It appeared unconcerned by the other Dusk rank demon still slashing away at its enormous leg. Clearly it was a team-level threat, like the thunder drake, though an entire rank higher. Ethan was sure it was exactly the kind of thing Valanor had wanted him to run from.
But to Ethan, it was also a pillar of wondrous light. It was power, and a chance to advance his skills…and something more. Without understanding how he knew, he was certain this demon could be used to awaken an ability from Tomo, although the powerful colossus didn’t seem the type to use a Mystic Affinity. Ethan hadn’t been able to stop himself from lashing out when he saw that light, feeling the tug of power.
Ethan had struck it just once–well, once himself and once with his reflection–curious whether he’d be able to damage the creature at all. He had also wanted to put [Predator’s Gaze] to the test, it having been meaningless against the ceritas they’d fought to get here. Those demons were so scrawny that their entire bodies had been a singular weak spot.
Against the gigas the skill made its value known, though. Ethan had struck at the demon’s ears, which were vulnerable to piercing attacks. Its eyes were as well, and he could tell that certain exposed bones, like kneecaps, were more vulnerable to impact attacks. While these facts weren’t exactly revelatory, Ethan could also see where the demon’s vital organs were, which was entirely different from humans.
Unfortunately, given how much strength and mana he’d needed just to pierce the giant’s delicate eardrums, it was unlikely Ethan would be able to make much use of any of this. Savilar and Valanor were likewise assessing the situation, neither looking particularly confident.
“We can do this,” Savilar said at last. “I’m not much use in direct combat, but I have a ritual that can use the rift’s power to augment a spell.”
Valanor looked at him suspiciously. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Rift Hunter relic. I’m trusting you both to keep that to yourselves–we need this rift sealed, there are more of those gigas on the other side. It’ll take time before they can pass through again, but we need to move quickly.” Something clicked for Ethan, and he recalled that in their battle against the ape-demons, the creatures had come across in nearly set intervals.
“I think I can hold it back for a time, but without support I can’t do much,” Valanor said, looking at the gigas who was now swatting slowly at the nimble ceritas, belatedly blaming it for the mysterious attack against its knees. “I also can’t take both of them.”
“The gigas will catch it soon enough,” Savilar said.
“No, I’ll deal with the skinny one,” Ethan said. “It’s better to leave it alive as another distraction. We kill it and the gigas puts its full attention on us, maybe even goes right for you, Sav.” Valanor turned to him, clearly wanting to argue. But a glance at the enormous rift, then back to the injured Savilar turned the objections into a sigh.
“Be safe.” He turned to the Rift Hunter, who looked pale and sickly from the poisonous attacks of the Dusk rank ceritas. “I can buy you ten minutes. Can you get it done in time?”
Savilar smiled back at his brother. “You hate that power. I better make this worth it,” he said, shuffling toward the rift without another word.
“I mean it, be careful,” Valanor said to Ethan.
“I’ll be alright. I can’t really hurt the big one anyway,” he replied. Valanor nodded, and moved toward the gigas at a jog. Ethan stayed back, curious about the mysterious ability. When the knight was halfway to the wildly scrapping demons, he stopped, and took a kneeling position.
A moment later, a runic circle appeared around him, though it shone like steel. Light flowed around the circle before pulsing back into Valanor…who began to grow. Ethan’s eyes widened as he watched the knight almost triple in size, before standing back up. He seemed to become bulkier as well, his body swelling inside armor that stretched to contain him.
The knight was barely two thirds the size of the gigas, but his enormous shield and warhammer gave him a menacing presence. As the other giant was swatting at the ceritas, that massive warhammer crashed into it from behind, and it spun to face the new threat, both heads howling in fury. Unfortunately the smaller demon was likewise drawn to the huge warrior, and Ethan had to make his move.
Deevee shot forward, and a rift took him behind the tall, gangly red demon. It was an odd perspective. They were effectively beneath the enormous gigas’s legs, and Ethan found himself in the odd position of being grateful demons didn’t appear to have sexual organs. Still, the massive legs were more than enough to worry about, as the giant began to clash with Valanor.
Ethan had already decided on how to approach this battle, and his reflection was there in a heartbeat. They both unleashed [Knife in the Dark] with their conjured blades, each one striking the dangerous tentacles at the back of the ceritas. The Dusk rank appendages were too powerful to be severed so easily, however, and the demon howled in pain before spinning around to face Ethan–or so it thought.
