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Chapter 145: Thousand times hotter

[Brittle]: This item has a chance of shattering on every usage. Upon shattering, the magical power stored within the weapon will be released in an instant, causing a minor magical explosion.

The Mesh flickered before Arwin, only lasting an instant before he shoved the entire bracelet into his mouth. It had born the traits of his failed arrow, but they’d serve a new purpose now.

A burning heat erupted in Arwin’s stomach and his muscles thrummed in anticipation. The heat was new — but while he’d grown faster, he didn’t feel any more brittle than he normally did.

The Maw ate the detrimental trait. Good.

The Wyrm’s tail whipped toward Arwin and he sprinted out of the way, throwing himself forward into a roll to clear the tip of the huge appendage. He came up running, pulling yet another bracelet off his wrist even as his limbs pumped at max capacity.

Jessen smirked at him and there was a loud whump from behind Arwin. He didn’t need to look to know that the Wyrm had just launched itself into the air and was hurtling for his back. The bracelet shimmered as he brought it to his mouth.

Steel Embrace: Rare Quality

[Steelskin]: Activating this item will turn its wearer’s body to steel and freeze them in place at the continuous cost of magical energy.

Activating the bracelet normally would give him some protection, but not nearly as much as consuming all its power to draw on it at once. Arwin leapt into the air, diving forward, and bit down on the bracelet. The speed from the first bracelet faded, equal parts consumed and pushed out by the new energy that flooded through him.

Arwin’s body stiffened. His limbs ground to a halt and a silvery-grey sheen passed over his entire form as he crossed his arms before his face. Jessen’s eyes widened in surprise an instant before the Wyrm’s tail slammed into Arwin’s back.

Instead of getting crushed to a paste, Arwin hit the ground and skidded across it like the worlds most unwieldy bowling ball. Jessen tried to lunge out of the way, but the magic within the bracelet had already largely faded from the amount of damage it had absorbed.

The sheen left his skin and he threw himself out of the roll, slamming into Jessen’s midsection and sending them both crashing to the ground once more. Arwin didn’t even try landing a blow on the other man — he could hear the Wyrm bearing down on him. Jessen hadn’t lost concentration this time around, and if he wasted time wailing on the man, he was going to be missing the top half of his body before he got his second punch off.

Arwin yanked another bracelet off his wrist.

Metal Bracelet: Average Quality

[Resilient]: This item was forged by a man who felt like a strong bracelet was more important than a pair of greaves. It was hit a few too many times, making it considerably more difficult to damage or bend by any means.

[Cracked]: This bracelet was unable to contain the magic stuffed into it and is liable to break under the stress of its own power. Striking the bracelet has a chance to shatter it.

The burning pain in his stomach grew stronger as the Maw devoured another detrimental trait. Arwin felt energy rush through his body an instant before a massive paw slammed into his back, throwing him from Jessen and into the ground.

Even with his reinforced body, Arwin’s head rang. He rolled over, the world swimming above him as his ears rang. He only had two bracelets left that would be useful in the fight, and then he’d only have one trick remaining.

Odd combination for an item to have, really. How can you be both easy and hard to break? Odd indeed.

Arwin shoved himself to his feet, breathing heavily. The energy from the bracelet faded from his limbs, leaving him almost completely unable to stand on his own. His magical reserves were low and he could barely even see straight. Jessen swam before him like he was standing behind a desert haze.

The Wyrm advanced toward him.

“Coward,” Arwin wheezed, glaring in Jessen’s direction.

“Victor,” Jessen corrected. “And I am not a coward for avoiding wasting time dirtying my hands with a mere smith. I enjoyed our game, Ifrit.”

“Did you?” Arwin asked, banishing his helm so he could look straight into Jessen’s eyes. “I recall winning at least one round. Only half a winner in my eyes. I hope you remember losing to a mere smith for the rest of your life.”

Jessen’s jaw clenched - and then he staggered. His eyes shot over Arwin’s shoulder. Arwin turned, then let out a bark of laughter. The Wyrm Jessen had sent after the others laid in a pool of blood on the ground, dead.

“No,” Jessen snarled. “How?”

“Let me correct myself,” Arwin said, summoning Verdant Blaze back to his hands. “That’s two rounds.”

Jessen snapped his fingers. The Wyrm leapt into the air and Arwin hurled himself to the side, just barely avoiding the monster’s tail as it whipped past him. It crashed to the ground behind them, then charged toward the others.

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“You get your wish,” Jessen snarled, ripping his sword from the ground and stalking toward Arwin. “Very well. I’ll finish you myself.”

Arwin’s hands tightened around the hilt of Verdant Blaze. His balance was off and he could barely even still stand, but this was the most instrumental part of the fight. Arwin’s nerves were so shot, but panic still built in his chest for the others.

Hold out just a little longer. Please.

Jessen stepped forward and swung his massive sword. Arwin let out a roar, swinging Verdant Blaze with all his might.

Instead of trying to dodge the blow, he stood fast. Jessen’s blade slammed into his shoulder, biting through his armor and digging into his skin. [Indomitable Bulwark] stopped the strike from carrying all the way through his arm, but a wave of pain slammed into Arwin.

That did nothing to stop Verdant Blaze’s path. With the sword momentarily stuck in Arwin’s armor, Jessen could do nothing to stop the hammer from striking — not him, but the hilt of his sword.

A loud crack split the clearing, followed by shattering metal. Fragments of Jessen’s blade flew everywhere and the guildmaster took a step back as the shockwave of the strike ran down the hilt of the sword and into his own injured shoulder.

Arwin dismissed his hammer. He grabbed the fragment of the sword embedded in his arm and ripped it free, tossing it to the side and gritting his teeth.

