Chapter 565: Perseverance (1/2)
Chapter 565 Perseverance
Ilea had stopped checking the Queen’s status, confident in her own growth and entirely within a trance. Every dodge and strike flowed into each other, each spell now familiar, every movement of her enemy’s body telling her more than her precognition ever could.
By now she reacted on instinct, the spells dodged or taken with a calculated risk. Most of the magic flying around served no other purpose but to fuel Ilea in her continued pursuit of whittling down the Queen’s health.
She had expected a change at some point, another burst of power when the enemy had reached a critical state or perhaps entirely new spells she could use when a dire situation demanded it.
Her expectations weren’t met however. The Queen didn’t majorly change her approach and neither tried to flee or focus more on defense. Perhaps whatever was left of her mind couldn’t understand how a low level human like Ilea could even still be alive. Or she simply wasn’t capable of more advanced tactics.
With each passing minute, Ilea continuously worked against the Queen’s resources and recovery, her own body fully enhanced by her own powerful skills.
The queen’s armor was stripped away by a charged blast of cinders, her skeleton clad in white flame a moment later. Visible damage now showed on her form, the dark material scorched and brittle. Any attempts at reforming her armor of flesh was interrupted by ashen tendrils, the healer only pushed back for a split second by the concentrated blood and rot.
Ilea slammed her fist into the Queen’s skull with a last use of Absolute Destruction, her fire clad body ready to dodge the response. The powerful mana flowed into the creature, forming lines of fire and energy visible through the cracks in her bones.
The Queen didn’t retaliate.
Ilea floated backwards, her fists ready as she felt for magic around her. She’d rather repeat the whole fight than die to a spell that activated on death much like that of the Praetorians.
A ding resounded in her mind, followed by a dozen more. Her muscles remained tense and ready to react as she watched the skeletal form slump to the ground, a pile of bones glowing with the light of cinders, pale white flames flickering on their form.
She didn’t dare check the messages, instead charging Heart of Cinder, more heat and power forming in her core with each passing second. The courtyard had calmed, the permeating presence of rot gone with the Queen’s death.
It was quiet. Entirely so. “Anticlimactic,” Ilea murmured, her eyes focused on the pile of bones that previously held the most powerful entity she had faced without allies.
There were no cheering warriors next to her, no slaves waiting to be freed, or Meadows waiting to be rescued. It was only her. And a faint feeling of disappointment that the fight was over. Ilea couldn’t help but wish the Queen had been sapient. To fight someone that powerful, with the full capacity of their mind.
Would’ve been more of a challenge, that’s for sure, she thought with a wide grin. Ilea displaced the small crown that had appeared next to the corpse into her hand.
Heart of Cinder released, burning away the bones that now lacked any enhancements the Queen had previously supplied them with.
[Crown of Lumian – Ancient Quality] – [Reduces corrupting effects to the mind]
Finally, I can get my berserker Classes. Just have to wear this bloody thing all the time.
The crown was simple in design, modest if anything. The material was either iron or a metal that had lost its shine long ago, perhaps influenced by the rot it may have been exposed to.
The Queen hadn’t worn it during their battle but neither did it look pristine or unused.
Not exactly my style. Maybe Maro would like it, she thought with a smirk.
Wasn’t quite enough for you Lumian? How long were you down here? Ilea wondered as she glanced at the palace.
Alright, first to safety, she thought and teleported upwards until she reached the cavern ahead of the settlement.
No rot here either. I wonder if killing her had any effect on the Abominations that roam the caverns. Or were they entirely separate?
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated [Howling Queen of Rot – lvl 1062]’
‘ding’ ‘The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 448 – Five stat points awarded’
‘ding’ ‘Kin of Ash has reached lvl 444 – Five stat points awarded’
‘ding’ ‘The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 383 – One stat point awarded’
‘ding’ ‘New skills available for [The Faen Valkyrie]’
New skills? I already have too many to choose from, Ilea thought with a sigh. No evolution either, despite my achievements.
