Magorian’s Rage Arrow - Spreading Corruption

Rishi's desperate pleas fall on deaf ears as multiple Centaurs immediately draw their bows and fire arrows at Alex, Rishi, and Tereza.

Alex conjures Sealion's Icewing Embrace lvl 4, pulls out his [Sword of Pluto] and [Shield of Pluto], lifts his shield, and strikes with his sword, aiming to knock down as many arrows as possible while shielding his teammates.

He manages to hit a few arrows, but others strike his body—doing next to no damage, thanks to his icy armor.

You have taken 4 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -1

You have taken 3 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -1

You have taken 2 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -1

You have taken 5 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -1

You have taken 4 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -1

Alex does his best to guard the team while Tereza tries to grab him and Rishi with her monstrous bat claws, preparing to fly them out of there. She's already pulling out one of Alex's grenades to give them some space.

Rishi, however, loudly commands, "STOP THIS NOW!" and steps forward, away from Tereza and Alex, approaching Magor and Firenze completely unprotected.

The old Centaur leader speaks in a frightening, scary, but also determined voice, "Stop now! The next arrow will cost you your life!"

Immediately, the assault from the other Centaurs stops. They look at him with confused expressions.

"Kill these traitorous humans! They killed our future leader—your son! Kill them!" one of them yells.

Magor ignores the outcry and turns to Firenze. "Firenze, you vouched for these humans. Explain now."

"Leader Magor, I sense good in them, and that they are allies. I predicted that they will support us against the corruption. I bet my life on my visions. I promise you… if they killed Magorian, there is a good reason for it. Allow me to search his body. If I'm wrong, I am willing to accept any punishment and share their fate," Firenze says with a determined voice.

Magor's gaze hardens. "Go ahead. Humans, one movement, and your lives are forfeit," he warns.

Hmph. Judging by your pathetic attacks, I doubt it. Maybe it would be worth bombarding them with my grenades from the sky and getting rid of them. But that would tank our mission rating… and probably make us enemies with Dumbledore, who likes the Centaurs. So, let's just wait for now. I'm really starting to hate this damn tribe, though.

Firenze carefully searches Magorian's corpse and pulls out multiple [Gem of Corruption] he had stashed on his body.

A few Centaurs are visibly surprised. He then drags the lifeless body right next to Magor and takes out a dagger, cutting off the fur next to Magorian's heart, revealing another [Gem of Corruption] embedded directly into his body.

"This… I can't believe it," some of the guards next to Magor say.

Magor himself closes his eyes, lowers himself next to his fallen son, and prays silently before turning to Rishi. "Human… please, go on."

Rishi steps forward. "He was not only corrupted himself, but he was obviously trying to corrupt more of you! Perhaps there are already more Centaurs infected—slowly infiltrating your tribe, sabotaging your fight against the corruption."

"The reason so many tribes came to us after losing the majority of their members… fighting among themselves… I see." Magor exhales heavily, then walks forward, stopping right next to Alex and Tereza, who are still standing at the back.

Looking at his fellow Centaurs, he loudly announces, "Every single one of you will step forward, one after the other. Firenze and this human, who can apparently spot the corruption, will inspect you. Failure to comply, and you'll be immediately assumed to be corrupted… and we will strike you down. Now, beginning with you!" He points toward one of his fellow Centaurs.

"Guards, no one escapes! Barricade the camp—no one leaves or enters until we are done!" Magor orders, his voice firm and unwavering.

Time passes as every single Centaur is slowly inspected by Firenze and Rishi.

More than a third of the Centaurs have already been cleared when Alex leans toward Tereza and whispers, "Guess it was only the one, huh? Looks like we're lucky—we won't have to fight them to the death."

Tereza scoffs, her confidence overflowing. "We would've been fine. These Centaurs aren't as strong as I thought. Their archery, especially with these primitive bows, is nothing compared to what Thornbacks and Acromantulas can do to us." She then touches Alex's hand briefly and adds, "Thank you. For jumping in to protect us with your shield and armor. A lot of people wouldn't have done that."

"At this point, that should go without saying. We're a damn team," Alex sighs.

"I'm… not used to trusting people," she admits, her voice softer. "But I'm beginning to change a little. Thanks to you! Keep it up!" She flashes him a small smile.

No shit, you don't trust anyone, considering you haven't told even us a single thing about your life. Well… that's some progress, at least.

Finally, with a rare moment of peace, Alex takes a look at his newly gained ability, already dreading what it might be.

