Chapter 92: Fresh Breath of Seth
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Chapter 92: Fresh Breath of Seth
“I’ll escort her back,” Isanella promised as she emerged from Fera’s kitchen a short while later. She looked a little more melancholic than before. Seth gave her a deep frown.
“I could... “ oh what was the word?
“Herd you back with my magic? I do not experience joy if you are harmed,” Seth said. The goblin shook her head at their exchange.
It must truly be the oddest of experiences for a Dungeon to hear foreigners exchange words with each other. Isanella shook her head and held her lute tighter with a glint in her eyes.
“We will...destroy all foes,” she said back in Seth’s own mother tongue. Her expertise in Seth’s language was oddly militaristic. She had words and phrases that often related to or involved battle in some manner.
Seth was beginning to think Isanella had been near his people in a skirmish of some sort. Which was definitely odd since Isanella was a sweet house wife and a marvelous tea maker, but they all had pasts.
Nina was twirling her new apron. She said something to the bartender who smirked.
For someone who was basically being drafted into servitude, Nina didn’t seem that torn. Perhaps because the mushroom soup was simply that good of a treat, or maybe it was the offer of further rewards.
Isanella waved goodbye and leaned down to plant a kiss on one of the singing mushrooms. She said something soft to it and it responded with a soft affectionate piano melody.
Fera handed Nina a list of things that Seth thought could either be simple food items or parts of a dragon (his written understanding of the country wasn’t much better than his spoken one), but honestly Seth wasn’t sure which was worse in Durence.
The town had a very Quiss-like manner of making simple things end up on fire.
He waved them farewell and honestly was a little amused that he was about to have a much deeper conversation with the Dungeon born than the villagers he had been staying with.
Seth really needed to knuckle down and learn the local tongue. He just needed a teacher... someone that wasn’t Mr Jones the knowledge Demon.
Someone else.
Anyone else.
---
“GRIM!” Deo called and Grimnoire closed his eyes and counted to five before he turned to see Deo and two weirdos with him. One was the Potter’s kid. Bass or something. The other was that priestess girl but...
Grim opened his mouth and then closed it again.
Her basic robe and hood was gone.
The long flowing and glowing white robe she now donned was like a walking cloud. Her aura, hidden before, was being pushed to the surface and golden Mana of honesty soaked into the air around her. The robe was so thin and odd... that the tail end broke apart and reformed as rocks or twigs tried to snag on it. The sleeves were longer than the girl’s hands and yet when she went to hide her face, her hands simply fazed through the material as if it was “no hinderace.
The material shimmered as if a hidden sun were glowing off the girl’s body. Dozens of intricate tiny symbols pulsed with her Mana and a glow settled over Deo and Vas. They grinned as if tickled.
She looked like one strong gust would blow the outfit away but the sheer density of the costume gave off vibes of virtue and innocence.
It was, to Grim, the ultimate balance between eye-catching and inspiring.
The girl went pink at Grim’s staring and pulled her new hood up. The divine image was ruined by a childish pop up halo, that had been quickly sewn on at the last minute, that hovered over the girl’s head.
“THE HALO WAS MY IDEA!” Deo calmly explained.
“I should have guessed, Brawndo. How you convince masters of the art into doing childish things is a mystery,” he snipped. The boy’s bubble was annoyingly bright today.
“I got a new bowtie,” Jazz...Lass... said and his cheery red bowtie looked rather nice if nothing else.
Grim looked at Deo and waited.
The boy pulled out a freshly carved flute.
“CRAM MADE ME A FLUTE! I WANTED TO PLAY YOU A SONG BECAUSE YOU LOOKED DOWN!” he said and put the piece to his mouth,
Oh no.
The first clear note was like an arrow, it shot through Grim and he knew he was too late.
Deo and singing was... fine if Grim was to be honest . Deo and instruments?
A rather different story.
Deo’s fingers flew over the flute as the melody warbled out into some epic stanza and he didn’t stop. For thirty seconds straight Deo made an endless tune as his fingers moved like a master over the wooden instrument. The wind was redirected, the birds gathered in awe, and deep in some hellish abyss a devil put his fiddle down in defeat. Kemy’s cloud dress was struggling to hold together and the potter boy was gaping in shock as Deo’s own hair was being flung about as the music reached the crescendo of this epic solo.
Grim felt inspired, annoyed, awed, grumpy, and a little jealous. The worst thing was that Deo didn’t even know how annoyingly good he was at this.
The boy could make music dance to his tune and never even knew about it.
Deo beamed, huffing a little after turning his loud voice into a loud flute solo.
“FEEL BETTER?” he asked. Grim jerkily nodded.
“Ecstatic,” he said clearly. He made sure never to look away or mumble. The priestess spoke but she was not even in Deo’s sight. Usually the boy was good enough to constantly be checking his comrades’ faces in case they were talking but he seemed rather focused on Grim.
The girl closed her eyes.
“Holy mother of truth, give me strength and the courage to help this boy... please... let me help him. He means well and he does not deserve this fate,” she said clearly and Grim actually raised one brow.
“Wow, lady, he’s deaf not hopeless. You could wait until he was out of the proverbial earshot before saying that,” he grunted and turned to leave.
Deo called after him and he was pulled into a one-armed hug as Deo made a suddenly interesting decision.
