“The power of that armor…” another person said, unable to finish their sentence, disbelief in their eyes.
“I hope that someone streams the fight from within the temple,” another said.
Suzy heard this all, and smiled to herself.
They reached the gate that led to the crack.
Guards opened the gate with a respectful look in their eyes.
Party Zero smiled and nodded to them, their conversations slowing down as they checked their gear and weapons were conjured or drawn. Suzy pulled out her staff as her more advanced creations appeared from the bag of holding on her hip with a wave of her hand.
Their auras started to envelop the area as excitement filled them. Today they would be able to go all out, to test their limits and prepare for the oncoming event.
The sound of fighting could be heard within the Six Affinity Temple.
The early morning light disappeared and was replaced by the glow of roots that covered the earthen dome over the Six Affinity Temple. In the large open area around the temple, multiple groups of Players and POEs were fighting the various shades. This wasn’t a raid group, but rather people looking to grind out experience and decent loot to increase their levels and abilities.
Party Zero circulated their Mana, raising their Mana barriers as well as calling out faint buffs.
“Everyone knows what they’re doing. Suzy, could you pull us a shade? Let’s get warmed up and make sure we’re good to go, then we can work to fight some harder creatures,” Deia said.
Steve stood with Lox and Gurren on either side. He no longer had his bolt thrower, but a silver band around his wrist showed runes similar to those that a DCA Mana bolt throwers had. Lox and Gurren likewise raised their hands, similar bands on their wrists as well.
Anna and Induca rose into the air, above and back from the three tanks. They were covered in air and flames respectively.
Malsour rose on a pillar of stone next to Dave and behind the tanks.
Suzy and Deia floated back from them. Even though Deia was covered in flames, none of the heat leaked out, showing her control over her magic.
Suzy sent out an Air creation. It sent an Air blade into a nearby shade, getting its attention before leading it back to Party Zero.
“Gurren, Lox, you have this one,” Deia called out.
The others waited their turn patiently, interested in seeing what the two could do with their new armor. All of them were relaxed but were ready to intervene at any moment if they were needed.
The shade’s wails came closer as Lox and Gurren fired out Mana bolts. These bolts threw the shade back a few meters as the sound of rumbling thunder from the first impacts was followed up by a dozen more.
The shade didn’t make it within fifteen meters of Party Zero.
“Two more please, Suzy,” Deia said.
“Coming up,” Suzy said. From her bag, more Air creations poured out. These raced off, attacking shades and then leading them on a chase. It would mean that they wouldn’t need to wait too much time before Suzy could pull another shade to Party Zero.
Two more shades were pulled toward the party.
Lox and Gurren took one each; it took more time for them to kill the shade.
At five shades, Steve started to help out. At nine, they drew their weapons.
Shields, identical to those that the Dwarven warclans used, appeared in their hands. They looked like massive steel doors but they were used by Gurren and Lox as if they had trained with them all their lives, the weight not bearing down on them in the slightest.
Blades appeared in their hands; thick gray fog turned into swords wreathed in gray flames.
This was the seventh setting of Affinity for the weapons: a combination of them all that only Dave had been able to figure out due to his ability to manipulate all Affinities.
Steve’s axe easily cleaved apart shades while Lox and Gurren’s swords flashed outward, their shields appearing before the oncoming attacks. The shades’ ethereal claws, which would have left deep scratches in Lox and Gurren’s personal shields, left only slim white scratches.
This was the undeniable strength from a Weapon of Power!
The rest of Party Zero watched on. This was so that Lox and Gurren could get acquainted with their armor in battle. Letting them figure out how to accommodate for the Devastator armor would make them much more effective later on.
It was like a new Player figuring out the strength of a new spell or weapon.
They started to move faster and faster as the number of attackers reached up to fifteen. Still, they were able to keep off the shades.
With each blow, a shade was killed; again, they started to move faster and faster. Lox, Gurren, and Steve started to become hard to watch, their actions blurring as they moved between targets. Lox jumped up and smashed into the ground, using one of his fighting skills. He hadn’t dared to use it before, scared that it wouldn’t be powerful enough to kill off the shades before he recovered from the movement.
As he landed and slammed his shield down, the rocks around him exploded under the pressure. Everything within five meters was killed; anything in ten was heavily injured. Up to twenty meters, shades were thrown away violently.
A glow covered Gurren’s armor as he, too, used one of his skills. His speed increased sharply as he completely blurred, leaving behind him a path of destruction.
Steve easily dispatched a few remaining shades as Lox and Gurren defeated anything within reach.
Lox and Gurren returned to their positions.
“Can we fit a shower in here?” Gurren asked.
Lox laughed. “This Devastator armor really lives up to its name. I don’t want to leave either,” Lox admitted.
“Well, looks like you two are officially some badass motherfuckers.” Steve laughed and slapped their armored shoulders.
Suzy winced at the ringing.
“Well, seeing as it’s not too difficult on this floor, want to just separate out and fight individually?” Deia asked.
Suzy felt a grin rise on her face. Fighting together was necessary when facing powerful targets, but being able to defeat enemies by yourself—one could gain a lot more experience and the competition for who could kill the most rose Suzy’s fighting spirit.
