Rosaline's eyes widened as she saw Ellie's form bound by tentacles within Algeda's chest. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, uncertain—was this truly Ellie, or just another horrific mimicry?
Behind her, the defensive storm was failing. Alka, who had exhausted himself to keep the flammable gas at bay, was losing strength, and the water spirit's form began to flicker as his mana hit rock bottom. A swarm of insects and parasites lunged at Charlwind's group with renewed ferocity. Darkness began to swallow the amber light, threatening to extinguish their only spark of hope.
"...God, have mercy on us," Amalin whispered, her hands trembling as she raised her ice pickaxe.
"So many bugs..." Edgar, in Adrian's body, whimpered. He turned to the Professor with a pale face. "Professor, what should Edgar do? Waaaah!"
Charlwind watched the amber light fading in the distance and felt the wind die down. He turned to the rear. "Mr. Alka, one last ice wave! We need to trap as many as possible!"
A shallow wave of water, barely a meter high, surged outward. It was a shadow of its former power, failing even to freeze—a clear sign of Alka's exhaustion.
"Amalin, take the front! Use Shield Bash and fall back toward the dome with Eugene! Edgar, spin that sword and cover our retreat!"
"Roger that!" they shouted in unison. Amalin grabbed Eugene while Edgar revved his sword once more. "Vroom vroom!"
Charlwind hauled the stumbling Alka onto his shoulder as the fading water spirit provided a final, weak layer of protection. "Hang on, Alka! We're getting into the dome!" He gripped his last bottle of boric acid. His inventory was full of artifacts useless in this gas-filled void, and his mana was spent.
"Hurry! Alka, open the dome!" Amalin screamed, her ice shield splintering under the assault. With a final effort, Alka parted the water, allowing them to scramble inside.
The water dome rippled precariously. Outside, the attack intensified.
"How do we get out of this?" Amalin asked, breathless. "Shield Bash won't be enough."
"Don't you have any other tank skills?" Charlwind asked urgently.
"I'm a Fighter-Tank hybrid, but I lean toward Fighter. I was supposed to support Malloch, but everything's gone to hell," she said, gesturing to the battered team with a frustrated sigh.
Charlwind grit his teeth and pulled a sand-brick medallion from his coat—the artifact of the Desert Bat Lord. An octagon with a closed eye at its center. He appraised it quickly.
"Stay here and stay ready," Charlwind handed the boric acid to Amalin. "Use this if anyone shows signs of parasites. Stay inside the dome. Don't come out—it's too dangerous."
"What are you doing? And what is that artifact?" Amalin asked, bewildered.
"I'm going to help Grey Hood," Charlwind said. He stuffed cotton into his nostrils, signaled Alka to open a gap, and stepped out without hesitation.
Immediately, the swarm descended upon him, tearing at his flesh with starved ferocity. Charlwind's eyes snapped open—his pupils were now thin, golden slits.
[Eye of Greedy: Active. When the user sustains damage above a certain threshold, a portion of the mana from the attacker is drained and absorbed. The greater the injury, the greater the mana recovery.]
White mana motes from the parasites began flowing into Charlwind's body. He clamped his jaw shut against the agony, his hands coated in boric acid to keep the insects away from his face. 'First field test of the artifact... a success,' he thought through the blinding pain. Then, he plunged his ice scalpel into his own leg.
...
...
A blue status window flashed before Rosaline.
[Condition Met: Skill 'Martyr's Will' is active.] [The skill exchanges the user's Mana to sustain the target's Life Force. Your Mana is decreasing to compensate for the target's health: 2000/7500] [Target: Charlwind]
Rosaline grits her teeth. Charlwind had actually done it—he had turned himself into a sacrificial tank. "Always taking such reckless risks!"
Martyr's Will was one of her unique skills. It allowed her to shoulder the 'death' of her teammates as long as she had mana to burn, provided they held a shield.
As the protective winds died and the gas began to settle, Rosaline accelerated. Mana motes from Charlwind's gamble flowed into Amber Reign, boosting her speed even further.
Algeda, seeing that Rosaline wasn't slowing down, grew panicked. The intelligent De-von realized its hostage wasn't working. It tried to fly away, but its massive size made it sluggish.
It was too late.
"Go to hell, you filthy pest!"
Amber Reign tore through the Queen's body, severing her in half. A beam of orange light disintegrated the core as the girl's body fell from the cavity along with the wreckage. Rosaline commanded the staff to swoop down, catching the girl before they both tumbled onto the hard ground.
The scattered remains of the Queen began to throb, and amber crystals began to encrust the pieces. However, the parasites within were trying to reform into a serpent to break free.
"Not on my watch!" Rosaline used the last of the mana stored in the staff.
[Mana expended to reduce Skill Casting Time.] [The Lost Alexandria!]
The lighthouse erupted back into existence instantly. The holy radiance of the Domain triggered 'The Fool,' paralyzing the remaining parasites. Amber Reign's special property—trading extra mana for instant casting—was the only reason she could deploy it so fast.
The shards of Algeda were slowly and completely encased in solid amber. The remaining insects, losing their leader, scattered in terror, vanishing into the infinite dark.
[Mana depletion has stopped.] The status window signaled the end of the combat. Charlwind was safe.
"Ellie." Rosaline set the staff aside and checked the girl's breathing. She was alive but unconscious. Rosaline scanned her body, seeing the electrical burns from Malloch's earlier rampage—perfect entry points for parasites. When the girl didn't wake, Rosaline pressed her ear to Ellie's chest.
Her heart skipped a beat. The sound coming from within made her skin crawl.
Using the Aeternum system once more, her eyes turned blood-red. She pressed her hand to Ellie's abdomen and funneled her power inward.
"AAAHHH!" Ellie's eyes snapped open as she shrieked, her body contorting in agony. Countless thread-thin parasites began crawling out of her tear ducts, nostrils, and ears.
Rosaline pinned her down with all her strength. She didn't have a sleep skill like Zenis or Charlwind; she had to rely on raw force to hold the thrashing girl.
As the Aeternum energy purged the host, something larger began to crawl out from beneath the girl's skirt. Rosaline froze in shock. It was a larva—the juvenile form of the Algeda Queen she had just slain. It was trying to escape to start the cycle anew.
Rosaline didn't hesitate. She drove Amber Reign through the larva, pinning it to the ground until it went still—the final remnant of the creature that had almost wiped out her entire team.
[Dungeon Master: Slain (3/3)]