Hyperion Evergrowing

Chapter 13: Turbulence

Over the weeks the weather rapidly changed. The snow storms were chased away by rolling troughs of humid air from the south. These in turn were followed by boiling thunderstorms looming large over the western mountains, lightning crackling sideways and rain falling in the same direction.

After each storm bioluminescent lights rose from the ground and danced in swirling patterns of radiance through the sky.

Through it all the cracked surface of Season rotated out of sight little by little each night. Before, Leif had only vaguely felt the changes as they swept across the earth. But to see, hear, smell and even taste the world was a surreally extraordinary experience.

Other than observing nature, what did Leif do? Well, he had eyes now so… May as well see what he can see.

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The mountains pierced the sky from horizon to horizon. Great stone spearheads proclaiming themselves impassable. Leif didn’t want to pass them however, he just wanted to climb to the top.

As he ventured closer and closer, days stretched into weeks and he became more and more familiar with his new body and upgraded skills. A pleasant surprise was the return of a flock of forest creatures.

They seemed to gravitate towards him, birds eager to stray far from their secure nests. Rodents playing between his feet as he walked.

But best of all? The return of two dopy deer.

Now that he was more aware of his surroundings Leif began experimenting with his [Noble] skills. First, he began to experiment with his [Aura of Nobility]. The aura was something he had been radiating out non stop for as long as he could remember. But what else could he do with it?

The first answer was the most obvious, retract it. This led to the horrifying discovery that having your aura on full blast at all times was a not insignificant drain on his energy. Pulling his aura back was like closing a leaky valve. It was idiotic, just how much energy had he wasted over the years?

Of course the aura skill was also the reason so many forest animals decided where he was heading was the place to be. If he retracted it the critters would slowly drift away, but not as much as he would expect.

Was something else making them stick around?

Having so many animals around led to the next discovery. [Court Empath] had an entire part of the skill he hadn’t noticed before. It helped him read body language. This was more than a little odd because nowhere in the skill description did it mention that.

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His musings on skill descriptions was interrupted by a roar. This wasn’t the first of its kind he had heard as he ventured towards the mountains but it was by far the closest. Forest animals were sent scampering for cover, even the two deer seemed temporarily nonplussed.

From a nearby outcropping stalked a scaled creature the size of a horse.

Two curved red horns framed its eyes like helmet decorations with similarly coloured spines running down its back. The creature bounded to the edge of the outcropping like a dog, long tail lashing against the rocky ground it stood on.

It kept low to the ground, a deep chuffing sound escaping from its fang filled mouth. Its intent was obvious, but [Court Empath] confirmed it. Hostile. Its wild presence, an aura of savagery billowed up and away from the creature as though it were uncontrolled.

It doesn’t have an aura skill. Leif realised. He tried to recall any times he had felt a creature, monster or otherwise be capable of controlling its aura like he could. The griffon could, from before I evolved. He noted, not that the information would do him much good now.

Leif remembered how the flying creature’s very presence had weighed down on him, how its sharp intent had focused directly onto him as it flew above. The drake before him was strong, he could tell that much from its rippling muscles and confident posture.

Is it something I can fight? Which one of us would hold the upper hand in a fight? He didn’t know. Better to play this safe.

Leif shooed the two deer away with a wave and pulse of his aura, they seemed reluctant as they wandered off to go munch on low hanging leaves. Both Spriggan and the reptile stared at the two animals before facing each other.

Leif considered if he should even attempt to fight this thing. A part of him knew if he backed away the creature would most likely return to its territory. But…

The mountains were likely full of such beings, potentially ones far stronger.Testing myself first wouldn’t be a bad idea-

The creature, a drake, made the decision for him. It let out another challenging roar before charging forward. With quick steps it hopped down the incline and lashed out at him with wickedly sharp claws.

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Leif stepped back, careful to maintain balance. It wouldn’t do to lose his footing in a fight. The drake swiped out at him again. But this time Leif stepped forward, [Grand Action] increased his [Willpower] as a golden barrier flared to life around his body. The shield created by [Under My Protection] cracked from the force of the blow but held.

He let the shield drop as 20% of his [Charisma] swapped to [Might]. His fist crashed into the drake's shoulder and to the shock of both combatants sent scales flying and bone cracking. The sheer weight behind Leif’s punch had done far more than the poor technique he put into the blow.

The drake staggered back, hissing and growling. Leif looked down at his arm, feeling traces of stolen vitality running through it thanks to [Blight's Bounty], then back up at the drake. He cracked his neck and stepped forward. The beast's tail came lashing out, the air cracked like a whip as Leif fell to a knee. The sudden blow from an unexpected source had only been avoidable because he had assistance reading the creature's body language.

But the drake wasn’t done, unlike Leif it wasn’t unfamiliar with its body. Snapping jaws lurched forward to sink into his side. The spriggan twisted away but was too slow, so at the last moment he manifested a golden root from his lower back and intercepted the drake's bite.

