DD 202 Ch 20 (Patreon)

Chapter 20

“Not talkative?” Brandon twirled one ax lazily. The man was rough, but he was built with square shoulders, only accented by the fur cloak. He didn’t fit with the two behind him, who looked like they belonged in a corporate office.

The second my eyes moved away from Brandon, him he exploded forward, dragging his axes low to the ground and stirring up dust 

Fayeth jumped ahead of me, smashing her shield into him before he could finish his swing. She rebounded off of him, sliding back on the smooth stone floor.

I saw the light of Charlotte’s heals in the corner of my eyes, but I couldn’t focus on that because Brandon turned and swung for me.

“Got you!” He taunted as another heavy swing seemed to rip the air apart.

[Dodge] pushed me inside his swing and I activated [Triple Breach]. My dagger punched at his chest three times.

On the third hit I cracked the leather armor, but I did no more damage than that.

Brandon Sayer grinned like he’d already won and his forehead glowed with an ability before he headbutted me.

The next thing I knew, I was feeling the cool stone on the ground while Charlotte healed me and Fayeth kept Brandon busy.

Des wove spells, doing her best to cover Fayeth, and Felin used ice and storms to protect our tank.

“Did you get the license plate on that bus?” I asked Charlotte, blinking my eyes a few times and touching my head to feel my hair matted down with blood.

“He’s level forty. Stronger than we expected. Get up. We’ll need you to resolve this.” Charlotte grabbed my arm and helped lift me up.

Bun-bun used that moment to try and take out Brandon’s legs but Brandon managed to step back and bring his knee forward to send Bun-bun flying.

Charlotte caught the rabbit, falling down in the process while her hands glowed green to heal the bunny.

I looked around. Apparently I’d been out for a minute, because gouges scored the castle walls that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

Felin tried to summon lightning to strike our target, but avshield of swirling wind tossed her back when Brandon pointed at her with one of his axes.

“Oh, the assassin is back on his feet. I wonder if he’ll survive another round? Hmm? Your friend nearly lost her head getting you out the first time.” Brandon taunted me.

Des threw a shadow bolt at his face to shut him up.

He easily deflected the hit.

“King Sayer, I think it would be best to end this quickly.” Trish said, putting down her drink.

Brandon smirked and blew past Fayeth. Wind whipped at his feet as he kicked off the wall and shot straight for Charlotte.

I asked [Eyes of Wisdom] where he would strike from, and a blue silhouette appeared next to Charlotte. Time was short, so I threw a dagger at the space for his head.

Brandon stopped short, blocking the dagger and giving me an appraising look. “Sorry, the lady wants this wrapped up.”

Purple lighting trickled off my finger tips with my single attack. I kept up [Eyes of Wisdom] asking them where his next attack would be.

It gave me half a dozen spots and I had to step back to avoid them all, only to see more light up on Charlotte.

Damnit.

Throwing three more knives to cover the options, I rushed him again, this time forcing him to accept three of my strikes before he spat a gust of wind that threw me back against the wall.

I didn’t even let the pain register before I was kicking off, rushing him recklessly, just trying to get a few more hits on the incredibly fast fighter. We’d known his class was some sort of elemental fighter. Now we knew more. He had the element of wind.

That element put me on the disadvantage when it came to speed, but thankfully, I was well accustomed to similar situations. I’d been training with Crimson.

Those few hits  helped ease the pressure as I pushed into him, using [Dodge] and [Shadow Ambush] to escape from dangerous attacks while Charlotte laid multiple healing over time abilities on me.

“Fine.” Brandon growled. Wind roared around him as his speed soared. He nearly teleported next to me and swung for my chest.

Turning, I took the shaft of his ax rather than the blade.

The hit collapsed my ribs, only for Charlotte’s magic to pop them back out as I was blown back.

There was a click as a chain link broke, and I stepped back as all of my weights came loose.

A heavy thud announced the weights on my legs falling out of my pants and cracking the stone floor.

I reached under my yorai and undid a clasp before pulling and a whole body suit of heavy plates and chains came out with my hand. “Ah. I forgot that this was still on me.” Dropping them for effect, they crashed into the floor shattering another section of stone. “Let’s see if I can’t entertain you better now.”

With renewed speed, I shot forward.

At that moment, I felt as light as a feather and as quick as a bolt of lightning.

Brandon parried two strikes and wound up another spell, only for Fayeth to crash into his side and force him to stop.

“Weights?” Brandon paused, staring at the cracks they’d made in the stone. “Trish, get off your ass and help me.” He burst into action, swinging his axes wildly creating numerous wind blades that forced us all to back off.

