Chapter 342: Are you not entertained? (1/2)
“Well, Mr. Grom, do you have any proof or eye witnesses to testify against this woman?” Jacquen asked, forcing himself to look at her.
He noticed his colleague had taken a couple steps back, letting him take the lead. Abandoned as always. Then again, for the level sixty warrior, everybody here was likely terrifying.
“Proof? My word? I’m a noble, that should be enough. Or am I misremembering imperial law?” The man said.
Jacquen rolled his eyes, How long exactly have you lived here? “A noble of your influence must know about the contracts forged after the demonic catastrophe. Without proof, even the empress herself could not convict someone of a crime, not in Ravenhall.”
The noble ground his teeth and looked his way with an annoyed expression.
Very much aware of the contracts, as I had suspected.
The healer spoke up then, “I don’t know about the laws but we could end this quickly. He can hit me ten times, with whatever he can do. Afterwards I hit him just once, to make it fair. I suppose that could alleviate his anger?”
Thank the gods. Jacquen thought, “A challenge was raised Mr. Grom. The guard may be witness to its execution should you wish to accept.” Come on you arrogant fool.
The noble laughed, “A healer? Challenging me? Of course I accept. You will rue the day when you offended and attacked Villibald Grom, sage of fire and bearer of the Grom secret skills! I shall show you why they call me the devourer. Now prepare.” Fire came alive around the man, surging in power as his mana permeated the surroundings.
Jacquen looked at both of them before he stepped a little to the side, She offered him ten strikes. He watched her send away the cook, lazily stepping up towards the noble. “Please step aside to avoid collateral damage.” Jacquen said to the onlookers, a rather large crowd having formed, the first bets being made. He was glad the woman had chosen such a brazen solution. It’s going to be interesting to see how she deals with his blows.
The fire surged once more before a swath of flames surged out from the noble’s outstretched hand, the surroundings heating up instantly. The crowd stepped farther back as the spell engulfed the woman, burning her alive.
Jacquen blinked and had to take a double take through the flames, Well… that’s disappointing. She had been burnt to the bone, dead with the first hit. Why isn’t he stopping? He watched the noble lift his other hand, a more powerful spell engulfing the skeleton of the woman. The guard was just about to stop the noble when he realized the remains hadn’t yet collapsed to the floor. When the flames of the second spell settled, her form was revealed.
His eyes went wide as he looked at the fierce set of armor covering the healer nearly fully. Her blue eyes were focused on the noble, her eyes the only thing visible on her head, the two small horns on the side of her helmet pointed forward in a savage defiance. Her arms were still crossed in front of her, looking unbothered by the powerful fire spells. Jacquen had to at least admit that the noble’s power was on par with a scout, despite his low level. He must have worked hard to level his skills as well as having a good class for his level.
Nobles and their privileges. He couldn’t help but smirk, instantly turning serious again when the woman’s eyes glanced his way. He gulped and hoped he hadn’t offended her in any way. I have a wife and kids. He nearly wanted to say, hoping that the monster would somehow understand. There were eight more blows coming but he knew for sure now that there was nothing this noble could do. Even he himself was unsure if his magic could in any way damage her armor. Beautiful. The thought came to his mind. Fierce and elegant.
“Well it seems your defenses are formidable. Well in that case… let me show you, the most powerful fire magic you have ever witnessed.” The noble babbled.
Jacquen wasn’t listening to his words, enthralled more and more with every spell that washed over the unmoving healer. The flames turned hotter and hotter, nearly white with the last three blasts. It really was a shame such an exquisite class had been taught to such a boring and petty man. Yet there she stood, uncaring, resisting with ease and confidence. The words nearly wrote themselves, Jacquen having to muster up all his professionalism not to grab a notebook and to start writing out songs and poems. Lilith, guardian and shepherd, standing against the immortal institution of nobility. Blue tears of love flowing from her ever mourning eyes, to heal and protect those she has deemed worthy. Born of the spirits themselves she walks among mortals, her grace and elegance bestowed upon admiring minds.
