Day 6 Part 4

I sigh, shaking my head. Damn scorpions, always wasting my precious bullets. Taking Umbra, I kneel beside the dead creatures, beginning the delicate process of extracting the venom sacs from their tails.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ilka inquires, her curiosity piqued.

A grin spreads across my face. "Well, if you must know," I begin, adopting an overly formal tone, "this venom is quite a commodity. I heard it could be used for medicine."

Ilka's response is a derisive snort. "Like you care about medicine."

Ah, she's right. I don't care about medicine. What I care about are potions. Oliver could whip up a batch of potent brews with this venom. I continue cutting carefully, the last thing I want is to burst a venom sac and get the stuff on me. Umbra takes on a slithering, slimy form that sheathes my hand, ensuring even if there were an accident, I'd be safe.

Suddenly, I feel a vibration. With a muttered curse, I carefully slide my TSI into the substance of Umbra. No harm can come to it in there.

I raise a holographic screen with a flick of my finger. "Bloody hell, Eira," I mutter to myself. My partner-in-crime has never had the best timing.

But what does she want now? Sighing, I accept her call. Eira appears on the screen, surprise etched across her face. "Yo~ How's it bee- What the fuck? I thought you were at the academy, where the hell are you? And more importantly, just what the hell are you doing?"

I turn my screen towards the sack of venom. Eira's face scrunches in disgust. "Oi, look what I found. Do you need any scorpion venom by chance? I'm currently taking a survival exam."

The sound of Eira's sigh echoes in the cavern. Ilka yawns, watching with an amused look in her eye. "No, I don't need any," Eira answers, clearly trying to hide her curiosity. She's about to continue when a young voice pipes up.

"Hey Kael!"

A smile instantly lights up my face. "Oh, hey Des. How's your training going?" Before I can hear Des' response, Eira cuts in.

"Now's not the time. Kael, while advertising the Dragon's Eye sniper, we were informed that Archmage Lilith will be attending during the presentation."

The sack of venom drops from my hand, forgotten. Lilith? As in the best mage in the continent, Lilith? As in, the mage who banned the access to the mana towers that we managed to get access to, Lilith? Damn, why does it have to be her? Shit shit shit shit, wait. As long as Darius is there, there shouldn't be any problem. I doubt Lilith Would cause a scene in front of world leaders. A national weapon is no joke, as long as she doesn't find out who I am...

Ilka, watching the entire scene with an amused expression, finally snickers. "Seems like you're in trouble, Kael. What will you do now? Cry? Beg? Maybe beg and cry?"

Ignoring her, I manage to pull myself together, putting on a brave face. "Ugh, alright, I will think of a solution. Don't worry about her and just continue your work."

Eira sighs and is about to disconnect the call when she suddenly asks, "So you tried it out, how is it?" I can tell she's referring to the gun. My precious baby.

"Well, Eira," I begin, my grin widening as I recall the feeling of the trigger in my hand, the soft hum as the magical and technological elements came together in the most harmonious blend I've ever experienced, "you truly outdid yourself. Fast, precise and strong." I pat the location of the hidden gun, safely ensconced within Umbra.

Eira rolls her eyes. It's always gratifying to see that she hasn't lost her ability to feel frustrated. "The next time you come over I'll add some improvements. I've been carefully experimenting with different styles."

She pans her camera to show an array of weapons, each more intimidating than the last. My eyes widen as she grabs an unusually large gun, its dark steel gleaming wickedly in her small hands. But I know, that isn't as big as it seems. Eira's small frame just exaggerates the size.

"This boy can deliver 250 shots per minute. It's not as fast as I'd like it but it will do for now." Her casual tone belies the significant achievement. Creating guns from scratch, she's going to revolutionize this world.

I whistle appreciatively. If this gets out, adventurers, merchants, hell, even nations will be lining up at our doorsteps. The thought alone makes my grin wider, almost splitting my face. Ilka, watching the entire scene with clear disdain, rolls her eyes at me. "Can you stop grinning like an idiot? It's making my eyes hurt."

Ignoring her rude comment, I chuckle. "You truly are a genius, Eira."

Standing, I glance around, half expecting a professor to appear from behind a rock with a disapproving glare. "Listen, Eira, I'll contact you when I get a chance. Right now, I have to get moving." I sigh in resignation, this survival exam suddenly seeming more inconvenient.

"Try not to die, Kael." Ilka chimes in cheerfully, ugh, I wish staying alive was a simple task.

Eira's chuckle echoes in the empty cavern before she ends the call. Looking at Ilka, I roll my eyes at her carefree demeanor. "Come on, let's move. I'm tired of this fucking Island, once I'm done here we'll find the way out."

Tying the pouches of venom securely to my uniform, I stand, taking in the oppressive darkness of the cavern. Two more rooms, just two more and I'll be out of this damned place. I sigh, tiredness creeping up my spine.

"Oi, just when are you going to fight some real monsters?" Ilka's voice cuts through the silence. I can almost see the giddy anticipation in her translucent form.