Trish was slow to get off the couch, but she summoned a staff into her hand and knocked it on the ground, creating a barrier around their guest. “I was protecting our new business partner.” She waved her staff back and forth, and several new square barriers popped up all over the room. One even appeared around Brandon.

“Typical, always leaving me to do the cleanup.” He smirked at me. “You’re in for it now.”

An intense sense of danger filled me and I jumped back as a barrier appeared where I’d just been standing, sweat beaded down my back. I instinctively knew that if I had been caught by the barrier, it would have cut me in half.

Cubes popped up everywhere around me. These felt less dangerous, but I had to rely on this vague sense of pressure before they appeared.

They quickly blocked me off from the rest of the party.

Fayeth was not as skilled in dodging. Several of the cubes caught up her arms and legs, pinning them in place.

As soon as she was immobilized, the barrier around Brandon disappeared and he shot out like a cannonball of spinning blades towards her.

I understood their fighting style better now. Trish controlled the battle with her barriers and isolated members of our party while Brandon finished anybody trapped off.

We couldn’t let that happen.

Felin summoned a bubble of ice around Fayeth, but I knew the bubble would only stop Brandon for a moment, if that.

[Metamorphosis] activated and my skin darkened as my body swelled. The signature ability of my secondary class was a powerful one, adding on my magic stat to my physical stats.

My yorai had some loose cloth to it and stretched with my new form.

All of the training I’d been doing with Crimson was about to pay off several fold.

Adding [Sprint] to the mix, I charged through the little barriers that Trish had put up. But rather than going to save Fayeth, I went after the real problem.

Trish glanced away from the battle for a moment, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she saw me charging through her barriers.

The little ones broke like glass, scraping my skin, but doing little else to me.

Trish knocked her staff on the ground, and I felt the now familiar pressure swell around me again.

Rather than dodge it, I used [Shadow Ambush] to appear next to her, my arm already cocked back and ready as I appeared.

Her eyes flashed, and I could see my massive fist in her eyes as I swung.

A little barrier came up between us and cut my hand, but it didn’t stop me as I hit her squarely in the jaw.

Her face collapsed under my fist as I launched her across the room and into the wall.

All of her barriers popped like soap bubbles as she bounced off the wall.

I followed her a second later, my fist ready to bury itself into her gut.

Only, she wasn’t shocked or even scared. Trish’s eyes met mine like she was ready to eat me alive.

A barrier expanded around her just before I could continue my assault.

This one was tougher than the last, and I found myself pushed back as it expanded.

“I’m sorry, Sir. It seems you brought along some interesting pests.” Trish apologized to the man as she got her footing under her and wiped a trickle of blood from her lips.

“It remains to be seen if this is my fault or yours.” He answered politically. “I won’t assume they are here for me until we know so with absolute certainty. It does appear that it is time for me to depart.” He stood up within Trish’s barrier.

I couldn’t let him get away.

Yet, it seemed Trish had a different opinion. “Nonsense!” She used a touch too much force. “Ray, get more of the nobles. We will get back to business discussion in a minute!” She sounded almost desperate.

Ray spun away as she became a whirlwind as he shot through the gaps in the stone.

It wasn’t time to watch; we needed to push to finish our strategy before Ray got back.

I slammed into Trish’s barrier again. It held and she smirked at me, but I wasn’t out of options.

My hands glowed as I activated [Triple Breach]. The first two strikes didn’t activate the armor penetration, but the third cracked the barrier like it was made of glass.

The look of surprise on her face lasted only a moment before she tried to protect herself once more.

I let her throw barrier after barrier up because there was a secondary purpose for me. Each strike gave me a stack of [Liminal Speed], and I was slowly gaining enough that I would be able to deal with what was coming.

***

Des drew her dagger as Brandon appeared before her like a wraith. The man was fast; faster than Ken before he built any stacks.

Yet, after being beaten black and blue by Crimson, he was anything but intimidating.

[Hex of Lethargy] hit him and slowed him down a notch as she activated her own [Metamorphosis]. The change was immediately noticeable.

Unlike Ken, her main stat was her magic, meaning the shift in her stats was significantly larger. She ducked under Brandon’s first strike, her spaded tail coming up and curling around his wrist so he couldn’t get far.

The man was strong too; her tail strained to hold him.

“Got you!” Fayeth was once again launched by Felin’s blast, roaring down the hallway to crash into King Sayer.

Des managed to loosen her tail at the last moment, lest it get ripped off with Fayeth’s charge.

