Azarinth Healer: Book Two - A LitRPG Adventure, page 57
The Shadow’s Hand worked for three days and four nights straight to clear out every cellar, every house, and the whole underground of Ravenhall. Demon corpses littered the streets and occupied nearly every building; the city reeked of rot and blood.
And yet the undead, spirits, and other monsters would appear again soon enough. Or so was the talk among the Shadows. Even so, more monsters would mean more experience, more strength, and at least a small piece of revenge.
Ilea strolled through the city streets. The Hand had repurposed some of the most central government buildings as their headquarters. People worked in shifts, some cooking, some sleeping, and others scouring the beaten-down city for any surviving demons.
She reached a gap in the wall that earth mages were already working on rebuilding to ensure any surviving demons would be trapped inside. Her wings spread behind her in silence before she took to the air, landing on the wall a moment later.
The suns were coming up slowly, the horizon bathed in red and pink. The sunlight illuminated a part of the field in front of the once-proud city. Fires were still burning all around as mages created ditches in the ground to burn the corpses, which others moved into the flames. The work would take even longer than the fight, but the mercenaries worked tirelessly.
Ilea would join them soon, but first she would find something to eat.
SIXTY-TWO
Imperials
Checking the wall, Ilea saw nobody was looking toward her, so she crouched down and summoned one of Keyla’s meals. She still had a lot, but she’d have to go back to Virilya to get more at some point.
A horn sounded in the distance. Ilea put a forkful of food into her mouth as she looked toward the sound, seeing a rider climb over a hill near the burning trenches and wrecked forests. Following behind the first rider were a dozen more. Soon the whole hill was filled with armored riders, flags of the Empire fluttering in the wind.
Ilea enjoyed the food and watched the riders frozen atop their hill, taking in the scene before them. The field of battle was littered with thousands of corpses, the destroyed city had plumes of smoke still rising to the skies, and the corpse of a massive whale and half of a squid lay rotting.
“A bit late, aren’t they?” Kyrian said as he landed next to her.
“They can help clean up. How many came?” Ilea asked, glancing toward the man. Neither was wearing a helmet now the battle was over.
“Looked like a few hundred from higher up.”
Ilea shook her head. “They would’ve been slaughtered…”
“I think those are scouts. Should’ve been fine against the lower-leveled demons, but yes, it’s good we got here first.”
“Care to find out who this company of late heroes are and if they can help?”
“I think I’ll watch from a safe distance.”
“Look, Sulivhaan’s already moving out,” Ilea said, seeing the man fly up from the middle of the city, followed by at least a dozen Shadows.
She put her empty bowl back into her storage necklace, then flew toward the scene, her wings spreading behind her, while Kyrian leaned against a bit of wall that still remained.
A group of the Hand’s members converged around their newfound leaders, Dagon and Sulivhaan, who were heading to greet the Imperial officers. Ilea spotted Trian in the midst of the assembled group and went to stand beside him.
“The city is cleared out then?” the officer in charge said, still on his horse.
“It is, though we would appreciate your help with the cleanup,” Sulivhaan answered.
“The scouts cannot spare anybody for such mundane tasks. Where is the current leading Elder of your order? I’d like to discuss the reestablishment of the city’s governing body.”
Ilea was swiftly losing interest. Were the political games already starting again just days after hundreds of thousands had died?
“Will you truly not honor the contract between the Shadow’s Hand and the Empire of Lys?” Dagon asked, taking a step toward the officer on his horse. “In the Third Agreement, the terms of cooperation in the event of an attack on Ravenhall are clearly written. This so-called mundane task is not beyond any one of your soldiers. It is, in fact, your duty. For your information, I’m Dagon Keywire, the current representative of the Hand, together with my dear friend.” He motioned toward Sulivhaan, who stood next to him in a relaxed manner. “We may discuss the cleanup, rebuilding, and re-establishment of government in the city center, if you and the other representatives join us. I’m sure the long ride has tired you.”
The officer was about to answer when a female scout put a hand on his shoulder.
“We will gladly join you, Lord Librarian,” the woman said, getting a smile and a nod from Dagon. The mercenaries dispersed again, continuing their respective work as the scouts entered the city on their horses.
Ilea was watching them go when one of the soldiers waved at her and rode closer.
“Hey, we managed to get some backup! Sorry for being too late,” Tiva said as she scratched at a blemish on her helmet.
“Ah, you’re that scout from Morhil! Thanks, the cleanup will take a while.” Ilea smiled at her before the woman nodded and followed her companions.
Ilea watched the company of riders as they formed a thin line and rode toward the city. Some things would change with the Hand, that was for sure.
She sat down on the muddy ground and finally scrolled through her notifications. The past six days had been long, and she had killed more living beings than she had in her whole time in Elos. Most of them had been much weaker than her, at least when it came to their levels.
‘ding’ You have defeated [Bone Warrior – lvl 74]
…
The kill notifications were endless, so Ilea skipped them and got to the juicier notifications.
