, or real people, she couldn't control her cursed hands. Her path was to be a neurosurgeon, unsteady hands at crucial times were how really bad accidents happened. She was aware of that as multiple professors had warned, often as their opening statement to the entire course.
Doomed to fail is how she viewed her future, so what did this place really take? From her, a path she could not have walked down that was already half her life in the making. Here, she had a choice. Her gilded cage swung open, hell, it burst from its hinges.
*Ding*
[Skill Unlocked: Moments of Calamity- Having grown accustomed to circumstances working against you at the worst moments, you've gotten acumen in how to address the extreme as if ubiquitous. +5 strength +25 Control]
Sophia's strength had nearly doubled rapidly allowing a single powerful pull to nearly throw Typhus on top of her. Stepping back quickly the uneven footing of mud slipped out from beneath her but she was able to catch herself before falling and continued her trek.
Around noon she reached the 'city' but a grouping of houses felt more fitting. Wooden shacks of all sizes surrounded a massive central hole in the ground. Wary of their environment she propped Typhus up in the shade of one of the huts and sat there keeping watch over him.
Typhus knew he had a notification to get through and something bad happened, but he felt so tired.
'Well, that was really quite something'
A mental voice that felt so familiar but much smoother than any other voice so far.
'You know, I rarely do this but you've earned my interest in a way few others could even claim, human'
Through blurred vision the blackness around him coalesced into the shape of a shadowed body that stepped closer to Typhus before dozens of purple eyes appeared all over the entity.
He tried to respond to the statement but couldn't move his mouth. Moving a wisp of its figure the shadow motioned to its head then back to Typhus.
'Who are you? Or what are you? The ball?'
Maniacal laughter echoed around the void encompassing them.
'No, no, nothing so trite as a spawner. Though I will admit, in a way that's not wrong to label me. I've been called much worse things…'
The eyes swam amongst the shadows at the end of its statement before it continued,
'What I am, is you're Mentor, and now that you've slain one of my peers-' the eyes rolled in sync at the word. 'You've become one of us as well, which realllllly complicates a certain storyteller but! You've given me considerable leverage in this stage of the tutorial.'
New concepts and information were being thrown at him so fast Typhus didn't have time to process.
'Are you the one who took over Nocturne?'
Anger seethed from him at the remembrance of abandoning his friend.
'I cannot claim that either, but I'm aware of the one meddling, they will be dealt with in time. Now, I've come because the gift you've given me by slaying the oaf Sasha is something that I can't help but feel indebted for. Name your price. Not here and now but we shall see one another again on the tenth day. Have you're request ready then, also, let's call this an advance'
Shadows whirled around the pair until reappearing at the corpse of the gigantic lizard man. Two purple eyes leapt from the shaded entity into the lizard man's skeleton staining the bones purple. Hauntingly graceful the creature stood upright and walked down the trail left by Sophia.
Watching its tail swing behind it a sense of panic rose from Typhus. Floating between the 3 meter tall skeleton and Typhus the shadowed body communicated,
'Not to worry, they are like the one you summoned, relatively mindless for now, but with the ability to level that almost no undead is capable of doing mind you, when they reach you simply hold the book out and declare, Necrominus Tempero.'
It was Typhus now who stifled a giggle making the dozens of eyes go wide.
'How audacious, I can't remember the last time I've heard a laugh other than my own. What is funny to you?' Expanding menacingly the shadows grew in the air with the eyes flickering around Typhus.
'I just didn't think saying spells out loud would matter, it's a bit funny because I don't know why that could possibly matter? I meant no offense.'
Retreating into itself the eyes spun in a perfect circle while the shadows spoke,
'Sound is vibrations through the medium of the air, air is oxygen, nitrogen, and other components that comprise it. By speaking we are directing those elements as frequencies through the act of speaking. Spells work more like a call and response, or think of a radio. You reach into a frequency of magic by ordering your words, if done correctly and with enough prowess, control, and precision. You create magic, which is known as a spell. This isn't even close to enough to make a mage, but it is a start. Enjoy it.'
Stunned Typhus absorbed the lesson greedily, cursing the inability to write the information down for recall later.
'Thank you for telling me this. What is it that you want?' Typhus doubted this was something that came without a price tag seeing how they already were talking like someone trying to have a give and take conversation.
'Something I've stated just now, I'd like to make a mage.'
Without warning Typhus's eyes shot open with a gasp startling a napping Sophia into grabbing the hut she rested on hard enough to make a loud knock.
Breathing heavily and sweating Typhus ran through the avalanche of thoughts that persisted after that conversation but this came first. "Do you still have that book?! The purple skull one?!" He grabbed Sophia's shoulders hard while asking. "Yes! Yes, I grabbed it before we left!"
She ripped the book from the waist band on her hip and showed it to him.
"Okay, follow me, and memorize this phrase, Necrominus Tempero, and I cannot properly emphasize how important it is that you don't mess it up that last round really hurt."
Standing while relying on [Dark Regeneration] he traced the trail back to the lumbering Lizardman making its way towards them. Spotting them in the distance it raised its head and started half skipping half running towards them. Considerably lighter without its flesh it was almost silent due to the bones not actually touching when running, separating itself from Nocturne who couldn't even move without creaking.
grinning while holding Sophia in front of him who clutched the book with a death grip while watching the massive undead charge at them, Typhus spoke, "Okay Sophia, it's time to make a mage!"