Immovable Mage

– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 217, Season of the Setting Moon, Day 40 –

As high up in the sky as the secret realm permitted, several tertium items were transfixed.

A folded cube with an open top was sizzling and smoke was rising up. Two U-shaped tertium pieces were holding a spear in place on which someone had impaled a mana-rich deer.

Terry was having a barbecue.

It had been more than two months since he had stopped training in the passage of the dao chamber and arrived in this open area.

Living creatures had started to appear roughly one month ago. Some of them were harmless, like the deer that Terry was currently roasting. Others were obviously mana-corrupted and ranged from strong-ish and overgrown to magical beasts even Terry didn’t want to go near.

At this moment, Terry was massaging his temples. Occasionally, he glanced up to see how the smoke fared in the weird space magic that prevented him from going further up.

“Ugh…” Terry tried to push away the headache. He had a lingering feeling that the headache was more psychological and not really rooted in his physical condition.

Actually, Terry had never felt as healthy as right now. The mana-rich food and body-enhancing rations from the lizans were doing wonders.

Terry might have chalked the headache up to some aftereffects of the accelerated aging he had put his body through, but deep down, Terry suspected that this wasn’t it either.

He had consciously chosen to linger around in the sky whenever he could, just to get away from the walking bundles of insanity that were commonly called mana martialists.

Despite his grumbling, Terry had earned a lot since he had arrived. He had explored the area, gathered food, tested himself in a few trials, and bypassed a lot more. Honestly, the area could have been fun… with the right company. Unfortunately, Terry was stuck with a bunch of battle-crazed pests.

Thanks to the company, Terry didn’t feel like mingling. Instead, he had continued his observation from the sky to further enhance his mana resonance predictions. He had resolved himself to stay up here to practice his spell compression and divine hammer inscription, particularly the former.

Terry did not feel comfortable sleeping for long while being surrounded by beasts, only some of whom had the appearance to match their beastly nature. However, he knew that he had to sleep, or risk going insane.

More insane. Terry’s thoughts interjected.

Terry had regularly slept. However, at the moment his sleep schedule was limited by the maximum duration of his Immovable Object spell. He wanted at least one layer of protection to keep the crazy out. Therefore, Terry was desperately training to increase his spell compression and thereby improve his spell’s duration.

No matter how hard he worked, Terry could not avoid descending from the sky forever and he knew it. He had to hunt and collect food. He had to move and stretch and do something or he would go crazy.

Crazier. Terry’s thoughts interjected.

After spending virtually six hundred days in a dao chamber and then another thirty days training in the passage for accelerating his aging, Terry had discovered there was a limit to how patient he could be.

If these martialists are going through things like that on a regular basis, it’s no wonder their thought processes are a bit… strange.

Terry meticulously kept an eye out for the traces of dao chambers, but he was not sure if he was ready to enter one once more. He was hesitant to use the mental simulation with diluted time again so soon. He wanted to calm down and get some proper sleep before he would subject himself to that another time.

The reason Terry kept an eye out for the dao chambers was their supposed byproduct: the strange mana with the aging effect that he had noticed near the mysterious plant. Even if he didn’t want to use the time dilation, the accelerated aging of his body was indeed very useful to him.

Terry had a plan to get through this bullshit tomb. He already had an exit ticket. In fact, he had three. Two from the people that had tried to gang up on him after the incident with the Lightning Heart Peach. One from another martialist that had tried to ambush him while he was hunting a few days ago. He had his exit. Now he just needed to stay alive without going insane.

Unfortunately, the first part was made more challenging by the fact that the martialists grew stronger too. Even though their numbers were decreasing at an astonishing pace, there were still many left.

Terry had learned a few things from Hom, Guillermo, and the sect members of Icy Dew Mountain. This secret realm opened every few decades and while the number of entrance tickets remained the same, the number of people that could be transported with a single entrance ticket was increasing with every time the secret realm opened.

Terry had also learned that no one had ever left the realm without a ticket. Over the centuries, hundreds of thousands had been trapped in the realm, only to vanish without a trace before the realm opened the next time.

Terry had one more mystery to occupy his mind with: the strange symbols that looked like dungeon marks. He had found two more of them since he had left the dao chamber. He still had no idea what to make of them.

“Ugh…” Terry rubbed his temples.

“Help!” a faint voice forced itself on him.

“Stupid mana-enhanced hearing.” Terry was scowling down from his seat in the sky.

He knew who had yelled.

He knew that there would be no help in time if he didn’t go.

“Why do these idiots keep challenging beasts outside their league?” Terry shook his head. “And after luring the beasts to an empty spot?”

Probably because they’re greedy idiots. If they had chosen a suitable opponent, the isolated spot would make sense. If there were others, they would most likely try to snatch the spoils after the beast has been defeated.

In contrast to before when the martialists were only killing each other, Terry couldn’t really excuse himself with his lack of knowledge about who started the fight or who was at fault. These were folks being threatened by beasts.

