Headed by a Snake

Chapter 191 Force-Activation

?[Wizard Tower: Floor 3, Necromancy Lab]

Tycondrius smashed the thick double-doors open with a mana-charged front kick. The large room inside held half-dozen cupboards keeping chemicals and catalysts, along with tables and desks for study and research. Anatomy charts of various creatures covered the walls, with a great deal of them being of humans.

Metal cages were displayed prominently in seemingly random parts of the lab, many with skeletal inhabitants or severed body parts in various stages of decay. Human-sized cages hung from the ceiling, 4 troll-sized cages were at the room's center, and others more of varying sizes were strewn about the room.

Lulu was first to dash forward, rushing toward a Flayed Beast on the right half of the room.

"Six-Sealed-Point array, Boss!!" She yelled.

Tycon narrowed his eyes. Of course, it was.

Wolfrider had gone off to engage the second Flayed Beast, engaging it near some of the heavy-wooded laboratory workbenches. The Flayed Beast was a blackened skeleton, nearly as large as Lang Hai in his Sea Wolf form, and towering nearly twice Wolfrider's height. It appeared to wear a loosely fitting, rotting blanket, draped from its form.

In its attempt to eviscerate Wolfrider, its front claws easily tore into a 4-ilm thick table. The journals and glass instruments upon it crashed into the walls and floor.

Wolfrider stared at the creature then back at Tycon as if he hadn't understood what he was volunteered for.

Lone walked forward, his pistols pointed to the ceiling, pointed forward at the beast.

Tycon held out his arm to stop him, "Not yet."

"But, Boss, Wolfbanger is--"

Tycon twisted his face into a furious snarl, pointing angrily at Lone with his free hand, "You will gods-damned HOLD when I TELL YOU TO!!"

Lone immediately straightened his back, a response that had been drilled into him from training.

"Tss..." Tycon scoffed. He was more irritable than he thought he was. However, he had done nothing he felt the need to apologize for, "Wait for Wolfrider to establish himself as a threat. You are in no condition to take unnecessary damage."

Lone nodded sharply, "Tell me when, Boss."

Tycon groaned inwardly. Of course, he would. Lone was a weapon-- a honed and deadly one, "Get into a clear shooting position."

"Understood, Boss," Lone saluted with his right pistol touching his shoulder.

Nodding, Tycon turned to Sasha and hissed orders to her.

"(Beautiful Child, I request thy Protection Spell. Following that, protect thyself with a Sanctuary Barrier and sing thy praises to the snake god.)"

"(Thy wish is Sasarame's will, Ivory Prince.)"

A thin green film of divine energy briefly washed over Tycon's body, causing his hair to rise and flow. Sasha's protective spell was an additional layer of armor the Flayed Beast would have to breach to injure him.

Without another word, Tycon dashed forward, mana flowing freely through his core and through his legs.

« System, identify: The weakened corners of the array in the room. »

[Understood.]

The System revealed to him transparent blue glows that only Tycon could see. Just as Lulu said, there were six points. Tycon immediately identified the multi-point array's layered points, formed by arcane markings on the cages throughout the room.

The Tower Wizard was a genius. Had Lulu not immediately identified the array, Invictus would have fallen prone to an Enervation effect, inflicting them with mana exhaustion and weakness... and in Lone's case, instant death.

Tycon cut apart a metal cage with the Shatterspike, noting the magical array painted on the underside of its thick metal ceiling, "Lulu! How many do you need me to break!?"

"Juuuuust one, Bosssss!!" The demoness yelled.

Underneath Lulu's Flayed Beast, a geyser of chilling frost erupted from the floor and broke apart the tiles. Lulu stabbed out with her paper umbrella, accurately striking the center of the creature's skull-forehead. The air cracked as an obscene amount of mana was concentrated into the strike. The lithe woman and her mundane umbrella sent the giant, half-tonze skeleton flying across the hallway...

...And into another of Lulu's frost geysers.

The Flayed Beast roared in anger and annoyance, struggling to its feet. The frost spells didn't seem to affect it initially, but after 2, it was beginning to slow.

Lulu pirouetted with her umbrella pointed at the ceiling. The curls of her short blonde hair bobbed as she balanced on one leg. Over a dozen alternating fire and frost spheres formed behind her.

...Tycon decided that Lulu would be fine.

He refocused his attention to Wolfrider.

The weretouched boy held up his halberd to block a downward slam from a Flayed Beast claw. His knees buckled, trying to hold up the weight, "B-boss! Help me!"

Tycon slowed his pace to a walk, keeping his longsword ready. He kept his voice at a conversational level. He didn't feel like yelling over the din of combat, "Mister Levi, you will not win being defensive. Attack the creature."

"WHAT? Boss, I can't attack, I--"

The Flayed Beast stepped to the side and slammed its shoulder hard into Wolfrider, toppling him backward. Quickly, the boy got to his feet and began yelling, "Boss, are you STUPID?! WHAT DO--"

Quietly and patiently, Tycon stared at the boy. Soon, Wolfrider grew quiet. The boy was injured, confused, and in a state of disbelief.

Lifting his hand, Tycon pointed at the charging Flayed Beast, "I told you to attack."

« System, activate Commander's Strike. Target: Levi Wolfrider. »

[Activating... Commander's Strike failed.]

« System, force activation. »

[Warning. Forcing activation of a Support Skill on an unwilling target will heavily drain the user's mana and may cause unnecessary strain to the target's--]

« --Confirm force activation. »

[Understood. Activating...]

"Mister Levi..." Tycon spoke quietly, but he knew Levi's ears were attentive to his every word, "I am not asking you. You will do as I say."

Almost immediately, Tycon saw the rush of foreign mana enter Wolfrider's body. He thrust his body forward, curving his spine and baring his teeth. He turned toward the Flayed Beast and thrust his halberd into the leaping creature's maw. Taking his right fist off of the haft, he bent his body low, then shifted his weight upward, uppercutting the beast where its throat would be.

"Good," Tycon nodded. "Now do so, again."