RhaegarRRL
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Chapter 456 Blood
🕑 Added 2020-03-24 21:15:21 +0000 UTCAuthor's note: Hello all :). New chapter up and another one this week. Let me know what you think!
Author's note: Hey all :). Hope you are having an okay week, circumstances aside. New chapter up. Do let me know what you think.
EPUB/PDF: https://www.patreon.com/posts/32241245
Chapter 456 Blood
Sophia couldnt stop herself anymore. She stepped to the side of the exit and puked. Whatever remained in her stomach came back out.
Hey, do that somewhere else, the nearby guard said.
Leave it, I dont want to explain a corpse to the guard, Sean said and handed a coin to the man.
Fucking rookies, at least prepare before going in, he muttered to himself and resumed his post in silence.
Prepare? For that? Sophia thought and turned around, wiping her mouth as the surroundings grew colder.
Sean was already there, placating her with a gesture. Calm down. He doesnt know. Nobody could know.
It would be so satisfying, to show that guard who was unprepared, powerless, weak. Sean was right. Jeopardizing themselves and their entry to this dungeon wasnt worth it.
Are you alright? he asked.
Im very far from alright, Sean, Sophia said and sighed, looking at her hands as she opened and closed them.
What the hell was that? she asked.
The man just shook his head. He hadnt been speechless many times, usually eager to offer some words of support. Come on, lets have ourselves a drink.
Good idea, Colt said as he joined them. You think shell come back tomorrow?
You are kidding, right? Sophia said.
What? Got more levels from this than the last year of adventuring, the warrior said. It was pretty fucked up, Ill admit that much.
Fucked up? Sophia said. I never want to see anything like those Abominations ever again. And that last part? I thought I was getting eaten from the inside.
The warrior gulped. It was crazy. And her healing just took care of it Sean, I tell you, we really have to get us one of those healers. We could do what she said, lay traps and hunt creatures like that.
I have fought with healers shes not exactly a normal representation. I havent ever met one who just stood there and took direct hits from level three hundred creatures, Sean said.
Why are we talking here, come on. Lets go, Sophia said and walked towards the inn.
Agreed, Colt said and followed. Did you see her wings? I want some of those.
Good luck with that. With your weight, youd need ten times that size, Sophia said and winked his way.
Ill show you something else ten times that size, the warrior said.
That doesnt make any sense, Colt, Sean said.
Edgar sighed and shook his head. What a night.
_________________________________
ding You have heard the challenge of a Specter of Rot You resist its effect
Ilea received the same message as earlier. She had dropped the group off near the exit of the dungeon, the flight quite simple with her Sentinel Huntress and sphere picking up where they had used their magic on the way.
The reward had come when she used the same skills to get back into the deep cavern.
ding Sentinel Huntress reaches 3rd lvl 3
She could feel it again, the blight damaging her from the inside. Not blight, she thought. It was less strong of an effect than the power she had experienced in the Karheim dungeon.
Enough to kill the others.
Her healing luckily canceled it out but fighting creatures while focusing on them wasnt in the cards. Not if she wanted to guarantee their survival.
Sooo, Specter of Rot lets see if this place manages to pose a challenge after all, Ilea said as she hovered farther into the vast cavern.
The place was pitch black and silent. Nothing suggested the presence of a being other than herself. If only it hadnt been for that screech.
If you had been quiet, I might have left you alone to rot in this god forsaken hole in the ground.
Ilea didnt know where the creature had come from, it might as well have been birthed out of the void itself.
Two swords made of bone slashed out, the weight, power and quality enough to cut through her ash and deep into her skin. According to Azarinth Fighting that was.
Ilea didnt quite know enough yet to let the creature close.
It was flying, like her. Wings made of skin and bone. Two dead eyes set into a malformed skull. The creature was three meters in height, deadly talons on both hands and legs at the end of lean but muscular limbs. The swords were just over two meters long.
[Specter of Rot lvl ???]
Way to make it interesting, Ilea thought with a smile, all her skills ready to answer whatever questions the being might ask.
The Specter did not have a mouth however, power emanating form its form as magic was released.
Dancing? Oh, how did you know I just took some lessons? she asked and twirled through the air as the being rushed her.
__________________________
I tell you, she just stood there. Level three hundred. Shes at least that high, Colt repeated himself.
