The newly spawned underlings just walked about, then sat, having not received any orders from their boss. Tempeste drank an MP potion, recast Elemental Weapon: Lightning, and the two fought the Goblin Captain side-by-side. As incredible as Guy and Tempeste were together, their progress was slow. The Goblin Captain was only at 45 percent HP.
“We will need Remy if we wish to finish this!” Tempeste yelled.
“I can resurrect him, but the casting time is long,” Averyl said from above.
Guy winced. “How long?”
“Ten seconds,” Averyl said.
Tempeste was at full HP. Guy, not so much. He was sitting at 651.
“That’s ten seconds without heals,” Guy said. “Tempeste, hit him with everything you have. Make yourself more threatening than me.”
Tempeste looked at him, puzzled. “Why?”
Clang.
Guy stood holding Asteria’s Sword out to meet the goblin’s weapon.
“I’ll explain later!” he added.
Guy held back and took on a pure defense roll. He never struck the Goblin Captain, only used Asteria’s Sword to parry attacks or dodge away if the chance permitted. Only Tempeste’s Spellsword Saber was hitting the Goblin Captain now, and soon after, the boss shifted its attention to Tempeste. Guy wasn’t a threat to its survival—Tempeste was. Tempeste had taken over as the tank.
“Averyl, resurrect Remy, now!” Guy yelled. “Tempeste has full HP and should last 10 seconds.”
“Oh.” Tempeste smiled as she held the Spellsword Saber up, blocking three back-to-back strikes. “I see, now.”
Guy nodded and moved to the Goblin Captain’s side with both hands around his sword’s hilt. “If I had full HP, I would have been fine. But that fucker hits hard!”
Guy returned to the battle, Tempeste tanked, and Averyl floated in the air as she prepared to cast Resurrection on Remy. Tempeste’s HP fell from 990 to 702, then 529. It was a reminder that her build wasn’t suited for tanking—
And a new batch of underlings spawned, awaiting orders from their boss.
Goblin Captain | HP: 35%
Guy looked back at them. “Shit!”
A ray of light shone down on Remy’s body. His dead eyes opened with life as his fatal wounds sealed shut. Averyl finished casting Resurrection on Remy, and he got to his feet, coughing, and picking up his swords.
“Asteria’s cunt . . .” Remy groaned.
“Welcome back to the land of the living!” Guy said as he continued to thrust and slash into the Goblin Captain. “We need to kill this fucker before he orders the group to attack!”
Averyl was free to heal again, beginning with Tempeste, then Guy, then Remy. As Remy returned to the fight, Guy used Provoke and forced the Goblin Captain to explode with rage and face the Paladin. Guy took back the role of the one with the greatest threat and hoped Remy wasn’t going to show off. Now was not the time to see who the better tank was. Now was the time for the three to unleash everything they had.
Goblin Captain | HP: 28%
The Goblin Captain pointed at his next target, Tempeste—
She cast Spark and sent a spray of bolts into the Goblin Captain.
Her spell didn’t paralyze it.
The Goblin Captain pointed its finger at Tempeste and uttered instructions to the waiting underlings. Now two packs of Goblin Underlings wielded their daggers at the Spellsword maiden. A race to see who lost HP first began.
Averyl’s flight time ran out. Her wings became sore and forced her to land with the party. The Goblin Underlings that had been shooting Averyl with arrows moved to chase. Upon returning to the ground, Averyl opened with Purifying Starlight, releasing a wave of green and blue light to recover everyone. It was the only way to heal multiple targets at once, and it consumed a lot of Averyl’s MP. Three underlings pushed in to stab Averyl, and another six came in to leap and stab Tempeste. The Goblin Captain just kept wailing away at Guy.
It was a triple-A cluster fuck.
Goblin Captain | HP: 7%
Bringing Remy back made a noticeable difference.
Blood spilled from the Goblin Captain’s injuries. Sadly, the same could be said for Guy, Averyl, and Tempeste. They had fallen below 25 percent HP.
I guess this is it . . .
Guy felt his heart pound in his chest hard. He held the hilt to Asteria’s Sword, stepped back, and swung upward, cutting into the Goblin Captain’s chin. It split apart like a melon.
