Chapter 43: Ramdent
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Chapter 43: Ramdent
Are you okay? Chance asked as he walked over to Bella.
Ive been hit worse, Bella replied, brushing herself off with a grimace.
Im fine too, Yeo put in, limping slightly as he walked to join them. By the way, Ill have it known that I did better than both of you.
None of us could even hurt him, Bella pointed out.
You werent supposed to, Jorgin said, rising from his spot on the bench and applauding quietly. If you had, it would have been quite embarrassing for Derren.
He pulled a pill from a vial at his side and tossed it to Yeo, who ate it without an instant of hesitation. His leg popped as something slid back into place and he let out a relieved sigh.
Thanks.
How did we do? Bella asked.
More than acceptable, Derren replied, yawning again. I wasnt expecting any of you to actually be able to move me, and you had some decent ideas for teamwork, even if none of them really worked.
They all let out a relieved sigh.
I think you can say more than that, Jorgin drawled. Whens the last time you got knocked off your feet, Derren?
Been a while, the proctor said, his lips turning down. He nodded to Chance. What path do you cultivate, boy?
Karma.
Derren grunted. He pulled a metal disk out of a pocket and pressed his thumb into it. He fiddled with it for a few moments, then returned it to his pocket. Noted. Well, you all pass. Ill put in word with the Shikari and you should be all set. Good job. Now, unless youre going to make me test you for Knight rankThis chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
We arent, Chance said hurriedly. He was pretty sure the knight ranked exam would probably involve actually fighting Derren, and they were nowhere near strong enough for that. Not yet. Out of curiosity, what rank are you?
Duke. Derren ambled back over to his bench and flopped down. Chance winced, expecting the man to crash straight through it, but the Shikari landed so silently that he didnt even hear it. Im taking my nap now. Dont bother me again, Jorgin.
Derren closed his eyes and let his head loll back over the edge of the bench. Jorgin snorted.
Well, congratulations on your promotion. You all actually did a pretty fair job of surprising him. He normally doesnt show much emotion at all.
Are you sure we should be talking? We dont want to wake him up, Chance said.
Dont worry, he can sleep through anything he wants to. He already sent the information about your rank up to the base, so congratulations. Youre all officially Squires.
Awesome! Yeo exclaimed, pumping a hand in the air. Lets go get a job! An expensive one.
Weve still got to wait for them to show up at our house, Bella pointed out.
Yeos face fell. Jorgin rolled his eyes and reached into a pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. Ive got a Squire ranked job here, if you want it. I picked it up, but I decided I couldnt be bothered to actually take care of it.
Really? Why do you have something so low level? Youve got to be around Derrens rank, right? Chance asked.
Bella took the paper from Jorgin and unfolded it, scanning through its contents. Jorgin gave them a half-hearted shrug.
Nah, Im nowhere near his rank. And sometimes you just want to try doing something easy. Trust me, unless youre really shooting for the stars, money isnt going to be an issue for much longer. Especially after you hit Knight rank.
I dont like the implication that we arent going for the top, Yeo said, narrowing his eyes.
Ah, Jorgin said, scrunching his nose in distaste. Youre one of those. I should have known, I guess. Nobody in their right mind would call out their technique names. Thats just telling your opponent what youre doing, you know. Oh well, no skin off my back. Enjoy being poor, kid.
Yeo stuck his tongue out and turned to Bella. Well? Whats the job?
Elimination request for an aggressive Ramdent not too far from here, Bella replied, peeling her eyes from the paper. It pays five hundred gold.
Chance and Yeo froze.
The Ramdent let out a chittering screech. Evidently tired of waiting, it blurred at Yeo, who let out a mixture of a yelp and a curse before vaulting backward, narrowly avoiding getting bit.
Chance slipped forward, his third eye already open, and cut a karmic thread connected to the frothing monster. He elected to cut one connected to a Soothound, largely because he was already familiar with the benefits it would give. There were several other monsters tied to the Ramdent, but he didnt want to risk anything new in the middle of a fight.