The real Ethan used another rift to appear behind the ceritas again, dismissing his reflection just in time to save it, and feeling a surge of mana return to him. Another [Knife in the Dark] lashed out, cleanly cutting through one of the tentacles as he simultaneously channeled Flare.
As the demon spun around once again, Ethan threw a dagger at its feet while leaping away from the three Dusk rank beings. A pillar of flame erupted from the ground, blinding the ceritas as Ethan cycled again, Mystic allowing him to become a [Trick of the Light].
The move was persistent, meaning it remained in place as he cycled back to Dimension, moving behind the demon once again as it desperately searched for him. Again he summoned his reflection, and they lashed out in unison to sever the other dangerous tentacle, its bladed end both rapid and deadly.
Unfortunately the demon was ready for him this time, expecting another sneak attack at its vulnerable appendages. A swift kick fired out behind it, the long powerful leg crashing through both Ethan’s copy and himself. As the reflection was destroyed, taking an enormous amount of his dimension mana with it, Ethan was flung backward, skidding across the ground before coming to rest before the Dusk rift.
He forced himself up, cracked ribs making breathing painful. He looked over to see Savilar in the center of a dark, golden rune circle, the angelic Familiar hovering above him. The Rift Hunter’s eyes were closed as he chanted a spell, though Ethan could see the pain on the man’s face as poison pumped through his veins.
Ethan turned back to the demons, seeing Valanor struggling with the gigas. The knight was in top form, his shield and warhammer used to expert effect, but giant’s Mystic Affinity had made itself known, an enormous stone club held in both hands as it smashed at its smaller target. Ethan doubted Valanor was prepared for such an assault, and knew he needed to help. Somehow.
He had his own problems though, as the wounded ceritas ran toward him. Fortunately Ethan had already taken out its most deadly weapons. He recognized these creatures from his visions with Tomo, and knew that the tentacles were far faster and more dangerous than the demon’s other methods of attack. Still, it was a Dusk rank monster, and he had to be careful.
A rift took him away from Savilar, and two daggers flew out to keep the ceritas’ attention. The explosions didn’t do much damage, but it kept the swift creature following Ethan, and he hastily moved back toward the massive combatants. Ethan leapt like Flagras, zigzagging across the battlefield to stay ahead of the pursuing demon’s slashing claws.
It wasn’t easy, the creature’s Dusk rank speed was remarkable, and Ethan was forced to resort to a combination of jumps and rifts to stay ahead. Even still, claws raked against his armor, and he was painfully aware that a few inches of hard leather was all that stood between him and death. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was once again back beneath the gigas.
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The tenor of the fight shifted as he suddenly had two massive legs to use for cover. The ceritas was hissing and biting with its horrible, face-encompassing mouth, but it was just enough larger than him that it struggled to move around the continuously shifting gigas. Its claws struck out over and over, always missing Ethan, but slashing repeatedly into the two-headed giant.
This was exactly what Ethan wanted. Every attack he baited and dodged meant more poison running through the gigas, which was still hammering away at Valanor, the twin heads screaming their fury at finding a target they couldn’t manage to crush. Between Ethan and the two Deevees, he managed to play cat and mouse quite effectively, the ceritas growing enraged as it chased him.
Unfortunately, the need to rely on rifts meant Ethan couldn’t cycle, and he’d already lost most of his dimension mana when the reflection was killed. He tried to rely more on his peak Dawn rank agility and Guardian’s body, leaping and diving with everything he had. He’d even occasionally jump up and stab into the gigas with his short blades, hanging there to buy himself some time.
During one of those moments, he glanced over at Savilar, seeing that the rune circle he was in was half filled with golden light. An object closer to the rift likewise glowed powerfully, and Ethan could only hope that the man was nearly finished. Ethan turned back to the battle, planning his next leap when a terrible pain exploded within him.
His body spasmed and he fell, crashing to the ground. He scrambled desperately to rise, certain the ceritas was about to kill him, only for the pain to come again. When he finally managed to look up, he saw what had happened, and why the demon wasn’t upon him in an instant.
The lank creature had danced backward, away from the gigas once it had captured its prey. In each hand it held one of Deevee’s bodies, both crushed. It tried to devour them, but the defeated Familiars disappeared into puffs of smoke. Ethan felt his Dimension Bond disappear, and he gasped at the strange lack–as if he’d lost a limb.
