[Salvos] 89. Seeing the Light (Patreon)

89. Logic and Reason

***

[Mindreaper - Lvl. 82]

[Cultist - Lvl. 73]

[Cultist - Lvl. 68]

[Cultist - Lvl. 65]

Daniel and I charged the Mindreaper and the three [Cultists] surrounding it. The monster turned its head, taking a moment to recognize us as an intruder, before blaring its mind magic at us.

I winced, but fought through the pain as [Self Haste] propelled me forward. Daniel couldn’t keep up, however he was in the middle of using his Skill, slashing out and sending a blade of light in the direction of the flying Mindreaper.

A volley of magical arrows appeared out of thin air, in the air just above the Level 73 [Cultist]. He looked to be a man who was also in his 70s, dressed in black and red robes, standing out from the other two who wore plain black robes.

These arrows soared through the air and towards me at extreme speeds. They were almost ethereal— I swore I could see through them. And I was right, because they were made of pure arcane energy. The magical attack whizzed past me, dozens of them landing all around me. And—

One of them nicked me. It pierced through my skin, draining me of mana in an instant. And more left minor cuts throughout my body. I grimaced as another volley readied to launch itself at me. More mind magic blasted me, making me want to curl up and hide underneath a rock and scream. But [Charge of Embers] once again proved itself useful as more than just an offensive Skill.

It brought me straight to the Mindreaper, helping me evade the second volley of arcane bolts. Just as I reached it, a blade of light— Daniel’s Skill— finally reached the Mindreaper too. We had both agreed beforehand to always focus our attacks on these mind mages first. Their attacks were too powerful and their defenses were too weak, making it the best course of action for us.

So the blade of light cut through the Mindreaper’s leathery skin, before my own fiery spear jabbed straight at its chest. It recoiled, trying to dodge the attack, however I let the fiery weapon dissipate and sent a [Scorching Wave] at its open wound.

The monster zipped through the air, trying to put distance myself and it as the [Cultists] below me readied more spells of more than just the arcane, but fire, earth, and ice. Not wanting to be hit by any of them, I bounded out of the way as I began creating a kusarigama.

I first started with the chains, hurling it at one of the Mindreaper’s tentacled feet, pulling it down with me as I landed back to the ground and [Self Haste] came to an end. Then I tugged the chains while Daniel intercepted the three [Cultists], interrupting their flurry of magic.

The Mindreaper came snapping down like a whip, straight into the sharp edge of the fire sickle, letting out a telepathic scream. It writhed on the floor before me; it let out its last desperate call for help as it blasted me with another, stronger wave of mind magic. But I grabbed it with my claws, my entire body now lit on fire, and began tearing into the monster until it stopped moving.

I did not even stop to take a moment to breathe. The moment I realized the Mindreaper was dead, I rushed to Daniel’s side. The [Hero] was being overwhelmed by the three [Cultists] combined strength. And why wouldn’t he be losing? Each of their levels were far above his.

He was in the middle of grappling the Level 68 [Cultist] as the Level 73 one prepared a powerful ball of arcane energy, when I joined the fray. I interrupted the casting of the spell, immediately unleashing my [Fire Strikes] at the withering man. A flash flickered around him— a protective barrier stopped my claws from meeting skin.

An artifact?

It definitely had not been some kind of a barrier he put up. It came into existence too quickly for it to be one.

I managed to land one final [Fire Strike] to break the man’s aura of protection before the last [Cultist] blasted me back with a blast of ice. It froze at my skin, however I bit through the frostbite and pushed myself off the higher leveled [Cultist] and leapt onto the lower leveled one.

I no longer had my kusarigama on me— my mana too low from being drained by the earlier arcane arrows— and was relying entirely on using my claws and [Fire Strike]. The [Cultist]— barely above me level— didn’t stand a chance even then. She screamed as my claws tore into her face, ripping her to shreds without any magical protection on her.

I was off her in an instant, evading the arcane spells of the old [Cultist]. He tried to block my path by creating a barrier of arcane energy just ahead of me, but I saw the fissure in the air— the interwoven threads of mana alerting me of the Skill— and I leapt over it before it could halt my pace.

