Chapter Ten
I had magic to practice.
I stood in my gray robes in my throne room. It was the largest room in my dungeon. I had gained Earth, Metal, Ice, and Light magics recently. I had used Earth and Metal during the fight, but only a few of the spells. They had some useful ones.
Granite Flesh made my skin as hard as rock. That had saved my ass. Let me take blows that would kill me. Then I could combine that with Metalcoat that gave me a suit of armor. Last, Static Aura, one of my lightning spells, added a third layer of defense around me. I could stack that up for devastating effect.
Stone Cure I had used to heal Halia, of course. Removing petrification was, hopefully, something I wouldn't have to do that often. Strength of Mountain was one I hadn't used, but it was a Level 1 spell that would give me more strength.
No wonder Ziamili had hit like a truck.
Rock Spike I had found to be a great offensive spell. A stalactite of rock burst out of the ground. So was Steel Batter that launched a bar of steel at someone's head. Simple but effective as a weapon. I had used Metal Shield in the battle, which conjured a shield to block an attack. That was very useful. Fist of Earth sent pummeling stones to hit the enemy. I had a lot of spells like that. Weaken Armor was intriguing. Against the right foe, destroying their armor could be a boon.
There were also rituals. I hadn't messed around with rituals. Sharpen could let me make any weapon permanently sharp. If I was making an army, I would get a lot of use out of it. Strengthen Stone made any stone object very hard and durable. If I was building defenses, it would be invaluable. Metal Golem had me the most intrigued.
A ritual that let me build a golem out of metal. Not a clay golem like Terra, but more like a robot. Something that could be given limited commands. Though they would expend some magic, it was the type that would regenerate. It wasn't like the permanent drain on my mana that magical girls were.
A way to build extra defenders.
I practiced with my new spells to master the use of them. I made suits of armor to then use Weaken Armor on.
"Metal rusts and weakens, let the corrosion of Lord Nabu destroy!"
I chanted and thrust my hand forward, touching the armor. It fell apart in seconds.
"Shame you have to get up close to use it," Maya said. She was watching the demonstration.
"Yes," Hagane added. My animated statue pressed up her glasses on her nose, her coppery hair, a mass of fine wires, spilling about her face. "You have to put yourself at risk for that one."
"Like Stunning Touch," I muttered. "I wonder why some magic works this way and others don't?"
"Question for Fara," Terra said. She was lounging on my throne like Garnet would. My little sister was still giving Fara a tour of the dungeon. According to the map on the floor, they were in the entrance hall.
"Let's see how fast you can get up Metal Shield to protect you," Hagane said. Her arm melted into a blade with a sharp point. Then she darted at me, her hair fluttering behind her. The petite thing's mirror-like exterior rippled.
"Strong and durable, let the strength of Lord Nabu shield!"
A shield of metal sprang up before me and then blocked her attack. The shield rang like a gong that had been struck. The sound echoed through the room. Hagane stepped back as the shield vanished out of being.
"You have fast reflexes, Leo," Hagane said.
"Was that wise?" asked Maya. "You could have run the perv through."
"I would have stopped," Hagane said.
"I loved it," said Crystal. "You got to keep the dirty boy on his toes. Can't let him think that he can just stay relaxed. This world sounds dangerous."
"Those dwarves," Terra groaned.
"Yeah," Lana Fulmine nodded. "Still, he can die, Hagane. Let's train safely."
Hagane shrugged. "Leo needed to know how fast he could deploy the spell. In a battle, there will be little time for thought."
I cupped her face, feeling the smooth metal of it. "That's just fine. You're right. I needed to know. When Usiku trained me to fight, she didn't hold back."
"Yes, she did," Lana Fulmine said. "Or you would have died. But you improved fast."
"Maybe have Granite Flesh on before having Hagane try to skewer you," suggested Maya. "That way, if there's an accident..."
"I should have thought of that," Hagane said. "Wise."
"How fast does the Fist of Earth spell travel?" Terra asked. "It sounds cool. Fist of Earth."
As I chanted, I punched my first forward.
"Hard as rocks, let the fist of Lord Abzu punch!"
A ball of rock hurtled from my fist and slammed into the wall at the far end of the throne room in a shatter that cracked some of the stones.
"About as fast as Steel Batter," I said. "Or Dark Dagger."
"That looks like it hurts," Maya said.
Then there were the magics I hadn't used. I had seen them. So when I chanted,
"The sharp gleam of ice, let the icy ax of Lord Anshar fall!"
I wasn't surprised by the ax-like blade of ice that slashed across the field.
I had seen that spell kill several of my monster girls. It had almost killed me.
"Vicious," Hagane said. "That would do great damage to any creature."
"Yeah," Maya said, shuddering.
"Slippery and treachery, let the slick cold of Lord Anshar coat!"
Slick made a patch of ice appear over the floor beneath Hagane's feet. She gasped as she suddenly slipped and fell. She landed on her back, groaning. She tried to get up, but it was too slippery.
"Shit, sorry," I winced and rushed to get to her. I hit the ice and--
I crashed down hard on my tailbone. I groaned, lying on my back on the slick patch of ice I made. Maya, of course, laughed. So did Crystal. The pair of them filled the throne room with their mirth. Terra and Lana darted to the edge of the slick.
"You okay, Leo?" Terra asked, her large, clay-like breasts jiggling.
"Fine," I groaned.
"Dismiss the spell so you can get out of it," said Lana Fulmine. "Hagane can't even move."
"It's too slippery," gasped my animated statue.
