Leveling Up The World 8: A LitRPG Adventure, page 59
“You weren’t able to use that before,” Dallion said, cautiously moving about the room with his instances. “The Moonstone helps, doesn’t it? All that power, no more limits… I’m surprised that Argus let you use it.”
“It happened by accident!” Raven snapped. “He was supposed to be here. All of them were! It’s their fault that they deserted me.”
Dallion considered using his empathy trait to see Raven’s memory. So far, he’d only seen fragments of someone’s distant past. Being able to see events that had passed moments ago would be difficult, if not impossible.
Any theories about this, Nil? he asked.
Plenty of theories, the echo replied. I’m sure you have a few of your own.
“Looks like they left you once you did your job,” Dallion ventured a guess. More importantly, he took advantage of the situation to use his music skills. A battle-hardened mage would be on guard against such an attack; a boy in a confused state was more likely to ignore such interference, especially if subtly done. “They cut the strings, leaving all their puppets to suffer the consequences.”
“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Raven gritted his teeth.
“Let me guess.” Dallion pushed on, putting fear, anger, and sadness into his words. “The mage said that you’re special. He gave you a task that only you as a child of a prosperous noble could achieve. Everyone was going to be in your debt, right? They’d honor you as a hero once it was over and you’d be remembered for generations.”
“I will be remembered!”
“Well, in that case, where is he?” Dallion mockingly looked about with several of his instances. “I’ll tell you. Hidden safely away, leaving his minions to take the fall for—”
“Argus works for me!” Raven shouted, all his instances vanishing. “You think I’m some pawn? He is the pawn! He begged my parents to become part of this, just like all the rest!”
This was new. Dallion paused but maintained his own instances active.
“You think my father went through all that trouble to get rid of the Academy? The Academy has been done for ages ago! The archmage is a joke that considers bribes a hobby and hasn’t cast an adequate spell in years. This place is just a hindrance on the way to victory!”
Someone must have taught him those phrases, Dallion thought.
“And you think a single archduke can take down the emperor?” Dallion used his music skills to push Raven just a bit more.
“You think my father’s just another archduke?” Arrogance mixed with rage within the boy. “One of the old emperors gave us this piece of land as a token to ensure that we don’t attack them. The empire has never been as strong as it pretended. Now, they are outright weak, and it’s time for us to take what is rightfully ours!”
Crap! “You’re part of the federation against the empire, aren’t you?” Dallion drew his harpsisword. Meanwhile, more of the shardflies flying in the area flocked onto him, reinforcing his living armor.
“I’m not part of it. I’m one of those who lead it. Now that I’ve shown everyone that I can kill the Academy’s archmage, they’ll have no choice but to give me the crown! The empire fell today! You just haven’t figured it out yet!”
The boy dashed forward, the magic draining dagger at the ready.
Immediately, Dallion used his shardflies to cast dozens of magic barriers. He had vastly miscalculated the situation.
AN ECHO’S BROTHER
It was said that the only thing worse than a skilled opponent was an unstable one. Facing the erratic combat style of Raven, Dallion could partially agree. The boy was a lot more skilled than he imagined. The Moonstone he had absorbed made his speed match Dallion’s. Significantly inferior in the combat splitting department, the boy made up for it through spell knowledge.
Aether shards and bolts of magic flew all over the place, often neutralized by the room’s own defenses. Like any snob, the archmage had made sure to cast protective spells on his valued items while alive.
Ruby, get out of here! Dallion ordered, while casting a series of spells of his own. Hundreds of emerald shardflies had died since the start of the fight, the overall amount negligible compared to what was in store.
I can fight, the creature countered, somewhat annoyed.
Not against a Moonstone.
Running along the walls, Raven performed a multi-attack, attempting to strike Dallion with the tip of his blade. Several instances were almost skewered, but Dallion quickly caused them to fade away before the magic draining dagger could make contact.
I would advise not using any further music skills on him, Nil said. You’ll only irritate him more.