I couldn’t stop, not even for a moment. The damage that had been dealt against me was too much. Even with my increased [Vitality] from raising it, I had been inundated by attacks from Level 70 and 80 beings— those far stronger than me. All I could do now was rely on my speed.

I continued running, dodging the oncoming spells as it blew apart the hallway of the castle. It laid waste to the already ruined building. Until finally—

Daniel finished off the Level 68 [Cultist]. He drew his sword back and instantly rushed the arcane spellcaster while he was still distracted by me. His blade tore into the back of the older man, drawing his attention, and letting me close in on him too.

The two of us hit him from both sides, avoiding his magic easily by splitting his attention in half. Then with that, we easily finished him off. His [Vitality] as a mage-type [Cultist] clearly not as high as if he had been a warrior-type.

Defeated [Nightmare Mindreaper - Lvl. 82]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 20 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

…

Defeated [Cultist - Lvl. 73]!

More experience is awarded for defeating an enemy at least 10 levels above you!

Less experience is awarded for defeating an enemy with the help of others!

Subspecies [Midday Changeling] Level Up!

[Midday Changeling – Lvl. 61] -> [Midday Changeling – Lvl. 62]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Subspecies [Midday Changeling] Level Up!

[Midday Changeling – Lvl. 62] -> [Midday Changeling – Lvl. 63]

Gained 5 Stat Points and 3 Skill Points!

Overall, it had been a quick and bloody battle. It had only been four opponents, and yet I was left just as hurt and injured as when I had been chased by the horde of monsters led by a Mindreaper at the outer city of the Brilsum Ruins.

And unlike back then, Daniel didn’t come out of this unscathed either. He and I both collapsed to the ground, panting and bleeding as we took the moment to gather ourselves. My Human companion quickly produced a healing potion, the same one he offered me last time, and spoke up through labored breath.

“Do… you… want… it… now…?”

Managing to muster a nod, I gladly accepted the healing potion. I chugged it down as quickly as I could while he took another one and drank from it thirstily. I watched the wounds around my body— the burns and the cuts and the freezing— close, and felt the wounds to my mind disappear as well.

The damage was not fully gone. However, this was a high quality healing potion according to Daniel. It would have restored even severed limbs if one took it. Even though I did not lose a limb in the fight, I was grateful for its effects.

I lay there— not long enough for [Rest] to take effect— but long enough until I was satisfied. Then I got up and pulled out a stamina potion and mana potion respectively. I downed both too, before turning back to Daniel who had taken one of each as well.

“That was… the first Mindreaper… in here…”

I had to take a moment to catch my breath; it had still only been minutes since the fight. We couldn’t just waste time here, especially if another patrol of [Cultists] came. My Human companion slowly stood up and sheathed his blade.

“It was. And yet, killing it didn’t break the magic on them.”

“Killing them never did.”

I shook my head, remembering how we would kill Mindreapers outside, but the hordes they were controlling would be completely unaffected.

“There are other Mindreapers around. And their magic can reach more than halfway to the edge of the canyon. I’m pretty sure another Mindreaper just takes over in keeping the monsters and Humans here asleep once one dies.”

I stalked through the ruined hallway, gesturing for Daniel to follow me.

“Let’s move to some place more safe and [Rest] for a bit.”

“I won’t argue against that, but—”

The Human man faced me with a serious look.

“We really need to talk after this.”

***

Edithe brought Rachel to the training grounds of the Valiant Dreamers Company. It was crowded— even more so than usual— since everyone was gathered to hear about the status of Baris.

Not only was he the bookkeeper of the company, which everyone knew was one of the most important jobs that kept the Valiant Dreamers from running itself into the ground, he had been their founder. And as such, a lot of people looked up to him. Edithe included.

Rachel did not care as much, it was obvious from the look on her face. However, that didn’t stop her from following Edithe as she waded through the crowds of people and into the room Baris was in. She knocked on the door lightly, having been let through from the crowd by Ian.

And Paige opened the door, smiling.

