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Chapter 434 Negotiations
🕑 Added 2020-02-15 12:52:55 +0000 UTCAuthor's note February 15th: Hello everyone. New chapters up and more hopefully on Tuesday.
Have a nice weekend and let me know what you think!
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Chapter 434 Negotiations
Ilea chuckled. And why would I take your word on that? Already you have wasted mana and time to come and deal with this intruder.
You will not tell me. Have I misjudged you perhaps? And yet I have not sensed a presence apart from yours.
She didnt answer, back near the exit by now. Is the Fae safe? Teleported out maybe? Or in hiding. And yet it had been captured before.
Gone?
Safe? she sent both words towards the Fae, wherever it may be.
Tell, the word came into her mind as if it was muffled.
Survive, it sent.
Ilea ground her teeth.
No, she sent back.
Why? the Fae asked.
Ally, she sent back.
Serious!
Tell!
Leave!
Safe? Ilea simply asked.
Nothing came back.
The being would capture the Fae and kill it, or worse. She knew it. A decision had to be made. Either her or the Fae.
Ilea had faced death before. Hundreds of times. If anyone had a chance to get away, it was her. What was the point if she couldnt even protect an ally from an interdimensional metalhead? Not the good kind of metalhead.
Leave, she sent.
Please, the Fae sent back.
Both
Die
Ilea rolled her eyes.
Violence, she sent.
Leave, she added.
Stupid!
Stubborn! the Fae sent.
You are communicating with an ally tell me. This is your last chance.
I wont give you the information you seek, she said and prepared to fight.
A regrettable turn. Come then, human. And show me the last embers of the Azarinth, the being said.
Humans are stupid and selfish, little one. Better get used to it. Now get the fuck out of here while I distract the mage, she said and formed her ash into spears.
I will show you the Azarinth, Ascended. At least I have the satisfaction of wasting a bunch of energy you collected over centuries, she thought and rushed at the creature.
The Sand Elemental had been more powerful, the first Drake she had faced more deadly. And still, she felt a finality in this decision, to attack this ancient and cold being. It wouldnt hesitate, wouldnt stop. Until every last bit of her would be destroyed.
Let it try, she thought, watching the dome erupt in motion.
Hundreds of steel limbs rushed out, thousands of pieces of shrapnel. Void and Space magic laced the very air as she weaved through the attacks, limbs ripped off and body parts exploding.
She kept her focus on the creature, her ashen spears vanishing or slamming into invisible barriers. She felt the space magic around her, pushing past with all the strength and power she could muster.
It felt good. Like a challenge. Insurmountable to her past self and yet she had stood against Elementals, had felt the streams of concentrated mana as they flowed through her. Her body had been pierced, burnt and destroyed as many times as this creature had years. She roared in the midst of it all, feeling her body regenerate and break at the same time as she pushed off the ground.
Her wings were in tatters, her left arm missing and her legs pierced by a dozen tendrils of steel. They bent and broke as she was slowed down, only a couple meters away from the being.
It watched her, thousands of steel pieces flowing around it.
Ilea smirked and released Heart of Cinder, charged by five thousand points of health and all the time their conversation had taken.
A beam of fire, heat and energy erupted from her arm, far more powerful than the spell had ever manifested. The third tier of Heat Resistance and the second tier of Lava Resistance had allowed her to charge it far longer than before.
It rushed out and slammed into an invisible wall, breaking through and crashing into another wall, this one made of steel. A small hole was melted at the center, showing the being behind.
It lifted a hand and brushed off the few embers that had reached it.
The arm extended towards her and moved the steel below.
Ilea was ripped apart by dozens of spikes, unable to blink. Her head looked up at the sharp pieces. Thousands of them slashed into her ash, flesh and bone. She was shredded entirely, her sphere the only thing that informed her about what was happening.
Her brain was pierced and exploded into bloody pulp, turning off that part of her as well. She came to consciousness once more, her third tier healing overwhelming the continuous stream of damage for a moment.
She felt the void around her and formed a single dense limb of ash with a sharp blade. It slashed into her neck, severing her head. She continued to control the ash as all of her was punched through by shrapnel.
The ash formed a cocoon around her head and shot away to the side. Her body, neither pierced nor halted by the steel, reformed and she slid to a stop, ash covering her once more. She saw the empty sphere missing in the ground and the spikes where she had been a moment earlier.
