Book 3: Chapter 32: No More Hamishes and Skill Level-ups
"That and that need to be dealt with," Gilbert stated, pointing to the magical fire that still surrounded Lone's armoured form and then to Soph's Barrier Maelstrom. "I can't so much as detect a hint of magic like a true expert might be able to but even I can feel that thing will kill all of us if it's let loose."
The guildmaster gave the still-burning Lone a measured look and sighed, "Kill most of us," before turning to Soph. "Can you dismiss it in any way? Magic is fun in that the rules are different for different spells."
Soph, with her face lacking all emotion, shook her head. "Nope. It has to go somewhere."
Gilbert held his face in his hand. "And you, War Leader Clari? The boy's dealing with intense soul pain already. We've established you were decidedly in the wrong so get rid of those flames."
"Wait!" Lone interrupted. "Does the skill have a timer? Like, if we just wait, will it go away on its own?"
War Leader Clari furrowed her brow. "It does. I can dismiss it but the magic holding the spell together will be spent after an hour."
"Keep it up then. I'd be a fool to say no to extra levels in Fire Magic Resistance," Lone replied as he began using Ungrounded to walk up into the air. It wasn't like the extra pain really made a difference with his torn-up inner channels already making his life a living hell.
"You're crazy..." War Leader Clari muttered. "What's he doing now? That's a Primal skill he's using. I can feel it."
Gilbert nodded. "It is a skill from Sky. You don't need to worry about it. Knowing him, he's going to help Soph deal with her powerful magic."
Once he was about 200 metres up in the air, Lone sent a telepathic message to his shorter but still better half. 'Go ahead and blast me. The flames should make for a pretty easy target to aim at. I'll throw up two fortress shields as soon as you launch it.'
'... Okay,' Soph replied simply, not even protesting the idea. To be fair, this maelstrom was significantly less powerful than the one he had endured when she earned the skill, so her not being too worried made sense.
Still, Lone worried that something was off about her attitude. He didn't have the time to think on the matter, however, as a jade storm of whirring death quickly approached him. He threw up his fortress shields and gritted his teeth.
Barrier Maelstrom was unblockable now that it had become a fully-fledged skill so the shields would do little good given his body was the target, but skill experience was skill experience. The hope was that he'd learn to block the unblockable one day, as improbable as that sounded.
Lone grunted and suppressed a scream as his fortresses were bypassed like they didn't even exist - which was sort of the point of Soph's skill. The Maelstrom stopped moving when it hit his flame-enwreathed form and then proceeded to rip him to shreds.
Thankfully, this wasn't Soph's full power since she'd used too much MP on Void Walking. A full-power maelstrom needed both his MP and SP to be pumped into Basic Regeneration for him to offset the continual damage as prior testing in the Farwinds had proven.
After a few minutes, the magic in Soph's skill had been spent and Lone had chewed through about a million SP with the help of the SP regeneration his two fortress shields granted him. 5% SP recovered per second per shield was certainly helpful.
Rather unceremoniously, Lone dismissed his fortress shields and stopped using Ungrounded, resulting in him plummeting to the grassy plain below, slamming into the earth but not losing his balance. "Well, I'll be managing these flames for the next hour then."
He assumed a crossed-legged position and began pointedly focusing on the ever-active Mediation skill. As he went to close his eyes to clear his mind, he said, "War Leader Clari. You fucked up today. I'll be sure to make it very clear that that is the case when I claim my due reparations for this attack."
The Crimson Foxkin woman scowled and almost spat on the ground before deciding to grunt instead. "Fuckin' threatened by a B-ranker... A B-ranker who I couldn't kill. Fuckin' Immortus the Immortal... That's so on the nose..." She wandered off, separating the gathered crowd like the Red Sea in her wake.
Soph stood at Lone's back, her assigned Blood Clone shifted into a smaller more condensed sphere that hovered around her head at Lone's behest.
Gilbert ushered the small but noticeable crowd away and said, "Return to your duties and activities, good people of the clan! The guild will be making a formal announcement regarding this situation later this evening and Lone is busy managing the flames left over from the war leader's ambush! A viewing gallery is not appreciated right now!"
Some crowd members looked concerned, some angry, some scheming. There were a lot of different thoughts bouncing between the present parties but they did all leave, though some members of Rodorick's caravan chose to train, or pretend to train, as they kept a concerned eye on Lone as he sat there.
Gilbert ignored them and scooped up the unconscious Breena. "Poor girl. Being overwhelmed by a powerful aura so suddenly can shatter one's spirit at times... I suspect you'll be just fine though, won't you? You're a strong one. No doubt as a result of accompanying those two for so long."
He laid her next to Lone and Soph before he opened his mouth as if to ask Soph a question only to be interrupted by her first. "Don't. You won't like the answer."
"... Right you are. I guess the reunion with Grimsley and my talented apprentice will have to wait until tomorrow or even later if this whole... mess requires immediate attention from yourselves. I'll visit you in the morning. We'll need your statements and Lone's desired course of action as the victim," the almost four-centuries-old dragonkin said.
Soph nodded impassively and replied to the man less than half her age, "See you tomorrow."