The Second floor... of Delta.
Grim’s eyes glazed over at thoughts of success and loot.
---
Kemy was staring in absolute shock at the two boys.
That boy had... understood her. She hadn’t meant to be heard hence why her prayer was in a deep lost tongue of the first folk who worshipped her Goddess. The last of the language hosted in her monastery for at least four generations of Truth Seekers.
How did this boy... someone who had never left his village... know her language?
---
Seth was on a mission to explore the Dungeon. He planned to see what wonders this place might have. Even better, he could treat it as a nice trip since she was unwilling to kill Seth unless he stepped out line.
Really, it was no different than walking on the Sovereign soil of another nation. Respect the laws or face punishment.
The matter of who would win was a moot point. Seth would lose the nice guest status he had and that would be a shame.
The first order of business was to see Isanella’s friend.
He asked Fera who merely guided him to a hidden passage behind a wall which he thanked her for with a promise to clean her bar and a compliment on the amazing soup.
“Don’t flirt with me, water boy. No discounts for return trips,” she grumbled but her ears did look a little bit perkier.
Seth was charming, he knew it... the various men, women and others of the world knew it very well. If Seth had a bad side, it was that he fell in love too easily and broke too many hearts when he found he could never settle in one place for very long.
He was a bit too much like the ocean like that.
And like the ocean, he could ruin an entire city's existence.
He had planned to very much do so. He sighed as he traversed the tunnel. Quiss chose one target, and he chose another.
The city or the tree. Which was to blame?
Did it matter? Both were going to be hurting when he and Quiss were done. For a tree who let a monster nest in its branches without care and the city who tried to wage war on it.
Beta.
Seth frowned harder.
Why did it have to be so... childish.
The town was no better. It would not even let Seth bury his master on their land due to ‘being on the tree’s side’. Her rites, her peace... her ways... were all denied because Seth had remained peaceful until it was too late. Not willing to use magic as a tool of power and fear like Quiss did.
His friend screaming and trying to burn a tree that didn’t even care he was there.
Then his master rose and Seth had to kill her for a second time.
He paused and took a deep breath as he saw the tunnel was becoming covered in ice and sloshing water.
He cooled down and whistled a tune his master had loved.
“I could ask for no other honor but a duel between us,” Sir Fran said clearly.
He lowered his lance.
“I shall move in five seconds. Do be ready,” Fran said jovially as if this was something he hadn’t expected but was enjoying.
“Then I shall move in six,” Seth fired back. The hearty laugh made Seth smile as well.
“Don’t die human, I would like to buy you a drink afterwards,” Sir Fran called and his form blurred forward.
Seth pushed his hand out and a wall of water rushed forward to meet the charge. The wave was split into two with no loss of speed from Sir Fran.
Strong fellow.
He used the water as a whip, pulling hard on a stalactite to swing out of the way of the charge and landed roughly to the side where he stomped his foot causing a pillar of water to erupt where Sir Fran was trying to turn. The big pig had durability and weight as he was barely lifted off the ground. He curled his hand and the boss was enclosed in a swirling bubble of water. They struggled to escape but it followed their struggles inch by inch.
He was spending Mana now to make water, the dry arena working against him.
The bubble exploded in a flash of orange and steam that rushed towards Seth as the sheer pressure of Sir Fran’s stab created a funnel.
Focusing, he turned the boiling steam back into water by pushing it together so it only splashed on the sand and not Seth’s skin but the distraction let Sir Fran get close. He swung his lance. Seth raised one arm, ice spreading like scales to deflect the blow but he was still lifted clean off his feet and sent crashing across the arena.
He bounced up and surged forward like a rocket as he caused a wave to carry him forward.
He froze the water behind him creating a line across the arena that Fran would have to watch out for. He formed a water lance on his left arm and charged.
Fran reared his pig back and rushed forward to meet his joust. Seth grinned as his own lance spun like a drill and the pressure at its point became deadly.
He was surprised when Fran’s own lance exploded in orange light.
They collided in an explosion of orange lights and steam. Seth crashed against the stands in a safe water bubble but his arm was bleeding from a long cut where Fran had pierced through his iced scales and lightly grazed him.
That was going to sting once his adrenaline died down. But he gathered his shield into a single aqua blade and waited for the cloud of steam to fade.
No way was he going to fall for that old trick. No body... no win. He was proven right as Fran calmly walked out of the cloud, his pig looking a little flash-fried from the steam as well as Sir Fran now having a tan but nothing serious was injured.
“Hard for a first Level boss,” Seth said. Fran grinned.
“I have levels of difficulty. You simply are nearing the hardest but you’ll have to come back in a few days for that. The harder you hit, the harder I hit back,” the goblin said, not sounding tired at all.
“Hard? If you wanted it hard, my rather good looking goblin... you only had to ask!” Seth pointed his pressurized water sword. It was shaking in his grip from the sheer force. A bit of a Mana sink but it looked cool.
Seth kinda wanted to look cool to Sir Fran.
“Then let us duel!” Fran roared. Seth kicked it up a notch and from his Mana, water rushed forward until he was soon riding a half-horse, half-fish creature as it swam through the air. Seth dived bringing a waterfall down after him as the edge turned into sharp pricks of ice.
