Chapter 270 - Three Leaves: Rocky Road I (2/2)
A sphere of molten rock gleaming with heat and light rotated above like a miniature sun, and arcs of orange energy linked it to the rock hydra who fueled it with its mana.
The heat from that orb was so intense that Sylvie and Azhar could only huddle behind the rocks to prevent their skin from burning up. Jeanne could resist it with her heroic durability that also seemed to make her nigh immune to damage from heat, which was even more useful considering the rock hydra seemed to have bathed in a fault in the earth, infusing itself not only with aurichalc.u.m, but with lava that coursed through its scales and skin like veins.
But ultimately, if she could not harm the hydra, then all she could do was stall it. Which was the whole point, actually, but Sylvie sighed as she found her plan thwarted not by herself, but by the incompetency of others.
”Will your blade work soon?” said Sylvie as she looked ahead with her back against the boulder. A little ways from her, shaded under the boulder's shadow, there knelt a young man with bronzed skin staring down at a silver-green longsword.
Sylvie could tell at first glance that it was a weapon nearly incomparable to anything she had ever seen before. The length of its white blade shone in a shimmering haze like moonlight on the water's surface, and lining its edge was an iridescent, teal green glow radiating with heat and power.
The intricacy of the ivory white patterns of flowers and rays of light decorating its pommel and the night-black, star speckled color of the handle indicated materials unavailable to man and skill beyond the finest any blacksmith she knew could produce.
For this was the Moon Reaver, a Divine class item – one of the few of its kind to exist or have ever existed in this world – and the greatest treasure of the southern city state of Enna.
”By the moon, this damned thing is failing me,” said the man as he rapped the gleaming white blade with a frustrated rap of his knuckles.
And this was the divine weapon's wielder. Zal – the crown prince of Enna.
”My love, you know better than to insult our most divine of treasures,” spoke a woman about the same age as the man. She was wrapped up in flowing, silvery white robes that seemed like moonlight forged solid, and strikingly green eyes shone through a thin veil of white.
”You are right, my darling Rudaba,” said the man as he flourished a dashing smile and leaned forwards, giving the woman a kiss on her cheek.
The woman bashfully turned her head to the side. ”Oh, to show me such love even on the battlefield.”
”When my heart races in the fight, it reminds me only of you,” said Zal.
”Can you two please stop twittering like love birds and focus on the task at hand?” said Sylvie, her voice bleeding with more of an edge than she would have liked it to. She was happy about seeing the two being so loving with each other, but the topic of love was not something she particularly liked to dwell on.
She ignored a sudden urge to think of Li before she cleared her mind with one quick breath. ”Jeanne is out there risking her life, awaiting the Moon Reaver's activation. Tell me, is it ready? I understand it may be a secret of your state, but our lives and the march of the five armies depend upon it.”
”Oh, believe me, I would not hide anything from a fellow adventurer,” said Zal. He looked down at the Moon Reaver in confusion. ”But the blade should be responding to me. It is nightfall, the moon is visible, and I believe I am fighting for good. All the conditions are met.”