After five minutes of walking, Nijana couldn’t see the carriage or its horses. The mist had consumed its view. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she realized lizard-like monsters roamed the marsh freely. Their levels were too high for her too. If they got into trouble, Synaria was the one who would have to fight.
The two treaded through a shallow pond, their bodies leaving rippling waves of water in their wake. It caused a wince to grow on her face by the time they stepped onto the land. The dress Nijana wore was soaked and covered in green stuff, she had no idea what the green stuff was.
She sighed. “Hold on, Synaria.”
“What is it?”
“I need to change into my Bard gear.”
“Bah, quickly!” Synaria grunted. “Me contact may be gone when we get there.”
Nijana stripped down to her bra and panties, a task that was harder than it should have been, thanks to the rope around her upper torso binding her wings to her back. Synaria had to loosen that, much to the druid’s dismay.
She promptly pulled the René’s Cove Tunic from her Inventory screen, slipped into the pants and corset top, then felt her defense increase as boots appeared on her feet. Nijana wished she had got into the René’s Cove Tunic beforehand. Her feet wouldn’t have been so soaked. Magic had indeed imbued all attire tainted by the corruption. Synaria was quick to tie the rope around Nijana’s chest again. Nijana would fight back if she wasn’t level 1.
Nijana examined her new appearance, tugged at the ends of the black leather outfit and its underbust corset, short enough to expose her navel area. She liked it. Judging by the grin Synaria shot her, she did as well.
“Now, you look like a Bard,” Synaria said, and trotted forward. “I still remember me first time as a Bard.”
“You were a Bard once?”
“I am many classes, lass,” Synaria said. “I am a Mage right now because our primary Mage came down with a case of the cold.”
The loud snarl of a monster echoed in the distance while the two passed under low hanging tree branches. Nijana wondered how long it would be until they bumped into it within the mist that grew thicker, as their feet splashed deeper through the wetland.
“I can hardly see anything,” Nijana said.
“Wasn’t always like this,” Synaria said, over the sound of another beast’s growl echoing.
“Let me guess.” Nijana slapped a mosquito off her left elbow. “The corruption afflicted everything and changed it?”
Synaria nodded. “Yep, added these monsters, too. Most people from the Lumière Kingdom are afraid to travel to the mists, making it the perfect place to meet me contact. That and it serves as the border between Lumière and New Svartálfar. These mist lands keep the light and dark elves separated—”
The druid Mage stopped. Her bunny ears stood on end as she held her tiny hand out to Nijana to do the same. The swamp ahead bubbled like it was boiling. She thought nothing of it until a crocodile emerged from the water. Its jaws opened wide and aimed at the two.
Mist Crocodile | LVL: 21 | Rank: C
Of course, the corruption also tainted it.
“Please tell me you have your sigils on?” Synaria asked.
The hungry Mist Crocodile crawled toward the two, and fast. “What are sigils again?”
Synaria grabbed her casting tome, flipped its pages, then ran as the Mist Crocodile lunged with its mouth open and its razor-sharp fangs looking for druid and fae meat. “Find it in your inventory, and fast!”
The Mist Crocodile snapped its jaws at Synaria as she ran, holding her page-flipping tome. Once she felt it was safe to turn, Synaria idled with her eyes shut as a casting circle brimming with astral energy rotated before her heeled shoes. Astral winds caused her dress to flutter and expose her legs covered with glowing sigils. She finished her cast, summoning a bolt of Lightning to strike down the approaching creature.
Mist Crocodile | HP: 70%
The spell knocked off a reasonable amount of HP. And if the beast hadn’t continued to chase Synaria, she might have been able to kill it with three or four more Lightning spells. From what Nijana could tell, one couldn’t run and cast spells at the same time. Synaria would need Nijana’s help, so she reached for her Recruit’s Rapier at her side and dove into the fray, striking the Mist Crocodile’s tail repeatedly.
Each jab with the pointy end of her weapon inflicted 1 point of damage, maybe 3 with a critical hit—
The Mist Crocodile swiped its tail, using it as a whip.