Fran’s lance did that orange thing again and a wave of the first ice was cut away but it left Seth with an opening to use.
Fran was strong but he lacked good area denial or counters.
But Seth was a wizard. He had his own weaknesses like getting cocky or distracted by a pretty face or a strong jaw.
He stabbed and Fran turned his head so his helm took the blow, the sawing of metal was loud and it made the recoil hard to control. Fran jumped and Seth tried, and failed, to redirect the blade upwards.
Fran’s armored head smashed into Seth’s unprotected one.
His water collapsed and he rolled to the floor as Fran landed back on his pig and charged again.
Seth was cursing as he scrambled to dive out of the way. His nose was a mess and one eye had gone dark from Fran’s glancing blow. The goblin hadn’t even gotten a good enough swing into the motion!
This goblin was monstrous.
He stopped focusing and waves of water exploded in every direction, turning the arena into a swampy mess slowing Fran down in the muck.
He reared up making his pig jump for the solid audience stands where he had stable ground again.
Smart gob.
Seth spun his body and, while most likely concussed, he wasn’t going to suffer magically from it. Seth’s power got stronger with less control.
It was a pain.
A waterspout formed, crashing into the ceiling as it sucked in falling rocks and balls of mud, turning the twister brown and filling it with projectiles. The air was howling and Seth was in the eye of this storm.
He let his power flow and roared in return to Fran’s earlier one.
Layers of the waterspout froze in rings of jagged ice as the Twister surged forward.
Wipe it all away! Let his waters be the canvas washer of the world!
His rings of ice were flung like disks and Fran was forced to do mighty leaps and charges around the stands to avoid being bisected.
A large shadow appeared on one side, Seth readied a wave of freezing water and swept the pig t away noisily.
But there was no Goblin.
From high above, amid the slight gaps where the ceiling dipped and his twister failed to touch, Fran dived directly down the clear tunnel at Seth.
Such cleverness... such power...
Seth... loved it.
He raised his hand,his whole arm turning to ice, becoming one with the element as the room was snapped frozen from the clear ice.
Five seconds, that was all Seth could handle of this spell... this form.
The twister froze and Fran’s own form was a frozen comet that was still aiming for Seth’s heart.
Seth snapped his finger and shards of ice became a storm as his arm exploded.
That was going to be a pain to grow back.
He blinked as the goblin comet, now in pieces, raced past him but the goblin’s lance still sunk deep into Seth’s shoulder.
He fell and the room went quiet.
Seth stared up at the remarkably well washed ceiling.
“Fine... it’s a draw... we’ll take turns buying rounds.” he called before passing out.
---
Delta sat in the ruined room, jaw dropped.
She should do something but she wasn’t able to move. The scene was just...
She wanted Fran’s autograph!
Home team was epic and she wanted to fist pump! Even if seeing Fran in proud icy chunks was a little upsetting, his sheer bliss was infectious!
“GO FRAN!” she cheered despite no one being left to hear her.
“FERA! Get the gobs to drag Seth into the bar. We need water and mushroom soup! Gob! Go get Quiss!” she began to act.
Fran’s new tiny core really did amazing things. It let him be adaptive to the Mana of the person who approaches his door. A Fran for everyone’s level of skill!
The First floor boss wasn’t going to be a pushover to OP people.
She was giddy and she felt like nothing could top that guest visit for some time!
--
Deo stared at the cave like entrance.
“Team Heroic Holy Pot and Friends... HAVE COME TO ASK A FAVOUR!” he jumped and cheered.
Kemy clapped politely.
Vas just inhaled and he looked distantly down the stairs.
“Empty... something is empty down there,” he whispered and followed his new friends down the stairs.
Under his shirt... a gem briefly glowed as it took in the fresh orange Mana.
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Chapter 92: Fresh Breath of Seth
“I’ll escort her back,” Isanella promised as she emerged from Fera’s kitchen a short while later. She looked a little more melancholic than before. Seth gave her a deep frown.
“I could... “ oh what was the word?
“Herd you back with my magic? I do not experience joy if you are harmed,” Seth said. The goblin shook her head at their exchange.
It must truly be the oddest of experiences for a Dungeon to hear foreigners exchange words with each other. Isanella shook her head and held her lute tighter with a glint in her eyes.
“We will...destroy all foes,” she said back in Seth’s own mother tongue. Her expertise in Seth’s language was oddly militaristic. She had words and phrases that often related to or involved battle in some manner.
Seth was beginning to think Isanella had been near his people in a skirmish of some sort. Which was definitely odd since Isanella was a sweet house wife and a marvelous tea maker, but they all had pasts.
Nina was twirling her new apron. She said something to the bartender who smirked.
For someone who was basically being drafted into servitude, Nina didn’t seem that torn. Perhaps because the mushroom soup was simply that good of a treat, or maybe it was the offer of further rewards.
Isanella waved goodbye and leaned down to plant a kiss on one of the singing mushrooms. She said something soft to it and it responded with a soft affectionate piano melody.
Fera handed Nina a list of things that Seth thought could either be simple food items or parts of a dragon (his written understanding of the country wasn’t much better than his spoken one), but honestly Seth wasn’t sure which was worse in Durence.
The town had a very Quiss-like manner of making simple things end up on fire.
