Chapter 303: Missing Pieces (1/2)
Ilea found her own head where she had left it. “At least none of those void fuckers found the snack I left behind.” She said, stopping a couple steps off from what was undoubtedly her own head. Feeling her heart rate quicken, she started meditating, forcing herself to blink a moment later. The blood had dried, her eyes lifeless and mouth slightly open. She knelt down, reaching out with her hand but hesitating. The armor on her arm moved back when she touched her own face, closing the eyes a moment later.
Is it still me? Or did I die here and my healing created a clone? “That’s not a road to go down on Ilea.” She said to the empty room, sighing a moment later. When I lost my head, my awareness split. I chose the body. I didn’t die. Her chest was heating up as she held the head in her hands, looking at it as the ground got scorched, the hair on the head catching fire. Ilea shut down her sphere and closed her eyes, touching the forehead with her own. Half a minute passed before a rush of heat extended from her, the rush of heat and sound the only thing she noticed.
When she opened her eyes again, Ilea was happy to find the head gone. Only ash remaining that fell to the floor. She attributed the lack of resistance to the fact that it was simply cut off tissue and bone, not connected to her mana anymore. Glad that’s gone. She reached out with her ash and ember unity, feeling the remaining ash. Still warm. She noted and focused on it. Perhaps it was her unity or True Ash Creation but Ilea knew then that she could banish the ash, turn it back into mana itself. Not for herself to use but simply to give it back to nature.
Her eyes closed again and after a brief moment, there was nothing left of what she had lost here. The sound of steps resounded nearby, the familiar tapping of steel on stone. Ilea knew there had been a knight remaining nearby, had known it even the week before. Still she had avoided the area. Now that she reached her goal, had found new strength, Ilea was confident to return. Knew that she would not be deterred or chased away by the monsters lurking in the dark.
She watched in silence as the monster turned the corner, seeing her in the small black crater, nothing remaining of the rotten and ancient house that once stood where she stood now. Only a woman remained, clad in a writhing armor of ash. Eight limbs grew from her back, as if conjured from the air itself. She prepared herself, cold eyes focused on the white and dead ones of her enemy. The knight jumped. Waiting for the last moment, Ilea stepped a little to the side, letting the blade cut into her shoulder.
The weapon dug into her ash with a dull loud sound, as if it had hit brittle stone. She didn’t take her eyes off him, using her hand to push on the blade as it glided out of her armor. Perhaps if he had used a sharpened blade, the knight would have reached her skin. As it was, the armor reformed quickly as her own strength fought that of the knight. Ilea had to admit that the monster was stronger. Still, the blade slid out and her ashen limbs crashed into him. Storm of Cinders. Ilea watched as blazing heat rushed over the creature, embers lighting up the darkness, flames burning past. Its skin was singed, armor scratched, two limbs piercing even.
Her fist rushed out, ignoring the knight doing the same. Hers landed first, blue energy erupting from the impact as her mana sought his very core, shattering his insides. The counterattack crashed into her chest but her armor held, her body uninjured. Ilea still held onto the sword, the knight frantically ripping it free after several failed attempts. The blade flashed, Ilea lifting her arm to deflect it over herself, another strike sending both embers and destructive healing mana into the once proudknight of Rhyvor. Her ashen limbs switched to mana intrusion as well while her chest started heating up. Two more hits landed, the knight’s sword smashing into her side. This time she felt some damage but nothing serious, the injury already healed when he prepared for the next attack. The heat from within her was released, coupled with a strike from all eight limbs. The monster staggered and jumped back but Ilea simply appeared right in front of it. Her fist clad in hardened ash smashed into his armored chest, mana flowing into him as he was pushed back.
