318: Corrupting Flame

Corrupting Flame

Before Asra noticed Jay glancing at her, he turned back to his black-charred skeleton. 2

“Maybe if it had a shield, it wouldn’t have been completely engulfed in flames.” He thought, “I’ll get the elder skeletons to craft them shields after they have enough bone plates covering themselves.”

While he could have kept crafting their shields himself, he didn’t want to simply be the craftsman for an entire undead army. However, he decided he would continue to craft special items for his most prized undead - the ones he directly commanded.

The charred skeleton was only level one, and didn’t yet have the bone eater ability to heal itself from eating, and while Jay could have used [Shell Restoration] he saved his mana instead.

“I wonder if I can teach shell restoration to a skeleton?” he glanced at Archers, considering if he should try to teach it or even train it into a healing skeleton.

“Hmm, I’ll wait for the next skeleton. I need a ranger for now.” Jay thought, but before he could plan his next moves, something dared to attack them directly.

*Fwoosh! ~*

A ball of fire suddenly steamed through the fog. They aimed it at the charred skeleton in front of Jay. Perhaps they came back to finish the job.

Yet before it could do any damage, Red dashed forwards, raising its iron shield.

The ball of flame burst across the shield, creating two flashes of fire on either side.

The licks of fire turned nearby grasses to ashes, but the attack was stopped.

Jay heard a quiet groan of pain from Asra by his side, but gave out some orders before checking her.

(Blue, capture one of the lights in the fog. Try to capture it alive, but if it’s dead, that’s okay too.)

Blue nodded, but stayed at Jay’s side. Its smaller skeleton dashed away back into the fog, and Jay sensed its other smaller ones also move towards the lights. Blue also sent Dark off to investigate.

Usually Jay would kill most monsters he encountered, but because Asra heard whispers, he was sure these had intelligence. Perhaps he could reason with whatever ‘they’ were?

Yet they also attacked his subordinate and nearly burned him, so he would have no problem slaying these things. What he wondered was if these lights could actually be slain.

“Are you alright?” he asked Asra.

“I’m fine, but those flames are dangerous. I sensed a different type of mana in them. That flame doesn’t just burn. It corrupts... or curses. Maybe both.”

“Corrupts?”

“After it touches your skin, it will cause decay, or at least cause it to change into something else. You won’t be able to heal it.”

“So… is it like time, hex, or death magic?”

“Neither. I don’t recognize it at all. It’s too foreign... too alien. It almost doesn’t feel like mana. Compared to your necromancer mana or my vampiric mana, it’s far more different. If my and your mana are like neighbors, then that one is living in another country, speaking another language.”

“Hmm, I see. At least it doesn’t disrupt my mana or hurt the skeletons too much.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.” Asra said, glancing back into the fog.

Another wave of flame lit up the fog as the charred skeleton made it to one of the lights.

(Lead us out of here.) Jay ordered his guards.

The skeletons assembled back into marching formation, but Jay and Asra now walked in their midst.

There were more lights behind them than in front, so instead of going backwards, the skeletons guided them straight ahead, deeper into the fog.

More waves of heat lit up parts of the fog as the skeletons tried to close in on a target, but this only caused more lights to move closer and another fire ball came from behind them.

Sweeper cut it in half with its sword, but a sword against fire did nothing and the flaming ball burst across its skeleton, coating it in flames.

“Shit.” Jay glanced back, feeling some of the warmth on his skin.

Only one fire ball came from behind, but Jay felt like they were getting too close so he picked up his pace, urging the skeletons forward. Asra didn’t look concerned or frightened, but more like she was either ready to fight or escape into the fog, yet it was obvious that staying with Jay was her safest option.

Ahead of them, Jay sensed Dark and the smaller skeletons had chased away some of these mysterious lights, and Handy led Jay forwards through the gap they had created.

Another fireball came burning through the fog and was barely caught by Sweeper, who was diligently protecting the rear of the party.

(Lamp, find us a way out of this fog, or at least somewhere with none of these damn lights.) Jay ordered.

Lamp was still out there somewhere, scouting in the fog. After the order, he sensed Lamp speeding further away, heading deeper into the fog.

*Fowwsh! ~*

“Gh-hrrmm…” Asra groaned in pain.

Another fire ball blasted them from behind. Sweeper cut through it with its sword, but it had nearly no effect on the non-physical ball.

The ball continued past Sweeper, and Blue stepped back to take the hit.

The ball of tainted flame burst through its rib cage, but Asra was too close.

A lick of flame seared the back of Asra’s leg.

She only made as much as a whimper, but Jay could tell she was in an inspiring amount of pain as it boiled and ate into her skin.

Her hand trembled as she reached out to him, her fingers gripping his coat tight.

“Get me out of here.” She whispered as she closed her eyes in pain.

Jay didn’t want the party to slow down, but Asra could barely stand. Despite the tenseness of walking blindly through the fog, Jay kept his mind clear and immediately gave orders.

(Blue, carry Asra. Red, send your two guardians to the back, make sure they intercept the fire balls with their bodies. Handy, lead us towards Lamp. Red, stay by our sides.)

“Let Blue carry you.” Jay whispered, taking her hand and helping her into Blue’s boney arms as he stashed Blue’s sword away.

“MMmm” she weakly cried. Jay checked the burned leg flesh and noticed that it wasn’t healing.

“Fuck… she was right. I might have to cut it out later.” he thought.

With Asra in Blue’s skeletal arms and mobile again, Jay turned and marched through the fog as they tried to escape the lights.

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