I draw my [chanical Arm Cannon] and fire my strongest [Freezing Bullet] directly at the Molochian’s chest. It deigns to take the attack head-on, its contempt for
and my abilities write large on its scowling face. It pisses
off so much. Almost as much as my weakness does.
I smirk as the attack connects and actually deals so decent damage. I fail to pierce through the tough muscles, but I at least manage to surprise the creature long enough to get a second then a third blast off, each hitting ho, each delivering its boreal punch directly into the creature’s torso.
But it quickly breaks free of my attempt to encase it within an icy tomb. My [Ether] is filling up at a rate of about a point each second, but that’s far from enough to both dodge the creature’s attacks and build my core up for another [Glyphcasting] onslaught. Still, I have to deal what damage I can with the surging strength that Chloe is providing for us.
A surge of violet lightning slams into the Molochian from behind. Unlike the previous two tis, Kristil’s attack actually manages to stun the creature. And Lindsey doesn’t let the opportunity go to waste. She slams her elbow at the back of the demon’s neck before thrusting a dagger in the sa place. She fails to pierce the creature’s tough hide and deliver the should-be fatal blow, but doesn’t relent, instead finding purchase just below its left collarbone.
I use the opportunity I’m given, using my new [Basic Glyph Manifestation] Skill to imbue my [Ether Bullet Barrage] with both the glyph of [Lightning] and inverted glyph of [Heat], creating a vicious [Frostsurge Cannon] attack that deals great damage to our opponent.
I fly backward, partially from the recoil, and partially from the third stage of [Ether] strain setting in as my [Ether] dips to just below two hundred. My vision doubles. I raise my [chanical Arm Cannon] out to aim at the creature. But with Lindsey engaged in quick, close-quarters combat, I can’t get a good read on their movents.
Dammit all! I have all this power, these new skills, and I can’t overco a bit of System-damned [Ether] strain!
No! I shake my head vigorously to fight it off. I already resolved myself! I would not surrender, and I would rise to and defeat whatever challenges the System throws at ! Even this.
Rage builds within . The power of [Seraphina Overlimit] is still distant and inaccessible, even now, when we’re in the greatest challenge we’ve faced to this point.
The Molochian turns away from
and charges directly at Chloe with a massive burst of speed. Lindsey stabs it in the calf, staggering it, and I begin to chase. It growls, it roars. I imagine its glee, its malice, the unbidden satisfaction it must feel as it threatens to take my Chloe. And I won’t stand for that. I won’t let it or anyone else hurt her!
My calves burn. My lungs feel like acid is pooling in their depths, screaming bloody murder with every step I take and every breath I make. My heart pounds so fast it causes my throat to tighten and tense. Sweat beads down the back of my neck, my palms, my forehead, the underside of my breasts from within my armor. Fear envelops , but it does not take .
No, I push forward, past my limits, through the pain, overcoming for Chloe’s sake, renewing the vow I made to her that day. My stomach grows queasy, bile building within , a struggle not to lose my lunch.
A goddesses-damned charley horse right as I’m sprinting forward, my calves refusing to relax as I run. It burns just like the rest of my body as I flicker on my [Bullet Ti] to try to catch the beast. But I power through it. Compared with the pain of [Ether] strain entering its fourth and most debilitating phase, a few ordinary cramps is nothing.
I leap forward and grab hold of the beast’s right leg just as its blades are about to crash down upon Chloe. I pull with all the ager strength I can bring out of my rapidly failing body, all for the purpose of making sure that she survives, that she continues to protect and heal and–
“Sera!” she screams.
Ti seems to freeze once more. A single heartbeat thumps. My [Ether] is just under a hundred now. Below five percent of its maximum, consciousness itself is increasingly difficult to maintain, as one’s ntal exertion becos too great to continue onward. I don’t have ti to rest, to recover. That’ll be after this stinky, slimy, fetid, ashy, prick of an asshole is finally dead!
The beast screams. But it wasn’t
that caused that blast. I look up and see its head impaled by a massive [Light Arrow]. Even with chunks of gray matter splattering over , the creature still hasn’t fallen. It thrashes about, trying to throw
off its leg. It tries to attack Chloe, who is now kneeling as she continues to chant her spell and fill us with the magic of her [Sanctuary].