She didn’t really mind, proud she had bested the creature now that the adrenaline and trance of their long battle wore off. Gotta find another one of those.
‘ding’ ‘Sentinel Huntress reaches 3rd lvl 19’
‘ding’ ‘Azarinth Reversal reaches 3rd lvl 30’
‘ding’ ‘Storm of Cinders reaches 3rd lvl 30’
‘ding’ ‘Eyes of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 30’
‘ding’ ‘Phaseshift reaches 3rd lvl 11’
‘ding’ ‘Flare of Creation reaches 3rd lvl 17’
‘ding’ ‘Displacement reaches 3rd lvl 13’
‘ding’ ‘Space Shift reaches 3rd lvl 9’
‘ding’ ‘Body of the Valkyrie reaches 3rd lvl 14’
‘ding’ ‘Deviant of Humanity reaches 2nd lvl 13’
‘ding’ ‘Meditation reaches 3rd lvl 12’
‘ding’ ‘Monster Hunter reaches 3rd lvl 10’
‘ding’ ‘Veteran reaches 3rd lvl 15’
‘ding’ ‘Blood Magic Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 15’
‘ding’ ‘Bone Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 11’
‘ding’ ‘Rot Resistance reaches 3rd lvl 2’
‘ding’ ‘You have laid to rest the lost spirit of Lumian, freeing both her and the people she had sworn to protect – One Core skill point awarded’
‘ding’ ‘You have defeated a four mark creature while alone before reaching level 500 – One Core skill point awarded’
Nearly got the investment back, she thought. And another slew of stat points to spend.
She checked her new skills for The Faen Valkyrie, despite having no intention of switching any of them out at the moment.
Skills available for The Faen Valkyrie:
Active – Ward of Creation
Active – Force Projectile
Active – Force Tear
Passive – Space Drift
Passive – Space Telepathy
She ignored the ones she already knew.
Bunch of offensive stuff for the active slots. Ward is interesting, I suppose. But not worth trading with anything I currently use.
Space drift is just a flying skill? Based on space magic. And Telepathy is kind of unnecessary with my Mental res and Monster Hunter.
Ilea wondered if the numerous new skills meant that there would be more slots at some point or if her Class didn’t consider her current abilities quite as set as those in her main Classes.
Not that I’d change anything now. But I guess it wouldn’t bee too surprising if more slots became available. Then I can try stuff again.
Ilea put a hundred stat points into Wisdom and fifty into Vitality.
She twirled the crown in her hand and jumped back down into the tunnel settlement. The lowest layer had to be explored after all.
Ilea found everything the way she had left it. Deep furrows told of the long battle she had fought against the four mark being, large parts of the houses and palace destroyed and reduced to rubble.
I need a treasure sense skill, she thought with a frown.
The various houses held simple stone furniture and various runes that would make life down here somewhat easier. Even here, the interior didn’t exactly look comfortable. Whatever had driven these people down into the mountain, it must’ve pushed them to urgency if nothing else.
Not even enough time to line up the hallways.
Or am I not giving them enough credit? I’ve got no clue how hard it is to dig tunnels like these. And maybe they simply didn’t have the magical knowledge we have in Ravenhall at this point.
Ilea scanned through the eight houses, finding nothing valuable. There were a few items that might’ve once held emotional value but nothing that hasn’t been tarnished by age and rot.
The palace itself was the same. She floated over rubble and blinked through walls, trying to find a hidden treasury or other rooms she had missed. The only thing she found was a small room with various overgrown dresses and the only wooden furniture she had found, entirely decrepit.
She was about to leave when her sphere picked up the etched letters within a small stone statue sitting below a turbid mirror. The statue itself looked simple, a woman with two wings and outstretched arms. It reminded her of an angel.
She didn’t need to touch it to read the inscription going around the round base.