Azarinth Healer: Book Three - A LitRPG Adventure, page 83
The remaining projectiles slammed into his face, turning his head into a pincushion. His free hand struck at her head, but Ilea stayed unmoving, withstanding the force before healing her lightly bruised face.
The knight jumped back, sword ripping out of her shoulder as the armor closed, the wound quickly healing thereafter. Blood dripped from his blade as Ilea continued her attack. The knight was also a triple mark, but neither speed nor skill separated him much from the undead she’d faced earlier.
It had magic and certainly more brains as well as a complete set of armor and healing support from Maro. Which just meant she had to deal with it now. The sharp weapon was an added issue, as Ilea’s defenses were definitely more durable against the dull blades of the more feral knights.
She could see it too now, the connection the knight had to the palace, to the king and his unholy necromantic machine. It pulsed with power, mana flowing along the thin invisible strand.
I wonder if I could cut it… with a suitable attack?
Ilea slashed one of her ashen limbs through it but found it simply passed through with no effect. She couldn’t touch it.
The fight continued with the Kingsguard using the same tactics. They would clash, it would flee, then it would reengage at random intervals with impossible-to-avoid attacks.
After several repeats of the same exchanges, she grabbed onto his blade as it cut into her yet again. Ilea charged up Absolute Destruction and pumped destructive mana into him but was surprised to find the knight immediately let go of his weapon and jumped back.
“Really?” she asked, ripping the blade out of her side before her skin and ash quickly closed over the wound.
Trying to store the blade in her necklace failed, not that she’d suspected a different result. Feeling a strong pull on the weapon, she resisted, instead sprinting at the knight – blade in hand. Ilea had no intention of using the weapon, but as long as it was in her hand, all he had were his fists.
When she reached him, she smashed her fist into his chest, her ashen limbs delivering their Storm of Cinders a split second after. The blade was ripped from her hand, turning in midair before he clasped it and attacked. This time, she had time to dodge before she could continue her assault, sacrificing more health for her aura.
When she noticed her health dropping from the heat within her, Ilea blinked once again, shifting her body ever so slightly to take the following blade strike in her arm. The blast was released in a dome of fire and cinders, vaporizing all the structures nearby. The knight’s silver armor was left smoking, the front black in parts.
The knight stumbled back with one arm raised to shield himself. His sword came free as Ilea blinked to cover the two-meter distance between them. Charging her Destruction for three full seconds, she released it – coupled with the third tier of Aspect of Ash.
The arm covered in ashen armor suddenly exploded with fire, blue mana breaking free even before her fist landed. The recoil from the impact shuddered through her, the punch caving his helmet in before he was sent flying backward. Twice he hit the ground before skidding to a stop. Ilea landed on him with her knees next to his chest.
He raised his blade, but she smashed his arm aside, her other fist repeatedly crashing into the helmet, blue wisps and fiery cinders cascading out with each impact. Her limbs focused on his right arm, cutting into the armor and holding it down as more and more ash formed to keep him in place.
When he was secured, Ilea charged her Destruction for ten seconds before delivering one thousand mana directly into whatever was left of his brain. Her mana was quite low at that point, all the attacks having eaten away at her resources faster than she’d have liked.
The punch squashed his head, killing him and breaking his connection to the center of the palace.
Ilea stood slowly, staggering back a step. She breathed heavily, feeling more alive than she had in months. Then she laughed, the smile on her face warm and fierce.
One more step.
Removing each piece of armor, she stored both the corpse and the gear in her necklace and stood up. Her mana was recovering quickly. The only reason she’d been so aggressive was the fact that the Kingsguards had a way to heal themselves. Otherwise, a slower approach would definitely have been beneficial.
I wonder if the others are that defensive? Trying to run away from me while regenerating. Who does he think he is, me?
The sword was in excellent shape, not a chip showing and of rare quality. Seeing as it only took up a single storage space in her necklace, she decided to keep it.
‘ding’ You have defeated [Kingsguard – lvl 508] – For defeating an enemy two hundred or more levels above your own, bonus experience is granted.
‘ding’ Absolute Destruction reaches 3rd lvl 10
‘ding’ Azarinth Fighting reaches 3rd lvl 6
‘ding’ Aspect of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 6
Ilea grumbled about the lack of a level up before walking over to her stinking leg and grabbing the awful thing. She charged up Heart of Cinders before blasting the surroundings, turning the rotten flesh to ash.
RIP leg. Your service shall not be forgotten.
“Now, where’s the next one?”
SEVENTY-NINE
Approach to Power
“Three hundred and you’ve already taken one down? Not bad, Ilea,” Maro nodded. “Especially for a healer.” His grin brightened his face, green eyes sparkling.
“New title, then? Suspected as much. Well, I guess I’m going to be underestimated again,” Ilea said, sitting down on a chair and putting the Kingsguard blade away again after showing it to him. “You’re not fucking with me, are you?”
[Necromancer – lvl 310]
Maro laughed. “No. For once, I’m not. You identify as a healer. Having told me about both classes leveling, I assume your first class is the healer one. If your second one gets higher, you’ll be a warrior or mage again, depending on what it is.”
