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Chapter 283: Frost in Summer’s Sun. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2022-02-17 23:49:32 +0000 UTCThe sound of metal clashing against ice. Through my semi-transparent glacier [Frozen Shield], I could see the five intruders throwing out multiple knives at us. All of them had some liquid on their tips, seeing as they froze slightly after touching my defenses. I presumed it was some kind of poison.
“Just Blink!”
Meanwhile, Miss Saori shouted, drawing the attention of our aggressors slightly, only to suddenly teleport towards one of them the moment I blinked. In that single second, [Just Blink] allowed Miss Saori to escape everybody’s senses no matter how skilled they were. And in this very moment, she attacked.
Using two of her daggers, she stabbed the legs of one of them. However, instead of turning her attention to the others, as I presumed, she sent an electrically-charged punch right at the man’s chest.
“Kurraaghh!” The bovline, a minotaur beastman as Lady Hestia described, immediately began to retch from the force of the strike.
In the next second, Miss Saori grabbed onto the man’s shoulder and rolled over his back, all while creating mana threads from her fingers to tangle around him. Just like that, one of our enemies was out of the battle.
[“Uno! Song! To our right! The rest of you, stay in reserve!”] That last order was not for us, but the remaining members of her shadow pack. “Hanazawa! Heal Treyenor before he bleeds out!”
“Huh?! Y-Yeah, got it!” Asaka ran to Gael’s and the human scum’s side before releasing her fenrir spirits as she sat kneeled down next to me. “Hey, stop screaming, I got you. Moderate Heal!”
“Enchant! Ruuragh!” Unsheathing his sword, Elrick’s blade began shining a bright light before charging in.
““Grrrragk!”” The garms didn’t leave the attacking to them either.
“Back!” One of the intruders suddenly commanded, prompting the remaining four to dodge back, creating space. They then took out a mining mask, something dwarves used to combat the gases and dust inside a mountain whenever they went mining, and donned them. The moment they were finished, they took out hand-sized balls and threw them onto the ground.
“Urgh!” I groaned as a bright light exploded before us, blinding me and most of the others. Once I opened my eyes again, I noticed a thick fog of smoke spreading in the room.
“Urgakak!” I heard a man’s voice cough up.
Followed up by Miss Saori shouting “Poison! Elrick was poison— Gak!!” before she and her garms made gaggling sounds. She had to rely on [Telepathy] to communicate with me.
[“Stink bomb! Mhmmmmmieeek, my nose! Tasianna, get rid of it! Blow it away already!”]
Miss Saori and I couldn’t be poisoned since we had [Absolute Status Nullification]. Neither could the garms, since they were technically semi-living, semi-undead bodies inhabited by onnikais. Any damage caused by the poison could be repaired with the black mana slime they produced.
However, Miss Saori and the garms have extremely sensitive noses, which became even more of a problem since Miss Saori’s olfactory senses were heightened by her [True Wolven Instinct] skill. I had to act fast.
“Wind Bla—” I was about to cast, but my [Detection Sensor] suddenly picked up more people right outside of the building, followed by my [Danger Perception] warning me an attack was incoming from below and in front of me. “Change of plans! Aqua Prison! Glacial Protection!”
Water exploded from underneath me, capturing everybody on my side, including the human scum, in a giant ball of water. Immediately, I cast [Glacial Protection] on myself, reducing my body temperature even further. I then spread this cold with [Frost Body] from my fingertips, freezing the water around us until we were all encased in an orb of frozen ice.
In the next second, I sensed the mana inside the man Saori had captured was running amuck somehow before it triggered an explosion right next to my defenses. It rattled the building, destroying the floor beneath us and sending us falling down. This was followed up by even more explosions, demolishing a huge portion of the building and causing everything to literally tip over.
Please, by Goddess Plesia and Goddess Zephira, hold on! I prayed to the gods as I saw us crashing onto the ground with the building.
Thank goodness!
There were some cracks on the barrier, but none were endangering us. Using [Cryokinesis], I unfroze the portion of water around me, enabling me to move and look around.
[“Everybody alright?”] I called out to everybody, confirming they were conscious after they responded back. Elrick, Gael, and the criminal didn’t have [Telepathy], but I presumed they should be safe since I was fully confident my actions were executed well.
