Spirit Taming

Chapter 207: Dungeon Weather

The speed that Maria used was a little faster than Clark had seen her move previously. It was a clear sign that having two beasts sharing energy with her was beginning to strengthen her body even more. But what really caught everyone off guard was that she had changed the way she moved.

"Neither of you have seen her use those steps, right?" Isa and Clark were both nodding their head in response to Ella's question. "Then she is finally showing it off. I first observed her practicing in place while we were reading some information after our first battles. Now I can see that she is comfortable to use it in a real battle."

"That means you should know what the movement skill is called?" The technique that Maria was using made her seem like she was moving in diagonals while also speeding up. It was a strange technique, to say the least.

"I believe it is called flowing waves movements. I would assume that it was given by your mentor, Alexander. That is the best theory I have come up with." The certainty in Ella's voice made both Clark and Isa agree fully.

"That just means that she is getting closer to Clark. I will need to catch up." With more motivation. Isa had the desire to stand and face one of the rotting orcs. That was until Maria made contact with the one she was fighting.

Maria's dagger was moving very quickly after she ducked through the legs of the rotting orc. It had barely started to move after her when the dagger made contact with its leg. Unfortunately, the cut was too shallow.

"The rotting orcs are in different states of rot. That means the newer ones have tougher skin like any orc would have." The feeling of his spear cutting through the orc's skin and how easily Devi and Crim cut off the legs and arms of the orc were clear in their minds. But knowing that it had been a weaker orc brought understanding and worry.

"That is correct. We might find some of the orcs that have just been exiled to this dungeon. Meaning we are going to be fighting the outcast orcs that have proper bodies, eyes, hearing, and sense of smell." Ella was relieved that she and the others had gained the proper information. If they had not they would be at an informational disadvantage.

So much so that coming in to contact with a real fallen orc could get them killed.

The next move for Maria after notice that her cut was too shallow was not what they had expected her to do. Clark assumed that she would attack with her full force at a weak point. The same thing that any assassin type attacker would do.

However, Maria did something else. She attacked the very same spot on the orc's leg over and over. The speed she moved at increasing as she fought to the limit. By the time she had made her last cut, the leg had been cut down to the bone. The weight of the orc causing the bone to crack and the orc to fall.

After so many attacks, Maria did not waste the chance she had created for herself. In a single large leap, Maria landed on top of the orc's head and stabbed downward with her dagger. It pierced where an eyeball had once been right in to the brain. A beast, even a zombie, needed the brain to regulate energy. Only a skeleton could survive without a brain and they still had limitations in other ways.

"Ugh, not fair. I want to attack one." Isa watched as Ella had summoned the blue flame wisp to reveal itself. There was a single blue dot that approached another nearby orc that had been ab;e to feel the energy in the air and began hunting it.

"Ella doesn't need two of them. You take the one next to it. The skin looks weaker so it should be a good close combat attack practice opportunity." Clark's encouragement lead to the ice maiden fusing with Isa.

"Good idea! Watch my new blade of ice!" The water in the air was drawn to Isa's hand as she ran. What came of this was a single thing sword shaped piece of blue ice. This single bladed sword made Clark feel a deep chill. The blade had been formed quickly and with a great amount of ice energy. Not just any beast or tamer could do this.

It was a wonder that Isa didn't feel her hand freeze at all while holding the icy blade. This was brought to light with even greater awe when she slashed the rotting orc. The skin of the orc froze and instantly cracked off the body. A single breath was all it needed to sauce the skin to shatter. A devastating attack for certain.

"I should not be outdone just because you reached the target faster." The single response that Ella had was of rivalry. Clark wasn't sure when Ella had begun seeing them as equal rivals, but he was glad to see it. This only proved that the group had grown individually along with together.

As the blue flame wisp left Ella's side, it danced in the air until landing right in the face of the rotting orc. As if gasoline was lit ablaze, the blue flames engulfed the rotting org. Fumes of toxic burning flesh filled the air before the orc collapsed in to ashes. The blue flame wisp had left nothing behind.

"A very good experiment. The orc is unable to contain or resist the flames. Even the pain nullification of rot was not enough. That means I should be able to better exterminate these beasts. Come and dwell within my rapier." Ella unsheathed her rapier.

The small gemstone in the hilt of the rapier gleamed as it was drawn. The blue flame wisp landed on it. "Wait, won't your rapier-" Clark was stunned as he saw the rapier glow blue with the same flames as the wisp instead of causing any damage to the rapier at all.

"The metal used to forge this originates near a volcano. That means that it is extremely fire resistant. And If it does break, I will have it reforged by my mother." Ella was certain that she would be able to use any form of attack she needed at this stage in her growth. Not only did she have better knowledge but also better weapons due to her advanced age compared to the other three.

"This is great." Clark was more than impressed seeing the three defeated orcs. Or what was left of them. The three girls had all started to adapt to their beasts' growth. Even altering the battle techniques without any cooperation from the others. "We might need to work on teamwork instead of individual strength."

This was a realization that many young groups would miss. Clark knew that he had to get stronger by himself. It was a requirement that he could not shirk. However, if he did not learn to work as a team they could become their own worst enemies. This issue was something that had caused many people to perish in the wild the first time they went out as groups.

"I agree. We should fight together in a different dungeon. This one will make us stronger but not as a group unless we find a group of these rotten things." Maria was not happy to be fighting beasts that smelled so bad. She also didn't like things that healing skills wouldn't work on. Rot was the enemy of healing since you couldn't heal something that was already dead.

"Hm, if we work individually or in pairs it might be better. But I don't want to split up. If we run into a big bad guy we will be at a disadvantage." Isa knew that the single floor dungeon seemed safe but was actually more dangerous. There was always the chance of an ambush or bumping in to the strongest beast there.

"I agree with that conclusion. We may be stronger than we were but we are still weak in the grand scheme of things. I can only use unique attacks with my blue flame wisp at the moment. It is effective here but not everywhere." Ella could already show that she had weaknesses and know that helping her other beasts was the solution to them.

"Agreed, we move together. The only thing we need to do is figure out what is happening over there." Clark caught sight of darker clouds in the dungeon sky. This was not as normal as most dungeons because the weather rarely changed.

"That is a thunder storm phenomenon. It is normal for this dungeon. But now that these rotting orcs are here, it may makes things harder. Their flesh will bloat causing them to be defeated slower." Ella's evaluation made everyone stiffen as the first drops of rain began to fall.