As soon as the flames disappeared from Lone's body, he, with Soph and the still unconscious Breena, returned to their appointed floor in Rodorick's pagoda.
They were, however, approached by the merchant family before getting into their room. The Halbundon - or Silverfang - family were concerned about Lone's and their own general safety. Thankfully, Little Rinrin's world skill made it easy to explain that no one was in any danger any longer.
Once back in their suite, Lone laid Breena on her bed and tucked her in, hoping she wouldn't panic much when she woke up from having her aura obliterated by a much more powerful individual. With that done, he went to lie down on his own bed with Soph at his side.
"I'm gonna go over my skill gains but before that, are you okay? I noticed you seem a bit... cold," Lone noted.
Soph, while in his arms, turned to face Lone and replied, "No more Hamishes."
Lone pursed his lips. "I see... That makes sense. And this wasn't a light situation where you'd just oppose me trying to make an enemy into an ally. That means this is more... drastic. I did agree so I won't stop you. I assume you won't do anything stupid that'll endanger us, but at least wait until I've drained her of all value, 'kay? She owes us a lot for that attack. It would be a crying shame for her to disappear with such a large unpaid debt."
Soph looked surprised. "You... don't disapprove?"
"I agreed back then, didn't I? No more Hamishes. And even if I afford people second chances, I won't force you to do the same. Now, if you try to have the same attitude when all of our lives aren't this close to ending, well... we'll see if I'll fight ya on it," Lone answered.
For the first time since before the ambush, a small smile spread across Soph's lips. She leaned up and pecked Lone. "I love you. Sophie and me can wait. But we have to kill something. I'm just... I'm so angry!"
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"I get it. If we don't get held up with official stuff, we'll do a guild quest tomorrow," Lone said.
Soph nodded. "Mmm! Yeah, let's! I'm gonna practice my freeform barrier magic since you always take so long with your skill recaps. Let me know, um, if you know... if you wanna do anything else once you're done..."
Noticing the blush spreading across his lover's expression, Lone smiled wryly and said, "Will do, Princess, will do, but first, how was your first time really going all out with your new MP total? You got a huge boost when I finally hit level 400, right?"
"Sophie was the one using it, so I dunno, really. I can try some ideas I've been thinking about later though. Maybe during tomorrow's quest," she replied.
"Sounds good," Lone replied with a smile.
He then immediately pulled up his notification log. He ordered it to display the skills and skill level-ups. He also grouped all skill level-ups of the same skill together instead of being displayed in the exact order they were earned.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Oaken Flesh] has levelled up! It is now Expert Level 10.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Oaken Flesh] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 1.
Active Skill: Oaken Flesh
A skill common among Leshers and other earthly species, though it can sometimes be found in others whose fear of death has allowed them to learn this elusive skill.
Allows the host's skin to become as durable a tree type of their choice, limited by the skill's rank. Chosen tree: Allocasuarina luehmannii.
[New!] The host may now choose magical trees as the target of the above effect.
Cost:250 SP [-250 SP] per hour. 250 SP [-250 SP] per second if the host's skin is being attacked. Mastery:Master Level 1
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Oaken Flesh] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 2.
'No Decapitation Resistance? That would be a super useful skill but I can only assume it doesn't exist or the whole head needs to come off. Both upsetting ideas,' Lone sighed mentally before continuing.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Survivor's Speed] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 8.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Survivor's Speed] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 9.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Ramming Strike] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.
'Well that's a lot of progress for one use, a use that wasn't even that effective,' Lone noted with a pleased nod of the head that was very much so still attached to his shoulders.
Congratulations! The host's Primal skill [You] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.
'Only one level? That's disappointing,' Lone commented on Darkness's skill.
The Primal replied, 'An illusion is hardly as difficult to penetrate as a powerful force magic barrier.'
'My skill was not even used despite the suggestion to take advantage of and develop it, and it is passive unlike yours which is active,' Death complained.
Lone ignored the two godly beings as they began bickering in his mind. He still had more notifications to get through including a handful of new skills, after all.
Congratulations! The host's active nature magic skill [Thorny Itch] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.
Congratulations! The host's active nature magic skill [Thorny Itch] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.
Congratulations! The host's active nature magic skill [Thorny Itch] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.
Congratulations! The host's active nature magic skill [Thorny Itch] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.
'Not many levels here as expected. I did have to stop using the skill early since it wasn't affecting her. I wonder though... How fuckin' annoying would Thorny Itch be at expert or master rank?' he pondered before moving on.
Congratulations! The host's active unique skill [Basic Regeneration] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 6.
Congratulations! The host's active unique subskill [Bone Armour] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 6.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Fortress Shield Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 3.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Fortress Shield Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 4.
Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Fortress Shield Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 5.
Congratulations! The host's active skill [Blood Clone] has levelled up! It is now Master Level 4.
'I knew life-or-death fights would be more profitable but that fight was like, only a minute long. Crazy growth. Now for the new skills and Fire Magic Resistance levels...' Lone thought, excitement welling up within him to what powerful new tools his most recent adversary had left for him to play with.
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