52 Preparing For A Fight

As the world returned to normal, a buzzing sensation filled my ears.  A psyblade waited at my throat.  Doppel gave me serious expression.  She seemed to think I wasn't me or maybe it was worry.  

I felt fine, better than fine.  How could I describe tricking a powerful red spirit?  

    The heat from her psyblade burned my neck.  It started as an orb of light at the end of two fingers before extending into a round blade.  To call it a blade wasn't correct.  The purple mass of charged energy had more in common with Armageddon's Chainsaw than an actual sword.  

    The spell spoke and I listened.  It was a purple blade but also a spell chain. Though only tier two it wasn't bound by tiers.  Doppel would probably still find it useful at along with tier 6 spells.  

    Our eyes met and a frown stretched across her beautiful face.  "I'm glad you're cautious but isn't this a little much?"  I asked.  

    She raised her blade a little closer to my chin.  I heard my flesh sizzle under her blade.  "Get out of him spirit or I'll cut off his head."  Doppel said.  I heard weeping behind me.  

    A sigh escaped my lips.  "I'm guessing this wasn't part of your visions."  I could move backwards before she could slit my throat.  We were both knight rank, but my aura control was superior.  My instincts told me so.   

    Doppel met my eyes and I raised an eyebrow.  "Say something that only Jacob would know."  If the creature devoured my soul, it would have known everything I knew. 

    "How does that prove anything?"  A smile spread over Doppel's face and the psyblade vanished.  "Was that the test?"  I asked.   

    She grabbed ahold of me and we kissed.  Her tongues stabbed into my mouth exploring me like a pack of wolves hunting.  I grabbed ahold of her and pulled while Gwen sandwiched me from behind.   

    "You should put on some pants?"  Gwen said.  

    I dug around in my storage ring and found what I needed.  A few minutes later I was dressed in a set of leather pants and wore a new pair of boots.  

Ping!

Jacob lvl5 Black Galaxy Noah

    Destroying that ambrosia had worked out better than I thought.  Only five more levels and I would be in swinging distance of Dol.  Sure, there were some differences in power.  Dol had more experience and probably had a few more mystical treasures.   

    Anyone who would use up three treasures to flex had more treasures to burn.  I'd been flexed on and that sucked.  I needed more spells if I was going to win.  Each spell was a new tool in my arsenal.  Having a lack of tools when I needed them desperately wouldn't fly.  If I had some mystical treasures to fill the gap that would be ideal.  Of course, that wasn't the case.  

    Gwen stared at me with her wide black eyes.  Her purple tentacles moved about with unease.  "I still can't beat him.  Would I be able to if I were max level?"   I asked.  

    Doppel placed a delicate green hand on my shoulder.  "We saw a future where we are together on the surface.  Getting there is like crossing a river during a hurricane.  Sure, there are ways to get through it but there are so many paths, twists, and dead ends."  Doppel said.  

    Gwen sucked on her lip and looked down.  "Defeating Dol isn't the other side, he's the dead ends.  You don't win against him, but we can escape."  Gwen said.  

    I looked between my girls.  They were so worried about me.  It would be cute, if they weren't in pain.  Dol was the dead ends.  Beating him wasn't possible.  A plebe can't beat a duke and a knight shouldn't be able to.  I wanted to win badly.  The future wasn't set in stone, but the waves could swallow a raft whole.  

    Out of the bag Gwen had tossed me, I flung some pills in my mouth and felt myself level up.  I stepped through the room until I arrived at a window.  Down below I watched the bottom half of the tower fall away in a flash of green light.  Our ascent accelerated.  The giant's hand that carried us from the junk yard moved faster.  

    I touched the glass.  If I were human, the cold would freeze my skin to it.  Noah's were made of sterner stuff.  The biting cold drifting in through the glass was only unpleasant.  

    "Dol will be heading up here soon.  The surface is cold out of the cities, how are we going to survive?"  I asked.    "It isn't too late; I can shatter this window and we can jump out.  We'll fly to the bottom.   Let Dol worry about the surface.  If he's gone its one less thing to worry about."  I said. 

    "We can't see the surface without Star.  She always wanted to see the stars.  Even if she went with us, I'm not sure she'll be able to see them through the cloud covering."  I said.  

    I turned to look at a very pensive Gwen.  A frown etched itself across my face.  I could feel the shear sadness wash over me.  Was she feeling guilty over Star or was it something she hadn't told me?  

    After a moment of fidgeting Gwen spoke up.  "Star is somewhere in the ventilation system.  If we break into Dol's sanctum, she might come out of hiding."  Gwen said.  

    My mouth opened and I closed it.  It opened again and I closed it.  Star was here somehow.  Of course, she was, why would Star be satisfied waiting on the sidelines?  That changed everything.  Star was fragile as hell and needed to get out of this tower.  She also needed shelter immediately.  They all did.  We were about to leap into an unforgiving tundra.  Prey would be scarce or built better for the elements than us.  I sucked in a breath and let it out.  One thing at a time. 

    I upturned the bag of pills and swallowed the rest down. 

Ping!

Jacob lvl10 Black Galaxy Noah 

    After the bag ran out, I stuffed my fist into it to find any that were stuck.  To my annoyance I'd cleaned out the last of them.  I was level 10 but not a level more.  If Dol had any speed or strength techniques, I was screwed.  

    We quickly climbed the stairs leading to a set of large glowing doors.  A creature rose out of the cracks in the door.  

Set lvl40 Phantasmal Runic Formation 

    A creature made of glowing runes and aura poured into a humanoid shape.  Its eyes glowed with a red and green rune.  In the center of its chest was a familiar glowing green rock.  I launched a fireball.  

    Before the fireball could hit blue light flickered and the fireball vanished.  A smug grin made of asymmetric runes appeared on its face.  To me it was smug.  A psyblade shot for the creature.  It flashed and the psyblade dissipated.  I slashed down with Diabla and it moved out of the way.  Each time it moved the wardstone was its center mass.  That was very telling.  

    I crossed the distance and probed with a few slashes.  A black javelin shot from my offhand aimed for the wardstone.  A flash of light shot out from the creature just as a series of runes materialized in a specific pattern.  My sword slashed down, and I kicked the stone with my foot.  

    Three fireballs fired off from my off hand while the creature retreated.  Instead of another flash it wrapped the wardstone in a black ball made of the creature's mass.  Each explosion tore massive holes through the tower and parts of it crumbled in the giant's grip.  

    When an opportunity come knocking, I answered.  The ball of monster bounced once from the explosion and the walls were coming down.  Blue flesh from the giant exposed itself when the wall fell, and Set hadn't regained humanoid form.  

    I threw myself at the creature and kicked with all my might.  My foot lashed out like a charging bull.  When my foot connected, I felt elasticity.  The black mass of the creature rippled.  Whether it was to disperse the force of my kick or a side effect didn't change the outcome.  My kick launched the creature flying out of the new hole in the tower.    

    Cold air rushed in when the wall fell.  We grabbed on to anything that could keep us in the room while the hot air was sucked out.  My aura erupted and I held myself aloft.  Once I was sure the wind wouldn't yank me out, I looked over to Gwen and Doppel.   

    Purple auras surrounded them while they kept themselves anchored with telekinesis.  I lowered myself to a crouch and flew myself only a few inches from the ground toward the doors.  I knew the second I opened the door everything inside the chamber would get sucked out.  When I grabbed ahold of the door handle to Dol's sanctum, I was saying goodbye to most of the books and scrolls I could steal.  With a mighty pull, I yanked the doors to Dol's sanctum off the hinges.