DD 204 Ch 16

"Maybe we don't jump straight to murder," I suggested, glancing at Crimson as I worked my way to my feet.

She waved a hand at me, and blue magic jumped off her fingertips to help accelerate my healing.

"You have healing magic?" I asked, squinting at her, wondering who this woman was before me.

"Of course I do," she replied. "When you have as many resources as I do, why not grab a few emergency spells? Like, what if I needed to heal myself? Or if my Ken was nearly dead?" 

"Honestly?" I said, staring back at her. "I kind of thought you were just going to kill me and revive me rather than heal me." 

Crimson frowned and looked to the side. "I guess that would have been easier."

A chill went down my spine as I realized she was actually considering the concept.

"But don't worry, I feel wonderful," I assured her, jumping to my feet faster. Between the potion and her healing, I was feeling significantly better. I dusted off my pants to prove to her there was no reason to take any further action.

Crimson grunted. "Well, if you're feeling better, perhaps we could talk about why I came here to find you in that situation. And of course, I still need a name of who is going to die today." 

"The long and short of it is that a group of Nekorians, from Felin's homeworld, took her and wanted to use me as incentive," I explained, keeping my voice down and hoping Crimson would follow along. There were no doubt some sharp-eared guards outside. 

Crimson waved a hand, and a little bubble popped up around us to silence the area. "Okay. So, we kill some Nekorians," she stated, raising an eyebrow before beginning to stretch herself out.

Her going wild on the safe zone would probably create a giant mess.

"Perhaps bringing you was the wrong idea." I squinted at her, suddenly thinking about my other options.

My mind immediately jumped to Grandpa. If I wanted to be a little more tactful in this operation, he could be a good choice. But he came with his own set of problems. Really, anyone I thought about bringing came with their own set of problems.

I sighed. "Perhaps you could help me be a distraction?" I suggested, giving her a wide smile. "A distraction would be good while Grandpa and I kidnap Felin." That and I wasn’t sure if she could go against the Nekorian shaman.

Crimson nodded along. "Sure, let's get your gramps." She waved a portal and poked her head through for just a moment before pulling it back.

Grandpa shot out, coming to a stop so suddenly his body wavered. "What can I do for you, Crimson?" he asked, only for his eyes to follow over to me. "Oh, it's you.”

“Love you too, Grandpa. Felin is in trouble." I got straight to the point.

"My cute granddaughter-in-law? Never," he declared, puffing his chest up, even though with old age he had shrunk considerably. "Well, then we'll have to pull her out. What's the plan?" 

Both of them looked at me expectantly.

And I didn’t immediately have an answer.

I was still coming up with the plan. My mind swirled as I worked through options and settled on one.

"Grandpa, can we bring Grandma Hemi with us as well?" I asked. "I don't know how strong the Nekorians are here, but I think it's enough to say that the second-in-command was level 52. And he was quite reverent to the one in command. There's at least several others in the 50s, perhaps those who have abilities like Crimson and I." 

Grandpa nodded along. "With Hemi buffing Crimson, she'd be an absolute monster." 

"That's the hope," I said. 

Grandpa shot back through the portal and came through carrying a flour-dusted Grandma Hemi who was smacking at his hand. "Be more careful when you interrupt me in the kitchen," she scolded “I have a pie in the oven and you take too long.” 

"I'm sorry, love, but it's important. Ken needs us," he explained.

With those words, Grandma Hemi shifted to see me, and a broad smile spread across her face. "Oh. Sorry this isn’t where I thought we were going. Well, if Ken needs us, then of course it was urgent," she agreed, smoothing out her skirt and dusting some of the flour off of her apron. "I assume with Crimson here, she's going to be my priority." 

I bobbed my head. "You're going to buff Crimson. Grandpa and I are going to go rescue Felin." 

"Rescue Felin. Oh, the poor girl. Has she found herself in trouble?" Grandma Hemi clicked her tongue. "We should do what we can. If it's dangerous enough that you think Crimson needs buffs, then I think this is all we should bring into it. Besides, Charlotte will get the pie."

