Chapter 43: 43. Humility

“I have to admit I’m a bit excited about this…” Zeff confessed from within the mist. He was surprised to hear that his voice echoed through the mist so that it sounded like it came from all directions.

“Oh, yeah?” responded Demra confidently as she looked to and fro, her cheeks still a soft rose-red from earlier. “Don’t tell me, you think a little smoke is going to give you the edge in this fight?”

Zeff did his best villainous laugh. “Don’t be silly.” The word ‘silly’ sounded weird coming out of his mouth, but he was playing a character. He had to sell it. “You said yourself, I haven’t been serious up ‘til this point. But now that the cat’s outta the bag, I can let loose.”

“What do cats in bags have to do with our fight, leper scum.” Demra inquired raising a concerned eyebrow.

Zeff was taken aback and had to fight the urge to burst into laughter. “Don’t worry about it…” he eventually insisted with a dismissive hand wave that Demra undoubtedly didn’t see. “Are you not going to use aura?”

“Why should I? That would be overkill for a turtle like you. All shell, no speed.”

Zeff grimaced but he knew Demra was right. He *might* be stronger than her and rather durable, but he was nowhere near as fast or as versatile in his options. He could try to strike her under cover of the Dawn Treader mist, but there was a high chance she would dodge his first strike and counter.

And he couldn’t be sure if the mist would completely hide his presence.

Though one thing was for sure. She could not hear anything but his voice, though Zeff could still hear everything without a problem. He had at least that as an advantage. But how big of an advantage was being able to hear when your opponent could not…?

‘Well, you won’t know until you try. Might as well run some tests.’ Zeff thought with an eager smirk. ‘Test one: Surprise Attack.’

Zeff gathered himself up and with a soft grunt he jumped up into the air, soaring in Demra’s direction, his foot aimed right for her skull.

However, just moment’s before his foot connected with her unprotected head, Demra’s eyes shot up so that she was looking directly in his direction.

*Boong!* Her light-javelin had at once pivoted about her until it was between the two, intercepting Zeff’s attack.

Zeff reacted quickly, however, kicking off of the construct with his legs and propelling himself backwards.

‘How in the world?!’ Zeff thought as he somersaulted through the air. ‘Did she see me? Or did—’

He didn’t have time to finish his thought, as Demra, in one swift motion, suddenly clapped her hands together before throwing them in front of her like she was about to catch a raging bull by the horns.

With the clap, her javelin immediately split itself into several smaller baton-sized pikes, each pointed directly in Zeff’s direction. And with the thrust of her arms, with Zeff yet to even touch down on the ground, each pike accelerated forward at what seemed like mach speed.

The pikes flew too fast to react to them consciously. ‘But…’ Zeff thought as time seemed to slow down and his focus was raised to its uppermost limit. ‘I just have to—’

*Kwoo-Kwoouh-kwhish!* whistled the pikes as they flew past Zeff’s body which stretched, twisted and turned itself causing each of the pikes to miss him by mere centimeters.

‘—trust my body.’ He thought with a smile as he landed gingerly on the soft grass. ‘D*mn. I guess—’ He began to think. But Demra, still looking directly in his direction, began to move her arms like she was orchestrating a symphony.

Zeff’s eyes grew wide with knowing and fear. He had watched enough anime in his lifetime to know what that meant… He dived to the right, willing himself into a cartwheel.

*Whizz-clup! Whizz-whi-whizz-clup-clup* Pikes began to rain down from the sky, embedding themselves in the ground only inches behind Zeff as he dove, and right where he had just been standing.

Zeff let himself roll across the grass for a second more, then he threw himself off of the ground into a battle ready position. ‘Four.’ he had counted. Four pikes had struck the ground, but Demra had throne far more than that at him initially.

He looked up cautiously, poised to dodge anymore of the missiles that might be about to impale him. But surprisingly, there were no more flying toward him.

Rather, more than half a dozen more floated meters up in the air, far beyond his reach, seemingly waiting for a command from Demra.

That was concerning to Zeff, naturally. But also a bit strange, somehow.

Demra who had only seconds ago sent her pikes directly at him while even looking in his direction, was now looking away from him, not even in his general vicinity. Her eyes were focused and intense despite her Phobia being now at 210/259.

‘What’s going on?! Can she see me or not?!’ Zeff thought to himself exasperatedly. The answer was clear: she obviously couldn’t. But she COULD (or rather, had,) sense him somehow.

*Boop* said Demra’s Phobia reading as it suddenly dropped to 205/259, causing Zeff to panic.