My response is a curt, "Ugh, look, here they come."

Sure enough, from the shadows emerge two grotesque monsters. One has the elongated body of a mantis, but with the head of a goat. The other is like a cat, only bulkier and more terrifying, why is it fucking walking on two legs!? Its eyes glow an eerie green, and it prowls towards us, its low growl echoing in the cavern.

Shit, I forgot how to deal with them. Mason, the golden boy, killed them cause he's the main character. I don't have that luxury, I don't have his strength. I thought I could catch them off guard.

The worst thing about these damned creatures is that they can use magic enhancement. Shit, I can only fight them with aura for a couple of minutes at most.

The mantis-goat is the first to attack. I convert Umbra into a shield, blocking the strike. But it's heavy, really heavy. I'm pushed back, my back slamming into the cavern wall. I click my tongue, cursing under my breath. Haven't eaten in a while, feeling weaker than usual. But I can't use that as an excuse, all the others probably haven't eaten either, and they're not complaining.

Before I can counter, the overgrown steroid kitty slams into my shield, hurling me across the cave. My body collides with a far wall, and I cough up blood. My aura protection was too slow.

Ilka floats around me, cackling. "Hahaha! Are you crying?!" she manages to get out between bouts of laughter.

I wipe my mouth, tasting iron. "N-no, it's just rain." I manage to stutter out. Of course, I'm crying, that shit hurt!

Ilka laughs even harder. "We're in a goddamn cave ruin!"

Gritting my teeth, I clamber to my feet. "Uuugh, it's dripping water."

Ilka continues to float around me, her laughter echoing in the cavern. I can see the amused glint in her eyes. "Keep it up, Ilka," I mutter, "one day, I'll find a way to hit you."

She merely grins, unaffected by my threat. "Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming."

Gritting my teeth, I spit out a mouthful of blood and manage a grin. "I've got some sick gear, dammit! I shouldn't be losing to some standard mobs." I mutter, eyes glued on the charging feline beast. The absurdity of my predicament has my mind reeling. From fearsome mage to sniveling coward, who would've guessed?

"A cat should act like a cat!" I holler, pointing at the beast with a dramatic flair that feels a little misplaced considering the circumstances.

Umbra shifts and warps into a net, ensnaring the bulky cat-like creature within its metallic confines. Victory! Or at least, a temporary one. As I'm about to compress the net and finally squash the oversized cat, the mantis-goat charges in, its blade-like arms whistling through the air.

With a split-second decision, I shroud my body in a protective layer of aura and roll away. I withdraw my baby, aiming it at the mantis, and fire.

The bullet meets the mantis-goat's armored limbs, throwing it off balance. Despite the impact, there's not as much damage as I'd hoped for. The creature stumbles back, a sizable dent marring its chitinous armor.

"God damn it!" I curse under my breath. I know I can't use the runes on the gun yet. Without a supply of mana stones, I have a one-shot limit. This is not the moment for that, so I resort to pumping four more rounds into the beast. Two measly creatures left in my clip. Damn, I'll need to save those for later.

As I struggle with the oversized kitty in the net, using Umbra to squash it down further, Ilka's voice cuts through the cacophony.

"Why are you so stupid, Kael? Use your fucking brain. Look at its footwork, it has a horrible balance. Use my damn Footwork! Straighten your damn back! You're embarrassing me! Stop relying on those goddamn toys!" she yells at me.

Why now? Of all the times she chooses to go into master mode, it's when I'm fighting for my life? But she has a point. Ilka, despite being a royal pain in my ass, is a martial master. I reluctantly acknowledge the wisdom of her advice.

Taking a deep breath, I reposition myself, straightening my back and readying myself to face the mantis-goat. There's a fleeting moment where I see the awkward footwork Ilka pointed out. Maybe I could use that to my advantage...

Focusing, I land a few more shots, carefully counting the remaining bullets. Finally, my eyes dart to the cat still struggling in Umbra's metallic grasp. Now's my chance. With a sudden flex of mental command, I have Umbra compress the feline beast, its struggles silenced under the immense pressure.

With the cat disposed of, I turn my attention back to the mantis-goat, now uncomfortably close. This oversized insect doesn't know when to quit. I let out a weary sigh. My exhaustion is starting to catch up with me, but I can't afford to falter now.

Without missing a beat, I recall Umbra and reshape it into a long spike, taking careful aim at the creature's head.

"Here's looking at you, kid," I quip, driving the spike forward. A futile attempt to lighten my increasingly grim situation, but if I don't laugh, I'll probably start crying.

As the spike buries itself into the creature's skull, I look over to Ilka with a triumphant smirk. "I'd say that's one for the team, wouldn't you?" I remark, gasping for breath.

Her laughter rings in the cavern. "Only you would celebrate nearly dying, you bloody fool!"

Yeah, she's right. But in my defense, near-death experiences make for some great comedic relief, I mean, who wants to die with a serious face?