Oh shit.
Vesper watched in disbelief as the Naiad barreled towards him. The eight feet water construct sped across the rainy surface of the battlement. A carnage of destruction was left its wake as it smashed apart everything in its path. Barricades, wagons, and repaired cannons that were in the midst of being carried back to the castle walls were all tore into pieces. Royal knights and engineers fled in terror as they tried to get out of its way.
A single engineer was slow. The Naiad's goliath form shot through him. The grotesque screech of flesh and bone being ripped apart squealed through the air as the engineer's mangled body was flung to the side. Vesper fought the urge to throw up.
"Maceria!"
Mana cackled, creating a bastion of stone columns that rose in quick succession from the battlement. The Naiad bellowed in response. A loud crunch echoed in the air as it swung its watery appendages. The first few walls in its path were smashed into smithereens with little resistance. Rock fragments exploded outwards, spraying the vicinity at the knights and engineers.
Fuck, what the hell do I do?!
"Mr. Vesper?!" Kobo's voice rang over the chaos.
"I'm fine!" Vesper yelled back.
He gritted his teeth, staring at the monstrous water elemental as it demolished the structures in its way. For some reason, it didn't bother moving around the stone blockades that Vesper had created.
The Naiad was spinning mid-way when a stone missile suddenly tore through its side. The sharp fragment cleaved through the construct, blasting a hole into the water elemental's back. The damage was short-lived, however. The Naiad immediately replenished its broken form thanks to the rain. Once reformed, it turned around slowly, facing Kobo. The princess was at the edge of the castle walls, eyes wide with outstretched hands.
Something clicked for Vesper.
It's just a construct of water, held together by mana. It doesn't actually have any sensory organs despite its humanoid form.
Even so, the Naiad clearly responded before Kobo's attack had landed. But its shaman was nowhere to be seen. They were likely close enough to maintain its connection to the Naiad, but too far to provide the construct with commands. Yet, somehow, the elemental was able to react to their attacks.
Vesper thought back to the Naiad's initial onslaught. The water construct barreled through everything in its path with reckless abandon, seemingly unfazed by the damage it was taking. And then there was its strange behaviour of breaking down every stone wall in its path instead of simply moving around it.
Thus far, during the entire confrontation, it has only reacted to Kobo and Vesper's presence. It paid no attention to any of the knights and engineers in the area.
It must be responding to mana fluctuations.
It was the only reasonable explanation.
"Kobo, focus on finding the shaman! But try not to use any spells!" Vesper yelled as he erected another set of stone walls. The Naiad was swarmed, encaged by the innumerable stone columns surrounding it.
"What do you mean don't use any spells?!"
"I think the element is only responding to mana fluctuations! The shaman probably isn't close enough to issue commands, so the Naiad is just reacting automatically to whoever is using mana! This thing was sent here specifically for us!"
The stone cage suddenly shattered. Rock fragments exploded outwards as the Naiad stormed out of its confinement. As expected, its humanoid face was immediately locked in on Vesper's position.
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fanfiction"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
