Chapter 73: Aberrant

From closer, the aberrant was even worse. The striated disc of its upper body was a malevolent, cancerous mass of vile matter covered in bulbous growths and bony spines. It looked tough too.

“Why would we ever attack that thing?”

//First, the aberrant is on a course to the edge of the fertile strip.

//Should it arrive there, it will kill villagers until we can stop it.

//Second, this is good practice for you.

“I can think of better ways to practice.”

//None so efficient as real world experience.

//Additionally, the aberrants are particularly resistant to mana intrusion.

//It will be a good experience for you.

“I’m not sure about that.”

//Please create a workable plan to take it down.

Viv stared and saw the creature suddenly lurch forward and pin something on the ground. A second later, it lifted the carcass of a tree and Viv thought she saw a sort of maw on the thing’s underside. She also realized that the captured tree hovered at a maximum height, away from the disc.

“That’s fucked up. I think it can’t reach its own mouth.”

//Accurate.

//In addition, the flesh is too compact for the aberration to possess a digestive system.

“Wait, do you mean that…”

//It will starve endlessly until it is put down.

//Aberrations have a lot of mana, hence why they are so dangerous.

//Now, can you think of a way to kill it?

Viv looked around and saw only trees as far as the eye could see. Actually, that was not quite correct. Some of the tallest specimens were taller than the aberrants.

“You could —”

//I do not need your help to kill a newly born aberrant, Your Grace.

//You must find a way to kill it yourself.

“Well, hmmm, can you at least carry me around?”

Viv was definitely on the dangerous scale of things. She was also fragile and slow. No amount of trudging through the forest would let her keep pace with that monster, or at least not within the next decade.

//I will agree to transport you.

//However, I will not attack the aberrant.

“Alright. So if the thing can’t bring food to its mouth, it certainly can’t touch the top of its head.”

The articulations looked messed up on the tall, spindly things the creature used as legs. They were black and smooth towards the tip, but the farther up one went and the more organic and sickly they became.

“If we can lure it to any tall tree, Solfis can jump on top of it and dig in. With this, the creature should be unable to dislodge me while I use short-range high-powered spells to slay it.”

Solfis and Orkan stared at her.

“I will act as a lure. It’s very strong but not too fast,” the inquisitor offered.

//How can you fleshy beings always come up with plans that appear as both stupid and likely to succeed?

“If it’s stupid but it works, it ain’t stupid.”

//Is that the wisdom of your old world, Your Grace?

“Yep.”

//New sensation redefined as disappointment.

//We are ready to proceed.

“Wait, what was your plan then?”

//I did not have one, Your Grace.

//The optimal path would be for me to kill it.

//However, several training manuals agree that letting young war mages face true enemies under careful supervision provides the best results.

//We will follow your plan and hopefully not suffer casualties.

With this, the golem moved away and Viv reluctantly packed her unfinished lunch. What kind of barbarian interrupted lunch for physical activity? Someone without a digestive system, that’s who. Nevertheless, she followed Orkan on his way to the aberrant.

They moved for only a few minutes, then gave the creature a wide berth. Viv selected a tall lonely tree close to its path and gave one last series of instructions to Orkan.

“This is just practice so don’t take any risk, alright?”

“I’m not playing hero. If I get hurt or overwhelmed, I will retreat.”

“Good.”

Viv climbed on Solfis’ back while he crawled smoothly up the rugged trunk. She noticed that he did not disturb any branches with his passage, nor did any bark creak or fall. Only sight or the terrifying weight of his gaze could betray his presence. They were soon in position, waiting for Orkan to engage, and he did.

Viv heard the clang of metal, then the aberrant let out another pitched scream and rushed forward towards them. She caught sight of Orkan running backwards. He was focused on the leg trying to skewer him, both blades maintained before him. The aberrant stabbed blindly in front of itself and left deep furrows in the ground. It was definitely fast, but not fast enough to catch up to the wily and cautious inquisitor.

“Almost there, get… what was that?”