Cold energy slipped into his veins and a strand of gold mist leapt from his palm. It struck the Ramdent, sinking into its matted fur without any resistance.
It doesnt have much of an aura, Chance said, flicking his urumi to keep the monster at bay. It hissed at him, trying to bite at the sword but failing miserably.
Bella reared back and lobbed her axe. It spun once before embedding itself square in the Ramdents head, splattering blood across the alleyway. Staggering, the creature crashed to the ground and went still.
Wait, seriously? Yeo asked, lowering his kusarigama. Thats it? I dont want to sound ungrateful, but
Chance started to nod in agreement, but he paused. There were still karmic threads connected to the Ramdent. His eyes narrowed. I dont think its dead. Its doing something.
Neither of them questioned him. Bella reached into her bag and pulled her Ward out, activating it without a second of hesitation. With a thrum of energy, a blue dome bloomed in the air above them. It lowered, sealing off a large portion of the alley.
Bella suddenly doubled over, groaning in pain. She staggered, leaning a hand against the wall.
Bella? Chance asked, rushing to her side. Are you okay?
Vines erupted around the Ramdent, rapidly blanketing the walls and floor of the alley around it. Thick foliage erupted from the grass, and the walls fell away as they quickly spread throughout the alley.
Its taking control of the Ward. Yeo warned. Bella, snap out of it!
Bella gritted her teeth, leaning on Chance as she straightened back up. The rapid growth slowed. Bricks started to appear once more, but at a slow rate. The shimmering walls of the Ward descended around them, making contact with the ground.
The Ramdent staggered back to its feet, the axe still sprouted from its head. It shook itself off, then let out a low growl and slipped into the twisting vines, vanishing from view.
Shit. I wasnt prepared for that level of mental assault, Bella said. It managed to modify the Ward.
Whatever, Yeo replied, spinning his sickle and grinning. It widened our fighting area. This is good for me. Now we just need to find it.
Chance scanned the thick foliage covering roughly half of the Ward, searching for any signs of the Ramdent. The heavy vines were large and loose enough that it was impossible to tell exactly where it had gone. He grimaced.
That might be a bit hard. Can it wait us out?
No. The Ward wont drop until its dead or we are, Bella replied. And its on more of a timer than we are. I cant imagine it can sit around bleeding forever.
I dont suppose you can detect your axe? Yeo asked.
Nope. Its just ice. No clue what happened to it.
Figures, Yeo grumbled. Chance?
Chances third eye wasnt doing much either. Evidently, there was only so much he could look through before he lost sight of the karmic threads. I cant see it either. It had a pretty weak aura, though, so I might be able to find it in a different way. Hold on.
Chance gathered golden mist in his free hand while he raised his urumi with the other. He was already lucky whether that was good or bad luck, he wasnt entirely sure. But he still had luck and it was time to share a little bit of it with their opponent.
The golden mist poured from his palm, slithering across the stone and slipping into the vines. Several seconds passed. A small patch of vines to their right rustled. As one, Yeo and Chance both sent attacks in its direction.
Yeos sickle sliced through several of the vines but failed to penetrate deep enough but Chances urumi bit into flesh.
Ive got it! Chance yelled, yanking the blade back. Blood splattered across the ground and a furious roar echoed through the Ward. A large, battered monster staggered out from within the vines. It was the Ramdent, but there wasnt much left of the latter half of its name.
The monster had completely turned into a ram that stood nearly twice the height of what it had before. Thick, ropey muscles covered its body and two new jagged horns sprouted from either side of its head. A large, gaping wound seeped blood right between its eyes. There was no sight of Bellas axe.
Well, now I wish you hadnt, Bella muttered, forming a new axe in her hands. Be careful. It looks more dangerous now.
We attack as one when it makes its move, Yeo said, the Ramdent approaching them with bared teeth. They all nodded.
