Chapter 358: Double Tap (1/2)
“Now, there’s a bunch of demons walking around. Do you know if there’s a mind weaver controlling them?” Ilea asked.
“Aye, two of them even. They don’t send them out too far or for too long. Head after a couple hours in the foresssts, they turn wild.” The lizardman spoke. “Come, we shouldn’t talk in the open.” He grabbed the human warrior and glanced around, leading them into an abandoned building before he closed the door behind himself.
“Three.” Ilea repeated. Shouldn’t be a problem but coupled with Green it might be annoying. Just have to be careful not to let any escape.
“Yep.” The lizardman said and sat down on a chair, awkwardly moving the tail to the side. He sat near a window, looking out. “A demon in every squad. If someone tries to flee, the monster attacks.”
“You’re strong enough to deal with one, aren’t you?” Ilea said.
“Perhaps. But the weavers notice and go out to investigate. Have you ever felt mind magic grip your very thoughtss?” He asked.
Ilea chuckled and ignored the question. She wondered how the mind weavers reacted to the dead demons she slaughtered on the way up. I think she can handle a couple mind mages at least.
“What about the market? And your patrols? Seems fucking weird.” She asked.
“Bizarre, isn’t it?” The lizardman said. “He thinkss himself a god and forces us to take part in thiss play.”
“The Lady will cause a distraction, maybe you can talk to everyone and help out while I kill the demons in and around the city.”
“The Lady will help?” The human asked, hope flashing in his eyes.
“Ah ssshut it.” The lizardman replied. “I will help, if only to be rid of this charade. I’ve been in this city for too long already.”
“Good, then I’ll inform her and we get started.” She said and got up.
“When, tonight or perhapss tomorrow? How much time do you need to prepare?”
Ilea shrugged. “Five minutes? Just don’t antagonize the demons and focus on the Lady. I’d like to avoid a slaughter. Good luck.” She gave them a thumbs up and vanished, blinking a couple times downwards before she found the room again.
“Already back?” The Lady asked.
“Yep. Some of the sentient people in the city will help with the distraction. Just spook them and if you can, lure out the king. Can you handle the combined attacks of Mind Weavers? There are two, supposedly.”
She nodded and smiled. “I can hold them off for a while. Five to ten minutes perhaps if they focus solely on me.”
“Should be plenty. Ready to go in a couple minutes?” Ilea asked.
The Lady beamed with joy, her eyes slowly turning red. “Thanks to your blood, yes.” She looked up, her teeth and nails turning sharp. “Let us cleanse this city.”
Ilea nodded. “Start your distraction in around three minutes. I’ll work my way towards the city from the forest outside.”
“Shouldn’t we plan this out more? Organize and inform the people? I could be of use as well.” Collin tried to interject.
“My people have suffered for long enough.” The spirit said and touched his shoulders. “Move up and help the injured, only after the demons have been taken care of. I cannot bear to lose any more of my devout order.”
“See you in a couple minutes then.” Ilea said. “And don’t rampage. I’ll take care of the higher leveled targets.” Ilea said and vanished.
She sped back the way Collin had shown her, black wings and ashen limbs at the ready, tucked in behind her as she rushed through the dark tunnels. Her Sphere and memory led the way.
It took her barely fifteen seconds to cover the distance, appearing in the woods as a cold breeze brushed over her. The dust she had collected fell with her ash, her armor instantly reforming.
“Now.” She said and spread her wings. “Let’s go on a hunt.”
The trees were spread out rather far and without leafs. The low suns giving enough light to spot movements at a high distance.
Ilea flew low, through the winter forest, finding her first target barely ten seconds later. She landed with a heavy impact, the group fanning out in confusion as she grabbed the demon of their squad. “Go to the city, help clear out the demons. Don’t move until I killed the mind mages and engaged the king.” The demon’s head exploded in her grasp, blood and brain matter landed on her ash before she vanished once more.