“Took you long enough! Come on, he’s already taken the antidote!”

She spoke excitedly, ushering Edithe into the room. Rachel clung onto the red haired woman’s hand, not wanting to be separated from her amidst all the chaos, and the two were thrust near Hadrian and Gabriel, hovering over the bedridden Baris as the [Healing Mage], Stannis, poured a vial of liquid into his mouth.

Edithe turned to Paige, speaking uncertainly.

“Is he, uh, taking it now?”

“Yes. Gabriel just finished the antidote this morning, and he’s certain that it will eliminate all the poison left in Baris’ body. He’ll be fine.”

The confidence in her voice reassured the red haired woman. If only a little bit. There was trust here— this company had been built on that very basis. It wasn’t like most other companies where everyone was there purely for their own financial gain. The Valiant Dreamers were more like… a family.

Edithe remembered when she first joined. Paige had been a Silver Rank, close to Gold at the time. And despite being busy with her own schedule— trying to do whatever was necessary to cross through the threshold to get promoted— Paige never once ignored Edithe when the red haired woman nervously asked for help or advice.

Despite being the loner that she had been, Edithe was welcomed in this company. She thought it was a family, and she knew the others thought the same. So, Paige, Edithe, Hadrian, Gabriel— everyone in the room— watched silently as the antidote went down Baris’ throat.

It was quiet, so quiet, that they could hear every swallow the founder of the Valiant Dreamers Company made. The last of the liquid dripped into his mouth and for a moment, everyone held their breath. Then suddenly, there was a cough. And another. And another.

Baris broke out into a fit of coughs as Hadrian rushed in with a panicked voice.

“Dad!”

Edithe tensed as Paige stepped forward too, worry in her eyes more than anyone else. Baris had been the one who brought her into the company, after all. He was like a father to her. If anything happened to him, she would surely be the second one after Hadrian to break.

The red haired woman might not have been as attached as Paige, but she was concerned too. A single bead of sweat rolled down her head as she watched nervously. Until Baris sat up, letting out a final, wet cough.

“Y-you—”

Baris sputtered, turning to Hadrian.

“Where…”

The old man trailed off, eyes wide as he looked around. Everyone stared at him expectantly, but he was confused. He had been unconscious for a week this last time, and the moments he spent awake then had been nothing more than mere moments. So, Baris blinked and tried to take in his surroundings while Edithe sighed in relief along with everyone else.

“It worked…”

“He’s fine! The antidote worked!”

A few voices cheered, but a single wave of the hand by Gabriel silenced them.

“Of course it worked. I told you it would.”

Despite brimming with confidence in his voice, the fear in his eyes from earlier definitely betrayed his words now. Edithe laughed as Baris frowned while being consumed in a hug by Hadrian.

“How… how long have I been out?”

***

Salvos (Death of the Destroyer)

Species: [Greater Demon]

Subspecies: [Midday Changeling] - Lvl. 63

General Skills:

[Advanced Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 4

[Identification] - Lvl. 5

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 1

[Racial Skill: Mortal Form] - Lvl. 2

[Rest] - Lvl. 3

[Title Skill: Zealous Call] - Lvl. 2

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 70 (+5)

[Strength]: 43 (+5) (+2)

[Endurance]: 65 (+5)

[Wisdom]: 82 (+5)

[Agility]: 126 (+5)

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 3]

[Advanced Fire Creation] - Lvl. 25

[Charge of Embers] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Fire Strike] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Ignition] - Lvl. 5 (Maxed)

[Scorching Wave] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Self Haste] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Passive - Blue Flames] - Lvl. 15

[Passive - Deadly Instincts] - Lvl. 9

[Passive - Weapon Mastery] - Lvl. 5

Daniel and I found a small, secluded room close to where we had our battle with the Mindreaper to [Rest] in. I took the time the General Skill took to take effect to distribute all my Skill and Stat Points in a way that would ensure my survival in the Brilsum Ruins over anything else.

My [Agility] was important, as always, but [Vitality] had shot up to become my third highest Stat. And despite that giant leap over the course of a few weeks, I still wasn’t confident in my ability to survive any single encounter with more than one Mindreaper.

