Azarinth Healer: Book One - A LitRPG Adventure, page 52
“I’ll think about it,” the waitress said after a moment, then she removed her hand. She winked at Ilea and sauntered back to her rounds. Ilea stood there with a goofy smile.
Ilea found in the next twenty minutes that she wasn’t quite as talented as Roland at drawing a naked human form and gave up to simply stare at the waitress. Her body still ached from her touch. What a fucking tease. Nor did she miss any of the quick glances and smirks the woman sent her way throughout her shift.
“Well now, I think you’re quite ready,” the waitress said an hour or so later, waving a small iron key in her hand. Her lips curved upward before a small spark went through the key, causing it to flash.
Ilea let out a long breath and got up after an appropriate length of time and followed the waitress up the stairs and into room 23. Ilea noticed she got some glances, but most people either missed their escape to the same destination – or didn’t care.
She entered the room and slowly closed the door behind her. The alluring lightning mage was already sprawled enticingly on the bed, none of her clothing remaining on her body.
Ilea locked the door and slowly removed her own shirt as she approached. She crawled onto the bed and continued until she was eye to eye with the other girl. They both smiled as Ilea’s runes started to shine blue and electricity began to spark between them.
Slowly, Ilea bent down and kissed the woman’s neck. With each kiss that went further and further down, the intensity of the lightning grew stronger. Upon reaching a certain point, which was accompanied by a moan, Ilea got a message in her head.
‘ding’ You have learned the general skill Lightning Resistance – lvl 1
Either in a storm or fighting a ferocious beast blessed by lightning, you have resisted the elements. This skill will help further with your endeavors.
She smirked and continued moving her tongue.
This is a fun way to train…
FORTY-SEVEN
Darkness
Ilea woke up completely refreshed after two hours of sleep. The waitress lay next to her and would likely continue her slumber for quite some time. I’ll definitely visit this place again.
She got up and dressed herself, then she snatched up her backpack and blinked out of the room to make as little noise as possible. Walking down the stairs, she stopped at the bottom and walked over to her mace, which was still stuck in the ground where she had thrown it yesterday. Yanking it out, she left the inn.
The Root looked the same as it had last night. Being underground had that effect on a town. Still, it seemed like most people were still asleep as Ilea looked at some of the slumbering and unconscious bodies that were lying right in the street.
She walked to a nearby store and bought provisions for her next go at the Taleen Great Hall. Another half an hour was spent looking for comfortable leather armor, which she found in the only armor store that apparently opened this early. It only cost her ten silver coins. After that, Ilea was decked out and ready to go.
Shit. I forgot the books I left at Alice’s… Oh well, she can keep them.
Ilea made her way back to the dungeon, and found that the expedition had gone. The bodies in the street were no longer present. She assumed someone had buried them.
Checking for both guardians and adventurers, she sped through the city with Blink, and she was soon back in the Great Hall now that she knew the way. Inside, nothing seemed to have been disturbed, but she couldn’t be sure if anybody else had managed to get there yet.
She looked at the symbol near the door that Edwin had led them through before. I assume that one means teleportation or something similar.
There were two doors on each side of the great hall and one large gate facing the slightly bent-in entrance that Ilea had come in from.
“Obviously I should choose the side doors first. I don’t wanna face whatever is behind that big gate yet, not before I destroy a centurion,” she said to herself.
Then she thought about which door to choose. Edwin had mentioned one of the other markings meant ‘prison’, and she had an inkling that he hadn’t lied about that one as well. She knew the teleportation one already. That ruled out the two doors on the left, so she chose the door immediately to the right of the entrance.
It opened after she had channeled mana into it, and Ilea was met with the familiar sight of stairs leading down. Activating all her buffs, she ran down for quite a distance until she finally reached a small room with eight sword guardians in it. There was nothing very special about the room, which looked the same as many others with its glowing walls and dwarfish aesthetic.
The guardians were upon her right after she had managed to drop her backpack and activate Shroud of Ash. The fight itself was short, and it wasn’t long before Ilea stood victorious above the dented and broken machines.
‘ding’ You have defeated [Taleen Guardian – lvl 201]. For killing an adversary 50 or more levels above your own, you receive bonus experience.
…
‘ding’ You have defeated [Taleen Guardian – lvl 200]. For killing an adversary 50 or more levels above your own, you receive bonus experience.
‘ding’ Azarinth Healer has reached level 146. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Azarinth Healer has reached level 147. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Ash Wielder has reached level 140. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Ash Wielder has reached level 141. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Ash Surge reaches lvl 6
‘ding’ Wave of Ember reaches lvl 10
Not quite as much anymore, eh? Although I assume gaining four levels from eight enemies is quite spectacular for most people…
Ilea felt her Wisdom was lagging a little behind her other core skills, so she put all her new stat points there, bringing it closer to her Vitality and Intelligence.
