"Ash, place us right underneath that boulder!" Eliron boldly declared, his eyes locked on the stone.
"What are you even saying??" Yennefer huffed, sparing a sideways glance at him before focusing back on her spell.
"My lord?" Ash's eyes were wide in shock; even he could not believe his ears.
Artie sucked in a sharp breath and said, "Are you trying to get us killed? We should be going away from the rock, not closer to the damn thing."
But even as Ash doubted, he had already taken his position and was steering the raft toward the drop point using his hands.
And although Artie was unsure of his plans, she did not move to stop him. Instead, she sighed, slowly breathing out.
"I might very well die on this expedition…"
Eliron smirked. "Trust me, I have everything under control."
Artie stared at him for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the rock.
They were now right underneath the drop point, and the rock had begun to descend.
Wind was billowing past its gargantuan frame, shrouding it like a thick mist as it rushed towards them like a comet.
'Trust you…' Artie mused.
Trust was just a fickle word that often never really held any weight. Everyone paraded it around without ever truly knowing the meaning…
Only fools would trust their life in the hands of another.
Yet… She glanced at Yennefer and Ash, then slowly shook her head.
Ash had paddled them right underneath the boulder just because Eliron had told him to, and although Yennefer looked concerned, Artie could tell that she trusted his judgement.
She raised her head to watch the rock. 'How can they live like this?'
Vwooosh!
As the rock came down, Eliron lifted his hand and cursed.
'I really hoped I wouldn't have to use this!'
Suddenly, the wind around them intensified, the currents rotating around their raft like a cyclone.
The waters were stirred, ripples spreading all around them as the river became turbulent, their raft rocking from side to side like a leaf in the wind.
Eliron gritted his teeth, mana pouring out of his body in never-ending streams.
Then suddenly, his skill burst into life as the wild winds condensed to form a colossal tornado, with them right within it!
Artie's eyes widened, while Ash gawked as he stared up through the narrow hole.
Yennefer had dropped her shield and was now sitting on the ground beside him, breathing heavily.
"Well done, Yen." Eliron said as he pushed his arms forward. "Leave the rest to me…"
~ SSS Ranked Skill, Tornado!
Summons a large rush of condensed wind, birthing a natural disaster.
The tornado rotated around the gigantic boulder, completely wrapping itself around it— encasing it within itself.
But that was not where it stopped. All around them, things began to be pulled into the raging currents, from small trees to rocks to the goblins…
The goblins screeched, mouths wide open as they tried to run. Some held onto stems, some clawed at the ground.
They were like mice running against a wheel and hoping to reach the end.
It was futile.
Every single one of them was dragged into the raging winds and forced to go along with the flow.
Then Eliron lifted his hands, sweat drifting down his face as he directed the tornado away from them and above the river.
He sucked in a deep breath…
Then he clasped his hands together.
Whoosh—!
The wind cut past them like a whiplash, creating a miniature typhoon as the tornado collapsed on itself, shattering both the boulder and everything within it to mush.
Yennefer yelped as she was almost tossed out of the raft. She managed to grab onto Eliron's shirt in the nick of time, using his body to hide from the cutting winds.
Ash and Artie braced themselves as well, their hands raised in front of their faces as they watched with awe.
Once the heavy winds finally settled, Eliron dropped his hands, allowing the trapped pieces to fall into the river— leaving debris of crumbled rocks, mangled flesh, and splintered wood that slowly sank into its depths.
"Phew!" Eliron took a deep breath, feeling his hands tremble.
'This is why I didn't want to use this skill…'
Summoning so much wind with magic was a sure-cut way to drain yourself of all your mana.
He plopped to the floor and sighed, then raised his gaze only to realise that everyone was staring at him.
"What?" He angrily grunted.
They were all completely soaked in water from head to toe, and their hair had been blown into a wiry mess.
But that seemed to be the least of their concerns right now…
Yennefer chuckled just before she broke out into uncontrolled laughter. "T-that was crazy!" she said in between laughs.
"That was amazing, my lord. When did you learn to use magic like that??" Ash asked, his eyes glinting with astonishment.
Artie stared at him for a little longer, then pulled her hair back, squeezing the water out of it.
Then she sighed, just before letting out a light chuckle.
She looked at him, then smiled. "That was one hell of a spell, Eliron."
Seeing her smile took him by surprise, and for a moment, Eliron just stared at her face, as though he wanted to preserve the image in his head for an eternity.
"You should smile more… you look good when you smile."
Artie blinked, her eyes widening slightly before she coughed and looked away. "What nonsense are you saying…" she muttered, her voice low.
Ash picked up the paddle and steered the raft back on course, and a few minutes later, they arrived at the shore.
Eliron practically stumbled out of it, his eyes scanning the woods. "Let's find a good place to camp. We can go after them in the morning…"
Although it was regrettable that he would have to delay their advance, the sun was already sinking over the horizon, meaning night was near.
Fighting goblins at night while being low on mana was a recipe for disaster.
They eventually found a small cave far away from the goblin enclave and settled inside it, their weapons drawn just in case any goblin was to wander by.
The group of four shared the little rations they had brought with them and ate before they organised their shifts.
Eliron would take the first shift, while Artie would take the last.
While they slept, Eliron sat down, legs crossed and eyes closed as he concentrated.
Tomorrow was likely to be his most dangerous assignment yet, so he had to be prepared.
[SSSR Skill, Mana Breathing]
Little by little, drop by drop, he began to slowly accumulate the mana he had lost while listening for any potential intruders…