That was what Daniel and I had to avoid the most— a battle with multiple Mindreapers. But there were other things in my companion’s mind, because after we finished settling in, he turned to me and spoke seriously.

“Salvos.”

“That’s me!”

I replied cheerfully, although he did not seem entertained by it. Realizing that this was about what he had been discussing with me about before our fight against the Mindreaper, I put on a more serious face too.

“You wanted to talk about going back?”

“I do.”

He said the words with finality in his voice. Getting up, he glanced quickly over at the half-standing door blocking the entrance to the small room. Only a single sphere of fire I had created lit up the dark room. Night time had once again consumed the day, and there was no natural light to keep the place illuminated.

“It’s because of what I said about the [Cultists], isn’t it?”

“Yes. And not just that, it’s about what I’ve found written in the notes of the [Cultists] we killed.”

“And that is?”

“That you were right. They succeeded in summoning an Archdemon. They used Minotaurs as their sacrifice, and they got what they wanted.”

Sighing, I sat down in front of him. I tried to keep a small distance away from him, not to be too intimidating since he preferred me in my Mortal Form. But I didn’t look like a Human now. So, I was careful not to bare my teeth or do anything that he would find menacing.

He rubbed at his temples as he explained.

“Salvos, I know I was the one who offered to help you go back to the Netherworld in the first place, and I have no intention of going back on that promise. And I know I tagged along to go to the Brilsum Ruins out of my own volition as well. However, this is something that is even beyond me and you. We’re talking about an Archdemon here.”

“I’m a Greater Demon. Close to an Archdemon.”

I spoke simply, not disputing or denying anything he said. Just a fact. He shook his head.

“It’s not the same. This Archdemon has a whole evolution over you. Just like Lucerna. And unlike Lucerna, we don’t have an entire city already whittling him down, nor do we have Edithe and her Spirits with us. We’re in the middle of its— his, her, I don’t know— territory. It has done something to take over all the [Cultists], Mindreapers, and monsters in the area, and we’ll only die if we face it.”

I opened my mouth but he held up a finger.

“And we don’t even know what level an Archdemon is. You said it yourself, you don’t think you’re going to become one in your not evolution. So for all we know, it could be Level 100, Level 150, or even Level 200.”

“That’s…”

I trailed off and tilted my head towards the ceiling.

“That’s something that would easily kill us, yes.”

I agreed with him. He was being entirely reasonable here— just like how fighting Lucerna alone was suicide for me.

“However, we haven’t reached our goal yet.”

“And that goal is something that won’t disappear if it hasn’t already for thousands of years. The Fairies were here when Brilsum was still a city, and the Fairies are apparently still here now. So they’ll still be here in the future.”

He countered. I cocked my head, considering this. I had been insistent on proceeding with my goal— although he had been too, until we brushed by death and found out that a lot of bad things were happening here. And now…

“Huh.”

I spoke the words with a sigh. Feeling my shoulders slump and seeing the logic in what he was saying, I acquiesced.

“You’re right. We should go back.”

“Look, we can tell everyone about what’s going on here, then when it’s cleared out we can—”

Daniel paused and stared at me.

“Wait, you’re… agreeing with me?”

“Yep. We should leave. Now. If we stay here, we’ll probably die. It’s more than a Platinum Rank Dungeon. We weren’t prepared to face it.”

I stood up and he hurriedly got up after me.

“But… after everything, you’re just going to give up?”

I eyed Daniel, puzzled as to why he was trying to get me to stay now.

“It’s like you said, it’d be like fighting Lucerna but if he was uninjured and without our other companions. I wouldn’t do that. I went back once, to face him. I was alone, and that was to free Haec. However, I never planned to fight him. Just like I don’t plan on fighting an Archdemon now.”

I pushed the door open as I took a moment to remember my [Fiend] companion. My reunion with him once again cut short, because of too many unending obstacles.

