Demoness 2 - Chapter 55 - Scouting (Patreon)

Elania stood amidst the carnage, her divine form shimmering with an ethereal glow. The Lightbringers’ retreat had left the battlefield strewn with the fallen, their broken bodies a testament to the ferocity of the combat.

She moved among the corpses, her hand outstretched, drawing forth the lingering essence of the slain. The power flowed into her, a rush of energy that filled her being to the brim.

[Absorb the lingering Power from Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 154?]

Elania willed the absorption, feeling the soldier’s strength become her own.

[You have gained a rank in Martial Bladesmanship and Mobility!]

She grunted. That put [Martial Bladesmanship] to S+ rank. Not that she was going to have an advantage against a true master who had leveled it up naturally, but… if she needed to use the sword, she’d hopefully be capable.

She moved to the next fallen Lightbringer, repeating the process. With each absorption, she felt her power grow, her skills sharpening, her body adapting to handle the influx of energy.

[Absorb the lingering Power from Lightbringer Marksman - Human - Lvl 161?]

[You have gained a rank in Archery!]

Her bracers let off a diffuse glow and then turned to their normal, lustrous sheen as she finished topping them off.

The energy she had spent in the battle was fully replenished, her shards thrumming with barely contained power.

A thought crossed her mind as she surveyed the battlefield.

She had gained five new levels from the absorption, pushing her closer to the next perk checkpoint.

If she could reach it, she would gain another perk point to spend, further enhancing her abilities.

Elania’s musings were interrupted by the sound of the City Watch guards moving among the fallen, gathering loot and equipment from the dead.

A series of shouts erupted as a fresh Guard unit arrived from inside the district to reinforce the gate.

Elania strode towards the fresh unit, her eyes narrowing as she recognized Captain Harrik at its head. The sight of him soured her mood, memories of their previous encounter at the City Watch Headquarters flickering through her mind.

“You’re late for the fight,” she said, her voice sharp with annoyance.

Harrik met her gaze, unflinching. “If I had rushed my unit, they would be tired and of no use.”

Elania’s eyes raked over the soldiers, noting their pristine appearance. Not a single one looked as if they had seen combat. She bit back a comment on that.

A sergeant, one of the few survivors of the defense, approached them. “Captain Harrik, Lady Elania,” he said, nodding to each in turn.

“Report, soldier. Where is your lieutenant?” Captain Harrik said.

“Dead, sir. In the first wave,” the sergeant replied.

He launched into a detailed account of the battle, his voice filled with awe as he described Elania’s divine intervention. “Without Lady Elania, we would have been overrun.”

Harrik’s expression remained impassive, his reply noncommittal. “I see.”

Before Elania could respond, a lightly armored messenger hurried towards them, his face ashen. “Captain, I bring grave news.”

Harrik turned to the guard, his brow furrowing. “Speak.”

“Magister Astolf is reported dead, slain by a Lightbringer Paladin.”

A stunned silence fell over the group. Elania felt a chill run down her spine as the implications sank in.

Captain Harrik finally spoke, his voice trembling. “Only Magisters Keswick and Bannon remain alive. This bodes ill for the city.”

Elania couldn’t help but agree. With only two Magisters left, the city’s defenses were weakened, its leadership in disarray.

Well, it had already been in disarray, but now there were only two of the five leaders left… and herself, she supposed. Three major combatants against the remaining Elders and who knew how many Paladins?

Elania turned to Captain Harrik, her voice firm. “I’m going to scout for other Lightbringer attacks. See what I can find out.”

Harrik’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. “Very well. Lady… Elania. I’m sure you know how to use your abilities better than the rest of us.”

She nodded and then spread her wings, preparing to take flight.

“Good luck.” Harrik’s tone held a hint of relief, as if he was more than happy for her to leave.

Well, the feeling was mutual; she suspected. She didn’t like him much either.

Without another word, she launched herself into the air, her wings carrying her swiftly to the light stone level of the city. The wind whipped through her hair as she weaved between the chained stones, using them as cover.

She scanned the streets below for signs of trouble.

There was plenty of it.

Elania angled her wings, soaring towards the nearest plume of smoke. As she drew closer, she could see the flash of weapons, hear the clash of steel on steel.

She descended, alighting on a rooftop overlooking the skirmish. A group of City Watch guards were engaged with a squad of Lightbringers, the two sides trading blows in a fierce melee. They were inside the Conclave district.

Elania watched for a moment, assessing the situation. The guards were holding their own, but the Lightbringers had the advantage of numbers.

She considered intervening, but hesitated. Her mission was to gather information, not engage in every battle she came across.

Still, the sight of the guards struggling against the Lightbringers tugged at her conscience. She had the power to help, to turn the tide of the battle.

Plus, she could earn some levels.

