The object approaching him at speed was a very different sight. A fireball of darkness and fur, the Minotaur-shaped Tuskborne Bull didn’t move his trajectory at all. Charging with his head down and horns pointed forward, he homed in on his target with unerring ferocity. As the two became close enough for Arthur to feel the heat from the blazing Bull, he activated two skills, and met the Tuskborne’s horns with his Wooden Bulwark.
The skill the Bull was using granted him a sort of enhanced steadfastness for the duration of the skill. Being true to the letter of its wording, it made the Bull harder to stop or move during the skill’s duration. Arthur had a skill with a similar effect, which was one of the skills he used just before the combatants calamitous collision.
Method 4: Charge with your shield out front. High chance to stagger any enemy struck. You are much harder to stop during this attack. Deals high blunt damage but requires a running start.
Again, true to its wording, this skill was harder to stop than the Bull’s. Normally, the Bull’s higher force application would compensate for the difference, but Arthur threw a wrench in that plan with his second skill’s activation.
[Ironclad Will]: You are much harder to move, topple or stagger against your will. Physics still applies to the terrain. Can be broken by an enemy higher level than you. If [Champion’s Mantle] is active, grants a diluted version of this skill to allies within area of influence.
If the 4th Method made Arthur harder to move, combining Ironclad Will on top made him practically impossible to move outside of his own will. If it was activated alone, the Bull would’ve been able to overpower Ironclad Will with just the difference in force application and level. The combination of the two skills covered each other’s weaknesses and enhanced each other’s effectiveness, turning Arthur into a running fortress the moment they were activated. The Bull and the knight impacted into each other at full force like speeding trucks on opposite sides, neither giving an inch or showing even a shadow of stopping.
An earsplitting boom sounded out. An explosion of force blasted from the point of impact, tearing up the ground. Windows from all around shattered, adding to the resounding cacophony. Even some of the less stable buildings on the campus entirely collapsed, unable to handle the pressure of the titan’s clash. And, for the first time since receiving it, Arthur’s shield had gained a severe crack.
Everything near the point of impact was thrown away violently, including the Bull himself. Unable to compensate for the combination of skills with his massive force application, all the momentum the both of them built up transferred to him as the only one that could be moved in this moment. The force of the blast tore right through his skill and launched him back; a huge bull-man the size of a small shed tumbling and crashing into miscellaneous objects in the way of his catapult. Eventually, his flight came to an unceremonious end when he collided with a public bus in what looked like a parking lot or receiving port of some kind for the college.
Arthur never stopped moving. He knew that he needed to press his advantage and pursued the Bull. As it tore itself free of the bus that had folded in on him upon contact, he looked up to see a wild-eyed Arthur and a raised fist… that soon after smashed against his snout. He and the knight tumbled through the bus, now fully broken in half.
The Bull pushed himself up, attempting to get up with a swing. The fact that Arthur was faster was only further exacerbated, as he reached him much faster. Slamming him back down with a 1st Method bash, Arthur then wrapped his arms around the Bull’s neck. Leveraging with his body, he lifted the Bull up and over his head.
There was almost a moment of stillness as the Bull was momentarily airborne, swung in an arc over the knight’s head, as though he was playing with an oversized stuffed animal. He was slammed back into the ground with enough force to once again destroy rock and concrete, and as he landed on his back, the Aged Blade was forced further into his body with a metallic screech. Blood escaped the Bull’s orifices as he roared in pain.
Skill
[Ceaseless Wrath]
Activated
Stats:
STR: (656 ? 707)
VIT: (347 ? 373)
DEF: (110 ? 119)
DEX: (110 ? 119)
Arthur knew that he couldn’t deal any real damage without regaining his blade. He’d attempted to suplex the Bull onto his front in order to give him a clear path to grab it. Not being a master grappler, however, he’d messed it up and slammed the Bull onto his back, pushing it further in.
Deciding to adapt to the new development, he tried to land a kick on the Bull’s head. Finally regaining his wits, the Bull rolled away and lunged at the human. Though he was almost definitely stronger now, the knight was still faster. He weaved under his arms, landing a 5th Method shield crunch to the Bull’s unguarded side. If he had a kidney, it would be writhing in pain.
Taking advantage of the Bull’s doubled over state, Arthur scrambled onto his back and grabbed the hilt of his sword. It’d been embedded all the way to its hand guard, but with Arthur’s strength, it’d be easy to pull out as the Bull couldn’t actively contest it with his own force application. Just as Arthur was preparing to pull it out, however, the Bull began to buck. Forced to hold on to his sword rather than pull it out lest he be thrown off, he gripped it tightly as the Bull began running in a random direction.
