Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]-Chapter 210 - Skill Testing

The pillar of Ice slowly dissipated, breaking apart and transforming back into Ice mana as I stood and marveled at it from the same spot I launched it at.

It took a few moments for the pillar to fall apart after not being fed mana which wasn't surprising. Actually, it was a wonder it lasted so long without active intervention. Usually my Ice flaked apart soon after being deprived of mana to keep its structural integrity.

Even after the last flecks transformed back into Ice mana, the purest ice mana I had ever felt, the feeling it had given off was still in my mind.

There was something about it that called to me. That much was obvious, but I hadn't expected the Ice to be so strong. It was on an entirely different level than what I could create.

The fact I had so much farther to go filled me with joy rather than envy.

I hadn't felt myself truly progress many times lately and this was a wide open door to doing just that. It wouldn't be quick, but it was at least an avenue that wasn't shrouded in mystery.

So much of what we did to get stronger was guesswork and assuming how things worked that it was nice to finally have something as reference to point at and study.

Speaking of doors I could use to progress, there was one big one that I planned to take in the coming months. Of the rewards I received, only one had lasted this long without being used.

The Stars of Primordial Frost Mana Cultivation Technique.

A mouthful, but something that promised another power bump. I had read through it quite a few times to internalize everything that it said but I wasn't able to use it yet.

It needed massive amounts of Ice mana at a purity I couldn't make, even with my new skill.

It was something I had only ever felt once and even then, it was only the barest hint of what I needed.

There were ways to practice the technique without the massive amounts of pure Ice mana, but it led to subpar results and I deemed it not worth the effort. It would take a large amount of work to just do that, and it wasn't even the best use of the technique.

No, if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right.

That being said, the one time I had felt anywhere near the required mana, was during Winter. We were far enough North that the purity of the Ice Mana during Winter was truly something but even then, it hadn't been enough. If I wanted to go through with it, I'd have to go further North and not by a short amount.

My senses were greatest toward mana of my own affinity, but even with diminished senses toward other affinities I had never felt any other type reach the purity that Ice had during Winter.

The Nature mana of the area we passed through in Wisconsin was up there in purity, but nothing else came close. There were spots on the map that promised that amount of purity, but we hadn't encountered any of them.

The bad thing about it was I had to wait.

By the time I was ready to break open the technique and see what needed to be done, Winter was already waning. It took many months to even reach this far North and when we finally did, I couldn't just run off and do it either.

There was probably somewhere that would work in Summer, but that was out of my range to get to. Not to mention the fact it was probably filled with beasts trying to stay within the pure Arctic zone.

Now, with my plans specifically made around leaving the Winter months open, nothing was holding me back from doing it. The only thing I had to do was wait.

And the waiting was brutal.

Once again settling my racing mind over what would happen in the future, I turned back to my new skill.

The first use of it was enlightening, but I needed to explore the range that I could use it in and see where I could incorporate it into my fighting style.

I had to wait for my mana to come back after every use, but that gave me time to think of different things I could do with the skill.

For its second activation, I did everything the same to see if the skill would act the same way. It was the first test to make sure the skill wasn't... willful.

None of my skills had been like that, but some in the City had skills that did. Usually, it was with people who had odd affinities, but it was a basic enough test to rule out that possibility.

The last thing I wanted was to be in a tough fight and think my skill would do one thing but instead do something else.

Everything activated the same and the same dreadful pillar of cold sprang into existence.

The third time, I flipped my hammer around and used the spiked end for its activation. I used both sides of my hammer while fighting and needed to make sure the skill could be used with both.

Mana flowed through the same channels and the same activation sequence caused ice to spring from the hammerhead.

Except this time, instead of a blunt pillar of Ice, it was a giant spike.

It retained the sharp point the form of my hammer had and looked even more deadly than when I had the hammer flipped.

Instantly upon seeing it, I could think of a multitude of uses for the skill. After using a hammer for so long, the uses of the different sides were engrained in me.

Flipping from one to the other was muscle memory by now and took only a flick of the wrist to occur. Being Journeyman level in Heavy Weapon Mastery wasn't just for show.

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It would take some practice, but I would eventually reach the same muscle memory with my new skill as well.

With both sides of the hammer used, I explored other uses for the skill.

Hitting rocks, the ground, trees, anything I could think of.

Rocks couldn't hold up to the force the skill provided, even when I stopped my hammer before impact. The ice it conjured was enough to pulverize the surrounding boulders I used as practice dummies.

The same happened to the trees, as they were blasted apart.

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It was the ground that was different.

The skill didn't send a pillar of ice into the ground like a missile. It didn't really do anything to the ground.

When the mana was pulled away, and what I assumed was the 'connect with another plane' part of the skill activated, spikes exploded out of the ground in front of me.

Which was odd, because I was using the flat, blunt side of the hammer.

Numerous, waist-high spikes exploded out of the ground ranging ten feet ahead of where I hit the ground with my hammer before the skill petered out. It extended the same length that the pillars usually were but except for one giant pillar, it was numerous little ones launched from the ground upward.

Seeing an entirely new use, another round of testing and exploration ensued.

I quickly found out that intent played a major role in what I was trying to accomplish. I hadn't been trying to do anything with the skill, letting it activate on its own, which was a mistake.

I found that out when I tried to send a pillar into the earth like I expected to happen before. That resulted in getting showered in dirt as what I expected to happen, happened.

