Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Chapter 117 Maze Hussle

As the group darted through the narrow ice-covered corridors, the biting cold of the cavern sent chills down their spines. Sharp icicles the size of spears rained down from above with every step they took, forcing them to zigzag frantically.

The icy projectiles shattered upon impact with the ground, spraying shards in every direction. Their breath came out in visible puffs, matching the pace of their hurried footsteps.

"Why do these things always aim for me!?" Aiden shouted, narrowly dodging an icicle that embedded itself right where his head had been a moment ago. He yelped and stumbled to the side, only to slip on the slick ice beneath his feet.

"Because the universe knows you need to work on your reflexes!" Jert shot back with a grin, gracefully side-stepping another falling spike.

Elora kept her eyes on the path ahead, but her heart pounded with a growing frustration. Another icicle came crashing down in front of her, and she swerved to the right, muttering, "Are we sure we're not in some twisted game of dodgeball right now?"

"Less complaining, more running!" Jett's voice cut through the chaos, his sharp tone unshaken despite the chaos around them. His feet barely touched the ice as he sprinted ahead.

But he wasn't just focused on himself. His eyes flickered toward Elora. She was keeping pace, but there was a glint in his eyes, as though he had pieced something together. "Check your skillset again, Elora!" Jett barked, weaving between two massive icicles falling in quick succession. "You should've unlocked something new by now!"

"What? You want me to check my skills now?! Are you out of your mind?!" Elora shot back, but even as she protested, her instincts told her Jett was right. She barely avoided another icicle by diving to the side, rolling to her feet in a flurry of movement.

"Yes, now! Multitask!" Jett's words were sharp but oddly calm, as if this life-threatening situation wasn't enough to shake him. His eyes flickered over to her again. "Or do you want to be the next frozen casualty? Now that I think about, that was a dumb thing to say."

"I'd like to not be impaled today, thanks!" Elora shot a glare in his direction, managing to pull up her skillset with a quick swipe of her hand mid-sprint. Her eyes scanned the glowing interface that hovered in front of her, desperately seeking something new.

And there it was. Right at the bottom of the list, a new skill gleamed brightly as if it had just been waiting for her to find it.

"Are you kidding me?" she breathed out. "Why didn't this pop up sooner?"

"No time for questions, just use it!" Jett called, his voice still steady despite the fact that an icicle had just grazed his shoulder. He brushed off the shards like they were nothing more than an inconvenience.

[Cold Sense]

[Feel the cold and change of temperature around you. +50 Perception, Agility and Intelligence, Grows with the user. Uses more MP the bigger the radius]

[Duration: None]

[Cooldown: None]

As Elora activated her newly discovered skill, she felt an immediate shift in her perception. The icy air around her became more than just a frigid obstacle: it was something she could feel in her bones.

The subtle changes in temperature, the direction of the freezing winds, even the delicate trembling of the icicles overhead, all became clear to her. She could predict where the next spear of ice would fall, sensing the drops in temperature right before they came crashing down.

The result was immediate and remarkable. For the rest of the mad dash through the cavern, Elora dodged the falling icicles with grace and precision. She ducked, spun, and sidestepped in perfect sync with the shifting temperatures, avoiding each and every icy projectile like she had been running this course her whole life.

Meanwhile, Aiden was still yelping with every close call. "Okay, seriously, are these things targeting me on purpose!? There's no way this is random!"

"Stop whining and keep moving!" Jett shot back, smirking as he watched Elora go, "At this rate, even Elora's showing you up."

Elora grinned at the exchange, feeling a surge of confidence as she weaved effortlessly between two massive icicles that came crashing down ahead of her. But there was a cost. With each successful dodge, she felt a drain on her energy. Her MP was rapidly depleting, and the constant use of [Cold Sense] was taking its toll.

She could feel the warmth of her sensory range reducing with every second, her MP bar creeping closer and closer to empty.

By the time thirty minutes had passed, the terrain began to shift. The icy floor beneath them cracked and trembled, the cold air giving way to a dry, sweltering heat. The cavern morphed, and the once-frozen environment melted away as lava pits began to take form. The heat radiating from the molten rock was unbearable, a stark contrast to the biting cold they had just escaped.

Elora felt it immediately. Her MP was drained to nothing, and now she had to face the rising temperature with no resources left. "I'm almost out of MP," she groaned, clutching her side as she struggled to keep up with the others. Her skin glistened with sweat, and the oppressive heat bore down on her like a heavy weight. "I don't think I'll be able to walk through this heat so easily."

Aiden, who had been running beside her, glanced her way with concern, but before he could speak, Jett strode up to her, still calm and composed despite the sweltering air.

