DD 204 Ch 17

Chapter 17

Bedraggled with his shield arm limp and wielding a two handed sword with on hand, the lion had looked far better when the fight began. He popped a potion into his one good hand, holding it with two fingers while trying to keep the sword angled at me.

I’d been waiting for that, snapping out a throwing knife from my CID and shattering the vial before he could even get the stopper out.

“Curse you.” He hiss and swung for my head, only for me to slip back, wincing at the pain in my chest. There had to be a few ribs that weren’t in the same spot as when we’d started.

Unlike him, I had two free hands and drank a healing potion as I stepped back.

The lion realized that he was going to lose a battle of attrition and came at me hard once again.

Between the few stacks of [Liminal Speed] that I’d managed to build up and Hemi’s [Haste Banner] I was able to slip inside his guard and deal sporadic damage while avoiding the wide sweeps of his sword.

He tried to heal himself, only for me to step in and use [Absorb] to keep it from doing much.

The fight had started to turn in my favor, but I also knew we only had so long before others arrived. The building gone, more Nekorians were watching our fight by the second.

We needed to get out.

The lion’s follow-up swing was blocked by a barrier of ice before a bolt of lightning stunned him.

I didn't even think, seizing the opportunity I had been looking for, my blade finding his neck. As I twisted and tore out his throat, I shouted, “Felin!”

As he collapsed onto the floor, Felin growled, “Finish him.”

I spun back around to see he wasn't dead yet. Seeing the rage within the lion, I knew I wanted to kick myself for briefly losing my focus at Felin joining me. Both my blades came down together, and I managed to fully sever the Nekorian's neck. 

Grandpa walked up and took the head before stuffing it in his CID. "Best not to leave this around. I really wouldn't want this guy coming after you again in the future,” Grandpa clicked his tongue. "It's always a shame when somehow the universe finds a way to revive a past enemy. But even revive won't grow him an entirely new head." 

Felin walked up to the dead Nekorian and reached around his waist, fumbling until she pulled out a pouch that she then tied around her own waist. She pulled out a spear and started stabbing him repeatedly.

“Angry much?” I asked Felin.

“Bad lion trying to take me away from my Ken.” She stabbed him a couple more times. He was not much more than a bloodied pulp. She stared down at the mess when she was done panting.

“He had something in his arm.” I said having seen him use it to pull items out.

She then began to poke around until she found a small object about the size of a watch face. Maybe a little smaller. It had just enough curve to it that it could fit more smoothly in someone's arm. Felin held it up to me.

“I think this is what they're using instead of CIDs.” I said.

She played with it briefly before shrugging and stuffing it in her pouch. “You probably had a few good things,” she said to the bloodied mess. “They were clearly idiots. They didn't even have any cream.”

I chuckled, of course she’d think about Cream. “Well, we need to get out of here. And then we need to get Crimson out as well.”

The building that we had smashed agreed as several walls suddenly began to groan, wood cracking and splintering before the whole thing fell down around us as we stood in the open looking like idiots. Nekorians stopped and turned to see us amid the shaman's now completely collapsed home.

Explosions off in the distance shook the other buildings and I quickly blamed Crimson for it falling down and not myself. 

She was off fighting someone powerful that had drawn their fight away from the center of the safe zone and towards the edge.

“That's the shaman.” Felin pointed at the fight. 

“Are you sure?” I asked, only to get a vigorous nod from my beautiful Nekorian.

“Absolutely. If it's not, then we have a problem. When you left, she explained to me that she was level 81 and that I couldn’t run.” Felin’s eyes were wide.

I let out a soft whistle, a surge of respect for Crimson battling that high above her own level.

Their fight continued to rock the safe zone. As far as I could tell, Crimson was going all out, launching ability after ability at the high-level shaman to keep her busy. 

I realized that if we pulled Grandma Hemi out first, Crimson would likely lose her edge in the battle, possibly even her life with the sudden drop in speed.

