The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 21: Journey 5

However what happened next made Lucian's eyes wide in shock, a giant pillar of fire raised far above the trees, sending everything flying with it's intensity and heat. Though it only lasted few seconds the whole area covered by it was black as night, not even ash remained.

Only then did Lucian noticed a small figure slumping down a bit further than the pillar, with a black shield in his hands, which was also burned to the extreme and was still glowing red as she looked. The dire-wolves that were fighting against Lucian till a second ago with vengeance suddenly stopped and ran in all direction, some even decided to attack Lucian which ended in their untimely death.

"He did it... Hell !! He did it..."

The insane guy had done the impossible, Lucian looked at the falling figure and realized something was wrong. He wasn't moving. The freed dire-wolves in thousands were running all over, some even aiming towards the unmoving figure on scorched land.

The current was really too fast for Lucian, she almost got pulled twice but somehow she crossed the fast moving river and slaughtered the last remnants of dire wolves who were a bit too courageous for their own good. She reached beside the black haired boy and turned him over, blood was seeping out of his closed deep blue eyes and mouth.

Lucian immediately tried listening his heartbeat and when she finally heard it after a long and deep silence that felt like hours, an involuntary smile escaped her lips and she finally felt relief wash over her.

Making a camp just a bit further up river, Lucian and Rosie finally got to rest after a very tiring day.

Lucian was surprised to be able to survive all that she had been through, the fight with the fake bandits and losing Thomas... seemed like something that happened ages ago. Damian was still unconsciously laying beside them, Lucian could just not get rid of the feeling that he might not wake up at all. Her mind only replied in silence when she thought about what she would do if he really did not.

Strength !

She needed absolute strength !

To reach a point where no one will ever have to sacrifice for her, and even if the day comes that calls for sacrifice, no one would have greater strength than her to face the enemy.... Not her family... No her friends... and not even him !

She will survive this and become far stronger because of it, stronger than him. Lucian had no extraordinary talents or great bloodline, but dare anyone stand up and challenge her ability to grow.

*Ding*

[Cold Embrace Lv.1 Acquired.]

"Huh ?"

Lucian could not believe her ears. Did she just get a skill never before seen ? She was sure she had never heard of any skill named [Cold Embrace], and she had read enough skill related books to fill a lake. She knew almost every skill that was ever recorded in history.

Lucian immediately took out her status tool and activated it. Immediately focusing on her new skill.

[Cold Embrace : Draw upon the power of cold to adapt and thrive – Frost for protection, Snow for Camouflage, Ice for strength, and blizzards for endurance. (Effect: Frozen Soul)]

"Ohh, hell....!! "

*****

Every single bone in Damian's body hurt like hell, Why does he keep doing this ? Don't reincarnated characters in novels get to enjoy all kinds of nice things ? Where was his niceness ? Where was his other world benefits package ? Lost in mail ?

'Cough' 'Cough'

He moved his head a little and immediately regretted it. Lucian and Rosie rushed to his side in seconds, looks like his crazy plan worked somehow.

Damian knew he could never fatally injure a Terror rank monster. It's skin was just too thick, and Damian's mana too low. So he did what he was best at. Damian made a fire rune with dangerous parameters right beneath the Goblin Shaman's feet. it was meant to be failure, Damian had lost many parchments like that.

When he assigned a size and intensity to almost the limit of what the magical ink allowed, the reaction was smaller than a millisecond and always ended up in an explosion.

Explosion powered by the Goblin Shaman's source of mana – The crystal orb.

It took a great effort and many bruises to make that last stretch of runic circles web to reach the crystal Orb, but he somehow managed. Admitting that his calculations were totally off and the orb had much more mana than expected, ending in a huge pillar of fire that lasted for many seconds. If not for the last minute shield idea, Damian might have been a pile of ash right now.

'Never again !!'

"Are you okay ?"

Damian heard a voice beside him and he shifted his eyes from blurry night sky to blurry people. Focusing on the smaller blur, Damian tried to nod and almost cursed. Why was he keep forgetting he was injured ?

"Ahhh... uhm.. I'm fine..."

"Yeah, You look perfectly fine.."

"Ah, Seriously ? I almost died and you are giving me sarcasm.. ? You brat !"

"You are younger than me..."

Damian started coughing again, Lucian and Rosie helped him get seated against the log where Lucian was sitting, the warmth of the fire felt nice against the cold breeze of night.

"What.. did you do ?"

Lucian asked hesitantly, she was well aware that he was keeping some secrets to himself and there was more to his strength than just a rank up.

"I blew it up.."

"The Goblin Shaman..?" Asked Rosie. Surprisingly she looked the most tired out of all three despite doing nothing except riding all day.

"No, his crystal orb.."

"How in the... Well ! Whatever.... I'm too tired for this..." She indeed looked tired and bloody all over. She looked more and more like a butcher with every day and less and less like a lady.

"Did you give me potion..?"

"Yes.."

"How many are left now..?"

"One and half.."

'Sigh'...

"Assuming we travelled half the day's distance today and adding yesterday, we now only have to go 2-3 more days. If we are going in the right direction that is..."

"We can make it !" Lucian had that look to her that she occasionally showed when we were studying or practicing seriously. I knew that look, it meant I will do this even if we are 2 hours late for lunch. That was her serious look.

The genius of Goldilocks had indeed grown up a little, these past couple of days.

"Thank You..."

"For what...?"

"For not leaving me to the wolves... and healing me..."

"Are you crazy ? You are the one who fought a terror ranked monster alone, and you are thanking us..?"

"It's different... I had no choice, you on the other hand...."

"Do you really think so low of us...?"

"I just don't expect things from people, it's not your fault."

Lucian just looked at him with those big black eyes as if staring directly into his soul. Funny how a kid that he wouldn't even look twice at back on earth, felt so much like an actual adult than many adults he knew.

Maybe she has a granny soul...

Damian opened his mouth slightly to laugh at his own joke, and cursed once again. Who the hell said battle wounds were cool ?