The only exit to the small chamber was further stairs that led downward. This time though, Ilea only needed to take a few steps before arriving in a similarly sized room to the one above, once again lit by green magic and made from the ever-present white stone.
By now, she had more than enough first-hand experience to make out the traps in the ground and walls and simply walked in to receive the spears. Without Edwin and co, Ilea didn’t care for destroying the traps entirely and instead blinked through the place. While she got hit a few times, she quickly cleared it before finding herself behind yet another door that, once she had got past it, led still further down.
Circumventing some of the traps turned out to be the right decision as she found four more trap rooms after that, each with an increasing number of spears and fire.
This is boring. Not even anything to fight?
The next room, however, contained something slightly different. Ilea found herself wandering into a spacious hall with all manner of plants and trees growing in carefully curated locations. Guardians were stationed on the walls and kneeling near the foliage.
The plants couldn’t grow further in all this time?
Ilea looked upward but couldn’t find the ivy that had been so prevalent on the stone in the residential area. Instead, the various bushes, flowers, and trees were confined to their designated spots. Like decorations.
“Some of those guardians—” she started, but she was interrupted when one of them swiveled its metallic body and looked at her.
It was a bigger model than usual, but not an unfamiliar one. Its whole torso area was a massive cannon, and the ear-splitting boom that came next woke all the other guardians from their centuries-long rest.
Well shit…
The projectile that sped toward her was almost identical to the ones fired from the smaller ranged machines but was far bigger and presumably deadlier. Ilea smiled and dodged to the side.
“This is gonna be so much”—she jumped again before the slug impacted the ground behind her—“easier with heavy artillery on my side.”
Around a dozen sword guardians moved in on her position while ten heavies and five ranged machines started firing her way. Not gonna waste this precious experience…
Ilea blinked a couple of times until she reached one of the heavy ones. She attacked and found that they were much slower than their smaller brethren. She cackled with glee while dodging several blades coming her way, then blinked away as three massive slugs smashed into the group of guardians that had been targeting her.
“Your programming sucks, guys!” she shouted before blinking back into the fray.
Ten minutes later, three of the sword guardians had been reduced to scrap. Then, just when things seemed to be going so well, a poorly executed strike from above created an opening that allowed a sword guardian’s blade to pierce clean through Ilea’s leg, skewering her. It took her a moment to pull free, but it was enough to ensure that a massive slug slammed into her side, crushing a fair number of ribs. Ilea was sent flying into the nearby wall, and only another blink saved her from a follow-up wave of projectiles.
It broke through the ash so easily… Man, what would’ve happened if I didn’t have the skill?
Ilea danced around the slugs flying around the room while healing her injury.
Don’t get too cocky, Ilea. She reminded herself of Dale’s words and breathed in deeply. Don’t forget you’re not immortal, Ilea.
But her smile never left her face. In fact, she felt it grow even wider as the intoxicating danger of her situation seeped in again.
She wasn’t hit again after that initial mistake, though she did have to flee the room twenty minutes later to regenerate her mana. Moving out and meditating was much faster than using Azarinth Reversal, but she still used the skill sometimes to make sure it would keep leveling up.
The next fight finished up the remaining guardians, and Ilea meditated in the room again while waiting for additional traps or enemies. None came.
‘ding’ You have defeated [Taleen Guardian – lvl 201]. For killing an adversary 50 or more levels above your own, you receive bonus experience.
…
‘ding’ You have defeated [Taleen Guardian – lvl 204]. For killing an adversary 50 or more levels above your own, you receive bonus experience.
‘ding’ Azarinth Healer has reached level 148. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Azarinth Healer has reached level 149. 5 stat points awarded.
…..
‘ding’ Azarinth Healer has reached level 155. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Ash Wielder has reached level 142. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Ash Wielder has reached level 143. 5 stat points awarded.
…..
‘ding’ Ash Wielder has reached level 149. 5 stat points awarded.
‘ding’ Blink reaches 2nd lvl 20
‘ding’ Azarinth Sphere reaches 2nd lvl 14
‘ding’ Azarinth Perception reaches 2nd lvl 5
‘ding’ Azarinth Reversal reaches lvl 10
‘ding’ Shroud of Ash reaches lvl 11
‘ding’ Form of Ember reaches 2nd lvl 7
‘ding’ Wave of Ember reaches lvl 11
‘ding’ Wave of Ember reaches lvl 12
‘ding’ Eyes of Ash reaches lvl 8
‘ding’ Body of Ash reaches lvl 7
‘ding’ Body of Ash reaches lvl 8
‘ding’ Ashen Warrior reaches lvl 4
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Ilea jumped up and crashed into the pile of ruined and bent metal that was all that remained of her foes. She rolled over onto her back to face the ceiling with blood still running down her face. She smiled, and metal screeched against the stone floor as the first-ever Taleen metal snow-angel was born.