“We didn’t come here to fight one, nor did we come here to fight Mindreapers leading an army. We came here to find Fairies and maybe fight some Minotaurs. However, even if I can convince an Archdemon not to kill me, I don’t think they’ll spare you. They’ll probably want to have you under their curse or illusion, and I won’t let that happen.”

“We can still sneak our way around the castle.”

For some reason, our roles were reversed now. Or maybe he was just disbelieving that I wanted to return too after being so vehement on staying. But…

“You need to sleep. And each time we leave and enter the Brilsum Ruins is a huge risk. If I mess up my [Zealous Call] even once, I’ll die.”

I spoke with resignation as we slowly stalked through the dark hallways, deciding finally that it was not worth it.

“Everything has risks, but the risks here are too large for something we’re so uncertain about. If I want to live to see Haec again, we’ll have to wait just a little while longer until we can come back here. Or go somewhere else entirely to find these Fairies.”

My Human companion stared at me for a moment, still in shock. Then slowly, a smile spread across his face. One of relief.

“Then let’s go back now. Before anything bad happens.”

I nodded in agreement right as we entered a large chamber— then we stopped. Soft, quiet footfalls made their way towards us. A light at the other end of the room shone, coming down from a grand corridor with an arched entrance way.

Light? But none of the [Cultists] or Mindreapers had needed it before. That was an idle thought. One that was instantly spoken over by another.

Run.

I was taken over by an impending sense of doom. Fear gripped me and pushed me to act. I grabbed Daniel’s hand, driven to get as far away from whatever this was as possible.

He blinked, following after me, but said nothing. I pulled him back to our hallway as light engulfed the chamber. A shadowed figure continued making its way into the room, walking through it slowly— at such a leisurely pace it was like they owned the place. And perhaps they did.

I hurriedly made it down the corridor, rounding a corner towards the room we had hidden in. I pulled the door open—

No.

I took a step back and yanked Daniel away. Where? Where can we hide...

There.

My head snapped in the direction the voice echoed towards. How did I…? It was mind magic. It could have been a Mindreaper for all I knew. But I followed it, running into the open courtyard through the crack in the wall as we passed by the body of the Mindreaper and [Cultists] from before.

A voice spoke up behind us. Not the one in my head, but a deep, booming voice.

“Hrmph, it seems I had been right. Some pests have been disposing of my Mindreapers.”

Daniel glanced back while I pulled him ahead. He watched the figure in the now-lit corridor, and the looming shadowed figure within. He opened his mouth as we reached a dead end but something still impelled me to go forward.

“Salvos, what are—”

“Just trust me!”

I spoke through clenched teeth. If this is a trick—

It wasn’t.

Daniel and I ran through the wall, and appeared stumbling into a luminescent, cavernous room. We were surrounded by rock walls— fully natural. Not like the rubble of the city. And it was here the portal behind us rippled.

It showed the courtyard we had been in. The figure we had been running from stepped out into the courtyard, barely visible to us and speaking with the same echoing, booming voice from before.

“Now, where did they—”

I tried to identify him. But the portal closed. A wall was left in front of us. The dull, gray wall of the cave we were in.

Blinking, I glanced around the cave. It was lit up by glowing moss covering parts of the rock wall like splattered paint. I sighed in relief and turned to Daniel. I opened my mouth—

And a voice spoke over me.

“Now that was close.”

The two of us jerked and glanced up at the glowing ball of light hovering over us. I stared at it— her— as she flitted about, zipping through the air above our heads.

“You idiots, don’t you know how close you came to dying?! Belzub would’ve killed you then me if you were a moment slower!”

I stared at the ball of light, dumbfounded. Nothing came out of my mouth, and neither did anything come out from my companion’s mouth. The ball of light came down right next to our faces, slowly dimming to reveal a Human-like figure about the size of my hand.

She had golden-blonde hair and yellow skin, both matching the glow around her. Only her eyes were black, and she snapped them between Daniel and I. She let out a snort.

“What? Is this your first time seeing a Fairy? Well, this is what I look like! Now stop staring! It’s weird!”

[Fairy - Lvl. 103]

Author's Note:

4,100 words. Longest so far.

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Side story chapter tomorrow!