"Here," Jett said, handing her a small pill. "Take this. It'll restore your MP. I got it from Marcella."

Elora blinked at the pill, hesitant for a moment. "You just... have MP pills lying around?"

Jett shrugged. "Never know when you'll need one."

With a sigh of defeat, Elora popped the pill into her mouth, feeling the magical energy begin to slowly replenish within her. The cool sensation of her MP restoring was a welcome relief, though she couldn't help but groan in frustration. "This is nuts," she muttered as the heat grew heavier around them. "How many more do we have to endure?"

Jett gave her a small, amused smile. "As many as it takes."

Aiden sighed again, her shoulders slumping. "Well, at least we're not dodging icicles anymore."

Jett chimed in from the back, panting heavily. "Yeah, now we just have to avoid getting turned into roast chicken. Great improvement!"

As the team bolted through the maze, dodging fireballs and icicles, the air was filled with tension.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Now we've got fireballs? What's next, a freaking tornado?" Aiden shouted, narrowly avoiding another fireball that streaked past him, singeing the edge of his cloak.

"Focus, Aiden!" Jett snapped, but even he couldn't hide the exasperation in his voice. He leapt over a crumbling ledge, shooting a glance at the destruction left in their wake. "If we survive this, I'm seriously rethinking this whole dungeon-crawling hobby."

Elora, keeping pace, managed to chill herself with her ice manipulation skill, cooling her body to withstand the fiery barrage. "I'd take ice over fire any day," she panted. "At least I can, you know, not burn alive."

Aiden, who had activated [Devil's Footprints], dashed through the maze with an eerie agility. "We really need to talk to those gods or whatever. It kinda feels like they don't even want us to get those swords."

A fireball exploded nearby, shaking the ground beneath them. "Okay, I take it back. That was too close," Aiden muttered.

Jett couldn't help but smirk, despite the chaos. "I'm almost impressed, Aiden. You actually dodged one."

"Don't sound so surprised!" Aiden shot back, dodging another fireball. "Just wait, one of these is gonna blow up in your face, and I'll be the one laughing."

"Focus!" Jett barked, swatting away stray sparks that flew too close. He threw a quick glance at Elora, still lagging behind.

One of the fireballs, faster than the others, caught them off guard. Before anyone could react, it slammed into Elora, sending her tumbling to the ground with a yelp of pain. The impact sent flames licking at her clothes as she struggled to get up, grimacing from the heat.

"Elora!" Aiden's eyes widened, and without a second thought,

{Fire Wall}

He activated one of his last remaining spells. He thrust his hand forward, summoning a fiery barrier between Elora and the advancing fireballs. The barrier absorbed the brunt of the flames, but the strain was clear as Aiden's face contorted with exhaustion.

The flame kept reducing as Aiden fell to one knee. "This is so tiring," he panted, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

Jett rushed over, quickly handing both Elora and Aiden pills to restore their HP and MP. "Here, take these," he said, tossing a few pills in their direction while popping some into his own mouth. He grimaced slightly, the bitter taste lingering on his tongue, but they worked.

"How many of these pills do you even have?" Aiden asked, catching his breath as he swallowed one. He had seen Jett take pill after pill throughout their relentless run through the dungeon.

[Iron Shell]

Jett called out, ignoring the question as he activated the skill. The air shimmered for a second before a dome of solid iron formed around them, providing much-needed protection from the barrage of fireballs. The sound of the explosions outside reverberated against the iron shell, but the group was finally able to take a breather.

Jett sat downl. "A lot. I had Marcella make me a stockpile before we came here," he replied with a small smirk, knowing the pills were a lifesaver.

The fireballs continued to rain down outside, clashing against the dome with loud clangs, but for now, they were safe. "At this rate," Jett sighed, "we'll run into three more cycles before we get to the exit."

Aiden, who had been catching his breath, looked up in disbelief. "It's that far?" he groaned, shaking his head. "Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse."

Elora sighed in frustration, rubbing her arm where the fireball had hit her. "Great. And here I was hoping we were almost done."

"We only need to worry about the third and fourth cycles," Jett explained, watching as the iron shell began to weaken, cracks forming along its surface. The relentless pounding of the fireballs was taking its toll. "Get ready to run."

Jett stood up, his eyes narrowed in focus as he moved to the front. 'I want this over with as soon as possible,' he thought, stretching his hand out facing Aiden and Elora. An orange aura began to radiate from him, flickering like flames.

"Now, stay still, This will only take a minute." Jett muttered, as the aura around him intensified.

*

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What is he planning?