Lone: The Wanderer
Book 3: Chapter 83: Ignite and Repair

Lone had, of course, dismissed his new notifications from the skills Lossa had used on him but he was able to see before they flashed away that she had used two new magic types on him. Those being spirit magic and star magic.

He had wrongly assumed the massive fireball was, of course, fire magic, but he was very happy to be proven wrong and instead get a new affinity out of the endured spell.

He had almost panicked when she wanted to give up. 'Note to self, pretend to get hurt when someone is clearly using their most powerful skill on me.'

Lone certainly wasn't going to let her just give up because he had healed from the damage of her blue fireball and because he had repaired his clothes via Creation Magic when he was obscured by the smoke the impact of the attack had caused.

'Glad my pep-talk worked. Sucks I'm limiting myself to beginner magic, but I couldn't have her concede like that. I talked a big game but I'm quite limited here. Might need to get creative with my freeform magic and try to make a new spell or two. It's either that or I lose,' was what he had concluded as he conjured up a Waterball and an Earth Spear to attack the matriarch. 'Ah, I could do that since she can't sense magic...'

A plan was formulating and being put into motion. Hopefully, it would work, and with luck, his mind wouldn't be too strained by the somewhat ridiculous idea.

His Earth Spear pierced through the ground beneath the multi-tailed woman with six freeform magic imitations of the spell that were far weaker that the skill-empower one, but they still served as a distraction from the real spear. Meanwhile the Waterball hurtled towards her, tracking her movements should she try to dodge it since Lone was infusing some freeform water magic into the spell to help steer it and perhaps earn a new additional effect.

Lossa looked down but didn't move. A light white sheen of energy covered her body just when the Earth Spear and its six copies were about to make contact with her. They crumbled instantly when they touched the while energy.

'Freeform spirit magic? That's my best guess. It doesn't feel like a dedicated skill but who knows, it could be some defensive barrier skill of some sort,' Lone concluded.

He kept a good amount of his focus on the Waterball that was only a couple of metres away from Lossa at this point as he used Force Flight to launch himself towards her, ready to beat the shit out of her with his Inferno Armaments created hammer.

It was just a basic hammer with nothing special added to it, and to ensure fairness, Lone had created a hammer to which he didn't possess a mastery. He did say he would only use beginner-rank magic, after all.

Lossa brought her hands together in front of her, turned them 90-degrees, and then opened them together. A torrent of yellow stars each the size of a pebble shot forth, completely ripping Lone's Waterball to shreds, resulting in the magic collapsing.

Lone almost coughed up a mouthful of blood as he felt a sharp pain near his heart, but that quickly faded. 'Yeah, having four spells get dismantled so rapidly will do that, even if they're just basic ones. Almost failed my secret plan at the same time... Ah, those stars are heading my way, huh? Well, come to papa, new skill.'

He didn't try to dodge the stars and instead, of course, let them all hit his body as he kept charging towards Lossa. The stars collided with his flesh and they actually surprised him.

Instead of scratching him before dissipating as he had expected, the stars burrowed into his flesh as if their goal wasn't to harm him, but to instead control him. They anchored themselves to key points in his skin, twisting and stretching it to lock themselves in place but never piercing it.

His Force Flight-assisted advance towards Lossa was halted as he was held in place by the countless stars.

"Well, this is awkward. It seems I can't move," Lone said as he laughed briefly. "You need to actively concentrate for this effect to persist, or is it just a part of the spell and it's just doin' its thing?"

"I am focusing on it," Lossa replied honestly. "Do you concede?"

Lone gave her a funny look. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I have you trapped? I'm focusing on using the spell this way, yes, but its drain on my MP is minimal. I could cast another spell to enter your mouth and wreck you from the inside-out," Lossa threatened.

Lone's eye opened wide. "Oh! please do. That sounds like fun."

"... Has anyone ever told you you're a bit-"

"Crazy? On occasion. By the way, do you have Fire Magic Resistance?" Lone asked the matriarch.

She furrowed her brow in suspicion as she looked at the hammer he was still clutching despite being unable to move. "Yes, of course I do. It's a very common magic affinity in the clan."

"Of course," Lone replied. He would have nodded were he capable. "What rank and level is it at, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Shouldn't you be focused on trying to escape my spell since you don't want to concede?" Lossa replied in turn.

Lone smiled at her. "I'm worried. Can you answer me?"

"... Advanced-level-three," Lossa replied hesitantly. "What are you worried about?"

Lone controlled the Blood Clone that was next to Grimsley and Breena to encapsulate them. "I was worried I might kill you. You should live though. I'll patch you right up after, 'kay?"