Nijana leaped backward, missing the massive tail swipe by inches. The Mist Crocodile moved its tail, trying once again to whip her with it. She dove and rolled across the wet grass, came up to the Mist Crocodile’s side and slashed. She was still only hitting it for one point of damage. It was hopeless. Nijana hated the new rules of reality and the fact that being whipped by a crocodile’s tail could kill you once you ran out of HP—
A second bolt from the Lightning spell struck the Mist Crocodile, bringing its HP to 40 percent. The beast snarled to what it perceived as the greatest threat, the druid Mage and her sagging bunny ears. Nijana wondered what caused those bunny ears to move. They weren’t even real, just a hair accessory.
“Put on your Minstrel sigil!” Synaria yelled, pivoted to the side, and darted from the Mist Crocodile’s jaws. “Should be in your inventory.”
Nijana opened her Inventory screen and found the sigil in question. She pulled it out and regretted not doing the tutorial quests from earlier. “Now what?”
“Put that sigil anywhere on your body that’s not covered by your clothing!”
She placed the sigil on her navel. It was an eye pleasing look, like she had gotten a mysterious glowing tattoo there—
New Technique Learned: Dazzling Throw
Nijana viewed the tooltip for the ability floating on a screen.
Dazzling Throw
Throw your weapon, damaging all targets ahead of you.
Potency: 30
Cost: 100 AP
A ranged attack . . . that’ll make it easier to help, and I already have a bit of AP stored.
Nijana held the Recruit’s Rapier again, took aim, and prepared to strike the Mist Crocodile enough times to get the AP needed.
Or I could just throw the blasted chakram at it.
She sheathed the Recruit’s Rapier to her belt, freeing her hands to pull out the Recruit’s Chakram, selecting it as her new primary weapon. She crept behind the Mist Crocodile as it continued its harassment of Synaria, biting and forcing her to keep running. Nijana held the disk-shaped weapon steady and threw it. The chakram soared through the air, hit and slashed the Mist Crocodile for 1 point of damage, then returned to Nijana’s raised hand like a boomerang. The damage was pathetic, but it rewarded her with 10 AP without having to stand close. She repeated until her AP gauge reached 100, making her shimmering sigil over her belly button glow.
Nijana used Dazzling Throw, and the astral circuits within forced her to assume an elegant pose and toss her weapon at the reptile. Unlike throwing the Recruit’s Chakram normally, Nijana couldn’t see the weapon hurl to her target. It was in her hand one second, then half a second later slicing into the beast, half a second after that, it returned to her grip. It was as if it moved at the speed of light. The skill did significantly more damage, a whole 12 points more.
It was all she could do, for now, being a level 1 Bard. Throw the chakram, get AP, and hit the monster with Dazzling Throw as Synaria cast the Lightning spell, bringing the crocodile to 8 percent HP. At that point, its body staggered and struggled to keep up with the sprinting druid. Its flesh tore open whenever the Recruit’s Chakram sliced into it. They were winning. One of Nijana’s hits inflicted a critical hit, causing a fountain of blood to pour from the Mist Crocodile. Its HP depleted faster with each drop of blood that dripped to the wet grasslands.
Eventually, the Mist Crocodile stopped crawling and died. Its body evaporated to vapor and lifted to the surrounding mist, granting Nij
ana 100 experience points and Synaria 50. The Mist Crocodile’s body turned into loot for the two to collect. Synaria examined the items, sighed, and tossed them to Nijana.
“Take ‘em, and slot the asteriarite into your weapon,” Synaria said to her. “You are no good to me dead, and we still got a while to go.”
She collected the items at her feet.
Obtained: Greater HP Potion
Obtained: Asteriarite: HP +30
Obtained: Asteriarite: Strength +3
“Why couldn’t we travel with your companions in the carriage?” Nijana asked.
“My contact . . . prefers that few people know how he looks. Also.” Synaria opened her Inventory screen, yanked out several sigils, then handed them to Nijana. “Take these and put them on your arms.”
It was the sigils of Astral, Voice, Swiftness, Enhancement, and Area. She placed two on her left arm and the remaining two on her right. The Enhancement sigil went on her lower back since her top had no back for her wings.