Ilea didnt stop, ignoring the shrapnel slashing into her body. Her meditation was active through it all. She felt no pain. Could regenerate her body near instantly.
The shrapnel stopped coming, all of it flowing into the ground instead. She dodged several hundred spikes shooting out of the ground until one of them pierced through her, digging through her leg from the side and piercing her lungs.
She tumbled to the ground and was immediately pierced by fifty more. Her head too.
He left my brain intact, she thought and looked for a way out. The ash she formed was shredded apart by steel and pushed away by an invisible force.
Ileas perception slowed down as she looked at the creature, her own body reminding her of a hedgehog, hundreds of steel protrusions sticking out of her back. This is it? No was to escape? she asked herself.
There was nothing she could do. Her blink didnt work. Her ash was pushed away. Heart of Cinder did little against the steel, charged for less than a second. Healing kept her alive but she was trapped.
She remembered the feeling from earlier. Her soul and mind ripped apart by the torrents of the arcane. She remembered the wolves she had fought outside the Azarinth temple, remembered running from the Elves back in Riverwatch. Some of it had blurred. It was a fitting end, to die against a creature like this. A being she did not understand.
Many might call her foolish, to risk her own life to protect a being like the Fae, one perhaps doomed either way. And yet she felt at peace. Her eyes were cold and defiant as she stared at what she assumed to be one of the Ascended. A being that perhaps could have been her ally, had they met a thousand years ago in different circumstances. Their paths had crossed and even if the Fae hadnt been here, their meeting could have led to this outcome.
Always another Drake, she thought with a smile as the void started to manifest. She closed her eyes.
And opened them again. The magic was pushed aside, dissipated.
Mana! the thought reached her mind and she immediately disabled her drain resistance.
The Fae had appeared on top of her head, arms outstretched as a barrier lit up within her sphere.
Ilea groaned, pushing against the steel with all she had, ashen limbs cutting and bending as she healed against the blood magic seeping into her body.
Fae, the being exclaimed with interest. I see.
Shrapnel and steel started slamming into the barrier, the little creature pushing against it as cracks formed.
Teleport? Ilea asked with a broad grin, pulling free of the steel below her. The Fae somehow prevented the being from manipulation the metal.
She placed the Fae on her shoulder and jumped back, more and more mana flowing into it. The barrier shattered and Ilea continued her game of evasion.
She could tell the being was throwing everything it had at them. Its space magic had much less of an influence now, her wings, precognition, speed and maneuverability working against all the projectiles as well as the void. The shrapnel was deadliest against her brain while she had to avoid the larger pieces and spears.
The Fae had a way to separate the connection between the steel on the ground and the being, allowing her to move more freely on the floor of the dome like structure. Mere seconds had passed since her capture before she felt a powerful surge of mana from the Fae on her shoulder.
She looked at the being in front of her, its assault still ongoing. Until next time, she said with blood dripping from her mouth as she waved with one remaining arm.
It spread its arms, the structure around them starting to disintegrate.
Ilea kept her eyes on the two white shining eyes of the being, protecting the Fae as her body was ruptured by blood magic.
It nodded ever so slightly before her surroundings changed entirely.
The Fae on her shoulder collapsed, caught by Ileas hands as it fell.
She stared at the two moons of Elos shining down on them. Lakes of mist showed far below as her wings reformed and kept them steady.
Healing flowed into the Fae as Ilea charged her wings. She had no doubt the being had a way to follow. The question was if it would. It nodded. Does that mean it is inevitable that it will come and finish the job? Or was it glad that I escaped? Fucker gave me a chance after all. I need to find void and blood mages to get trained and reach the third tier.
And you saved me, little guy, she murmured. Ilea had been sure that time. It hadnt come in an unexpected way or brought by some super powerful monster. Just a being that overpowered her entirely. A being that she opposed, perhaps underestimated, even in the end.
She would have paid with her life. I was ready to die, hmm? Thats an interesting revelation, eh, add it to the pile. Guess I score high on loyalty and stupidity. Pretty sure the Fae being so cute and mostly defenseless helped in that regard. I was sure I could at least survive a minute or two and make an actual attempt at escaping.
She sped up as soon as her wings were charged, choosing a direction at random, clouds and blizzards making the visibility limited. She was in the north still, that much she knew.
