Dual Class [LitRPG] – Current Vol 4

Chapter 164: The Surface

Drake was furious at the insinuation to his very core.

Weak?

It went against everything he had worked for. He had worked from the ground up to where he was now. Life and death struggles to no end lead him to this point. But this insect called him weak.

Drake knew that the Prince was a Rank above him. And after feeling the aura from the Prince. Drake also realized that Natto was right all along. Rank was absolute, or at least felt it.

But he couldn’t let the insult slide. Something within him wouldn’t allow it. Wouldn’t allow the slight from another being.

“Drake! Please run! You simply can’t win!” Natto pleaded.

Drake straightened, his arms raised as he dumped mana into his Rings.

“A wound on a warrior's back is disgraceful.”

“You are a weeb, not a warrior! Please enough jokes run!”

Drake’s rational mind heard and wanted to flee as Natto suggested with every fiber of his being, but his subconscious wouldn’t allow him to budge.

Only move forward.

“I am the wall on which my enemies billow. Unbreakable! I am the shield, I am the rampart. Bulwark! On blessed wings. Guardian’s Reprieve!”

Drake then roared as he rushed forward, his body flashing in three bright flickers of green as elements formed in an instant in front of him.

“Heretical Endowment! Serpentarius! Heretical Attunement! Lightning!”

With one great lunge, Drake flew forward toward the stone like Prince. The aura surrounding the Prince thick and oppressive.

Drake flexed his aura moments before meeting the Prince with his thrown fist.

[Tyrannical Aura has failed. Target has resisted the effect]

Drake clicked his tongue but surged his fist forward nonetheless. The electrified violet first twirled in kind with the red of his Martial Skill connecting with the side of the Ant’s head.

Once the fist connected Drake quickly backed away cursing as he did.

“Damn it! I hit him but I felt no give! How sturdy did he get?!”

While Drake did his best to analyze the situation quickly, summoning two magic circles of lighting on both his sides, he crunched his teeth in frustration.

Obiteron didn’t move. Instead, he seemed to still be flexing his body here and there feeling out the new power within him. Almost mockingly ignoring Drake as the impact from his previous strike smoldered harmlessly on the Ant’s cheek.

“This fucking bug is looking down on me again!” Drake growled.

“Asura! Twofold!” Drake chanted, the two lightning circles forming arms at the base of his shoulders.

Drake roared again stepping forward and maneuvering to Obiteron's blind spot, throwing two firsts at a time in quick succession at him with all his might.

Each pair of arms hit their mark with no resistance but also with no effect.

His shell can’t be this hard! I’m using Attunement and Penetrating spells! I have almost over a thousand Intelligence! What is this stupid fuck made of!?

Drake began to feel the pangs of fear slowly creep into his mind once more. The anxiety of his previous thoughts inside the treasury surfacing.

His brow began to sweat not from exhaustion but from an inability to currently do any damage to the Prince. His assault on the newly ranked up Ant had no effect.

Drake backed up once more getting space on the edge of the cave as he brought his palm up, his Attunement lightning and two lighting arms forming into a spear of dense mana.

“True Lighting Magic!”  Drake growled the spear pulsating as more magic circles formed around it adding layer and layer of violent violet crackles of threading light.

“Peirce him! Ceranos!”

Drake opened his status window as he hurled the spear forward with all his physical might dumping the last of his points into his Intelligence, bringing out the pills he had found in the treasury as well, swallowing the sixty small pills whole.

His status spiked as his Intelligence shot past 800, the spear of lightning ripping through the air between them as it ignited the surroundings, turning the chamber into a hot sauna.

Drake wasn’t willing to bank just on the spell and snapped forward with the spear getting above Obiteron in the same swift motion.

With Drake’s Adrenaline Acuity on full throttle, Drake couldn’t help but let out a gasp as he saw what ensued.

The spear of lighting was moving faster than anything Drake had thrown before, careening right for the chest of the Ant Prince. But it was stopped like a plaything in one hand as it struggled to move forward in the Ant’s smoldering hand.

The Prince held it as if it was nothing but a stick he would pick up off the ground as he looked up at Drake, as if waiting expectantly for his next move.

Drake ground his teeth, wrenching his fist backward, winding up for a full power straight to the Ant’s head. Chanting two spells in quick succession as he threw it forward.

“Cower! Atrophy of the Mind!”

Drake hoped that the spells would be enough to do something, have some effect on the Ant long enough for him to do some kind of damage. But he was met with the cruelty of reality and Rank.

[Cower has failed. Target has resisted the effect]

[Atrophy of the Mind has failed. Target has resisted the effect]

In the next moment, Drake saw the Prince snap the spear of condensed lightning like a twig his eyes never leaving Drake as the Prince’s other arm swatted him away like a bug.

Drake was reminded of the first time he had felt the effects of his Adrenaline Acuity’s skill when he had fought Bjorn and this was the near mirror image of it. He saw the hand moving towards him but his body refused to react in time as it collided with his face.

The impact thrusted Drake to the side as he slammed against the wall with such force it brought the cave down on top of him. The sound of glass breaking rang in his ears as his defensive skills were triggered.

[Reprieval Charge Gained]

[Reprieval Charge Gained]

[Reprieval Charge Gained]

[Maximum Reprieval Charges Stored]

[Reprieval Charge Lost]

Drake did his best to maintain consciousness as the rubble began piling on top of him.

