Now and then, Guy would use Storm Slash to knock the imperials into a wall, and while they clustered together and got up, Zuran would burn them down with Firestorm. Those who survived took a lance to the face from Kam. The lance’s tip poked out the back of a helmeted head. It was such a satisfying thing to see—vengeance for all the innocents slain by the empire.
Each wave of killed imperials cleared a path for Guy, Zuran, and Kam to search for an escape from the prison, but they had no clue where the fuck they should go and were left wondering if they should take the time to mutilate the dead. Eventually, that Cleric would show up and cast Resurrection. But is it worth spending all that time, along with AP and MP on it? Probably not. We need to find a way out first, then deal with that problem later. The fleeing trio ran past the second set of jail cells, and the panicked voice of a socially awkward woman called out.
“Guy!”
He stopped at the cell holding the woman. “Henrietta?”
“They attacked my library and captured me,” Henrietta said, stretching her shaking hand out to him. “They kept asking about the book I gave you and the others I have.”
“How did they know?” Because Rachael knew I visited this city before. They really did capture her. Fuck, they must have done horrible things to Rachael to make her talk. Guy’s thoughts answered his own question. He had to stop himself from bashing his fists into the wall. “Never mind. Kam, can those keys work on this lock?”
Kam held his Heavy Lance with one hand and grabbed the keys with the other as he approached Henrietta’s cell. “Let me see here . . .” Kam inserted one key and gave it a turn. “Nope. Let me try this one.”
She stared at him, wide-eyed, to the point that Kam had noticed and stopped. He raised an eyebrow at Henrietta. “Somethin’ wrong, lass?”
Henrietta pointed at Kam’s head. “You have horns!”
“Wanna stroke ‘em?”
She pointed at Zuran. “And he has wings like the men who attacked me.”
“Zuran is a fae, and he is on our side.”
She pointed at Kam’s feet. “And you have hooved feet.”
“Never seen a faun, eh? Well, tell ye what, if I get you out, then in return, maybe you could give me a—”
“Kam!” Guy cut in. “Bruh, seriously?”
“Oy, you cannot blame me for trying!”
Guy groaned. “Just hurry up!”
“Aye, I will get this opened. No need to fret.” Kam fiddled with the lock again—
“There they are!”
Guy and Zuran met Veronis, the imperial Cleric holding his staff glowing with blue and green astral energy.
“Keep trying,” Guy said as he gripped Asteria’s Sword and approached the Cleric. “We got this!”
Four imperial soldiers dashed and stopped ahead of Veronis, working as bodyguards to protect the Cleric. Zuran joined Guy and flipped open his tome brimming with power.
Henrietta’s eyes opened wide at the sight of the tome. “Hey! What book is that?!”
Zuran snorted. “It is not your typical bedtime story.”
Henrietta never took her eyes off of it. “I only ask because I have seen grimoires like that in my library.”
Guy analyzed his next opponents.
Veronis (Cleric) | LVL: 15 | Rank: C
Imperial Officer (Berserker) | LVL: 17 | Rank: B
Imperial Trooper (Berserker) | LVL: 15 | Rank: C
Imperial Trooper (Berserker) | LVL: 15 | Rank: C
Imperial Trooper (Berserker) | LVL: 14 | Rank: C
It looked like a tough battle. After sizing up the threat, Guy dashed and slashed Veronis’s imperial bodyguards first. There were four targets, three with swords and the officer with a big fuck-off axe. The Imperial Officer’s axe removed about 20 to 30 of Guy’s HP per hit. He had to focus on parrying to deflect those attacks. Thankfully, axes were slow weapons. Guy just had to keep his eyes on the axe-wielding Imperial Officer, then lift Asteria’s Sword to block.
Once again, Guy was on the defense, holding everything back to stay alive, and used his AP for Provoke. The four imperials were the largest threat, more so than Veronis, who only had a staff. How threatening could that staff be?
A lot more than he thought.
Veronis kept his distance from Guy’s party and twirled his staff as his body emitted blue and green light. A flash of light burst and swirled around the soldier Guy had exchanged sword clashes with. Their HP recovered. And to the side, the HP of an imperial whom Zuran fought rose as their wounds faded. Veronis undid the damage they had inflicted.
