"Exceptional! Truly exceptional!"
A long rift runs the length of the central hall floor and up the walls. Long, sharp cracks have spread out around the point of origin, where Elizabeth's sword is stuck into the floor.
"Woah!"
"Unbelievable!"
"I've never seen anything like it!"
Astonished gasps and murmurs emanate from every corner of the hall. I see the council members whispering together in shock. Vol shoots me a big grin from beside Elizabeth.
The reaction may have been more intense than expected, but our plan had worked. Apparently, the effect had been so extreme that the council must have decided not to throw me out, right then and there, because they never called a hearing for my expulsion.
The king and Cerla stayed for a few hours longer, catching up with Elizabeth, Vol, and I. The king was a surprisingly pleasant man, but before he left, he tried to recruit me one last time.
"Are you sure you won't join us? You'd be an exceptional addition to our magic researchers."
"Like I said, I'd rather stay here with Vol and Elizabeth."
The king turned, hopeful, to Vol and Elizabeth.
"Not interested," they said, simultaneously, before the king could even get his question out.
"Ah-ha-ha, I should've known."
The existence of the artificial mana store has spread quickly throughout Rosewood. The crack of Elizabeth's sword striking the floor could probably be heard through the entire city.
After seeing our demonstration, the elven council requested regular updates on our research. It seems like Vol has come around to my way of thinking now, though. Following the request, we agreed to give them delayed and diminished information. For the time being, we'll be keeping the method of creation a secret, as well.
I need to make sure that nobody tries to throw us out of the process. This might be the only way I'll be able to defeat the Demon Lord.
---
It has been a few months since the king's visit, and Vol and I have continued our research. Now with the close aid of Elizabeth, and direct funding from the council, we've started splitting our time more evenly. Sometimes we'll work from the academy, and sometimes from home.
Every now and then, we'll test our new creations on the mountain, where it's safe to apply the full power of the artificial mana stores. We'd prefer to avoid carving another room in half, like we did with the academy's hall.
Even Elizabeth has started getting caught up in our madness, the three of us working late into the night sometimes. Tonight is one such night.
"Would it be possible to embed a different spell into each section, so you can change which spell to cast by moving the AM-store?" Elizabeth inquired.
At some point, we've started shortening the artificial mana stores to "AM-stores." Considering how often we've started talking about them, it was only a matter of time.
Right now, we're working on a new magic tool. If everything goes according to plan, I'll soon be able to use magic again, albeit limited.
"Hm, that could work, but it might be too inefficient in a proper battle," I say.
"Oh-oh-oh, what if we make a mechanism that moves the AM-store around by itself??" Vol asks, excitedly.
"Maybe we could attach the AM-store to a rail and have it move to a different location with a switch," I suggest.
This is our seventh time iterating on the concept. It'll be very expensive to construct, so we need to get it right. None of us are skilled enough at metalwork to mold the metal ourselves, so we'll need to commission a smith, too. It's our most ambitious project yet, but once it's done, I think I'll be ready to start my hunt.
*Rumble*
Huh? What was that?
Vol and Elizabeth must have heard it too because they suddenly stopped talking. All three of us are standing still. Listening.
Another massive rumble breaks the silence, and sounds of cracking follow. They're loud, but somehow muffled, like they're coming from far away. We hurry over the the front door and out onto the main street to look around. Some of our neighbors are coming out to look as well, kids hiding behind the parents.
There it is again. That cracking sound. Where it it coming from?
Spinning around in every which direction, I search for any sign of the source.
The others on the street are still looking around, frightened.
I stop.
My eyes are fixed upon the mountain. There's another series of loud cracks and crunches. Tremors shake the ground. It's like the earth is quaking in fear.
Vol and Elizabeth see it now, too.
*RROAAARRRRRR*
*CRACK*
There, latched to the side the mountain that took us two days to climb, is a massive beast. No, "massive" is an understatement.
There's only one way to describe its absolute size.
It's gigantic.
Nearly half the size of the mountain, the horror seems to loom above us, casting a shadow across the city. Calling it a beast would be kind. It's a monstrosity.
There can be no doubt about it now.
Maybe it's my leaking mana. Maybe it's something else.
Either way, something is attracting them to me.
Those things.
The greater monsters.
