LIGHTNOVELWORLD Loop 254 - Part 105
“What just happened?” Cal asked as he searched around the room for any signs of the Gryalth.
“I don’t know, but I think the shadow Gryalth you encountered has been further spying on us. I am very concerned with what it may have learned from what Stan and I just went through. For now, though I am not sure anything can be helped. Without access to one of us, I do not think he will be able to replicate awareness of the time loop, and even then, it would require a tremendous level of energy,” Excalibur quickly explained.
“Dammit, this is a whole new level of problem and something I’ve really worried about. How sure are you that it won’t be able to replicate our awareness?” Cal asked. The combination of fury and fear was threatening to overwhelm him.
“Nearly certain. There is an alternative if you are that worried though. End the loop now,” Excalibur answered.
Cal considered the idea but quickly rejected it: “I can’t. As much as I understand why I should, we can’t risk Andy and the others in the Under Library. Not to mention, I don’t want to go through this bonding experience with the murderous brothers again, and we need time to bring them into the loop. Okay, it’s decision time. Do we fight the Gryalth here and hope to kill the shadow one or do we find a way to run back to Earth and stay hiding until the moment we can restart the loop?” Cal himself had no idea what the right choice was, but they had to make a decision now.
“Too risky for a giant confrontation, especially if they just need one of us. We’ve more or less accomplished a lot of our original goal here. Cal has more energy for the void house, and we’ve even added a significant power boost to our group beyond that. We need to find a way back to Earth and lay low until we hit the decade mark for the meeting and then end the loop as soon as we possibly can after that.” Stan said. His face was a mask of stoicism as he spoke, the words clearly aimed directly at Cal. “So that means we pack up camp, get back to the grove, and tell Ethel what’s happened. I have some ideas of what comes next, but I’m not fully discussing it until I’m sure we are in a secure room. Does that sound good to everyone?”
Cal nodded, grateful for his father's quick takeover of the conversation. It gave him time to get a grip on his own thoughts. He had known that Gryalth would be a problem; he just hadn’t realized how big of one it was. And until they understood just what it was capable of, Pluto was an extremely dangerous location for future loops. He felt the sting of his budding plan of a squirrel army being dashed, though that was a setback he could live with as long as they stopped the Gryalth from becoming loop-aware.
“Stan’s right. We’ve done plenty here. Time for the squirrels to take over for themselves. Even Acorncracker agrees. Though she isn’t looking forward to leaving her family, she agrees it is time. Albert, start packing up your supplies. Frank, see if you can clear out the entrance, and we will head out,” Jen said, backing up her husband’s words.
“Alright, yeah, you’re both right. Let’s get this rock cleared and head back to the grove. I’ve got some ideas, too, but I’ll shut up about them for now.” Despite his father’s wishes otherwise, Cal was reasonably sure they’d need to attack the Gryalth to remove whatever was blocking their ability to get back to Earth, but that was something they could plan later.
“New Problem!” Frank yelled out. He had just lifted one of the bigger rocks that had made up part of their seal of the entrance, only to reveal several hellmoose apparently waiting for just this moment. Cal was able to count four in the split second of Frank’s warning before the room was alight in their attacks.
Luckily for everyone, Cal included, Jen reacted faster than the abyssal beasts. A wall of ice formed across the opening, taking most of the damage of the blast but still reflecting the light into a blinding display in the chamber. Cal was surprised to realize his eyes didn’t hurt and assumed it was another after-effect of his near-death training with the mana fruit.
Cal seized the moment Jen had provided him and released a blast of electricity charging the air around them. He then poured as much fiction mana as he could spare into the ice wall and yelled to Frank to give it a hard push. Frank obliged without question, and their defense turned into a makeshift battering ram directly aimed at high speed toward their attackers.
At the same time Cal and Frank were doing this, a gentle blue light replaced the explosively blinding light of their enemies. Stan was holding Excalibur out, and the light was emanating from its tip. Cal felt a sense of calm overtake him, replacing the panic that had set in since the shadow Gryalth’s appearance, and alongside it, he felt something else. A feeling of inner strength swept through his body, infusing his core.
He also noticed several small mushrooms growing along the cave's walls, each emitting a pleasant smell. With each new breath, he felt his muscles swell, and his lungs seemed to hold more air. Both effects had combined in him to produce a feeling he wasn’t sure he could even feel anymore. The constant pressure had retreated. He felt ready to fight an endless horde of monsters.
“The Tree Titan feels empowered. His fists of fury are ready to smash any puny monster that dares to stand against him!” Frank yelled from beside Cal.
“Whatever you guys are doing, I like it, and we need to do it more often,” Cal called back to his father.
“You are welcome Cal. With our bond strengthened, I should have access to the full range of my abilities,” Excalibur responded.
“Less talk, more fight,” Stan added as the ice wall that had crashed into the hellmoose exploded. The hellmoose looked furious, but all Cal felt was an inner assuredness of his ability to handle them, no matter what.