It attacked, and they leapt into action.
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Chapter 43: Ramdent
Are you okay? Chance asked as he walked over to Bella.
Ive been hit worse, Bella replied, brushing herself off with a grimace.
Im fine too, Yeo put in, limping slightly as he walked to join them. By the way, Ill have it known that I did better than both of you.
None of us could even hurt him, Bella pointed out.
You werent supposed to, Jorgin said, rising from his spot on the bench and applauding quietly. If you had, it would have been quite embarrassing for Derren.
He pulled a pill from a vial at his side and tossed it to Yeo, who ate it without an instant of hesitation. His leg popped as something slid back into place and he let out a relieved sigh.
Thanks.
How did we do? Bella asked.
More than acceptable, Derren replied, yawning again. I wasnt expecting any of you to actually be able to move me, and you had some decent ideas for teamwork, even if none of them really worked.
They all let out a relieved sigh.
I think you can say more than that, Jorgin drawled. Whens the last time you got knocked off your feet, Derren?
Been a while, the proctor said, his lips turning down. He nodded to Chance. What path do you cultivate, boy?
Karma.
Derren grunted. He pulled a metal disk out of a pocket and pressed his thumb into it. He fiddled with it for a few moments, then returned it to his pocket. Noted. Well, you all pass. Ill put in word with the Shikari and you should be all set. Good job. Now, unless youre going to make me test you for Knight rankThis chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.
We arent, Chance said hurriedly. He was pretty sure the knight ranked exam would probably involve actually fighting Derren, and they were nowhere near strong enough for that. Not yet. Out of curiosity, what rank are you?
Duke. Derren ambled back over to his bench and flopped down. Chance winced, expecting the man to crash straight through it, but the Shikari landed so silently that he didnt even hear it. Im taking my nap now. Dont bother me again, Jorgin.
Derren closed his eyes and let his head loll back over the edge of the bench. Jorgin snorted.
Well, congratulations on your promotion. You all actually did a pretty fair job of surprising him. He normally doesnt show much emotion at all.
Are you sure we should be talking? We dont want to wake him up, Chance said.
Dont worry, he can sleep through anything he wants to. He already sent the information about your rank up to the base, so congratulations. Youre all officially Squires.
Awesome! Yeo exclaimed, pumping a hand in the air. Lets go get a job! An expensive one.
Weve still got to wait for them to show up at our house, Bella pointed out.
Yeos face fell. Jorgin rolled his eyes and reached into a pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. Ive got a Squire ranked job here, if you want it. I picked it up, but I decided I couldnt be bothered to actually take care of it.
Really? Why do you have something so low level? Youve got to be around Derrens rank, right? Chance asked.
Bella took the paper from Jorgin and unfolded it, scanning through its contents. Jorgin gave them a half-hearted shrug.
Nah, Im nowhere near his rank. And sometimes you just want to try doing something easy. Trust me, unless youre really shooting for the stars, money isnt going to be an issue for much longer. Especially after you hit Knight rank.
I dont like the implication that we arent going for the top, Yeo said, narrowing his eyes.
Ah, Jorgin said, scrunching his nose in distaste. Youre one of those. I should have known, I guess. Nobody in their right mind would call out their technique names. Thats just telling your opponent what youre doing, you know. Oh well, no skin off my back. Enjoy being poor, kid.
Yeo stuck his tongue out and turned to Bella. Well? Whats the job?
Elimination request for an aggressive Ramdent not too far from here, Bella replied, peeling her eyes from the paper. It pays five hundred gold.
Chance and Yeo froze.
The Ramdent let out a chittering screech. Evidently tired of waiting, it blurred at Yeo, who let out a mixture of a yelp and a curse before vaulting backward, narrowly avoiding getting bit.
Chance slipped forward, his third eye already open, and cut a karmic thread connected to the frothing monster. He elected to cut one connected to a Soothound, largely because he was already familiar with the benefits it would give. There were several other monsters tied to the Ramdent, but he didnt want to risk anything new in the middle of a fight.
