Chapter 225 : Grisly Result
Despite the ferocity of the creature’s counter attack, Dora couldn’t help but get excited.
“I might have found the perfect target to test the limits of my new abilities.” She said aloud, the Atlas Grizzly was silent, black smoke wafting upwards from it’s damaged mouth. A thick trickle of blackish blood dribbled from the creature’s maw and from Dora’s perspective it’s earlier fury had diminished. Reflecting its own blow back to it had done considerable damage.
Dora’s main purpose in choosing a target to do battle with was training. She wanted the power to use Far Sight to compensate for a ranged fighter’s greatest weakness -- close combat. Now that she had a better feel for using Far Sight, it was time to hone her new ability into a shield that could be used as a blade if need be.
The golem shook and shuddered as it struggled against the blackened spires of jagged earth that protruded through it. It didn’t feel pain, but Dora’s mana had taken a considerable dip from that last desperate show of savagery. She didn’t have much time left for this “training” session so she watched and waited. As expected, the earth magic began to crumble, the Grimlock still reeling from the full counter it had taken directly to the head. The sound of snapping earth signaled her golem’s freedom and it was here that Dora gave the doll an auto-mode command.
*Run-interference for me!* She commanded as she dashed forward, her staff in hand. As she moved she squeezed and flexed the muscles in her injured forearm. The muscles were all but repaired, however her skin was still a cause for discomfort. Simply gripping her staff was a chore, but she would endure.
If there was anything a long life had taught Dora, it was that pushing oneself to the brink -- willingly -- was the source of indispensable wisdom and strength. There was a certain power in knowing where one’s limits lied, and at times surpassing them. She quickly bridged the distance between herself and the two creatures. As she neared her golem it reacted to her command, it’s arms lurching forward. Hands began to jut forth, growing out of the round mounds of rock and the Golem gripped the Atlas Grizzly to, as Dora put it, “run interference”.
A Doll Mage / Oracle dual class had no real attacks to speak of, so Dora focused on a multitude of things as she dove into battle. She was terrible with using her staff as a weapon, she would have to get used to it -- so she began to practice that with a swing.
She realized that mobility would be key, so she kept her mana enhanced body activated at all times. She made sure to use the minimal amount of mana necessary to enhance her movements. At first she used her staff to offset attacks while her Golem continued to do it’s best to disrupt their shared foe.
All the while Dora kept her Far Sight activated, using it to drill into her own body the means to evade danger. She was clipped, sliced or knocked back occasionally and each time the golem stepped in at the cost of it’s own body. Without missing a beat Dora continued her “training”. She used her small size to her advantage, darting and dashing about. She took note of how normal swings using her staff simply wouldn’t work on an enemy so large. So she took to pivoting, leaping attacks and even spinning blows of all sorts. Staff strikes, kicks, punches and so on.
She took in the level of effectiveness, realizing that against a larger foe she needed to target sensitive areas for maximum effect. Thus she began to develop methods for pressure point strikes and targeting joints. She found that using the rounded end of her staff worked best, while outright bashing joints with the larger knots on her staff worked wonders.
Even with a natural armor of fur, the Grimlock could only suffer. However it refused to do so in silence. Dora kept a special eye out for the black spikes, she was sure that they would come if the Atlas Grizzly was pushed to the brink of defeat. But rather than the large scale area of effect, she was greeted by something more accurate.
She darted in, eager to smash her cane against the bear’s knee caps, when a spire of blacked earth jutted upwards out of the ground. Far Sight showed Dora how gruesome the impact would be, pierced through the skull -- instant death. She quickly shifted her footwork, realizing that her momentum would not allow Dora to slow down. This allowed the black spire to shoot past her, avoiding a grim fate in the process. Although she dodged it, the jagged edges were sharp enough to slice into Dora’s skin. She would not escape unscathed.
In response to being a beat too late, the Golem unleashed a monstrous uppercut towards the Atlas Grizzly. Unexpectedly the creature shifted it’s own body weight, allowing this motion to carry it far enough to avoid the blow. It was almost exactly what Dora had done just moments earlier.
The bear followed this up by crouching on all fours in the same motion and lunging forward. This motion caught the golem, knocking it off balance and towards Dora. Due to Far Sight, Dora realized the Atlas Grizzly planned to wait in a blind spot and attack, using the same area of effect blast as before.
Perhaps it was instinct or Zero’s training but Dora’s body responded by subconsciously activating atma. Within an instant she dashed towards the incoming golem and willed the construct to separate, creating a hole for her incoming blow.
Dora’s fist impacted with the Atlas Grizzly’s head, causing a crunching snap to reverberate outwards. The creature succumbed to the impact of her blow, it was dead long before it’s features were rearranged by the power of Dora’s enhanced blow.
For a moment Dora was lost. She watched the Grizzly’s body drop to the ground with a lifeless thud. It’s black blood seeping outwards as the body began to wilt into black smoke. She’d acted purely on instinct, even cloaking her body with the vibrant white glow of atma energy. Then, having realized what she’d done, she grabbed her head in frustration.
“Ugh. I wanted to get more training time in.” She muttered.
“Oh well.” She said after a few more moments. She knelt and grabbed a small shiny orb -- monster drop, the last remnants of her foe and impromptu training partner.
“Thanks for your sacrifice.” She said as she bowed her head, clasped her hands together and offered a silent prayer. She then turned to her golem and released the earth magic holding it together.
“I guess that’s good enough for today. Now to maybe do some oracle work?” Dora said, talking to herself as she usually did when no one was around.