A single undetected strafing run, with her dropping explosive light spears on the Lightbringers from behind, ended the fight.

Without stopping to land or talk, she continued on.

As she followed the circle around the Noble district, she found smoke billowing from the other gates leading out of the noble district, confirming her suspicions.

The Lightbringers had launched a coordinated attack, overwhelming the city’s defenses.

If they had taken the three other gates, they now had free access to the Slums, Conclave District, and Syndicate District. Essentially the entire North, East, and South sides of the city.

She spotted a particularly fierce battle at the causeway connecting the noble district to the Conclave district. The Lightbringers had breached the defenses, their forces pouring through the gap like a relentless tide.

Elania descended, alighting on a nearby rooftop for a better view and hopefully avoid the notice circling overhead would bring.

The Guard garrison at the gate fought valiantly, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. Monks from within the Conclave district had weakened their position, allowing the Lightbringers to strike with devastating effect.

“Fall back! Fall back to the secondary defenses!” a guard captain shouted, his voice hoarse with desperation.

But it was too late. The Lightbringers surged forward, their weapons flashing in the dim light of the cavern.

They cut down the retreating guards, their screams echoing off the stone buildings.

Elania gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists. She wanted to intervene, to unleash her divine power upon the Lightbringers.

But she knew she couldn’t be everywhere at once. The city was under attack from multiple fronts, and she had to prioritize.

She took to the air once more, turning toward the City Watch fortress. She really should head to meet with Magister Bannon and then report to Keswick everything she had learned and seen.

But…

She glanced over her shoulder.

There were a lot of Lightbringer targets in the open.

Elania wheeled around, her eyes scanning the battlefield below. She spotted a dense formation of Lightbringers, their shields locked together in a tortoise formation.

Her lips curled into a snarl as she summoned her [Power], infusing it into a barrage of light bombs.

She hurled the bombs with precision, guiding them with her will. The explosions rocked the Lightbringers’ formation, but their shields held firm.

Only one soldier fell, his body mangled by the blast.

[You have slain Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 142]

[You have lost 87 Karma.]

Getting close enough to absorb his essence wasn’t going to be easy, so she left the body for his fellows.

She turned her attention to the monks, their robes fluttering as they scattered across the battlefield.

She needed the [Divinity]from the monks, though.

Her wings folded, and she dive bombed them.

Light bombs and explosive spears found their marks, detonating in brilliant flashes of divine energy.

[You have slain Conclave Monk - Human - Lvl 138]

[You have lost 76 Karma.]

[You have slain Conclave Monk - Human - Lvl 141]

[You have lost 82 Karma.]

[You have gained multiple levels!]

At the last second, she expanded her wing surface and flared them, bringing her dive to a halt just above the ground and low enough for her fingers to scrap the blood pools of viscera and gore the explosions had created.

The mess rapidly disappeared into a shower of glowing gold that chased after her.

She pulled back up into the air to find another group to repeat the process.

It wasn’t long before she lost herself in the battle's rhythm, her divine form a whirlwind of destruction.

Time seemed to blur, the minutes stretching into an indistinct haze.

The only constants were the explosions, the screams, and the steady flow of power into her being.

Finally, her [Enhanced Mana Sense] spotted an Elder.

He glowed against the background, his mana denser and very obvious as he jumped over buildings moving in her direction.

She didn’t bother to finish the group she was about to attack. Instead, she turned and gained altitude, easily outpacing the Elder in the sky and keeping far away.

A smile appeared on her face. She could almost feel the annoyance created by her retreat.

Nothing interrupted her high-altitude flight.

The central district remained secure, but enemy forces surged towards the outer Magistry walls from the Slums and Artisan District.

The number of buildings blocked any hope of a clear line of fire, and there was little the defenders could do.

She noticed the Watch Fortress to the south faced a similar problem.

Elania banked sharply, her wings cutting through the air as she retreated to the Magistry Tower. Magister Keswick needed to be informed of the dire situation immediately.

Below, the Magistry guards scrambled to fortify their positions, barricading streets outside the walls and hauling cannons onto defensive towers.

The inner wall of the Magistry loomed ahead, a formidable barrier bristling with even heavier fortifications.

The tower itself boasted an array of weapon emplacements, artifice cannons filling the slots like the teeth of a gaping maw. More importantly, the value of having the area around the tower free of obstruction became apparent.

Maybe whoever had built it had been thinking ahead.

She alighted on one of the emplacements, her sudden appearance startling the guard stationed there. He whirled around, hand instinctively reaching for his weapon before recognition dawned on his face.

Elania waved off an apology. “I must speak with Magister Keswick immediately. The enemy’s siege on the City Guard fortress is intensifying, and I fear they may not hold much longer without reinforcements.”

The guard nodded, his face paling at the news.