A group of five was listening to him near the bar, the innkeeper apparently quite interested too.
What skills did she use? one of them asked.
Do you think this is a good idea? Edgar asked Sean, the two of them sitting with Sophia at their usual table.
She didnt tell us to keep it to ourselves, Sean said. Besides. Everything he said so far is in the song.
We shouldnt share anything else. About the healers she wants to train and about how she helped us out. Sophia said.
She nearly got us killed, Edgar said but waved her off before she could retort. I know she helped. And I get it. Shes just a little off. Well a little lot.
I dont think we were ever in any danger. Not from anything besides herself, Sophia said. They still dont get what kind of a monster that woman was. Talking about Abominations instead of her. Just because shes wearing a human body.
Doesnt matter. I agree with you that we shouldnt talk too much. Sean? Edgar said and glanced at the man.
The ranger rolled his eyes and stood up. Okay, alright. Colt!
Ash! the warrior said and spread his arms. Thats all lads keep away from the dark, or she will snatch you away.
Some of them laughed, others talked amongst themselves.
Sounds like that song. Lilith, was it? a nearby patron said before changing the subject.
Colt brought four mugs to the table and sat down with a satisfied sigh. There you go lads. Something to fill back up the water we lost by shitting ourselves. Or puking. he added and winked to Sophia.
And we survived another day, Sean said and grabbed his mug. To Lilith.
To my crush, Colt said.
Edgar touched their mugs without a word.
To the monster of Ravenhall, Sophia said.
Sean laughed. To get that title, with the Shadows Hand being located there.
Do you think shes actually different form them? Or is she just a high level Shadow? Colt asked.
We never asked if she is one in the first place, Sean said.
Sophia signaled to them that they had company.
The barkeeper had switched with someone else and was approaching their table.
Sean, right? he said and nodded to the man. Couldnt help but overhear your story. Mind if I join in?
Take a seat, Hudson. It has been an exciting night, Sean said.
Sophia glanced at the man. She had seen him before and was pretty sure he owned the whole place. He wasnt very tall but made up for it in sheer density. Hudson nearly reached Colts levels of muscle. He sported a short gray beard and hair of the same color bound in a bun, visible scars on both his face and arms telling of his time of adventuring or military, wrinkles added into the mix giving him a grizzled look.
[Warrior lvl 82]
Not an overwhelming threat, Sophia thought. His influence in the area could be a problem, which is why Sean allowed him to sit down with them. After what theyve been through, she was sure he wouldnt easily welcome a stranger to join in conversation.
What do you know? Sean asked, getting straight to the point as he leaned in. He talked in a hushed tone.
Hudson leaned back, the chair groaning under his weight. I heard the songs. More than that, I talked to someone who met her. Nearly a year ago.
Songs? Theres more than one? Edgar asked.
Sophia was interested too.
Yep. Pretty much the same thing however. One goes into more detail on why she is such a bloody good thing for Ravenhall and its people. Sounds to me like she has a cult following. Mind magic is an option, the barkeeper said.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
You disagree, lass? he asked.
Bards need money too. You pay them and they write a song, she said.
Well you aint wrong. Songs are one thing but the man I talked to he swore he had met her. The Shadow wielding ash. Apparently she paid people to attack her. To train resistances, people said. Just that the magic did very little to injure her at all. And if it did, she was healed back up in mere instants, Hudson explained.
Why I thought it was her. It sounded the same to me when the big guy over here talked about it. But three hundred? Ive never heard of someone that high, he said and shook his head.
Sean nodded. I think she has to be there. At least that. With what she showed. Theyre out there, you know? They have to be. People at that level. Higher even.
Nobles hiding in their estates and castles, Edgar said and took a sip.
Hiding wont bring you to those levels. You can torture and kill slaves and captured pray all you want, Sophia said.
Aye. That one she enjoyed it. Not a shred of fear in her. You saw it too, Colt said and looked at Sean.
The ranger nodded absentmindedly.
What do you think she found down there? You think she really went after it? Colt asked and glanced at each of them in turn.
She did, Sophia stated.
Hudson was wise enough not to ask too many questions.
Do you think she will make it? Edgar asked.
Sophia turned her attention to the mug in front of her, lifting it towards her mouth. I dont fear for her. I fear for whatever stands in her way.
______________________________
Ilea felt the magic condense, choosing not to blink this time as it manifested.