I hold on with every ounce of strength I can muster. My body convulses as Kristil’s next attack surges through our adversary. But I take advantage of the situation, first ensuring that no part of
is touching the ground, And then I focus what little [Ether] still flows through
into guiding the bits of electricity inside
to tighten my hold, employing the power of Manifestation one last ti to guide the last vestiges of my will.
My ntal strength now completely spent, I lie motionless. All visual and tactile sensation is completely gone, and the roars of battle are faint and distant, muffled as though through a hundred feet of water. Have I collapsed to the ground? Am I still clinging to the Molochian, still fighting the good fight even as I’m no longer able to feel the battle? Am I dying?
All I see is black. Black and dark and emptiness for eternity. I want to curse myself. That even after everything, I still don’t have the strength to save myself, much less Chloe. Was it because I was too greedy? Did we ignore that Recomnded Level inscription at my peril?
My only hope is that Chloe survives. That she and Lindsey and Kristil find a way to escape this Sky Island with their lives intact, that they get stronger and one day avenge . Maybe Kristil and Chloe can make each other happy, the way I was unable to do for the woman I love.
My thoughts grow weak, muted, ethereal. Consciousness slips away. I love you, Chloe. Now and always.
I wake up in a cold, dark chamber. It slls atrocious. The stench of death and brimstone perates my skin and mucous mbranes and everywhere else it can crawl into. I pinch myself and feel pain. I guess that’s to be expected, waking up in one of the nine hells. The ultimate punishnt for the ultimate failure.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” a voice says. Calm, compassionate, loving. Wait…
“Chloe!” I call out. “I’m so sorry!” I start to cry.
Footsteps echo from behind . They stop just behind
as I sit up. A warm breath upon the back of my neck, followed by two hands upon my shoulders which then wrap around my neck, gentle and smooth and warm. One little peck on my neck, and then another on my cheek as I turn around to see her squatting right behind , that gorgeous smile on her face, that silken caral hair, those glowing butterscotch eyes that I want to just get lost in.
“Are we dead?”
“Of course not,” she says. “I guess you gave it everything you had and collapsed when the [Ether] strain reached its final phase.”
“Did we win?”
“Yep,” Chloe says. “Lindsey took a few good licks defending Kristil and , but everyone’s attacks did enough damage to bring the beast down. It just had so nasty Skill that allowed it to keep fighting for a minute or so after its [Health] had been brought down.”
“Oh, thank heavens,” I say.
I check my [Status], and sure enough, everything’s there.
[You have slain a Servant of Moloch (Level 37). You have gained a boosted 43,050 Experience. (Experience boosted for defeating a dungeon boss.)]
Damn!
[You have gained enough Experience to reach Level 30 (From 28). [Vitality]
2, [Mind]
2 Please assign free stat points (Remaining: 8).]
I assign all eight of them into my [Mind] stat without a second thought. My class is rapidly turning into a magic-focused class from all the work I’m doing with [Glyphcasting], Ethertech construction, and Manifesting my anomalous power through will alone. I need more maximum [Ether] desperately to empower all three of those, along with every other ambition I have.
[Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x2
Current Level
Rand[1, 3] = (161, 164)]
[Maximum Ether increases by [Mind]
Current Level
Rand[0, 2] = (123, 130)]
[Level: 30; Experience: 237,245; To Next: 37,050]
[Current Stats: [Health]: 2,718 / 2,774 (3,082) ; [Ether]: 446 / 1,825 (2,028)]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 31 (27, -3); [Speed]: 29 (25, -3); [Vitality]: 75 (66, -7); [Mind]: 112 (98, -10)]
“I’m guessing we’ve not cleared the dungeon just yet,” I say.
Chloe shakes her head.
“Speaking of, where are Lindsey and Kristil?” I turn around, half-expecting the forr to be grinning just behind . But no, she’s not, nor is she sitting or standing around anywhere in our imdiate vicinity.
“Kristil’s up on the other side of this chamber, looking for any hidden passageways that might lead on. And Lindsey is right over there, just inside the hallway, keeping an eye on any enemies that might try to sneak up on us.”
“And Kristil is okay being off on her own in a dungeon full of level thirty-plus enemies because?” Whatever happened to ‘don’t split the party’?
