Spirit Taming

With the warning from Ella fresh In Clark’s mind, he started to check for pathways. The map that they had taken was the most recent marked map for the fallen orc dungeon. This would normally be found. However, with rain and other changes in the dungeon, the paths would change.

"Should we just return for now? This will be tougher than we thought." Maria was worried that they would have a higher risk of injury. This was supposed to be training. Not some major risk to their lives.

"We have rain coats, food, and have been learning a lot. Why should we give up? This is training, you’re right, but this is also real. If we don’t put some risk in this we will remain weak for a longer time." Clark knew he was pushing them to risk things that they had not expected in this dungeon. But he would not hold himself or them back by running away from a challenge.

"I will continue on. The risk is the same. Even in the weakest dungeon, the tests that the academy provides, there is a risk of death. Even walking down the street. It is just a different form of death." Ella’s logic was what took the lead before Isa could even speak her mind. None of them could say a word as Ella pointed out the shadowy figures of five rotten orcs moving toward them.

"So we are fighting. Let’s do this." Clark dashed forward. He was surprised to see that Crim was moving much faster now that it was raining. This was a characteristic that he had not realized Crim would have. Even the system had not picked up on this. But the more that he thought about it the more it made sense.

Slimes were a type of beast that had fluid bodies with a single core. They were not easily killed due to this. But there were many forms of slimes. Some lived in molten magma while others in water. Believing that their core was strong enough, Clark remembered hearing that slimes could move through their elemental affinity easily. Therefore, if the slime had even the smallest relation to that element, then they could move through it.

"Ella wrote this down as a theory. Crim came from the bone marrow of a water dragon." Clark would visit this later in his research. If Crim came from the bones of a water dragon then it would explain why he was able to boost his agility in the rain.

A large burst of thunder illuminated the rotting orcs ahead of them. Surprisingly, it also illuminated the figure of Maria who had proved that she had speed above all of them. She had somehow managed to slink in front of the orcs slashing at their knees.

Two of the rotting orcs were easily felled to the ground where Crim and Devi attacked their heads right away. Maria had also managed to attack the other three but found that they were tougher. She excelled in speed, poison, and healing. Maria failed in power and defense at the moment. The flaws she would be working to improve. That was why the midnight eel was watching carefully. It would see the things it needed to protect as it grew.

The remaining orcs were alerted to the group and attacked. Isa had come close enough to use attacks. Her flame sprite was useless here since the rain would weaken it. The crystal golem was moving too far behind her due to the mud slowing its movements. That means that she was still using the icy blades she could now more easily create in the rain.

The attacks left a frozen portion on the rotting orc’s bodies. It was not cutting the tough orc skin enough to completely defeat them. However, the chunks of ice on them were a major hindrance to their movements. It gave Ella a chance to use her rapier to attack better.

Since the rain weakened the attacks of the blue flame wisp, Ella knew that she would have to use other methods to attack. She could not bring out her earth wisp because it would be weakened by the rain and the wind wisp was also too weak. This made her call out the newly grown high water wisp. It thrived in the rain.

Since Clark had not seen the high water wisp used in battle to help Ella, he decided to hold back and watch. Maria and Isa were easily taking care of one orc with their attacks with Crim and Devi were attacking the other. The last one was fully left to Ella.

With her rapier, Ella thrust through the water wisp shocking Clark. He had not thought that she would attack her own beast. Yet, he noticed that instead of it being harmed, the water wisp covered the rapier just as the blue flame wisp had. This was another method of having the wisp bolster her rapier!

The instant benefit of this came to light in seconds. The next attack on the orc caused a burst of water to flow from the injury. This was a brutal piercing attack with a second stage damage dealing water attack. No enemy struck by this would be able to heal this or survive it easily. They would need to be extremely tough minded not to let this attack defeat them.

Against the rotting orc’s unfeeling movements, the double stage attack of Ella’s rapier seemed to be doing nothing but causing damage. Clark saw this differently though, he watched as Ella struck over and over near the vital points. The points of the orc’s body where bones connected. Where the orc would take the most damage. She was literally dissecting the orc while it still moved. A terrifying sight to witness.

I will never mess with Ella. researchers are scary." This lesson came to an end as Ella watched the orc fall to its face in front of her. A simple final pierce to the neck caused the body to be completely broken in to basic parts that were easily stored away.

"I believed that the stringer orcs will be the newly arrived fallen orcs. That is until they are attacked and begin rotting. After that, there must be a week to three weeks of stronger defensive ability within them. After that point they will decay in to weaker and weaker beasts. Eventually, they may become skeleton orcs but that is unlikely since most of their bones appear to be broken from battles."

"You had time to fully analyze the orc while you were battling?" Isa was shocked as soon as she and Maria heard this. They had managed to finish their own battle in time to see Ella finish hers.

"No, I analyzed all five and drew conclusions while we fought. It’s all about being observant of multiple beasts. I had a class that focused on keeping track of allies and multiple enemies. I will see if I can introduce you to the battle professor another time. You may like their extra classes."

"Then we will look forward to that." Isa decided that the group didn’t have anything to lose by doing this. Therefore, it was best to agree right away. "Clark, how do you want to go about finding more of them? This place is changing by the second. I would expect it to become even worse."

"We should lure them here. We can have our beasts use skills. Ella’s high water wisp will be able to make the biggest effect with the rain. Have it make a big impression with the rain. That should set up a signal somewhat. Then we attack and defeat them until the biggest one gets here."

"That should work. But if too many come at once we will retreat. I want to train against them but not against a massive swarm. That would be foolish." Isa knew that even if they collected all the bodies of the rotten orcs, that they would be risking too much if they were hurt in doing so. A safe battle was all she could ask for.

"So we will do it at that tree that’s the center of the dungeon?" Since Maria remembered the map as well, she wanted to just make the move to the center of the dungeon.

"That’s the best place. Logically, we will be able to bait every single orc from there. Including the biggest one that roams the area." With Ella’s support, the group began to move.

The tree that Maria had referenced was one of the few that had grown large enough to resist the constant battle of fallen orcs. It had resisted the rot and nature of the dungeon. This made it the central point of the map along with every tamer that entered the dungeon. They were able to navigate by referencing it and other tamers would often use it as a camp. Now so would they. But they were planning to do more. They would use it as a base for their conquest of the entire dungeon.