Ulysses (Ranger) | LVL: 2 | Rank: D
The star-elf grinned as he maintained his sniper’s stance. “I’m going to have to start keeping score—” Ulysses stopped suddenly and looked up. “Oh, fuck! Guy, Henrietta, watch out!”
Guy’s and Henrietta’s ears picked up the sounds of something dire. The duo spun to see the sentinel ship plunge from the skies and land on the beach, blocking their path. Its strange doors slid open to unveil a land-human wearing black spiky armor with a small opening on the upper chest part where a sigil shimmered. On his arms were other shimmering sigils, and in his hands, a sword imbued with a dark purple glow.
Wylume (Nox Knight) | LVL: 15 | Rank: A
Dianna’s murderer had arrived.
Wylume leaped from his ship and locked his eyes right on Guy.
“Just him?!” Ulysses shouted. “Why aren’t the sentinels helping him?”
“The sentinels aren’t afflicted,” Guy said as he fixed his gaze to the charging Nox Knight. “They probably know, with my help, we can kill them. Wylume must be here to take me out first so the rest of the sentinels can act.”
Wylume held his sword high and dashed across the beach to Guy. Guy dashed for him. A Nox Knight and Paladin met in the space between the sentinel ship and the Seraphim, both men screaming a furious war cry. Grunts and sword clangs roared out like a symphony as the two entered a fight to the death, slashing and parrying each other’s blades, their footwork making a mess of the sand below.
Neither did much damage to one another, both aware that whoever gained AP first would gain the advantage. Guy couldn’t afford to let Wylume hit him. Ten hits and his opponent would have AP. Then panic hit. Guy looked over Wylume’s shoulder.
Henrietta was charging in to help.
Guy parried an attack, leaped backward, and held his palm to her. “Henrietta, no!”
She wasn’t a high enough level to take Wylume on, nor experienced enough. She got lucky with Emeraldal. Rangers didn’t have high HP or vitality.
The thought sent Guy’s mind flashing back to his recent failure. Wylume murdered Dianna and her brother, turned his blade down to their dead bodies, and mutilated them to prevent resurrection, reducing the innocent siblings to crystals. Dianna, Dave, their father. Hell, the entire city of Coldhorn could have avoided the massacre had they not become afflicted, an affliction that supposedly spread to them because of Guy. And Henrietta? She became afflicted because of Guy’s negligence too.
Not again! Nobody else is going to die because of my actions!
A rain of arrows fell, perforating the imperial soldiers’ hit, forcing many others to step back and reassess their plan of attack. A second volley took down three additional troopers.
Ulysses smiled down at the imperials he sniped.
“Wow, it really is stronger than my laser,” Ulysses snorted, then retook aim and let loose another arrow barrage at the incoming imperials. “Guy, I got you covered! Take him out!”
Guy’s and Wylume’s deadly dance continued to the music of swords made of magical metal clanging and clashing. When Guy found a chance, he shouted, “Henrietta, give Ulysses a hand!”
“Right!”
She nodded with a smile and shoved the Autumnfall Cutter’s blade into the heads and chests of wounded imperials, staggering from Ulysses’s arrows. There was more than enough for her to build AP quickly, then obliterate with Thundering Blow or her new skill, Wide Cleave. For every soldier Henrietta missed, Ulysses was there to snipe them with his bow, resulting in an energetic sword fight for Guy and Wylume, free of interruptions.
Wylume jumped back, way back, escaping a swift lunge from Guy. The Nox Knight didn’t return to the sword fight. Guy prepared to block whatever it was he was planning—and regretted it. While laughing, Wylume slashed the sand below and sent a shockwave at Guy. The same shockwave that sapped Guy’s strength. He couldn’t deflect or run away in time. The dark energy crashed into Guy’s chest, draining his strength, dexterity, and intelligence, and filling his body with pain. Thinking straight was hard, Asteria’s Sword became heavy, and his aim wavered about. It wasn’t as bad as the last time Wylume used that move.
How did he get AP so fast? Wylume slashed the sand again, sending another shockwave, forcing Guy to run and escape. Guy rolled across the sand, narrowly escaping from the shockwave. He stopped and jumped back to his feet. That had to have been a magic-based attack and not AP. Pointless to be on the defense now. He could use magic to kill me.