‘D*mn. If I could just get her into Phobia I, I’m sure this would all be easier…’ He began to cautiously circle around toward Demra’s left side. ‘But what can I do. I can’t use fire breath… I’m not trying to kill—’

Then, it occurred to him. ‘I guess, it’s about that time…’ He thought with a strange blend of excitement and concern.

“Skill Tree.” He whispered.

*****

>> Welcome Subject-04.

“Hey dRas…” Zeff said as he floated above gray grass, Demra’s motionless frame a mere stone’s throw away.

>> It has indeed been a while since last we spoke, Subject-04. Is everything okay?

“A-ah. Yeah. Sure… It’s fine. I have just been very busy, is all.” He lied. In reality, he had been scared to visit the skill tree again since the last time dRas had had a meltdown. There were several times when he might have come. But he had been putting it off. From now on he had resolved to only visit when needed. At least until he knew more about dRas. He had been trapped for hours in his mind once before at the hands of an AI… As long as he didn’t know for an absolute certainty whether dRas was a friend or foe, there was no reason to be friendly with him.

>> Yes… Of course…

Zeff turned his attention towards the three columns of the skill tree: Dragon Mind, Dragon Meld, and Dragon Might. He was starting to see a clear theme arise as he looked at the second row of the Meld column and the first of the Might column.

Dragon Might would unlock skills that gave him enhance physical capabilities, if the trends from Armored Hide and Physical Enhancement continued.

Dragon Meld, on the other hand, had given him Sea Eater and Fire breath. In the second row he still had access to Ice and Poison Breath, which were still locked. Dragon Meld seemed to include skills that gave him abilities of a dragon, although breathing underwater seemed a bit out of place.

>> Are you considering unlocking one of the two breath skills, Subject-04?

“Not sure.” Zeff replied without looking away from the terminal. “It might be possible for me to beat Demra as I am, but it would be a hard fought victory. I need something that will give me the edge.”

>> Ice Breath or poison breath would certainly give you quite an edge. Why not—

“If fire breath is any indication, ice breath would be too flashy. And I’m not trying to kill anyone with poison…

>> I see. Then perhaps you should check what the Mind and Might columns’ second rows have to offer.

Zeff turned his attention towards the ‘Dragon Mind’ column. The second row was still locked, it’s skills hidden. The column value read ‘1’. On the opposite side, Might’s second row was also locked with a column value of 2.

“dRas. Hypothetically, If I were to upgrade Armored Hide now, what would the column value of Might become?”

>> It would not change. The upgrade cost of Armored Hide is 14 SP. But upgrades do not contribute to lowering the column costs. Once you upgrade you will then have access to the next skill, which you will then have to buy for 1 SP.

“You can’t be serious!!” exclaimed Zeff.

>> Many store skills only require that a particular skill be upgraded and not unlocked. So upgrading can have it’s benefits.

Zeff sighed. ‘If I ever meet the person who made this system, I’m going to punch them square in the gut…’

“Whatever… I guess 3 SP is not such a big deal…” he said tapping the column values of Might and Mind simultaneously with a light *Boop* as his SP went from 8 to 5 and the second row of each column was revealed.

In the Mind column, 3 skills were present: Phobic Counter for 7 SP, Phobic Turbine for 6 SP and Phobic Eye for 6 SP. Each skill cost more than he currently had… ‘D*mn, you’re so dumb Zeff!” He cursed himself. “I should have unlocked the rows one at a time!’ Then he would have been able to afford one of these skills and not waste 2 SP. Phobic Counter in particular sounded really epic. But now was not the time to window shop.

In the Might column were only two skills, “Dragon Gauntlets… Dragon Tail?!” Zeff said aloud, more to himself than to dRas. “Are you telling me I would have a tail?!”

>> I wasn’t speaking, Subject-04.

“…” Zeff could only roll his eyes and tap on the little question mark next to the skills name. It read, “Dragon Tail I <<Active>>: SP Cost 4 - You gain the ability to produce and dispel a 2 meter long dragon’s tail at will. ”

“Level I Effects: Your dragon tail can extend up to 5 additional meters but with an exponential loss in control.”

“Woah. This is pretty awesome!”

>> Awesome, indeed. If you need an edge, as you said, I would suggest using this skill together with Dawn Treader and Phobia I. Not to mention you still have one skill that you have yet to use successfully.

“Really? Which one.”

>> Have you forgotten already?