I nodded along, there were more important things going on than pie, but this was Grandma Hemi.

She was right too, there was strength in numbers, however, sometimes a more focused elite group could get the job done better.

I also knew a worried Charlotte was back home anxious. I couldn’t wait to get back to her, with Felin, and ease her fears.

Hemi turned to Crimson. "My range is limited, but I'm pretty good at moving around quietly."She began to mutter under her breath as a large war banner magically appeared strapped to her back. It gave off the faint glow of magic, which was then echoed on the three of us. The shimmer was reflecting off our skin. The banner continued to change as she added more mana to it. It took up Hemi's mana to constantly put out more of the auras. 

Crimson tightened her fist, getting a sense for how it was affecting her.

“Haste and distortion then envenom.” Hemi explained. "You'll poison things that you intend to harm.” She explained envenom. “I can stack regeneration on this as well, once the fighting starts."

"What does distortion do?" Crimson asked.

"You're just a little harder to focus on, dear. To those not also affected, it'll be like you're slightly blurry. For Ken and my husband, it'll have the effect of improving their stealth as well. Their bodies won't be as hard of lines. And of course, they'll have haste to move about quickly. Sorry, dear. I could give you some more specific to your own strength, but..."

Crimson held up a hand. "This is good. Both of these will be a great help." Crimson smiled like a dutiful granddaughter, causing the still flour-covered woman to grin back.

"Well then, time is of the essence. Go," Grandma Hemi clapped before pulling out a bow and placing a dozen arrows on the table. 

These buffs would affect grandma as well. And since they were largely passive effects that drained her own resources, she could and would use her hands to contribute another way. 

A moment later Grandpa grabbed my arm, zipping towards the back of the prison building. His blade flashed out, cutting a neat doorway in the back.

At the same moment, the front exploded. 

Crimson’s battle cry echoed across the space, and the metallic tang of blood filled the air as Crimson let loose.

I activated camouflage, rushing out the doorway and staying as low as I could. Grandpa and I were just two faint shimmers as we darted through the panicked crowd of Nekorians. 

Crimson's whip rose above the building before coming back down with a boom. Shouts echoed from around. Powerful Nekorians threw themselves above the crowd and rushed towards Crimson, while those who seemed more like day laborers rushed the other direction.

A red blur darted down the street and exploded against a Nekorian that actually survived the first strike from Crimson. The two of them locked briefly in battle. A dozen exchanges later, the Nekorian went flying as Crimson came out victorious. 

Grandpa grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back on task. As impressive as it was to watch Crimson, we were here to save Felin, which meant we needed to get moving. 

Amid the chaos, our camouflage worked well.

I retraced the path we had taken towards the shaman’s home. While my face had been being dragged on the ground, it was memorable enough that I didn’t forget. And as I moved, I used [Eyes of Wisdom] to confirm Felin’s current location.

As we approached, I noticed that it was the only area that was peaceful amid the chaos Crimson had created. 

Two guards stood at the doorway, arms behind their backs, exuding a ferocity that told me they were a higher level than me.

Grandpa patted my arm before jerking it to the right. I knew he was telling me to take care of the right while he took care of the left. We approached slowly, concerned about the flaw in our camouflage. The ability changed slightly slower than we moved, always causing a shimmer around the edges. 

Luckily, while the guards remained stoic, the chaos still reached them. Two Nekorians ran up to them for help, and we had the opportunity to slip around their focus and to the edge of the building. When they resumed their position, looking outwards, we were effectively behind them. 

I moved close to the building, waiting for Grandpa's strike to go first and take out the guard, only to realize he was waiting for me.

Stepping to get a good angle, my two swords were swung in unison. I went for speed rather than stealth with the swing, putting all of my strength behind it as I hoped to kill them in a single blow. 

The Nekorian twitched, starting with his ear, but he didn't turn in time. One of my blades cut deeply into his neck. His shoulder twitched up, the leather pauldron glancing my blade off and upwards.