“No more weapons,” he spat.

Jessen smirked. He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a bone dagger.

Bone Dagger: Average Quality

[Splintered Wrath] (2 Charges): This item was forged from the flesh of a living gargoyle, imbuing it with hatred. It leaves a piece of itself behind with every strike to worm into its victim’s bloodstream and seek out their heart. After all charges have been consumed, this item’s magic will be fully depleted, and it will irreparably shatter.

“Speak for yourself — just because you don’t have enough energy to keep your weapons around doesn’t mean I didn’t bring a backup,” Jessen said with a cruel smile. “I’ll be returning your gift now. I hope you’ll accept.”

Finally.

Jessen stepped forward and drove the blade for Arwin’s neck. Arwin exploded into motion, throwing himself forward and straight into the blade’s path.

Then he activated [Arsenal].

The weapon vanished from Jessen’s hand and formed in his own as he plunged it down for the cracked opening in the other man’s shoulder. It bit home, scraping and shattering as it hit the edges of the hole.

Jessen’s fist crashed into Arwin’s chin an instant later, sending him reeling to the ground. The guildmaster ripped the dagger free, grinding his teeth. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath, then let it out slowly.

Then he smiled.

“You didn’t think I would carry a weapon like this around without certain precautions, would you?” Jessen asked, holding the blade up. “Nasty little thing. It’s not going to kill a high-level Journeyman with just a single blow, though. My body is too resilient for that. Yours, on the other hand, is not.”

“Want to try stabbing me with it again?” Arwin asked, giving Jessen a bloody grin. “Your body is stronger, but it’s not immortal. What, are you using magical energy to use an ability that makes your body stronger in that area?”

The flicker of unease that passed over Jessen’s face was all Arwin needed to know that he’d guessed correctly. It wasn’t that much of a surprise for a high leveled Journeyman to have some form of boon that made his body harder to damage… but the fragment was still in him, as was the magical crystal.

“All I have to do is stall you,” Arwin said. “As long as you can’t dig that out, you’re dead — and you better not lose concentration in the meantime.”

Jessen threw the dagger at him. Arwin summoned it back to his hand before it could connect. In the same motion, Jessen stepped forward and brought his arm down on Arwin’s wrist with enough force to shatter it, even through his enhanced defenses.

The dagger spun from Arwin’s hand and Jessen grabbed him, wrapping his arms around Arwin’s neck.

“How’s stalling going for you?” Jessen snarled, his grip tightening. [Indomitable Bulwark] worked in overtime as it desperately tried to keep Arwin’s esophagus from getting crushed, but it was a losing battle.

Arwin wheezed, grabbing at Jessen’s armor weakly with his good hand. Jessen laughed at the feeble attempt, doing nothing to stop him. Stars flashed in Arwin’s eyes and the world started to spin and darken.

Seconds ticked by agonizingly slowly. Each one felt like a millennium. Arwin forced his injured hand up, mentally canceling his connection to the bone dagger. His vision shrank until the only thing he could still make out was Jessen’s sneering face.

With the last of his energy, Arwin flicked his hand. The last bracelet on it flew through the air in an arc that nearly missed his mouth, but he just barely managed to bite down on it.

Metal Bracelet: Average Quality

[Toasty]: This item was made with such haste that it forgot to release some of the fire trapped within it. This item can grow hot at the cost of magical energy. Its wearer does not gain any resistances to its heat.

Jessen laughed in Arwin’s face. “Your class is interesting. I’ll enjoy seeing what you’ve got left on you — right after the life leaves your eyes and I finish with the rest of my harvest.”

The remains of the bracelet fell to the ground before Arwin. His head pounded violently and his body started to warm. He bared his teeth, his other hand still resting on Jessen’s armor.

[Arsenal] finally activated, its contact requirements achieved. A temporary connection formed between Arwin and Jessen’s breastplate. He dismissed it. The damaged chest armor vanished with a pop.

A surprised hiss of pain slipped out of Jessen’s mouth as Arwin’s skin heated further, going from just warm to molten as Arwin pumped every drop of magical energy he had into the trait he’d taken from the bracelet.

Jessen yanked his hands back — and Arwin threw himself forward, wrapping himself around Jessen like a lovestruck monkey. Jessen screamed in pain as the smell of burnt hair and cooking meat filled the air.

He thrashed, raining blows into Arwin’s body, but Arwin refused to let go. He clung to Jessen desperately. Pain ripped through Arwin’s broken wrist as he shoved a hand into the bag at his side and ripped out a small orb.

[Portable Molt] – A vial stuffed full of magma and sealed with magic… but not very well.

Jessen managed to get a grip on Arwin, using his gauntleted hands to pry him back. For an instant, the two of them locked eyes. Jessen’s face was scorched and his cracked lips pulled back into a furious snarl. Somehow, he’d managed to maintain his concentration.

“May Hell be a thousand times hotter than this,” Arwin snarled.

He slammed the orb into Jessen’s mouth.

It shattered. Jessen’s eyes went wide and his scream turned into a garbled hiss as lava poured out of his mouth and into his body. Arwin shoved himself away from the guildmaster, staggering and falling to the ground.

A wretched hissing filled the air. Jessen desperately clawed at his face, but it was pure lava already inside his body. Even if he could have somehow survived it, his concentration couldn’t. One of his hands shot to his chest.

Jessen’s scream was lost to the molten rock as flames rose up from his mouth and raced across his body, lighting him up like a candlestick. He took a lurching step toward Arwin, somehow still moving despite all the damage he had taken.

Then Jessen pitched forward and crashed to the ground, lying in a smoldering heap.