The rain of teors continues unabated. Atlantis continues to pour mana into the spell long past the point any mortal [Archmage] could endure. Yet Darius, the Unbroken Bulwark, stands firm, unhard and unfazed by the unending onslaught.
How long do you think he can keep this up? Franky asks Calidi.
The nad woman bites her lip. Not forever. Elentals cost a lot to create and sustain. Once his mana runs out, were dead.
So what do we need? A distraction?
She nods Yeah, a good distraction, sothing to stop the teors long enough for to get to the skies. I don't suppose you have a skill or sothing that can make an opening.
Franky scowls, Nothing that can be used in the current situation. Maybe my capstone, but that skill cos with a permanent cost and Ive yet to see what it even does.
Whats the cost? Money? Blood? Gems?
I dont know, he answers, could be a mory, could be an arm, could be pretty much anything but my life.
as
He takes a mont and calls up the skill
[Legacy of the Hero][Legendary]
To gain sothing precious cos at a cost. Borrow the power of [Heroes] past, for a price.
I also dont have any idea what the effect will be. Im assuming its strong since its a [Legendary] skill.
LEGENDARY! Calidi blurts out in surprise, Do you have any idea how powerful those skills are, especially ones that require a sacrifice?
He grimaces Well no, but Id rather not pay the cost to find out, he answers and Calidi quickly goes silent.
Im sorry, she apologizes.
Franky waves, It's fine. If were desperate, then Ill use it. For now, I don't think were there yet. he shifts his head to a lampost, Jessa, see anything up there?
Jessa, sitting on a lamppost, starts to shake her head, but stops as, at the edge of her vision, a red blur rushes over the roofs towards Atlantis. Actually, sothing is attacking the golem.
Franky and Calidi instantly perk up. This could be their chance.
What's attacking? How long until it does?
Jessa frowns, then her eyes widen as the blur disappears and reappears next to the golem. A massive glowing red scythe twirls in the air before slashing at the golems crystal head. The golem moves its free arm to cover its face. The scythe slashes into the tal but penetrates only halfway through. A woman pulls the weapon free and jumps off the damaged arm before the golems other hand can grab her, the sa hand that had been powering the spell.
It's distracted! She yells, this is your chance!
The last teor punctuates her yell and everyone leaps into action. The Earth Elental lowers its arms and its shields fold into rams before it sprints towards Atlantis. At the sa ti, Franky summons a floating sword and takes flight while Calidi does the sa with wings of fire.
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That attack should have severed the arm completely! Ambrosia thinks as she dodges a much too fast grab from the golem. With a spin of her scythe, she activates [Sanguine Shift]. Her body disperses into a fine red mist and reappears right behind the golems head. She slashes forward, aiming for the neck. Her scythe strikes an unseen barrier and bounces off to her surprise. The golem twists its body and swings its other fist directly at her airborne self.
Cursing her overconfidence, she raises her scythe to block. The massive fist connects and in the instant of impact an electric shock rips through her. She screams in pain as her flaming body is sent hurtling through several high-rises, and would have smashed through several more had not Garn caught her. They crash into the next skyscraper and Garn spends the fury of Ambrosias montum shredding the carpeted floor of an upper story penthouse. They co to rest against a king size bed and fall back onto the mattress, crushing the bones of the prior occupants.
My [Lady], are you alright? Garn asks, worried.
Y-yes, Ambrosia croaks as her body starts repairing itself. Her bones pop and crack as they shift into place, her muscles regenerate, and her wounds heal within seconds. [Vampiric Regeneration], similar to [Greater Regeneration], gives unparalleled self-healing, except she pays the cost with blood instead of flesh. After this battle, she will have to feast.
With her body restored, Garn stands up and allows her to stand on her own. She extends her hand and a bloody mist flies through the broken window and reforms into her scythe in her grasp. Weapon in hand, she walks up to a nearby window and looks out.
The Earth Elental had followed up on her attack and engaged the tal golem in hand to hand combat. Ambrosia watches the brawl in awe. Both golems move with speed and precision nobody would have ever expected possible for such massive beings. The ground shakes with their footwork and the sky thunders with their fists.
She watches as the Earth Golem weaves under a fist then reprises with an uppercut aid for the tal Golems head. A barrier sprouts a ter from the crystal eye and cracks, but doesnt break. Unhurt, the golem knees the elental in the face. Chunks of earth shatter and fly from the strike and more follow as the Golem lands a five punch combo. Cracks riddle the ailing elentals body.