He waved them farewell and honestly was a little amused that he was about to have a much deeper conversation with the Dungeon born than the villagers he had been staying with.
Seth really needed to knuckle down and learn the local tongue. He just needed a teacher... someone that wasn’t Mr Jones the knowledge Demon.
Someone else.
Anyone else.
---
“GRIM!” Deo called and Grimnoire closed his eyes and counted to five before he turned to see Deo and two weirdos with him. One was the Potter’s kid. Bass or something. The other was that priestess girl but...
Grim opened his mouth and then closed it again.
Her basic robe and hood was gone.
The long flowing and glowing white robe she now donned was like a walking cloud. Her aura, hidden before, was being pushed to the surface and golden Mana of honesty soaked into the air around her. The robe was so thin and odd... that the tail end broke apart and reformed as rocks or twigs tried to snag on it. The sleeves were longer than the girl’s hands and yet when she went to hide her face, her hands simply fazed through the material as if it was “no hinderace.
The material shimmered as if a hidden sun were glowing off the girl’s body. Dozens of intricate tiny symbols pulsed with her Mana and a glow settled over Deo and Vas. They grinned as if tickled.
She looked like one strong gust would blow the outfit away but the sheer density of the costume gave off vibes of virtue and innocence.
It was, to Grim, the ultimate balance between eye-catching and inspiring.
The girl went pink at Grim’s staring and pulled her new hood up. The divine image was ruined by a childish pop up halo, that had been quickly sewn on at the last minute, that hovered over the girl’s head.
“THE HALO WAS MY IDEA!” Deo calmly explained.
“I should have guessed, Brawndo. How you convince masters of the art into doing childish things is a mystery,” he snipped. The boy’s bubble was annoyingly bright today.
“I got a new bowtie,” Jazz...Lass... said and his cheery red bowtie looked rather nice if nothing else.
Grim looked at Deo and waited.
The boy pulled out a freshly carved flute.
“CRAM MADE ME A FLUTE! I WANTED TO PLAY YOU A SONG BECAUSE YOU LOOKED DOWN!” he said and put the piece to his mouth,
Oh no.
The first clear note was like an arrow, it shot through Grim and he knew he was too late.
Deo and singing was... fine if Grim was to be honest . Deo and instruments?
A rather different story.
Deo’s fingers flew over the flute as the melody warbled out into some epic stanza and he didn’t stop. For thirty seconds straight Deo made an endless tune as his fingers moved like a master over the wooden instrument. The wind was redirected, the birds gathered in awe, and deep in some hellish abyss a devil put his fiddle down in defeat. Kemy’s cloud dress was struggling to hold together and the potter boy was gaping in shock as Deo’s own hair was being flung about as the music reached the crescendo of this epic solo.
Grim felt inspired, annoyed, awed, grumpy, and a little jealous. The worst thing was that Deo didn’t even know how annoyingly good he was at this.
The boy could make music dance to his tune and never even knew about it.
Deo beamed, huffing a little after turning his loud voice into a loud flute solo.
“FEEL BETTER?” he asked. Grim jerkily nodded.
“Ecstatic,” he said clearly. He made sure never to look away or mumble. The priestess spoke but she was not even in Deo’s sight. Usually the boy was good enough to constantly be checking his comrades’ faces in case they were talking but he seemed rather focused on Grim.
The girl closed her eyes.
“Holy mother of truth, give me strength and the courage to help this boy... please... let me help him. He means well and he does not deserve this fate,” she said clearly and Grim actually raised one brow.
“Wow, lady, he’s deaf not hopeless. You could wait until he was out of the proverbial earshot before saying that,” he grunted and turned to leave.
Deo called after him and he was pulled into a one-armed hug as Deo made a suddenly interesting decision.
The Second floor... of Delta.
Grim’s eyes glazed over at thoughts of success and loot.
---
Kemy was staring in absolute shock at the two boys.
That boy had... understood her. She hadn’t meant to be heard hence why her prayer was in a deep lost tongue of the first folk who worshipped her Goddess. The last of the language hosted in her monastery for at least four generations of Truth Seekers.
How did this boy... someone who had never left his village... know her language?
---
Seth was on a mission to explore the Dungeon. He planned to see what wonders this place might have. Even better, he could treat it as a nice trip since she was unwilling to kill Seth unless he stepped out line.
Really, it was no different than walking on the Sovereign soil of another nation. Respect the laws or face punishment.
The matter of who would win was a moot point. Seth would lose the nice guest status he had and that would be a shame.
The first order of business was to see Isanella’s friend.
He asked Fera who merely guided him to a hidden passage behind a wall which he thanked her for with a promise to clean her bar and a compliment on the amazing soup.
“Don’t flirt with me, water boy. No discounts for return trips,” she grumbled but her ears did look a little bit perkier.
Seth was charming, he knew it... the various men, women and others of the world knew it very well. If Seth had a bad side, it was that he fell in love too easily and broke too many hearts when he found he could never settle in one place for very long.
He was a bit too much like the ocean like that.
And like the ocean, he could ruin an entire city's existence.
He had planned to very much do so. He sighed as he traversed the tunnel. Quiss chose one target, and he chose another.
The city or the tree. Which was to blame?
