38.1. Reunion
“Wait here.”
I spoke softly to Chase and Betty— both of whom I beat in the race to Silvergrove— as they were being tied to a tree. We had stopped just outside of the walls of the city, and were now preparing to enter it.
“[Quick Summon].”
Edithe raised her staff, and Mistshard came to her side. The [Elemental] flapped her wings as she hovered just above her master. I turned to the damaged gates but still standing gates, then to a hole in the city walls a bit aways from it; a few Humans ran through it, stumbling across the rubble as they fled the city. The Human woman stepped up beside me.
“The gate here is still up. Seems like Lucerna decided to go around and force his way in there.”
“Why would he do that?”
Daniel frowned. I looked over at him, remembering the last time I had come to this city.
“I think it’s because of all the adventurers. There were a lot of them— more than Hazelbury— too many for him to handle all at once. So he went around.”
That would have allowed him to get in the middle of a crowd of non combat Class Humans, making the adventurers and guards hesitant to attack him; if I knew one thing about Humans after being around them for so long, it was that they mostly didn’t like killing each other. Mostly, I thought, thinking back to the bandits.
Then Lucerna would have been able to eliminate the adventurers slowly, while causing havoc and damage, gaining experience from killing those who can’t fight back.
“And why do you know that?”
“That’s what I would’ve done.”
The two Humans stared at me. I shrugged.
“They attacked me when I first came here. And this was the only place I knew where Humans gathered. So I had thought of coming back eventually.”
“I… am not even going to comment on that.”
Daniel shook his head, turning back to the collapsed wall. He unsheathed his gleaming sword.
“Come on, before he causes anymore destruction. Let’s put a stop to his rampage.”
Edithe whispered softly under her breath, grasping tightly at her company’s badge.
“This is it. I will avenge you guys. I promise.”
I stepped forward, creating two daggers made of fire. I simply grinned as I walked ahead of my two companions. We entered the city as a group of Humans ran past us in a hurry. I took in the surroundings of Silvergrove— once, it had been bustling with life. Now the cities lay empty. Smoke rose up from various places in the distance, and the orange glow of the sunset was only accentuated by the flames spreading wildly unhindered through the city.
“He’s stronger than us, you know?”
I spoke bluntly. My companions all faced me. Daniel to my left, Edithe and her Spirits to my right. I looked over at the still-standing gates— chains hung loosely down to the side of the portcullis. I shook my head.
“He’s higher leveled than us. He’s more experienced than us. He’s killed more than us.”
I turned around, meeting their gazes steadily.
“However, levels aren’t all that matters. They aren’t the most important thing ever. Maybe to wild Demons— but not to me.”
Daniel nodded slowly while Edithe’s face relaxed a little.
“We’ll take him down, just as we did the Centinels, and just as we did the Giant Spiders.”
“Right.”
“Of course.”
I smiled, glancing back at the long metallic chain lying next to the damaged gates. Just as I took down that large Demon too. Levels only matter so much.
—--
“Captain!”
“Get back, guardsman!”
A man adorned in thick metal armor shouted. He pushed the guardsman back, stumbling away from the ball of ash that exploded at his back. His enchanted platemail took the brunt of the hit, however judging by the damage it had taken, this wasn’t the first time he had been struck by the [Djinn]’s deadly Skills.
The Greater Demon roared as he charged the two Humans, but another voice resounded from the side.
“Loose!”
Arrows pelted the Greater Demon’s back, temporarily drawing his attention away from the captain and the guard as they stumbled to the side. A group of adventurers intercepted Lucerna before he could clash with the squad of archers.
“Captain Nathan, sir! Are you alright?”
“What are you doing here? I’ve ordered all Level 20 combatants not to approach the Demon. You’ll only die and give it experience to grow.”
“I know, sir. I’ve brought you this— the last of the healing potions from the west gate.”
Nathan chewed his lower lip for a moment, staring at the leather bag held out by the rather young looking Human man. Then he quickly accepted it, taking a gulp of the healing potion as it closed his most grievous wounds, and nodded.
“Thanks. I— what’s your name?”
“Cai, sir.”
“Cai, you did a good thing today. But this is the only time you’ll ever break from your orders, got it?”
“Yes, sir—”
“Watch out!”
A streak of hot smoke came rushing at the two Humans as they conversed. Nathan’s eyes widened as he saw it coming. He grabbed Cai and pulled him out of the way just in time. However, just as they were getting up, there was a scream. An adventurer went flying as the archers ran back in terror.
The [Djinn] raised his fiery spear, summoning a gray column from the twilight sky. The archers cried out in pain as they were engulfed in the burning ash, before they were quickly silenced. Nathan stared as the last of the adventurers spun around, broken and fleeing the battle.
“Damn those Silver Ranks. Cai, you get out of here right now—”
He paused, blinking as suddenly all the Greater Demon saw was him and the guard. He cursed.
“Go!”
The captain raised his sword.
“[Threefold Slice]!”
His blade suddenly extended, turning into three silvery lines as the Greater Demon reached them. The guard scrambled back as the Skill struck true.
The [Djinn] bled, black blood pouring out of the wounds left behind. Nathan parried the strike from the fiery spear, but was knocked back from the impact. He tried to get up, however he was too slow. The [Djinn] spoke softly with raised hands.
“[Pillar of—”
“No—”
Nathan cried out. Then he stared as a glinting arrow cut through the air, suddenly jutting out of the Greater Demon’s chest.
“Lucerna!”