“Drake!” Natto pleaded.

I know! Drake agreed reluctantly.

Pulling a vial of red and blue from his inventory Drake managed to wiggle his arm free under the piling rocks to bring them to his mouth, replenishing his status if only slightly.

Drake quickly summoned a magic circle of orange as he canceled his Heretical Endowment. Opting to use his Earth Endowment for the defensive boost while minimizing his use of mana while his defensive skills were down.

Using the Magma to melt through the rocks behind him, Drake wrenched himself from the rubble and tumbled into the space he made before cursing at himself.

“You can chew yourself out later! Please just get to the surface!”

Drake clenched his fist and teeth together but moved forward melting away the stone as he attempted to find a tunnel. Within the short time it took, he did his best to minimize the effect of using two potions at once. A small smirk reached his melancholy expression as he praised himself for his internal mana manipulation.

With barely a sliver left of his mana, Drake finally reached an empty tunnel and tried to orient himself.

Looking down in disappointment, he managed to find the tracks of the swarm of Ants that had retreated previously, and wordlessly followed them, using his Reprieve stacks to teleport as far away as he was able to see gaining distance from the Prince.

---

Theodore ran in tandem with the Ants that were escaping from the Hive, keeping his invisibility on as long as possible as he sprinted with all his might.

He had his reservations about leaving Drake but he could not deny what he had said was true. Theodore was not strong enough to stand next to his Lord currently. But he knew who was. And his aim was to reach that person with all haste.

Theodore ran and ran until he was out of breath and out of mana, then ran some more. Theodore was just as unconcerned with the Ants as they seemed to be with him. He ran. He ran until his body almost refused to move forward one more step before drinking a stamina potion and beginning again.

For hours he repeated the process as he followed the trail of Ants to whatever exit they were vying for. Until finally, he reached it, the light of day.

Casting his spell, unsure if the Ants would suddenly turn on him once they tasted the freedom of the surface, he was pushed forward by the flood of monsters behind him. Exploding out of the newly made Hive entrance.

Shooting out and tumbling forward he was met with the stink of spilled ichor on the ground. Looking up he saw a giant in gray matted armor with a sword the same size as his body.

“Sir Bear!” Theodore shouted in rejoice.

“Theo?!” Bjorn said surprised as he heard the voice and the man shimmered into view on the floor, “Where is Drake?”

Theodore looked pensive as he tried to steady his racing mind recounting the events. Slowly he told Bjorn of the events that ensued while deep within the Hive and what lead up to him parting ways with Drake as he came to the surface.

“That stubborn asshole…” Bjorn growled, “I’m going down there right now!”

“This one beseeches thou, Sir Bear. Please do not insert thouself into the Hive. This one believes that it is already difficult for my Lord to fight as it stands within the confines of the tunnels. He hast directed me to wait for him on the surface with the rest of our camp.”

“You expect me to just wait while he's down there fighting an E-Rank? We all got the notification for the failed quest. He could be fighting right now for all we know bro!” Bjorn scorned.

“But he is not yet dead! This one understands your need to go to my Lord more than thou knoweth! But it is his decision and command that we stay above and await his return. Could thou very well risk the dangers of the entire hive collapsing down upon the rest of us?” 

Bjorn ground his teeth as his hand gripped the creaking metal of his sword.

“No! He isn’t my keeper, and he isn’t my boss. I’m going down there to help him whether he likes it or not. It's been weeks!”

“Not without me!” Claire shouted, being followed behind by the rest of the group.

“Theo!” Harley shouted as she ran to him, launching into his arms on the ground, “I was so worried! I’m so glad you made it back safe! What happened with Mr. Shot?”

“Exactly!” Claire demanded, her usual calm and demure aura replaced by abject concern and anxiety, “Where is he?! Is he hurt again?!”

Theodore raised his arms in surrender and recounted the events once more for the party as they surrounded him. Bjorn and Hudson taking care of most of the Ants as they set up a closer perimeter with Hudson’s sentries and Big Boys.

“He did what?!” Claire shouted, “Why is he always running off without us…. Why doesn’t he understand that we are all worried about him,” she sobbed, “That I’m worried about him!”

Harley reluctantly removed herself from Theodore moving to console Claire in her arms. The rest of the group also voiced questions.

“Bloody idiot’s still alive though yeah? He hasn’t disappeared from the boards just yet so that’s a good sign,” Jacqueline said pushing her weight to one leg, “Let me see ya love, ya hurt anywhere?”

“This one is uninjured, the Ants you all see are fleeing in droves from something. Our Lord suspected it was the evolving Prince below. We must all prepare for-”

Theodore was cut off by the feeling of unadulterated dread that seemed to pierce through the surroundings. The part all froze as they felt it as well, the only one able to move under the pressure being Bjorn.

“Everyone run! Get back to the fortress!” Bjorn roared as he was covered in a black aura.

Everyone heard the instruction but no one was able to move under the assaulting pressure that suddenly appeared.

Moments later the sound of rumbling from the Ant’s Hive Entrance that the remaining flood of Ants were barreling out of, overtook the skittering of the scrambling insects.

And with an explosive thunderous bang, the entrance flew apart. And out of it a man, bloodied and bruised.

Claire was the first to recognize the man, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“DRAKE!!!”