Viv’s attempt aborted as soon as she heard a confusing yet familiar sound.

“SqueeeEEEEEEEeeee.”

There was a white blur, a sound in the middle between cough and barf, and then the top of the aberration caught on fire.

It roared an ear-splitting shriek of rage and pain.

“Motherfucker.”

//That is unexpected.

The creature stopped and shook itself, sending burning embers around, but the fire would not let out so easily and Viv felt a hint of phantom pain from the scar on her arm. Arthur’s fire was hot. Flamethrower hot.

Orkan had wisely decided to leg it, a salutary idea when the creature squatted as close to the ground as it could.

Then, it jumped.

Viv looked up to a nightmarish, four-legged flying saucer of fuckery until the thing landed and planted itself into the ground. The trees shook. The aberrant was still on fire.

“Can you get us on the side of the disc?”

//Yes.

The creature jumped again, going after Orkan’s fleeing form. The inquisitor changed direction mid-race as the creature almost overtook it. Solfis jumped just as the creature landed.

Viv resisted the urge to scream when they approached the disgusting disc. It was even nastier from up close. The aberrant had no biology, it was just a revolting amalgam of flesh.

They landed. Solfis smoothly clamped all limbs on the creature’s side. It barely shifted under the attack.

Viv fought the urge to retch. The aberrant was not just malodorous, its mana felt horrid and sickly. Her improved senses worked against her as she did her best to fight the influence of a nauseous vortex of corruption. The dyes were still there. They were just moving in a… wrong way. Unnatural. Toxic. The will of the world swirled in a whirlpool centered around the middle of the disc, and Viv knew that her purge spell would barely peel off a layer of pointless flesh. The aberration was not magic-resistant. It was magic-absorbent.

The thing lurched and shook, but Solfis offset the movements with lazy grace. It gave Viv the window of opportunity she needed. She focused and drew as much power as she could in a single sphere above her right shoulder. The spell was simple, a powerful version of her basic purge overcharged to as much as she could contain. Even though the black mana was hers, even if it liked her, she still felt a tug as the aberration pulled greedily at it.

“Purge.”

A thick beam smashed into the creature’s center. It sent bubbling blood and pieces of foamy bone to the side as her attack mercilessly dug into its flesh and then… stopped. The attack had smashed through the creature’s resistance to reveal a pulsating blob of flesh. Unfortunately, the pain sent the aberration into a frenzy and it stumbled around, stabbing madly with its legs.

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“Need more focused power.”

Viv decided to try a spell she had designated as ‘stupid’ before. She took out her silverite dagger and drew a massive amount of power which she focused on the enchanted blade. A dark coating soon engulfed the powerful metal. She even drew power from the core to hasten the casting. The aberration had finally realized that something was clinging to it and shook like a wet dog. Viv supposed that being set on fire had distracted it. Until now.

She did her best to cling to Solfis to prevent her neck from snapping with the haphazard movements. A sword-like blade as dark as the void now extended from her focus. It was charged with destruction. It hissed in the air, eager.

The aberration toppled on the ground, perhaps hoping to smush them.

Solfis jumped.

Viv slowed down her perception. She roared and used her increased strength to slash upward. A massive surge sliced cleanly through the pulsating flesh and the edge of the creature, almost cleaving it in two. It died then. Viv felt the hungry vortex collapse.

The massive aberrant shook the earth with its mass while Solfis landed by its side with the grace of a gymnast. Viv watched the creature in its death throes. The legs were thankfully angled away, because the havoc they wreaked on the nearby trees was a sight to behold. They had already formed a clearing of shredded trunks.

Viv took a step back when the coming of a draconic dive-bomber graced her ears.

“SqueeeEEEEECOUGHEeeeee.”

A few gouts of tenacious flames landed on the open, pus-filled sore that was the main body. Its legs finally contracted in one last dreadful grip.

Arthur made a U-turn, flapped once to slow down and finally landed majestically in front of the carcass. She stood on her rear legs and spread her wings as far as they would go.

“Squee!”