New Technique Learned: Encore
New Technique Learned: Swift Carol I, II, III
“The sigils, Minstrel, Enhancement, Swiftness, Area, and Voice, teaches you the song, Swift Carol,” Synaria explained. “The combination of Minstrel, Astral, and Voice teaches you Encore. You will be playing those songs a lot as a Bard, so get used to it.” Synaria trotted onward. “Oh, and I want those sigils back in the future! Those are just a loner, so we don’t end up dead!”
She glanced at her newly learned songs.
Swift Carol
Increases movement speed to those who hear it.
Cost: 100 AP
Encore
Perform an encore, allowing Requiem of War II, Requiem of War III, Symphony of Protection II, Symphony of Protection III, Swift Carol II, or Swift Carol III to be heard.
Cost: 50 AP
Nijana looked at Synaria’s lacerated arms and legs. The druid lost HP during the fight. “Your injuries,” she said to Synaria. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“This?” Synaria snorted at her bruised arm and shrugged. “Do not worry about it. We druids have a passive trait that recovers our HP when out in the wilderness.”
“Oh,” Nijana said. “That sounds like my racial passive. It recovers MP over time.”
“Thing is,” Synaria said. “The druid racial trait only works when outdoors. It does not work in dungeons, cities, or indoors. Tis the reason the people killers love me so much. I am the only druid they got and the only person who regenerates HP passively. I may not look it, but I am significantly harder to kill so long as I fight with the splendor of nature surrounding me. And get this, me racial trait stacks with heal over time spells like Regeneration.”
Nijana followed the druid and held Dianna’s Ocarina up, grinning. She instantly knew how to play Swift Carol with the instrument and learned how to use that song when using a harp, lute, or any other instrument. Hell, if Nijana wanted to, she could even sing Swift Carol. She never spent a day in her life learning how to sing or play instruments, yet there she was with the knowledge of it forced into her mind, all thanks to the sigils interacting with her astral circuits.
Encounters with the Mist Crocodiles became more frequent as they pushed deeper into the mist blanketed marsh. Now that Nijana knew how to play songs, they died faster. When Nijana gained AP, she would pull out Dianna’s Ocarina and play a few notes from the song Swift Carol, causing a swirl of green astral leaves to rise around Synaria and Nijana and grant them a song buff.
Swift Carol I
Movement speed is increased by 1.5%
Synaria and Nijana moved faster than the beasts that challenged them. Once Nijana got 50 AP, she used Encore and played Swift Carol to add a second buff.
Swift Carol II
Attack speed is increased by 1.5%
Another 50 AP allowed her to play one last Encore of Swift Carol, gifting them a third song buff.
Swift Carol III
Spellcasting speed is increased by 1.5%
With the three song buffs active, Nijana threw her chakram faster, resulting in her AP gauge rising more quickly. Swift Carol III’s effect reduced the time Synaria spent idling to cast spells. The druid would dash, cast a spell, then be on the move in a matter of seconds to repeat.
Nijana has attained level 2!
Defeating higher-level monsters was paying off quick. All Nijana had to do was get AP from a distance, play music, and let Synaria and her level 21 sorcery do all the work.
Synaria guided Nijana to their intended destination, a densely packed grove of trees with vines dangling from their tops. The Mage retrieved Wylume’s soul crystal and held it up as she strolled ahead.
“Vix,” Synaria shouted to the mists surrounding the area. “I have arrived with something you might be interested in. Show yourself, lad.”
Chapter Nineteen
Nijana and Synaria waited as the insects chirped and buzzed in the air of the foggy wetlands. Nijana looked from side to side and saw nothing but the blinding mist, eerie swamps, and frightening looking trees—
An elven man appeared out of nowhere, his skin purple and hair white.
He wore a black hooded cloak concealing his facial features within its darkness. He left the cloak unbuttoned, exposing his six-pack abs and muscular chest, dressed in an assortment of sigils, along with the ones on his arms and hands. Two decorative daggers dangled at the sides of his belt, hugging the top of his black pants.