He chuckled before continuing. “Well, speaking of underestimating, I have to give credit where credit is due. I thought I’d be stuck in here for a decade at least. When you talked about the Descent and the Taleen dungeon, I hoped for a couple of years. But to think it took less than a few months…” He shook his head. “Outstanding. And here I thought I was crazy.”
Ilea smiled, relaxing in her Hand-issue leather armor, which was now rather torn. Nothing that would threaten the integrity of the outfit, but she’d have to change it eventually.
And I have regenerating armor now. That fight would have used up, like, ten sets of my usual ones.
Maro’s eyes were focused on her. “You’re one of the youngest people I’ve met who has reached three hundred. And I have a feeling you’re going to advance even further.”
“How would you know how old I am?” Ilea asked with a smile.
She didn’t question his other statement. Now that she could take out the normal knights with ease, she had plenty more challenges waiting for her, and those came with level ups as well.
“A feeling.”
“It’s already been a long road, even though I’m young. Lots and lots of fighting.” She stretched and gave a yawn.
“You don’t really need much sleep anymore, do you? Oh… You’re tired from all the fighting. Well, I can see that. I appreciate it, you know.”
Ilea smirked, leaning her head back to stare up at the white marble ceiling.
“I didn’t just do it for you, Maro. You could, however, have given me some info about the magical abilities they have. The one I faced sent mana waves capable of cutting through steel my way.”
“Sure you didn’t do it for me.” He smiled, looking incredibly handsome. “As for their abilities, when I created them, they didn’t have such things. Capable swordsmen and women, sure. You’ll have to figure the rest out by yourself.”
Guess hoping to get a dossier of Kingsguard abilities was too much to hope for.
“Well, now that you’re able to take them out, we can visit Lisburg together when I’m out. Catelyn told me most of it’s now a place where Awakened dwell. Fine by me, as long as there’s something to eat and drink. She did let me know that some of the vineyards still remain,” he added with a grin.
“Sure. Sorry I didn’t manage to check it out earlier,” Ilea said.
He shook his head. “It was a whim. I’d hoped for you to go, not expected it, nor for you to get me out in the first place.”
“Can’t imagine a more relaxing dungeon exploration team than one with you and Terok,” Ilea said, lifting her head to give a very meaningful eyeroll.
He snorted. “Oh, stop it, you love us. Even if you hate us.”
How does that even make sense? Ilea asked herself, then realized she was smiling despite his nonsense.
Sitting up again, she asked, “You’re not going to visit Elana in Hallowfort? I’m sure she already has plans to implement you somewhere in her takeover of the world.”
His lips formed a line, eyes losing some of their joy. “She does. Which is why she’s not here and why I won’t be visiting her. At least, not immediately. I declined to help. We were a good team, built a kingdom and governed more or less successfully. Decades of work and dedication. I would fight and die for Rhyvor, Ilea, even today. Nearly did in the end. But this is it.”
“And here I thought a necromancer at three hundred wouldn’t need sleep either.”
Maro snorted. “She blames me, I think.” His voice went quiet again. “For being stuck with me all this time.”
“When you were king and queen?”
“No. In here.”
Ilea raised her eyebrows. “Well, as far as I recall, it was her choice. Or was that a lie?”
“It was her choice.”
Ilea smiled. “Then that’s that. There are always two people in a relationship. I wouldn’t overthink it too much.”
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t get your wife stuck in a vault for a few thousand years.”
“You didn’t either. You both did it to yourselves.”
He smiled at her and nodded. “Easier said than felt.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Maro looked at her for a long moment.
“What?” Ilea asked.
“You remind me of an old adventurer friend of mine. On closer inspection, you seem quite different, but there are some things that fit.”
“You think she’s still around? She might be fun if you think we’re similar.”
“She was cut apart in an inn by a bunch of mercenaries she offended. Half-drunk, I was told.”
“Doesn’t sound like me then. I’m uncuttable. Did you kill the mercenaries?”
“Uncuttable? Doubt it. She was pretty tough too. Not expecting an attack can do a number on you. And no. The girl had friends all over. Someone else reached them before me. Nasty scene.” His voice had dropped even more.
“Yeah,” Ilea said. “Sorry to hear about it.”
“It is long past. Have you chosen your new third-tier skills already?”
“I haven’t, actually,” Ilea said. With all the advancements she’d already gotten, she’d nearly forgotten about them.
3rd-tier skill points available [Azarinth Sentinel]: 1
Skills available for 3rd-tier advancement in [Azarinth Sentinel]:
- Sentinel Sphere
- Azarinth Perception
- Azarinth Reversal
3rd-tier skill points available [Kin of Ash]: 1
Skills available for 3rd-tier advancement in [Kin of Ash]:
- Storm of Cinders
- Avatar of Ash
- Heart of Cinder
Well… they’re all fucking amazing. Sphere and Perception would likely give some utility, and Reversal might be offensive power. All are interesting. Never know what you’re going to get though. Box of bloody chocolates.