*Poop* chirped a small window as it popped open over the main terminal. It read, “Roar I <<Active Skill>>: You can frighten your enemies with a powerful roar.

“Level I Effect: If an enemy (or non-ally) is not aware of you presence, they will instantly receive Phobia I upon activation of this skill.”

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“Oh, that’s nice… That’s really nice.” Zeff mused rubbing his ghostly hands together deviously. “Let’s see if we can finally put this sucka to good use. And I’ll take this while I’m at it.” He chimed as he tapped his finger on ‘Dragon Tail’, turning it from light-blue to red and sending a slight, stabbing pain up and down his spine. “Okay. Let’s do it. Uproot skill tree.”

>> Until next time, Zeff…

“Y-yea—” was all Zeff managed to say before his ghost-self was pulled into his body and the world returned to normal. It was the first time dRas had called him by his real name, and for some reason it made him feel guilty.

“What did you just do…?” Came Demra’s critical voice, suddenly breaking into Zeff’s thoughts. “What was that just now?”

Zeff was taken aback. Could Demra have sensed somehow that Zeff had unlocked a skill… But how was that possible? He puzzled for a moment, but, after a few seconds, there was at least one possible answer. ‘Aura…?’ he thought. ‘But that couldn’t explain how she had known my general direction earlier, could it?’

“Are you going to stand around until I die of old age!” Demra called again. “Or are we going to fight?!”

‘I guess there’s no point in worrying about it now.’ He said inwardly.

In real time, less than a minute had passed since he had first used Dawn Treader. And based on the way Demra looked this way and that, she still had no idea where he was. ‘The skill said, ‘—unaware of your presence.’… What does that mean, exactly?’ He thought, taking in a colossal breath. ‘Let’s start test two, then, shall we…’

*WROOOAR!*

A roar erupted from Zeff’s mouth, ferocious and wild, exploding across the field knocking Demra to her feet.

*Boop!* Her Phobia at once jumped up to ‘(259/259) Phobia I’.

“W-what in the four realms!?” Demra shivered as she struggled to her feet, panting as though suddenly fatigued.

She said something else afterwards, but Zeff was too distracted (and excited) to hear it.

*Boop-Buh-Boop-BBBBBBoop!* All of a sudden, just to Zeff’s right and slightly upward, past the opaque surface of the mist, Zeff saw dozens and dozens of disembodied Phobia readings pop into existence.

Nearly each Phobia I.

Roar had not only worked on Demra, but on nearly every person on the observation deck!

*Poop* sounded an azure terminal as it popped open in front of him. It read, “Phobia I >> Phobia II. +4 SP.”

“Phobia, Level II Effects: ‘Fatigue’ may develop into ‘Sleep’ and ‘Terrified’ may develop into ‘Horrified’ upon progression to Phobia II. Additional (Level II) Effect: Paralyzed.

“Additionally, unlocking ‘Phobian Effect Icons’. See ‘Settings’ for more details.”

‘Today just keeps getting better and better!’ Zeff cheered inwardly. Then he noticed, just over Demra’s head, the reading had changed. Now it said ‘1/130 Phobia I’ and just above that was a small symbol or icon displaying a man walking hunched over with a swirl above his head as though tired.

Demra was hardly able to stand at this point as her knees wobbled beneath her. “What have you done to me!?”

“Nothing.” Zeff replied, his voice echoing through the mist, seizing the moment and using his most malevolent voice. “You’ve done this to yourself…” He tried to throw in a sadistic cackle for good measure, but stopped half way through because it came out more like a dorky snicker.

Surprisingly *Boop* Demra’s phobia instantly rose 5 points.

“What are you talking about?!” She yelled with a slight groan.

“I wasn’t going to fight. I was going to lay low and let you win…” Zeff reached deep into his chest and pulled out a low rumble of a growl that surprised even him.

*Boop* said Demra’s phobia, rising yet again.

“So is this what you call winning? Hiding in the mist like a coward.”

That one stung a bit. Truth be told Zeff would rather get in close like Sylvan had taught him.

But Sylvan had also taught him something else. Something about not having to fight, or something… He couldn’t remember the exact words… but the sentiment was clear. Why fight to win, when you can win without fighting.

“There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding…” Zeff mused as he cautiously but quickly approached Demra from her blindside. “From the moment I got serious, I never once considered this a fight…”

Demra’s eyes grew wide with a strange blend of annoyance, concern, and hurt that surprised even Zeff. “W-what do you mean.” she asked low, just as Zeff was within arms reach.