Another being to add to the list, she thought. Either that or she was on its list now. Somehow she doubted the creature cared enough to hunt her down. She hadnt revealed her knowledge about the Ascended to it. As it stood, all they did was drain the mana in the twenty fourth layer and fight the creature. No clue how annoying that was to it and more importantly how resentful of a person it was.
Pretty fucky either way. He completely destroyed me. Knew how to deal with all my skills and I couldnt even land a scratch. My blink so easily disabled I have to find a counter for that. Third tier Space Magic Resistance is definitely a good first step. I got away with my head, lets try not to make the same mistakes the next time.
It was a sentient four mark creature after all and Ilea was barely at level three fifty. She didnt look back, speeding above the lands with her charged wings.
The level difference was huge, comparable perhaps to her fighting a level two fifty elf back in Riverwatch. She had much more tricks up her sleeve and with all her general skills and healing, Ilea could certainly punch above her weight class. Not a four mark. Not yet.
The whole experience reminded her mostly of the Young Lightning Elemental. She had no clue how durable the Ascended was but she doubted it reached Trakorov levels. I would be dead otherwise. The Sand Elemental and Trakorov just shredded my defenses, easily.
The adrenaline slowly set as she sped over the landscape, her mind sharp and prepared with all her skills flowing through her body.
Ilea wondered if she could have escaped without the Fae, had she tried immediately, right after she had appeared in the dome. The whole thing was made of metal and the shrapnel completely minced her. The added spikes from the ground and ceiling pinning her with the aid of space magic made for a deadly combination against her.
Even something with less raw power could have been a problem. Maybe even a team of level three to four hundreds with abilities like that. Enough to keep me at bay, counter my movement and pin me down. As soon as Im stuck and cant teleport, Im pretty much fucked.
The joys of fighting alone , she murmured. Glad that this time, she had someone to rely on.
The level one hundred Fae standing against a level one thousand Ascended if it even was an Ascended. Maybe it just used the facilities or its not related at all.
Ilea doubted that and decided that without proof against it, she called the being an Ascended. The implications werent quite clear yet. Catelyn knew that the Descent had been used or visited three hundred years ago. For a Dark One, that time frame didnt mean much.
To go and warn them wouldnt change anything. Hallowfort was on the defensive either way. If the Ascended went and attacked them, there was nothing she could do, nor anything Hallowfort could do, to stop it.
Pretty fucking stupid if you ask me, she thought and frowned, looking at the little Fae in her hands. It was acceptable to think that powerful creatures existed, threats to whole cities and maybe even all of humanity but they were monsters, not reasonable sapient beings.
Eh, just like the elves with a bigger punch. They were the same when I was level one hundred. This one will become manageable too, with time, patience and levels.
As well as resources. Dont let it get you down. It was inevitable that this world holds beings far beyond your power, even now that you have reached such heights. Theyre not out to get you and youre not exactly pressured for time. Survive, fight and gain power. Protect those you hold dear and escape if all else fails.
Ilea grounded herself by looking through the gains from the battle.
ding Sentinel Reconstruction reaches 3rd lvl 29
ding Azarinth Awakening reaches 3rd lvl 26
ding Blink reaches 3rd lvl 20
ding Sentinel Sphere reaches 3rd lvl 11
ding Sentinel Sphere reaches 3rd lvl 12
ding Azarinth Fighting reaches 3rd lvl 24
ding Azarinth Fighting reaches 3rd lvl 25
ding Azarinth Perception reaches 3rd lvl 10
ding Azarinth Perception reaches 3rd lvl 11
ding Armor of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 28
ding Aspect of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 25
ding True Ash Creation reaches 3rd lvl 23
ding Heart of Cinder reaches 3rd lvl 16
ding Ash and Ember Unity reaches 3rd lvl 21
ding Ashen Wings reaches 3rd lvl 12
ding Ashen Wings reaches 3rd lvl 13
ding Eyes of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 6
ding Avatar of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 20
ding Keeper of Ash reaches 3rd lvl 21
Alright, maybe it wasnt so bad to nearly die again.
ding Meditation reaches 3rd lvl 2
ding Monster Hunter reaches 2rd lvl 2
ding Veteran reaches 2rd lvl 17
ding Blood Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 14
ding Blood Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 15
ding Space Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 15
ding Space Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 16
ding Void Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 10
ding Void Magic Resistance reaches 2nd lvl 11
Nothing against that fucking metal its just like my mana intrusion. Damn asshole has a cheat.