Okay, we need to change up tactics . . . Gang up on Veronis? Maybe, but then his bodyguards would attack us from behind, Zuran especially since he’s pretty squishy. “Zuran, focus on my target!”
Zuran followed suit. Guy held the bodyguards in one place, continually taunting them with Provoke. With the guards still, Zuran hurled his most hard-hitting spell, Fireball. The Mage made an imperial’s armored chest erupt in flames.
Veronis, as expected, continued to cast his healing spells upon the one bodyguard Guy and Zuran ganged up on. But it was no use, the HP loss suffered from Guy’s slashes and Zuran’s magic exceeded what Veronis’s healing spells could do. Eventually, the guard fell over, dead. Guy was laughing now and spun for the remaining guards, then used Provoke to ensure they’d focused on him. He and Zuran resumed their tactics, laughing at Veronis, who couldn’t do shit to stop them. Veronis had remained silent. During the fight, Guy glimpsed the Cleric, gripping his staff with both hands as he held it up and made his body shimmer with light.
What the fuck is he doing? Why isn’t he healing this asshole?
After ten seconds, Veronis finished what turned out to be a long cast. A swirling of sparkling stars rained upon the dead bodyguard. The guard stood up from the dead with his wounds sealing shut and his bloodstains fading.
He was back in the game.
Veronis had cast Resurrection, the spell he used to bring Guy back.
Guy jumped away from a cleave and held Asteria’s Sword forward, head covered in sweat. He assessed the situation. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Zuran nodded and held his tome with one hand as the pages flipped on their own. “I got this fool!” Zuran switched his aim to Veronis and shut his eyes to cast Fireball.
The first Fireball hit Veronis and turned his attire into a robe of flames searing his flesh. The second Fireball missed and scorched the wall. Veronis ran for safety, but that didn’t stop Zuran. He continued to cast back-to-back Fireballs, some hitting Veronis, most missing. Every Fireball cast forced Veronis to run, and a running Cleric couldn’t stop to cast healing spells, let alone Resurrection.
It’s all me now! Zuran’s keeping Veronis busy, so I gotta finish this before he runs out of mana!
Two guards rushed past Guy, ignoring him. Guy waved Asteria’s Sword about. “Hey, motherfuckers, come back here!”
Zuran paused and turned around, watching as the two soldiers came to him, their swords aimed to impale his bare chest wrapped in a caster’s shawl. “Oh, fuck . . .”
Guy ran for them. “Don’t stop, Zuran!”
But Zuran did, though his MP sitting at 21 probably had something to do with it. Zuran ran from the two guards, reached into his Inventory screen, and pulled out his last MP potion. He popped off the quark and drank. Guy caught up with the guard he was fighting, the one wielding the big fuck-off axe, the Imperial Officer. Since Guy was behind the Imperial Officer, he pierced the imperial’s back with a heavy thrust and spun to make a massive cut. The Imperial Officer continued chasing Zuran, and Guy was out of AP to stop it. He looked at the officer’s leg, focused, and slashed the back of it.
Critical Hit!
The Imperial Officer lost a leg and went down as the stub sprayed a fountain of blood everywhere. Guy stepped on the Imperial Officer's head, keeping him still so that he could push his sword through his chest and repeatedly stab the imperial until he died. He didn’t stop, and carved into h
is chest until his LP dropped. The Imperial Officer's body evaporated into a crystal, as his fuck-off axe lay next to it. Permadeath. Veronis couldn’t resurrect him. Now that there were fewer imperials chasing Zuran, he resumed his harassment of the Cleric.
Guy quickly checked the stats of the axe. He was curious as to why it hit so hard.
Autumnfall Cutter [Greataxe]
Rank: B
Attack: 15
Asteriarite Slot: [Asteriarite: Strength +1]
Asteriarite Slot: [Asteriarite: Strength +1]
Asteriarite Slot: [Asteriarite: Strength +1]
Requires: 30 Strength
It wasn’t actually called the fuck-off axe and the news was a disappointment for Guy. That fucker had a rank B weapon . . . no wonder he hit so hard. I guess that’s why his rank was B too. Your rank is determined by the rank of your gear.