Lossa jumped back a full twenty feet. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm glad you can't detect MP. You might have caught me before the oxygen was done gathering," Lone replied.

Lossa frowned. "Oxygen? Wh-"

Her words were drowned out by the unstoppable sound of a dozen Oxygen Eruption's exploding all at once. Within a nanosecond, the entire pavilion was drowning in flames.

Lossa's head was ringing. She didn't know what had just happened. All she knew was that she was on her back, everything was foggy, she couldn't feel either of her arms, and she was surprisingly cold.

"Full Body Diagnostics."

She recognised that voice but she couldn't look at its owner as it turned out she was now blind. 'What happened...? I was... winning and then... loud noise and so much brightness... then darkness...'

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Yeah, not too bad. Who'da thunk 12 Oxygen Eruptions at beginner-level-one could destroy an SSS-rankers eyes, both their arms, six of their tails, all of their skin, and cripple their organs? Should have enough MP leftover to fix you up though."

Lossa didn't understand. Was that... what had happened to her?

"Brain and organs first. I'll do it in waves and strengthen the bits at the same time. Friend perks. If you weren't, I'd just restore you to the factory default. Don't be too mad at me, yeah? I was limiting myself to beginner-rank magic and I only hav- had, 16 spells that fit that criteria, two of which are too insidious for a friendly duel, four that don't make sense for combat, and one I can't use because I don't have Divine Power yet."

'Wha... what? I... don't un-' The fogginess in her mind disappeared all at once as she felt an extremely powerful wave of magic wash over her. 'Wow. It felt similar when he deaged me but that was... incredible.'

"The eyes and skin next. But yeah, I would have used more than 12 but that was the most I could concentrate on at once. It's a simple enough spell once you have it set-up but yeah, can only spread my focus so thin even with a mind like mine, right? Turns out I used too many. I didn't expect the explosions to be multiplicativity potent, not just additively. Oh well. No harm's been done that can't be undone. Still, earned me a new additional effect and a new skill, so I can't really complain. I hope the gains were just as good for you."

Were they? Lossa didn't know. She would check when she was better, perhaps. Her entire body was in so much pain that she was tempted to force herself back into unconsciousness.

The next moment, her sight had returned to her and the searing sensation across her entirely body disappeared from her skin, though her organs were still in utter agony as were her arm and tail stubs.

"Organs can make do for a few more minutes. Need to recreate your arms and tails and undo the damage to your legs first. Don't want ya dying of blood loss, now do we? Didn't make sense to seal up the injuries to only have to undo that to restore the limbs, y'know?"

Lossa didn't know. She wasn't a healer and she was hardly conscious right now.

'He's... terrifying. He could have left me to bleed out as a burnt mess from only a beginner-rank spell. How high is his affinity for fire magic for 12 beginner-rank Oxygen Ignitions to do this to me? I have intermediate-rank Fire Magic Resistance. An injury, sure, but certain death without his intervention? Also, 12? How did his mind not break or the spells backfire? He was casting other spells while setting that up too, wasn't he?' Lossa shivered.

"Cold? Odd given it's like, still 40 or so degrees right now. Cooked stone takes a while to cool, huh?" Lone laughed. "Arms and legs first. Left then right, then the tails, also from left to right. I'll go one at a time. Don't wanna fuck it up, right? I'm kidding. I can't fuck it up, but it'll cost me less MP if I have a clearer picture in my mind, and more specific means clearer."

A couple of seconds passed before Lossa's lost sensation in her left arm returned to her and her left leg stopped aching. She squeezed her fist and struggled to look around. "Where's Breena?"

She couldn't find her granddaughter or the dwarven smith who had been granted permission to reside in the clan with his niece by the elders. She knew Lone cared for both of them and he seemed to be rather chipper, so she doubted they had been injured by his sneak attack on her.

Lone grabbed the stub of her right arm while he held her right leg with his other arm. He then closed his eyes to focus. A moment later and Lossa could feel the arm returning and much like her left arm and leg, her right ones were now slightly stronger than before.

The Golden Foxkin then replied, "I set Grimsley to work. I need his help for a project so I got him started while I patch you up. Bree's in the kitchen having lunch. They're both fine. They got cooked a little bit, but not enough to earn a resistance or to be injured. Don't go underestimating my Blood Clones, eh? It ain't a master-rank skill for nothing."

'It's master rank? That notorious Blood Clone skill that is always used as an example of a skill with infinite potential but is so tedious in levelling it isn't worth the effort? And he's how old again? 26, no? I know he's a hero but that... no, he's too talented. I suppose... I suppose it's a good thing Breena trusts him so dearly,' Lossa thought as she struggled to sit up.