She sighed and kept flying. On the one hand, I should go down and fight Miststalkers right fucking now, get every level and ounce of power I can get. On the other, I just want to go home and sleep, lie in bed, read books and eat some nice fucking food.
The latter would actually be the better fuck you, wouldnt it? Not giving in to the fear. Let him come to me. I like that.
Come on little one, I still need some space magic resistance levels before I decide to take a break from all this violence.
The Fae woke up as if it heard the cue word.
Safe? it asked, looking around at the icy clouds that flew by with insane speed.
No idea little one, you tell me, Ilea said.
The Fae giggled.
Survived
Yeah, thanks to you.
Stupid
Close
Been close before Ill try not to make it a habit. Overestimated my resilience.
It bonked her head with its small arms.
Stop
Ilea did so, slowing down as they came out of a massive cloud. A massive forest spread far down below. She could see creatures move in the dark. Damn, my eyes are scary. How fucking far did I fly?
Fast, the Fae sent.
No shit, where are we?
It shrugged.
How do we get back? I could use my teleport but I cant take you with me, Ilea said and looked back. Do you think the Ascended will follow?
Ascended?
I think their race or group is called that. Read it in a book, she explained.
Safe
It didnt follow?
No
Difficult
Yeah but did you see that thing? Fucking ripped me to shreds.
The Fae giggled.
Ye
Did you just ye me?
It nodded.
Thanks for saving me by the way.
The Fae hugged her face from the side.
Saved
Me
I guess we saved each other, hmm? How very cheesy of us.
Food
Always, it pointed at her and shook its head in mock disappointment.
Ilea smiled and rubbed the creatures head.
She took a moment to take in the sight. The forest and mountains, the lakes and rivers. It felt serene. Once more flying in the skies after having been underground for weeks.
Im glad we made it, she finally said.
The Fae nodded in silence.
Comments
I really like Ilea/Fae's relationship and interactions. I'd be interested to see them meet a new Fae and see their interactions, for a bit.
Keifru
Gotta say, this is a pretty hard line 'jumped the shark' for me.
10k of mana was used to bring them a couple floors, I think that realm traveling would take much more, even if he used the mana saturation of that place to bring them outside the dungeon
Marinus
You were right about one thing master, the negotiations were short.
Planet Earth resident
Why do you think it would be long before she reaches 350 ? There are plenty of Soul Rippers lvl 700+ for some fast lvlups as well as a good way to get more resistance training from whatever they were using (void or space i think)
SoggyBiscuit
I mean, there was mists (at night) mentioned, so my guess is that she's still North, just further in. She also thought she was sure she was still in the North. Maybe close to the city of the guy that was opposing the Feynor? Don't know, but I'm really excited to see what kind of creatures she finds and resistances she picks up.
carebear90
So... where is she now? North of "the north" or back south in a region, she hasn't been yet?
Call0013
I think that is by design, the Healing Orders and Nobles like having pesants to Rules over, so they Hoard the healers to keep the majority of Humans under lvl 100 so even at lvl 150-250 they can pretend they are powerful.
Alan McBrayer
I’m guessing at the very least the fight could be a third tier unlock for void, space, and/or blood magic Resistance.
Arcanes
Dude so much to think about. What I will add to the discussion is just how weak humanity is. Ilea right now could probably stomp any city or organization that we know about alone. And yet she got crushed easily. Damn. What an ending to the descent dungeon arc.
The fight was awesome. And it flowed in a way that made sense for the character and her progression. I'm curious to see if this fae will mark her as well. She has gone above and beyond and reasonable level to help and save and entertain this fae, seems to me like something it would be bound to mark her for by "rules". Lookin forward to more. These last few chapters have fully hooked me all over again to this story. Well fucking done.
Me like.
Rip Woodham
I like to imagine Cless asking Claire why Ilea looks like she's taking a nap with spikes sticking out all over and blood everywhere, and a strange smile on her face.... and the ensuing panic. I wish she'd go back to Ravenhall after this. But she still isn't 350, sigh. I think it would be a long time before she got to 350 if she went south first, and it feels like such a tease and a cliff to leave it like this. Also think it'd be wise to be 350 before creating her healing class.
Dargon
Typo: Monster hunter and Veteran reach 2rd levels.