With the Imperial Officer dead, Guy moved to the guard who had just resurrected.
Imperial Trooper (Berserker) | HP: 25%
They hadn’t been fully healed.
Once in range, Guy jabbed him swiftly, making his HP go below the 25 percent threshold. The imperial countered with a sword swing. Guy parried the attack, then followed up with a swipe across the imperial’s face. The swipe split his head open. Two were left, and Guy guided Asteria’s Sword to meet one of their necks. Asteria’s Sword left behind a red line that squirted three jets of blood every two seconds, stunning the imperial with shock. Stunned guards couldn’t defend themselves from a stab to the heart.
Thrust.
The blade of Asteria’s Sword came out the guard’s back and fae wings, killing him. This time, Guy made sure the guard stayed dead forever by carving the corpse until it looked like a piece of meat wearing busted armor. The body turned into a soul crystal seconds later—
“Got it!”
Those were the words Guy was waiting to hear. Kam opened Henrietta’s cell door, then readied his Heavy Lance and entered the fray. Guy pointed at Veronis. “Get the Cleric!”
Kam gave the Heavy Lance a twirl. “On it!”
They backed Veronis into a corner, forcing the fae Cleric to rage. He had a swordsman from space, a faun with a lance rushing him, and a Mage preparing to cast another Fireball to light his ass up. Veronis didn’t stick around and fled through the halls, abandoning the remaining soldiers who spun to see him escape, their hands held out to him.
“Wait, sir?!” one soldier cried.
Guy gripped his sword with both hands and made his approach. “Looks like your healer left your party.”
Zuran drew power from his tome and tossed a Fireball into the soldier, making his body erupt in flames. Kam and Guy took turns putting the other imperial to their weapons’ tips, adding his blood to the pool of red their boots splashed in.
They won another battle, leaving Zuran and Kam standing over the dead as they collected dropped loot. Guy winced and spun around, looking for a fourth that should have been in the room.
“Where’s Henrietta?” Guy asked.
Kam’s shocked expression was the same as Guy’s. “She was just . . .”
“Oh, man . . .” That was Zuran.
The three found Henrietta face down on the floor, ass up in the air. She held the Autumnfall Cutter’s haft in her left hand as it lay beside its owner’s soul crystal. Henrietta had grabbed the axe when Guy, Kam, and Zuran finished the fight and then she had blacked out. Henrietta must have thought she could help, not realizing that touching afflicted weapons would make you blackout first, then wire astral circuits into your body.
Guy dropped to his knees. “Henrietta! That axe wasn’t for you to touch!”
Chapter Forty-Six
Xanthe held the handlebars on the imperial airship’s hull, icy winds blowing her long, black hair and wings. It was the only thing she could hear. Bringing up her Status screen, Xanthe double-checked her flight status.
Flight Speed: 121.5 KP/H
Flight Time: 12 Minutes 54 Seconds
She could do it. She could make the long-distance flight to the escort sentinel ship across the gap. Leafblade did it, so she could too.
And if he is still on board, maybe I can ensure he has an accident when he nears the door to leave.
It was a long drop to the ocean, a depth she avoided looking at. No shadow angel had ever flown at this height. Their wings would grow tired, causing them to fall to certain injuries.
Today, Xanthe prepared herself to be the first.
She spread her rustling raven wings, released her grip from the safety handle—
—and fell.
Xanthe never plummeted. Her flapping wings kept her elevated with the airship and sentinel ship flying side by side. Turning to the ship, she located the side entrance Leafblade entered, and propelled herself forward.
She was cutting through the skies faster than she could imagine. It did not take long to cross the gap between the two ships. Xanthe’s wings felt stronger, keeping her airborne even though she did not have to flap them as much. The laws of gravity and physics were bent when afflicted people performed specific actions. She questioned if Asteria sent the affliction or not.
The sentinel ship was a mere two minutes away. The journey gave her ample time to get a feel for afflicted enhanced flight. Not only was her speed faster, but Xanthe felt as if she could perform twirls in the open or rolls up and down. She descended quickly, only to turn, look up, and ascend into the air rapidly. Making a full stop was easy, just staying vertical ensured her flapping wings kept her in the air.