As a result, the angle of the second hit wasn’t as I had intended, but it slammed in next to the first. I spun, twisting with my full body weight, dragging both blades along his neck. Blood rushed out from the wound as he staggered. 

As the second guard turned, an explosive boom sounded as Grandpa drew his curved blade with such speed that it broke the sound barrier and severed the Nekorian's neck instantly. My target gasped, swinging its spear at me, even as he was clearly dying. He must have had quite a bit of stamina for him to still be alive.

I spun back around, this time with Triple Breach activated. He tried to defend himself with his spear, but he was weakening. The first strike of Triple Breach sent his weapon flying. The second and third chipped away at his neck before I severed it and he dropped to the ground. 

Grandpa stood next to me, clicking his tongue. "Sloppy work. You're fighting him like a monster, not a person. We'll have to do some refreshers for you and the girls," he flicked blood off his blade and reactivated camouflage as he opened the door to the shaman's residence. 

I activated the ability as well, stepping inside, only to be greeted by a familiar Nekorian.

The Lion who had dragged me across the ground stood there in the center of the entry hall, a grin on his face and his sword out. "Welcome, both of you," he said, throwing an item on the floor that flashed a searing light throughout the entire room.

It barely did any damage, feeling like I had put my hand too close to an oven, but it didn't matter. The ability was enough to break my camouflage. 

The Nekorian chuckled. "I knew you'd come back. And you've brought friends," he gestured to the side at Grandpa. "Though that one looks like he's old enough to have one foot in the grave." 

"Shut it, young whippersnapper," Grandpa cracked back. "I certainly have enough left in me to put you in the grave." 

The Nekorian clicked his tongue, standing far too at ease for someone that just had assassins break in on him. 

"If you wanted to fight me, why not fight me a few minutes ago?" I asked the Nekorian. 

He grinned, showing off his large teeth.

"That wouldn't be very fair of me, now would it?" He mused. "After all, I'm several levels higher than you, and while I don't like you, you were technically a guest within our camp."

I frowned. "You're too much of an asshole to have a code of honor." 

He laughed and threw his head back. "No, I think you'll understand. Well," he hesitated, "you won't get the chance to, so maybe I'll explain it. At this depth of the dungeon, there are certain rules for what you can and can't do. There are many powerful races here who do not take kindly to higher-level bullies who pick on lower levels. The Orkai are one of those, and they are strong enough to enforce their sense of honor on a number of us other races. As for the Nekorians, those who are devout believers in Neko follow their own set of honor. The shamans say that breaking it has an actual effect on how the universe treats you." He shrugged. "Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. What matters is that those with the authority to enforce it do believe it. However, you're not some low-level guest anymore."

He picked up his sword. "Now, you're a set of home invaders who have attacked my people. In that case, there's no need for someone at my level to hold himself back. No. In fact, if I kill you, I'm now in the right."

I squinted at him. "The Orkai were in the safe zone where we met. That's why you didn't attack us on the way here." 

The Nekorian nodded. "That Orkai would have logged the mild disturbance along with both of our faces. If either of us were to disappear, the Orkai would find me and question me. You can’t lie to them. I think you underestimate just how much power stands behind those bald green thugs." 

I would have to think about the Orkai later. At the moment, I needed to deal with this Nekorian, get Felin, and get out.

The lion wore leather armor and had a large notched, flanged sword.

As he rushed at me, I tried to think about what type of abilities he would bring out. My blades met his and I stepped back, giving ground so I didn't have to face his full strength.

He was faster and stronger than me. The Nekorian seemed to have a well-rounded stat pool, at least from the physical sense. He fluidly flowed from one strike into the next, forcing me back with each step.

There was a boom as Grandpa's sword appeared to slice through the Nekorian, only for the lion to drop a hand from his large sword as a shield appeared in the other that blocked Grandpa's signature attack. There was a thin scar left on the shield before Grandpa jumped back, readying himself for another strike. 

"Careful, old man, you might hurt yourself." The Nekorian pressed after me again, this time using his shield to take up much of the space between us.

