Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

She gave him a playful nudge, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You\'re always so serious." Her tone softened as she tilted her head, studying him. "But you still haven\'t told me how you got the Serpentine Queen\'s Tear for my medicine. Everyone who knew about my illness was in shock when they heard you had found it. The Serpentine Queen\'s Tear...

It\'s something we\'ve only ever heard about once, and most people consider it a myth. Some spend their whole lives searching for it, and yet you found it in just a few years. That\'s impressive."

Durin chuckled, a bit of color rising to his cheeks. "You praise me too much. I wasn\'t the one who actually found it, so I can\'t take all the thanks."

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? Then who did?"

Durin\'s expression became thoughtful, a distant look in his eyes as he placed the cup down gently on the table. "Let\'s just say it was a group effort," he replied, his lips curving into a faint smile. "I had help from some people who were as determined as I was to make sure you\'d get better. Without them, the Serpentine Queen\'s Tear would have remained a myth for me too."

The lady\'s gaze softened as she regarded Durin, her heart warmed by his modesty. "Still, you did everything you could for me... and for that, I\'ll always be grateful."

Durin placed his empty cup down with a soft clink, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. The tea may not have packed the punch of his favorite brew, but it was calming nonetheless.

"Doesn\'t hit like alcohol, but oh well..." he murmured to himself before glancing at Syna. Her curious gaze still rested on him, clearly unsatisfied with his earlier response.

"Oh, stop complaining," Syna teased, though her curiosity was clearly piqued. "You keep saying that, but you still won\'t tell me about this mystery helper of yours." She stood, offering him a playful smile. "I\'ll get you more tea."

Durin smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, Syna, but you\'ll be shocked if I tell you."

"Do I know the person?" Syna\'s eyes sparkled with even more interest. "Now I\'m really curious. Just tell me already."

"He\'s a student at the academy," Durin replied nonchalantly, taking another sip of his tea.

"What!" Syna nearly dropped the teapot in shock. "You let a child follow you into that accursed labyrinth? How reckless can you get?"

Durin couldn\'t help but chuckle, the memory of the labyrinth flashing before his eyes. Notably the feat Jett was able to accomplish and his unending potential which he witnessed first hand. The absurdity of Syna\'s concern only made it funnier to him.

Syna stared at him in disbelief. "You\'re laughing? Don\'t you understand how serious this is? You could\'ve gotten someone killed!" She shook her head, incredulous. The idea of Durin taking a mere child into such danger was beyond reckless, it was unthinkable.

"Say what you want," Durin said, still grinning, "but I can assure you, that boy is no child. Just like his father, he\'ll become a major problem that could disrupt the balance of this world all on his own."

Syna raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Disrupt the balance of this world? What are you talking about?" Her expression shifted to one of skepticism, the disbelief obvious in her eyes. \'There are only a handful of people strong enough to be described like that,\' she thought. \'This old man must have gone senile.\'

Durin met her gaze, his grin never fading. "You\'ll see," he said quietly. "Sooner or later, everyone will."

"You\'d be surprised to know whose son he is," Durin grinned, taking a slow sip of tea. His mind wandered, \'I wonder what that rascal is up to right now.\'

*****

[Spellblade Dance]

Without warning, twenty ethereal swords manifested behind Medusa, piercing her simultaneously. A guttural scream tore from her throat as the blades sank into her flesh, her grip on Jett loosening. He crashed to the ground, gasping for breath as he regained his balance.

\'Out of MP again… but I\'ve still got Mana,\' Jett thought, his gaze shifting to the defeated golem boss sprawled in the corner, its molten core dimming. \'The flames won\'t hold much longer anyway. Time to end this.\'

"Hey, Matthew! Think you\'ve got enough in you to toss that golem over here for me?" Jett called out, rubbing his sore ribs from where Medusa had nearly crushed him in her grip.

Medusa, still writhing in pain from the relentless sword strikes, screeched in fury. Her monstrous form convulsed as rage consumed her, and she thrashed violently, her serpentine hair snapping at the air, venom dripping from every fang. Each movement sent tremors through the chamber, forcing Jett to dodge her wild strikes.

Her tail lashed out, shattering a nearby pillar, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction. Jett narrowly rolled out of the way, his heart pounding in his chest.