She fanned through the outskirts, killing every demon that she came across. Her senses were on overdrive, noticing every smell, every movement.
After five groups she had rid of demons, she had closed in the city considerably. Walls and houses were visible in the distance, watchtowers above.
An slight headache suddenly formed in her mind and a big grin formed on her face. That, was a mistake. She quickly located the Mind Weaver, hovering a couple dozen meters to her right and above the trees.
“FoOliSh Hu-”
His chest was pierced by ten ashen limbs, his back exploding outwards.
Ilea punched her flat hand into his throat and crushed his spine, hearing the kill notification a moment after.
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Mind Weaver – lvl 209]
Adam Strand, still cursing these lands. She put the body into her necklace as she did with all the demons, even if it wasn’t a turned citizen of Stormbreach.
Around three minutes had passed already, Ilea moving in circles around the city, closer and closer as she hunted for any hidden demon or the squads they were part of.
When she reached the walls, she simply blinked through, relying on her sphere alone as she rushed past the abandoned buildings.
The ivy, trees and old stones didn’t make it seem like the city was lived in at all. It had been nearly two years since the elves had slaughtered their way through the western cities.
Ilea wondered if Stormbreach had looked the same before then or if nature really had reclaimed so much in such a small time frame. She whipped to the right, finding a demon with a single human.
He had no time to react when the demon was taken by the flying monster, pierced through and carried away like prey.
Another one. She put away the corpse and blinked, appearing close to the main square. Signs of battle. She noted the destroyed stands, blood pools leading away from the area.
A familiar pressureexuded from the Mind Weaver floating above the people of Stormbreach. What remained of them at least.
Demon Spawn stood amongst them, ready to lash out at any given moment. As soon as I kill that Mind Weaver. Well. She paused only for a moment and walked out of the house she had been hiding in. Let’s see if my acting is any good.
The Mind Weaver immediately turned her way, the black abyss of his eyes staring into her soul as he spoke into her mind. “HeAlEr…HaVE YoU coMe tO plEdGe FielTY?”
He hadn’t attacked yet, she noticed. “Yes, I have.” She spread her arms and walked closer, trying to make out all the demons in the group of people. There were dozens of them and ten times the humans and other races. Focus on me you damn idiot.
She looked at the Mind Weaver as a loud noise resounded, coming from a distant part of the city. I don’t have much time. She sighed and sacrificed a thousand health, a blink bringing her into the center of the people.
Her healing activated and brought her health back, the ash from her wings and half her arms exploding outwards as her chest started heating up.
The rest of her arms shot out, more and more ash forming and spreading at the same time. She pierced only the heads, blinking through the crowd and quickly back to her sixteen limbs as she decimated the demons.
Precise and quick strikes, carefully balanced not to injure or kill any of the bystanders. Lances of ash formed and shot at the Mind Weaver as a distraction and challenge.
His magic slammed into her mind, not quite comparable to a single Blue Reaper. Maybe they should be called demons instead. She thought, seeing many of the warriors and mages among the men and orcs fight the demons too.
Word had spread, the lizardman having done an excellent job. Now, before he starts killing them. Ilea thought and blinked up, seeing the demon teleport back and away from her.
Wings spread and her speed increased, following the demon through the city before finally, one of her limbs slashed his back.
He tumbled down and crashed into a house, his magic expanding around him before a heavy fist slammed into his skull, flattening it instantly.
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Mind Weaver – lvl 179]’
Ilea turned and blinked, flying back to the square where the remaining demons were engaged with the survivors.
It wasn’t the same massacre as in Ravenhall or Morhill, the demons too low in level and lacking a advantage in numbers. Their claws and teeth were dangerous still, ferocious and with abandon they fought.
She landed amongst them, her ash cutting through the beasts with ease. She used some of her limbs to heal those badly injured. Weaving through the monsters and men, her fists and limbs delivered heavy blows.