It was an offensive use of the shield I'd only really experienced with Helen, where it was used to minimize the space an opponent could swing, thereby forcing the attacker to match the shield bearer's trajectory with their other hand.

It was slightly less effective given the lion’s sword was so large that it was awkward with one hand. His own options were limited, but his reach was not.

Anytime I took a step back, he was able to fully utilize his reach advantage, taking swipes at me without his shield getting in the way. It forced me in where he could dominate the space with his shield and I had trouble staying on the offensive.

Grandpa came back in sporadic booms, scarring the Nekorian's shield and forcing him to use several defensive abilities.

Throughout all of this, the Nekorian never took his focus off me for more than a fraction of a second. His shield stuck to me like a dance partner.

"Grandpa, just go get Felin. She's through that door." I instructed. 

The Nekorian wound up a huge slash, and I rolled to the side to avoid it, only for him to pause midway and instead throw his entire weight into me.

I rolled around his shield, but he checked me with it, slamming me against the wall. 

He pressed me harder against the wall, and I tried to attack around his shield, only for him to drop his sword and make a fist. Claws sprang out between his fingers as he went for my throat. 

I twisted and ducked into his shield to protect my neck, but then he only redoubled the pressure against me and the wall.

Thankfully, it seemed the building wasn't made to withstand a fight, and it cracked beside me. I flipped the grip on one of my swords and stabbed it into the wall before pushing off of his shield as hard as I could. 

The wall gave way, and my push against the shield switched to a grip for me to hold on to him, grabbing the edge of it and rolling through the breach in the wall. I curled my legs up and kicked against his hip.

I pivoted my body into a rolling throw as I slammed the Nekorian against the ground. Twisting with long-forgotten muscle memory, I put him and his shield arm in an arm bar and began to flex it, hoping to break his arm. 

But I wasn’t able to snap the limb fast enough.

The Nekorian’s built-in claws from his free hand suddenly did significant work as he tore into my leg that was holding his arm down. He even tried to bite a chunk out of me, but I threw my weight to the side, twisting both of us and redoubling my efforts to break his arm. It gave with a sudden, satisfying crack, and I disengaged to save my leg any further maiming. 

The Nekorian howled in pain and grabbed a small table from nearby, flipping it and smashing it against me as I regained my footing and staggered to my feet.

His shield arm hung limply to the side. Meanwhile, my blood painted his other arm and his chest. His overconfident grin had changed to something more savage. His cat-like eyes narrowing to the thinnest slits, seething with anger.

I couldn’t help but grin through my own pain, feeling a little light headed from the bleeding and being winded from having a shield crushed against my chest.

He rushed me again with the shimmer of an ability as he closed the gap faster than I expected while punching up. The claws on his hand met my sword, and I cut his hand, but he didn't seem to care one bit.

The hit had been a faint.

He opened his mouth wide and went for the jugular. He had thrown himself so far forward that his whole weight was coming with him.

I instead leaned into him, smashing my forehead into his to protect my neck. Sometimes, offense really was the best defense, not that I didn’t pay for it, stars flashing in my peripheral vision from taking his thick skull head on.

The Nekorian yowled like a pained cat before he hissed and tried to swipe my face off.

"Where's that bravado now?" I taunted him, feeling that he was tilting further and further into this fight. I hoped I could get him to do something more reckless, reckless enough to give me a wide opening. 

He didn't stop or think or even respond. Instead, he came at me with a flurry of swipes from his single arm, barely missing me on several occasions.

The hits were close enough that I wondered if Grandma Hemi's distortion had saved my skin more than once. If nothing else, her haste was at least leveling the speed playing field between us. 

"What? Cat got your tongue?" I mocked him again when he didn’t speak.

He spun, and in that same motion, a sword appeared in his hand that I hadn't been expecting.

I was forced to block the strike without any backstep to buffer his strength. Instead, both of my feet left the ground, and I found my back smacking against another wall that began to crumble. We had thoroughly destroyed the shaman's home in our chaotic tumble of a fight.