[Blood Restriction]

Marcella casted a spell, and a crimson aura enveloped Medusa, freezing her movements as invisible chains tightened around her limbs. Medusa snarled, her body straining against the blood-forged bonds, her eyes flashing with murderous intent.

[Construct]

Cedric was next, raising his hands as thick stone walls erupted from the ground, closing in around Medusa to trap her in place. Her tail slammed against the walls, but they held for the moment.

[Light Chains]

Freya\'s magic joined the fray, golden chains of light wrapped around Medusa, intertwining with Marcella\'s spell. Medusa roared, her serpentine body twitching in defiance, but her movements were now sluggish, her strength waning. .net

Even with the combined effort, the strain was evident on their faces.

"Hurry!" Marcella\'s voice trembled with exertion, her spell barely holding Medusa at bay.

"Whatever you\'re planning, you better do it now!" Freya warned, sweat dripping down her brow. "These chains won\'t last much longer!"

Medusa let out a piercing wail, her body thrashing violently as she struggled against the chains that bound her. The sound was sharp and relentless, reverberating through the chamber and sending waves of pain through everyone\'s ears. The others winced, hands instinctively going to their heads as the shriek seemed to tear at their minds.

[Boost]

[Fortification]

[Herculean]

Matthew gritted his teeth, pushing through the agony as his muscles swelled with strength. With a guttural roar, he lifted the massive golem\'s body, spinning it before hurling it with precision, sending the corpse crashing to the ground right beside Jett.

"Thanks!" Jett called out, still winded from the earlier attack. "You guys should back away: get to the door and probably raise a shield or something."

Without hesitation, the team sprang into action, their ears still ringing from Medusa\'s wail but knowing Jett\'s tone meant business. They hurried toward the chamber\'s entrance, regrouping at the door.

[Divine Defence]

Freya extended her hand, and a shimmering barrier of golden light spread out before them. Her face was pale, her body trembling from the strain. Setting up the shield meant she had to release her binding spell on Medusa: her MP reserves dangerously low.

"That\'ll do," Jett muttered under his breath, feeling a bit relieved as he turned back to face the enraged Medusa.

The moment Freya\'s chains faded, Medusa snarled and lashed out with her tail, her eyes glowing with vengeance. The powerful strike whipped across the chamber, hitting Jett with bone-crushing force and sending him flying into a nearby wall.

"Jett!!!" they all shouted in unison, eyes wide with horror.

"I\'m good!" Jett groaned, pushing himself off the ground slowly, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. His body ached, but there was still fire in his eyes.

Medusa, free from her restraints, charged at him, her tail and fangs ready to tear him apart. Jett nimbly dodged her wild attacks, his reflexes sharp as he sidestepped her furious strikes. He darted past the fallen golem\'s body, his movements deliberate, calculated.

The moment Medusa closed the distance, Jett\'s lips curled into a sharp smirk.

"Checkmate," he whispered, eyes gleaming.

[Corpse Grenade]

In an instant, the golem\'s corpse erupted in a massive explosion. The shockwave tore through the chamber, sending debris flying in all directions. The force was so immense it put cracks in Freya\'s divine shield, causing it to shimmer and buckle under the strain.

Medusa\'s scream was swallowed by the blast, her figure engulfed in the explosion\'s fiery brilliance.

As the dust settled, the room fell into an uneasy silence. The explosion\'s aftermath left the group anxiously staring at the swirling smoke and debris, hearts pounding in their chests. Freya\'s shield flickered weakly, cracks webbing across its surface. Each of them stood frozen, breaths held, hoping against hope that Jett had somehow survived the blast.

"Jett…" Freya whispered, her eyes scanning the destruction.

Just as doubt began to creep in, a familiar voice called out from behind them.

"What are you guys moping about? I\'m over here." Jett\'s voice sounded behind them.

They all whipped around, wide-eyed, spotting Jett leaning casually against the doorframe, dusting himself off with that same confident grin plastered on his face.

"How did you even survive that!?" Finn blurted, disbelief evident in his voice.

Jett chuckled, his usual swagger back in full force. "It\'ll take more than that to kill me." He glanced back at the rubble where Medusa\'s form was still buried beneath the debris. "And if we\'re lucky… three… two… one…"

*

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What\'s he waiting for?