“How much more?!” Dallion hissed, directing the shardflies near his right hand to form a blade with which he slashed at Raven.
The attack caught the boy by surprise, digging into his leg. Before the wound could get deep, Raven twisted around, slicing the blade with his weapon.
Chunks of dead shardflies fell to the ground, completely drained of magic.
That has to be an echo, Dallion thought. There’s no way he’s that good.
The children of nobles learn combat from a very early age, Nil explained. His style is well-practiced, if lacking a bit of polish.
Dallion didn’t agree. This wasn’t the style of a sheltered awakened. Whoever was controlling Raven had experienced practical combat. It wasn’t as skilled or efficient as the echo who had controlled Phoil; this type of opponent was something else, almost as if Dallion was facing a mercenary or another hunter.
“Who are you?” he asked, performing a double slash spin, followed by a piercing plunge.
“I’m Dreud,” the boy replied, his face twisting in a creepy smile.
“Raven wouldn’t fight like that.”
“Is that so, hunter scum?” The boy pulled back.
Simultaneously, both sides took advantage of the pause to cast a new volley of spells. Barriers and combat magic erupted yet again, destroying large chunks of the floor between them. This time the defensive spells weren’t able to prevent the devastation from occurring.
Lux, peek in his realm, Dallion ordered.
On my way, Boss! the firebird replied from Dallion’s realm.
I can say for certain that Argus isn’t in there, Nil noted. His spells are too amateurish.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Dallion filled the space between the two with magic barriers, then had the shardflies draw magic symbols of heat on them, doubling the temperature on Raven’s side of the room. When it came down to it, both were fighting against time. There was no telling whose Moon magic would end first, but it wouldn’t be too far apart from the other.
The bladebow appeared in the sky above. The kaleidovrima pointed in the direction of Raven, revealing the inhabitants of his realm.
There’s just one, Boss! Lux chirped.
“I knew it,” Dallion whispered, vindicated. “You’re just an echo, controlling him!” he shouted. “So, how does it feel to hide behind a child high on magic?”
“Much better than you’d ever know!” Came the response. “He must feel honored being a minor part of history. Both of you should! From today, a new dawn is here—the age of the Seventh Moon!”
Nil, is it possible for an echo to go crazy?
It seems to be. The old echo seemed just as puzzled.
You think the Moonstone caused this?
Impossible. If that were the case, I would have been affected as well. If anything, it has to do with the echo itself. It doesn’t seem to be a symbiotic echo.
It has to be. What else can puppet a person?
Not many things. There is one other possibility, however. The person might have voluntarily relinquished control to the echo.
Dallion was just about to ask what sort of person would do that, when he remembered: Raven was a child. No amount of training and echoes could change that. He had skill, knowledge, and probably considerable experience in the realms, yet he remained a scared little boy who had never faced hardship alone. In such circumstances, it was natural he’d hide and put all his trust in the only person left.
“Are you the Star?” Dallion asked.
“The Star?” the boy laughed. “A shadow to scare the weak and mess up the mind of the stupid. The Star didn’t achieve this! I did! Me!”
All magic barriers shattered simultaneously as purple light flooded the room. The air heated up, changing the room into an oven, but thanks to the Moonstone’s power, Dallion was able to ignore the effects. A dozen instances of Raven charged at him, striking at his collarbone. An upward part prevented the attack from reaching its target, although in the process Dallion had to retreat several steps back.
A dozen shardflies flew off Dallion’s living armor. Taking advantage of them, he cast a spell sending twenty aether projectiles right into the child’s torso. The spell was strong enough to defeat most beasts and awakened, but in the case of Raven, they merely added some more holes to his clothes.
You’re right, Nil. Dallion jumped further back. He is an amateur.
“You can’t harm me,” Raven laughed. “Even if you’re good enough, you’ll only hurt him.”
“Won’t that get you in trouble with his parents?” Dallion used his music skills to make his opponent even more overconfident.