The Bull crashed through building after building, the debris and concrete dust obscuring sight from Arthur as he held on tightly. He wasn’t even sure if they were near the other survivors anymore, as he fought to gain some kind of leverage with his legs to free his sword.
Just as he did, he realized there was much less debris falling about. Looking up, he saw that the Bull was running towards a broken highway, with forested areas around it much like the one he’d camped in earlier. Unsure of what the Bull was thinking, he attempted to “steer” it away the way he’d seen in so many movies by pulling his sword to one side, but it was already too late. The two were sent careening off the edge, falling into the forested area below.
Arthur’s hand gripped dirt and shrubbery before reaching out to the Aged Blade that had fallen near him. He coughed, as even though his weight tolerance reduced the damage from such a fall, it still knocked the air out of him. They were in a clearing dotted with trees, the ground completely covered in greenery. The sun peeked through the trees, rays of light piercing through the canopy to give the area a soothing feel.
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As he got to his feet, he saw the Bull also getting up about 20 meters from him. Though he looked angry, he could also see wariness that hadn’t been there before, even the slightest bit of respect as the Tuskborne sized him up anew. Arthur looked down at his shield, inspecting the damage from their collision earlier for the first time.
It was bad. The crack ran far and deep; an ugly scar that looked as though it could snap the shield in two at any moment. Unwilling to lose his only targe, he reluctantly stored it in his Vault, putting that Vault on cooldown for 5 minutes due to him being in combat. He would have to fight the Bull with only his Aged Blade and without access to his only attack-oriented skills, as ineffective as they were.
The human and the Bull faced off against each other. Both of them knew instinctively that this was the final confrontation; only one of them would leave this grove alive. The Bull watched the knight closely as he inched closer and closer, hands up in a boxing stance. Arthur held his blade in front of him like a baseball bat, knowing he’d be alone for this fight. He knew that running wasn’t an option either; he had to… kill the Bull here and now, or he would murder anyone he could find. The thought of killing a sentient creature twisted Arthur’s stomach into knots, but there were no other options. The Bull was at his weakest now, covered in painful-looking cuts and bruises. This would be his only chance to finish him off.
Arthur inched forward slowly, ignoring the sticks and bushes in his way as he held the blade between him and the Bull. All he had were defensive skills, but if he could somehow inflict him with Enraged, he would have a chance. He activated his Intricacies of Engagement skill.
[Intricacies of Engagement]: Changes bonuses gained from [Audacity] stacks to a small bonus to STR, DEX and damage. You deal greater damage to enemies with the [Enraged] debuff. Gain a stack of [Audacity] whenever you defeat an enemy. Gain enhanced experience whenever you defeat an enemy. Expend a stack of [Audacity] to grant yourself increased stamina and mana regeneration, as well as offensive skill cooldown. No cooldown.
As though sensing the activation of his skill, the Bull burst forward with speed he’d never shown before. As though making his low dexterity count for every single point, he’d gotten close enough for his lower speed to be less of a factor. He made a probing yet punishing jab, testing for what Arthur’s reaction would be.
Though Arthur’s Miscellaneous Skill was for the shield, the knowledge it afforded him granted him insight of defensive techniques for other weapons. It wasn’t nearly as direct or effective as it would be for a shield, as it was more like using his own creativity to apply the knowledge he had from one Miscellaneous Skill to something completely different. Even so, he made a sloppy parry that he attempted to turn into a horizontal slice.
The Bull was ready for this. He weaved to the far side, lifting one huge arm to block the attack. It struck, leaving only a tiny cut. Choosing to try for a counterattack rather than retreating to a neutral position, he swung a fiery haymaker directly at the human’s armored face, activating a skill at the same time.
[Crushing Slam]: Unarmed attacks deal greater damage for 1 attack. Multiplies force application by 1.5 for the duration of the skill. Deals greater damage commensurate to current [Wrath]. Cooldown and amount of attacks allowed is commensurate to current [Wrath].
Crushing Slam was a skill that, like most of the Bull’s skills, became stronger as his Wrath built. His Wrath meter had, up to this point, climbed enough to grant him physical stats up to 1.4 times higher than normal. As a result, the Bull could now use this skill for 4 attacks in a row. It also dealt greater damage if the attacks landed.
Arthur didn’t try to block or dodge. Instead, he activated a skill of his own.