Ambrosia realizes that the Earth Elental is structurally outclassed and will eventually lose.
Garn, we need to attack the golem now, while we have help. That thing is too strong to be taken down alone. she says and prepares to rush back into the fight. A paw raised in front of her stays her motion.
Wait, Garn exclaims. He points at the sky.
Ambrosia follows his finger and her eyes widen as a cot streaks through the firmant.
She shoves mana into her eyes to improve her vision.
Thats-
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Calidi rises above the clouds, her [Wings of Fla] beat desperately for elevation. She climbs above the aurora, above the highest nearby summits, till the air chills her despite her wings, till her vision narrows in the thin air. She hovers for a mont, looks down, and spends a mont impressed. Herself, her comrades, and their conflicts seem petty before the imnsity of Orbis. Then she steals herself and prepares her descent.
She points her spear at the tiny silver speck of Atlantis and sets it alight. She spreads her domain and tucks her wings.
[Cots Descent]
Her wings burn white and all the air within a mile radius ignites, turning her world into fire and fla. She smiles as she dives, the heat and fla follow her, growing hotter and hotter. Her spear, fortified with a legendary enchantnt, heats up far beyond its mundane lting point, but her clothes are a different story. Her clothes disintegrate as the [Greater Fire Resist] enchantnts are overwheld. She feels no pity for it, for her eyes are on an enemy that requires her full control.
The raging battle below cos to a halt as both sides notice her descent. She watches as Darius creates distance from the golem. Franky arrives and forms a barrier of light around the Earth elental. She hopes the barrier will hold, but that is unlikely. The blast radius of her skill is quite potent on its own.
The golem raises up both its arms to block her. The arms glow and a barrier forms above it. She smirks at the futile defense, then sobers when another layer of barrier forms.
Then another.
And another.
The number passes ten and they still keep forming.
Frowning, she hastens her descent, pushing herself faster than gravity, and raises the temperature. The fire around her concentrates into her weapons form, the cot changes from a ball to a spear, the air howls violently with her passing as she breaks the speed of sound.
Impact.
The barriers shatter one after the other, each one slowing her increntally, but theyre not enough. She breaks through the last barrier with a quarter of her attacks original energy. Her spear plunges into the golem and then her skill detonates. Her world goes white as everything is obliterated.
For a mont, she goes blind from the light, and then her body falls on the molten ground. Shes not sure how much ti passes, but it cant have been long. She feels hands pick her up off the molten lava. She blinks to restore her sight and sees Franky cradling her in a princess carry.
She smirks.
Youre quite the [Prince], aren't you? she teases, but Franky doesn't smile. His eyes aren't on her. She follows his gaze to find out why and nearly chokes.
No way.
The golem, flung far from the explosion, stands with its entire body above the abdon destroyed. Then she notices it. The crystal core is on its crotch, glinting with mana. She watches in dread as the tal of its body reforms, the crystal rising back up to its head. In a matter of seconds, Atlantis fully reforms.
I don't suppose you can do that again? Franky asks.
She shakes her head, Nope. Not till I get so more mana. And clothes.
Damn..
Calidi looks around for Darius earth elental and finds it, singed, sowhat molten, but sohow still standing. Shed expected it to have taken far more damage.
Hes out of mana and cant move anymore. He was barely able to hold on long enough for your skill.
Cursing herself for using all her mana, she leans forward to stand, which Franky obliges by lowering her legs. Her bare feet land on the floating light sword and she stabilizes her wobbly legs with an arm around Frankys neck.
The distant golem stands there, its crystal eye focused on them. It isnt moving, but she expects that will not last for long.
Put sowhere safe and activate that skill. I don't think itll give us ti to rest.
Seeming to answer her words, the Golem raises an arm toward them. The arm starts to glow.
Shit, Franky curses. He wraps an arm around Calidis waist and accelerates away on his sword, moving erratically towards cover. They fly quickly, but the charging arm follows their movents, keeping the duo locked on as targets.
Then, as its charge is full, the tal arm is jerked to the side where it releases a massive beam at a nearby mountain, boring a hole through the granite.
The beam stops. The golem rips apart the string holding its arm and turns to the new threat.
The city quakes as the monstrous spider roars in challenge.
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