Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"What? Full counter at 100%? Isn't that too OP?" Cedric cried out, throwing his hands in the air.

"I think Jett already figured that out. That's why he caught your arrow," Asher said with a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "There's no beating that guy."

"He's still at a disadvantage if the fight drags out," Seraphina reminded them, crossing her arms. "Even he can't keep up this pace forever."

The group fell silent for a moment before Aiden clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "Come on, you guys, we need to think of something! There's got to be a way we can help him."

But despite Aiden's insistence, their brainstorming led nowhere. Ideas were tossed around and immediately shot down.

"Maybe we could distract the king?" Morrigan suggested.

"No, that'd just cause more problems for Jett if we put ourselves in more danger, he obviously had us leave to avoid a situation like that in the first place," Rosa replied, shaking her head.

"Maybe Evelina could…"

"Absolutely not," Asher interrupted, glaring at whoever dared suggest Evelina take another shot.

Meanwhile, Rey stood silently apart from the group, arms crossed, his sharp gaze fixed on the battlefield. He listened as they debated and dismissed ideas, waiting patiently for the chatter to die down.

"You've been awfully quiet, kid bro," Rosa said, finally noticing his silence. She poked him lightly in the chest, raising an eyebrow. "What's on your mind? Got a plan?"

"Firstly drop it, I came out before you," Rey's gaze didn't waver as he replied, "Freya, you can't heal him from here, right?"

"Of course I can't!" Freya snapped, her tone defensive. "If I could, I would've done it already." She crossed her arms, clearly offended by the subtle reminder of her limitations.

"Cedric," Rey said, turning to him, "would it be possible to transfer healing, even if it's not done directly?"

Cedric tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "If we're talking about Mana, then yeah, it's possible to store it for later use if the right material is introduced."

"But...?" Rey prompted, his tone calm but he was expecting a setback or anything else.

Cedric hesitated, scratching his head. "But if we're talking about a fully cast spell? Theoretically speaking, it could be possible. If a spell is derived from the consumption of Mana, then it might be transferred indirectly, like imbuing the healing energy into an object and sending it over."

"You're saying it's possible?" Aiden asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Theoretically," Cedric emphasized, looking uncomfortable. "This is uncharted territory for me. I don't even know where we'd begin or if it'd work at all." Find exclusive stories on empire

Rey's lips curled into a faint smile. "That's all I needed to know."

"What are you thinking?" Freya asked, her voice tinged with both hope and worry.

"I have a plan," Rey said confidently, his sharp eyes narrowing. "I'm not totally sure this'll work but we have to try something."

"The most important thing right now is finding a material capable of storing a spell we'll think about how to get it to Jett later. Any ideas?" Rey asked, scanning the group.

Silence hung heavy in the air as everyone exchanged uncertain looks.

"What kind of material are we talking about here? One of us might even have it right here." Finn finally asked Cedric.

"Mythril," Cedric replied, his tone grave. "The purer, the better. But there's no way any of you could…"

"Just Mythril?" Finn repeated, tilting his head. A sly grin crept across his face. "Leave that to me."

Everyone turned to Finn with questioning looks, unsure of what he meant.

"Where are you going to find a material as rare as Mythril in a place like this?" Cedric asked skeptically. "There's no way you carry something like that with you everywhere you go, right?"

Finn remained silent, an almost amused expression on his face as if Cedric's words didn't apply to him.

"Right?" Cedric pressed, leaning closer, his tone insistent.

Finn still didn't respond, instead activating his skill.

[Hidden Shop]

An old door appeared behind him, its surface was that of aged wood.

"Just a sec," Finn said casually, stepping through the door without another word.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed and speechless.

Within seconds, Finn emerged, holding a single, clean arrow. Its shaft glowed faintly, and the arrowhead sparkled with the unmistakable sheen of pure Mythril.

"How's this?" Finn asked, handing the arrow to Cedric with a confident grin.

Cedric's jaw dropped as he inspected the arrow. "It's... Mythril. Really pure and precious Mythril. How…? You've been walking around with this the whole time?"

"I've got loads of it," Finn replied with a shrug. "I literally died for this so use it well. But hey, that's not how karma works."

Cedric's pride visibly took a hit, and he muttered under his breath, "He's... incredibly lucky. Ridiculously lucky. I can even feel my pride as a blacksmith fading away."

Evelina examined the arrow in her hands, its shimmering Mythril surface glowing faintly. "It's an arrow, huh?" she said, her voice tinged with suspicion. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're actively trying to make me shoot him."

"Yeah, I didn't really think that part through," Finn admitted with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. "But it's not that bad, right?"

Evelina gave him a long, unimpressed stare before handing the arrow to Freya, who looked just as skeptical.

"So, what now?" Freya asked.

Cedric stepped forward and gently placed the arrow in Freya's hand. "Here's what you need to do," he began, explaining the process in detail.

Freya furrowed her brow. "This is… difficult."

"It's not that hard," Finn chimed in. "Just think of the arrow like a person, and cast a spell on it as if you're setting a reminder for them to act later. Like you're giving it instructions."

Freya crossed her arms, her skepticism showing. "I still don't get it."

"Okay, I'll try it again," Freya said, grabbing the arrow. Closing her eyes, she focused intently. A faint magical aura surrounded the arrow as the spell infused into it. The glow became steadier, signaling success.

"It worked!" Cedric exclaimed, rushing over and taking the arrow from Freya. He handed it off to Evelina. "Shoot him," he said firmly.

"What about him?" Asher asked, concerned.

"Don't worry," Evelina replied, her confidence unwavering. She nocked the arrow and took a deep, steadying breath, "I've got this."

[Snipe]

[Phantom Shot]

The arrow left her bow with incredible speed, streaking straight for Jett.

*****

Vond's king immediately noticed the arrow's trajectory and stepped into its path, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Seems like your friends haven't learned their lesson," he sneered at Jett. "Let's see how this ends for you."

As the arrow neared, it shimmered, its form shifting. Instead of striking the king, it phased right through him, like a ghost passing through a wall.

"What?" the king said, startled, watching the arrow slip past.

It pierced Jett in the arm and shattered into glimmering fragments upon impact.

*****

From their vantage point, Rey observed the scene with an unusual calmness. He turned to Freya, his voice low but curious. "Hey, Freya."

"Yeah?" she replied, her eyes glued to Jett, hope and anxiety mixing in her voice.@@novelbin@@

"What spell did you use?" Rey asked softly.

Freya hesitated, unsure how to answer, as the shimmering fragments of the arrow began to fade around Jett.

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What spell indeed. (●__●)