That made me wonder why spikes were formed the first time instead which led to envisioning what I wanted to happen.

Honestly, I should have expected what I found out but I told myself I was following the natural testing process.

When I envisioned a spike, the skill formed a spike. When I envisioned a pillar, a pillar formed. Even when I pushed the boundaries and thought of the carpet of spikes while swinging at air caused it to occur.

By then, with the hours spent testing and waiting for my mana to come back, night had fallen and Ashley had come to find me.

I had lost track of time and was having such a wonderful time I had completely lost track of what I had planned for the day.

She wasn't happy about having to find me but it was only a slight irritation.

With my fun dashed, I let myself get pulled away. The sooner I let it happen the sooner I could get back to it.

Austin

"Is your friend coming?" Marcus asked, drawing his attention away from the piece of paper in front of him.

"Yes. Uh, no. It's complicated." Austin stammered, still trying to understand what it was he just read.

It wasn't the length of the letter that made it difficult, it was the content.

He had known that they had confronted the Demons and he had supreme confidence that they would be able to win. Especially with the help of another pylon.

He was glad to know that all of his family had survived and most had even grown.

But what confused him was the state Chris was said to be in. He knew that a fight with Demons would be tough, but the injuries described to him seemed unreal.

He knew how strong and tough he was, which made how wounded he was a surprise. Austin wasn't sure when he started thinking of his friend as invincible, but with every fight he walked away from, that feeling grew.

It didn't help that every fight he walked away from made him stronger too.

His Anchor made sure of that. It was known that accomplishing feats in line with or related to your Anchor strengthened your Spirit. It was one of the only known ways to grow in power Spiritually.

Not only was that Path the hardest and had the least amount of people on it, but it also had the least known methods to progress along it. The knowledge surrounding it being coveted and hidden didn't help.

With every fight he won, or was left standing, his Spirit would grow in response. The same way that every time Jonathan stood in front and defended all those behind him, he would grow.

Getting that boost, along with the essence from what he killed, made him grow at a pace Austin couldn't keep up with. He could keep up in levels, sure, but that wasn't a direct correlation to power.

"What do you mean it's complicated? Is he coming or not?" Marcus asked frustrated at his tacky-turn answer.

That brought Austin's mind away from his crumbling expectations of his friend.

"Well, he is not, but others are." He said, smirking as he saw Marcus's unwelcome scowl at his vagueness.

"What do you know of Demons?" Austin asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Marcus knew better than to question the man and went along shrugging, "The basics, I guess. They weren't involved in my tutorial but I've heard about them form others."

"Then you know how... out of hand they can get?" Austin gestured.

Marcus nodded.

"Well, that's what he's been dealing with up North. They just got done killing them all which was why they couldn't come in the first place." Austin said, "Now that's over with, I asked him to come down but he said no."

Marcus' face showed a ranged of emotions at hearing there were Demons on the Earth, but Austin waved them away. "There's no need to worry, they were taken care of."

"How can you be sure?! If even one-" Marcus rushed to say but was cut off.

"I'm sure." Austin said firmly. "It would be good to keep a look out for any more, but the ones that were here are gone. You can be sure of that."

How many did he have to kill to get that injured? I've seen him face down hundreds and come out with less than a scratch.

"You've shown yourself worthy of trust and I will take your word on this." Marcus ground out.

Worries abated, Marcus focused back on the important part. Chris wasn't coming.

He grunted, "If it's about price, we can negotiate-"

Austin waved him off, "It's not about price, Chris isn't like that. Honestly, he might come for the fight alone. The crazy bastard." He muttered the last bit.

"He didn't come away from the fight unscathed and it's taking him longer to recover than I thought it would." He stated. "Otherwise, I would go up there and drag him down here myself."

Marcus nodded, taking in the new information before responding.

"But there are people coming?"

Austin nearly sighed, "Yes, there are. Just not the people I wanted."

Marcus either didn't catch his dejected tone or didn't care, because he started reviewing their plans and started coming up with new ones.

"How strong are the ones coming? And how many?" Marcus began questioning.

Austin began laying out what he knew and dredged up with the last remembered of their strength before he left. He knew they had grown since then, but an estimate was better than nothing.

Even while describing what he knew, Austin kept thinking about the last paragraph.

~~

Austin,

I hope you are well...

...

I'm sorry, but I won't be able to come. My arm will take time to regrow and I do not want to leave the healers while it does. Additionally, there is much I must do here, which hinders my ability to leave.

You know my plans for Winter, and with it fast approaching, I cannot leave now.

In my stead, others wish to join you and I've sent them with supplies that should help you. Mitchell is curious as to whether these 'infernal creatures' will hold up to his poison. He was rather upset that it didn't work on the Demons.

He and your brother have been cooking up some terrifying things.

...

~~

It went on to other details but it ended with this.

~~

Oh, I nearly forgot.

Among the forces marching South to join you, Aunt Carrie is at its head. Your mother misses you and should be able to see her little boy soon.

She was quite adamant about being a part of the group. She's grown quite a lot and may even be a match for you if you've been slacking. She gained a Law and went through the first stage of Body Refining.

Unlike someone else I know. You baby.

Regards,

Your 'Icy Bastion that shields you from harm' or whatever nonsense you addressed me as.

~~

His Mother was coming. Of course, Chris saved that bit for last, the bastard