I didn't even expect this to happen. I fear the worst because Centaurs, especially warriors, are only known for one thing…

Magorian's Rage Arrow (Level 0 Base):

Effect: Conjures a Rage-filled arrow that can be enhanced by a rage illusion, creating multiple additional arrows with decreased potency, shot in a similar direction, blindly targetting live forms on their own if they are close to their natural flight path. Can be combined with other skills to be imbued with special effects and Aura.

AURA Cost: 1 AURA to conjure + 2 AURA per Rage Illusion stack

Arrow Duration: 30 Minutes + 5 Minutes per level

Arrow Damage: 5-10 + 1-2 per level

Arrow Durability: 5 + 1 per level

Subskill: Rage Illusion

Effect: Creates 5 extra arrows per stack, quickly coming into existence after the original arrow has been fired. They share 50% of the damage, durability, and special effects of the original Arrow (including enchantments and Aura). The arrows mimic the speed, general direction, and curve of the original arrow with slight deviations and may randomly target a live form if it's close to their natural flight path.

Max stacks: 1 + 1 per level

Note: The endless corrupted Rage of Magorian has been turned into a rage-filled arrow capable of blindly eradicating a large number of targets. This is an imprecise weapon designed for mass killing.

"Shit..." Alex curses, clearly not happy with his new ability.

"What's wrong, Alex?" Tereza asks, watching him with interest.

Without answering, Alex immediately tests the ability, activating Magorian's Rage Arrow lvl 4. An arrow instantly materializes between his fingers, now resting in his hand. It has a large, straight broadhead, its shape reminding Alex of the tip of a sword.

Perhaps… this could actually… I'll try it out later!

He quickly shares the details of his skill and explains, "This is the worst thing I could have gotten. It's a damn arrow! Sure, that's useful if I had a bow and a bow skill, which I don't. I also already have a gun with the corresponding pistol skill."

"It looks interesting, though," Tereza says, tilting her head. "Since your innate skill upgraded, it starts off at lvl 4 because it scales with your innate skill, right? You can use up to 5 stacks—that's 25 additional arrows for just 10 extra AURA! That sounds cool! You could unleash an arrow storm just by firing once."

"This ability sounds cool, but this isn't Lord of the Rings, where I can just stand on a wall and fire blindly into a crowd of enemies! Worst case, one of my allies walks into the flight path, and these rage arrows target him too! This is another cruel weapon, like the grenades, designed to cause as much damage and death as possible without full control." Alex sighs. "Come to think of it, every single ability I've gained mimics its original user."

"Really?" Tereza asks, intrigued.

"Yeah. Annihilation Grenade creates a large, uncontrollable explosion with sharp metal shrapnel, blindly hurting anyone in its range. That's perfect for Mr. 5; he doesn't care about anyone but himself and loves destruction and explosions," Alex explains.

"Sealion's Icewing Embrace is better in that regard since Sealion is just a summoned monster meant to protect its summoner and slowly take down enemies. That one actually works out well. The Black Waltz's intentions are perfectly incorporated into the ability."

"I don't think I need to explain Mustrano's Malice Mauler, do I?" Alex smirks. "The claw is vicious, ever-growing, and made only to kill, with no other real effects besides the poison. It's the perfect tool for taking someone down up close—just the way Mustrano likes it."

He pauses, then continues, "And now, there's this. Magorian was the Centaur leader later in the story, but he was filled with hatred, against humans and even against other Centaurs like Firenze, just because they weren't hostile to humans. He saw them as traitors. This arrow literally took his hatred and turned it into a brutal weapon, meant to target as many enemies as possible. Makes sense, it's the perfect tool to protect their territory from invaders, huh? His personality fits Magorian's Rage Arrow exactly."

"True," Tereza nods. "I guess you'd have to kill someone really nice and heroic to get a skill that isn't just meant to kill, huh? The original owner influences the ability that much?"

"Yeah. This innate ability is kinda cruel now that I think about it," Alex admits. "Kill evil people, get evil abilities. Kill good people, and maybe get something more positive. But to gain those positive abilities, I'd have to kill someone heroic—someone with good attributes, who probably doesn't deserve it. That's just… messed up."

As Alex and Tereza continue discussing his new ability, their conversation is suddenly interrupted.

Firenze and Rishi speak in perfect sync:

"He's corrupted!"

Immediately, Alex and Tereza turn toward the inspection site. A Centaur is being restrained by the guards, violently struggling and cursing. Dark steam rises from his body, and his eyes have turned pitch black—the corruption now clearly visible.

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