Goblin Captain | HP: 0%
Obtained: 1200 Experience Points
The big boss fell forward, dead. Its minions stopped in their attacks, looked at the boss’s body, dropped their weapons, and ran away, screaming in fear.
The four sat to huff and puff, wiping off the blood and sweat that made a mess of their faces. When Averyl had the chance, she drank an MP potion, cast Purifying Starlight once, twice, three times and their bloody gashes faded.
The Goblin Captain vaporized seconds after it died and turned into a giant treasure chest. Guy put Asteria’s Sword to rest on his back and examined the spoils in the treasure chest. It was three sigils, Path, Transmogrification, and Vampire.
“Anyone want these sigils?” Guy asked. Remy and Tempeste gave Guy a no-shake with their head. “Averyl?”
The fae princess stood with Guy and looked into the treasure chest, placing a single index finger over her lips. “Hmm, I suppose I shall take Transmogrification as I plan to level Medic upon reaching level 20. The others are not useful for Cleric or Medic.”
Guy smiled. “Well shit, I guess the rest is mine then!”
Obtained: Sigil: Vampire
Obtained: Sigil: Path
He held up the Path sigil. “If I’m not mistaken, this should allow me to learn . . .”
Guy pulled off his Wrath sigil and replaced it with Path.
New Technique learned: Shockwave Slash
Shockwave Slash
Slash the ground, sending a shockwave of light elemental energy at everything in your path. Targets hit lose 50% of their Vitality, Agility, and Intelligence.
Potency: 130
Cost: 25 MP
Wylume fucked me up good with this skill when we fought. Now, I can use the Paladin version of it. And a potency of 130? This should do more damage than Storm Slash, though it’s not an area of effect attack. Then there’s the MP cost.
The four searched the cavern for signs of Serzax and found none. That caused a big grimace to form on Guy’s face. They didn’t find Serzax in the dungeon or final chamber. Ahead was the exit the goblins were blocking, with a trickle of sunlight beaming through. Guy looked at the sunlight’s shine. Serzax left the dungeon a long time ago . . . or never went inside to start with.
He’s probably waiting for us outside, Guy figured. Or worse . . . standing over Rachael’s body.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Guy, Tempeste, Averyl, and Remy exited through the mine’s rear entrance as the afternoon sun shone its light on their faces. Guy held Asteria’s Sword and took the lead, his head looking left to right in the fields for Serzax. He had to have been there if he went ahead in the dungeon. Other than the birds singing and Averyl moaning softly as she sat to rest, Guy saw nothing. Either Remy was full of shit, or Serzax’s team cleared the dungeon before they did.
After a quick rest, the four walked down the path, stepping foot into the green pasture. They found Xanthe standing ahead, her raven wings spread as if she were ready to take flight. Rachael and the others patrolled the area. Guy sighed. Rachael was fine; hell, everyone was. They just wasted time in the dungeon.
Guy ran to Rachael, calling her name and drawing Rachael’s blue eyes toward him. “You’re back!” Rachael looked at them, wincing. “Anything?”
“No sign of Serzax,” Guy said. “Do I dare ask if you saw him?”
“It’s been silent here,” Rachael said. “Nobody left the dungeon except you four. Didn’t even see Nijana.”
Nijana, Averyl’s evil twin, and the real reason they cam
e to the Plains of Alita to start with. Guy groaned; they had just wasted their time. The experience progression was nice, but outside of that, he and his friends took the Lumière Kingdom’s top airship away from its defending duties so that they could grind out experience points. If the dark elves were planning to attack, they’d encounter slightly less resistance.
Guy looked aside from Rachael and back to Xanthe. The shadow angel looked like an eagle tracking its prey on the horizon, her wings spread in anticipation for flight. He stood with Xanthe.
“You see something?” Guy asked her.
Xanthe grimaced. “I thought I did, but . . . Hmm, maybe it was my imagination—” She jerked her head forward. Xanthe saw something. “Hold on,” she said while pointing ahead. “Is that the banner of Autumnfall?”
Guy narrowed his eyes as he followed where Xanthe pointed. It took him a while, but he spotted it. There was an airship in the skies, waving a flag that was neither New Svartálfar nor the Lumière Kingdom. It was the Autumnfall Empire’s flag, and it looked like there were several fae imperial soldiers flying beside the airship, working as an extra set of eyes to scout the lands below.