With my companions’ safety assured, I contemplated the rubble above us obscuring our sight, only to hear three different telepathic messages.
[“Alpha!”]
[“Uno! Song!”]
[“Pack Leader!”]
Those voices were from Sarasa, Quatre, and Varya respectively. Thankfully, they didn’t sound too hurt. They probably escaped through a shadow and only reappeared after the building had collapsed. From the lack of excessive panic in Varya’s voice, her cubs probably were safe and hiding in her shadow as well, I presumed.
I need to hurry. Marine Lungs.
<[Marine Lungs] inflicted on [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]>
While I had made sure to not freeze any of my party members, it still didn’t mean I could keep them in this frozen orb for too long. I unfroze the upper section of the ball and began swimming up with [Marine Lungs], a custom spell I learned from Priest Kushlek’zar that allowed me to breathe underwater.
[“All three of you, get out of the way! I’m creating a path,”] I warned our animal friends before beginning our escape.
I cast [Tornado Bullet] to pierce through the rubble above us, following it up with the custom spell, [Ocean’s Blast], to launch all the debris into the sky. In the meantime, I constructed a [Winter’s Golem] to prevent the mountain of stone from falling back on us.
I then let my mana flow into the cracked ice orb, slowly “making it less cold” and letting the environmental temperature melt it. As everybody was freed from that prison, coughing up water, I left them to recover and directed my head upwards.
Aifli eir Vintral!
Wings of ice formed on my back as I used them to cool down the area from the explosions’ flames, already prepared to fight as I could detect multiple targets en route towards us. Using [Air Steps] and [Wind Blast], I launched myself into the sky before shooting out a cannon-sized [Azure Blade] at the first enemy I saw.
“Shiek!” The water sword ran right through a female aegosa, a sheep beastman, pinning her on the ground before the sword turned back into fluid water.
<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]’s Job [Alchemist] has risen from [Level 0] to [Level 2]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
Huh? I was flabbergasted. Considering how high my magic stats were, the spell should have gone right through her, instead of getting stuck.
That armor… Wait, is that a ranger’s bodysuit?!
But, this wasn’t the time to think of any of that.I noticed several signals coming closer. There were 18 left, meaning there were 20 at the beginning with five acting as distractions. The five from before, now three, took off their masks and began drinking multiple potions with the encroaching group.
At the same time, all 18 of them threw flashbombs, blinding all of us. I prepared a [Glacial Protection] around me to protect myself, but not a single attack came at me. When I opened my eyes, Sarasa and Quatre informed me they were making their way to the captured lieutenants.
I didn’t know how they managed to do it, but they miraculously managed to save all of the Layavete cartel’s people.
I clicked my tongue, realizing we weren’t their targets. The Layavete cartel was, and they tried to silence its leader. Now unable to kill him, they turned their attention to the other members of the syndicate.
Dragons have an organ sac to turn mana into ice naturally. I have to simulate it with [Frost Body]. Once again! I reminded myself of the training I went under Empress Melloxtressa, learning alongside the wyverns how to properly control the ice element. How to control temperatures.
And one of the tricks I learned was—
Freesch Hiiwui. (Frost Whispers)
Feeling my lungs with air and mana, I lowered my body’s warmth down with [Frost Body] before breathing out a blow of wind with the sting of winter’s embrace. Combined with the moisture in the air, not only did I freeze the rubble around me but also the intruders as well.
This ability could become so much stronger if I had practiced it enough to have the Divine System acknowledge it as a custom Ability, but so be it. I will have to make do with what I have now.
I once again released the mana from my body, causing the ice I made from that breath to grow larger and pursue the remaining 16 foes. With frozen spikes growing from the ground behind my frost breath, it chased after the people with the garms and Varya following it.
Our attackers threw out stink bombs, attempting to immobilize our furry friends. Unfortunately for them, I reacted in time and blew it away. One by one until there were only nine left, the shadow pack or my ice spikes extinguished their lives.
<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]’s Job [Alchemist] has risen from [Level 2] to [Level 6]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
I could have probably ordered them not to kill those beastmen and show mercy; but we couldn’t waste time if we wanted to save that human scum’s subordinates. I didn’t know what Gael had planned, and I really couldn’t care about these humans’ lives, but I knew I had to look at the bigger picture. My travels have taught me as much.