“Pair up and head out,” Deia said.
Induca and Malsour went together. Gurren, Anna, and Steve also went off. Dave and Lox stuck together while Suzy and Deia continued to float together.
Suzy felt a faint frown on her face. She wanted to get out and do some killing. Deia, who was pushed to the back due to her being pregnant, would be a hindrance.
“Don’t look so sad. I can still kill at range,” Deia said, her eyes hungry.
Suzy’s frown turned into a smile, excitement filling her once again.
“Let’s see if we can’t kill some more shades!” Deia said.
“Lead the way.” Suzy laughed. The two of them flew away. Suzy’s Air creations created a cloud around her; as they moved, the Air creations grouped up on the shades, cutting them apart.
Deia used her fire ball and pillar spell, concentrated blue flames cutting through the skies to tear the shades apart with ease.
They might be Level 300 shades, but Deia was over a Level 1,000 in just her stat points. The strain on her body could be considered extremely light as she destroyed shades with ease.
***
Gurren and Lox high-fived each other after ten minutes of fighting. Anna grinned but shook her head, trying to hide her own pride.
Their group had killed the most shades and were basking in the glory. The other parties in the Six Affinity Temple looked at them with myriad expressions, from envy and anger to respect and admiration.
Some were muttering about them kill stealing. Steve was getting a lot of heat from that. He couldn’t resist ending someone who was wounded and near him.
His smile took on an embarrassed tilt as they progressed up the stairs. Ahead of them there were the Affinity pools. Alre
ady the sounds of battle rang out as people were attacking the different Affinity pools. The Magical Circuits that powered the Affinity pools had been turned off, though the Affinity spirit mobs continued to respawn.
“Shall we split, one half fight the Water Affinity spirits, the other half fight Earth Affinity spirits?” Deia asked. Having them all attack just the Water spirits would mean that some of them couldn’t use their full abilities. However, many of them were able to fight different Affinity creatures.
“Sounds good to me,” Malsour said. The others agreed.
“Very well. Malsour, Induca, Suzy, Gurren, and I can fight the Water Affinity spirits. Anna, Dave, Lox, and Steve, do you want to fight the Earth Affinity spirits?” Deia asked.
“Sounds good to me,” Lox said, taking command of the second group.
“Okay, let’s go.” Deia and Induca floated side-by-side, skirting around the Affinity pools so that none of the Affinity spirits within attacked them. Gurren trudged forward while Malsour floated a little back from him.
They reached the water pool where Water Affinity spirits were hiding. The water that had been boiled off had once again returned with the portal area being refreshed.
Malsour laid down area effect curses outside of the Affinity pool. Gurren’s armor and weapons took on a red sheen as he activated his Fire Affinity. Induca and Deia calmly floated in the air behind and to the side of Gurren.
“You ready?” Deia looked to Malsour, who seemed to have finished his curses.
“Yep, good to go,” Malsour said.
Deia used her senses to isolate a Water Affinity spirit. Her hand flashed outward and a bolt of blue flame hit the surface of the water, bringing it to an immediate boil.
A Water Affinity spirit burst from the water, charging the half-party that stood outside. It stepped across the curse’s area of effect. Black runes faintly appeared in the area, focused on the creature.
Induca unleashed a controlled pillar of flame from her hands as Deia unleashed wisps of white flame. None of the power leaked from these wisps of flame as they tore through the air. They hit the creature with explosive force, tearing holes in the Water Mana that formed its body.
It lost half of its Health before it reached Gurren.
As it reached Gurren, it was coldly rebuffed by his shield, actually being thrown back a few meters. Gurren, not letting this break in momentum go to waste, lurched forward. His sword blurred as it stabbed outward with a mechanical grace that could only be achieved by someone who had repeated the same move so many times it was engraved upon his very soul.
Holes appeared in the Water Affinity spirit. It tried to evade, only to be greeted by a wall of blades.
The Water spirit’s Mana surged to protect itself, filling in the holes. It lashed out with attacks but Gurren’s shield was there like a wall. The difference between the two was too great for the Water Affinity spirit to overcome.
Deia and Induca held back their attacks, seeing that Gurren had already been determined the winner of this fight.
With a wail, the Water Affinity spirit’s Health hit zero. A Mana core dropped to the ground, the sound of glass tapping on the floor with a crisp, clean ring.
Gurren’s hand extended and the core disappeared into a spatial ring. He had become so close to the water’s edge that another Water Affinity spirit had sensed him and leaped free.
Gurren jumped backward in one massive leap.
Fighting so close to the Affinity pool was a bad idea. Malsour’s curses slowed the Water Affinity spirit and did damage over time as Induca and Suzy fired spells into the creature. Steam rose from the creature. Deia and Induca had been testing their power before; now they poured it in.
Gurren, seeing that they were holding the creature back with their magic, held up his sword hand. A bolt thrower appeared; a faint red light surrounded it as a bolt was released. It impacted the spirit with a terrible force, violently combusting into Fire Mana. Steam obscured everyone’s view. They used their arcane sight without conscious thought, the scene in front of them becoming instantly clear.