Remy stood with Guy and Xanthe and observed the spectacle in the sky, drifting away.
“Serzax works for the empire, right?” Remy asked as he crossed his arms over his sun-reflecting armor.
“Yeah, he does. Those are imperials, no question,” Guy said. “They probably came to pick him up.”
“And they are getting away,” Remy snorted.
Xanthe laughed. “Like hell they are!” The shadow angel ran, leaped, flapped her wings, and took flight. She hovered in the skies, pivoted to Guy, and shouted. “I shall inspect closer.”
And then flew off.
Guy reached for her. “Xanthe!”
His outcry drew his companions over. They all saw Xanthe fly to the imperial airship, alone and without a plan.
“Why would she do that,” Rachael snarled.
“Leafblade might be there, that’s why,” Guy said. “Fuck, she’s going to get herself killed if he is!”
“Yo, don’t worry,” Zuran said, stepping forward, fists clenched, his dragonfly-like fae wings spreading out. “I will make sure your private dancer comes back in one peace, Guy.”
“Whoa, Zuran!”
“Guy!” Rachael snapped at him. “You have private dancers, huh?”
“I’m not building a fucking harem, Rachael, I swear!”
Zuran gestured to Rachael and Averyl. “I could use some heals if things go bad.”
“Fine,” Rachael said, walking backward to Zuran, her disappointed glare aimed straight at Guy.
“Wait,” Guy said, drawing the two fae healers’ gaze to him. “Both our healers?”
“That’s an imperial airship,” Zuran said to Guy. “If Xanthe ends up kicking a hornet’s nest, I think we’ll need them both to escape.”
“Fair point,” Guy said. “If that’s the case, though, pull out with her fast. We won’t last long if those imperials swarm us.”
Averyl and Rachael buzzed their wings and joined Zuran in the skies. The three faes flew forward and followed Xanthe, who was ahead and approaching the airship. It was just Guy, Tempeste, Kam, Henrietta, Remy, and Ulysses standing on the ground doing nothing. They were members of the team without wings to fly.
“Let’s reform these parties in case something happens,” Guy said to them.
“In case?” Kam said and exploded with laughter.
Guy looked at the Spell Lancer faun. “What’s so funny?”
Kam took a minute to calm from his laugh, snorting, “Something will happen, lad. And we are the ones without a healer.”
Xanthe checked her flight time.
Flight Time Remaining: 12 Minutes 54 Seconds
Her limited flight time.
She was okay with the time remaining. Xanthe was a shadow angel, and her passive racial trait gave her an extra boost to her flight speed that, combined with her agility stat, was giving her the quickness necessary to fly at high speeds of 121 KPH to the imperial airship. Xanthe made a brief mental note to create a specialized gearset socketed with agility asteriarite. With an agility build, nothing could catch her while in flight. Sure, losing the charisma and dexterity would hinder her performance in combat, but when it came to a battle in the skies, outlasting and outflying your adversaries reigned supreme.
Had Xanthe used a heavy agility build, she might have been able to defeat Leafblade by flying circles around him when they had fought a month ago. Leafblade would not survive the day if she found him. Xanthe planned to introduce him to the new abilities she gained from the sigils looted from the monsters killed out in the Plains of Alita.
“Xanthe!” a loud, deep voice echoed to her from behind.
She looked behind to see who it was as she maintained her flight to the airship. It was Zuran. He was flying alongside Averyl and Rachael. Xanthe was too fast for them.
“Wait up!” Zuran called again.
Xanthe came to a complete stop in the sky. Her flapping raven wings kept her floating in the open space. Zuran, Rachael, and Averyl caught up with her. Afterward, Xanthe reformed their party to include the two.
“If you wish to help me,” Xanthe said as she faced the drifting airship. “Then keep up.” And she darted through the sky again. “That airship will be at full speed soon. Not even I will be fast enough to follow it.”
Xanthe was so close to the airship she could hear its propellors roaring. She soared above the ship and looked at the airship’s top deck like an eagle scouting its prey. There were several imperials on the airship or flying beside it, unaware of the shadow angel who floated above. Xanthe’s three fae party members caught up with uneasy faces.