In her vision, a countdown timer ticked away.
Flight Time Remaining: 9 Minutes 8 Seconds
An indicator to inform Xanthe when her wings would become exhausted. Something to note for the future. She could still tumble to her death if she stayed in the skies too long.
Xanthe flew to the silvery hull of the sentinel ship, granting her a closer glance at its strange design and machina devices blinking with light. She found the doorway Leafblade used, and it slithered open when she floated ahead of it. Were the sentinels expecting her? Or was it something else? There was no time to debate it, and she entered.
The air turned humid instantly; the air pressure changed too as the machina doors slid shut behind. Darkness enveloped Xanthe. She was aboard the ship and soared above the dark blue floors, past walls covered with coiling, black, tubular objects. She eased the flapping of her wings, causing her body to float down and stand on the floor. Flying might have been faster than walking or running, but her energy was draining. She would need that energy to fly back after she dealt with Leafblade. As time passed, she noticed that her flight timer ticked upward. The longer she gave her wings rest, the more flight time she could recover.
Weird sounds emitted throughout the ship as she traveled its machina-lined halls. It did not look like the hands of the star-dwellers constructed it—not the ones she knew, at least. She stroked the wall and felt the icy touch of metal. The floor was the same. The sentinels were another race that nobody, not even the star-dwellers, knew of, and they possessed machina far more advanced.
Farther up, Xanthe heard Leafblade’s voice. She grabbed her Steel Edge and Heavy Kilij, dual-wielding them, and crept toward his voice. Today, Leafblade would die by her sword, and the eyes of imperial soldiers would not witness it. As for the sentinels, well, that was another story, though she had noticed none—
“. . . I need more than that . . .”
That was Leafblade’s voice again, and it led Xanthe to a chamber, its walls illuminated by blue light rising to form square-shaped objects. She peeked in to see Rachael floating above the floor in the center of the chamber. They had bound Rachael with ropes that looked like flowing energy.
Follow Leafblade – Quest Complete
Objective: Escape the airship and fly to the door Leafblade used on the sentinel ship.
Obtained: 1000 Experience Points
Xanthe has attained level 12!
Leafblade looked at Rachael, his arms c
rossed over his cuirass reflecting the blue hue.
“I told you everything about the fleet,” Rachael said.
Leafblade snorted. “Everything but where it is located.”
“I told you that, too,” Rachael said, sighing. “The fleet never stays in one location. It’s always moving. Even if I were to know its exact location, it might have moved by the time you got there.”
“That is a lie.”
“It’s true!”
“If it is always moving, then how do you know where to find it when returning from trading with us land-dwellers?”
“From a tracking beacon.”
“And earlier you said it was pointless to capture the ship that your friend, Guy, fled on, claiming there would be no way to get the fleet’s location from it. You said there was no tracking beacon. You are lying.” He yanked on Rachael’s leg, pulling her down to meet his gaze. With his other hand, Leafblade grabbed and pulled Rachael closer to his angry face. “You feed me another lie, and I will have Guy executed.”
“What?” Rachael gasped in shock. “But—”
“We found him, thanks to the few true things you have told us,” Leafblade said. “Tell us the truth, now, and both you and Guy can go free. Where is the fleet?”
“I’ve already told you enough,” she said. “Just let Guy go.”
“Why is he so important to you?”
“Because . . .”
“Save it.” He pushed Rachael away, and she floated to the wall, smacking her head against it. “I do not really care—”
“Sir.”
That was an unexpected voice, one that even Leafblade’s flabbergasted gaze was not expecting. He spun to the flickering image of an imperial soldier. The imperial appeared as a blue and white ghost, and he looked like he stood on the airship Xanthe had just left. It was strange looking at the image. It was like the two points had merged to forge a ghostly visage.
Leafblade crossed his arms. “What is it? I am busy.”
The ghostly-looking imperial soldier spoke. “The sentinel ship we sent to Mennaze has transmitted an urgent message, your eyes only.”
“Can it not wait?” Leafblade said and grimaced.
Star Paladin: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 1) Page 35