“After the battle ended, she gained a new spell called [Lightning Reflexes] that supercharges both her [Agility] and her movent speed while it’s in effect. She feels plenty safe being on the other side of a large room in full sight of the two of us.”
I flicker on my [Ethersight] and confirm Chloe’s words. I regret it a mont later as [Ether] strain catches back up to . Should’ve known better; I’m still a good half an hour away from being over a third of my maximum, now that Chloe’s spell is no longer in effect.
As I turn back to Chloe, she hands
a canteen of water and a few pieces of granola and raisins from our ti at guild headquarters. I devour both with aplomb, not realizing until now that the mid-afternoon munchies had started to set in, especially with three battles since lunchti.
anwhile, Chloe has the gall to look at
with those enrapturing eyes, that beautiful, knowing grin, those pearlescent teeth that…
“Is there sothing on my face?”
“Nope, no, nothing at all.”
I wipe my face off, not finding anything, but not buying Chloe’s innocent words for a second.
“It’s just nice to share this mont with you, Seraphina. It’s weird, you know. You’re all dirty and dusty from all this fighting, and yet, between seeing you out there in your elent and now here, scarfing down snacks like we’re back at ho, it’s… It’s nice.” She leans in and kisses . “Makes
look forward to being done here and going back ho and…”
“Alright, you two,” Kristil says. “Let’s save the kissy crap for after we get out of the dungeon, alright? I just found a hidden passageway in the back, and I’ll bet it leads either to treasure or to the end of the dungeon. Also I found an [Ether Canister] while I was searching over there. I'd use it myself, but I think you need it more than I do.”
I turn to Lindsey, who’s already running back toward us, seemingly just as eager as Kristil to proceed onward. And while I could definitely use more than a little ti to rest and restore my [Ether], I’m definitely ready to get the hell out of this flying stone deathtrap once and for all. As I absorb the contents of Kristil's [Ether Canister], I take a look at my stats one last ti before we head into the final challenge of the dungeon.
[Na: Seraphina Mortensen]
[Age: 18]
[Level: 30; Experience: 237,245; To Next: 37,050]
[Current Stats: [Health]: 2,774 / 2,774 (3,082) ; [Ether]: 1,023 / 1,825 (2,028)]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 31 (27 base, -10%,
27%); [Speed]: 29 (25 base, -10%,
27%); [Vitality]: 75 (66 base, -10%,
27%); [Mind]: 112 (98 base, -10%,
27%)]
[Combat Paraters:
[Attack (Physical Damage Dealing Capability)]: 136 (Base Strength 27)]
[Agility (Ability to Dodge Attacks): 64 (Base Speed 25)]
[Defense (Damage Reduction from Physical Attacks): 113 (Base Vitality 66)]
[Magic Attack (Magic Damage Dealing Capability): 112 (Base Mind: 98)]
[Magic Defense (Damage Reduction from Magical Attacks): 117 (Base Mind: 98)]]
[Equipnt:
[Weapon: [chanical Arm Cannon]: Attack
105 ( 55 with glyphs inactive)]
[Helt: [Bandana of Swiftness]: Defense
2, Agility
5]
[Arms / Shield: [Simple Buckler]: Defense
1, Agility
20]
[Body: [Brigandine]: Defense
30]
[Leg Armor: [Boots of [Impulse]]: Defense
5, Agility
5]
[Accessory 1: [Flawed Ring of Regeneration]: Magic Defense
5]
[Accessory 2: [Wings of Icarus]: Agility
5]]
Class 1: [Planetouched chanist]
[Class Skills: (1/6 Skill Slots remaining)
[Tinkerer]
[Flash of Insight]
[Ether Bullet Barrage (Rank IV)]
[Trick Shot]
[Mass Production (Rank II)]]
[General Skills: (0/6 Skill Slots remaining)
[Basic Glyph Manifestation (Rank VI)]
[Interdiate Ether Manipulation (Rank IX)]
[Ethersight (Rank VII)]
[Glyphcasting (Rank XII)]
[Bullet Ti (Rank IV)]
[Etheric Armor (Rank II)]]
[Unique Traits:
[Touched by the Multiverse]
[S??????e??????r??????a??????p??????h??????i??????n??????a?????? ??????O??????v??????e??????r??????l??????i??????m??????i??????t??????t??????]]]
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