“[Lune Stone: Guard]!” Jennifer shouted using one of her newest skills.

Lune Stone: [Spell] (Skill)

Slot Skill/Storage/Utility

Current Slot: Guard (Spell)/ Tier 2/ Defensive/Barrier

You have learned how to create and store spells in lune stones. Now, you will be able to carry one lune stone you have created as a skill slot.

Her mana dipped rapidly, fueling the spell as a shimmering blue layer covered her body. The ogre slammed one of his four arms to the ground and Jennifer stumbled back from the impact. Her shield flickered out. Irwys ran ahead, charging at the beast. His sword glowed as he faced off against the huge monster alone.

There were not many times Jennifer had needed to face beasts and wild monsters. Nothing more than the occasional goblin or terror beaks had troubled her village and Lienmont was a well-guarded city, all the more so because it was on top of a massive dungeon. All monsters were killed on sight by adventurers and there were always guild members who took up scouting quests to prevent any monsters from slipping out of the dungeon.

Jennifer sat on the ground where she had fallen, staring blankly as Irwys fought desperately. I-I’ll just be a hindrance, I can’t even fight smaller monsters. She slowly moved back and turned towards the entrance of the hall.

The gates to the hall were closed, still glowing with shimmering blue light. Of course, they're closed, and what was I going to do? Make my way through the dungeon all alone?

She turned to look at Irwys fighting the ogre. He moved swiftly, showing surprising agility compared to the fight with the mercenary. He dodged another blow, counter-attacking almost instantly as he continued to chip at the ogre slowly. The huge monster struggled to hit the agile swordsman who kept the beast at a fixed distance. The ogre stumbled, and Irwys took the chance to get in close.

Crack. His enchanted sword cut through the ogre’s thick skin drawing blood. The beast howled in pain as Irwys leaped backward. It slammed its chest, eyes turning red. The beast roared once again and Jennifer winced. The monster was going berserk.

She felt a shift in the mana around her, a low rumble traveling through the floor. The sound of stone grinding against stone spread through the chamber, and statues of knights and women slowly rose up from the ground.

They stood all around the hall, in alternating order of knights and women with a book in their hands. As the rumblings started to ebb, the knights raised their swords as one and struck the floor.

Clang.

The sharp noise sent Jennifer reeling as her mana sense cut off, a strong sensation of nausea overwhelming her. She tried using her [Enhanced Mana Sense] but the skill refused to work. Eyes wide, she turned toward Irwys. The swordsman also seemed to have lost the use of his skills, his inhuman agility nowhere to be seen.

Jennifer’s heart thundered, her mind finally snapping out of the terrorized mess it had been. What am I doing? I could die here and I just sat on that ground like an idiot?

Keep it together. I need to think. There has to be a way to escape this place. There is no way Irwys can defeat that ogre without his skills. I don’t even know why my skills aren’t working.

She paused and turned towards the knights. They stood, eyes glowing a dark blue inside their hollow helmets of stone. She watched the rows of women next to the knights. Symbols were engraved on the bottom of the statues.

Carefully moving to avoid drawing attention, she made her way to the closest statue. She stared at what looked like runes, but not any kind she had ever seen. My mana sense, I can’t even use my mana sense. How am I supposed to solve whatever this is?

She took a deep breath.

I can try something, there has to be a mechanism controlling it, I can vaguely feel the mana moving inside even without my skills.

She closed her eyes, trying to emulate the feeling from her childhood from when she had been taught how to touch her mana for the first time. It had been years since she had to use this method, as her skill passively provided a feel for the mana around her. She tried to still her mind, letting the fear slowly fade away as she sank deeper into her consciousness.

She put her hand on the statue, feeling the smooth rock against her skin. It thrummed with mana, she could feel it pulse against her skin with a steady thrum.

Deeper.

She went beyond the first layer, and a network of channels appeared in her mind, networks of mana fueling the spell at its most basic layer. Lines and patterns arranged in a complex pattern, but the key wasn’t there. Something was missing.

Deeper.

She went past, frowning as a massive web of magic presented itself in her mind. It was like trying to look at three things simultaneously and her mind struggled to keep the shape together.

She went through the complex shapes, the spell slowly started to reveal itself as the pieces slid into place. A small knot appeared in the network of mana that weaved through the place. She sent her mana in, aiming for the knot and carefully untangling it.

A beacon of light lit up as a wave of mana rushed forth. She stumbled back, opening her eyes to watch the statue now glowing with a faint yellow glow, the book in its hand glowing as well. It opened its mouth and sang.

A sharp note rang out, resonating through the halls and Jennifer felt her bones tremble. She heard a shout and turned around to see the ogre slumped over, clutching at its ears. It roared, waving its arms around as if trying to push the sound away. But the moment passed, and the ogre recovered quickly, its eyes searching around and eventually settling on her.

She swallowed once, dashing for the next statue as the beast roared and gave chase. Irwys charged the beast, mist starting to flow around him, billowing out and slowly covering the entire place. She watched the mist slowly turn, as shadows flickered in it, fading into unseen images.

Another spell of some kind, a powerful one.

Jennifer took her chance and sprinted to the next statue. She put her hand on it, closing her eyes as she once again tried to sense its internal workings. Within a few seconds, she managed to locate the core and activated it. Another bright light flashed into her mind as the woman let out a sharp resonant note. The two beacons now hummed powerfully, resonating.