Cold energy slipped into his veins and a strand of gold mist leapt from his palm. It struck the Ramdent, sinking into its matted fur without any resistance.
It doesnt have much of an aura, Chance said, flicking his urumi to keep the monster at bay. It hissed at him, trying to bite at the sword but failing miserably.
Bella reared back and lobbed her axe. It spun once before embedding itself square in the Ramdents head, splattering blood across the alleyway. Staggering, the creature crashed to the ground and went still.
Wait, seriously? Yeo asked, lowering his kusarigama. Thats it? I dont want to sound ungrateful, but
Chance started to nod in agreement, but he paused. There were still karmic threads connected to the Ramdent. His eyes narrowed. I dont think its dead. Its doing something.
Neither of them questioned him. Bella reached into her bag and pulled her Ward out, activating it without a second of hesitation. With a thrum of energy, a blue dome bloomed in the air above them. It lowered, sealing off a large portion of the alley.
Bella suddenly doubled over, groaning in pain. She staggered, leaning a hand against the wall.
Bella? Chance asked, rushing to her side. Are you okay?
Vines erupted around the Ramdent, rapidly blanketing the walls and floor of the alley around it. Thick foliage erupted from the grass, and the walls fell away as they quickly spread throughout the alley.
Its taking control of the Ward. Yeo warned. Bella, snap out of it!
Bella gritted her teeth, leaning on Chance as she straightened back up. The rapid growth slowed. Bricks started to appear once more, but at a slow rate. The shimmering walls of the Ward descended around them, making contact with the ground.
The Ramdent staggered back to its feet, the axe still sprouted from its head. It shook itself off, then let out a low growl and slipped into the twisting vines, vanishing from view.
Shit. I wasnt prepared for that level of mental assault, Bella said. It managed to modify the Ward.
Whatever, Yeo replied, spinning his sickle and grinning. It widened our fighting area. This is good for me. Now we just need to find it.
Chance scanned the thick foliage covering roughly half of the Ward, searching for any signs of the Ramdent. The heavy vines were large and loose enough that it was impossible to tell exactly where it had gone. He grimaced.
That might be a bit hard. Can it wait us out?
No. The Ward wont drop until its dead or we are, Bella replied. And its on more of a timer than we are. I cant imagine it can sit around bleeding forever.
I dont suppose you can detect your axe? Yeo asked.
Nope. Its just ice. No clue what happened to it.
Figures, Yeo grumbled. Chance?
Chances third eye wasnt doing much either. Evidently, there was only so much he could look through before he lost sight of the karmic threads. I cant see it either. It had a pretty weak aura, though, so I might be able to find it in a different way. Hold on.
Chance gathered golden mist in his free hand while he raised his urumi with the other. He was already lucky whether that was good or bad luck, he wasnt entirely sure. But he still had luck and it was time to share a little bit of it with their opponent.
The golden mist poured from his palm, slithering across the stone and slipping into the vines. Several seconds passed. A small patch of vines to their right rustled. As one, Yeo and Chance both sent attacks in its direction.
Yeos sickle sliced through several of the vines but failed to penetrate deep enough but Chances urumi bit into flesh.
Ive got it! Chance yelled, yanking the blade back. Blood splattered across the ground and a furious roar echoed through the Ward. A large, battered monster staggered out from within the vines. It was the Ramdent, but there wasnt much left of the latter half of its name.
The monster had completely turned into a ram that stood nearly twice the height of what it had before. Thick, ropey muscles covered its body and two new jagged horns sprouted from either side of its head. A large, gaping wound seeped blood right between its eyes. There was no sight of Bellas axe.
Well, now I wish you hadnt, Bella muttered, forming a new axe in her hands. Be careful. It looks more dangerous now.
