meeting Runa and Saarvin, fighting a Remorhaz(chapter 42)

prevoius in chapter 41

 Adam left them to their fate, the carriage soon crashing, the miners turning against each other in a deadly fight. Adam was already far away, walking beneath the looming rocky mountain. "This world is just as dangerous as my own, if not more," he mused, continuing his journey. He pulled out a map, dotted with marked places, but one unmarked building caught his attention—a rumored ruin of a magic tower that once belonged to a great mage. Hearing the rumors and acquiring the location, Adam decided to venture there, not for the potential inheritance, but for the journey itself. Along the way, there were forests with monsters, magical plants, and mountains with magical ores—each fascinating to Adam.

After walking for a few more minutes, Adam noticed something—or rather, someone—approaching. As the figure drew closer, Adam realized it was a giant of a person, a woman standing at least 7 feet tall. She had light-dark skin, braided dark hair, and wore thick belt armor while wielding two battle axes. Adam was taken aback. "I don't know whether to be aroused or impressed... maybe both," he thought to himself. Despite his surprise, he readied his quickest and deadliest spell, but the giant woman didn't seem to have ill intentions as she spoke with a hoarse voice.

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"Tiny human, this mountain is dangerous. There are beasts everywhere. You should not be here, let alone walk on your bare, tiny feet," the giant woman warned. Adam was momentarily stunned, feeling dwarfed by her presence, before regaining his composure. "Thank you for the warning, but I pack more punch than you think," he replied confidently. Just then, as if the heavens wanted to test his words, the ground beneath them began to shake.

 Something burst from the ground, and the giant woman yelled, "Remorhaz!" Adam turned to see the creature—a Remorhaz. It had a massive Centipede-like body with wing-like fins flaring from the back of its head, and a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth. Numerous spiny legs propelled it forward, giving it a centipede-like appearance. Seeing the creature, Adam sighed as he said sarcastically. "Why not? I was just starting to feel numb."

The scene unfolded with the Remorhaz roaring at the two figures, the barbarian giantess and Adam. "Stay back, tiny human!" the giantess shouted, brandishing her axes before launching herself at the creature. Her swings made shallow cuts, but the Remorhaz swooped down with its giant mouth toward her. 

Thankfully, she dodged just in time. As the Remorhaz reeled back, a white glowing sword flew towards it, impaling its giant eye. The creature roared in agony. The giantess turned to see Adam, pointing his moon horn forward as he bombarded the Remorhaz with volleyball-sized mana bombs, causing explosions one after another. The Remorhaz, despite losing carapaces, refused to give up. The giantess delivered several powerful swings of her axes, creating deep cuts as the creature thrashed violently, even rising on its mainly leg to slam down at them. 

Then, 25 green and white stars connected by string were launched at the Remorhaz. Adam used the sharp edges of the stars, to cut open the underbelly of the creature like a knife. Its insides spilled out, followed by the creature itself. The giantess stood there, momentarily shocked, before turning back to Adam. "Told you I can pack a punch," he remarked as he passed by her, casually placing the Remorhaz inside the pearl. The giantess looked at him, a mixture of surprise and begrudging respect on her face. "Fine, tiny sorcerer," she conceded.

Just then, both Adam and the giantess noticed movement among the frozen trees nearby. A figure dressed in a fur hood emerged, wielding a bow. Adam and the giantess were already on guard, which the figure seemed to understand. He removed his hood, revealing a draconic face. "I mean no harm. I heard the commotion and wanted to help. As a ranger, it's my duty," the figure explained. He introduced himself as Saarvin.

"I am Runa," the giantess stated before turning her gaze towards Adam, who sighed before saying, "Adam. My name is Adam." The draconic, Saarvin, then suggested, "There's a town nearby with a healer. If any of you need to tend to your injuries, I suggest we head there."

Adam shook his head. "I'm good, but thanks for the suggestion. Good luck with Guardian," he said, addressing the giantess. She nodded in response. As Adam started to walk in his direction, the giantess leaned towards Saarvin, whispering, "Tiny humans are weird sometimes."

Saarvin chuckled softly. "Yes, at least this one wasn't bloodthirsty like most of them," he remarked, his gaze following Adam. "Or a scoundrel," the giantess added, the icy tundra howling around them as they watched Adam's retreating figure

-scene change-

The frigid winds whipped through the icy landscape as Adam trudged forward, his senses heightened after the previous encounter with a Remorhaz. The frozen terrain stretched endlessly before him, the snow crunching beneath his boots. The eerie silence was broken only by the distant howl of the wind and the occasional creak of frozen branches.

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath Adam's feet, sending a shiver down his spine. He knew what was coming. With a thunderous roar, the massive form of the Remorhaz burst from the icy ground, its 44-foot-long body towering over him like a nightmare made real.

This time, however, Adam was prepared. He was now familiar with the creature's attack patterns and knew its penchant for burrowing into the ground. As the Remorhaz lunged forward with its gaping maw, Adam reacted swiftly. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured his Omni-Direction-Vine-Wave spell.

Multitudes of strong and durable vines erupted from the ground around him, their spiked roots reaching out like hungry tendrils. The vines impaled the Remorhaz from all directions, wrapping around its massive body and restricting its movements. The creature roared in fury, thrashing against the vines with incredible strength, even managing to knock adam over and sending him flying several foot, where he rollaed around, but he was unaware that something feel out of his pocket, a black rock.

But Adam wasn't finished yet. With a quick casting, he summoned his sharp star spell. A single star materialized in his outstretched hand, glowing with ethereal light, which then quickly disppaeared for some reason as adam was confused for a second while the stone that fell out of him glowed green and white for a second, before casting again. This time it didnt disappear, rather, With a mental command, the star split into twenty-five duplicates, each interconnected by a shimmering string of mana.

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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A/N an early chapter, hope you guys enjoy it.