She paused for just a second, to look at the mystical magic that seemed to be forming. Another roar from the ogre brought her back and she dashed her way across the hall.

She looked at the remaining statues. Still ten more to go. No, just ten more. I can do this. I will do this. I won’t die here.

A vague blur from the corner of her eye made her jump. A loud blast rang and Jennifer was thrown away by the shockwave. She rolled around, eventually coming to a halt, and picked herself up. Looking back, she saw the ogre standing where she had been moments ago.

Irwys jumped out of the mist, his arm now bleeding and his armor torn in places. The ogre too bled from the wound in his leg, and from scratches all over its body. It roared and grabbed the statue of the knight with all four of its arms. It picked the huge statue and threw it.

“G-Guard! [Lune Stone: Guard]!” she screamed and for a brief second, she noticed another silver barrier covering hers. An explosion of rock and soil blasted her away. She felt her mana dip dangerously low, her skill breaking. Like a toy, she was thrown across the hall. Her guard protected her from the worst of the damage, but chunks of rocks and debris still pierced through her skin.

Blood ran down her forehead, and onto her eyes. She tried to move but found her limbs unresponsive. For a terrifying second, she thought that her spine had been taken out, leaving her paralyzed, as good as dead. But the feeling faded and soon she could move her limbs again.

Fighting against the pain, she pulled herself up.

“Agh!” she screamed as a sharp pain went through her leg. She looked down to see her ankle twisted in the wrong direction. She bit her lips, slowly setting the foot against the floor. Closing her eyes, she grabbed her foot and then—

“Mffgghh!” she bit her dress, screaming into it as she slowly moved the bone back into place. She searched in her belt, taking out the half-filled vial of healing potion. Removing the cover, she tipped the container but stopped after placing a single drop. A cool sensation ran through the area numbing the pain. She dared not use any more of the potion. If the foot healed the wrong way then there'd be no way to fix it.

She stuffed the vial back in, climbing onto her feet. She carefully balanced herself, avoiding putting too much weight on her left ankle. Blood thundered in her ears, the pain from her feet slowly fading away. She knew that it was just the hot blood that took the pain away, it would come back to haunt her. The foot would need to be looked at later for proper treatment as well.

If I survive.

She limped ahead, onto the next statue, and turned the beacon on. The sound traveled through the arena, now generating powerful currents, and she felt the mana around her start to resonate with it. She made her way ahead, bloody feet dragging behind her.

Nine more. Eight more. Seven more. Three more. Two more.

She touched the next statue, closing her eyes, the sensation now practiced and familiar. The images came with more ease. She turned on the beacon, hearing the sharp melody of magic that the women sang.

Just one more. Just one more to go.

Jennifer heard Irwys scream and turned around to see the ogre lift him in his fist, crushing him. She weaved a spell together, focusing on her mana. It helped that she wasn’t a mage. She was used to casting magic without any skills. Her mind strained, feeling like it would snap in two as her mana almost depleted itself. She held the speed, aiming it at the beast’s face.

“Wind Blades”

Wind Blade (Spell)

Attack/Offensive

Tier 2

Launch a sharp and devastating wind blade to cut through distant foes.

A howling wind gathered in her palm, shooting off with a shriek as it struck the ogre’s fist. The beast roared, and she saw a flash of bright light from his palm that blinded her. A scream, louder than any before, tore itself from the ogre’s throat. The ground shook as the monster fell down, and she saw Irwys pulling his sword out of the beast’s eye. Dark blood covered him, a stream of it flowing down the monster’s face.

Howls of agony followed as the monster lashed around in pain and she watched Irwys jump away and stumble. He wouldn’t last much longer.

I have to hurry.

She turned and made her way to the last statue, moving as fast as she could. Turning it on, she waited, as the spell activated. The last note spread out and the statues moved. The knights kneeled in place and the women spread out their arms. Tremors shook the hall as the women sang. A glowing pedestal rose in front of the central statue.

She made her way to the pedestal and walked closer. Glowing characters imprinted on it that shifted and moved around like a vague flickering mass of text. They arranged themselves into words.

The Seeker’s Trial

There is no truth greater than time

The words resonated with power in her mind. The chamber began to break, shaking even more violently as the song rose to a high. Tremors shook the ground, and cracks ran through the earth. Moving on an impulse Jennifer pushed her mana through the inscription on the device. The device lit up with a flash, streams of light traveled through her hand, into her body as the spell started to suck her mana in.

Pain worse than anything she had experienced tore at her, veins of fire crawled up her arms, and agony spread through her mind, tearing her apart.

The mana in the hall turned into a storm, circling around her as waves of it poured into her, traveling through her hand. She screamed but no voice came out of her throat. Something gripped her body, freezing it in place. Vague images she didn’t know flashed in her mind. Of people and monsters, of vast peaks and of a library in a tower taller than any other piercing the sky. She felt the hand go deeper, grabbing her soul, and a mark embedded itself onto her hand.

As the statues stopped singing, the hall shook, its magic fading and the old ruin started to break apart. She fell down, her legs giving out as comforting darkness covered her eyes.

'[Mark of Time] received!'