They had to fight the abomination guarding the chamber—but that was easier said than done. Kellta's flame cast a red, hellish glow across the black armor of the Class V's minion.
It stared at them through its visor, waiting like a predator cornering prey. Flesh squirmed around the joints of its heavy armor, bulging grotesquely whenever it moved.
The chamber offered no other exit. The only way forward was through.
But that meant they needed an incredible plan—and quickly. They had to get back to the three who had stayed behind and eventually make it back to the First Finger again. Running from the Class V's minion would only delay the inevitable—while costing them lives.
"So, what did you guys get?" Lumos asked.
They exchanged glances. Leonard spoke first.
"It says I can manipulate every form of electricity, not just sense or conjure it," she explained.
If it really was every form, then it was absurdly powerful. Neurons and muscles relied on subtle pulses of electricity. If she could stop someone's heart with a thought, it might be one of the strongest abilities ever discovered.
That's why lightning powers are just too damn good.
Elion felt jealousy burn in his chest. Of course, there had to be limitations—this cursed world wouldn't allow something so broken to exist without restraint.
"I can carry more in my pocket dimension now. And summon it from farther away. But the real upgrade is that it transfers the energy of objects through the void," Farha said.
Before, she could pass a fist or sword through the void and reappear half a meter away, but the strike's energy only generated once it emerged. That was why she couldn't fire bullets through the void mid-flight—the kinetic energy vanished once they entered her pocket dimension.
But now… she could shoot behind cover without exposing herself, and the bullets would still hit.
Still, she couldn't store living beings, and the door she could open remained limited in size.
"What about you?" Farha asked Elion, fixing him with a sharp stare.
He held her gaze, then sighed.
"I don't think it's going to help us here," he admitted.
She kept glaring, silently prompting him to explain.
"It's… I can change the tapestry of my being, if that makes sense. I don't really know how it works, and I'm not keen on testing it right now, considering the consequences."
Farha nodded, apparently satisfied by his answer.
Now all eyes turned to Eshrod, who had been silent. Her face was pale, expression conflicted. She gritted her teeth.
"I… can't tell you what my ability is. But I promise it's useless in combat."
And all this talk about trust…
"Why?" Elion asked.
"I… I'd just rather not," she muttered.
How nice. I'm the one who gets crucified for hiding things, but if it's you, then it's fine.
That's what Elion wanted to say, but he held back. They'd fought enough already. They needed to work together in order to survive.
"…Alright then," he said, though his displeasure showed plain on his face.
He slipped his mask back on. Its cold touch was comforting, like sliding back into himself.
"Now that you're all First Fingers, you can use my runes," Lumos explained. "Your souls no longer leak energy into the world; you can wield it yourselves."
That was how it worked. When someone reached the First Finger, the soul created a reservoir of immediate energy, replenishable with rest. The reservoir grew brighter as the soul flared higher—by consuming other souls.
Abilities were now limited, yes—but not by death through unraveling. It was a resource.
Lumos's runes drew on the soul. For new Unlocked with unstable souls, that was too dangerous. But now…
"I'll grant each of you my physical enhancement design," Lumos continued. "When I inscribe them on others than myself, it constantly drains my soul. But I should manage for this fight."
That was invaluable; it might narrow the overwhelming gap in strength between the Class V's minion and the Unlocked—if only slightly.
They really had no business fighting that thing at their level. But what choice did they have?
Lumos extended his hand. Black ink swirled around his fingers, slithering up Elion's arms and settling in runic text across his chest and biceps. The young cook shivered at the cold against his pale skin—but he felt the power take hold.
The sorcerer repeated the process for the others. The ink disappeared into the darkness of Eshrod's skin, but it seemed to function all the same.
Next, Elion studied their foe through his enhanced ability.
Its weakness was, like the Frankenstein's monster wannabe, somewhere else. It was close, pointing up, but it would be of no use to them.
He grinned. He could see far more now: the weak points in its armor. The weave was complex, but old and brittle, held together only by whatever fleshy abomination festering inside.