The blade moved but Ilea was too close, her left hand hitting his forearm to stop the blow before it even came. Her other hand rushed out, fingers grabbing onto his helmet by thesockets for his eyes. She held onto his sword hand, struggling to keep him from attacking as her ashen limbs cut into his neck. Again and again the knight punched her with his free arm, trying to release her hold but failing to do so. Finally he managed to rip away his right hand, slashing at her neck with his sword. Ash formed around her arm as she held it up, intercepting the blows time and time again.
With a wet sound, her ashen limbs cut through, piercing the steel mail and ripping through the chain links below. Ilea whipped her hand to the side, the blade stuck in her ash was flung to the ground, steel clattering on stone as she kicked the knight’s body away from under his head. She held on to the helmet, dead eyes below still staring at her. “That’s how it feels. Fuck you too.”
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Undead Rose Knight – lvl 510] – For defeating an enemy two hundred and ten or more levels above your own, bonus experience is granted’
Ilea breathed out slowly, feeling the power coursing through her body. The last punches had managed to deal some damage. Her arm had been injured by the sword but with every passing second her healing mended the tissue.
The head was tossed towards the body, Ilea turning around as her wings spread behind her. Now to get back that leg.
Her assumption that Terok had found and taken the leg as well as the valuable steel still wrapped around it had been wrong. It was lying there, untouched, a dozen meters away from the Kingsguard guarding the entrance to the palace. Ilea frowned, somehow more annoyed at that fact. The sun felt nice, she noted, taking a moment to appreciate how far she had come. The knight before her had been too much to engage, had cut through her armor with ease. Now she felt like she at least had a shot.
Still two third tier skill points. Both were kept for now, to gauge the skill changes and what would be worth to advance. If Maro was to be believed, she would gain another third tier point for every ten levels after three hundred, meaning if she continued to engage ridiculously higher leveled beings, she’d get there in reasonable time. At least if the experience necessary didn’t go up by just as ridiculous amounts. Few would be the humans to have reached these levels and Ilea assumed most of them did it over decades or even centuries, not in the span of two or three years.
Why bother if you’re already set for damn near eternal life at two hundred? There were various reasons of course but extending political power needed time and effort as well. Even an organization like the Golden Lily, shrouded in mystery, Ilea doubted to have more than a handful people at her level. Catelyn had confirmed at least that they do have people over three hundred. She could activate her third tier blink anytime, return to her house, to Ravenhall. She could join the war, help tip the balance for the side she preferred. She could go look for the Lily, find those responsible.
“The Azarinth Sentinel, returning from the ashes to deliver justice.” She said in a mocking tone, “Doesn’t that sound fucking stupid.” Ash formed around her, covering her body before it closed around her head, two black horns extending near her temples. No, there are still things to do here. Things to kill.
Ilea jumped down, walking casually towards the knight, his armor glistened in the sunlight, sword sharp and brandished. Let’s see how much damage you do this time. As soon as he spotted her, the blade flashed. A horizontal strike aimed at her chest. Ilea saw the invisible force moving in her sphere, a blade of magic itself. She saw the damage before it hit, a big grin on her face before the force crashed into her. Ilea was pushed back half a meter, the armor on her chest cut, blood showing for a split second before it closed again, the shallow wound healing in mere seconds.
“Not so easy this time.” She said, four lances of ash forming over her. Let’s see if it even does anything. Damage buffs apply, toughness and density buffs apply. I don’t see why they shouldn’t pack a punch even against this guy. The knight seemed to evaluate her as he stepped forward. His blade moved through the air, two quick motions. Ilea saw the attacks coming in her sphere. Very quickly but nothing she couldn’t handle anymore. She appeared several meters to her left, the lances reaching the optimal density and form where they had floated before.
Ilea let her intent be known, the ash following her wishes. Fourblack sharpened lances rushed towards the knight, coming from an elevated position not to alert more of the kingsguard in the palace itself. She was amazed to see the knight actually dodged three of them, deflecting the last one with his greatsword. Three cut into the stone ground, sending some rubble flying. The deflected one crashed sideways into an extension of the massive structure, getting stuck in the side of it.