The rupture went through her, her blood exploding in a flurry of heat and movement. Half her chest was ripped out.
She let it reform as she drifted backwards. Having a hard time, are we?
The creature had to focus on her for quite some time to manifest its spell. It changed up the pattern, where it attacked and how fast it manipulated her blood.
None of that mattered in the end as Ilea didnt exactly want to dodge the attacks. Granted, she didnt know exactly when they came but she was getting better.
So far, she hadnt retaliated in any way, simply observing the creature as it attacked.
The Specter varied between a flurry of bladed attacks and blood magic in various forms. Projectiles, ruptures within her body, enhancement for its swords, and vine like blood shooting out from the ground.
Ilea only avoided the last variant, not about to get trapped if she had anything to say about it.
Here we go again, she thought when the creature vanished.
It appeared in a mist like state behind her, blades slashing through her armor and skin.
She could see it vanish within her sphere, forming again and continuing its attack. The being attacked four to five times per second, putting her blink to shame. She only avoided the thrusting attacks, just in case she would end up impaled and thus trapped.
Ilea didnt know yet if the swords would give her bone magic resistance levels but it was worth a shot. It was difficult enough to avoid them entirely already. She was glad they didnt cleave through her limbs as easily as the Ascended had taken her apart.
Alright, lets see how durable you are, shall we?
She twirled backwards, a blade slashing through the air below. Ilea sped up and used her wings to maneuver her around its moving blades. She took the hit from the blood sphere that surged out, burning a layer off of her armor right before her fist landed.
Absolute Destruction and Storm of Cinders rushed into the being as she pulled back, taking two slashes that drew blood. The thick red liquid flowed down and ignited, energy expanding as her wounds ripped open. And closed.
Didnt die yet. Thats good, she thought with a smile. But youll have to try harder than that, my friend.
She watched it vanish and turned to where she felt the newly available mark. Promptly using it against the creature seemed like a good way to further work on the skill. Ilea could feel its effect weaken as the seconds went by, another surge of magic
Talk?
She sent the thought towards the being floating in the dark but nothing answered her.
It teleported in and out of her spheres range with its continuous attacks.
Quite convenient. Knowing where that thing is at all times.
Ilea continued to fight the creature, her body cut and ripped apart in the process, the woman getting more and more aggressive in her approach.
She found that her punches and skills had less of an effect as she had expected. Something was wrong. This one was regenerating too.
Perfect
Ilea could even see the creature now, the embers burning within its body and on its skin lit it up like a torch. The effects waned quickly but she reapplied them just as fast.
She added other skills to the mix, burning it with Heart of Cinder and finally whistling at it with Monster Hunter.
The creature stopped in its tracks and forced its magic into her blood.
No reaction? Guess my level just isnt high enough, Ilea thought with a smile, the echo of her whistle reaching her a moment later.
She dodged another two blades that slashed her way and to her surprise found the weapons doubling suddenly. Blood magic made her shoulder explode an instant later.
Ah yes, the increased range. Maybe I shouldnt have infused it.
There were five of them.
Ilea struggled to completely avoid all their attacks, finding their coordination striking. The constant blood magic posed more of a problem too, now that the more physical attacks didnt stop during the casting.
Her third tier healing was working extra shifts as whole sections of her were ripped out and splattered onto her ash or the ground.
Ashen wings maneuvered her up and into open space, allowing her enough wiggle room to avoid most of the enemy strikes. Finding openings proved difficult however and she wasnt focusing on a more suicidal tactic quite yet.
Ileas limbs spread out from her back, interconnected with her wings, the tendrils lashed out and struck the beings, three at a time. All five when they were close enough.
The magic slamming into her was both there to level her resistance but just as much to recover mana, allowing her to keep up with the creatures even after nearly ten minutes of constant battle.
She was sure by now that these things were either close to level seven or eight hundred or they had some form or regeneration. Or mana intrusion resistance. Doesnt feel that- her thoughts were interrupted by a blade nearly slashing through her throat.
Ilea kept her head as the tissue reconnected. The mana goes in. They just heal the damage. Quite tough.
She wondered if they were on the Vampires level but thought it too risky to go all out, sacrificing her movement, dodging and defense over pure attack.
Heart of Cinder charged to higher levels for now and she didnt hold anything else back either. At this point the playing had turned into serious training.
