Spike of All Trades

by Ariamaki

Zero Hour: Part 16

Spike took a few minutes to Craft himself a crude belt using materials from his Inventory: First fabric for the main sash and then added an extra sturdy loop on the side. The reason he made the loop from the strongest stuff in his inventory was because he had no intention of treating it kindly. Even the belt itself was probably going to get destroyed here... Oh well. Rarity wasn't nearly the stickler Twilight was when it came to her obsessions, so he probably wasn't going to get Pinkie'd when he committed this crime against combat dressware. Probably.

He strapped the belt to his hips and took a deep breath. Then another, and another, and...

"Respire. Stagnet. Respire. Stagnet. Respire."

One long exhalation at a time, Spike began to build his own little auspicious dragon cloud. Layer after layer of mana, raw magic, shaped like cotton candy or a pegasus cloud. Omphaloskepsis took him deep and let him recover quickly enough to keep the cloud growing. The tendrils and wisps of silver-white power tried to spread and flee, but Stagnet kept them stabilized. After emptying his MP bar entirely he waited to recharge and then did it again just to make sure.

The Glittershell had noticed his huffing and puffing at some point, but didn't pay him any particular mind. If it had even really 'noticed' anything, it probably treated him the same as a cave-in or other natural disaster. In other words, if it could think it would be thinking 'just a nuisance, no reason to worry'. Hopefully he was about to prove it wrong.

Once the stage was set Spike took the damaged knife from Bruxis out of his Inventory. Looking it over, he was concerned that it might break down from this trick along with the makeshift sash. That would be a bigger deal, but he had a feeling it was still the right way to go. Tools were meant to be used, and if you were overtaken with sentimental concerns to the point of neglecting their original goals? That was way worse than using them up naturally and letting them fulfill their purpose.

I should probably think a bit harder about how / why I tend to get philosophical about abandoned and broken things. Buuut that sounds like it would be pretty terrible so... Let's not! Like Sweetie said the other day: Shoosh. Knife time.

Some things that Spike had learned came without the teacher meaning to teach at all. Twilight's accidental lessons to Spike had obviously included how to avoid emotional stress by throwing himself into work... Eh, that was unfair to her. More seriously, he didn't intend to ignore that concern forever, but there was a pressing job to be done now, and joking inside his head kept things clear. Not even the Gamer's Mind or the weirdness of the last day could keep Spike from his goofy habits.

But really for serious: Knife time!

The long knife was closer to a short sword in Spike's hands, and he looked down at it in the light of the floating magic cloud. If this was going to ruin it... Well, he'd have to thank Bruxis on the way back through the warrens either way. He was pretty sure the Dog would understand: ‘It's good for a blade to break in battle’, after all.

Once his MP meter refilled yet again, Spike made his final preparations. Self-buffs were activated at the best ratio learned from his newly-practiced understanding, the Dragon's Hoard stretched his limbs until he had the same proportions as Bruxis. The originally-loose makeshift sash fit tight against his waist, the ring on one side serving as a quick-rigged sheath.

One last deep exhale as he exited the Innervision, and then a forceful breath drawn in. It seemed like his breath was drawing in all the light from the room, but the reality was much simpler. Spike was inhaling the magic he'd created with Respire, filling his mouth and cheeks to the brimming with raw magic. If this went wrong he'd be in a lot of trouble, but he was confident in his powers and the sturdiness of a dragon's body. A dragon Gamer's Body doubly so.

'External Mana Control.'

Spike used his own mouth as a sculpting tool, taking the cloud and shaping it swiftly. Years of slurping away at ice creams and other treats gave him a practiced motion, spiraling his tongue and pressing here, pulling there, a tug and a lick and a spin. The sensation was unspeakably weird and not just 'unspeakable' because he couldn't speak with a mouthful of volatile mana.

He took up a fencing pose from one of his comics and then exhaled again, sending a flowing torrent of power onto the blade. His eyes glittered and he couldn't help but smile as the magic wrapped and took shape around the blade with each puff and spit. Like a fire-breather turning a stick into a torch, he turned the short knife into a shining moonlight greatsword, a pure silver glow illuminating the near-empty cavern with ever-greater intensity.

When his mouth was clear he slipped the Stagnet-based blade into his holster and took the very same stance Bruxis had used during their duel. A magic blade at his hip, in a cavern beneath the earth. Taking a stance he'd learned from a warrior of another species, preparing to slay the last beast between himself and freedom... More than ever before he truly knew the sensation, the idea that he was 'living life as if it were a game'.

The first motion sent him crashing forward in a forceful leap, pushing away from the stone floor and sending pebbles and debris everywhere. A cry of "DRAW!" left his lips and the blade whipped out from his belt with so much force that it (predictably) blew the entire cloth strap apart into dust and loose threads. His swing went wide, missing the beetle by a mile... Because he wasn't trying to hit it. As momentum dragged Spike's arm backwards he began to turn and convert the force, focusing it down around and then forward, bringing the blade to bear...

