NOVEL WEB Late Cost
In the middle of the night, deep inside the forest, under an old and broken well, a fight is about to happen. Kael is facing his own creation, a figure he called the “Silver Knight”.
The figure lost its past luster, it’s now a piece of dark, rusty armor. It’s filled with damage all over its body, revealing an empty space inside the armor. It was evident that it’s on its way out, as it lacks the mana it needs. But Kael, the creator of the figure, was still cautious not to move in haste.
Kael stepped forward, and the figure mirrored him. He stopped, looking at the damaged rapier held by the figure. He looked at the crystal, recalling that the figure will not attack someone with its master’s magic. So, he decided on a single goal. He must get “Late Cost” before the knight cut him to pieces.
Kael stepped again, this time multiple times, and the knight mirrored him. Slowly, their distance from each other decreased, the tension rising for Kael. After a while, he was within the knight’s attacking range, but the knight didn’t attack him yet.
He looked at the crystal again, trying to estimate how much time it would take him to get it. Two and a half seconds, if he will allocate fifteen units of mana for speed boost, and five units for the boost’s duration. He walked to the right, and the knight do so too. At the right time, before they reached the right side of the chamber, Kael should make his move.
‘Why am I doing this? I thought I gave up’
Kael looked at the movements of the knight and then..
[Speed Boost]
He turns to the left, hurling away from the knight. He ran directly to the crystal, reaching for it.
He sprints, he reaches for his limit. He springs forth, not looking at the knight.
‘There it is’
Kael was half a second away. He thought he could do it, but the knight didn’t allow him to get nearer. In an instant, the knight was in front of him, its damaged rapier raised above its helmet.
Kael pressed all his momentum to his right foot, the blade closing in on him. He dodged, but his sudden movement made him slip, hitting his back on the floor. However, he had no time to register the pain, the blade was already slashing down at him. He rolled, then he mustered all his strength to retreat and get away.
The knight didn’t chase after him. Instead, it moved to the center, blocking Kael’s view of the crystal. It assumed its guarding stance, its sword vertically positioned in front of it, its metal arms resting above the sword.
Kael returned to his initial position where he can suffer from the pain without interruption. He forgot to apply some defense for his body, too focused on getting to “Late Cost” as fast as possible. He had time to recover his mana. He breathed in, and revised his plan.
‘Why am I doing this? Will they remember me if I succeed?’, Kael thought while walking to the knight.
He will try again, wanting to get his power back. Once again, he was in front of the knight.
“Show some respect to your master”, Kael said, but the knight didn’t move. “Okay then, I will make you remember”
Kael breathed, gathering his focus on his new goal. He will beat the knight, he will not pursue his power.
[Strength Boost]
He used twelve units.
[Defense]
He used eight units.
He punched the knight’s arms, but his attack didn’t do any damage.
‘I should really give up’, Kael thought, breathing deeply to recover his mana as fast as possible.
The knight didn’t move from the attack. As long as the crystal is in no threat of getting stolen, the knight will not make a move.
[Flame]
Kael used twenty units.
The knight burned, and a little crack formed on its helmet before the fire vanished.
“This is flawed. Good thing I get to you before anyone else”
Kael breathed deeply again, but it was a little different this time.
“Let’s play a bit”
[Speed Boost]
Kael rushed to the crystal. The knight moved in front of him in an instant. He dodged the slash, and did a focused breathing.
[Flame]
A burst of flame engulfed the knight. It didn’t mind, raising its sword again. Kael dodged, breathing deeply once more.
[Speed Boost]
The enhancement stacked, but Kael was still not fast enough. He dodged another slash. He’s smiling, enjoying the little fight. He breathed again deeply.
“You’re too predictable”
[Speed Boost]
The enhancement stacked again.
[Strength Boost]
He replenished mana too fast that it looked like he had more than twenty units to use.
[Strength Boost]
His power stacked, but his punch just made a dent.
[Strength Boost]
The initial enhancements ran out of their duration, but Kael’s stacking kept raising without a problem.
[Strength Boost]
He dodged another slash.
[Flame]
His flame had the same effectiveness.
[Strength Boost]
He looked at the crystal.
[Strength Boost]
Then, he punched the knight’s chest. The impact made a booming sound, shattering the armor, but the knight can still fight.
[Flame]
Kael breathed in before the flame hit.
[Cold Touch]
The flame struck the knight. Kael dodged another attack. The flame lingered, Kael touched the knight’s head.
The flame vanished suddenly, then, the whole armor acquired significant breaks.
“Let’s finish this”
[Strength Boost]
On impact, the armor shattered, the knight’s legs unable to support it anymore. It fell down, worsening the damage. The knight attempted to leap using one of its arms, but its arm broke apart. Seeing this, Kael breathed in, and ended the fight. He waited for the last of his enhancements to dissipate, then, he walked to the crystal.
The glow of the green crystal brought memories from when he first made it. He was too casual making it from that time, he didn’t think he will love to have it as much as he does now. He held it on his hand, and the knight dragging itself towards him stopped moving.
[Late Cost: Dismantle]
He absorbed the power within the crystal, leaving a fragile glass in his hand. As of now, he has the power to use the mana that formed the shell of his mana vessel. Although he can’t absorb mana from the environment in his current state, the mana he can use now is a thousand times greater than his body’s limit.
Kael went back to the broken knight who couldn’t move anymore. He put half of the mana he can use to the crystal he had in his hand.
“If you didn’t have damages, I will not win”
He put the glowing iridescent crystal inside the knight’s helmet. He moved back to watch the restoration.
The bright glow scattered throughout the chamber. The knight floated, absorbing materials around it to form its new body. The luster of silver returned to its fully restored armor. Its sword, returning to its shining glory, a fitting weapon to a dignified knight. After the restoration, Kael called to him.
“Silver Knight, do you remember me?”
The knight answered with its body. It kneeled, one knee down, holding its sword pointed on the ground.
“Get me out of here, I want to go home”