38.1. Reunion
“Wait here.”
I spoke softly to Chase and Betty— both of whom I beat in the race to Silvergrove— as they were being tied to a tree. We had stopped just outside of the walls of the city, and were now preparing to enter it.
“[Quick Summon].”
Edithe raised her staff, and Mistshard came to her side. The [Elemental] flapped her wings as she hovered just above her master. I turned to the damaged gates but still standing gates, then to a hole in the city walls a bit aways from it; a few Humans ran through it, stumbling across the rubble as they fled the city. The Human woman stepped up beside me.
“The gate here is still up. Seems like Lucerna decided to go around and force his way in there.”
“Why would he do that?”
Daniel frowned. I looked over at him, remembering the last time I had come to this city.
“I think it’s because of all the adventurers. There were a lot of them— more than Hazelbury— too many for him to handle all at once. So he went around.”
That would have allowed him to get in the middle of a crowd of non combat Class Humans, making the adventurers and guards hesitant to attack him; if I knew one thing about Humans after being around them for so long, it was that they mostly didn’t like killing each other. Mostly, I thought, thinking back to the bandits.
Then Lucerna would have been able to eliminate the adventurers slowly, while causing havoc and damage, gaining experience from killing those who can’t fight back.
“And why do you know that?”
“That’s what I would’ve done.”
The two Humans stared at me. I shrugged.
“They attacked me when I first came here. And this was the only place I knew where Humans gathered. So I had thought of coming back eventually.”
“I… am not even going to comment on that.”
Daniel shook his head, turning back to the collapsed wall. He unsheathed his gleaming sword.
“Come on, before he causes anymore destruction. Let’s put a stop to his rampage.”
Edithe whispered softly under her breath, grasping tightly at her company’s badge.
“This is it. I will avenge you guys. I promise.”
I stepped forward, creating two daggers made of fire. I simply grinned as I walked ahead of my two companions. We entered the city as a group of Humans ran past us in a hurry. I took in the surroundings of Silvergrove— once, it had been bustling with life. Now the cities lay empty. Smoke rose up from various places in the distance, and the orange glow of the sunset was only accentuated by the flames spreading wildly unhindered through the city.
“He’s stronger than us, you know?”
I spoke bluntly. My companions all faced me. Daniel to my left, Edithe and her Spirits to my right. I looked over at the still-standing gates— chains hung loosely down to the side of the portcullis. I shook my head.
“He’s higher leveled than us. He’s more experienced than us. He’s killed more than us.”
I turned around, meeting their gazes steadily.
“However, levels aren’t all that matters. They aren’t the most important thing ever. Maybe to wild Demons— but not to me.”
Daniel nodded slowly while Edithe’s face relaxed a little.
“We’ll take him down, just as we did the Centinels, and just as we did the Giant Spiders.”
“Right.”
“Of course.”
I smiled, glancing back at the long metallic chain lying next to the damaged gates. Just as I took down that large Demon too. Levels only matter so much.
—--
“Captain!”
“Get back, guardsman!”
A man adorned in thick metal armor shouted. He pushed the guardsman back, stumbling away from the ball of ash that exploded at his back. His enchanted platemail took the brunt of the hit, however judging by the damage it had taken, this wasn’t the first time he had been struck by the [Djinn]’s deadly Skills.
The Greater Demon roared as he charged the two Humans, but another voice resounded from the side.
“Loose!”
Arrows pelted the Greater Demon’s back, temporarily drawing his attention away from the captain and the guard as they stumbled to the side. A group of adventurers intercepted Lucerna before he could clash with the squad of archers.
“Captain Nathan, sir! Are you alright?”
“What are you doing here? I’ve ordered all Level 20 combatants not to approach the Demon. You’ll only die and give it experience to grow.”
“I know, sir. I’ve brought you this— the last of the healing potions from the west gate.”
Nathan chewed his lower lip for a moment, staring at the leather bag held out by the rather young looking Human man. Then he quickly accepted it, taking a gulp of the healing potion as it closed his most grievous wounds, and nodded.
“Thanks. I— what’s your name?”
“Cai, sir.”
“Cai, you did a good thing today. But this is the only time you’ll ever break from your orders, got it?”
“Yes, sir—”
“Watch out!”
A streak of hot smoke came rushing at the two Humans as they conversed. Nathan’s eyes widened as he saw it coming. He grabbed Cai and pulled him out of the way just in time. However, just as they were getting up, there was a scream. An adventurer went flying as the archers ran back in terror.
The [Djinn] raised his fiery spear, summoning a gray column from the twilight sky. The archers cried out in pain as they were engulfed in the burning ash, before they were quickly silenced. Nathan stared as the last of the adventurers spun around, broken and fleeing the battle.
“Damn those Silver Ranks. Cai, you get out of here right now—”
He paused, blinking as suddenly all the Greater Demon saw was him and the guard. He cursed.
“Go!”
The captain raised his sword.
“[Threefold Slice]!”
His blade suddenly extended, turning into three silvery lines as the Greater Demon reached them. The guard scrambled back as the Skill struck true.
The [Djinn] bled, black blood pouring out of the wounds left behind. Nathan parried the strike from the fiery spear, but was knocked back from the impact. He tried to get up, however he was too slow. The [Djinn] spoke softly with raised hands.
“[Pillar of—”
“No—”
Nathan cried out. Then he stared as a glinting arrow cut through the air, suddenly jutting out of the Greater Demon’s chest.
“Lucerna!”