We attack as one when it makes its move, Yeo said, the Ramdent approaching them with bared teeth. They all nodded.
It attacked, and they leapt into action.
Chapter 43: RamdentAre you okay? Chance asked as he walked over to Bella.Ive been hit worse, Bella replied, brushing herself off with a grimace.Im fine too, Yeo put in, limping slightly as he walked to join them. By the way, Ill have it known that I did better than both of you.None of us could even hurt him, Bella pointed out.You werent supposed to, Jorgin said, rising from his spot on the bench and applauding quietly. If you had, it would have been quite embarrassing for Derren.He pulled a pill from a vial at his side and tossed it to Yeo, who ate it without an instant of hesitation. His leg popped as something slid back into place and he let out a relieved sigh.Thanks.How did we do? Bella asked.More than acceptable, Derren replied, yawning again. I wasnt expecting any of you to actually be able to move me, and you had some decent ideas for teamwork, even if none of them really worked.They all let out a relieved sigh.I think you can say more than that, Jorgin drawled. Whens the last time you got knocked off your feet, Derren?Been a while, the proctor said, his lips turning down. He nodded to Chance. What path do you cultivate, boy?Karma.Derren grunted. He pulled a metal disk out of a pocket and pressed his thumb into it. He fiddled with it for a few moments, then returned it to his pocket. Noted. Well, you all pass. Ill put in word with the Shikari and you should be all set. Good job. Now, unless youre going to make me test you for Knight rankThis chapter was first shared on the Nvl1n platform.We arent, Chance said hurriedly. He was pretty sure the knight ranked exam would probably involve actually fighting Derren, and they were nowhere near strong enough for that. Not yet. Out of curiosity, what rank are you?Duke. Derren ambled back over to his bench and flopped down. Chance winced, expecting the man to crash straight through it, but the Shikari landed so silently that he didnt even hear it. Im taking my nap now. Dont bother me again, Jorgin.Derren closed his eyes and let his head loll back over the edge of the bench. Jorgin snorted.Well, congratulations on your promotion. You all actually did a pretty fair job of surprising him. He normally doesnt show much emotion at all.Are you sure we should be talking? We dont want to wake him up, Chance said.Dont worry, he can sleep through anything he wants to. He already sent the information about your rank up to the base, so congratulations. Youre all officially Squires.Awesome! Yeo exclaimed, pumping a hand in the air. Lets go get a job! An expensive one.Weve still got to wait for them to show up at our house, Bella pointed out.Yeos face fell. Jorgin rolled his eyes and reached into a pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. Ive got a Squire ranked job here, if you want it. I picked it up, but I decided I couldnt be bothered to actually take care of it.Really? Why do you have something so low level? Youve got to be around Derrens rank, right? Chance asked.Bella took the paper from Jorgin and unfolded it, scanning through its contents. Jorgin gave them a half-hearted shrug.Nah, Im nowhere near his rank. And sometimes you just want to try doing something easy. Trust me, unless youre really shooting for the stars, money isnt going to be an issue for much longer. Especially after you hit Knight rank.I dont like the implication that we arent going for the top, Yeo said, narrowing his eyes.Ah, Jorgin said, scrunching his nose in distaste. Youre one of those. I should have known, I guess. Nobody in their right mind would call out their technique names. Thats just telling your opponent what youre doing, you know. Oh well, no skin off my back. Enjoy being poor, kid.Yeo stuck his tongue out and turned to Bella. Well? Whats the job?Elimination request for an aggressive Ramdent not too far from here, Bella replied, peeling her eyes from the paper. It pays five hundred gold.Chance and Yeo froze.The Ramdent let out a chittering screech. Evidently tired of waiting, it blurred at Yeo, who let out a mixture of a yelp and a curse before vaulting backward, narrowly avoiding getting bit.Chance slipped forward, his third eye already open, and cut a karmic thread connected to the frothing monster. He elected to cut one connected to a Soothound, largely because he was already familiar with the benefits it