Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 282: Fire and Ice

My initial attack on the adult Fachen was a wasted effort on my part. They had better control of the magic inherent to their species. Their power over earth meant it would not be as easy as killing the younger one had been. They might have fallen in the sinkholes of boiling earth, but that didn't negate their ability to respond.

They began, first, by solidifying the ground and creating ledges of stone, platforms that would form under their one leg that they could use for purchase as they began to jump their way free. Their gains had been more flailing than substantive before they settled on the idea of creating platforms. They might be monsters, but they weren't mindless. They had enough intelligence that they were able to communicate with each other. This became obvious when both began using the same method to free themselves almost simultaneously.

After that first solid step was created, it became significantly easier to free themselves. They were adept enough to hop up a few feet and form a new platform in the split second they needed to land on. This method for escape would have worked if I begin channeling heat into the ground to melt the stone they hardened. The platforms they created had no better chance of withstanding the effects of my spell than the ground. My spells of fire quickly liquefying the stone they created, returning their constructs to the pool of boiling earth.

They were able to ignore the heat that was generated. The pool of earth almost reaching temperatures found in lava had no effect. Their resistance to fire was a potent defense against me. On this planet where spell craft had been all but forgotten, I wasn't certain their resistance had ever been tested.

Stymied, with no way to escape, the Fachen began to fight. The galaxy of stones that was orbiting each Fachen startled hurtling at me, each stone replaced by another to orbit the Fachen. They would take turns shooting one of the stones at me, forcing me to dodge or deflect the incoming missiles. With my agility at the [Ranked: King] level, there was no chance the stones would hit me.

The impact crater the stones left when I dodged, on the other hand, sent flying shrapnel that was much harder to avoid. The stones landing hard enough to send plumes of dust and dirt skyward. The larger stones, the ones about twice the size of my head, did the most damage.

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When they started sending the stones in a barrage of attacks, aiming at the ground near me, one after the other, I was forced to retreat. I didn't even try to use [Beleros Aura] to melt the pebble swarm the boulders produced when hitting the ground. It would work, but it would be a stopgap measure at best. I needed something that would negate the nuisance of their attack and the need for me to keep dodging.

I had already split my attention for this fight. A good part of my concentration and focused spellcraft was being channeled into the fire magic necessary to keep the earth liquefied. Destroying the lobbed stones as they arrived required more of my attention.

I decided I needed a new spell. Something that would allow me to catch the projectiles as they launched them and keep them from shattering and blasting me with shrapnel. Creating a new spell required [Spell Crafting] as a skill on Talahm, one not many Sidhe enjoyed. It required an extension of will, a firm grasp on the mental image of what you wanted to happen, and the power of intent to make it a reality.

For those with the [Skill], that was all that was required to create a new spell. But this world didn't have a System or [Skills], but neither was needed. Will, imagery, and intent were a part of me. The System didn't define me, it simply made things easier. The time between creation and casting was negligible, and when the Fachen shot their next volley at me, I was ready. The spell I had created was part firewall, and part net of fire. The spell would catch anything tossed at me and pull it into the wall of fire where it would melt.

I wouldn't have to be bothered with melting the stones they were throwing. That would occur naturally as long as the firewall existed. By curving the firewall when I placed it, I was able to use the same spell to keep the ground they were trapped in from solidifying. The Fachen had a habit of reusing stones that didn't explode, calling them back to toss them again. By trapping them in the net of fire, I could destroy the projectiles they sought to reuse.

Once I'd destroyed most of their ammunition, I returned to my previous position, moving towards them, being careful and watching to make sure they didn't gather new stones to toss. They didn't, and I wasn't certain if the surrounding ground didn't have the type of material they needed, or if they were tiring.

Whatever the reason, they changed tactics when they saw me approaching. Perhaps they got the idea when they saw me create a wall of fire, but the wall of earth they created around each of them was anchored on the part of the ground that was still firm. I could burn through it, but not fast enough to counter the repairs they were able to maintain.

We had arrived at a stalemate, one that might have lasted indefinitely if I wasn't also a child of Cyronax. I could control the most extreme cold of His domain. That area of absolute cold that could only be found in the deepest parts of the void between stars. The icy blast I released was more than enough to shatter the earthen bulwarks the Fachen had created.

My attack had the added benefit of freezing the boiling earth they were standing in. One I hadn't considered. Liquid expands as it freezes expands. And while the Fachen had almost god-like resistance to temperature extremes, they weren't immune to physical attacks. The ground solidifying and tightening around them began crushing them as it expanded.

Their bellows of pain lasted only a few seconds before they gained a small measure of control of the now solidified ground and forced it to retreat, expanding upward instead of inward. It gave them some breathing room but buried them deeper.

I couldn't fathom why they didn't create a rift within the ground, one wide enough to allow them to free themselves now that they had the chance. They obviously had enough control over the earth element. Maybe there was a limit to their power. The stones they had gathered only amounted to a few hundred pounds at most. Maybe they simply didn't have the power to move the amount of earth a rift would require.

With the stalemate broken, I was finally able to get in melee range and unleash attack after attack. Each of those attacks wasted effort, as my sword was unable to penetrate their skin. I managed a shallow cut or two, but nothing that would do any serious harm. Unlike the juvenile Fachen that I had already killed, the adults' skin was much tougher.

As I examined them, I finally understood what made them so resistant to fire and ice. Cleverly integrated into the cells of their skin were chips of hardened gems and metal. I would have to go back and examine the juvenile to see if he had this same matrix of gem-like protection, perhaps not fully developed yet. If not, maybe this was a defense only available to the adults. Skin that evolved based on diet and age.

Their affinity with the earth had allowed them to fuse their organic body with the hardness of diamonds. It had to be a full-body fusion. The changes, including their organs and bones as well, or they would have been boiled in their own skin when I attacked using fire.

Diamonds could melt, but the temperatures required was three times higher than that of lava. When I'd first arrived on the planet and fought with the Fomorians, I had been able to create that kind of heat, but something had changed. My power output was diminished. And I still wasn't certain what that change was or what it might mean.

With the sword an ineffective weapon against them, I changed to a hammer for my weapon. My strength was high enough that I would take advantage of the brittle structure of diamonds by grinding them into dust. Diamonds have amazing characteristics when it comes to hardness and stability, but their toughness presents a real vulnerability. They shatter when struck with hammers.

The reason that happens has to do with the internal structure of each item, the difference between hard and strong. As I struck over and over again, using the blacksmith's hammer, the sounds of shattering diamonds exploding with each blow began ringing throughout the hill. Now that I knew the secret behind their toughness, it was only a matter of time before I had pummeled my way through their skulls and killed them.

Ag came over, rubbing against my side once they were dead. I patted her head fondly, assuring her that I wasn't angry at her actions. I did wonder exactly how strong her claws were. She had left deep gashes in the leg of each Fachen, something I had been unable to do using my sword.