Drake's first priority was to survive. And to do that would mean utilizing all of the skills he could currently. His magic would have to be his absolute last resort.
He might have forgiven the group for trying to kill him earlier, but that didn't mean he fully trusted them to keep their mouths shut if push came to shove regarding his magic use as an Asuran.
Surviving being his priority. Drake took a brief look at Vale who's face looked more and more dire by the second.
He needed to make sure she survived. Every buff he could manage, every advantage he could scrape up, would help him survive this.
"Excuse me!" Drake said, hurrying to grab Vale.
He held her as if he was ready to dance, one hand on her back, his other holding her arm holding her fan.
He bent to the side and they both barely managed to dodge a swinging scythe hand.
Drake stood them back up, turning them sideways as a gnarled club of a hand came down just where they were standing.
Vale yelped and gasped with each movement. Clearly she wasn't used to the speed at which Drake maneuvered, but there was little other choice.
Drake pulled her in close, grabbing her by her hips with both hands as her face reddened.
"Sorry!" Drake smiled, throwing her into the air as he ducked another blow.
In the same motion he put power into his leg, sweeping several insects as they toppled to the ground, knocking several more over.
With the same force he lifted off his leg, flipping backwards and bringing both feet onto the head of another. Smashing the insect into the ground with a crunch.
Another one that doesn't die when its head is gone, this is going to be a problem! He grumbled in his head.
Drake bent backward, dodging a spear-like arm. Immediately he gripped the ground with his gauntlets, putting power into both them and his legs as he spun. His feet became spinning hammers as they collided with the few insects that had lunged in after him.
Righting himself, he held out his arms, a screaming Vale falling into them gently.
"Welcome back," Drake smiled.
"I'm going to burn you alive!" Vale growled.
"I like my steak medium rare."
"I wasn't talking about food you prick!"
Drake pulled her in close. The insects undeterred from their brethren being beaten back, he was forced to jump, split kicking and dodging the lunging insects all around him.
With nimble steps he bounced on one insect head after another, closing the distance to Ganeer who was still swinging his massive glaive without rest. Each arc accompanied with a gutteral cheer or bellowing laugh.
The giant stone golem had come to a more feverish pace when swinging his glaive. And Drake could see why.
Ganeer's eyes had turned a slight red, at his feet a bottle he had seen before.
Drake had not used it, as it was absent from his mind. But Ganeer had used the steroid to survive or just out of habit. Which he wasn't sure.
"Well there goes having him swap places with me on babysitting duty!" Drake grunted, hopping on another insect head.
A few of the kill notifications began rolling in, but it was hardly enough.
Drake was severely disadvantage in a way he hadn't been ever before. He couldn't kill the insects as he wanted, or simply defend himself. He had to be constantly worried for Vale's safety as well.
The swarm wouldn't die as easily as monsters had before. And even if he did kill them, some of them had the ability to still fight after losing vital organs.
And what was worse? He couldn't utilize his magic in fear of what would happen should they find out he had an innate talent for it as an Asuran. He couldn't keep this game of dodging the swarm forever.
He looked around, the endless buzzing and chirping seemed to wash over the planet at this rate. And there was a steady flow of insects pouring out of the floating grotesque fortress in the sky as well, adding to the precarious situation.
Drake had to take the offensive. He needed stones for more skills, and to get the stones he needed to kill whatever was around him. He no longer had access to his inventory. Without his shawl like he had on earth, it was impossible to access in combat.
He hopped once more, staying just above the swarm and moving swiftly enough out of reach to not be dragged back down by the insects without wings. But more and more of the flying variety were becoming more frequent, cutting off his short reprieve as he thought.
"Do you have any more buffs?" Drake shouted.
"Any more what?!" Vale shouted back.
"Any more buffing skills!"
"Nothing that will help us here!"
"Every little bit helps!"
"It's your funeral!" she shouted desperately as if resigning herself, "Please don't die! I don't want to be eaten by a bunch of bugs!"
Drake nodded and Vale's body began rising in temperature, a visible veil of red slowly washing over her. Once she was fully covered she waved her fan.
You have been affected by beneficial magic: Phoenix Ignition
+20% to all stats. 150% reduction to all active regeneration while Phoenix Ignition is in effect. While Phoenix Ignition is in effect Mana will be depleted at a constant rate. Once depleted, the increase to all stats will be raised to 30%. Stamina will then be depleted at a constant rate. Once depleted, the increase to all stats will be raised to 40%. Health will then be depleted until 1% Health is remaining. Increase to all stats will then raise to 100% for 1 minute before Phoenix Ignition ceases its effects.