“Grandpa, you need to get Hemi. We all need to get out at the same time.” He glanced momentarily at the fight in the distance before nodding and disappearing with the speed that he was known for using to get himself into and out of all kinds of trouble.

The second he was gone, Felin grabbed me from behind, nuzzling into my neck. “Thank you for coming,” she murmured.

I rubbed the top of her head. "I will always come, Felin. You just need to be ready when I do." 

“Is there anything we can do for Crimson?” I asked, glancing at the fight in the distance and then back at Felin. After all, she was a support.

"Let's get closer," she said, rushing into a dead sprint, her spear held at her side.

I kept pace with her as she wove between other Nekorians.

Some had stopped to watch the fight in the distance, while others were working hard to prevent their homes from collapsing. The fight in the distance was wreaking havoc on the entire safe zone.

Felin slid to a stop at a group of Nekorians that had formed a barrier around the fight.

I licked my lips, my mind racing forward, searching for options.

The Nekorians who had barred the fight were there to protect their own people. Yet, when they saw me, they locked up, ready to fight us. 

"Please disperse," one of them waved a sword at me, "Don't get any closer for your own safety." He tried and braced himself for worse.

The fight was not going in Crimson's favor. She was looking a little more beat up than the shaman, and that was with the boosts from Grandma Hemi. The regeneration would likely not last much longer, putting Crimson at further risk if Grandma Hemi ran out of mana. To make matters worse, her [Limit Break] was in full tilt. The red sparks flying off of her were even visible from this far away.

But her [Limit Break] ability gave me an idea. 

I hadn't built up too much [Liminal Speed] in fighting previously, mostly because he had me on the defensive the entire time. However, if I built up enough stacks, I would be able to join Crimson's fight and possibly even turn the tide. 

"Felin, you got my back?" I asked. 

"Always," she said without missing a beat. 

I rushed forward into the Nekorian guards, my blades flashing back and forth as I attacked with abandon.

Felin supported me, as barriers of ice popped up to protect me, allowing me to go all out on offense.

I had no intention of killing any of the guards. All I needed was for my blades to find target after target as I built up stacks as quickly as I could manage.

Abilities and weapons flew at me as I wove between them keeping my blades moving.

I attacked one guard only to switch to another because he was closer.

Felin wasn't joining me in the attacks, simply using the barriers and electric shocks to keep the Nekoreans from overwhelming me. 

The lightning of [Liminal Speed] began to gather on my arms, each strike making me faster as I began to weave through the boundary around the fight. At times, I struck with the side of my blade to knock out young Nekorians who likely weren't even my opponents.

All of the hits culminated until [Liminal Speed] was roaring down my arms, and I glanced at Crimson and the shaman’s fight. I had enough speed to intervene and hopefully help Crimson turn the fight in her favor. 

I ripped through the Nekorian guards, knocking a dozen out and ensuring that Felin would stay safe before I rushed in to help Crimson.

The Nekorian shaman turned at my approach, her staff filling with icy fury. She waved it in my direction.

I held my hand out and used [Absorb] to suck in what I assumed was going to be the shackles of ice to slow me down and appeared before her in a flash. 

Her shocked eyes were satisfying as I activated Triple Breach, my swords flashing to strike her.

A barrier of ice sprang up between the two of us, and she spun around to ward off Crimson's whip. It wrapped around the shaman's staff as the second strike of Triple Breach shattered the ice barrier, and I closed in.

She was at her core a caster, even if her physical stats were still above mine.

However, I had a few tools to deal with a caster. [Shadow Limb] sprang up from my back as she tried to weasel away from my blades. The [Shadow Limb] stuck to her like glue. I activated [Mana Burn] while my blades flashed around her. I didn't stay still for a second, [Shadow Limb] stretched and moved with me as I danced around her, attacking her from nearly a dozen directions at once. 

Crimson's whip came in from the side with a terrifying boom.

I dodged out of the way and came at the shaman's back while she focused on protecting herself from Crimson's much more powerful attacks.

