Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 65: The Wrath of the Forest

Toren Daen

I was faster than the tree demons, but they were adapting to my tactics. When I launched into the air, another tumbling pillar of tree demons tried to intercept me. As I approached, I used my telekinesis to move out of the way, swiping at the column with a fire-coated Oath.

It seared straight through the hands that tried to reach me, allowing me to land deftly. I launched my spells from the soles of my feet, aiming for the spire. In the split second of takeoff, however, a swiping claw hit my foot. It sent my graceful arc into an uncontrolled tumble as I struggled to reorient, flipping through the air like a bird who had forgotten how to fly.

I crashed into the next rising tower of tree demons, their scratching hands covering my vision in monochrome gray as they ripped and tore at my telekinetic shroud. I felt a claw finally pierce my barrier, scoring a stab into my abdomen. I screamed as the claw curled in my flesh, slicing deeper.

Operating on pure adrenaline and instinct, I pushed out with an unfocused nova of fire, sound, and force. Tree demons screamed as they were consumed by fire, shook by sound, and obliterated by intermittent blows of telekinesis. The tower I was held captive by was smashed apart, everything within three yards blown away as I fell to the ground in a heap.

Mud splashed over my armor and face as I hit the ground. I pulled myself to my feet hastily, clutching my weapons tightly. My abdomen was bleeding badly, but I couldn't tell what the damage was with the rain washing away the blood. It hurt like hell, though, and every step felt like it would tear something.

My telekinetic barrier began to slowly, slowly repair. It was agonizingly tedious, the crystalline cracks smoothing over in slow motion. But I couldn't wait for it to fix itself. I needed to get to that spire.

I focused on my telekinesis emblem, compressing and condensing a force near my back. I held back the spell, gathering more and more power.

Before my spellform was upgraded to an emblem, I couldn't afford to use instant pushes that were too powerful. Anything I tried would hit me back with the same force. If I used a megaton punch on an enemy, I would be struck with the same pushback.

To a degree, my mana-enhanced body allowed me to ignore a lot of that pushback. But my telekinetic shroud dampened those concerns. The shroud distributed the force of my pushes across its surface, meaning I could use my telekinetic pushes and pulls without worrying about blowing my body apart.

I only hoped my shroud would hold out under this push.

I released the spell, a colossal telekinetic push aimed at the mud behind me. I felt myself lurch as the mud was blown backward in a ten-foot tall wave, splattering the monsters around me in brown muck. I was catapulted into the sky, the raindrops feeling like a dozen bug bites as they bit into my skin.

My telekinetic shroud shattered into a million pieces as the pushback obliterated the already weakened barrier. I felt the remnants of the force wash over my back, and I knew I would have a massive bruise as the air was driven from my lungs.

But I rocketed in a straight line toward the spire, going at speeds too fast for the tree demons to intercept.

I twisted midair as I approached. I impacted the slick stone feet first, creating a small crater around my boots. My knees creaked as they bent, and I felt my mana-enhanced bones shudder.

But I didn't fall. The stone must have been as slick as a seashore, but the flaring white telekinetic pull under my feet kept me anchored to the spire. I straightened, standing at a nearly ninety-degree angle as I stared up into the roiling storm clouds above. Rain dripped off my body, falling many stories below.