Guy used Asteria’s Sword to cut rather than to parry and block. It left him open for attacks, several that he ate to his face and arms. They didn’t draw any blood, however. The biggest shock came when Wylume spun around with his blade out. Wylume used Storm Slash—Nox Knights were like Paladins. Wylume knew of Guy’s shortcomings because he had the same ones.
Guy | HP: 777/832
Heh, lucky seven. Now, why does his shockwave hurt so fucking much? I’m nowhere near 25 percent HP—
Wylume repeated, hitting Guy with another shockwave, and the dark magical energy hurled Guy to the ground, rear first. Wylume leaped to make a downward stab. Guy rolled to the left, heard Wylume’s blade sink into the sand, then rose, cutting into his back while Wylume wasted time pulling his sword out. Wylume growled, countered, and sliced Guy’s chest, then stopped. Wylume looked impressed.
“You are still standing, Paladin.”
“It’s called an HP build,” Guy said, keeping Asteria’s Sword level with Wylume’s face. “You should try it. Strength is useless if you’re dead.”
Wylume swiped the sand and released another shockwave. Guy was too close to dodge that one, causing Wylume to laugh as Guy shook off the pain. “HP build, huh? Smart, but that will not help. You see, we are two opposing elements, in case you did not know.”
While Wylume spoke, Guy backtracked, keeping his eye on Wylume’s sword, and reached for an HP hypo.
Guy | HP: 832/832
Nice, since hypos recover HP based on a percentage, my HP build allows the hypo to recover more HP per use. I hope I don’t need to use the next two because they’re my last ones.
The hypospray didn’t help with the debilitating pain and weakened strength from the Dark Touch debuff. All Guy could do was backtrack and wait for Dark Touch to fade. Not that Wylume allowed him to do that. The two were sword fighting again, and as long as Dark Touch remained, pound for pound, Wylume always struck Guy harder than Guy struck him. Wylume’s Storm Slash hit harder too.
“Light is weak against dark,” Wylume said, then drank an MP potion, tossed it over his shoulder, and continued to talk as they fought. “And dark is weak against light. I do not need high strength or vitality to kill you. You did not know that, huh? Not surprised your uncle failed to tell you that.”
Wylume | HP: 35%
Almost there!
Guy | HP: 249/832
[Dark Touch]
Fuck, so am I!
Guy reached for a hypo—
Wylume slashed his wrist, and the device fell to the sand and turned to mist. He tried again and pulled the last hypospray from his inventory—
Slash.
Guy held on to it, but not his HP, and now blood spilled from his left wrist. He had to back away from Wylume’s reach to use the hypospray, and he had to do it quick. Every droplet of red that dripped from Guy’s wrist took some HP from him. He was literally dripping HP away. His HP was at 230 one second, then 225 the next—
Guy stopped backtracking. He felt the ocean and the tides splash his legs. Wylume had backed Guy into a place where he couldn’t run, and that gave the Nox Knight the advantage. Wylume held his sword with one hand and cleaved the air. Guy saw the glowing purple blade come for his head, and he inched away as fast as he could while clenching his last hypospray. He had to get this one into him—
Slice.
Blood poured from a gash that was cut across Guy’s forehead, and the world turned into a crimson nightmare. The hypo slipped from the abrupt shock of pain, and li
ke all dropped items, it vaporized. The bleeding wouldn’t stop, blinding Guy when it dripped into his eyes. Guy screamed. Wylume laughed.
Guy couldn’t see shit, just red everywhere. He stopped to brush the blood out of his eyes with the palm of his hand. The delay came at a price.
Wylume grabbed Guy’s collar, yanked him off the sand, and pulled him to his face.
“Now . . .” Wylume drawled. “Now . . . this is where I would ask you where the fleet is, but since you foolishly brought your ship to me, well, I’ll just have the sentinels collect its data and find out for myself. Today, the Paladins end, laying the foundation for the rise of the Omega Knight.”
With Wylume still holding Guy close, he made his sword glow again, imbued with the element of darkness. He pushed it into Guy’s chest. A plume of smoke rose. The dark energy cut away at Guy’s defense, his armor, and his skin, draining his strength to the point that Asteria’s Sword felt like a pallet of bricks. Guy yelled in agonizing pain. Wylume just laughed.
