Assimilate All Talents

’I need to change our trajectory and fast!’

Sol thought of all his skills and spells, but none had the ability to change their trajectory fast enough. That was until he remembered a new skill he had obtained.

Feeling it was worth a shot, Sol spent 50 mana and used [Impact Bubble]. He placed it at the front left side of the barrier.

Crack!

The next moment everyone felt a jostle and stumbled towards the left as they were pushed rightward.

"What was that?!" Aron asked as he reoriented himself.

The next moment, two ice spears flew right by them, missing by just an inch.

"It missed?" Nataly didn’t understand how that was possible. She was sure it was aiming right for them.

Rex shook his head. "No, look at where we are heading to now. We’re going around 10 degrees to the right now. We hit something, and it changed our trajectory."

Rex was correct, but he wasn’t sure what they could have hit. This was because the [Impact Bubble] was created and broke the instant the barrier hit it. Though the skill was meant to stop anything that entered its sphere of influence, their velocity was still too great. Though it was destroyed immediately, it still slightly changed their direction, which was more than enough to evade the massive spears the snow giant threw at them.

Sol wanted to clarify what he did to his team, but he then noticed something in the distance. It was the very same mountain he saw in his vision. It wasn’t very far, and if he used [Impact Bubble] three more times, they should land near it. He wanted to explain his plan to the others, but Rex warned him once more.

"More attacks incoming!"

The snow giant continued to form ice spears and launched them in quick succession.

Having to take evasive maneuvers, Sol repeatedly used [Impact Bubble] to its fullest to veer out of the way of the attacks. By now, gravity was beginning to take hold of them once more, and they were heading downwards fast.

A total of six ice spears flew toward them, but with careful placements of [Impact Bubble], they all slightly missed. Some more than others, with the closest call being mere inches from the barrier. Even from such a massive distance, the snow giant’s aim was impeccable, and if not for them dodging, all of them would have directly hit.

Rex had finally caught on to what was happening. He managed to catch two times where a transparent bubble appeared and immediately broke upon hitting the barrier.

"Captain, did you make those spheres?"

Sol nodded while looking ahead. They had fallen down enough that they had fallen in between the mountains once more. That meant the snow giant no longer had a direct line of sight to continue his attacks, but now they had to deal with gravity.

"Yes! Now brace yourselves, I’m gonna slow our fall!"

Everyone did as he said and braced themselves. Once they were 100 meters from colliding against the mountainside, Sol spammed [Impact Bubble]. Though he was only able to create and maintain one at a time, they instantly broke upon hitting the barrier, so he quickly made another one. Each one slightly decreased their velocity, and the lower their velocity was, the more each bubble lasted before breaking. When they were only 10 meters off the ground, they had slowed to the point that the bubble was finally able to bear their weight and speed to actually hold them in place.

Duncan, exhausted from maintaining his barrier for so long, released it, causing them all to drop to the ground. They all dropped onto the snow and stood up with shaky knees.

"I feel like I ran through twenty walls…" Aron said while doing his best to keep his lunch in his stomach.

Even Sol was slightly shaking from the ludicrous escape they pulled off. From the intense pressure when they took off to the bumping around from the [Impact Bubble], no one would feel good after that.

Everyone wanted to lay down and rest, but Sol knew they had to keep going only a little further, so he did his best to motivate them.

"We are almost there. Once we get to Orna’s Reach, we’ll be safe."

"Huh? How so?" Duncan was puzzled as Sol had never mentioned the place before.

Sol froze as he didn’t know how to explain his visions. "It’s the, umm… the Saintess! She told me we should head to Orna’s Reach."

"What? Then why didn’t we head here in the first place?" Nataly asked.

"I was told not to divulge it unless we were in trouble. Something about knowing your fate will change it too much."

Sol felt he would get caught in his lie if he kept answering their questions, so he pushed all the blame to the Saintess he had never even met.

Aron tilted his head as something still didn’t add up. "But what—"

Sol interrupted him before he was asked something he couldn’t explain. "I’ll explain later! For now, we run! Lapis, carry Nataly, I’ll need my hands free to better manipulate the earth."

Lapis nodded and swung Nataly over her shoulder like a sack.

"H-hey! Wait!"

Lapis ignored her pleas, and together they ran towards Orna’s Reach, which was only a mountain away from them. As they climbed the peak of the mountain, they saw the snow giant quickly closing the distance. It appeared to be trying much harder to reach them, but it was still a ways away.

Sol took the little time they had on the mountain peak to take a good look at Orna’s Reach.

’Is there a natural cave entrance, or did I make it with my skill?’

He was looking to see if he could find the cave from the vision. He hoped he didn’t have to make the cave himself as he had no idea where he had to make it. Luckily for him, he saw a trail on the mountain marked with unlit torches, which he followed until a small cave.

"Everyone follow me!"

...

As the snow giant ran after the humans, Kirgar, who was inside of it, was beginning to panic.

’Why are the humans heading there?! Do they know what lies inside?!’

It made even more effort to run after them, but he knew he wouldn’t catch up to them in time. He could only curse himself for not being fast enough.

While running after them, the orc suddenly had a thought.

’What if I tell it they are sacrifices?’ Kirgar’s eyes widened. ’Yes! That may work! It will always uphold its deal!’