NOVPUB
Chapter 33: A Plot Twist (I)
Elisse crouched in the underbrush, her fingers weaving through the air as she whispered a soft incantation.
She took a deep breath and the faint golden glow of her magic shimmered around her hands, pulsing in rhythm with the divine energy she was summoning.
Though she was positioned far from the battlefield, she was anything but passive.
Her role was just as crucial — she was the lifeline of the party.
From her vantage point, she could see that the poison Zayn had stabbed into the monster was working.
The beast’s thick, rubbery flesh was reacting, small patches sizzling and bubbling as the toxic substance spread. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
But despite the damage, the creature wasn’t going down easily.
Its massive tentacle-like limbs flailed violently, striking anything within reach.
And Zayn — Zayn was right in its path.
Her heart clenched as she saw one of the monster’s limbs lash out toward him.
He had just recovered from his last strike, his boots skidding across the ground as he tried to regain balance.
He wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.
Elisse didn’t hesitate.
She pressed her palms together, whispering a reinforcement spell.
A surge of golden light burst from her hands, streaking toward Zayn like a comet.
The magic struck him just before impact, his body suddenly enveloped in a warm glow.
The spell worked instantly, fortifying his body against the incoming attack.
The tentacle slammed into him, but instead of being sent flying — or worse, crushed under the force of the strike — Zayn barely stumbled.
He was pushed back, his boots digging into the dirt as he skidded across the ground, but he was still standing.
He exhaled sharply, shaking off the pain as he straightened.
"Thanks, Elisse," he muttered under his breath, not knowing whether she would hear him or not.
He could always tell her later.
She allowed herself a small smile before moving on to her next task.
Reinforcing one person wouldn’t be enough.
With a wave of her hands, she spread the divine energy across the battlefield, evenly distributing the buff to the rest of the party.
Kara, Bran, and Tobias all felt the familiar warmth of her magic settle into their bodies, strengthening them against the monster’s ferocious attacks.
Now, the real fight could begin.
Bran was the first to capitalize on the reinforcement, gripping his axe with renewed vigor.
With a loud battle cry, he charged forward, his blade gleaming under the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.
The monster sensed him coming and swung another tentacle toward him.
But Bran didn’t back down.
Using his newfound strength, he brought his axe down in a brutal arc.
The blade cleaved through the rubbery flesh of the creature’s limb, severing the tip completely.
The monster shrieked, an ear-piercing cry that rattled through the forest.
"Not so tough now, huh?" Bran taunted, rolling his shoulders.
Kara was next, her hands slamming together as she summoned jagged spires of earth from the ground.
The sharpened stone pillars shot upward, piercing through the creature’s writhing appendages and pinning some of them in place.
Zayn took this opportunity to strike.
Dashing forward, he leaped onto one of the trapped tentacles, using it as a foothold to propel himself toward the monster’s main body.
He flicked open another poison vial with his thumb, one he had snatched from Bran moments before, coating his blade in the viscous liquid before plunging it deep into the creature’s side once again.
The monster convulsed violently, its entire form shuddering as the poison seeped further into its system.
Tobias, who had been analyzing the battle from a distance, finally made his move.
"Time to end this."
He adjusted his glasses before lifting his hands.
A sharp gust of wind coiled around him as he began to chant, his magic swelling in intensity.
Then, with a decisive motion, he unleashed a powerful arc of compressed air.
The spell sliced through the battlefield, striking the creature’s wounded body with surgical precision.
A final, agonized shriek tore through the air.
The monster thrashed one last time before its body gave out, collapsing into a heap of twitching, lifeless limbs.
Silence fell over the clearing, save for the heavy breaths of the party members.
Elisse, still kneeling in the bushes, let out a sigh of relief.
She lowered her hands, feeling the magic dissipate from her fingertips.
It was over.
Zayn pulled his sword from the monster’s corpse, shaking off the excess poison.
He wiped sweat from his forehead, glancing at the others. "Well, that was fun."
Bran let out a deep, satisfied breath, resting his axe on his shoulder. "Damn thing put up more of a fight than I thought."
Kara, who was checking on the state of her earthen pillars, shot him a dry look. "Maybe because you were enjoying yourself too much?"
Zayn sheathed his sword and stretched, his muscles sore but manageable thanks to Elisse’s reinforcement.
Speaking of which —
He turned toward the bushes where she had been hiding. "Hey, Elisse — "
Before he could say another word, she stumbled forward, barely catching herself before falling.
"Elisse?" Zayn moved quickly, reaching out to steady her before she hit the ground.
Up close, he could see the exhaustion on her face.
The battle may not have been physically demanding for her, but maintaining reinforcement spells for the entire party while avoiding detection had clearly drained her.
"I’m fine," she murmured, offering a tired smile. "Just... used a bit too much mana."
Tobias frowned slightly. "You shouldn’t push yourself that hard. If you run out of magic in a real crisis — "
"I had to," she interrupted, shaking her head. "If I didn’t, Zayn could’ve been—"
She caught herself before finishing the sentence, but the implication was clear.
Zayn blinked, a little surprised.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t been saved before, but hearing her say it so openly was... different.
"...Thanks," he said after a moment.
She waved him off. "Just doing my job."
Bran clapped a hand on Zayn’s shoulder, grinning. "I think she likes you, buddy."
’Damn, this guy is really shameless,’