For her second Class, Ilea was favoring either Storm of Cinders or Heart of Cinder. Both could enhance her offensive capabilities substantially.
“Some advice from you, maybe?”
“Bring it,” Maro said, smirking in his usual charming way.
“One is a sphere of perception around me. One increases my reflexes and perception passively, and the last one lets me use my healing offensively as well as changing a mana intrusion attack I have, giving it a mana drain on hit.”
She quickly explained what her three Azarinth skills did without going into their second stages. Maro seemed to actually give it some real thought. She’d expected him to immediately shoot out an answer, likely some kind of joke. She knew from their previous talks that he was serious quite often, but looking at his face and constant smirk now, it was hard to believe those memories were real.
“I think all those skills sound good. You won’t know what the third tier does until you get it. Maybe you could wait a little longer? It’s not been long since you hit three hundred, I assume. You could get used to all the changes and then make a decision?”
“And then get used to even more changes? No. Look, I don’t intend to stay at three hundred. Soon, all of them will be in the third tier anyway. It’s just a matter of choosing the best ones for now, in this very moment.”
He met her eyes before responding. “Then it just comes down to what you need. Survivability? Damage? Speed? Maneuverability? Detection? Can your reflexes keep up with all the other gains you have gotten? No? Take that one. Any reason your sphere isn’t up to the task anymore? Take that. Need a boost to your healing and the mana intrusion attack? Take that one. If you’re not in need of anything specific, take the one you use the most.”
“I don’t think I’m in need of anything. I use my sphere constantly, as well as my healing and the mana intrusion.”
“Well, you still have eyes, as well as your other senses. I don’t think reliance on anything like that should come first. There are spells and enchantments that can make perception skills like yours a terrible experience. Trust me. Happened to me once. If the choice is between that and a boost to your healing and mana intrusion, I’d take the latter.”
Ilea nodded. “Reasonable points. Or a necromancer trying to deceive me right before he takes over the world.”
“True,” he admitted. “What about your second class?”
“Defensive skill passively boosting my body as well as speed and perception, mana intrusion skill… well, not purely anymore, and an area attack that targets a sphere around me.”
Maro didn’t pause for as long this time. “Can you use both mana intrusion spells at the same time?” Ilea nodded. “Then for me at least, it would be clear. If you’re not in need of anything else, take the two skills possibly boosting your mana intrusion. You’ll get the combined boost of both.”
“Hey, that actually makes sense. Why not. I’ll get two more again at three ten anyway,” Ilea said, then used the points on the respective skills.
‘ding’ Azarinth Reversal reaches 3rd lvl 1
Passive: Azarinth Reversal – lvl 3rd lvl 1:
You have learned of Absolute Destruction and Sentinel Reconstruction. Now you will learn of their Reversal.
Upon activation, Absolute Destruction will send some of the struck enemy’s mana into yourself. No mana will be released on impact, reducing Absolute Destruction’s offensive potential to zero.
Upon activation, Sentinel Reconstruction will send a destructive force of channeled mana into yourself or an enemy you touch. The healing aspects are reduced to zero.
2nd stage: You may have both the original and reversed aspects activated at the same time.
3rd stage: Healing, power, resilience, and speed. An Azarinth Healer requires balance. Your respective Destruction and Reconstruction spells have their potency increased by a static 25% of your lowest stat. [100%]
Category: Body Enhancement
So what you’re telling me is I should invest in Endurance?
Ilea looked at her ten remaining stat points and put them into Wisdom. Getting more mana she could use for anything would be the most beneficial thing at the moment. Especially now she felt both her defense and offense were covered.
For a while, at least.
‘ding’ Storm of Cinders reaches 3rd lvl 1
Active: Storm of Cinders – 3rd lvl 1:
Burn the inside of whatever your body hits with a surge of heat and embers or release the attack in a burst of fire and cinders.
2nd stage: The flame burns on. Targets hit will have fire burning through or on them. Time and consecutive attacks will increase the effect.
3rd stage: Storm of Cinders burns away all that stands against it, damaging mana intrusion prevention capabilities of defensive enchantments, as well as natural and manufactured armor.
Category: Ashen magic
“Not bad,” she said, releasing the breath she’d been holding.
“What did you get?”
Ilea smiled. “I’m not telling. One was really good though.”
Maro pouted. “You’re no fun.”
“Says the guy stuck in his bloody necromancer machine, forcing me to take care of his undead.”
“Nobody is forcing you, Ilea. I would understand anybody unwilling to face creatures two hundred levels higher than themselves. I simply know you well enough by now to know that you welcome such a challenge.”
“Wouldn’t you?” she asked, and the king gave her a somewhat complicated expression. “Oh, don’t disappoint me now. Not after all the stories of your reckless adventures.”
“With a team of experts and friends. Prepared and knowledgeable about our foes. I don’t intend to lose limbs, Ilea, even if I could recover in mere days. I know you’re powerful, but don’t overestimate yourself just because you can avoid getting hit.”