Did it matter? Both were going to be hurting when he and Quiss were done. For a tree who let a monster nest in its branches without care and the city who tried to wage war on it.
Beta.
Seth frowned harder.
Why did it have to be so... childish.
The town was no better. It would not even let Seth bury his master on their land due to ‘being on the tree’s side’. Her rites, her peace... her ways... were all denied because Seth had remained peaceful until it was too late. Not willing to use magic as a tool of power and fear like Quiss did.
His friend screaming and trying to burn a tree that didn’t even care he was there.
Then his master rose and Seth had to kill her for a second time.
He paused and took a deep breath as he saw the tunnel was becoming covered in ice and sloshing water.
He cooled down and whistled a tune his master had loved.
“I could ask for no other honor but a duel between us,” Sir Fran said clearly.
He lowered his lance.
“I shall move in five seconds. Do be ready,” Fran said jovially as if this was something he hadn’t expected but was enjoying.
“Then I shall move in six,” Seth fired back. The hearty laugh made Seth smile as well.
“Don’t die human, I would like to buy you a drink afterwards,” Sir Fran called and his form blurred forward.
Seth pushed his hand out and a wall of water rushed forward to meet the charge. The wave was split into two with no loss of speed from Sir Fran.
Strong fellow.
He used the water as a whip, pulling hard on a stalactite to swing out of the way of the charge and landed roughly to the side where he stomped his foot causing a pillar of water to erupt where Sir Fran was trying to turn. The big pig had durability and weight as he was barely lifted off the ground. He curled his hand and the boss was enclosed in a swirling bubble of water. They struggled to escape but it followed their struggles inch by inch.
He was spending Mana now to make water, the dry arena working against him.
The bubble exploded in a flash of orange and steam that rushed towards Seth as the sheer pressure of Sir Fran’s stab created a funnel.
Focusing, he turned the boiling steam back into water by pushing it together so it only splashed on the sand and not Seth’s skin but the distraction let Sir Fran get close. He swung his lance. Seth raised one arm, ice spreading like scales to deflect the blow but he was still lifted clean off his feet and sent crashing across the arena.
He bounced up and surged forward like a rocket as he caused a wave to carry him forward.
He froze the water behind him creating a line across the arena that Fran would have to watch out for. He formed a water lance on his left arm and charged.
Fran reared his pig back and rushed forward to meet his joust. Seth grinned as his own lance spun like a drill and the pressure at its point became deadly.
He was surprised when Fran’s own lance exploded in orange light.
They collided in an explosion of orange lights and steam. Seth crashed against the stands in a safe water bubble but his arm was bleeding from a long cut where Fran had pierced through his iced scales and lightly grazed him.
That was going to sting once his adrenaline died down. But he gathered his shield into a single aqua blade and waited for the cloud of steam to fade.
No way was he going to fall for that old trick. No body... no win. He was proven right as Fran calmly walked out of the cloud, his pig looking a little flash-fried from the steam as well as Sir Fran now having a tan but nothing serious was injured.
“Hard for a first Level boss,” Seth said. Fran grinned.
“I have levels of difficulty. You simply are nearing the hardest but you’ll have to come back in a few days for that. The harder you hit, the harder I hit back,” the goblin said, not sounding tired at all.
“Hard? If you wanted it hard, my rather good looking goblin... you only had to ask!” Seth pointed his pressurized water sword. It was shaking in his grip from the sheer force. A bit of a Mana sink but it looked cool.
Seth kinda wanted to look cool to Sir Fran.
“Then let us duel!” Fran roared. Seth kicked it up a notch and from his Mana, water rushed forward until he was soon riding a half-horse, half-fish creature as it swam through the air. Seth dived bringing a waterfall down after him as the edge turned into sharp pricks of ice.
Fran’s lance did that orange thing again and a wave of the first ice was cut away but it left Seth with an opening to use.
Fran was strong but he lacked good area denial or counters.
But Seth was a wizard. He had his own weaknesses like getting cocky or distracted by a pretty face or a strong jaw.
He stabbed and Fran turned his head so his helm took the blow, the sawing of metal was loud and it made the recoil hard to control. Fran jumped and Seth tried, and failed, to redirect the blade upwards.
Fran’s armored head smashed into Seth’s unprotected one.
His water collapsed and he rolled to the floor as Fran landed back on his pig and charged again.
Seth was cursing as he scrambled to dive out of the way. His nose was a mess and one eye had gone dark from Fran’s glancing blow. The goblin hadn’t even gotten a good enough swing into the motion!
This goblin was monstrous.
He stopped focusing and waves of water exploded in every direction, turning the arena into a swampy mess slowing Fran down in the muck.
He reared up making his pig jump for the solid audience stands where he had stable ground again.
Smart gob.
Seth spun his body and, while most likely concussed, he wasn’t going to suffer magically from it. Seth’s power got stronger with less control.
It was a pain.
A waterspout formed, crashing into the ceiling as it sucked in falling rocks and balls of mud, turning the twister brown and filling it with projectiles. The air was howling and Seth was in the eye of this storm.
He let his power flow and roared in return to Fran’s earlier one.
Layers of the waterspout froze in rings of jagged ice as the Twister surged forward.
Wipe it all away! Let his waters be the canvas washer of the world!