Spike converted every ounce of motion carrying him into a single thrust, one perfect stroke. His strike jetted forward so hard he could hear the air cracking, could see the sparks of rainbow light. The misty sword dug deep and hit true, sliding into the beetle as if there was no resistance. Soon his fist, clenched around the weapon's handle, touched down against the Glittershell's body.

Even at this moment it didn't react, didn't fight back or swing to hit him. It just tilted its head to look at him... Except now it was paying attention for the first time. Spike started paying attention too and quickly noticed some concerning signs. Its single compound eye was clouded and messy, the other already lost to an old injury. Its splotchy coat-color was probably not how it was supposed to look, and its glacial pace (in retrospect) was more pained than unconcerned.

A creature like this was all alone in a derelict cave with fading eyes, slow movements, unhealthy colors...

Spike finally realized why Observe claimed this was such an easy fight: The beetle was already dying. Stars, maybe it had come here to die. This ‘battle’ was just him speeding along the natural conclusion. He'd tried to distract himself from downer thoughts by focusing on the fight but got the opposite instead. At the same time, he had pushed himself in all sorts of ways in order to finish things off, learning new tricks and stretching his skills to their max...

Neither the dragon nor the beetle moved for a solid minute, each just looking at the other. Eventually Spike sighed and smiled: He knew the creature wouldn't understand him, but he wanted to say his part anyway.

"...I'm glad I got to fight you before the end. It was totally one-sided, but I learned a lot. Resūmō!"

Stagnet ended. The blade dissolved.

All the magic wrapped around his knife and buried inside the beetle's body... That mana went berserk in an instant. Rushing and roiling and coiling and clashing, blowing up and out, billowing into steam and power and motion. The entire world felt like it was exploding.

And then the local area very much was exploding, throwing Spike’s body on a bouncing trajectory. His path carried him past the now totally-broken lamp, past the walls, and then entirely out of the cavern. When the dust cleared he scrambled to his feet to assess the damage...

Well, I didn't cause a cave-in. Bit of a crater, which is kinda impressive. And the beetle is...

His system decided to kill the suspense and answer that question.

Enemy slain! You gained 8,888 experience!

Congratulations on slaying your 100th Insect creature!
You have gained the title [Neophyte Insect Slayer].
You may choose between [Insect Affinity] or [Insect Enmity].

Loot has been generated for the first time. Luck check successful! Loot improved.

...and it made a few new questions on the way out, because of course it did.

Spike could hear the sounds of Diamond Dogs running to his location, likely drawn by the sheer commotion. Rather than create any needless confusion, he rushed the cavern and searched the floor before scooping all of the remaining items into his Inventory. He’d investigate the details of the loot later, but at the moment... There was no sign of the beetle's body, and with how much magic he poured into that attack? It probably didn't leave one.

Although on that note, the sheer commotion of the explosion should have drawn even more insects from further afield... But Spike didn't hear a single sound in the distance apart from the approaching Dogs. As if the system could hear his objections? Mere seconds later a quest pop-up informed him that he was successful in securing the area, at least by its standards.

First Ongoing Target: Purge the Perimeter
Objective: Remove all invasive species within the defined area on your Map.
Conditions: Cleared!
Reward: Raised Reputation with all relevant groups. Bonus experience for all skills used.

Hmm. Well if the area was counting as clear then nothing the quest counted as an 'invasive species' had come to investigate. Maybe the insects were more afraid of explosions than they were curious about the noise? That would make sense: Not everything in this world would act like Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash in an emergency! Spike's own perspective about danger was kinda skewed by the company he kept.

The Dogs he'd seen earlier in the nearby tunnels arrived at a full run... And stopped when they saw Spike standing, (apparently) free of cares and worries, just outside of the blast zone. There was a bit of awkward silence before one of them cleared his throat with a growling sort of bork.

"...You take care of problem?"

"All taken care of! I was just on my way back to make my report."

Actually getting an affirmative answer seemed to catch them off guard.
"Ah. Good? Good! We patrol then, you go on. No cave problems?"

"Seems sturdy, but you'd be the better experts: Feel free to check."

A brief huddle and conversation ensued between the Dogs. Eventually one of the smaller among them stepped forward. Scrambling and clambering up the rocks and the sides of the walls (without digging out any part of the surface) he was clearly the most acrobatic and flexible out of those present. Spike tried to watch and learn from his actions to whatever degree he could. While nothing materialized as a skill immediately, he still felt like he picked up a few things.

"...Looks all good! Real solid top here."

The Dogs all let out sighs of relief, and Spike waved to the group before heading past them.
"Sorry about the disturbance: I'll make sure to cook up an extra-good meal for you all before I head back home."

