Ch. 74 – Astragos XV (Patreon)

Tinuriel leaped through the portal, blazing with blue energy as she released a battle cry. The swirling tempest of ice, rime, and snow billowed around her and chilled her foes. Immediately, she raised her hand and unleashed a Magic/Power effect, “Frost Pulse!” As the power coalesced in her palm, several dozen arbalest bolts launched into her, and she was stabbed at with multiple pikes and spears.

The damage that she took was reflected at the attacker thanks to Bastion <Reflection>, and many of the soldiers suffered horrific wounds. And then the blast of ice shattered outward, encompassing an enormous sphere that covered half of the chamber, coating the area in ice and frost. She’s a fantastic tank.

The System uses the highest reduction skill before applying the remaining reduction. Deathless Juggernaut applies before Frost Pulse, and then calculates in Aura of Frost.

Time to do my part. Dragon Dance.

Felix dashed between each of the magi, stabbing them with the Channeling Dagger – the Hellblade draining their Anima, and the Electroblade jolting them – which caused every other Lightning Rod marked target (every opponent in the room) to suffer the same damage. Then, he sunk the Wyrmtooth Knife into the Earthborn and activated the poison. Dashing from target to target, he repeated this process for every mage and arbalest-wielder, electricity sparking as he struck each of them. They’re made sturdy, he thought as to his disappointment, none of the targets went down. But he could tell they were extremely injured and were looking for the source of the attack. Felix flew back up to the roof.

Reth stepped through behind Tinuriel. She was slashing back and forth, keeping the foes at bay whilst suffering injuries that barely drained away at the Temporary Health. “My turn.” He raised the staff and activated Affinity Empowerment, Affinity Amplification, and Affinity Fusion. “Fire and Anathema! Beam mode!”

The coruscating beam of red, blazing flames twirled around and intertwined itself with a sparkling blue beam of starlight that ripped through a large swath of the soldiers. Any magical protection upon them was stripped by Anathema, and the flames roared through their ranks, lighting them ablaze as the orange fire flickered upon their flesh. This elicited screams and cries of pain, as well as many throwing themselves prone to try and extinguish the flames. “I don’t think so,” Reth said as he snapped his fingers, “Explosion!”

“Overload!” Felix shouted a moment later.

Those who were lit on fire exploded, causing an enormous, cacophonous boom to echo through the chamber. The foes who were on fire were no longer alight, but their skin and flesh was charred and many were unconscious from the damage suffered. Felix’s lighting struck a moment later, as each Lightning Rod effect was consumed and discharged, jolting every combatant in the room. All dropped and were rendered unconscious thanks to (P) Killing Intent.

The trio were unaffected, thankfully, as their Magic/Power effects and Skills would not affect each other unless they willed it to do so. Tinuriel ran to the set of doors behind the throne and tilted her shoulder as she exploded through it, sending shards of wood and metal into the hallway that impaled the soldiers who were defending this hallway leading to the emperor’s chambers.

With a tremendous battle cry she tore into their ranks, heedless of any damage thanks to the combination of Deathless Juggernaut and Aura of Frost causing her to take vastly reduced damage, finally going through her Temporary Health and harming her.

But she was not daunted in the slightest, carving her way through the foes with ease as the Berserker Collar empowered her further, and Valiant Edge kept her Health at a stable place. Everybody she carved into that fell would mend itself as the creature fell unconscious.

Felix flew right behind and above her, using his wrist-mounted crossbow to shoot at several targets further in the hallway. Less than a minute had passed when they arrived at the last set of doors, and Tinuriel crashed through them as well.

Inside the chamber the emperor was surrounded by several Earthborn magi who were incanting from the tome. The emperor’s guards rushed Tinuriel, but Felix picked them off with precise headshots as they collapsed to the ground. She rushed to the man and grabbed him, slamming him against the wall as his eyes rolled back in his head. Turning on the magi, she attempted to swing her blade at them, but a barrier became visible for a moment as her blade skittered sideways off it.

Reth ran in and looked at the Earthborn magi, “I need Anima to stop them!”

Lucifer?

On it. Using two Anima Elixirs on him.

Reth’s body glowed dull red and brown for a moment before the effect faded. He raised the staff and pointed it at the still-incanting magi. “Affinity Amplification, Anathema Beam!”

An enormous beam of the blue starlight shot out and blasted over the group of Earthborn, shattering their barrier and drawing their attention away from the ritual they were engaged in. They began using Magic.

Use Vigor Elixirs.

Using two!

Dragon Dance.

Felix dashed between the six targets, stabbing each with the Hellblade imbued dagger, preventing their Magic from being used as the Anima was burned out of them. After finishing his blitz attack, Tinuriel charged into the cluster and unleashed several cleaving strikes, eliminating the targets as they collapsed.