The danger wasnt anywhere close to the Ascended but she wondered if the Specters could actually take her down if they just managed to capture her with their blood vines.
It helped that they apparently had to connect to the ground, ceiling or walls. If she stayed mostly in the middle of the caverns space, she should be mostly safe.
This would be quite a bit more brutal in a small corridor.
Blood vines were moving closer from above, Ilea finally letting go of the stored heat. A spherical wave of fire and energy expanded, momentarily illuminating the space.
Dead eyes stared back, their skin nearly as pale as the swords of bone they held.
Her released Heart of Cinder burned through the blood magic and parts of their bodies with ease. Not close to the power she had used against the steel barriers of the Ascended but nothing to take lightly either.
Ilea watched within her sphere as the burnt skin healed, missing parts reforming and the scorched sections shed away. Not a hint of fear or pain, just a single focus, a single goal. To cut down the unknown intruder in their midst.
She blinked back to avoid a thrust attack, jolting her head backwards as a chunk of her face exploded outwards and reformed. As long as her brain didnt go, she wouldnt be taken out of the action. Her third tier prevented her from dying but even a fraction of a second could mean being pinned down and potentially reduced to a continuously regenerating soon to be corpse.
She took a deep breath and focused on the fight. The chance of them taking me down is low. Now, lets see if the same is true the other way around.
Comments
F5 SECT SHALL RISE ONCE AGAIN?!?!
Superfae already told her that she could only become an Elemental of Ash if she combined with an actual elemental of ash, so probably her next evolution won't be and Elemental Illea of Ash t.t
Seb
f5 f5 f5 f5
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Maybe it's a mixture of blood magic and flesh magic, it could be that their skills are at 3rd tier thus her resistences not being enough. She will probably level her Blood Magic to third tier during this encounter. I think Blood Manipulation is a resistence to something trying to turn her blood into something else like the corruption.
Maybe at level 500 her Kin of ash will evolve to make her body into ash like how in one piece, Logia users were able to turn their bodies into the element of the fruit they ate. That way she doesn't have to worry about loosing her brain and being halve a second unconscious because of it being regenerated. Like she might be able to reform the ash that was scattered into her head again, or turn to ash and disperse her body to cover more ground etc..
If those spirits of rot are using blood magic or blood manipulation, they seem unbelievably strong for 3-marks since Ilea has second tier resistances at 16 and 20 for those attacks, and yet the spirit could just blow out her chest with no difficulty. It seems more likely that the spirits are using flesh magic, and Ilea is confusing it for blood magic. She really needs to take a timeout and check her messages to see what is going on.
Call0013
Hope to see Veteran T3 after this fight.
EroNingen
I would say that it is part of the story, it wouldn't become much of a story if she _did_ get caught and killed just like that would it? And I think it's also just part of the style of this kind of story, it's realistic for the most part, though main characters do show a (much) higher potential for survival against the odds than in other stories
tibbish
Yup. Lvl all those combat skills, raise a few resistances, and maaaybe get a new General skill or 2. Her mana regen is pretty nuts right now I think so mana isn't a issue for her. It'll be interesting to see if she decides to just stay awake and go between fighting and doing her schooling stuff to earn some Fatigue Res like the Supafae told her to get.
tibbish
Unless she feels she is in danger her ability to lvl her skills is greatly reduced though. Helps with getting new General skills too. I'd love to see her get something like Life/Mana/Stamina steal. It'd make her even more tanky + give her some more dmg once she got it lvl'd.
Error25
Good spot to level up her combat skills. Issue is if she can get out in time for when she's supposed to be back. And if she might decide to take a few days and constantly fight (if she can manage her mana properly to stay that long)
Zarik0
yeah miss a line her i think they come attired just after when she wistle with her infused skill for try the stun
Zarik0
Perfect she found high level monster with regeneration for grinding her class skill but 5 is maybe to much she need to kill atleast 3 for "safely" grinding long time :) , and i love POV for other character specialy the trainer healers, love to see the developement on her organisation with the other view in i love it more plz
Russell Todd
I agree. I think the big difference is that the other PoV's still focus on Ilea. They are talking/thinking about her and that makes all the difference to me. If they were doing their own thing, I don't know if I'd receive it as well.