would give. There were several other monsters tied to the Ramdent, but he didnt want to risk anything new in the middle of a fight.Cold energy slipped into his veins and a strand of gold mist leapt from his palm. It struck the Ramdent, sinking into its matted fur without any resistance.It doesnt have much of an aura, Chance said, flicking his urumi to keep the monster at bay. It hissed at him, trying to bite at the sword but failing miserably.Bella reared back and lobbed her axe. It spun once before embedding itself square in the Ramdents head, splattering blood across the alleyway. Staggering, the creature crashed to the ground and went still.Wait, seriously? Yeo asked, lowering his kusarigama. Thats it? I dont want to sound ungrateful, butChance started to nod in agreement, but he paused. There were still karmic threads connected to the Ramdent. His eyes narrowed. I dont think its dead. Its doing something.Neither of them questioned him. Bella reached into her bag and pulled her Ward out, activating it without a second of hesitation. With a thrum of energy, a blue dome bloomed in the air above them. It lowered, sealing off a large portion of the alley.Bella suddenly doubled over, groaning in pain. She staggered, leaning a hand against the wall.Bella? Chance asked, rushing to her side. Are you okay?Vines erupted around the Ramdent, rapidly blanketing the walls and floor of the alley around it. Thick foliage erupted from the grass, and the walls fell away as they quickly spread throughout the alley.Its taking control of the Ward. Yeo warned. Bella, snap out of it!Bella gritted her teeth, leaning on Chance as she straightened back up. The rapid growth slowed. Bricks started to appear once more, but at a slow rate. The shimmering walls of the Ward descended around them, making contact with the ground.The Ramdent staggered back to its feet, the axe still sprouted from its head. It shook itself off, then let out a low growl and slipped into the twisting vines, vanishing from view.Shit. I wasnt prepared for that level of mental assault, Bella said. It managed to modify the Ward.Whatever, Yeo replied, spinning his sickle and grinning. It widened our fighting area. This is good for me. Now we just need to find it.Chance scanned the thick foliage covering roughly half of the Ward, searching for any signs of the Ramdent. The heavy vines were large and loose enough that it was impossible to tell exactly where it had gone. He grimaced.That might be a bit hard. Can it wait us out?No. The Ward wont drop until its dead or we are, Bella replied. And its on more of a timer than we are. I cant imagine it can sit around bleeding forever.I dont suppose you can detect your axe? Yeo asked.Nope. Its just ice. No clue what happened to it.Figures, Yeo grumbled. Chance?Chances third eye wasnt doing much either. Evidently, there was only so much he could look through before he lost sight of the karmic threads. I cant see it either. It had a pretty weak aura, though, so I might be able to find it in a different way. Hold on.Chance gathered golden mist in his free hand while he raised his urumi with the other. He was already lucky whether that was good or bad luck, he wasnt entirely sure. But he still had luck and it was time to share a little bit of it with their opponent.The golden mist poured from his palm, slithering across the stone and slipping into the vines. Several seconds passed. A small patch of vines to their right rustled. As one, Yeo and Chance both sent attacks in its direction.Yeos sickle sliced through several of the vines but failed to penetrate deep enough but Chances urumi bit into flesh.Ive got it! Chance yelled, yanking the blade back. Blood splattered across the ground and a furious roar echoed through the Ward. A large, battered monster staggered out from within the vines. It was the Ramdent, but there wasnt much left of the latter half of its name.The monster had completely turned into a ram that stood nearly twice the height of what it had before. Thick, ropey muscles covered its body and two new jagged horns sprouted from either side of its head. A large, gaping wound seeped blood right between its eyes. There was no sight of Bellas axe.Well, now I wish you hadnt, Bella muttered, forming a new axe in her hands. Be careful. It looks more dangerous now.We attack as one when it makes its move, Yeo said, the Ramdent approaching them with bared teeth. They all nodded.It attacked, and they leapt into action.