“I consider this—” He paused and, willing the mist to make way so that Demra might be able to see his face. “—playing with my food…”

Demra nearly jumped out of her skin with fright. But, despite her obvious fear, she was still a warrior, through and through.

She spun on her heel and lifted her leg into a crescent kick that might have took Zeff’s head off any other day. But at the moment, thanks to fatigue, she hardly had the strength to move and the kick sailed harmlessly by Zeff’s chin as Zeff at once dodged back into the mist and stepped around to Demra’s back just in case she threw out another.

And he was glad he had, too, as Demra wasn’t finished. She suddenly began to ‘orchestrate’ again, causing the pikes she had left floating in the air to rain down onto the field like tiny, red artillery. The closest pike to him, however, missed Zeff by a full meter, as he was nowhere near where Demra thought he was.

‘Just as I thought. Phobia is OP…’ Thought Zeff with awe as he circled around her.

Phobia and Dawn Treader were not conventionally OP skills, as one might see in a game or manga. At its current level, it couldn’t instantly humiliate an ocean of enemies. But it had effectively turned this dangerous, femmefatale into a practical novice. Not only was she physically compromised but her mind was so unsettled that she hadn’t even thought to use her aura again.

And Zeff, remembering how Petticoat had used aura to dispel his mist with upmost ease on the bridge, was determined to act before that thought occurred to her.

‘Let’s start test three: Dragon Tail.’

*****

“You were so confident earlier. Please tell me you can do better than this…” Zeff hummed from within the mist.

“Shuttup!” Demra screamed, at once summoning all of her pikes back to her side so that they floated to her right and left. “Show yourself! Fight me as an equal! Where is your honor?!”

“Honor?” Zeff scoffed, his voice echoing from all directions. “That’s rich coming from you. Were *you* being honorable when you and your horny little friend were drooling over me like a bunch of dogs in heat?”

“I-I told you—” Demra stuttered, “—it’s not what you—”

Zeff spoke up again, cutting her off. “Were *you* being honorable when you called me scum and insulted me and mocked me.”

Demra didn’t speak but she immediately combined her pikes back into their javelin form.

“Were *you* being honorable when you tried to humiliate me?”

Demra took her javelin in her hands and, with a battle cry that was fit for a movie, she swung it with all of her might in a complete circle until *Donnnng* she struck something hard and was stopped mid-swing as her javelin was rebounded violently in the reverse direction as though she had his a metal beam.

Her eyes grew wide with shock as the mist pulled back to reveal Zeff, his eyes a red blaze of wrath and fury, standing before her with blood dripping from his temple from where the javelin had undoubtedly struck him.

“And were *you* being honorable—” He began, his voice little more than a whisper yet somehow deeper and more bestial than before, “—when you let your boyfriend insult my Father to my face and didn’t say a word…?”

Demra had no words. She reacted strictly on primal instinct. She reeled back, poised to strike Zeff with her javelin again. But—

Suddenly she couldn’t swing! There was a inexplicable tightness about her arm. She quickly chanced a glance at her hand to discover what had happened and what she saw rightly froze her in place.

Constricting her arm, coiling around it like a python, was what appeared to be a massive, muscly, black lizard tail. She allowed her eyes to run along it’s length from tip to base and was shocked to see where the tail ended. It belonged to none other than Zeff himself and was protruding straight out of his lower back, just above the top of his pants. “H-how is this poss—”

“You’re a noble who isn’t noble, Demra.” Zeff said, almost sighing with disgust. “I don’t know how you got like this… but I’m sure it’s not all your fault. I’m not without guilt either and I’m the last person that should be preaching to you. But you promised me you’d give me something I *want* after I beat you—”

Demra opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words would come.

“So—” Zeff began, using his tail to lift Demra off of the ground like she weighed as much as a bag of helium. “—I’m going to give you something that you *need*.

“Humility.” Zeff said, as he took the light-javelin from her hands without any struggle and crushed it in his fist like it was made of glass, so that it dissolved and evaporated into thin air.

Demra caught her breath as she looked into Zeff’s deep, saffron eyes. Years from now, she would say that this was both the moment that she knew that she had made a horrible mistake by challenging Zeff…

…And the moment she knew that Zeff was going to be someone truly great someday…

==========

(8 -3-4 +4) => 5 SP

Tree Skills: Armored Hide IV (Max), Physical Enhancement II, Dragon Tail I, Sea Eater I, Fire Breath I, Phobia II

Store Skills: Roar I, Dragon’s Rage, Dragon’s Healing Sigh, Dawn Treader I

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