However, this wasn’t the first cry for help Terry had overheard either. The previous incidents were one of the reasons for his growing headache. There was a reason why he had told himself, he would ignore such cries the next time.

“Okay, fine.” Terry stood up. He glanced at the roasting deer. “The food needs some more time anyway.” He looked down.

Best case, I help someone decent.

Worst case, I get new items.

Terry frowned at the turn his thoughts had taken and then jumped from his barbecue spot. He dashed on layers of divine mana towards the location where he could sense the person being hunted by a mana-corrupted beast.

His mood was lifted by the sensation of sturdy layers of divine mana under his feet. It felt liberating to not always follow up for layers that had broken mid-step. He found it hard to describe the exhilarating sensation of darting through the air like this.

Eventually, Terry saw the back of an elven woman fleeing a giant toad creature.

First time I see a toad breathe fire… or have claws for that matter…

He hurled several throwing needles that promptly transfixed in the path of the toad. Before the toad had a chance to recover, Terry was already darting around it while trapping it in an immovable chain of metal.

He could sense the gathering fire breath and forcefully punched the toad’s jaw closed to then pin it with another piece of immovable metal.

Terry retrieved his inscribed barrier spear to pierce through the creature’s eyes and into its brain, but found the toad’s eyes suddenly transformed into stone.

“Ugh, annoying.” Terry decided to not risk damaging his barrier spear. He considered using one of the spears he had found in the Hall of Power, but then decided to go with a different item.

Terry retrieved the tertium pieces he had ordered in the Chara Settlement. The levered screw mechanism had cracked plenty of tough shells in the past. Terry was confident that it would crack this stony toad as well.

A dozen turns of the screw attached to a sturdy metal pole used as a lever proved Terry’s confidence right.

The giant toad had breathed its last.

Terry was collecting his equipment while keeping an eye and feeler out with his mana perception. He could already sense a bunch of people coming over, most of them with a similar martialist signature to the elven woman Terry had saved. They were evidently practicing a similar technique and therefore probably from the same sect.

“Hm?” While Terry was paying attention to the acupoints and the dantian, he realized that it felt vaguely familiar. He had sensed similar signatures among his opponents in the Thanatos Proving Grounds.

Isn’t this the same as the elven pair of sword practitioners? The one that asked me to return him his sword. Before I realized that I was allowed to take my opponent’s items…

“Thank you, Senior.” The elven woman spoke meekly.

Terry made sure to keep his distance from the elf and instead examined the toad more closely. He still had some space in the dimensional body bags but not much. Even if Terry had space, he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to collect the creature. It didn’t look tasty at all.

“I don’t know how to thank you.” The elven woman continued speaking quietly. “Get away from me!” Suddenly, the elven woman shouted in a shrill tone.

Terry forced himself to not roll his eyes. The change in the elf’s demeanor coincided with the arrival of the other martialists.

“Junior, what’s going on?” asked an elven man from the group.

“I had just killed the beast, when this scoundrel appeared to threaten me and take the spoils!” accused the elven woman.

“What a load of crap,” muttered Terry and proceeded to cut a piece of meat from the toad. He held it in front of his eyes and examined it both with his mana sight and mana touch.

“Prepare to fight,” the elven man ordered the others.

“Are you sure? We have to be careful.”

“I can’t sense any mana from him.”

“Can we really take her word for what’s going on? I mean she has been known to—”

“SILENCE! How dare you side with an outsider? Even going so far as to accuse your own sect member!”

“What sect? I mean—” The man had been punched in the gut by another one of the martialists.

“We will rebuild the Skyriver Sect.”

“Right, and for that, we cannot afford infighting. This secret realm is a chance, we have to use it to regain a footing and build a foundation.”

“Skyriver Sect?” Terry raised an eyebrow. He remembered that the three-eyed general in Thanatos had mentioned something about this sect.

“Shut your mouth!” snapped one of the martialists.

I guess these ones aren’t as reasonable as the two I met in the Proving Grounds. Terry wondered. Or maybe the two back then were also insane and I just didn’t interact with them long enough for them to show their crazy.

“Step away from our junior!” The leader spoke in a commanding tone. “And away from the dead beast.”

Terry glanced at the toad he wasn’t even sure he wanted. The meat looked okay from a mana perspective, but since this was the first such creature he had killed, he would have to go through the hassle of carefully testing the meat.

Nevertheless, the fact that these martialists were practically demanding the creature from him, made Terry surprisingly reluctant to part with it. Honestly, he would be the first to admit that it was nothing but spite.

Terry looked at the elven woman he had saved. “Is this how you repay someone after screaming for help?”

“Don’t try to twist wrong into right!” spat the elven woman. “You were trying to steal the beast I hunted!”

Terry’s eyebrow rose up. “I have a question. What’s the plan here? Even if greed is coloring your judgement, surely the simple fact that the beast from which you had to flee was easily killed by me should tip you off that I’m stronger than you.”

“Stop making up lies!” hissed the elven woman.

“Even if you were stronger, that gives you no right to steal from others!” The leader of the Skyriver Sect spoke sternly. “Fortunately, we have arrived in time.”