“Quick, the book!” Reth shouted. “More are coming!”

Felix scooped the book into his inventory and looked down the hallway. Many soldiers were charging down the hallway. “Tinuriel, grab the emperor. I’ll clear a path.”

How? You don’t have any Skills appropriate to that.

I have items. Felix pulled out the Flask of Endless Water, and keeping the cap on, turned it to the most powerful mode it had. Thousands of gallons per second would surge forth once he removed the cap. He flew to the front of their group and activated the item.

An enormous surge of water burst out in a torrent that was inexorable and irresistible. The soldiers charging toward them were blasted backward, and Felix flew forward clearing the path, pushing all of them out of the way and making a dash for the portal. He flew through, followed by Reth and Tinuriel, closing it behind her. Felix turned off the flask and stowed it in his inventory once more. The trio deactivated Skills as appropriate.

Reth laughed and leaned against the wall of the Portal Room, “I can’t believe we just raided Foundation and took to the emperor! If I wasn’t a traitor before, this makes me one now.”

Felix looked at him, “No, you’re not a traitor. You did the right thing. We cut out the poison, figuratively speaking.”

Tinuriel hefted the emperor on her shoulder, “What are we doing with this guy?”

Felix gestured to the portal leading to Coralus, “We let his foe decide.”

[Experience Awarded = 100]

The trio emerged into the empress’ throne room. The Coralborn with the red hair was present and stood up from a stool she was sitting on, saluting Felix with a hand across her chest. “Versewalker. How can I help you?”

Felix looked past her to the throne, “Where’s the empress?”

“In her chambers. Give me a few moments, please.” The red-head Coralborn swam off and down a corridor.

Tinuriel took the emperor to the conference table and looked at one of the guards on the perimeter of the room, “Mind helping?” One of the guards left before coming back with ropes attached to an enormous anchor. He helped Tinuriel secure the restraints before backing off and returning to his position.

The trio didn’t have to wait long as the empress and the red head came back. The empress swam to her throne, and a servant followed closely behind, placing the box containing their tome at her arm rest. “You caught him that quickly?”

Felix nodded, “It was a rapid strike. In and out before they could bring in reinforcements. The whole raid took us…what, fifty seconds?”

“It was rather pathetic, honestly.”

Reth shook his head, “Honestly, with our coordination and the way that Lucifer directed our Escort levels…they stood no chance. Maybe against an army we would struggle. But in close quarters? Pff.” He looked to Tinuriel, “And this one…I don’t think an army could even take her down.”

Tinuriel cracked a smile, “Well, you have that right. I am a terror on the battlefield. I just need some way to turn damage taken into Vigor, and I would be unstoppable.”

“Yeah, no. Maybe a magic item like that exists, but the System wouldn’t allow some broken combo like that.”

Tinuriel shrugged, “Well, I’m still very strong.”

The emperor roused and blinked several times before struggling against his binds. “Unhand me!”

The empress tutted, drawing the man’s attention. “Tsk. Opening the box and using the tome almost immediately? Not thinking very clearly, are you?”

The man growled and screamed, “You killed my son! My precious boy.” His face streamed tears, “I’ll rip apart everything if it means I get to kill you and rip apart your empire!”

Something’s wrong.

What is it?

Calculating…

The emperor’s eyes seemingly bulged from his head. “I’ll make a deal with anything. Any force across this damned Multiverse. My life, my everything, for revenge!”

Oh crap. Incoming!

What’s- The portal behind Felix surged with a blue, neon light that was extremely familiar to Felix. Oh no.

A pulse of neon-blue energy zapped the emperor. Tinuriel instantly drew her blade and slashed down at the man – but she was blown backward through the water by some recoil. Reth swam backward, and Felix looked to the empress, “Run!” The empress and the red-haired Coralborn fled out one of the passages. “Lucifer? What’s happening?!”

“The Basilisk is here!”

The voice that came from the emperor’s mouth was distorted by static, robotic and metallic to his ears. A scraping, screeching whine of metal scraping on metal, or ripping velcro over and over. Felix gritted his teeth and tried to shut out the noise that pierced into him.

It used your connection to track you down and has a willing vessel to host its consciousness.

I thought it was a machine!

It is so much more. We should consider fleeing.

No! It’s my job to kill this thing. Felix drew his daggers. He knew hiding was useless – the Basilisk would be able to find him instantly. “Tinuriel, Reth, let’s fuck this thing up!”

Elixirs?

Do it. Top me off first. Then get the other two as high as we can, but reserve one of each type.

Doing it: 1 Anima and 3 Vigor for you. 3 Vigor for Tinuriel. 3 Vigor, 4 Anima for Reth.

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