chardalyn (chapter 43)
prevoius in chapter 42
The star formation danced through the air, weaving and contracting in intricate patterns. Adam's mind raced as he manipulated the formation, directing the sharp stars towards the restrained Remorhaz. The creature's tough carapace seemed impenetrable, but Adam knew the stars' durability rivaled that of an iron shield.
The sharp stars flew towards the Remorhaz with deadly precision, slicing through its thick hide with a satisfying crunch. The creature howled in agony, its thrashing growing more frenzied as Adam's spell continued to bombard it from all sides. The icy landscape around them was soon littered with shards of frozen earth and splashes of dark, viscous blood.
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Despite the Remorhaz's impressive size and strength, it was no match for Adam's relentless assault. The sharp stars cut through its defenses, leaving deep gashes along its massive body. The creature's movements grew sluggish as blood oozed from its wounds, its roars of fury turning into pained cries.
Adam, his eyes ablaze with determination, pressed on. With a final surge of mana, he unleashed another wave of sharp stars, directing them towards the Remorhaz's vulnerable underbelly. The stars tore through the creature's flesh with ease, creating a gaping wound that gushed dark ichor.
With a deafening roar, the Remorhaz collapsed to the ground, its massive form twitching in its death throes. The once-frozen landscape was now a battlefield, littered with the remnants of the fierce clash. The air was heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the earthy scent of churned-up earth.
After regaining enough stamina, Adam carefully placed the second Remorhaz into the pearl, its massive form shrinking into a swirling vortex of energy. "I should probably go and enter the nearest town, which should be Bryn but i should probably first visit the ruin site," he thought to himself. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye amidst the frozen terrain. It was the object that had tumbled from him during the battle.
Bending down, Adam picked it up, examining the fragile-looking stone in his hand. "The miners called it chardalyn, but it's just a fragile stone that shatters like glass," he sighed, recalling the miners' warnings. The reason it had fallen out was because he had been examining the cause behind the miners' brutal deaths, which seemed almost supernatural.
Walking onward, he checked a few more of the chardalyn stones that he hadn't stored in the pearl. Each one was a delicate black stone that shattered easily upon touch. However, one of the stones he picked up began to glow faintly, emitting hues of blue and green. Intrigued, Adam held it up, observing closely. To his surprise, a single green and white star seemed to materialize within the stone for a brief moment.
"What?" he muttered in confusion, watching as the star appeared again. "Why did this thing absorb my spell?" Adam asked himself, his curiosity piqued. He remembered the spell of his that had disappeared earlier. "That would explain why my first star formations disappeared," he said with growing excitement, continuing to examine the mineral.
After a moment of pondering, he couldn't quite figure out how it absorbed the spell. He attempted to cast another spell at the shattered stone, but it remained inert. "So, can it only absorb one spell?" he mused aloud, sitting down on a nearby rock, completely engrossed in his discovery. It was a habit of his; once something interested him, he was fully absorbed.
"If so, how can I release it?" he pondered further, trying to unlock the mystery. He remembered how easy it was to shatter the chardalyn, so he decided to test his theory. With a determined grin, Adam shattered the chardalyn stone. To his delight, the star formations spell was released, swirling around him in a mesmerizing display.
"So it does absorb a spell," he confirmed to himself, watching the stars dance around him. "And the released spell doesn't need my spiritual force," he noted, intrigued by the possibilities. With newfound excitement, he took out the last small sample from his pouch, the rest safely stored in the pearl he couldn't access for now.
"Alright, let's see if I'm right," he said with a smile, focusing his mind. Casting the Magic Hand spell while targeting the stone, he watched as the spell disappeared from his hand, confirming his theory. "There are so many uses for this stone," he marveled, his happiness palpable.
Unable to contain his excitement, Adam experimented further, discovering that the chardalyn could only store one spell at a time. Shattering it released the spell, ready for use. "Where the hell did the miners get this thing from?" he wondered aloud, his mind racing with possibilities.
Remembering the stolen boxes from the carriage, he nodded to himself. "That should last for a while as I figure out an efficient way to use them," he decided, tucking the stone that still contained the Magic Hand spell into his pouch. With a sense of newfound power and curiosity, Adam headed towards ruins, eager to rest and meditate on his discoveries. The snowy landscape seemed to whisper secrets as he walked, the air tingling with the promise of magic.
-scene change-
In the icy tundra where the winds carried the swirling snowflakes, Adam trudged through the biting cold, his breath visible in the frosty air. He approached a cave entrance, its dark maw beckoning like a hungry beast. With practiced ease, he gathered some dry wood and started a fire, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows on the ice-laden walls. However, even in this unforgiving landscape, fire-making was no easy task, and Adam couldn't help but let out a groan of frustration.
"I swear I'm going to riot if my next mana type isn't fire mana," he muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Sitting down by the crackling fire, he reached into his pouch to retrieve the unfinished handle for his weapon. The frame was already crafted, but the fine details needed to be meticulously carved into place.
As he worked, heavy thuds echoed through the cave, signaling the approach of something large. The ground beneath him trembled slightly, but Adam seemed unfazed. With a sigh, he carefully set aside the handle, knowing interruptions were rarely gentle.
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A/N: For you Forgotten Realms nerds, you know what this material is, and yes, Adam is going to create an abomination from it. I'm talking about a small sphere of chardalyn that, when crushed, could explode plantets. Anyways, I just started watching the new Percy Jackson series, and boy, do I have a problem. I've already written a fanfic with 3 chapters (it's about a reincarnator with a cheat that allows him to get drops from monsters he has killed). So yeah, wish me luck