Crimson's eyes were murderously red from her [Limit Break] ability. Lightning poured out of them as she pulled back her whip, which had wrapped itself around the shaman's wrists. Thrusting a stilettoed foot forward, Crimson activated an ability to create rings of red energy in a cone around her foot. Then Crimson shot forward, pulling the shaman with her whip at the same time. The collision was explosive. 

I rode the shockwave, sliding on the balls of my feet before activating [Shadow Ambush]. I rejoined the fray, reattaching my [Shadow Limb] and [Mana Burn]. My swords came down in a rapid staccato, seeking any and every opening in the shaman's defense.

She coughed up blood from Crimson's attack before warding us away with a ring of lightning. 

"Can't beat me, so you had to call for low-level backup," she scoffed and whipped her mouth with the back of her hand. The ring of lightning expanded into a maelstrom of bolts zigzagging all around her, she pointed her staff at Crimson. "You two may have passed a trial, but you are nothing in front of a shaman."

"The Goddess’ Fury!" she shouted aloud, her voice echoing throughout the safe zone.

Something appeared above, a single finger ripping through the fabric of space and pushing down on Crimson. 

Crimson could control [Limit Break], but her control was still flawed. She didn't even glance up at the finger, her murderous focus still on the shaman.

Grabbing Crimson, she didn’t put up a fight against me and I ran as far away as I could as that delicate porcelain finger smashed into the ground where Crimson had been standing.

It was like a magical nuke had gone off, laying waste to nearly half of the safe zone. Not that it mattered, given that the Nekorians had fled as soon as they realized the move was coming.

Even in [Limit Break], Crimson blinked, staring at the damage done.

The Shaman floated slightly above the ground with a giant grin on her face. "Don't you see? I have the Goddess on my side, and you are nothing before her might." The Shaman raised her staff again before shouting, "Goddess's protection."

Instantly, all of the damage that had been done to her so far this fight was wiped away. The scratches, the blood, even the damage to her outfit vanished before a glowing sphere snapped around her. 

The Shaman launched herself forward at Crimson, going on the offensive and smashing her staff explosively.

Crimson and I snapped out of our momentary pause at the level of destruction that the Shaman had used. It almost seemed like she’d been holding back until her people could get clear, because she redoubled with even more strength than before.

I managed to weave myself out of the way and return to the attack. I couldn't let [Liminal Speed] lose its stacks, or I wouldn't be able to participate in the fight.

However, my blades bounced off that paper-thin barrier around the Shaman, doing absolutely no damage to her. 

She turned to me, disdain on her face. "Annoying, aren't you?" Another wave of her staff conjured a wall of wind that tossed me away.

I landed a hundred feet away, but I kicked off, rushing back at her. In the moment of that run, I let my mind race through my abilities for an option.

She had been casting near continuously with Crimson, and these last two were giant spells that must have cost a large amount of mana. There was a reason she had not used them right from the start. While she looked strong and was showing confidence, I had a feeling her tank was low.

If I could hit her with a [Mana Implosion], it would probably be fairly effective since it scaled off the target’s missing mana. She only started pulling these out after I joined the fight and began using mana burn. My mind swirled with thoughts, trying to determine how to break the shield around her. She claimed it was the ability of the goddess protecting her, but at the end of the day, it was simply an ability. 

My mind went to [Arcane Singularity]. It would cancel all magic in a sphere around me.

I rushed back up to the shaman.

She smirked at my attempt, clearly confident in her shield and focused back on Crimson.

I activated [Arcane Singularity]. All of the magic around me was sucked in instantly, even one of Crimson's abilities that was flying mid-air lost its magic. The second the ability touched the shield, it dissolved before me.

One of my blades disappeared into my CID before the other touched her lightly. I activated [Mana Implosion]. A small blue bead appeared in the center of her being as it spun, devouring her mana.

Her eyes opened wide and she slapped me with enough force to break my jaw.

My body twisted end over end, but Crimson caught me and turned my head to see the explosion that I had started.