This greater monster is clearly different from the last one. Many times the size of even the tallest trees, its grip on the mountain is causing it to crack. It can barely even hold the monster's weight, let alone the pressure exerted from its clutches.
Instead of having two arms and two legs, the beast appears to have 4 long, powerful arms, much like a gorilla's, with 6-fingered hands at the end. Somehow, despite the fact that it could crush several buildings with just a finger, that isn't the most terrifying thing about it.
That would undoubtedly go to its head. Or, rather, its skull. It has no skin or muscle tissue of any sort, and the deep holes in its head reveal nothing behind them. No eyes. No brain. No blood.
How do you even kill such a creature?
Well, I'm sure as hell going to try.
But first, I need to get Vol out of here.
"Vol, get to safety in the academy! Bring anybody you see on the way and fortify it!"
"R-right!"
He's a skilled magician, but not exactly a fighter. The academy is the safest place for him. It has magical tools, weapons, and tons of skilled researchers. The fact that it's floating adds to its fortification, although I doubt it'll make a big difference with this particular monster.
"Elizabeth!"
"I'm not going anywhere!"
Ha. I grin to myself. I can't help it. It's been centuries since I've really fought with someone I trust by my side.
My grin fades quickly as another deep roar from the monster shakes the ground.
How *do* we fight something like that? I still can't cast magic, and if Elizabeth is going with me, I can't lend her sword. And what if I did lend her sword? What do I cut?
The head would ordinarily be a surefire shot, since that's where the brain is kept, but if it doesn't have a brain, what do I do?
No.
My eyes glance quickly over the creature's body. Any large creature needs both a heart and a brain, and this one is especially large, so it needs to be able to pump blood all throughout the body, while still getting enough into the brain. So the best anatomical location to place both of those would be...
Directly in the center.
Looking closely, the creature's back curves upwards towards the lower back. If that's to fit the ribs, then that's where the heart must be.
If I take Elizabeth's sword, she'll be left with nothing to fight with. She would be practically useless. But she could probably slice through the stomach with some effort, now that she can use my mana via the AM-stores.
In other words: I need to be the distraction.
Okay, but how do I distract something that-
*WROARRRR*
*CRACK*
Oh. That's what that sound is.
The giant monster has leapt from the mountain with an earth-shattering roar. The mass of rock crumbled into pieces behind it, but that wasn't the cracking noise.
When it jumped, it broke the sound barrier. That was the crack.
The beast lands with a crash, right in the middle of the city. The street cracks in two and buildings turn to dust all around it. I have to yell over the whirlwind of noise for Elizabeth to hear me.
"Elizabeth! Give me one of the AM-stores! I'll distract it!"
Pulling a particularly large one off her belt, she throws it to me.
"Aim for the stomach!" I yell, as I set off in the direction of the monster.
Its body fills most of the city, so it's not a very long run. It looks like Elizabeth has already figured out my plan, as I see her sprint off to the left side of the monster, flanking it.
A creature with no eyes still needs a way to see. Some animals do this using sound, but this monster doesn't even have ears. It has something else, though. Just like all monsters, humans, and elves, it, too, has a mana store. Its mana flows across the city like thick waves.
If my theory is correct, it's periodically releasing mana to perform something similar to echolocation. That's an impressive level of mana control.
All of a sudden, a memory flashes across my mind. A muffled scream.
"RUN!!! IT-IT'S CASTING MAGIC!!""
If that last greater monster could use magic, then perhaps this one, too?
I start questioning my choice to rely on Elizabeth, but we're too deep in to do anything about it now. I just need to be ready to draw focused fire, in case this greater monster is somehow also able to use magic.
The AM-store in my hand glows brightly.
Suddenly, I feel something on me. Not physically, like a hand, but more like a pressure or a wave. Like something is staring at-
MOVE
Just in time, I cast my body to the side as hard as I can. A massive hand crashes down beside me, throwing me down the street like a hurricane. I bash into buildings, broken tiles, and splinters, before finally getting caught on something and falling to the ground.
The now familiar sensation of buzzing returns to my head. This is just a repeat of the last greater monster. Without my magic control, my body is just too weak. I try to move and feel a harsh spike of pain running through my arm.
Shit, it must be broken.
Using my other arm, I push myself into a standing position. I glance behind me and realize what caught me.
It's a long chain constructed of meter-thick, reinforced steel. This is one of the chains holding down the academy. I'm standing directly beneath it.
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