Flight Time Remaining: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds
She was still good to stay in the air. Xanthe could not say the same for Zuran, Rachael, and Averyl, as the three were Mage, Medic, and Cleric, respectively, three classes that lacked high agility and strength. Whatever their flight time was, it was lower than Xanthe’s, except for perhaps Averyl, who apparently reached level 19 in the dungeon.
“If you have low flight time,” Xanthe said as she retrieved her new dual scimitars, the Lumière Aspirant’s Blades, “head to the surface now.”
Rachael drifted ahead of Xanthe. “What are you planning?”
Xanthe pointed at her target among the imperials on the airship below, using the tip of the Lumière Aspirant’s Blade. It was Heral Leafblade, standing crossed armed like some elite commander watching over his underlings. Xanthe had found him and had no intentions of backing away.
Rachael sighed and faced her. “Xanthe, don’t be stupid!” Rachael bellowed. “We’re here to check on their numbers, not fight!”
“I am changing the plan as of now,” Xanthe sneered and prepared to dive—
Zuran grabbed her arm, tugging her back. “Xanthe, please!” he said. “I made a promise to Guy that I would bring you back unharmed.”
“Tell Guy I appreciate that he still thinks of me.” Xanthe shoved Zuran off. It was easy since his weak Mage hands lacked true strength. “But the souls of the millions of dead shadow angels would never forgive me if I let Leafblade slip away twice.”
Xanthe put her arms at her side and dove.
Her entire point of view was of the airship’s deck and the wandering imperials on it. Nobody saw the dive-bombing shadow angel on approach or heard the flutters of her black hair and Lumière Aspirant’s Bedlah as the winds hit it. Leafblade’s head grew closer and closer, and his attention was still fixed on the busy imperials.
Just drop in, cut his wings so he cannot fly, then push him off the ship. I will not even have to get his HP to zero. Gravity will do that for me.
“Xanthe! Flight time is low!” Zuran shouted to her.
Zuran’s shout was loud enough to force Leafblade to look up. Leafblade saw the ambush coming.
“Fuck . . .”
She came to a complete stop in the sk
y. It was suicide to dive farther. Leafblade buzzed his wings and took to the skies to join Xanthe while holding the hilt of a two-handed sword. A dozen imperial fae joined Leafblade from behind. The flying imperials outnumbered Xanthe, and she doubted they would allow her to cut off Leafblade’s wings. She looked at the surface and wondered if the 2 minutes left on her flight time would be enough to get her there.
“Uh, are we seriously going to fight them all?” Rachael asked.
Xanthe sheathed her twin Aspirant’s Blades. “No . . .” she groaned. “We have to land right now!”
Reluctantly, Xanthe joined her party and flew to the surface. Behind, Leafblade led the chase with his soldiers.
“Well, this was pointless,” Zuran yelled as their flight continued, the sight of grass below growing larger.
“At least we know what their numbers are,” Averyl said.
Zuran laughed. “Too bad we may not live long enough to report it!—”
Arrows fired by Rangers pierced Xanthe’s wings.
Flight Time Remaining: 0 Minutes 6 Seconds
It killed her flight time.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Flight Time Remaining: 0 Minutes 0 Seconds
Xanthe’s bloody wings became sore and were unable to keep flapping. She became a slave to the world’s gravity and tumbled. She saw the horizon, the land, the imperials, the sky, her party reaching for her, the grass she was falling to, and it was a lot closer now.
Crash.
Xanthe slammed into the ground.
Thud, thud, thud.
That was her party hitting the ground shortly afterward to make a crash landing.
Xanthe was alive but had lost a lot of HP from the fall and arrows that had hit her wings. Had she lost flight time earlier, the fall would have brought her to zero. Averyl and Rachael stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes shut as their healer’s attire waved about in astral winds. When finished, the two healers cast a spell that recovered their HP, Purifying Starlight from Averyl and Medical Wave from Rachael, a spell similar to Purifying Starlight.
Their HP went from low to full, and the burst of sparkling light no doubt drew the attentive eyes of the fae buzzing their wings about, their heads shifting in search of Xanthe’s party. Xanthe looked up and spotted the flying fae Rangers in Leafblade’s squad nocking arrows that flashed into their hands.
Mirror Princess: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 2) Page 28