Land-elf (Assassin) | LVL: 27 | Rank: B
He was a dark elf, the race who hunted the light elves to extinction. At least, that’s how it was where Nijana came from. This world, this dimension that she found herself in, was much different.
The dark elf Assassin crossed his arms over his purple chest, grinning at the two women. “Oh, I am sorry. Did I scare you two?”
“Vix,” Synaria said to him. “I can do that too, you know. I just don’t want to.”
“You are not even an Assassin,” Vix said.
“I have one leveled,” Synaria said. She held the soul crystal to Vix. “Anyhow, let us talk business.”
Vix narrowed his eyes at the dark crystal in Synaria’s tiny hands. “What is this you have brought me?”
“The soul crystal of a Nox Knight,” Synaria replied.
Vix took the soul crystal and studied the information screen that flashed over it. He grimaced. “Wylume . . .” And kept the grimace for a while, staring long at the crystal’s screen.
“So, what of it?” Synaria said, her voice breaking the silence. “You know the poor sod?”
Vix opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He just stared long and hard at the crystal. Finally, he said. “. . . no, I do not.”
The dark elf handed Synaria the crystal back.
“So, you want to buy it or not?” Synaria asked as she tossed the crystal up and down with her right hand. “I know your kind’s taken a liking to soul crystals lately.”
“Soul crystals are a superb source of free experience points,” Vix said.
“Except, you ain’t using them to get experience points,” Synaria said, and pointed the crystal’s tip at him. “Dark elves are hoarding them.”
“I will have to check with my partner first to ensure we have the funds,” Vix said, dodging the question.
“We haven’t even told you the price,” Nijana said.
“Trust me,” Vix said to her. “Whatever it was you were thinking of asking for it, it’s too low. That is a Nox Knight soul crystal. My partner will pay you a handsome sum of francs for it. I just do not have it on me right now.”
“We have a deal then?” Synaria asked.
“Of course,” Vix said. “For now, keep that soul crystal, and let no one touch it.” The dark elf Assassin walked away, the ends of his black cloak waving his goodbye. “Meet up with me again at this location at our usual meeting time, Synaria. I will have the money for it then.”
“Fine with me.”
Vix stopped bef
ore vanishing into the mists. “Oh, by the way.” He twisted his cloaked gaze back to the two. “Where did you acquire such a rare find? Nobody has ever seen a Nox Knight.”
Synaria thumbed backward. “She found it.”
Vix grinned at Nijana as he studied her figure, up and down, gazing long at her midriff navel area. He strode to her to get a better look, walked circles around Nijana, and stopped when he got behind her. He no doubt saw her fairy wings tied to her back. Vix stood in front of Nijana and glanced down to make eye contact with her. Despite Vix being so close, Nijana still couldn’t see what his eyes looked like.
“You are a fae . . .” Vix said to her.
“Name’s Nijana.”
“Oh,” he said in a surprised manner. “And how did you find the soul crystal?”
“Stole it from a star-dweller.”
“I see . . .” Vix did another lap around Nijana, leaned closer, and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her short cherry hair.
Fucking creep. Nijana looked straight at him, hoping he took notice of her angry glare. “Do I amuse you?”
“You look . . . familiar, is all.” Vix stepped away.
“Like whom?”
He grunted.
I wonder if my charisma stat will get him talking. Xanthe claimed she used her high charisma to get a job in some tavern in Holt.
Nijana gave Vix a pleasant smile. “Oh, c’mon, sweetie,” she said in a charming tone of voice. “You can tell me. Who do I look like?” As if Nijana didn’t know, she looked like Averyl. But why would the dark elves know about the princess of the Autumnfall Empire?
Vix said nothing.
Is it even working? Is it because my level is too low? “Who is the man you need to speak with anyway?” Nijana asked. Maybe that’s the reason he knows about Averyl.
Vix said nothing. He just gave Nijana’s figure a perverse gawk and walked into the mists.
“I shall take my leave.” Were his parting words.
He disappeared into the mists as if he were never there.
Nijana growled. “What the fuck?”
Mirror Princess: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 2) Page 15