He had a melody in his head already but without paper it was hard to write songs. Jacquen noticed he had begun humming, leaves flowing in the wind around him, elegant and deadly. The bard stopped his spell immediately, the birth of his daughter the last moment he had experienced such beauty, such power. He couldn’t decide if his wife back then, screaming and pushing had been more fierce than the ash armor clad healer standing before him. Jacquen asked for forgiveness in his mind, hoping his wife hadn’t sensed his thoughts. Women and their elusive perception. He hadn’t even noticed that the ten blows had come and gone.
The noble mage was shaking with anger and mana exhaustion. “Impossible… where did you steal that armor?”
Lilith smirked once again, taking a step towards the man as a black mist started to form around her, quickly forming a dome like barrier of ever moving ash, effectively cutting off the view of the onlookers. “My turn.”
Jacquen saw an ashen protrusion form on the healer’s back, the sharp tip lashing forward with a blur, its impact rushing past the noble and crashing into the stone floor. Stone and debris smashed outwards, crashing into his own armor and into the back of the noble.
He watched as the healer appeared before Grom, her ashen limbs fanning out behind her.
“Don’t ever pester or attack anyone under me again. I won’t miss the next time. This is your last warning.” She said in an icy tone, her eyes focused on the noble.
She turned and sighed.
Don’t do it.
Grom lifted his hand, white fire forming.
He’s not aiming at her.
Jacquen couldn’t react in time and watched as the healer appeared again, this time right in front of Grom’s hand.
The spell flashed up, burning into her armor before a single limb soundlessly smashed through his skull.
Blood and bone splattered towards the guards as the ashen limb disintegrated.
The man instinctively stepped back and activated his skills, both his defense and perception increasing. He watched the noble man collapse, his head gone, blasted from his shoulders with such force that blood had colored a big chunk of the ever moving ash behind them. When he looked back at the healer, she was back in her normal attire, a light frown on her face.
“You don’t need to be afraid.” She said, walking towards the corpse before it vanished, ash appearing out of thin air before it moved over the cobbled street, cleaning off the blood and chunks of tissue.
Jacquen heard his heart pump in his chest, his hearing dull, a slight beeping noise suddenly appearing in his right one. He barely noticed the other guard puking on the floor.
It was difficult to move but he forced himself to turn and look at her.
A hand on his fellow guard’s shoulder as the puke was cleaned up with ash. She turned his way and smiled, a limb of ash forming on her back before it gently reached out to him.
This is it…, He was sure of his death, closing his eyes as he accepted the inevitable. Instead he suddenly felt better, a warm feeling flowing through his body and mind. Healing magic. He immediately noticed, hearing a noise resound in his mind, the beeping in his ear already gone.
‘ding’ ‘Fear Resistance reaches lvl 6’
When he opened his eyes, the ash around them was gone, no sign of the ashen limb that had reached out to him and the healer simply stood amidst the guards. For the first time in a long while, the bard was lost for words.
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Ilea just couldn’t bear to deal with the man in a more reasonable way. He would just crop up again and again. She felt no remorse, only glad to be rid of a problem that was bothering both her and someone close to her. Perhaps in a better world, another solution was possible. Perhaps even in this one. Yet it certainly was effective and Ilea hadn’t survived Praetorians to be lectured and ridiculed by a stranger, not even if it was the empress of Lys herself. She had given him another chance even and he decided to spit on it.
The guards looked terrified but she couldn’t quite place the look in the higher leveled one’s eyes. Terror? Admiration? She certainly knew that she didn’t like it. “Was that legal?”
He shook his head to calm down.
Her healing had stabilized them mostly, at least as far as her Sphere had informed her.
“It was. The challenge was clear and no kill restriction had been offered, he broke the rules and you retaliated. It is allowed. I will of course report this incident. Your name was Lilith?” The man said quickly, a glint of joy in his green eyes.
The long blond hair reminded her of the elves. A distant relative perhaps? She wondered. “It is. If there are any problems in regards to my actions and I’m not available, do inform the head administrator. She will surely help to sort it out.”
The man nodded, “I will, thank you. I suppose the issue will be brought up to the nobility mediator too, just so you know.”
Trian? Or is that someone else. “Sure, whatever.” She shrugged. Dealing with Miststalkers is much simpler.
The people around them were murmuring, some already leaving again, others obviously annoyed they hadn’t seen what had happened. People were getting into fights about bets because they argued the noble had fled. Others instead suggested she had devoured him instead.