We only need one captive any— What?!
The three onnikais from before and a few spirits came rushing up to me, warning me there was a large amount of mana concentrating in a single area to my left. Turning around, I noticed the body of the aegosa I killed from before. Her mana was running amiss, similar to that person from before.
Falakash! Sapphire Membrane!
Kaboom! An explosion rocked my eardrums again, rattling the azure water barrier I created to defend not only me but also the hole the others were still trapped in for the moment. The faefolk then drew my attention to the people I froze and the ones the shadow pack and I slew.
[“Get in your shadows!”] I commanded the pack, seconds before I noticed the mana inside the corpses beginning to amass. Realizing something was amiss from my words, they didn’t jump far away from the bodies of the intruders before sinking into the shadows just a moment before everything exploded.
Are you kidding me?! Are all these people bombs? Do they all have bombs inside of them?!
I squashed the flames and smoke using [Kraken’s Destruction] and jumped out from my barrier. Outside, I heard the pained cries of men which brought my attention to the lieutenants being assassinated by the remaining nine.
I directed the giant water tentacle, and used it to slam down at two more of them, killing them before they got the finishing blow on the last few cartel members. However, all of them were too late, as the rest of the assassins just finished the job, killing all of the cartel’s people.
All but one.
“Shit!” It was that one fat one we interrogated on our first day in the city. I had forgotten his name. “What took you so long?! You could have killed me!”
Huh?! What did he sa—
Once again, I couldn’t think fast enough. Another flash bomb was thrown and I had to block my eyes to not get blinded. Smoke was then thrown to cover their escape, but I had [Detection Sensor].
I shot multiple ice daggers I had created with my catalyst at our fleeing foes, but the fools weren’t allowing me to stop the one carrying the fat goon. They threw themselves in the way of my blades, dying in the process and exploding from whatever caused them to do so.
<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond] has risen from [Level 69] to [Level 70]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
<Acquired 700 skill points>
<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]’s Job [Alchemist] has risen from [Level 6] to [Level 9]>
<Attributes have increased due to level up>
Tsk! I clicked my tongue that three of them managed to escape my hail of daggers, but they wouldn’t get away from me. Using wind magic and [Air Steps], I flew towards them even without my fairy wings.
As I was about to catch them, the shadows in front of them, cast by the buildings around, materialized three black magic circles. And from them, the fangs and claws from the abyss came to retrieve their prey.
“““Griieaaahhhhhh!!!”””
Blood and flesh spewed out as Sarasa, Quatre, and Varya mauled the remaining intruders to death before throwing their corpses back to the rubble like trash. Since they would explode when captured or in death, we couldn’t get any information on them. Anything we might get from them could only come from when they were still living and breathing.
For example, a certain somebody with a loose tongue.
“Hey, human.” I called out to the cowering fat man.
“Wuuiiiiiiiieeeee! Raaaaaahhhh!!!” he flinched before screaming, trying to flee despite still being tied up. He honestly looked like a caterpillar.
I sighed and followed after him slowly. This sort of worm was the ideal candidate to interrogate, and, just like on our first day, he would become useful to us once again. And, apparently, I wasn’t the only one with that idea.
“Stay back! Stay back! Don’t you dare touch me! I have people behind me that you cannot comprehend! The moment they find me injured again, they will send more and more of these assassins! You will all die, you damn bit— Gurak!”
“Shut up.” Miss Saori landed a kick right to his face after appearing from a shadow.
“Miss Saori, how are you?” I bowed slightly, happy to see her well.
On the other hand, Miss Saori simply shook her head, looking disappointed in herself. “Good enough after all you did, Tasianna. Thank you very much. Haaaa, I was surprised there. I should have expected something like a stink bomb would be a good counter against beastmen and animals with a good sense of smell.”
“Our enemies have been watching us. I thought you mentioned nobody was following or spying on us after we intruded into that alchemy store?”
“I made sure, Tasianna. You can believe me on that. That is a mistake Muraina told me to never do,” Miss Saori insisted on her capabilities. “However, what I cannot sense is people asking around about us. We have become rather famous, Tasianna. Even the hunter’s guild in this city knew about me, not to mention Hestia.”