He made himself stand as the demon moved toward him once again, but he was disoriented. Ethan had never lost a Familiar in combat before, and despite having been assured they would slowly heal in the safety of his soul, the rational thought did nothing to alleviate the pain and fury.
Thankfully Revan heard his call, pouncing on the powerful demon while Ethan collected himself.
He slapped himself across the face, trying to focus. He knew he needed to call back his Familiar before he lost Revan the same way, and had to buy himself some time. He saw Revan’s claws layering on stacks of [Internal Combustion], understanding that there was plenty of flare mana to burn. Ethan decided to capitalize on that.
“Heaven’s judgment and earth’s burning tears, be joined forever in a symphony of destruction!”
Revan disappeared into a fiery red light an instant before the bolt crashed down from above. The ceritas shrieked in pain, and was the first target powerful enough to survive the attack. That meant the fire portion of the ability didn’t move into the ground, but instead lingered in the demon’s body. The numerous internal burns that Revan had slashed into the creature were multiplied, leaving its entire form glowing as ravenous heat burnt it from the inside.
It was still Dusk rank, however, and though it screeched in pain and anger, it went right back to chasing Ethan. He raced back toward the melee, noticing with concern that Valanor was increasingly pushed back, the power of his unusual trump card obviously fading. Ethan didn’t have a new plan, however, and decided that being as disruptive as possible was still his best bet.
He hurled three charged daggers into the ground behind him, then channeled Mystic, swapping his short blades for the kusarigama. He could see that the gigas had slowed somewhat from the demonic poison coursing through it, and Ethan could only hope that the foolish thing he was about to try would distract the two invaders a little longer.
He heard the three explosions behind him as the ceritas triggered his traps, but didn’t risk glancing back as he moved. His [Guardian’s Bound] ability let him jump twice his own height, and he planned to put that to work. He started by leaping up to Valanor’s shield, noticing with some distant amusement that the enormous knight spotted him, clearly confused.
Ethan kept going, leaping to the armor covered shoulder next, before turning and jumping toward the gigas. One of the demon’s heads watched him with similar confusion as the weighted chain of Ethan’s weapon wrapped around the giant’s raised arm. The other head never looked away from Valanor as it continued the attack.
Ethan swung under the creature’s arm, using his momentum to reach the demon’s shoulder. Absently he considered how much easier this had been when he could use rifts, but didn’t let the thought distract him as he retrieved his weapon, digging the sickle blade into the gigas’s flesh near its thick neck. With a lifeline in place, he risked a look down, confirming what he’d hoped to see as the enraged ceritas likewise climbed up the giant.
Ethan felt a stab of envy, lamenting that his climbing ability didn’t work on monsters. He quickly glanced at Savilar, seeing the golden circle three quarters full before continuing his plan to be as irritating as possible. The closest head was roaring at him, its black eyes filled with rage as its tusked mouth snapped. It reached up an arm to grab him, but Valanor immediately punished it for the move, his warhammer crashing into a kneecap.
More explosive daggers rained down on the climbing ceritas as Ethan used everything he had to be disruptive. Last Resort was only at three runes–he simply wasn’t doing enough damage–but nevertheless a powerful draw managed to blind one of the gigas’s eyes. Still, it was difficult to do anything graceful or precise as the mountain of a demon moved beneath him.
Finally the ceritas completed its climb, putting Ethan in further danger, but clawing its way up having indeed poisoned the giant further, and given the gigas another target to focus on. Valanor was likewise using every moment he could, shield and warhammer alternately swinging with remarkable strength.
As Ethan dodged between the two heads–both as large as he was–he prepared to leap back down. Content to try the entire maneuver again, he was looking for a safe way to drop when he saw that they had run out of time. Valanor was shrinking before his eyes, while also collapsing as if the weight of his own armor was too much for him.
Ethan dove off anyway, though he wasn’t sure what was left to do. The height was considerable, and despite his ability to land on his feet, he still collapsed from the momentum, rolling over and over to absorb the impact. As soon as he was up, he hobbled back toward Valanor, his ankles aching and his breathing labored from further injuring his ribs.
The pain was making it hard to think clearly, and he didn’t realize that the knight was waving him away until he was right next to him. He tried in vain to lift the man, surprised to find his new strength nowhere close to capable of the task. “How heavy is your god damned armor?” he grunted.