His rings of ice were flung like disks and Fran was forced to do mighty leaps and charges around the stands to avoid being bisected.
A large shadow appeared on one side, Seth readied a wave of freezing water and swept the pig t away noisily.
But there was no Goblin.
From high above, amid the slight gaps where the ceiling dipped and his twister failed to touch, Fran dived directly down the clear tunnel at Seth.
Such cleverness... such power...
Seth... loved it.
He raised his hand,his whole arm turning to ice, becoming one with the element as the room was snapped frozen from the clear ice.
Five seconds, that was all Seth could handle of this spell... this form.
The twister froze and Fran’s own form was a frozen comet that was still aiming for Seth’s heart.
Seth snapped his finger and shards of ice became a storm as his arm exploded.
That was going to be a pain to grow back.
He blinked as the goblin comet, now in pieces, raced past him but the goblin’s lance still sunk deep into Seth’s shoulder.
He fell and the room went quiet.
Seth stared up at the remarkably well washed ceiling.
“Fine... it’s a draw... we’ll take turns buying rounds.” he called before passing out.
---
Delta sat in the ruined room, jaw dropped.
She should do something but she wasn’t able to move. The scene was just...
She wanted Fran’s autograph!
Home team was epic and she wanted to fist pump! Even if seeing Fran in proud icy chunks was a little upsetting, his sheer bliss was infectious!
“GO FRAN!” she cheered despite no one being left to hear her.
“FERA! Get the gobs to drag Seth into the bar. We need water and mushroom soup! Gob! Go get Quiss!” she began to act.
Fran’s new tiny core really did amazing things. It let him be adaptive to the Mana of the person who approaches his door. A Fran for everyone’s level of skill!
The First floor boss wasn’t going to be a pushover to OP people.
She was giddy and she felt like nothing could top that guest visit for some time!
--
Deo stared at the cave like entrance.
“Team Heroic Holy Pot and Friends... HAVE COME TO ASK A FAVOUR!” he jumped and cheered.
Kemy clapped politely.
Vas just inhaled and he looked distantly down the stairs.
“Empty... something is empty down there,” he whispered and followed his new friends down the stairs.
Under his shirt... a gem briefly glowed as it took in the fresh orange Mana.
Chapter 92: Fresh Breath of SethI'll escort her back, Isanella promised as she emerged from Fera's kitchen a short while later. She looked a little more melancholic than before. Seth gave her a deep frown.I could... oh what was the word?Herd you back with my magic? I do not experience joy if you are harmed, Seth said. The goblin shook her head at their exchange.It must truly be the oddest of experiences for a Dungeon to hear foreigners exchange words with each other. Isanella shook her head and held her lute tighter with a glint in her eyes.We will...destroy all foes, she said back in Seth's own mother tongue. Her expertise in Seth's language was oddly militaristic. She had words and phrases that often related to or involved battle in some manner.Seth was beginning to think Isanella had been near his people in a skirmish of some sort. Which was definitely odd since Isanella was a sweet house wife and a marvelous tea maker, but they all had pasts. Nina was twirling her new apron. She said something to the bartender who smirked.For someone who was basically being drafted into servitude, Nina didn't seem that torn. Perhaps because the mushroom soup was simply that good of a treat, or maybe it was the offer of further rewards.Isanella waved goodbye and leaned down to plant a kiss on one of the singing mushrooms. She said something soft to it and it responded with a soft affectionate piano melody.Fera handed Nina a list of things that Seth thought could either be simple food items or parts of a dragon his written understanding of the country wasn't much better than his spoken one, but honestly Seth wasn't sure which was worse in Durence.The town had a very Quiss-like manner of making simple things end up on fire.He waved them farewell and honestly was a little amused that he was about to have a much deeper conversation with the Dungeon born than the villagers he had been staying with.Seth really needed to knuckle down and learn the local tongue. He just needed a teacher... someone that wasn't Mr Jones the knowledge Demon.Someone else.Anyone else.---GRIM! Deo called and Grimnoire closed his eyes and counted to five before he turned to see Deo and two weirdos with him. One was the Potter's kid. Bass or something. The other was that priestess girl but...Grim opened his mouth and then closed it again.Her basic robe and hood was gone.The long flowing and glowing white robe she now donned was like a walking cloud. Her aura, hidden before, was being pushed to the surface and golden Mana of honesty soaked into the air around her. The robe was so thin and odd... that the tail end broke apart and reformed as rocks or twigs tried to snag on it. The sleeves were longer than the girl's hands and yet when she went to hide her face, her hands simply fazed through the material as if it was no hinderace.The material shimmered as if a hidden sun were glowing off the girl's body. Dozens of intricate tiny symbols pulsed with her Mana and a glow settled over Deo and Vas. They grinned as if tickled. She looked like one strong gust would blow the outfit away but the sheer density of the costume gave off vibes of virtue and innocence.It was, to Grim, the ultimate balance between eye-catching and inspiring.The girl went pink at Grim's staring and pulled her new hood up. The divine image was ruined by a childish pop up halo, that had been quickly sewn on at the last minute, that hovered over the girl's head. THE HALO WAS MY IDEA! Deo calmly explained.I should have guessed, Brawndo. How you convince masters of the art into doing childish things is a mystery, he snipped. The boy's bubble was annoyingly bright today.I got a new bowtie, Jazz...Lass... said and his