He could see why she would hesitate using the skill now and almost slightly regretted telling her to use the skill. But there was no going back now.
"Guess I'll just have to bet on being the protagonist for real this time!"
"What the hell are you talking about again!?" Vale screamed.
"Don't worry about it!" Drake hollered back as they dropped into the horde of insects once more.
Drake's body felt invigorated. As if it was on fire.
Looking at his hands that held Vale, he was almost unsurprised to see that his hands were actually on fire from the effects of the buffing skill.
"Alright boys! Schools back in session!"
He looked at the steadily depleting Mana bar in his periphery and wasted no time.
Drake would have to do his best without using too much of his strengthening skills for now. At least until he managed to gather some skill stones.
"And hope for the bloody fucking best!" he roared.
Slightly tossing Vale into the air, Drake arched his body. Letting an insect spinning like a projectile drill slip past them. Once gone, he brought Vale down, holding both her arms with his own as she slipped under and between his legs.
Drake bent down with the motion, ducking another insect with scythe-like arms that he had seen before.
Pulling her back up he used her momentum to jump up enough to dodge another swiping for his feet and Vale in the same motion.
Extending both feet, Drake caught the previous insect's head between them. Twisting with all that he had and a sickening ripping sound was heard.
Both Drake and Vale fell to the ground with a brief thud before Drake pulled her in as he swept his own legs, spinning them both like a top as his legs found purchase on the side of several more insects.
Each second ticked by and Drake would slip another strike, or duck another blow, evading with just a hair's breadth. All while making sure Vale was safe from harm. Well, at least harm from the insects. Her paling face from being tossed around was another story.
But each second also cost Drake another percentage of his Mana. Luckily his combat style didn't need the mana. However, he was quickly finding that some of the insects were strong enough to take a blow from him without the increased strength of his enhancing skills.
Even with the debuffs his own skills were inflicting along with stripping every insect in the vicinity of a beneficial buff. Drake was still struggling. The sheer number of enemies along with their own strength being comparable was in no way doing him any favors. Without Vale or her buffs he would already be dead.
And that wasn't even considering how the others were doing, but he couldn't worry about them for now. Or the fact that he had stowed away his steroid and had no access to it even if he wanted to use it as a last resort.
Dancing around the swarm was becoming more and more difficult as the moments ticked by. Each one seemingly longer than the last. But Drake was biding his time.
Waiting until he heard the notifications he needed.
You've killed Todorik Buu'tik Level 34. Temporary Experience earned. Experience stored.
You've killed Emir Gujiir Level 31. Temporary Experience earned. Experience stored.
You've killed Intek Vaxar Level 32. Temporary Experience earned. Experience stored.
You've killed Rickon Streek Level 34. Temporary Experience earned. Experience stored.
..
.
Bingo! Drake cheered.
Finally the insects he had been tirelessly killing had finally died. The experience coming in and more importantly their bodies falling. Which meant he had a chance of getting exactly what he needed.
A flash of light peered through the mass of insects. And Drake took a gamble. Placing 5% of his depleting status he forced his legs to take him at speed to the location of the light. Holding Vale as tightly as he could to his chest.
Skill Stone: Swift Strikes [Uncommon]
Drake clicked his tongue, "Dud."
Another second ticked by, his Mana being shaved off slightly more, and another flash of light a few feet away.
He had to find something that would work. He wouldn't last forever in this sea buzzing assholes.
Drake forced strength into his arms this time, gritting his teeth as he shouted.
"Trust me Vale!"
"I don't trust- Youuuuu!!!!!!" she screamed back as Drake flung her above the insects, her body colliding with one flying in the air.
He immediately pushed forward, slipping insects trying to impale him with long spikes, or tie him down with disgusting tentacles emerging from their arms and faces.
Learning from his time channeling his brother's fighting style through his skill, he became a force to be reckoned with. Each elusive move he made, he followed with a counter attack. He did anything and everything he could.
Strikes to the abdomen, breaking of arms as he locked them under his own. Somersaults into heel kicks. Any body part available for him to use to strike was truly turned into a lethal weapon.
But he was running low on Mana. Drake needed to reach both the skill stones beginning to spawn and Vale who was screaming for her life in the air as flying insects began convening on her falling through the air.
Drake did his best to mow through the crowded space. The swarm of insects an unruly hedge, his hands and feet the clippers. He chiseled away at the shrubbery that were the insects. Each strike he threw, shaving off an overgrown branch, molding and sculpting his way through it to his goal.
