The Inner Odyssey

As he stared at his opponent, Alden's expression turned extremely grave.

This Dark Elf differed from the one he had faced before. The strange markings on its skin were a shade of deeper blue and it seemed taller as well. That was not all. A terrifying aura surrounded the corrupted creature.

Alden's hair rose on end, his instincts screaming at him to flee, to do anything other than face this overwhelming foe.

This… Expert.

'Blasted Asterons!'

He cursed.

Why was he about to battle something two whole ranks above him?

Never mind that the Dark Elf doubtless had greater mana reserves, higher mana purity and greater attunement to its power than him, it also probably had much more combat experience than him.

Alden did his best to stop his legs from shaking. He straightened his shoulders. He was the only thing standing between the Dark Elf and Celeste and the others not on the front lines.

He couldn't cower.

Alden watched as the Dark Elf came to a halt. Its mocking gaze traced his figure, and he shuddered.

This really was a foolish decision.

Especially because he had barely blocked and neutralised the ice spear, straining his mana to the limit. Alden suspected the only reason he wasn't dead was because his opponent hadn't put their all into that strike.

As foolhardy as this confrontation was, the young man didn't regret it. Alden quickly got into stance and bent his knees slightly.

He sensed a flood of worry through the bond and instinctively sent a burst of calm to soothe Ignia.

'It's okay, little one. Everything will be fine.'

He tried to put as much bravado as he could in his tone.

Blocking out his surroundings, Alden focused on his foe.

"Come!"

Within the roiling mist, surrounded by light snow, the Apprentice prepared to take on the Expert.

***

Now that he had recovered a portion of his mana, Alden no longer needed to be frugal. He immediately activated [Haste], not once but twice. In quick succession.

The world around him blurred.

Eight shadowy tentacles manifested around his figure. They roiled, more solidified than ever.

The Dark Elf meanwhile stood still, content to let him advance. Alden thought he saw a mixture of curiosity and disdain in its gaze.

He gritted his teeth.

Then, once he neared his opponent, he augmented his fist with mana and struck. At the same time, Alden had the presence of mind to erect a few [Shields].

That foresight saved him.

For just then, the Dark Elf suddenly moved. Its speed was so fast that all he sensed was a swift shadow. In the next moment, catastrophic force crashed into Alden's midsection, cutting through the magical barriers like they didn't exist.

His back arched.

A metallic taste appeared in his mouth.

Then, in the next second, he flew back through the air.

That seemed to go on for an eternity before Alden finally made contact with the ground, rolling painfully a few times before coming to a stop.

He groaned, in a world of pain.

'Ugh, why can't they just play nice?!'

'It hurts.'

Alden slowly tried to get up, his arms shaking. He gritted his teeth harder.

Then, suddenly, he sensed something travel up his throat. Alden's mouth instinctively opened, and he disgorged an alarming amount of blood.

His expression turned even more grim.

Even with the numerous [Shields] he had put in place, it seemed his body still sustained devastating damage. Which was to be expected. He was fighting a being similar in strength to an Expert, after all.

Alden shuddered to think what would have happened to him if not for [Shield].

Although the magical barriers were akin to nothing in the face of the Dark Elf's might, it slowed the creature's attack just enough for him to not die after receiving a single blow. That would have been extremely embarrassing.

As it was, though…

His body could only handle one or maybe two more strikes like that to the stomach before he departed the land of the living.

Alden chuckled lightly to himself.

This was such an absurd situation.

'Well… since when was it never?'

He grinned to himself and shook his head. A slow burn began spreading through his body.

Alden ignored that, though. After a couple more attempts, he finally picked himself off the ground.

His legs trembled.

Yet, even under that, the young man remained determined. Growling, he dashed towards the Dark Elf once more. The adrenaline flooding his veins helped take his mind off the pain. Under the exhilarating high of combat, Alden pushed himself further.

This time, instead of punching, he clenched his fist into a claw and covered it with his decay. The tentacles surrounding his figure reached out, aiming for each of his opponent's limbs.

However, much to his dismay, as soon as the appendages made contact they quickly froze over and broke into tiny, dark shards. The Dark Elf displayed a row of jagged, revolting teeth and dodged his claw attack. It immediately retaliated.

Alden tried to block its advance with [Shield], but the creature was just too strong, too fast, and too harrowing.

He received a palm to the chest that made his bones groan in protest. Then, he received an elbow to the face - his opponent had covered their arm joint with a row of sharp spikes at the very last moment -, the ice digging painfully into his flesh.

The Dark Elf completed the chain of attacks by assaulting him with a roundhouse kick. Alden flew through the air once more, his visage an extremely sorry sight.

He coughed and rolled on the ground, retching up more blood. Hazily, through his Mana Sense, Alden noticed a couple of arrows fly towards the Dark Elf.

'Cece…'

He thought weakly, a hint of urgency making its way through the pain. She was most likely trying to stall the greyish-blue creature, so it didn't finish him off.

Roaring internally, Alden clenched his teeth and gripped the ground with all his might.

'One… Two… Three.'

After a quick count to three, the young man staggered awkwardly to his feet. Searing hot pain filled every part of his body.

Yet, he ignored that excruciating torture. To the best of his ability.

Alden cursed and wiped the blood from his face. He inhaled and exhaled, hoping the deep, cleansing breaths would help him better resist the agony.

Alden slowly set his sights on the Dark Elf and forced his battered body to move.

A stormy expression covered his battered countenance.