Atlas Dwarf
To be fair the 350 dream isn't necessarily dead yet as Ilea doesn't know where she's at. At the very least there's 3rd tier Space Magic Resistance to look forward to. Possibly Void Magic Resistance as well if it was the Fae using it during the whole mana flooding session.
Johannes Sauer
Hartham clearly wont bother with that. Dont know if pulling some weird explanation like:" the item is par of her so it does regenerate with her" would be better than just ignoring. Personally i would have preferred her losing at least the bracelet, because thats how its supposed to work.
Rip Woodham
Ilea was amazing, and so was the Ascended. This Ascended wasn't weak, not even for four marks. Ilea is just so strong it skews perspective, and resistances are overpowered. Fight was going a lot faster than it may have seemed, everything happening in a short time. Ilea is able to think incredibly quickly due to many factors, and this Ascended made her feel slow. The Ascended was attacking with 4 different elements. Four! Space, Void, Blood and Steel Creation. His magic wasn't flashy but that doesn't make it weaker. Ilea has high resistances against them not to mention all her other defensive contributions and they were still pulverizing her. Her defenses couldn't withstand or deflect anything. The mere shrapnel that she was facing hundreds or thousands of at any time was going through her ash and deep into her body, exploding. He could control steel far away from himself, control the very space around her and attack with the void. All she could do was partially avoid some of his attacks and barely manage to move away. Ilea survived for a handful of seconds while he casually tried to kill her and learned how. When their battle was rejoined she barely managed to close any distance. Released by far the most powerful Heart of Cinder she ever had against him. It pierced a space barrier, likely not good for a shield or specialized for it, and one layer of steel he raised. Just enough for him to brush embers away. And then she was done. Perfectly countered, completely impotent. In a few seconds. Not just anyone. We know how crazy Ilea's capabilities are. She had zero chance of killing him. She couldn't survive, couldn't escape. We never even saw him defend, if you don't count that piddly steel he raised. Only got out with help from the Fae, and from the Ascended seemingly not wishing her ill and only really trying in the end enough to tell itself it did. I thought it was very well done, a good way for Ilea to get stomped, accept death and yet get away. Also..... sigh, to get out of the north before 350. :-(
So.. one thing that's been bothering me the last couple of chapters , is that several times Ilea has been reduced to just head, and regrown the rest of her body from that. I get that, that has been explained. But what about her storage necklace/bracelet? How do they come back?
Zir
id prefer a time skip to max out as many resistances as possible in the human zone then some kingdom building/drama/rise of the medics. with some at some point reaching 350 after resistances are maxed
Erriballon
Im super addicted to this story
Ben Kontyko
Looking forward to seeing what perks she gets for class or skill for surviving attacks from a ???? Mage. Not to mention helping to kill an elemental
Corwin Amber
I forget if it mentioned elsewhere, but as long as her personal teleport takes her home regardless of which realm she is in, she still has a way home if she needs it.
Atlas Dwarf
We know that Light guy Maro knew is still around and possibly that Sand/Glass realm traveler that started the Foundation of Glass in the desert south of Ravenhall. I wonder if the elves not entering Dungeons has anything to do with avoiding Ascendant leftovers and not just Dungeon mana screwing over the Oracles magic. Also was thinking Adam likely found that elemental in a similar Ascendant facility. And there seems to be at least some form of resistance preparing for another war with Ascendants.
flssdd
Just a metalhead and not the good kind.
Alex K
What exactly she did there could be classified as either of those things? Her choices were always very limited. She could give the Fae up, but that doesn't mean the Ascended would let her live. She could try to run, but the chance was not very high she would succeed either way, as shown in her previous attempt at running. The only time she could've had a reasonable chance of escaping was before the Ascended even appeared, but that was also not guaranteed, plus she had no way of knowing how bad it would be. It is totally in her character to stay at that moment.
Somerito
When ilea heads back south she'll likely visit since she has both a blood and void user with her. That's probably how she gets tangled up with the golden Lily again.
See my comment below. Azarinths actually vanished after the Ascended war ended. They were only weakened when the war ended. We don't know what happened in between.
Cirex123
Would be kinda cool if she was actually teleported back to Earth by the Fae.
Han Pol
The way the chapter ends I wonder if Ilea has another level ark in for her, or if she found another place were humans or other less powerful races can build a civilization.
