Myrr: Reincarnated Timemage Assassin

Chapter 60: The Ground Beneath A Mage's Foot Is Never Safe

Voices call out from all directions, but I am a master of maneuvering in the chaos. Hearing them shout in the future, I change directions before anyone even spots me in the present. Like that, I vanish amidst a gap in the formation. Behind me, I hear footsteps, I'm sure my deception can't last long. Silently thanking Romy for spending so much time training my body, I fling myself down rocky corridors and dart up the stalk of a pillar. Swarming up the side using silent Gusts, I abruptly leave the ground level behind and disappear into a cave. The footsteps chasing me below run by, stopping for a second as whoever it is, realizes they can't hear me anymore. However, I've left the ground so fast that they can't imagine where I've gone and run past.

Lost them.

I wonder if Meera got out?

Well, I did everything that I could. If she can't escape after a distraction like that, that's on her.

Stowing that particular worry in a separate compartment, I focus on calming down and getting a handle on my situation. This is ridiculous. That had to have been at least ten...twelve...no with the original, that's fifteen or more candidates. And I think they were all from the Rainstopper Sect. How the heck did that Lee guy even convince them all to work together? He wasn't that strong...

Annoyed, I can hear outside the cave that people are still searching for me. Now that I'm alone, sleeping is going to be a hazard, although I suppose I can just set up another booby trap. No...the real problem is that they know I can use magic now. And for some reason, they're hunting together. Hopefully they find some other candidates and go bother them soon. Sitting back, I analyze the previous battle. It went better than I anticipated. I was worried that none of my attacks would be able to penetrate their bodies, but obviously even Number 7's Qi wasn't strong enough to protect him from a surprise shot. If that's the case, I can fight it out no matter what the numbers are. Only...I had to limit the power output to avoid killing people. If they come at me in a group like that, there's no guarantee one of the weaker ones won't get unlucky and walk into one of my shards. I could be disqualified then...I have to avoid a group fight at all costs. As long as it's only a few people at a time, I can use that at least...

On my own, I begin to quietly make modifications to the cave I'm in. Once I'm certain there's no one nearby, the chant for Meld rolls off my lips and I move my hands back and forth. Carefully...I seal off the entrance of the cave, except for a small hole I leave open for air. It's dark in here. Really dark. But I'm no stranger to that. Satisfied that for now, I should be concealed, I sit down, cross my legs and put my back to the wall. Feeling uncomfortable, I even use Meld to shape the stone into a suitable bed with a backrest. Now then...I can get water from Chill, but there's the minor problem of food. The jerky I have will only last me a few more days. I suppose I could just starve my way to the end of this stage of the trials. But that wouldn't leave me in any condition to fight at the end. Damnit, this is just discrimination. All the Rainstopper candidates probably knew how long this trial would be and packed accordingly. Meera had a bunch of food on her. But none of us outsiders knew...

Realizing that I can't wait here forever, I shake my head. It's too hot out there right now. They're still searching for me, and I don't want to fight a big group. I'll wait a few days, then pop out and go hunting. Damnit though, none of the people Meera and I fought were from the Rainstopper Sect. So they didn't any food I could loot. In order to get food...I'll have to take out someone from the Sect. They better not all be hunting as a pack...

*Drip*

*Drop*

*Drip*

There's a bit of condensation coming off one of the stalactites on the ceiling. It's driving me mad, but all I have is time to think in here. I plan and plan. Continuously rewind the last battle, committing the weapons, reactions, and any usable information I have on the previous combatants to memory. In the darkness, when I feel up to it, I brush up on the spell techniques which I think will be most useful based on my new info. Still, the biggest question remains to be answered. How strong are the best candidates? Are they on the same level as Romy?