If there had been lingering tension then that offer certainly smoothed it over. He was personally just glad to have another excuse to keep practicing with the Dragon's Kitchen without wasting food. Plus, privacy would also mean a chance to study the loot from this last battle.

Author's Note:

Chapter 97
Zero Hour: Part 16
- OR -
Goodbye Glittershell

Comments

[RP422]

Beetle go boom

[Booster Spice]

Dance like a Dragon, sting like a BumbleBee?

That was a lot of work to unlock and learn what is likely to be the base of his Unstoppable? At least, given Raw Mana, that the Changling Throne, Tambelons Bell and other such magic manipulators cant counteract it in totality or in part at least?

At least the Beetle was treated to a warriors funeral?

Next chapter is going to be Fun. Loot, XP, Skills, Rewards, the data dump, lore and world build is going to be glorious?

[redsopine]

Ah the classic if all else fails nuke the beep option smart choice

[Black--Soul]

A boss that was so badass that in his deathbed he still was one hell of a challange! Bravo!

Guess thats it. Mission successful?

Great chapter

[Zolrak Osdidar]

10825993
GLORIOUS BOOM
~by Flint & Tinder, Shadow of War

[Jaro45]

( raises a fist skyward in a Devil's Horns gesture )

Damn. That's one Hell of a way to go out. Old, blind and dying of who knows what ( I'd sure lie to know! ) and still pushing Spike to the nuclear option.

I'd like to pay my respects to the Benkei of beeteldom. Good show!

[1batman4u]

10798816

You may choose between [Insect Affinity] or [Insect Enmity].

Is [Insect Affinity] just "good with bugs" or is it also a spell talent like [Elemental Afffinity]?

Fire, Earth, Metal, Generosity, etc.

Would an elemental affinity for “Bug Magic”(???) make it easier for Spike to imitate Changeling powers?

[Solid Punch]

Spike the Gamer obtained

Holy Moonlight Sword

[Greenhorn]

Years of slurping away at ice creams and other treats gave him a practiced motion

If we goes by this notion, Pinkie Pie is a master in external mana sculpture. Want to see how Twilight would react to his method of mana control.

[Solid Punch]

10827310
"Eww, lewd!.."

[Cursebringer]

Now I’m wondering how the beetle would have been in his prime.

[Blackdust]

So sad... it knew it was dying, but couldn't let go and instead went where it believed it could be slain easily... couldn't understand why nothing could succeed...

[Mr Good Guy]

10826887
Both, I think, plus it's possible that he could learn Changeling Magic, or maybe Changeling Magic is just an advanced version of his Size-changing ability, not to mention "Insect Affinity" could be a specialized sub-type of "Animal Affinity" which in turn can be a specialized sub-type of "Nature Affinity", "Life Affinity" or "Wildlife Affinity" and maybe Spike could unlock or learn those advanced affinities further down the line as he improves and gains new abilities, like if he gains a "Fish Affinity", from fishing, "Reptile Affinity", "Mammal Affinity", and/or "Bird Affinity" from Birdwatching, they combine, then after he gains "Animal Affinity" he learns "Plant Affinity" from Gardening skills, "Fungi Affinity" from Foraging/Scavenging/Mycology, etc., they combine as well, which unlocks "Nature Affinity", "Life Affinity" and/or "Wildlife Affinity", eventually creating the "All-Elemental Affinity."

Plus his affinities should allow him to have better relationships or increased Reputation points with characters of similar interests or talents, meaning they start to see him in a more favorable light. For example, Granny Smith can talk to bees, and presumably the other Apple family members can as well. There's also the Ponyville beekeeper, Fluttershy, of course, Tree Hugger, the Hooffields and McColts..., Flitter who has a dragonfly cutie mark, The Kirin, etc. You get the idea.

Oh, and he could also possibly help with Parasprites, which he can learn other things about them besides their hunger and apparent weakness to music. Same for Flyders, and possibly Star Spiders, though they're arachnids, so.....

Hmm, Insect-type Magic, let's see.... Camouflage, Poison Powder, Paralytic Powder, Produce Silk, Bind Silk, Wall-crawl, Shed Skin, Enhanced Vision(like bees), Swarm Attack, Summon Swarm, Swarm Overheat, Sting, Disproportionate Strength, Carapace, High Jump, Metamorphosis, Enhanced Sense, Sense Hormones, Scent Track, Acid Spit, Jawlock, Blood Drain, Beetle Bomb, Firefly Glow, Make Honey, Build Hive.... wow, Insects can do a lot....

[Black--Soul]

To quote a In Space fighting Combat pilot from 'X-Com Interceptor': "Booom, bug juice!"

To bad he need minutes if not hours of preperation, otherwise it be one hell of a special attack.