‘ding’ Azarinth First Hunter has reached lvl 222 – Five stat points awarded.
…
‘ding’ Azarinth First Hunter has reached lvl 224 – Five stat points awarded.
Just three levels for the main class… Guess I’ll have to find some higher-leveled Drakes soon. Or actual dragons at this point.
Ilea shook her head and continued.
‘ding’ Inheritor of Eternal Ash has reached lvl 217 – Five stat points awarded.
…
‘ding’ Inheritor of Eternal Ash has reached lvl 220 – Five stat points awarded.
‘ding’ You have gained one third-tier skill point in [Inheritor of Eternal Ash].
Well at least four levels here and another third-tier skill point, just shit that I apparently have zero Inheritor skills to level up…
That was something else gained from all this. But more importantly, Ravenhall had been cleared, and the demon threat, at least in this region, had been dealt with for the time being.
‘ding’ Blink reaches 3rd lvl 5
‘ding’ Body of the First Hunter reaches 2nd lvl 20
‘ding’ Hunter’s Sight reaches 2nd lvl 6
‘ding’ Hunter’s Sight reaches 2nd lvl 7
‘ding’ Azarinth Perception reaches 2nd lvl 20
‘ding’ Azarinth Reversal reaches 2nd lvl 13
…
‘ding’ Azarinth Reversal reaches 2nd lvl 15
A bunch of Azarinth skills had reached level 20 in their second tier. Ilea now needed to do whatever was required to unlock their third-tier capabilities and then level up her class enough to get them all to the third tier. The next one would likely be at level 240, and she’d already decided to take Hunter Recovery after her earlier choice of State of Azarinth. Hitting the level 20 mark was nice, but it was a double-edged sword as she couldn’t increase those skills further until she hit a much higher level.
I do have enough to work on in my other class though…
‘ding’ Veil of Ash reaches 2nd lvl 20
‘ding’ Form of Ash and Ember reaches 2nd lvl 17
‘ding’ Form of Ash and Ember reaches 2nd lvl 18
‘ding’ Ash Creation reaches 2nd lvl 13
…
‘ding’ Ash Creation reaches 2nd lvl 17
Well, that one was effective…
She looked at the numbers again to make sure. Ash Creation was now nearly at level 20 as well, though she had used it almost constantly in recent days while surrounded by admittedly rather weak enemies. Perhaps it was because the skill didn’t rely on fighting, so using it while fighting with nearly twenty other skills active in a stressful environment made the leveling process more effective.
‘ding’ Embered Body Heat reaches lvl 16
…
‘ding’ Embered Body Heat reaches lvl 20
That one had been a gamble. Ilea had simply activated the skill whenever her mana wasn’t low. She hadn’t managed to damage any enemies with the heat itself, but it might’ve helped attract more monsters toward her.
Maybe reaching the second stage would make the skill more useful than it was at the moment. At the moment, anything it damaged even a little bit would die from a couple of her punches anyway, while it would be useless against anything stronger.
‘ding’ Wave of Ember reaches 2nd lvl 9
…
‘ding’ Wave of Ember reaches 2nd lvl 12
‘ding’ Ash and Ember Manipulation reaches 2nd lvl 15
…
‘ding’ Ash and Ember Manipulation reaches 2nd lvl 19
Ilea was still happy she’d invested so much of her mana and concentration in the swirling pool of ash around her. The remaining demons weren’t dangerous enough for her to need to be too defensive, but they still provided enough danger to help her level up those skills quite quickly. Against stronger enemies, she’d probably avoid using the manipulation and creation abilities a lot, other than for blinding the enemy or hiding.
‘ding’ Ashen Wings reaches 2nd lvl 12
…
‘ding’ Ashen Wings reaches 2nd lvl 14
‘ding’ Eyes of Ash reaches 2nd lvl 17
…
‘ding’ Eyes of Ash reaches 2nd lvl 19
‘ding’ Body of Ash reaches 2nd lvl 15
‘ding’ Body of Ash reaches 2nd lvl 16
‘ding’ Ashen Warrior reaches 2nd lvl 13
…
‘ding’ Ashen Warrior reaches 2nd lvl 15
Ilea’s second Class was steadily catching up with her first one, and the skills had finally closed the gap as well. She was happy.
Checking for third-tier skills to advance, she found none to use her skill points on. Veil of Ash was level 20 in its second stage, but something was still missing.
Ilea saw that her meditation skill had also reached level 17 in its second stage. It was pretty much why she had been able to fight for so long in the past week. She’d consider its capabilities rather ridiculous if it weren’t for the fact that literally everyone had it. The skill made her healing ability insanely good. She just needed a short break, and she could go from literally broken and near death to perfectly fine again, at least physically.