Interesting revelations for the world. So far we know the ascended were at war with the coalition of humans, elves and taleens. The taleens were likely wiped out by the elves after but possibly used remnants of the research done by the ascended on "stealing" the sun to endlessly fuel their machines. The humans lost their influence/power, and the oracles refuse to fight the taleen despite, according to Elfie, having the power of elementals. They denounce entering dungeons too. The ascended "scattered to the realms they deem their own" and yet (likely) one appears. The being suggests the war has indeed ended. Somewhere in between, knowledge about all this was wiped out (for the humans and as far as we know, common elves). So many questions but damn, it's a big conspiracy. Edit: I'm going down a rabbit hole but they were likely the Lost of the demon realm as well, the ones who built the teleportation hub. Also, did anyone realise that Adam Strand actually summoned (according to Aki) a damn lighting elemental? We didn't know the power or significance of one then. Who is Adam?
Vallgar
and we could consider that the being is the maintenance guy amongst the Ascended and is thus part of their weakest members.
It could be just a metal wizard who uses the runes of the place to attack.
Wow, fae to the rescue! I thought we were going to have to re-roll hahaha. I'm hypothesising that the Azarinth were in power when the ascended came to interfere with Elos and fiercely objected, and were correspondingly destroyed? I doubt the Azarinth were hunted down because of their arrogance alone. She could obtain information from the oldest human libraries, however the dwarven ones might be better ... elvish would be best but hardest. The defence of that human city during the invasion was really amazing too and it might actually have the strongest humans inhabiting it. It seems a bit too well defended to be protecting against humans or elves alone. The strongest beings should have their own houses (castles/cities) that they can drop by every now and then like Ilea does with her sea house. Lastly, that mage ... did he come from another plane or from the same plane? Can she ask the fae how he compares to a dragon?!
Maaan that's great! Thanks for the chapter! Much better with her trying to get some resistence training!
Vallgar
I think 4 marks is ok-ish. In previous chapters, Ilea beat a lvl 753 - Starving Vampire. The monster was weakened, corrupted and frenzied. it could shred through her defenses easily, but she still outdone it and killed it after a 10min fight. Considering Ilea's new level of power in this last chapter, I don't think the fight would’ve have gone any differently if the Vampire was healthy and strong. So, a ‘????’ sentient being overwhelming her but still struggling to pin her down and delete her is reasonable. Its level should not be beyond the 1000 mark by too much though.
We saw it coming, the corruption, the enavurium, these facilities, those orbs, of course someone would check what the hell are ppl doing with their things. And this is good, since the realm traveler thing was a possibility from when she went to the demon world, now there is reason behind, and a enemy that will look after her
Not exactly since he can have a superior class, void and magic came from the same "theory" so a void mage could be a space mage, since it's the application of Tha magic that differs, but the essence it's the same
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter. Wonder if the Fae took them to another realm altogether.
Chopper
Great couple of chapters! Gotta love a protagonist who isn't constantly looking for ways to cheat death and just goes for it!
Arnon Parenti
Ascended Hide armor is the next logical step in the arms race.
Joppest
Way to escalate the power range.
I hope she doesn't become a stupid and suicidal character. The novels usually go to hell when the protagonist completely loses common sense.
I'm not sure how to explain this feeling further, but I am of the opinion that the events of these two chapters was a bit sudden or abrupt. I don't have any clue with how to avoid this feeling and maybe after the next chapters this feeling will change. Still loving the story but a bit of a weird feeling for these two in particular.
Tetsuki
The event before would have already fulfilled requirements for void and space.
Tetsuki
It was never confirmed if monsters gain the same amount of stats as monsters. And the combined lvl does not represent power. Or did you ever see every lvl 200 humanoid solo lvl 400 beasts?
Call0013
I think its was just a researcher that was Toying with her to see the extent of her abilities before killing her and the only reason she Survived was the Fae.
PloofDoodle
With 3 to 4 schools of magic and being ???? There might be a possibility of getting more classes as your level increases and other criteria being met. Was refreshing to see her face a losing battle while her enemy discovered more of her ability as the fight went on.
If we assume that guy was more or less humanoid with the same systeme as Ilea, ???? is far to high for his poor damage. I mean the guy can use 4 schools of magic so he AT LEAST has two classes. It means its total level is more than 2000 because the ???? indicates only the main class (even if both classes aren't the same level, they should be very near). If we compare with the sand elemental, he has to be far far stronger and yet Ilea put him between the lighting elemental and the sand elemental. It doesn't make sense to me.