Deia lazily brought her knife hand across her body. A wave of force that shimmered in the low light crossed the space in a split second. Where this thin force landed, it cut through the Water Affinity spirit. Its Health dropped to zero, water splashing down as a Mana core was once again revealed.
“How is everyone?” Deia asked as the steam slowly dissipated.
“Good to go.” Gurren’s bolt thrower faded away as a sword appeared in his hand again. Thin white scratches that had been on the surface of the shield had already faded away as it automatically repaired itself.
“Barely used any Mana,” Malsour said.
“Same,” Induca said. “Shall we increase the number that comes out?”
Deia thought on it for a moment. “I’m good to use some more power. If you’re all confident in facing them, we should be good to continue.”
Smiles appeared on Malsour and Induca’s faces, revealing their competitiveness.
“It would be pretty sweet if we were able to kill off all of these creatures faster than the other group,” Gurren said, luring her to agree.
Deia snorted and smiled. “There’s no way that they could beat us in speed.” Deia’s own competitive spirit came to the surface. “Ready yourselves!” Deia tossed out two more white flames that ran toward the Water Affinity pool before diving in. The water where they had entered exploded outward into vapor in a second.
***
Steve cocked his head to the side. His senses detected the three Water Affinity spirits that the other half of the party was fighting off. “Looks like the other group is pulling more of the Water Affinity spirits than our own Earth Affinity spirits. Looks like they want to have a competition!”
“Well, we should naturally oblige them!” Lox’s attacks sped up as his sword darted forward like a serpent, its aim true and unwavering as it hit the Mana core within the Earth Affinity spirit.
Hitting the Mana core was similar to cutting a creature’s head off. Without the Mana core firmly connected, the body died; without the body, the head died.
The Earth Affinity spirit turned into a loamy composition, falling to the ground with a deep green Mana core on top of it.
Lox didn’t even pause as he let out a roar. Green lines appeared around his body as he used a special taunting skill.
The Earth Affinity spirits that had been drifting through their Affinity pool now turned their heads as one. Sensing someone dared to enter their territory, they rushed forward like bloodhounds.
Steve’s laughter rang through the forest.
Anna’s wind blades tore down into the Affinity pools, thinning out the numbers.
Dave hovered next to Steve, a spear in his hand. The spear lashed outward, keeping the creatures at bay as he danced across the ground as if he were a piece of grass swaying in the wind. His spear reached out to pierce the Earth Affinity spirits. Where the tip of his spear landed, air seemed to be violently compressed and released, leaving invisible wounds within the Earth Affinity spirits.
Steve’s attacks cleaved through many; they repaired themselves, launching attacks at Steve and sending out Earth spears. Two worked together—an Earth prison spread outward, encompassing Steve within moments. Their magical power was too incredible!
Steve’s eyes narrowed, seemingly becoming serious for a moment. The ground under his feet exploded as if a bomb had gone off. His axe cut outward; the axe cut through the walls. A wave of pressure blew out the bars that were meant to hold him.
His foot touched the ground. He used his forward momentum, spinning so that his axe turned into a blur, the air behind it showing ripples of force as it passed. The axe crashed into the twin Earth Affinity spirits that had created the prison.
His right foot crashed down, his head whipping to the side as his axe rested along his extended leg. With another explosive step, he once again charged toward the nearly fifteen Earth Affinity spirits that were now
pushing out of the Earth Affinity pool.
Suzy looked down on the fighting with a calm and collected manner. She leveled her hand at a group of Earth Affinity spirits. Her clothes shook as a forceful rush of air raced past her.
With their speed, the fourteen advanced Air creations rushed to their master’s bidding. Their bodies were revealed to all, their sword-like edges now showing. White air rushed past as they moved. They looked like crabs with limbs made of Air blades.
Lu Lu let out an angered cry. The lightning phoenix raised her imperial eyes at her master’s enemies. Her eyes flashed as she opened her beak lazily. A stream of lightning easily passed the Air creation’s hitting before the creations attacks did.
The Earth Affinity spirits summoned Mana barriers.
The lightning hit the Mana barriers and broke into different strands of white arcing light.
The shields supported by the Earth Affinity spirits’ own Mana was equivalent to their life-force. They trembled slightly with this attack, not allowing them to make another attack as the Air creations were upon them. Their limbs seemed to meld into the wind before leaving behind thin and condensed lines of air.
These lines struck out at the Mana barriers of the Earth Affinity spirits. Where Lu Lu’s attack had merely slowed them, now they poured their life-force into their barriers. They lurched forward; angered groans that sounded like boulders smashing together came from their bodies as they unleashed their attacks on the Air creations.
Suzy seemed to be a mountain in the eye of a storm, her hair faintly drifting behind her as she looked over the battle. In fact, her own consciousness was managing the fight with the Earth creations. Her attack was to pin them in place so they didn’t overwhelm the others.
Still, her creations were not the weak, barely animated things of before. These were elegant and graceful, their strength equal to someone around Level 600 or 700 in strength. Normally a summoner could only make creatures that were half of their overall level. Suzy, using her Staff of Hecate and the cores that Dave had made himself, could surpass these limitations.
Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7) Page 41