[Not Today]: Expend a stack of [Audacity] to conjure a shield around an ally. Allies under the effects of [Not Today] have increased stamina regeneration and mana regeneration. Upon taking damage, the damage is absorbed, and the buff expires.
[True Heart of Devotion] Applicable.
He’d used this skill before, but it’d been competing with 3 skills stack onto each other back then. Not feeling the same amount of danger from this attack, he trusted his skill to block the damage as he gripped his sword with both hands and swung as hard as he could.
At the last second, the Bull changed the trajectory of his swing to aim at the blade. It collided, sending bits of flame and blood about, setting some of the surrounding greenery on fire. Arthur’s blade was blown back with the force, demonstrating the Bull’s superior strength stat as he retreated, his fist now sporting a decent sized cut.
Skill
[Ceaseless Wrath]
Activated
Stats:
STR: (707 ? 757)
VIT: (373 ? 400)
DEF: (119 ? 127)
DEX: (119 ? 127)
The Bull roared in anger, blood flitting about as he moved in for another attack. Knowing the look of the shield that encased Arthur, he remembered that it would break with enough pressure. Pressure he was glad to apply.
Skill
[Crushing Slam]
Activated
Skill
[Retaliation]
Activated
Skill
[Wrath Strike]
Activated
The Bull’s Wrath meter was higher than it was before, making the skills even more potent. However, Arthur was still faster. He dodged the attack, attempting another swing at the Bull, or so he thought. Demonstrating battle experience greater than Arthur’s own, he changed the trajectory of his attack at the last second once again directly into Arthur’s path. The blow exploded into him, shattering his shield and landing upon his armored body.
Wrath Strike was a skill that partly ignored shielding abilities. This meant that it also partly ignored Arthur’s armor as well. If the shield encasing him survived the onslaught, it would’ve partly ignored that too, but as it was, all it needed to contend with was the armor that now had a huge, crumpled indent in the middle. Arthur struck a tree and fell to the ground, before forcing himself up once again. His health bar had taken another disastrous hit.
Things couldn’t keep going this way. The Bull was only getting stronger, while he was losing health repeatedly. He didn’t know how the Bull was getting stronger, but he could tell from the weight of his blows. If he was right, then his vitality was also climbing, effectively making the damage he’d dealt up to this point practically worthless. Something had to change, but he had… nothing. No attacking skills of any kind, and despite him using Challenging Moxie whenever he could, it wouldn’t take hold. He couldn’t trust his shield to continue taking blows to use the more effective You and Me skill, so that was also out of the question. The only way he’d be able to inflict the Bull with Enraged would be Challenging Moxie.
Arthur mentally went through the list of skills he had… and remembered one that he hadn’t used yet. One that, unlike any other skill he’d gained, had no prior knowledge attached to it.
[Audacity Tempering]: Expend varying stacks of [Audacity] to enhance other facets of your power. Limits apply.
As he held his weapon out in front of him towards the Bull again, he held the skill on the edge of activation. He had no idea what it might do, but…
“Sod it.”
He activated Audacity Tempering for the first time.
Time seemed to slow to a stop. His consciousness felt like it’d retreated within himself, floating in the infinite void universe that was his own soul. He felt acutely aware of several stars surrounding him, shining like beacons in the everlasting night sky. His mind felt far away as he focused slightly on one, realizing it felt like… his Sentinal Aura skill? Focusing on another, it felt like the You and Me skill, and another like the Steel Soul skill. One even felt like the blade in his hand, the star representing it a dark, cold blue that radiated betrayal, sadness and… the biding of time? Another felt like the shield in his Vault, radiating a feeling of damaged stalwartness.
But… another called to him. No… it shouted to him, pulling his consciousness to it like the inevitable pull of gravity. It brought him to a new star, incomparable to the others in its brilliance. A vast cluster of stars that clung to and orbited around each other like an atom, they lit up the cosmos of his soul with its light. A green light.
Would you like to use
[Audacity Tempering]
On your
[True Heart of Devotion]?
Yes – No
Arthur was not in his own body during this experience, but if he were, his eyes would’ve widened at the result.
3-Neither you nor your [True Heart of Devotion] will falter when between an enemy and an ally. +40% natural HP regeneration when in a party. +45% natural HP regeneration to allies within your party. Enhanced damage reduction when in a party.
- [Audacity Tempering]: Expend 10 stacks of [Audacity] to grant a burst of healing over time to yourself and all allies in your party. Expend 20 stacks of [Audacity] to grant yourself or your allies significantly enhanced damage reduction and base damage. 15 minute uptime, expend additional [Audacity] with mounting cost for longer uptime.