Chopper
It was a bit confusing during the battle when she started off fighting one creature then it was suddenly five. I had to re-read the chapter because I didn't even notice the transition until the end when it went from 'him/it' to 'they/them'. There was no definitive line that stated 'the creature split apart' or 'more suddenly showed up'. There was a line that said "there were five of them." When I first read it I thought you were saying there were five swords or something.
Thank you for the chapter, I really look forward to these and not much happeni g now due to covid19 isolation
Bunny Waffles
I really do love this whole "Seeing Ilea through other people's eyes" streak you've got going on. I will admit that it is always one of my favorite parts of any story like this where we see the perspective of people, both weaker and stronger than the MC (In this case almost always weaker), as they witness the antics of the MC and all the differing perspectives. It really helps drive home just the kind of monstrous levels of power she has managed to reach since her first day fleeing a Drake and kicking wolves.
Trevor
Really the 3rd party impressions. Thanks for the story.
Cadastral
"captured pray" -- should probably be "captured prey" instead
Rip Woodham
I want you to know I love the bits where Ilea continues to improve beyond her skill levels, or when you show those improvements at least. Like her ashen tendrils being part of her wings. :)
Deinos
It's a very nice story so far and still going strong! I'm just wondering how long someone in "real life" would survive what she's doing under the same circumstances. So far she always survived by a hair's breadth while just getting caught once would be her end in many situations.
She probably is just ignoring them (if they pop up), so the author is just not showing them. It'll show up after she deals with the specters anyways.
It sounds like she is saying these spirits of rot have blood magic or blood manipulation, but the rotten abomination had flesh and blood magic, so it seems odd that the specters of rot would have blood rather than flesh magic. Also, does Ilea not have her messages on, or has she not got any general skill level ups in 10-minutes of fighting? If she has messages off, she should at least teleport away briefly to check what resistances she is getting. If she is not getting any blood-related resistances, then they could be using blood manipulation on her, since she has it capped at 2nd tier 20, and has not spent a third tier point on it. But if they are using blood magic, she should be able to get levels in that resistance.
Zacle
really been enjoying the other PoVs lately. Don't think I would want them permanently but they have been quite enjoyable.
Han Pol
I think they are nice, but it's almost too much now. still thoose adventurers were better for showing off to then the students would be fun to show of in front of a shadow.
Acquiles Vitorino de Melo Graça
I can only pity those specters. Like, really, either she kills them after tons of fighting while getting a great power boost, or she leaves while they keep trying to kill and keeps grinding them for resistances, which sounds a lot more like Ilea.
I think that it's because she didn't need to strive to survive (since she always had food, water and healing) that's why I think she will be unable to achieve what it's required to get the skill, even when she was with trian in the demons realm, they didn't had to strive to survive, and battles can't be counted towards such skill, since it will be absorbed by her battle oriented skills
But she won't kill them, since she is trying to get more resistences for that 3 class
Disclancer
These third party pov chapters have been awesome, wouldn't want as a regular thing but epic nonetheless.
Disclancer
Kinda hope she gets damaged enough to trigger her learning survival. I know it's stupid but her not having that skill bugs me now that I know about it...
Arnon Parenti
good split, hard cliff, but I really like hearing what other people know about her.
Chase Clawson
Nice to see she isn't losing her caution. If she had let herself get caught due to cockiness while it was just one, the others that came might have been a MUCH larger issue
Ryan Frank
Love it! Both seeing her from the outside perspective and an interesting fight. Looking forward to lvl 350 soon I hope
Arkeus
Well that's a fun fight incoming :D
Five enemies twice her level, that might just push her to lvl 350. She got 4.5 levels from the lvl 750 starving vampire.
PatronTurtle
Thanks for the awesome chappie. Hope you're staying safe and doing well in all the world is throwing these days.
Alsia
Thank you for the chapter :)
Alexander Dupree
Thanks for the chapter. Cool crazy healing blood zombies... ooo creepy. It was a little unclear when 5 showed up that they were 5 of the same thing.
Emma Carlin
The legends about her are beginning to spread. I think she should've kept her order a secret for a like longer, but it's cool to see get notoriety grow.
Knyko
have to remember skulls means its dangerous for teams of shadows, makes sense for it to be stuff like this
Yay :D
agentjongon
I vastly underestimated the dungeons with skulls with them.
Max R
wooo