"Careful. You're almost fully healed but I didn't remake your blood so you might faint if you push yourself. You should also rest after being fixed so extensively. It helps a lot like it did with Bree just earlier," Lone advised.

Lossa froze. "Breena was healed by you? Why? What happened?"

"She didn't tell you while you were training? She stood up for me and got flung into the lake by Gilbert's grandpa. The impact fucked her up and she almost drowned," the young man said casually. "I fixed her up, almost killed Timos, and intimidated the rotten Divine to do my bidding. I'm pretty awesome, huh?"

'I... don't know if he's joking or not. She didn't seem shaken up in a way one of even my power would be if they were attacked by a Divine, and she's only an F-ranker...' Lossa wasn't sure what to think.

Lone moved behind her and began healing her missing and burnt tails.

"Why does she call you 'master'?" Lossa couldn't help but ask after a few moments of silence.

It had been gnawing away at her ever since she had heard her granddaughter refer to this young man in such a manner, and she was hoping for honesty as his answer given his attitude with her thus far.

"Her personal choice. I've told her she doesn't have to but I'm not gonna stop her if it gives her some level of comfort. If it's a concern, Sofia and I have never treated her like a slave nor do we plan to. I just ignore it. She's a broken girl but she's been improving in the, what, year or so that I've known her? Especially over the last couple of months. I left in the care of an X-ranked buddy of mine and some kids I know. Spending time with folk her own age has helped her a good amount, I think," Lone answered.

Lossa gasped in physical relief when she felt her final tail being restored a few moments later. She didn't know just how incomplete she felt when they were gone until they had been returned. To be fair, her mind was muddled until only five or so minutes ago.

"Now for the organs and then you're good to go, stronger than ever," Lone commented.

"... Thank you," Lossa said.

Lone raised an eyebrow as he came to her front and began focusing with his eyes closed. "It's only natural. I wanted to win, not cripple you. Timos gets to stay crippled because he was mentally fucking Gilbert. You're a bit stuck up and overly concerned with the local elders, but you're good people, so yeah, no reason to not spend over a million MP carefully reinforcing your body."

'So much MP? That's... No, don't get off-topic,' Lossa thought to herself. What was one more unbelievable statement from him? She had more important things to say than to question his words. "Yes, thank you for that too, but I was thanking you for caring for Breena."

He was silent for a moment when suddenly the pain in her chest that she hadn't even registered was there had lifted and she felt weightless as a result.

"All patched up. And it's fine. I will never not go out of my way to help a child in need. Though between just you and me, sometimes she seems more mature than me, haha," Lone laughed in a way that made Lossa want to frown but she instead smiled back at him.

'You're hiding pain. Deep pain. Is helping Breena with her own struggles reducing the weight of your own? If only I could use my Primal skill on you, Lone. You said before that your unique skill heals your trauma, but it's still there, isn't it?' She reached out and hugged him.

He froze for a moment before he sighed and returning the hug.

"I bet your husband is a cuddler, isn't he?" Lone grumbled.

Lossa's husband was dead and had been for a decade now but she wasn't going to ruin the mood by revealing that. She instead squeezed him a bit in an effort to remove some of the pain he hid within himself.

"I had to get the habit from someone, didn't I? Is it a bother? I'll stop if it makes you uncomfortable," she readily replied.

Lone shook his head before he pulled away from her. "Nah, it's fine. Ain't nothin' wrong with a hug every now and then. I'm just not used to it."

The look in his eyes unfocused and he seemed to be sighing in exasperation as if... as if he was talking to someone though he wasn't speaking outload.

"Are you okay...?" Lossa was confused.

He tapped the side of his head. "Just chatting with the love of my life. She called me a liar since she and I hug all the time, but it's not the same."

That made no sense to Lossa. She couldn't see a communication orb on him, so where was Sofia Vladimirovich if he was talking to her? Or... did he mean he was talking to himself in his mind and he was in love with himself? Perhaps it was best not to pry.

"Ah... Of course. You are strange," Lossa blurted out. "Ah, not in a bad way! Just... you're very unique."

"Part of the job description for being a hero," he chuckled. "I'm gonna go find Grimsley. Finger's crossed he hasn't destroyed all of my toys yet. Remember to get that meeting for me with the local council, 'kay? And rest. I fixed you up, but you really should take a nap or something to get used to the changes in your body."

"Of course. I'll heed your advice," Lossa replied with a smile.