His HP had fallen to 70 now, and soon the blade Wylume was pushing into Guy would pierce his torso and come out the other side, forcing it to hit 0 instantly. Guy’s fingers became numb. The weight of Asteria’s Sword was too much, and he dropped it to the sand. Wylume smiled at that and shoved Guy away, sending him splashing into the beach’s waves. With Guy separated from his weapon, Wylume lowered himself to pick it up and grunted.
The hilt of Asteria’s Sword glowed with blue light, sizzling Wylume’s hand. The Nox Knight roared from the pain but continued holding the sword regardless. It looked like Wylume had struggled to find the will to open his Inventory screen.
Guy saw why.
Wylume | HP: 25%
My sword is causing him a lot of discomfort. Is it because it is light-based, and Wylume’s class is weak against it? What light skills do I have? He checked the sigils he had in his inventory, Light and Blade—
Blood poured into his eyes again. Ugh, is this what it’s like to be suddenly blinded by light?
Light.
“So maybe this sigil will be better for you, Guy.”
“How do you figure?”
“I saw how your sword flashes with light. My guess is, Paladins are a light elemental-based class. So keep the Light sigil on you. Who knows? Maybe it will save your life one day.”
He gasped as a surge of inspiration hit. Guy might have finally found a use for the Blade and Light sigils. He replaced his Voice and Wrath sigils with them.
New technique learned: Blinding Flash
Blinding Flash
Channel light elemental energy into your hand, making it flash surrounding targets with a brilliant burst of light.
Cost: 75 MP
And I don’t need to have AP or a weapon equipped.
Guy wiped his eyes and face clean of the blood, coating his hands with a thick layer of it. Keeping his head up to prevent more blood from leaking down, he noticed that Wylume had opened his Inventory screen and was in the process of stuffing Asteria’s Sword into it. If that happened, he’d lose it forever.
And Wylume was still at 25 percent HP.
The effect of Dark Touch has faded.
Guy mustered the power to stand, his legs shaking. With his hands clenched, he ambled to Wylume, drawing his attention to him.
Wylume smirked. “What are you going to do, Paladin? Punch me to death?”
Guy brought his fists up, making them glow with bright light. A blinding flash brightened the beach like a nuclear missile had gone off. Wylume yelled.
The Nox Knight dropped to his knees and held his eyes as smoke billowed from them. They were on fire. Wylume’s blade sunk into the sand to his left and Asteria’s Sword, to the right.
“Take the sword!”
Guy heard the voice of his mother as the blinding flash of light faded. Her voice was so soothing, dimming the pain in his body. It felt like everything in his life had been a dream, and she had been reading him that book this whole time.
Guy picked up his fallen sword.
“Stand your ground!”
He stood up straight. Wylume reached down and desperately tried to grab his weapon in the sand that he couldn’t see—hard to see when your eyes have turned to blackened carbon. Despite being blind, Wylume seized the hilt and got up to confront Guy.
“Strike down evil and take away their means to bring harm.”
Wylume swung blindly. Guy didn’t and aimed for Wylume’s sword arm. He made a nice clean cut. Wylume yelled and held the spot where his arm used to be, staining his remaining hand red. His arm went spiraling down to the beach.
He looked to the left where he assumed Guy was. In reality, Guy stood to Wylume’s right. “Such . . . power . . .” Wylume whimpered like a frightened animal. “What . . . are you?!”
“Let them know who’s there to deliver justice.”
Guy held Asteria’s Sword with both hands. “I’m the Star Paladin!”
He sliced off Wylume’s head, then kicked his headless torso back, its squirting red stump dampening the beach sand below.
Wylume | HP: 0%
Obtained: 1000 Experience Points
“And make sure they never hurt the innocent again.”
Guy stood over Wylume’s body, shoved his blade down into his chest, twisted it about, pulled up, then stabbed it again and twisted. Wylume’s corpse disintegrated, leaving behind his soul crystal and loot. Guy had zero fucks to give. He avenged Dianna’s death. He avenged the deaths of many.
“Mon ami, you okay?”
Ulysses had approached and held Guy’s shoulder from behind. Guy had no idea how long he had been standing there looking at his victory. Guy picked up the soul crystal. “Wylume wanted lots of soul crystals,” he pocketed it. “Fucker needed to be careful of what he wished for.”
