The Lone Wanderer
Chapter 339: Grey blot

With his boosting art now at Masterful, Percy was confident he could defeat any solitary opponent on the planet. Well, unless they ran into a Blue beast, but he wasn’t sure there were any on Melodia.

That was not to say that they were out of trouble though.

They could still get swarmed by lots of weaker beasts, and his host needed someone to guard her while she rested. Right now, she was exhausted, and they had no idea if their companions had even survived. Splitting up had been a gamble, as Doh was tired too, and protecting Latt on his own would be a challenge. Not to mention that Sol and Percy didn’t know which way the others had fled.

‘Pick a random direction, reach shore, kill our way around the lake until we find them?’ he asked.

Sol sighed. Obviously, neither of them was looking forward to another fight. Certainly not several hours of battles. Alas, this was their only option, and they had to rush too, as the others might be running out of time.

At least, the trip out of the lake went smoothly. Maybe they’d just been lucky not to cross paths with the eels again, or perhaps the aura of power they now radiated was enough of a deterrent. Some of the land-dwellers also allowed them to pass peacefully, though not every pack was that smart. A few daring beasts still got in their way, only to get their souls shredded to pieces by the storm of sickles.

In the end, they had to trudge through the mud for about three hours until they met the others. Whether it was their faster travelling speed, or the lower number of enemies they had been forced to slaughter, the Dance allowed them to cover vast distances relatively quickly. They’d only had to walk around a quarter of the lake’s perimeter to find Doh and Latt.

The two were alive, thankfully. Though they hadn’t escaped trouble completely. They were fighting a small pack consisting of two Greens and a bunch of Yellows. It wouldn’t have been that difficult a battle normally, but without Sol and given their previous state, the Melodians had a tough time holding their ground.

At least until Sol and Percy reached them.

Making quick work of the creatures, the trio was finally free to catch their breath, having somehow survived what had arguably been the most dangerous day since the beginning of their expedition.

It took another two days until they all recuperated, each of them taking turns to rest while the others guarded them. Fewer beasts attacked, partly because the group had already slaughtered many of their neighbours, and partly because the swarm of spectral fiends still cloaked the area now that the mantis was no longer around to command them.

Regardless, Percy felt a lot better about leaving the planet.

He’d accomplished everything he’d set out to do. He’d not only mastered the soul component of the Dance, but even wrapped his mind around Sol’s homing attacks, getting two new spells in the process. Of course, he still wanted to practice with both of them some more, as he and his host had to get used to fighting on their own, and without the Mirror Lake helping them.

But things were looking good.

The Melodians would have an easier time returning home too. Sol should be able to keep the group safe for a while longer, buying time for the others to master the Dance under her guidance. Even if they failed to complete the spell in time, there was a good chance they’d make it to their homeland alive. That was enough. They could take their sweet time spreading the boosting art to their people.

Percy was planning to head off a couple days from now, though it appeared that Melodia still held one final surprise for him.

“Latt, do you see that too?” he asked at some point, noticing something strange on the lake’s surface.

It was hard to make out through the cloud of fiends, but the water appeared a little darker than usual. That wouldn’t have been too strange had this been a regular lake, yet nothing had affected the smooth surface before. It had always reflected everything above it like a perfect mirror, unblemished by any shadows or other substances. Even when large amounts of blood had spilled in the water, they had simply failed to change its colour in the slightest.

Latt raised an eyebrow. fr.eew eb novel..com

“If I’m right, this could be a very good thing. But let’s wait for Doh to wake up, just to be sure. He knows more about this place.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long, as the man was up just an hour later.

“A blot…” he muttered, some excitement finding its way into his eyes.

“Care to explain?” Sol asked, Percy echoing the sentiment. f\ree webn ovel(.)com

The Green-born scratched his chin, apparently searching for the best way to describe what was going on.

“Generally, the Mirror Lake provides insight, helping people perfect the spells they were already working on. But it can’t exactly teach them completely new techniques out of its own volition. It just doesn’t work like that. Except for when the blot appears, that is.”

Percy creased his brow, prompting the man to elaborate.

