Chapter 415: Nemesis of the never Master (1/2)
The attacks continued for several minutes, many of them soon forming smaller groups or attacking her alone.
A light show rarely seen, reminding her of the few times she had been to a club. The smell of cigarettes, sweat and the weird fragrance of aesthetic smoke replaced by burnt skin, bone and hair. For the first time in a long while, she decided that the club experience was superior.
In the end, she’d probably still choose laser tag. Only if it could enhance her resistance and defensive skills of course.
Ilea decided to turn off her Light resistance as well, both to insult the creatures and simply because they had given up on their clustered attack, the only thing that posed a reasonable danger to her by now. With the high mana return, even her near instant healing could be fueled for a long while.
She thought about using her Monster Hunter skill but right now it felt right to just stand there and take it, to show them how futile their attempt was. While their communication and thoughts differed greatly from a humans, they certainly knew pride.
“Skeleton ass fuckers and their shit sunlight,” she murmured to herself as the blasts burned deep into her body. Avatar of Ash deactivated from time to time when several more powerful beams brought her health down below fifty percent.
The Fae watched on in silence, eyes focused on her.
‘ding’ ‘Sentinel Sphere reaches 3rd lvl 7’
‘ding’ ‘Avatar of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 14’
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 12’
…
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 16’
The skill leveled even faster with her resistance deactivated. She decided to stay until it reached twenty, the fifteen to thirty minutes it would take definitely worth the investment.
In the end, it took around fifty, her body destroyed and reformed many a time by the focused beams. Ilea wondered why the monsters kept attacking, not seeing the futility in their attempts.
Her anger had calmed down by now, meditation continuously flowing through her as she remained standing at the edge of the doorway, now merely a tunnel digging into the steel wall.
“Why are they so persistent?” she asked, glancing back at the Fae. Many of the beams were aiming at it too, redirected towards her as they entered her sphere. The speed of the attacks didn’t seem to matter, her sphere getting more effective with each level of Light Magic Resistance.
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 17’
…
‘ding’ ‘Light Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 20’
The last ding resounded right after she asked the question, her eyes closing as her resistance activated once more. The beams were now stopped by her ash, still digging into it but with much less punch than before.
Hatred, the answer was laced with a sad tone.
Ilea nodded and once more activated her Monster Hunter skill. “I’ll be back,” she said, her serious side winning out over the part of her that was responsible for imitating an Austrian accent.
Her voice rushed out, not spoken loudly but traveling far nonetheless, enhanced by her skill. The intent was clear. Cold. She would be back, one day.
The creatures seemed to feel it too, their attacks ceasing, if only for a moment.
Ilea felt the slight touch of something on her cheek and looked down, seeing the Fae on her shoulder, its stubby hand pushing into her ash.
Beams of energy lit up again, hammering into her ash with little effect.
Serenity
The thought reached her with the corresponding feeling and she agreed, turning around and walking towards the stairwell leading down.
‘ding’ ‘Monster Hunter reaches lvl 13’
“I’ll still go back thought, just that we understand each other,” she said to the Fae, summoning a meal for herself as she walked down into the dark.
Understand
Violence
She nodded and summoned the Staff of the Chosen, handing it to the little creature.
As expected, it hugged the wooden stuff ten times its size before it started glowing, illuminating the way down.
Her sphere provided all the visibility she would ever need but Ilea still liked to see with her eyes, as much as she liked walking, even with her newly empowered wings.
Sentinel Huntress informed her that she was getting closer. The magic left behind by Catelyn was nearly graspable now. She didn’t worry about the Fae, knowing how Goliath had talked about their kind. The Sun Sprites didn’t seem to think the same way.
She offered food to the Fae but it didn’t react.
Another thing to add to the list of shit on my list, she thought. “Gotta say though,” she started and smiled, watching the Fae struggle to carry the massive staff. “Some order of elite humans just doesn’t seem quite as intimidating anymore after you’ve been blasted by the sun. Neither do a bunch of Praetorians,” she finished and took another bite.
The Fae looked at her but didn’t send anything.
“You don’t know things about human politics, do you? Hidden orders and the like?” she asked with a smile.
The Fae shook its head.
“One of my friends was murdered. I think I might be powerful enough now to look for those responsible,” Ilea said.
Violence?
She chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t know. Probably? We were friends but I knew her for less than a year. And yet it impacted me pretty hard. She was a teammate. The least I can do is find and confront the ones who did it. I know she wasn’t exactly a saint either. That’s another thing I’ll want to find out more about,” she said.
The Fae nodded and bumped her head with the staff, the light flickering for a moment.
Ready
“I am. Right,” she said and made a fist, a grin on her face. She liked the idea of letting the Lily come to her, now that she was an important figure in Ravenhall and Riverwatch, in the latter certainly less so. But now, if they did initiate contact, she would answer.
“Think I’m ready to face a Basilisk too?” she asked.
The little guy bunked her, harder. It shook its head.
“I see. A little more violence then until I get there.”
Lots
“Lots? Well that’s the thing little guy. I can’t seem to get enough.”
When layer eighteen resembled a desert, the nineteenth one was a full blown sandpit. Ilea was thankful for her ash, easily able to get the stuff off her body. Otherwise it really was coarse and got everywhere.
The light once more came from faintly glowing blue crystals above, bathing the dunes in an illusion of night.
“Sense anything?” she asked the Fae, the two floating a couple dozen meters above ground.
The Fae shook its head, handing back the staff.
She stored it and smiled. “Well, let’s find out if there are corrupted beings around.”
Ilea floated down to the surface and landed, feeling herself sink into the ground.
Quicksand? Are you serious? What is this a nineties comic? She wondered and moved her wings to easily get out of the stuff.
Danger, the Fae sent and disappeared.
She looked up and remained where she was. Ilea had nearly been overwhelmed by the last layer’s combined team effort of shittery but all it really did was make her annoyed. Right now, she was very much excited for some good old Violence.
The wait wasn’t long.
Her precognition informed her about the incoming tendrils of sand. She flew back was quickly as she could, twirling in the air as the sand rushed out of the ground.
It whirled around, sharp points at the end that very much resembled her own ashen limbs. Spears shot out of the ground and by now she was pretty sure this level had somehow copied her and put Sand Monster Ilea down into the floor.
She dodged easily, even through the dozens of limbs that tried to pierce her. The new upgrade to her wings really shined, not adding to her speed but simply providing a wider and more intuitive range of motion.
Ilea picked up the sound of giggling but it didn’t come from the Fae. This one sounded more malicious than anything else. It did retain some playfulness but she felt a wickedness coming from whatever creature was causing the sand to move.
A grin spread on her face when she felt the familiar feeling of Mana and Health drain. More importantly however, a Stamina drain as well. Now, what do I do? She thought.
Ilea had never really tested her abilities in sand, the only creature she had fought was that fish monster back with her Shadow team, in the huge southern desert.
Eh, I should be fine, she thought and stopped moving. The sand tendrils slammed into her ash, penetrating deep but not quite through to her slowly reforming bone armor. The latter piece of gear was mostly in a state of constant repair lately.
The spears actually reached her skin but she quickly opened up most of her stomach and chest area to be injured by the sand. The Health and Mana drain were mostly negligible, only accomplishing a reduction in her regeneration.