“I mean your wounds.”
Wounds.
Guy was bleeding from his head, from his chest, and probably from his back and insides too. He was dying. And the moment his mind made that connection, he felt the pain again and dropped to his knees into the sand.
“Ulysses . . . do you have . . . the hyposprays I left you?”
“Those three items you left me? Uh, no. They fell out of my hand when I woke and went poof.”
He searched his inventory for healing items and found none. Wylume made him drop the last hypospray. The bleeding wouldn’t stop, forcing Guy to search the loot from Wylume, hoping there might be an HP hypospray. Wylume’s death yielded one item, a sigil.
Obtained: Sigil: Heart
Guy removed the Blade sigil with his dying, red-soaked hands and applied the newly gained Heart one. If Paladins are light-based, maybe this combination would give me something?
New technique learned: Lay on Hands
Lay on Hands
Heals a target you touch with your hands.
Healing potency: 40
Cost: 55 MP
Fuck yeah!
Guy accessed the new spell, brought a flash of light to his hands, and held them on his body. His wounds healed slowly, and the pain faded and became a scary memory. He applied the skill again until his MP ran dry, and he felt his body replenish the blood within him. After a minute, Guy walked away from the splatter of red, wet sand he had fallen onto. Ulysses stood with his mouth open wide as his eyebrows stretched as high as his face would let them rise.
“Hey!” Henrietta called out to the two, smiling and waving her left hand, the right one clasping her axe’s haft. Beside Henrietta was Kam and a shaken fae woman, whom Guy assumed was Averyl. “Um . . . look who I . . . found!”
Save the Princess – Quest Complete
Objective: Free Averyl Autumnfall from the Jenkovi executioner.
Obtained: 2500 Experience Points
Guy has attained level 15!
Followed by . . .
Investigate the Land-Fae - Quest Updated
Objective: Travel to the fae homeworld and search for clues for Rachael’s mysterious land-dweller fae in the hospital.
- Arrive at Faeheim [Completed!]
- Land at the city of Muruai [Completed!]
- Explore Faeheim for clues [Completed!]
- Escape from Faeheim with your new friends
Well, can’t argue with that. “Let’s get the others.”
“Is it safe to leave?” Ulysses asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Guy said, turning back to the Seraphim. “The White Dragon hasn’t let me down yet.”
Behind, Henrietta and Kam brought Averyl aboard the Seraphim. Ulysses scanned the horizon with his bow out, searching for looming threats. He found nothing, nodded to Guy, shut the airlock door, and returned to the bridge.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Flight Time Remaining: 2 Minutes 2 Seconds
Xanthe’s and Leafblade’s weapons met in the air. She had speed and he had strength. The aerial battle gave Leafblade enough space to glide away from her when she had AP. Alluring Waltz only worked if her opponent saw it. She wasted a lot of AP during the fight. Xanthe gazed at the open space Leafblade had accelerated to in the skies. He stopped to pull out a potion from his inventory and drank it. His HP did not move.
“Flight potions ease the strain of your wings while flying, thus increasing your time in the air.” Leafblade taunted. “You did not know that, did you, huh? I do not need to kill you. I just need your wings to become exhausted. Gravity will do the rest. I can do this all day!—”
Rachael has attained level 10!
Xanthe has attained level 13!
Xanthe grinned. “You sure about that?”
Leafblade grimaced. “Impossible . . .”
Guy must have rescued Averyl and finished the quest Rachael and I got.
Flight Time Remaining: 13 Minutes 0 Seconds
The sudden level-up restored Xanthe’s and Rachael’s HP, MP, and flight time. Leafblade hovered in the air, unsure of what to do next. Xanthe sped through the skies and aimed for his jugular—
The Seraphim rose behind Leafblade and spun to put its twin pulse guns on him. The sudden rush of air from the rising star-dweller ship caused a pause in Leafblade’s mouth as he pivoted to meet the new challenge he faced.
Leafblade rotated back to her. “You fight well, shadow angel!” His wings buzzed, and he flew to the side, slipping away from Seraphim’s machina weapons soaring toward him. “We will clash again, mark my words!”
Star Paladin: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 1) Page 41