Terry fleetingly glanced at the leader and then returned his attention to the elven woman. “Seriously, you were too weak to deal with the toad, do you really think you can deal with me?”

“He’s still threatening me!” The elven woman whined.

“Not yet, I haven’t.” Terry turned to face the leader. “Take the lying piece of shit if you want, but the toad stays here. Last offer.”

The leader’s face flushed red from anger. “How dare you disrespect our Skyriver Sect!”

“Wasn’t that sect crushed by Thanatos?” retorted Terry mockingly. “No wonder, if your lack of judgement is anything to go by.”

“You…” The leader retrieved a sword and coldly glared at Terry.

“Anyone that wants to back out?” asked Terry unperturbed.

“Yes,” replied the man that had questioned the elven woman before. He retreated a step.

“Cowardly snake,” hissed the leader. “You will fight with your sect or you will die at my hands.”

“...fine.” The other man appeared unwilling, but drew his own weapon.

Terry did not wait for the others to make a move and rapidly unleashed his disruption field. He flung out several throwing needles and also placed two of the translucent darts from the trial traps.

Terry blocked an attack from the leader’s sword with his immovable bracer. He pulled one of the other martialists into the trajectory of another attack and then kicked a third right onto a transfixed throwing needle.

Terry had gotten used to his purposely aged physical body and the progressed mana transformation. He could face the martialist attacks even without the Immovable Object spell if he wanted. As long as they weren’t able to finish a mana resonance technique, Terry’s body was sturdy enough to break their bones. However, Terry did not allow himself to be careless. He relied on all of his abilities.

He moved through the sky on the mana summoned with the divine hammer inscription.

He transfixed the weapons of the mana martialists with the Immovable Object spell.

He activated their own magic items against them by remotely activating the items before they had a chance to.

He obstructed their mana resonance techniques with his disruption field and discharges.

He trapped them into limited movement options with his transfixed items and then finished them off with hidden throwing needles or his keen daggers.

Terry did not even have a chance to make use of any mana resonance prediction, because his disruption field was too effective and prevented the resonance from building.

He had just flung a metal chain and transfixed one side around the neck of the elven woman that had started all this. He ignored the terrified look in the elf’s eyes as he kicked with both legs and broke her neck against the immovable chain links.

“Fuck, I surrender!” The man that had wanted to back out in the beginning raised his hands and retreated a few steps.

“You swine! That person killed your martial brothers and sisters!” The leader spat a mouthful of blood and pressed a hand on the hole in his stomach. A hole created by a transfixed throwing needle.

“I might have killed them, but it was you and that lying piece of shit that really caused their deaths.” Terry walked slowly towards the leader. “Your lack of judgement, or morals, or whatever. I don’t know if you were really too stupid to see through what was going on.”

“The victor is right while the defeated is wrong,” spat the leader dismissively. He glared at the one that had stopped fighting. “There is no crime worse than abandoning your sect!”

Terry arrived and slashed his keen blade through the leader’s skull. “I’m sure that depends on the sect.” He cleaned his blades with the leader’s clothes. “Among other things.” He kept his eyes on the last surviving member from the Skyriver Sect’s group.

“Fuck me, you’re much stronger than you look.” The elven man shivered. “Look man, I really didn’t want any part of this.”

“And yet you did join the fight and raised your weapons against me,” reminded Terry matter-of-factly.

“Yes, because I was threatened into it,” protested the man. “Look, this wasn’t the first time something like that happened. I knew there was something fishy about the situation and—”

“Did you fight the other times too?” Terry interjected with a question. “Did you kill someone even though you knew the situation was ‘fishy’?”

“I…” The elf bit his lips. “You saw how they were. They were still dreaming about rebuilding our dead sect and that we have to stick together no matter what.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Terry pointed out. He clicked his tongue. “Alright, leave your storage item and then you can piss off.” He could see the man wanting to protest. “You raised your weapons against me. You are going to leave something behind. If something like this happens again, I’m not going to let you off no matter what you say.”

“You killed my whole group and now I’m alone in this place, I’ll be…” The elven man pleaded with Terry. “I don’t even have an entrance ticket. He was the one that brought us in.” He pointed at the corpse of the leader. “If you take my items, you might as well kill me now.”

“Is that a serious request?” asked Terry while watching the elven man closely.

“No.” The man backed away several steps with raised hands.

“Wait.” Terry retrieved an item from the leader’s storage. He made a final concession. “Here, you can keep the entrance ticket. I don’t need it. You can also keep the weapon you used, but that’s it.”

The expression in the elven man’s face brightened and he hurriedly moved to comply with Terry’s request and then got the Wastes away.

Terry collected all the storage items from the corpses and briefly scanned their contents. When his consciousness touched on some venison in one of the storage rings, Terry remembered the food he had left cooking. “Shit.” He gave one last glance at the dead mana martialists. “I hate this place.” He dashed into the sky on layers of divine mana, hoping that the meat wasn’t too burned to eat.

***