He could even pinpoint where to cut for maximum damage to the creature within. The clarity was almost terrifying.
Because of their little banter about trust, Elion shared everything he saw—every detail, even the seemingly trivial. To his surprise, the others built on it, adding insights he'd missed. Especially Farha—she was a battle genius, one of those Uru madmen after all.
"Alright, everyone knows their roles?" Elion asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Leonard said, grinning.
She looked far too excited about fighting this abomination. Maybe it was her new powers. Plan A depended heavily on her.
The Class V's minion loomed near the door, out of range for most attacks. Farha's sniper rifle couldn't pierce its armor from this angle, so direct engagement was their only option.
Leonard gripped the warhammer, lightning crackling around its head.
Kellta readied her knife. She hadn't gained a new ability, and her flames would be useless here, so she'd aim for weak spots instead.
Elion took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white as he grasped the hilt of his onyx sword.
"Let's go," he said.
The ink of Lumos's runes glowed navy blue as he poured his soul into them.
He dashed forward. His body felt so much lighter, like he was someone else entirely. It wasn't only the sorcerer's runes. He was now a First Finger. His body transcended what was humanly possible.
His burst of euphoria was short-lived, however. He could see the eyes of the Class V's minion glow a deep red behind the visor, like two rubies reflecting a hellish light.
A colossal greatsword befitting of the thing's sheer size flashed toward him. Elion's ability let him read its motion, even feel it through his affinity—but it still surprised him. A sword of that size, moving that fast, should've been impossible. But physics meant little in a world where gods exist.
He bent back, limbo-style, as the blade sheared strands of his white hair. It smashed into stone, spraying debris.
Eshrod charged past him, wielding her curved blade instead of the greatsword—the narrow hall was their advantage. The massive monster was restricted; they weren't.
The Gremlin's blade flashed, but she was forced to duck to avoid the massive greatsword. The Class V's minion had recovered at an astonishing speed from its failed strike.
Eshrod struck at the knee joint instead, failing to get through the dark armor.
The abomination twisted its head with a broken clicking sound, red eyes locking on her. It kicked viciously. Elion yanked her back by the collar just in time as Leonard vaulted over them, warhammer sparking with lightning.
Her strike slammed into its helmet, bending the dark alloy and sending jolts of electricity into the rotting flesh beneath.
This was plan A: hope that her newfound control of the element would allow her to kill it. Unfortunately, it didn't. The thing didn't even stagger—though that was to be expected.
What wasn't expected, though, was its next move.
The monster dropped its greatsword. Blood seeped through every seam of its armor.
Is it… dead?
No, that didn't make sense.
Elion's eyes widened as he realized.
"Duck!" he shouted.
The blood turned into spikes, exploding in every direction. Some were deflected by Eshrod's reinforced skin; Elion managed to avoid getting hit. The other three were far enough so they were fine, but Leonard…
She took four spikes—two in her right arm, one in her side, and one in her thigh. She hit the ground as the blood melted into her wounds, seeping into her body.
Leonard's finger twitched as she grimaced in pain. She lurched to her feet, her head tilting unnaturally—as though her neck had snapped.
"Fuck… I can't—" her words garbled.
She swung her hammer, but not at the Class V's minion. Instead, it was directed directly at Eshrod, the closest Unlocked to her.
The Gremlin blocked with her sword, but lightning passed through the steel and into her arm. She felt her heart seize as Leonard's power was wreaking havoc in her body.
"So…rry," the Zeus wannabe forced out.
Shit, this is bad…
"Lumos, Kellta—restrain her!" Elion barked, rushing to kick the hammer away from Eshrod's sword to avoid his favorite Gremlin dying from heart failure. It would have been a tragedy at her age…
He successfully threw off the lightning maniac but got slammed by the Class V's minion who apparently didn't take too kindly to being ignored.
Elion hit the wall hard. He had surely broken some ribs… and Leonard was back to trying to kill them, followed quickly by her twisted abomination of a patron.
Nothing ever goes to plan. Nothing at all.
At least they still had Plan B: Farha.
If this fails, then it's all over…