Sadly he was slowing down. The stolen buffs from the surrounding insects were wearing off one at a time and he could feel himself become more sluggish with each blow he dealt. Each strike taking more effort and more of his status than the previous.
But he needed to reach Vale. Unfortunately to his dismay, the swarm bloated the further he pushed into it to his goal. Thickening with more and more enemies without concern of his effort to thin it.
Every inch he moved took more effort to close than the previous. Tumultuous effort that he hadn't exerted since the beginning of the tutorial or the fight with the Ant Prince.
He had forgotten the feeling.
The sharpness. The precision. Dancing on a knife's edge between success and failure. One wrong move.
And it would be death.
Drake smiled, his status depleting at an increased rate suddenly.
"AN ASURAN DOES NOT STOP WHEN THEY ARE TIRED!" he roared, "THEY STOP WHEN THEY ARE FINISHED!"
Drake released his aura once more, a fresh stream of notifications hitting him, informing him of the beneficial buffs he had stolen. And along with it he saw his Mana hit zero. His stamina beginning to inch downward.
But if Drake was to die. He would die fighting.
Tan was right. Drake could not hold back if they wished to survive. He must teter on the edge. Death was always only a misstep away. Walking side by side forever more.
And Drake felt right at home.
Reinvigorated, he pushed forward. His strength renewed by the rapid depletion of his status.
"But it won't matter so long as I don't get hit! One fuck up and I was dead anyway!" he laughed, "Nothings changed! I should have done it from the start!"
One insect after another tried their hand at taking Drake down on his determined path to reach Vale before she was put upon by the flying insects.
And each one fell faster than the last.
Drake's hands became harder than any metal, sharper than any metal and more lethal than death itself.
Tearing through the swarm like a warm knife through butter, he fought harder than he could ever remember.
Time slowed almost to a crawl, each second stretching as he removed one obstacle after the next. Drake's eyes meticulously tracking Vale's descent and each new opponent. And each new contender fell.
Until Drake reached his goal, a smooth glass stone at his feet, above him Vale screaming as she fell back to the ground.
Skill Stone: Water [Rare]
Drake grinned ear to ear.
You have consumed Skill Stone: Water [Rare]
You have learned skill: Archon's Mana Germination [F-Rank] 0/5 [Weakend]
Your skill: Archon's Mana Germination. Has been forcibly increased to [E-Rank] 0/5 [Weakend]
Archon's Mana Germination P1(0%) [E-Rank] [Weakened]
The air, the earth, the water, the sun, the trees. Mana is in all things. All one must do is reach out to obtain it. +1% to active Mana Regeneration. Each instance of defeating an enemy and obtaining experience will increase the total Mana Regeneration by 1% totalling 200% overall increase. (Increases with Proficiency)
Passives: +10% to Intelligence and Wisdom
No Cooldown.
No Cost.
Stacks begin to diminish after 10 seconds from the last instance of experience gain.
Drake looked upwards, bending his knees as he prepared to jump. The power of the new skill welling up within him, filling his mana pool just enough to kick start exactly what he needed to do to survive.
In a flash of power, six elements manifested around him. Blinking out of existence just as quickly at the utterance of his next word.
"Unaufhaltsam."
Power Word Mana P1(0%) [E-Rank] [Weakened]
The power of speaking imagination into reality. To bring your feelings and dreams to fruition. To make them a reality. That is magic. That is what it means to be a Mage.
At the cost of additional Mana, turn your imagination into reality, creating spell forms.
Cost: Additional Mana in proportion to the strength of the spell.
Cooldown: None
Elemental Archon's Mixing Bowl P1(0%) [E-Rank] [Weakened]
Insight into the Akashic Records gives wisdom beyond measure. Allowing the Archon to understand higher forms of deviant Elemental Magic.
Passives: +20% to Intelligence and Wisdom. (Increases with Proficiency)
Drake's muscles bulged with power. His senses rose in sensitivity. And his body feeling more enhanced than any buff he had ever felt or used before.
He had rolled every element at his disposal into one single buffing spell.
Pushing off the ground he shot up into the air like a rocket heading to space, eradicating the ground underneath him and pushing a crater that engulfed the insects on the ground around him into it.
In less than a fraction of a second he reached Vale. And in a swift jerk of his arm the insects around them fell in heaps of severed pieces.
A grin reaching both of his ears as the notifications rolled in.
"Well, well, well… I guess I am Himothy?"