cheery red bowtie looked rather nice if nothing else.Grim looked at Deo and waited.The boy pulled out a freshly carved flute.CRAM MADE ME A FLUTE! I WANTED TO PLAY YOU A SONG BECAUSE YOU LOOKED DOWN! he said and put the piece to his mouth, Oh no.The first clear note was like an arrow, it shot through Grim and he knew he was too late.Deo and singing was... fine if Grim was to be honest . Deo and instruments?A rather different story.Deo's fingers flew over the flute as the melody warbled out into some epic stanza and he didn't stop. For thirty seconds straight Deo made an endless tune as his fingers moved like a master over the wooden instrument. The wind was redirected, the birds gathered in awe, and deep in some hellish abyss a devil put his fiddle down in defeat. Kemy's cloud dress was struggling to hold together and the potter boy was gaping in shock as Deo's own hair was being flung about as the music reached the crescendo of this epic solo.Grim felt inspired, annoyed, awed, grumpy, and a little jealous. The worst thing was that Deo didn't even know how annoyingly good he was at this.The boy could make music dance to his tune and never even knew about it.Deo beamed, huffing a little after turning his loud voice into a loud flute solo.FEEL BETTER? he asked. Grim jerkily nodded.Ecstatic, he said clearly. He made sure never to look away or mumble. The priestess spoke but she was not even in Deo's sight. Usually the boy was good enough to constantly be checking his comrades' faces in case they were talking but he seemed rather focused on Grim.The girl closed her eyes.Holy mother of truth, give me strength and the courage to help this boy... please... let me help him. He means well and he does not deserve this fate, she said clearly and Grim actually raised one brow.Wow, lady, he's deaf not hopeless. You could wait until he was out of the proverbial earshot before saying that, he grunted and turned to leave.Deo called after him and he was pulled into a one-armed hug as Deo made a suddenly interesting decision.The Second floor... of Delta.Grim's eyes glazed over at thoughts of success and loot.---Kemy was staring in absolute shock at the two boys.That boy had... understood her. She hadn't meant to be heard hence why her prayer was in a deep lost tongue of the first folk who worshipped her Goddess. The last of the language hosted in her monastery for at least four generations of Truth Seekers.How did this boy... someone who had never left his village... know her language?---Seth was on a mission to explore the Dungeon. He planned to see what wonders this place might have. Even better, he could treat it as a nice trip since she was unwilling to kill Seth unless he stepped out line.Really, it was no different than walking on the Sovereign soil of another nation. Respect the laws or face punishment. The matter of who would win was a moot point. Seth would lose the nice guest status he had and that would be a shame.The first order of business was to see Isanella's friend.He asked Fera who merely guided him to a hidden passage behind a wall which he thanked her for with a promise to clean her bar and a compliment on the amazing soup.Don't flirt with me, water boy. No discounts for return trips, she grumbled but her ears did look a little bit perkier.Seth was charming, he knew it... the various men, women and others of the world knew it very well. If Seth had a bad side, it was that he fell in love too easily and broke too many hearts when he found he could never settle in one place for very long.He was a bit too much like the ocean like that.And like the ocean, he could ruin an entire city's existence. He had planned to very much do so. He sighed as he traversed the tunnel. Quiss chose one target, and he chose another.The city or the tree. Which was to blame?Did it matter? Both were going to be hurting when he and Quiss were done. For a tree who let a monster nest in its branches without care and the city who tried to wage war on it.Beta.Seth frowned harder.Why did it have to be so... childish.The town was no better. It would not even let Seth bury his master on their land due to being on the tree's side'. Her rites, her peace... her ways... were all denied because Seth had remained peaceful until it was too late. Not willing to use magic as a tool of power and fear like Quiss did.His friend screaming and trying to burn a tree that didn't even care he was there. Then his master rose and Seth had to kill her for a second time.He paused and took a deep breath as he saw the tunnel was becoming covered in ice and sloshing water.He cooled down and whistled a tune his master had loved.I could ask for no other honor but a duel between us, Sir Fran said clearly.He lowered his lance.I shall move in five seconds. Do be ready, Fran said jovially as if this was something he hadn't expected but was enjoying.Then I shall move in six, Seth fired back. The hearty laugh made Seth smile as well.Don't die human, I would like to buy you a drink afterwards, Sir Fran called and his form blurred forward.Seth pushed his hand out and a wall of water rushed forward to meet the charge. The wave was split into two with no loss of speed from Sir Fran.Strong fellow.He used the water as a whip, pulling hard on a stalactite to swing out of the way of the charge and landed roughly to the side where he stomped his foot causing a pillar of water to erupt where Sir Fran was trying to turn. The big pig had durability and weight as he was barely lifted off the ground. He curled his hand and the boss was enclosed in a swirling bubble of water. They struggled to escape but it followed their struggles inch by inch.He was spending Mana now to make water, the dry arena working against him.The bubble exploded in a flash of orange and steam that rushed towards Seth as the sheer pressure of Sir Fran's stab created a funnel. Focusing, he turned the boiling steam back into water by pushing it together so it only splashed on the sand and not Seth's skin but the distraction let Sir Fran get