Turning to the joyful task of spending her new stat points, her main attributes profited again.
Name: Ilea Spears
Unspent stat points: 0
Class 1: Azarinth Healer – lvl 155
- Active: Destruction – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: Reconstruction – 2nd lvl 18
- Active: State of Azarinth – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: Blink – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: Azarinth Sphere – 2nd lvl 14
- Passive: Body of Azarinth – 2nd lvl 11
- Passive: Azarinth Fighting – 2nd lvl 20
- Passive: Magic Perception – lvl 14
- Passive: Azarinth Perception – 2nd lvl 5
- Passive: Azarinth Reversal – lvl 10
Class 2: Ash Wielder – lvl 149
- Active: Shroud of Ash – lvl 11
- Active: Form of Ember – 2nd lvl 7
- Active: Ash Surge – lvl 6
- Active: Body Heat Manipulation – lvl 1
- Active: Wave of Ember – lvl 12
- Passive: Ash and Ember Manipulation – lvl 15
- Passive: Heat Perception – lvl 1
- Passive: Eyes of Ash – lvl 8
- Passive: Body of Ash – lvl 8
- Passive: Ashen Warrior – lvl 4
General Skills:
- Elos Standard language – lvl 5
- Identify – lvl 4
- Meditation – 2nd lvl 14
- Poison Resistance – lvl 16
- Heat Resistance – lvl 14
- Pain Tolerance – 2nd lvl 2
- Mental Resistance – lvl 5
- Fear Resistance – lvl 1
- Water Resistance – lvl 5
- Wind Resistance – lvl 3
- Lightning Resistance – lvl 1
Status:
Vitality: 435
Endurance: 188
Strength: 127
Dexterity: 138
Intelligence: 391
Wisdom: 389
Health: 4011/4350
Stamina: 1398/1880
Mana: 2255/3890
Even though she was still spending points on her attributes, Ilea was noticing less and less of a difference. She was sure there was one, and the numbers reflected it, but a change from ten to a hundred obviously felt more noticeable than one from three hundred to four hundred.
She stood up and stretched before shadow sparring a little, getting used to the changes. Now I just need a couple more of these rooms and I’ll hit level 200 in no time. Edwin, here I come…
Ilea walked through the now deserted hall to the only door that led further into the complex from the snow-angel room. There was only the constant noise of gears to break the silence, but she barely noticed that anymore.
A massive door glowed to life at the touch of her mana, and Ilea watched on as a beautiful hallway was revealed behind it. It was just as wide as the hall she’d stood in moments before, but the runes on the walls in here were much more numerous. No trees or other flora decorated this room, but what she did see made Ilea tense up.
Six Centurions were kneeling before her, three on each side of the hallway. Behind them was the most finely decorated door she had seen so far.
What to do…? she wondered as she evaluated her chances. They don’t know my abilities yet and they’re at least similar to each other rather than new unknown enemies, but six of them? Hmm, I can blink away. They probably won’t follow me all the way back. From one to six.
She grinned. Let’s see what happens.
Ilea walked into the room. She was pretty confident in her ability to escape, as long as she remained close to the hall behind her. So far, none of the guardians had pursued her out of the rooms she’d encountered them in.
As soon as her foot touched the cold stone of the hallway, six sets of cold metal eyes flared to life. Six spears immediately flew her way. Ilea smirked and blinked to the side. The spears vanished, and the Centurions advanced.
Blinking backward, Ilea tried to get away and realized from her earlier Centurion fight that all six spears would miss if she chose random distances and directions to teleport to with each dodge. They couldn’t learn her patterns if she didn’t have any.
Only two of them followed her out into the snow-angel room, and she escaped from them back through the trap rooms.
Fucking impossible to get any hits in. But the door at the end of that hallway beyond them looked super massive. Definitely want to see what’s behind there…
Entering the hall again, two of the Centurions had stayed outside with the decorative plants while the other four remained in the hallway beyond. Ilea breathed in and out before starting to run.
The first spear flew at her and she blinked away. The next spear she dodged by swaying to the side and letting it slide by her. She got closer and closer to the hall before all six of them were upon her. Dodging left and right, Ilea blinked above to avoid the spears that were closing in.
Another six random blinks toward the huge door at the end of the Centurions’ hall, and she could finally make out what was on the other side with her perception sphere. There was a thick layer of stone ahead, perhaps twenty meters or so thick, and beyond that she ‘saw’ open space. Doable with her current range. She blinked through and ‘saw’ the spears hit the walls in the hallway behind her, but no sound reached her.