It was true. Among our company, the three most known members had to be Lady Hestia, Dame Yorshka, and then Miss Saori, in that order. It was obvious how grand my mistress was, so it was clear everybody would know about her the moment she revealed her true identity. Dame Yorshka was a known A ranker, and Miss Saori recently made headway as “The Jet-Black Thunder Wolf” even if most only assumed she was just a talented wolfkin instead of a fenrir.
Similar to a hunter gathering information before a subjugation Quest, people targeting us would need to find our weaknesses first before attacking us. I guess they weren’t fully prepared against Miss Saori’s lightning and my magic casting, but they had enough tools in their belt to make this battle something other than just a one-sided slaughter.
Especially that stink and poison bomb combination. Cunning. Especially that armor… but I can mention that later to the others. First, we have something else to do.
“Now, what do you wish to say, Mister Neville?” Miss Saori called the man out, reminding me what his name was.
“Gurg… Glak! Fkuck kyou!” He spat out a broken tooth and attempted to speak, but it seemed Miss Saori broke his jaw.
Miss Saori then grabbed him from the back and threw him on the back of Sarasa, who was smirking at him with her fangs, sending a shudder through him. We made sure to keep our garms’ teeth clean, since mouth hygiene was important.
“I apologize for the sudden ice orb moment. My instincts told me that was the correct move to defend us from any attack, but I understand it must have been uncomfortable for you and the others,” I apologized as we slowly walked back to get the others out of the hole.
“No problem, I knew you had no choice. Don’t think too much about it. If I had reacted sooner, they wouldn’t have been able to use those bo—”
“Urgk…”
Unfortunately, there was something we had forgotten about the building that just crashed right down onto the street — the lower members of the cartel we subdued had been left right in front of the building. And these very people were still currently among the rubble.
“Shit!”
“Oh no!”
Miss Saori and I grimaced as the situation dawned on us, immediately heading over to try and find anyone still alive and trapped in the rubble. The shadow pack members with us noticed this and began helping, warning us if they found anybody alive. Although I didn’t like these people, leaving anyone to needlessly suffer was wrong and I wasn’t heartless enough to leave them to die.
“Ocean Healing!” I began saving anybody we found were still alive. A lot of time has passed since the building was demolished and the constant explosions from the deaths of those intruders ruined the chances of a quite large portion of those who could have survived.
If Lady Hestia were here, would this have been her first choice of action? Damn, I can’t heal them fast enough!
“Miss Saori, you need to call Asaka over here! [Ocean Healing] isn’t healing them fast enough.”
“Already ahead of y—”
“Grrriiiak! Sto—!”
“Elrick! W-What are you doing?!”
“Hanazawa?!”
A scream, followed by Asaka’s voice shouting out in disbelief. Miss Saori dashed forward and I couldn’t help but want to follow her along. I pulled out a few of my small health potions from my satchel and handed them over to Varya, telling her she had to take over for now.
The virigress nodded, accepting my request and called out her two sons from her shadow, as Rajah was with Lady Hestia. They took my potions, allowing me to run over without a guilty conscience.
Once I made it, I was astounded to see red liquid staining Sir Elrick’s mouth. Long fangs like a blood-sucking bat replaced his canines, still fresh with dripping blood. His ears were sharp, not as sharp as an elf’s but still sharper than that of a human. But the most distracting were his dark-red eyes. They glimmered like two rubies under the shine of the sun.
Looking down, I noticed a skinny human lying right behind him. It seemed they managed to dig somebody out from the rubble, but the disturbing part about this was the two deep holes on the side of the body’s throat.
“E-Elrick?!” Asaka quivered, holding her mace up with her fenrir onnikais protecting her in a defensive shield.
“You gotta be kidding me… Never expected that from a paladin from the church of Aurena.” Gael had his jaw agape, unable to look away from Elrick. He wanted to say something but he couldn’t until the cartel boss finally mumbled.
“… A vampire”
You have to be kidding me!
Only Miss Saori remained calm during this whole event. “… Elrick, we have much to talk about.”
“Yes… May the Goddess forgive me for what I did today.”
Comments
Diego Rossi
shuddering him. -> making him shudder. was wrong in a way possible. ->was wrong in any way possible.
Diego Rossi
"before making a gagging sound with ger garms." -> maybe "before she and her garms made gagging sounds." or "before making a gagging sound together with her garms." ?