[Mana Implosion] had run out of mana to absorb and had expanded inside of her, swelling to an absolutely terrifying degree. 

"Remind me how that works?" Crimson asked, her sparks beginning to settle down. 

"It does damage based on how much mana the target is missing," I offered. 

Crimson let out a whistle and jumped backwards as the void inside of her grew outwards into a swirling mass sucking in her entire person.

The Nekorian shaman exploded with power that dwarfed her previous ability. Any buildings still standing in the safe zone were ripped apart and tossed aside like scrap wood.

Crimson turned, grabbing someone else and using her back to shield us against the blast. I realized a second later that she had Felin pressed up against me, the Nekorian’s tail wrapping around my thigh for comfort.

Fragments of the ground and buildings flew past us one after the other. Crimson grunted as something struck her back. Yet, it was over as soon as it began, yet it had felt like an eternity.

Crimson straightened up and turned back to the scene of the blast. There was no sign of the shaman, not even a fragment of her remained. Crimson ripped open a portal beside us and threw us both inside before saying anything. "Going to make sure your grandfather gets out. I'll be right behind you," she said, before flashing away in a bolt of red. Her back was devoid of armor, having been stripped clean and her skin bled freely.

It was closer than she’d ever admit.

As the portal closed, soft hands were grabbing me from behind and green soothing magic rippled across my broken jaw, mending it and putting it back into place. 

"Well, at least you got Felin," Des said. The warlock stood back as Charlotte kicked into her doctor persona.

She began inspecting me from head to foot, lifting my arms, opening my mouth, and ensuring I was fit for duty.

Felin sat to the side with swirling green magic of healing over time over her body. That would ensure she was healed up, though I was sure as soon as Charlotte was done with me, she was going to switch her full focus to her Nekorian party member. 

Another portal opened up. I watched as Grandpa and Grandma Hemi were unceremoniously thrown through, followed by a well-worn Crimson. Her dragon leather bodysuit had seen better days. It was torn in multiple places and her hair puffed out of her braid where it had been collateral damage in her fight against the Nekorian shaman.

She must have taken a high level potion because there was no bleeding remaining.

"All right, new rule," Crimson said as the portal closed behind her. "No going back there," she pointed to everyone present. "I think we just successfully and thoroughly pissed off the Nekorians."

"You think?" I said, chuckling at Crimson. "I think you may have just created another race that now has horror stories about a red blur that destroys their people." 

Crimson snorted, pulling her incredibly long dark braid in front of her and beginning to fix it. "The elves completely exaggerated that, and the naga are so violent they probably worship me rather than fear me." She glanced to the side, something suddenly occurring to her. "We can talk to the naga now.”

“If they also picked up [Universal Language], but there was definitely at least one in Star City when we arrived." I offered.

Crimson nodded thoughtfully. "I'm going to talk to her when I get a chance."

"Yeah, well, we'll put that far down on the list of things to do. I think we're going to have other concerns, at least in the immediate future," I offered. 

Crimson shrugged. "Now, Ken, you're going to sit down and you're going to tell us all the full story." 

Grandma Hemi suddenly perked up. "Ooh, we need cheesecake." 

Grandpa began nodding rapidly. "Yes, cheesecake always helps. Let me help you, where are they again?" 

I stared at the two of them, surprised at how lightly they were taking the situation. I shrugged. For world-class assassins, this was just another day. 

"Well, I can start," Des said. "You see, we were in a safe zone…" 

I let Des start off the story as I moved over to Charlotte. "Have you checked in with your family and your sister? I want to make sure that they're all okay." 

She nodded. "My father was rushing to the Nagato estate last I heard." She tapped at her CID, checking before looking up at me.

"Thank you for helping, Ken." She pecked me lovingly on the cheek.

I grabbed her to squish her to my side. "Any time. Your family is mine. Picking a fight with the Nekorian race and destroying one of their safe zones? That's just another day in the dungeon, right?" I gave her my best charming grin, though I think it failed based on how heavily she sighed.