Han Pol
I think the dungeon was able to cataloge the monsters up to level 800-900 or so, so the mage being around level 800 would be reasonable I guess. Also he seemed to be mostly in charge of the research dungeon among other things, for all we know half his classes are meant to create weapon and runes for enchantments and the like. And if that is the main focus then him being level 1100 or so wouldn't be completely unreasonable.
Blaublue
Stupid Ascended, it likely just made her fulfill the requirements for 3rd tier Blood, Space and Void Magic. "I'll find her in a couple of years, how much stronger could she realistically get in that short amount of time?"
Arkeus
Even something with less raw power could have been a problem. Maybe even a team of level three to four hundreds with abilities like that. Enough to keep me at bay, counter my movement and pin me down. As soon as I’m stuck and can’t teleport, I’m pretty much fucked. <= Man, Ilea is being silly here. Of course a group of 300-400 who can completely lock her down and deal enough damage to overwhelm her regen can kill her. THAT is the most obvious way to kill her nowadays, though overwhelming her regen is... not easy. Anyway, that guy really shouldn't be a ????. Like, he felt around the level I would expect a weaker 500 sentient to be, or a stronger 400. Unless the plan is for the next evolution to be at 1000, I guess, and no skill change until then. ... though thinking about it, if it's a dark one equivalent that began at 1000, then yeah it had no reason to really learn how to fight as very few could threaten him. Would make for a really really weak 1000 sentient.... but that's way better than almost anything else anyway.
Osprey36
I think it's a very Ilea move for her to choose to fight first, plus she needed something to ground her a bit as she was flying through( literally and figuratively) the descent lately
Baba Vader
Thanks for the chapters!
Rincewind314
It was able to block/hamper short range blinks, which are almost instantaneous. I can't imagine it wouldn't be able to stop a teleport that takes several minutes to cast
Well her ability to Tank is indeed far beyond what her level shows. It seems like her ability to deal damage is about average for her level though.
Robert Mullins
Copying from a previous reply. I'm initially tempted to agree that she shouldn't survive against a 1000+ sapient but, I also see that her defeat was basically inevitable and the fight was actually really quick with the creature mostly adapting to her healing abilities as it discovered them. At first assuming it could kill by crushing heart/organs, then trying for the head, then trying to erase her entirely, then realizing that it had to lock her in place before erasing her. So, while it might have been able to kill her immediately if it knew what she could or couldn't survive, it was actually very reasonable for her to survive if you accept the fact that it was initially basing it's understanding of her healing off of previous azarinth healers that were less durable.
tibbish
I get the impression even then he could still beat her but it would take longer and she could probably run away at that point. ???? rank enemies are really still out of her league in a straight fight. If the Trakarov helped it might be a different story though.
Emma Carlin
I think her willingness to try is in character, but I think she should have been a bit more concerned about her likely death. Also, idk if I just missed it but why didn't she try to use her 3rd tier blink to teleport away?? I know it takes a long time but it was also mentioned recently how the cast time was reduced. Dodging for a few minutes until it activated should've been there go to plan. Sure, the Fae saved her but she didn't know that was going to happen. She should have realized how futile attacking the Mage was and she couldn't seem to leave normally. Thus should have gone for the last option long range Blink.
Taxel
Feel like a ???? mage would be powerful enough to completely destroy every cell in her body in seconds unless it was not trying seriously? Or maybe it just has 1 class.
Jonathan Walker
Holy shit that was awesome, imagine if she was lvl 400 in both classes with a lvl 200 third class and has all her resistances up to 3rd teir she would be able to face the bastard on even footing lol
Dominic French
I loved this chapter. It was a good option for her to fight rather than be diplomatic in my opinion. It fits her and is progress in the larger story ark, it also gives us a sense of just how strong llea is to survive the attacks of a sentient hundreds of levels higher than her while also forcing her to acknowledge that she is still small fish in the world
Mike G.
It's her, of course she picks fight over flight, even if it's the wrong answer... And there might not have been a right answer here.
agentjongon
Her willingness to fight is perhaps the same reason that she is so powerful. Punching over her weight and becoming even stronger from it.
Tommy Littlefield
Firstish
G. Harthane
Rewrote chunks of these a couple times. What do you think of her decision here to fight instead of focusing on escape?