“Why would it? They’re my parents as well?”
“Somehow, I should have guessed.” Dallion tried to create the impression of being calm. “Only someone more arrogant than him would do away with all the assisting echoes.”
“None of them were willing to pay the price for victory. Argus kept going on about the value of the Moonstone. As if that matters in the grand scheme of things. When the new age begins, we’ll have more magic than he could imagine.”
“Won’t that be counterproductive? If others have magic, defeating them will be more difficult.”
“You still don’t get it.” Raven’s smile widened. “When the Tamin Empire falls, there won’t be anyone left to fight. The Order won’t go against a favored of Galatea. The Alliance of Stone and Steel might be a bother, but others are taking care of that. We’ve already won!” The boy laughed maniacally. “I’ve won!”
Come on, Dallion cursed internally. As talkative as the person controlling Raven was, he was still giving him mere crumbs. One might almost consider that a ploy if it wasn’t for the increasing sense of instability emanating from the boy. Dallion could feel two sets of motions, constantly intermingling like fruit and water in a blender.
Attempting to peek into Raven’s memory didn’t help, either. The Moonstone probably prevented that from happening.
He won’t tell you, Nil said. The only way forward is to defeat him before your boost is gone.
Do you know who he is?
Of course, I know who he is. There isn’t a noble in the empire who doesn’t know who he is, but I still can’t tell you. The only thing I can say is that you’re lucky he’s not here in person. His echo must have somehow been affected, bringing it to this… pitiful state.
If that was pitiful, Dallion definitely didn’t want to see the real deal. Something told him that should he survive this encounter, he very well might. The person behind the echo didn’t sound like someone who’d leave things unfinished. If he was willing to sacrifice his brother without a shred of remorse, one could only imagine what he’d do to people who really annoyed him.
“How about we make a bet?” Dallion suggested. “If I win, you’ll tell me—”
The sentence remained unfinished, for at that moment Raven charged forward once more. Casting a quick spell with his left hand, he sent nine orbs of fire in Dallion’s direction.
Unlike before, Dallion recognized the spell—it had been available in the library section of the Learning Hall. Each orb was a concentrated fireball, guided by a simple levitation spell. There were a few symbols that Dallion hadn’t learned at the time, though now he could recreate easily.
“Resorting to novice spells?” he mocked, bursting into instances.
With the amount of magic put into the spell, even such simple orbs were capable of devastating damage. Several of them drilled through a few of Dallion’s instances, creating holes in the wall behind. In the other cases, Dallion was able to combine his athletic and guard skills to evade. Twice he almost completed a guard sequence, but Raven attacked before Dallion could gain his bonus.
“Why didn’t you let your brother flee?” Dallion asked, casting Cheska’s chain spell. “There was enough time. The archmage was already dead.”
“He wasn’t dead before you got here. And even if he were, what’s the point? My brother was the key to the Academy, nothing more.”
“He seemed a bit more than that.”
“Because he thought he was? He’s nothing. Even with magic, he couldn’t do a tenth of what he was supposed to. He’ll never be able to increase his awakened level, remaining a pitiful mage till the day he dies. He’ll never become a noble.”
“And you have?” Dallion sent out shardflies all over the room. A few attacked Raven with their razor wings, but for the most part they merely landed on the walls, creating a second layer on top.
“Indeed. I have real power. No one gave it to me. Not my parents, not Argus, least of all my useless brother.”
“Enough power to take on the emperor?”
The shardflies were everywhere. Dallion had set the trap. Now all he had to do was to extend his magic to them at the right time. Raven had proven he was strong enough to counter any attack or spell, but would he be able to react to a hundred spikes flying toward him from all directions?
Lux, be ready, Dallion thought. If he tries to fly out, hit him.
Yes, Boss! the firebird cheerfully replied.
“The emperor is a hollow shell. No one has seen him in over a decade. Even the orders don’t come from him anymore. The inner court is playing games they cannot control.”