close. He swung his lance. Seth raised one arm, ice spreading like scales to deflect the blow but he was still lifted clean off his feet and sent crashing across the arena.He bounced up and surged forward like a rocket as he caused a wave to carry him forward.He froze the water behind him creating a line across the arena that Fran would have to watch out for. He formed a water lance on his left arm and charged.Fran reared his pig back and rushed forward to meet his joust. Seth grinned as his own lance spun like a drill and the pressure at its point became deadly.He was surprised when Fran's own lance exploded in orange light.They collided in an explosion of orange lights and steam. Seth crashed against the stands in a safe water bubble but his arm was bleeding from a long cut where Fran had pierced through his iced scales and lightly grazed him.That was going to sting once his adrenaline died down. But he gathered his shield into a single aqua blade and waited for the cloud of steam to fade.No way was he going to fall for that old trick. No body... no win. He was proven right as Fran calmly walked out of the cloud, his pig looking a little flash-fried from the steam as well as Sir Fran now having a tan but nothing serious was injured.Hard for a first Level boss, Seth said. Fran grinned.I have levels of difficulty. You simply are nearing the hardest but you'll have to come back in a few days for that. The harder you hit, the harder I hit back, the goblin said, not sounding tired at all. Hard? If you wanted it hard, my rather good looking goblin... you only had to ask! Seth pointed his pressurized water sword. It was shaking in his grip from the sheer force. A bit of a Mana sink but it looked cool.Seth kinda wanted to look cool to Sir Fran.Then let us duel! Fran roared. Seth kicked it up a notch and from his Mana, water rushed forward until he was soon riding a half-horse, half-fish creature as it swam through the air. Seth dived bringing a waterfall down after him as the edge turned into sharp pricks of ice.Fran's lance did that orange thing again and a wave of the first ice was cut away but it left Seth with an opening to use.Fran was strong but he lacked good area denial or counters.But Seth was a wizard. He had his own weaknesses like getting cocky or distracted by a pretty face or a strong jaw.He stabbed and Fran turned his head so his helm took the blow, the sawing of metal was loud and it made the recoil hard to control. Fran jumped and Seth tried, and failed, to redirect the blade upwards.Fran's armored head smashed into Seth's unprotected one.His water collapsed and he rolled to the floor as Fran landed back on his pig and charged again.Seth was cursing as he scrambled to dive out of the way. His nose was a mess and one eye had gone dark from Fran's glancing blow. The goblin hadn't even gotten a good enough swing into the motion!This goblin was monstrous.He stopped focusing and waves of water exploded in every direction, turning the arena into a swampy mess slowing Fran down in the muck.He reared up making his pig jump for the solid audience stands where he had stable ground again.Smart gob.Seth spun his body and, while most likely concussed, he wasn't going to suffer magically from it. Seth's power got stronger with less control.It was a pain.A waterspout formed, crashing into the ceiling as it sucked in falling rocks and balls of mud, turning the twister brown and filling it with projectiles. The air was howling and Seth was in the eye of this storm.He let his power flow and roared in return to Fran's earlier one.Layers of the waterspout froze in rings of jagged ice as the Twister surged forward.Wipe it all away! Let his waters be the canvas washer of the world!His rings of ice were flung like disks and Fran was forced to do mighty leaps and charges around the stands to avoid being bisected.A large shadow appeared on one side, Seth readied a wave of freezing water and swept the pig t away noisily.But there was no Goblin.From high above, amid the slight gaps where the ceiling dipped and his twister failed to touch, Fran dived directly down the clear tunnel at Seth.Such cleverness... such power...Seth... loved it.He raised his hand,his whole arm turning to ice, becoming one with the element as the room was snapped frozen from the clear ice.Five seconds, that was all Seth could handle of this spell... this form.The twister froze and Fran's own form was a frozen comet that was still aiming for Seth's heart.Seth snapped his finger and shards of ice became a storm as his arm exploded.That was going to be a pain to grow back.He blinked as the goblin comet, now in pieces, raced past him but the goblin's lance still sunk deep into Seth's shoulder.He fell and the room went quiet.Seth stared up at the remarkably well washed ceiling.Fine... it's a draw... we'll take turns buying rounds. he called before passing out.---Delta sat in the ruined room, jaw dropped.She should do something but she wasn't able to move. The scene was just...She wanted Fran's autograph!Home team was epic and she wanted to fist pump! Even if seeing Fran in proud icy chunks was a little upsetting, his sheer bliss was infectious!GO FRAN! she cheered despite no one being left to hear her.FERA! Get the gobs to drag Seth into the bar. We need water and mushroom soup! Gob! Go get Quiss! she began to act.Fran's new tiny core really did amazing things. It let him be adaptive to the Mana of the person who approaches his door. A Fran for everyone's level of skill!The First floor boss wasn't going to be a pushover to OP people.She was giddy and she felt like nothing could top that guest visit for some time!--Deo stared at the cave like entrance.Team Heroic Holy Pot and Friends... HAVE COME TO ASK A FAVOUR! he jumped and cheered. Kemy clapped politely.Vas just inhaled and he looked distantly down the stairs.Empty... something is empty down there, he whispered and followed his new friends down the stairs.Under his shirt... a gem briefly glowed as it took in the fresh orange Mana.