The petite elf hit the larger man and smashed him into the wall. The roots added quite a bit of bulk to her.

Rather than use her glaive, Fayeth lifted back an armored fist and punched her opponent in the face.

Brandon got his ax up to block the hits, but the roots held on Fayeth’s armor and she didn’t care about the sharp edge in her way. “You fell for the same thing he did.” Brandon’s forehead glowed and he went to smash his head into Fayeth’s.

What he wasn’t expecting was for her root armor to grow up around her head at that instant. She threw her head forward as well.

The two heads colliding made an audible noise that sent a shiver down Des’ spine.

Des twirled her hand, calling on her reliable [Shadow Bolt] and hurled it at the man. The ball of dark energy smacked into his side, making him wince.

Brandon seemed dazed from his own headbutt as Fayeth laid into him with a series of punches.

“Get him!” Felin laughed like the current fight was nothing but fun. But everything related to hunting seemed to be fun for her.

She’d be a good addition to the party and Ken’s harem. Des’ lips curled up in satisfaction.

Felin’s spear had blue energy wrapped around it as she thrust it into Brandon’s other side.

“Not so tough when you can’t move?” Fayeth clearly had an ax to grind with him after being pinned down by the barriers and pummeled.

Brandon’s forehead glowed again and Fayeth matched him, looking a little dazed for it, but held onto him as hard as she could while Charlotte continued to pour healing into her.

Blood ran down Fayeth’s face, and Des felt anger stir in her, melting away her normal calm. [Demon Fire] burned purple in her hands as she hurled it at the stupid man hurting her favorite elf.

Brandon screamed as the fire seeped through his armor and into his skin.

[Demon Fire] wasn’t her strongest spell, but the damage it did over time hurt like an absolute bitch and her opponent deserved that.

Fayeth was getting battered by Brandon while Felin’s stabs started to produce icicles out of each wound on the other side from where Des was making him burn.

Charlotte was feverishly working to keep Fayeth alive.

“Trish!!!” Brandon screamed at the top of his lungs.

Glancing to the other battle happening, Des felt her lips curl up in satisfaction. Her man was the image of determination as his arms blurred while in [Metamorphosis]. Every few punches a clear barrier shattered.

Trish was too busy to help Brandon.

That was all that much better for Des as she poured more [Demon Fire] into the man’s side.

He flicked a potion out of his CID and tried to bring it to his mouth, only for Bun-bun to jump in the way and make an angry squeal. Thick red healing potion got all over his fur.

“I will wash it out!” Charlotte seemed fed up.

Bun-bun’s ears dropped and he took his anger out on Brandon’s face, his little claws digging deep furrows in his cheeks and also giving Fayeth a moment of reprieve.

Though, Des was fairly sure the assist was likely a happenstance. The rabbit was the most selfish creature Des had ever known, although he had his moments of tenderness towards Charlotte.

Brandon puked blood on the rabbit and Bun-bun disgustedly bounced off, swiping at his face.

The level 40 fighter looked like he was on his last few breaths.

“Fuck. If I’m going to die, I want to know who this is.” Brandon sagged in Fayeth’s arms.

Felin ripped her hood off. “You’ve offended my pride! We will crush you and all those you call family!” She declared without an ounce of hesitation.

Brandon blinked. “Ne… Nekorian? What the fuck did we ever do to—!” He gagged as Fayeth wound up and punched him in the throat with all of her strength and that added by her [Living Armor].

“You’ll be dead, and it won’t matter.” Fayeth started bashing him and Des knew it was over.

Yet, just when Brandon’s head caved in and Fayeth ripped off his CID, wind whipped in the hall and a whirlwind rushed through to deposit two dozen adventurers.

Everyone froze with the new additions, who looked startled when they found Brandon dead on the ground.

“Brandon!” Ray shrieked and tried to rush to his side, only for one of the nobles to hold Ray back.

The noble responded by turning into a whirlwind and swooping down on him, sucking him up and trying to blow away.

“Ray! Pick me and our guest up!” Trish was barely holding on. Barriers were snapping up as quickly as Ken smashed them down.

Des was fairly sure he was moderating his speed and toying with Trish.

His head jerked to the side almost too fast to see to keep track of their own fight.

Cocking her hip to the side, she smirked at Ken. Now he would see that it was good that he brought them along. They were a family and stronger together.

Ken met her eyes and then saw the men behind her.

In a flash, he shattered all of Trish’s barriers and slammed the woman into the wall, holding her by her hair, ready to finish her.