The limb was almost instantly shattered into essence but it had succeeded in partially deflecting the drake’s momentum. Instead of being impaled by a deadly row of teeth the side of the drake's head crashed into him the sheer force of the blow sending him tumbling but out of harm's way.

The monster snarled, eyes glowing with fury. The drake lowered its body, then sprung forward. Leif rolled to his feet, footing stabilising thanks to [Gilded Body]. He braced himself for impact, a golden shield ready to snap into place.

Flames flickered in the back of the drake's throat, its emotions shifting from anger to a savage satisfaction. Leif aborted the shield and reached out, flames rushed from the drake's open maw engulfing him. Two bodies slammed together and Leif was thrown to the ground.

Pain lanced through Leif’s body. His bark was scorched black, flames burning away at the plant fibres beneath. But only for a moment, his hands grabbed onto the top and bottom of the drake's mouth and redirected its flames up and away.

For over a minute the two wrestled for control before finally Leif’s grip tightened and slammed the drake's jaws shut, flames still sprayed but now from between the monster's teeth and out the sides of its mouth.

Using his moment of control Leif summoned a golden vine to wrap around the beast's muzzle. Sharp claws made to tear apart his burnt torso but a golden barrier prevented the attack. As Leif held onto the drake's jaws he continuously syphoned vitality. Blood began to pool in the drake's mouth and it realised something was wrong.

Too late, Leif’s claw tipped fingers dug into its scaled hide and made him gain a firm handhold. The drake thrashed, trying to break free, it would succeed eventually so Leif attacked in another way. He kicked at its underside with enough force to crack the monster's ribs.

With a frantic jerking motion it ripped itself away from his grasp. The drake backed away, snarling and limping. Leif rose to a crouch, body trembling from the strain of using so many skills while also being restored from the drake's stolen vitality. He rose slowly, focusing on his opponent, if he could get just one more good hit…

Then the second drake arrived. Substantially smaller than the first and with differently shaped horns, it rushed him from his blind spot. The only reason Leif survived was [Court Empath] screaming a warning due to its hostile intent. A fitful barrier flashed into place but the newcomers' jaws crushed through it and deep into Leif’s shoulder.

He let out a half scream half wordless hiss as golden blood began to seep from his wounds. The first drake seemed more than willing to let the second smaller one have a turn. Lifeforce flooded through Leif’s body from [The Well Within], the skill finally deciding he was in critical enough condition to activate its reserve of vitality.

The smaller drake tried to shake him like he was a dog toy, not realising just how heavy the small spriggan was. In the second of surprise he had been bought, Leif elbowed it in the top of its skull. The drake crashed to the ground where it unleashed a torrent of flames while dazed from the blow.

Leif dived out of the inferno’s path, scrambling to his feet, glanced over his shoulder at the first drake, leaped onto the second and drove a sharp gold branch conjured from his knuckles into the top of its skull.

The drake died instantly, flames guttering out just before two deer-shaped observers could be turned into charred memories. He ripped the golden stake out and, in a moment of sheer exhausted panic, willed the conjured limb to detach from his hand. When it did, he blinked in astonishment, then he threw it like an improvised projectile at the larger drake. The attack missed due to his lack of experience but the drake still reacted.

The creature flinched back, and growled as it circled him. Leif plunged his fist into the bleeding wound atop the dead drake's head and began syphoning its blood. Crimson streams ran up Leif’s forearm before being absorbed into his body.

He felt the pool of energy from [The Well Within] slowly refill as his wounds sealed shut, charred bark falling away to be slowly replaced. Through the healing process the remaining drake growled and stalked around him, Leif shifting to maintain eye contact atop the carcass.

It didn’t spew flames, in fact the monster seemed to be gasping for breath. Did my kick puncture a lung? He questioned, standing up from the deflated corpse.

The drake growled and took a step back, clearly uneager to continue the fight. Leif sighed, everything hurt and his soul ached from the overuse of so many skills in such a short duration. But he couldn’t leave an enemy to come back for revenge.

It feebly attempted to make a final attempt for his life but whatever internal injuries it was suffering from rendered the drake all but incapacitated.

He grabbed it by the throat and put a golden stake through its skull. The fight having ended, Leif sagged to his knees. The two deer trotted over and started eating a patch of partially scorched wild grass.

Level up! Class [Amber Blight Spriggan] is now level 11!

For slaying the descendants of dragons in disadvantageous combat you have gained a level!

+1 to [Might] +1 to [Intelligence] +1 to [Willpower] +1 to [Charisma] +5 free points!

For constantly fighting unarmed and unarmoured. Using nothing but your body to defeat competent foes and beating a drake to death with your bare hands, you have the opportunity to gain the [Brawler] class!

Class slots: 0/2

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