Valanor didn’t answer, seeming barely conscious. Ethan looked up, trying to gauge how long they had before their inevitable destruction. Thankfully the gigas was momentarily distracted, having dropped its conjured club to catch the ceritas that had been slashing at its already wounded head, which now hung limp. It roared as it tore the smaller demon in half, before it began devouring it on the spot.
“Dismiss your armor!” Ethan commanded, knowing that had only bought them moments. The knight did so, though Ethan could see that the man’s eyes were barely open after the helmet disappeared. He began dragging the knight toward the cover of the trees, surprised to find the Dusk rank warrior was still outrageously heavy.
A shadow settled over them, and Ethan looked up as the gigas loomed. Its club was back in hand, and it raised it slowly overhead.
“Go,” Valanor whispered. “Get to safety.”
Ethan was conflicted, trying to think of which of his abilities could possibly salvage the situation. He was about to try something truly crazy when he realized why the demon’s shadow was so pronounced, spotting the golden light growing behind it. He couldn’t see Savilar, the man being blocked by the giant, but Ethan could feel the raw power of the prepared spell.
As the club came down, the spell struck first. It descended like the wrath of the heavens, slicing right down the middle of the demon. From Ethan’s perspective, it was like a blade of pure energy bisected the gigs, right between the two heads.
The top of the club collapsed first, the conjured item disappearing into a cloud of magic before it hit the ground. The gigas fell to its knees next, and Ethan hastily began dragging Valanor back once again. Sure enough, the demon started to fall a moment later. It had truly been cut in half, and as its left side collapsed backward, its right toppled toward them.
Revan appeared in flash, and together they hauled the knight–who apparently had the density of a dying star–away in a desperate scramble. The enormous half of the demon crashed to the ground behind them, knocking Ethan off his feet. He allowed himself a few moments to rest, then made himself get back up.
He looked around the clearing, which was somewhat transformed. The rift was gone, presumably used up to power the deadly spell, and Savilar was collapsed in a heap. Ethan's first instinct was to rush to the man to offer aid, but his scarred hand only throbbed in pain at the thought. Instead he let out a long sigh, then began dragging Valanor around the demon corpse once more with Revan’s help.
He gave the Rift Hunter a cursory examination anyway. Savilar was in surprisingly good shape really, with only shallow wounds. It was likely just the poison and exhaustion that had finally brought him down. Still, Ethan bandaged what he could, doing the same for Valanor before moving slowly back to the demon.
Tomo appeared next to him as he channeled Mystic. “This gigas shares my Affinity,” he announced.
“I know,” Ethan replied. “I knew before we fought it.”
Tomo turned to look at him from under his round hat. “You saw it?” he asked quietly.
“I saw the light. I knew this was where I’d find power. Is it what we need?”
Tomo nodded, though it was another moment before the little Familiar turned his concerned gaze away. He scrambled over to the dead behemoth, and began to glow. Ethan took a few moments to loot the other monsters while Tomo did his work. Finally they two went back to the others.
Ethan set up a tarp over the two men, then retrieved wood for a fire. When he was convinced he’d done all he could for them, he finally sat down, and pulled up the system message. He read over what it said, and finally found a reason to grin again.
“Yup, that’ll do it.”
Also:
Ethan Bishop [Assassin] (3rd Dawn: 4%)
Ruin Affinity: (3/4)
- Knife in the Dark (5th Dawn: 22%)
- Fleeting Shadow (4th Dawn: 33%)
- Assassination (1st Dawn: 0%)
- Gain 3 more abilities to unlock!
Devee [Mind of the Devourer] (7th Dawn: 12%)
Dimension Affinity (3/4)
- Rift (5th Dawn: 42%)
- Dimensional Mantle (2nd Dawn: 87%)
- Hydra's Reflection (1st Dawn: 64%)
- Locked
Revan [Body of the Guardian] (7th Dawn: 47%)
Flare Affinity (3/4):
- Volatile Infusion (4th Dawn: 52%)
- Internal Combustion (3rd Dawn: 67%)
- Volcanic Bolt (1st Dawn: 14%)
- Locked
Onitomo [Soul of the Mystic] (8th Dawn: 85%)
Mystic: (3/4)
- Trick of the Light (5th Dawn: 21%)
- Many-Faced Blade (4th Dawn: 51%)
- Ghost in the Reeds (1st Dawn: 0%)
- Locked
What do you think of the this updated status screen for Ethan? (No system changes, just presentation)