Nil?
Pay no attention, dear boy. The emperor rarely makes appearances. None of them have.
Then, how can you be sure that he’s still in charge?
Because it doesn’t matter. Whoever’s giving the orders has full control over the guardians of the imperial capital. There’s no going against that.
A flutter of shardflies flew off Dallion, filling the space between him and the nearest wall.
Got you! Dallion extended his magic.
Purple threads spread along the walls, like electric currents. Within moments, they had connected every shardfly in sight. Magic symbols formed, followed by an explosion of spires that shot out from every surface, all aiming at Raven.
Dallion didn’t have the heart to kill the boy, so all of them targeted just his arms and legs. In the back of his mind, a voice told Dallion that such mercy was a mistake. If the attack failed, he might not get a similar opportunity.
There was a sound of metal hitting stone. The magic draining dagger had fallen to the ground along with the hand still holding it.
Get it! Dallion extended his right hand, sending a torrent of shardflies in the direction. Unfortunately, he was too late. A green sphere had appeared around Raven, regenerating all wounds and missing limbs. The boy squeezed through the spikes, grabbing his weapon. One strike, and all the nearby shardflies shattered to dust. Another, and the spikes were no more.
Damn it! Dallion cursed.
It had been a perfect plan, and it had failed.
RAVEN’S REALM
Ordering the shardflies off, Dallion drew his harpsisword.
Harp, will you survive the magic drainer? he asked, evading Raven’s attacks through extreme combat splitting.
It can’t affect items, the nymph guardian replied.
That was all Dallion needed to know. Tapping the blade of his harpsisword, he sliced through a spike of stone, parrying Raven’s attack. The boy flinched, but then quickly twisted his body in a way that even someone double jointed would have difficulty with. The action made it apparent that the person Dallion was fighting was a true noble.
Meanwhile, the emerald shardflies continued with their attempts to harm the boy. No longer receiving instructions, they had become a hindrance for both sides. While their attacks were deadly and numerous, the speed was so slow that evading them presented no issue. Dallion could easily see the wind slashes like waves of magic floating through the air—easy to evade, and even easier to slice out of existence. Then again, this could also be an opportunity.
Once again, both opponents had the same idea, taking advantage of the shardflies’ numerous—yet chaotic—attacks to complete a guard skill sequence. Blades clashed one final time, before each performed their own series of evasions. Time slowed.
Got you! Dallion thought.
No sooner had he done so, than Raven leaped right at him, no slower than before.
“Crap!” Dallion instinctively cast a protective barrier spell with his left hand.
Nil, how come he’s not affected? He asked, moving back while casting the spell on repeat.
Because he completed his sequence at the same time, the old echo replied. A quite splendid execution on both your parts, I must say.
Aether barriers shattered like glass as the boy kept on pushing forward. Left with nowhere to retreat, Dallion resorted to sword fighting again. He could sense Harp occasionally guiding his attacks, though that only provided a moderate advantage. Raven’s style was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was both precise and fluid, as if a nymph or fury was controlling the blade.
For several seconds, blades swished through the air, barely touching one another, then engaged in dozens of strikes as if two woodpeckers were attempting to peck out each other’s beaks. Sparks poured out of the harpsisword, only to be quickly swallowed by the magic draining blade.
Harp, can you guide my hand? Dallion asked.
I’m doing it, the guardian replied, partially confused.
Dallion would have liked to explain exactly what he had in mind, but there was no time. His mind was working on overdrive, calculating potential attacks and other approaches. In this short amount of time, Dallion had already seen that his chances of victory were slim and decreasing by the second. Even without the aid of Argus, Raven was a better mage than him, while his brother—vastly superior when it came to combat. The greatest advantage Dallion had was the lack of coordination between the boy and his echo. While the older brother had taken control, he was still getting used to the role of puppeteer. The moment he went through that hurdle, he could well become invincible.