Name: Ilea Spears
Unspent stat points: 0
Unspent 3rd-tier skill points [Azarinth First Hunter]: 0
Unspent 3rd-tier skill points [Inheritor of Eternal Ash]: 2
Class 1: Azarinth First Hunter – lvl 224
- Active: Destruction – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: Hunter Recovery – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: State of Azarinth – 3rd lvl 1
- Active: Blink – 3rd lvl 5
- Active: Azarinth Hunter Sphere – 2nd lvl 20
- Passive: Body of the First Hunter – 2nd lvl 20
- Passive: Azarinth Fighting – 2nd lvl 20
- Passive: Hunter’s Sight – 2nd lvl 7
- Passive: Azarinth Perception – 2nd lvl 20
- Passive: Azarinth Reversal – 2nd lvl lvl 15
Class 2: Inheritor of Eternal Ash – lvl 220
- Active: Veil of Ash – 2nd lvl 20
- Active: Form of Ash and Ember – 2nd lvl 18
- Active: Ash Creation – lvl 2nd lvl 17
- Active: Embered Body Heat – lvl 20
- Active: Wave of Ember – 2nd lvl 12
- Passive: Ash and Ember Manipulation – 2nd lvl 19
- Passive: Ashen Wings – 2nd lvl 14
- Passive: Eyes of Ash – 2nd lvl 19
- Passive: Body of Ash – 2nd lvl 16
- Passive: Ashen Warrior – 2nd lvl 15
General Skills:
- Elos Standard language – lvl 5
- Identify – lvl 7
- Meditation – 2nd lvl 17
- Poison Resistance – lvl 17
- Heat Resistance – lvl 19
- Pain Tolerance – 2nd lvl 4
- Mental Resistance – 2nd lvl 10
- Fear Resistance – lvl 2
- Water Resistance – lvl 6
- Wind Resistance – lvl 7
- Lightning Resistance – 2nd lvl 5
- Ice Resistance – lvl 7
- Crystal Resistance – lvl 6
- Earth Magic Resistance – lvl 5
- Arcane Magic Resistance – lvl 6
- Corrosion Resistance – lvl 3
- Light Magic Resistance – lvl 2
- Mist Magic Resistance – lvl 1
- Curse Resistance – 2nd lvl 2
- Mana Drain Resistance – lvl 18
- Health Drain Resistance – lvl 16
- Blast Resistance – lvl 12
- Dark Magic Resistance – lvl 1
- Veteran – lvl 2
- Heavy Archery – lvl 4
Status:
Vitality: 650
Endurance: 233
Strength: 182
Dexterity: 193
Intelligence: 596
Wisdom: 584
Health: 6500/6500
Stamina: 2221/2330
Mana: 5828/5840
I’m pretty damn awesome…
Ilea grinned at the thought. Her tiredness from the past days was slowly catching up with her when she heard an explosion in the distance. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a forested patch near a faraway mountain, where a fiery ball slowly dispersed a couple of dozen meters above ground.
A signal?
She narrowed her eyes. The slowly rising suns’ rays hadn’t reached that specific part of the horizon yet, and Ilea doubted she’d have even seen the fire in broad daylight.
Ah, what the hell, why not…
Ilea spread her wings. It was a good excuse not to shovel corpses around, and it was certainly more interesting to her than the discussions between Imperial officials and the librarian.
It took Ilea a couple of minutes at full speed to close the distance, though that was enough for her to make out more. The caster was still hidden inside the thick forest, but she could make out the familiar light of a barrier. A lone mage must have wandered off – or someone was coming toward them.
Hard eyes stared back at her as another spell hit her barrier. Claire summoned a heavy blanket and put it on the hard ground before she moved her mother onto it. She was quiet as always, her eyes as absent as if she were sitting in her room in Vihal.
The last days had been rough, but they had made it so far. Her goal was so close. The smoke in the distance had made her cautious, but having caught a glimpse of an Imperial flag had made her risk a signal.
She smiled at her mother as she summoned another blanket from her new ring. She was clad in a warm cloak already and didn’t get sick easily, but Claire didn’t want to take chances. Traveling this far in such a short time had to have taken a toll on her. The horses had been left behind, both too tired to continue after two days’ travel. There had been no time to clear the trail, and even a barely adequate tracker could have followed them.
She wasn’t surprised they had finally caught up.
Claire hadn’t expected the noble’s hunters to actually follow and confront her. They must have either been desperate, overconfident, or extremely well paid. None of them were above her level, the closest being at 180.
Still, with six of them standing around the barrier and her mother within it, it would be a difficult fight. The explosion she had sent upward was meant for the Shadows and Imperials closer to the city. She hoped someone would be curious enough to come.
“Are you sure you want to die here, mage?” one of her enemies said. He was an older man, his axe cradled lazily in his hands. The man didn’t smile, his question not mocking but confused. “Protecting a friend shouldn’t stand above your own and your mother’s life. We were even instructed to pay you for the info, though I’m sorry to say that will no longer be an option after this unnecessary pursuit.”
The man dragged his axe across her barrier, sending small sparks down toward the snow before they vanished in the air.