“Our ancestors have recorded encountering a disturbance like this once before. They were able to learn something new from the lake at that time. And I’m not just talking about some vague form of inspiration: the dark substance actively shifted around, forming actual diagrams and letters, explaining in detail how the spell was supposed to work. We have no idea how this was possible, but the results are undeniable. This is how we got the method to absorb the spectral fiends.”

“Seriously?” Sol asked, her voice incredulous. It was clearly her first time hearing this story.

Percy hadn’t expected anything of the sort either. What he’d experienced so far pretty much aligned with his previous understanding of Elemental Sources. They breathed life into the mana, helping a mage develop their spells indirectly.

But what Doh was talking about sounded quite farfetched. Elemental Sources were just natural phenomena, weren’t they? They weren’t supposed to be intelligent, much less have the ability to directly communicate with sapients, or to hand them specific spells.

‘Maybe it works differently because of the soul affinity?’f(r)eew(e)bnovel.(c)o(m)

Soul mana had a will of its own: as he’d found out at every turn: so maybe this wasn’t that strange…

“Should we investigate?” Latt suddenly spoke, asking the obvious question in everyone’s mind. “Not to sound too greedy: since we already got what we came here for, but it sounds like a waste to ignore the blot now that it’s appeared.”

Doh and Sol looked at each other before nodding. Percy, too, didn’t want to let go of the opportunity. Maybe he could learn another nifty trick before leaving.

Thus, the trio embarked on another journey atop the lake. This time, they continuously scanned the water beneath their feet, to ensure they weren’t ambushed by the eels again. They followed the dark gradient for a few hundred metres, watching it grow more intense with each step. Before long, it was a dull grey colour, no longer reflecting anything.

And that wasn’t the only thing that changed.

The swarm of fiends was denser too, surrounding the epicentre of the blot. The creatures flew closer to the water, clearly trying to devour the source of the disturbance. The sight was more than a little unsettling, making Percy fear that they had stumbled upon some powerful beast. Was his luck truly that bad, that he’d have to face a Blue as well before leaving Melodia?

‘No, that can’t be it. Why would a Blue beast teach these people how to grow stronger?’

Well, whatever this was, the fiends were eager to grab a bite of it. Though they didn’t have an easy time doing so. The substance affected the soul mana around it… Or maybe it was the mana?

It was hard to tell.

Either way, the mana was thicker. Heavier. The fiends still nibbled at it frantically, but they failed to put a dent. The blot was growing about as fast as it was shrinking, forming a balance that looked like it could last for years.

‘What if there were a few more fiends though?’

According to Doh, there hadn’t been this many willing to invade the planet’s surface the last time his people had visited the lake. Was the number of fiends surrounding Melodia constantly increasing?

Perhaps, it would overwhelm the blot at some point, destroying its source. Was that why it had taught the natives how to absorb the fiends? To slow down its own demise?

“Hey… honourable… entity…?” Latt suddenly asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “You may not remember, but you have graced our people with your kindness some time ago. Would you consider assisting us once more? Our cities are in dire peril, and we could use any help we can get!”

No response.

If the source of the blot was intelligent, it was too busy protecting itself right now to care about the man’s desperate pleas. Perhaps they should just give up and return home…

‘As if.’

Thinking of something, Percy pushed his newly upgraded boosting art to its limits. Using the silver flames dancing playfully around Sol’s body, he began setting the fiends on fire, incinerating dozens of them in an instant. The others joined him. They might not share his spell yet, but they could still use the heating runes on their clothes to drive some of the fiends off.

Their collective efforts barely made a dent of course: the swarm covered a vast area, stretching both above and inside the lake. Probably below it too. There was a limit to what they could accomplish with their clumsy methods.

But Latt didn’t miss his chance to placate the entity resting inside the blot once more.

“How is it? I know the three of us can’t do much to help you right now, but our people might be able to work with you if you give us a chance. Help us survive the beast tide, and we’ll attempt to claim the lake. This time, I’m confident we’ll succeed. We’ll help you fend off the fiends too.”

Percy sighed, not expecting the blot to respond.

Against his expectations, the water’s colour shifted, however!

The Melodians drew sharp breaths, their eyes glued on the disturbance. The blot allowed some of the silver water to snake through it unimpeded, using it to write actual letters, shimmering brightly against the backdrop of grey.

Soon, they formed a couple sentences that everyone here could read.

‘Not interested. Just leave me alone.’