2,088Chapter 30
Beta: Worldbringer of Joseun
Cover: LousGndiner
"We will be moving to intercept," Shiroe ordered as he looked out the window. "As it stands, the five on the bridge are likely being stalled by the guards, but they won't be for long. Where are the ten in the castle?"
"Five are trying to force their way into the ballroom and three are wandering the southern halls," Illya replied with her eyes closed. "They found a way into the castle from behind, likely Druids with summons or Assassins that scaled the walls."
"That's impossible," Phenel interrupted. "The walls are unclimbable. The surface is far too–"
"They stabbed picks into the side and made a makeshift stairway," Illya replied swiftly. Smart, Shiroe inwardly complimented. Such an idea wasn't possible back in Elder Tale.
"The remaining two?"
"On their way here from the northern corridor."
The Landers around them tensed in apprehension.
A reasonable response. They had literal immortal invaders with unknown reasons at their doorstep, likely malicious considering the sudden absurdity of it all. The current situation was almost akin to a terrorist attack… but would Demiqas be the type of person to do so?
Back when Shiroe was in Susukino, he had gathered enough about Demiqas' character to know this wasn't right. He knew that Brigandia's leader was hostile and prone to explosive anger, but he wasn't the type to plan out an assault like this.
In any case, useless rumination could be saved for later.
"We don't need three warrior classes here," Shiroe continued. Especially if one was under-leveled in comparison. "Michitaka and Illya, follow me. Krusty."
"I know."
Shiroe did not even flinch when he saw Krusty take out a potion, pry open the window, and then, without hesitation, jump out of the building.
"... will he be alright?" Lord Cowen asked with a slightly raised brow.
"It was the shortest path to the bridge," Shiroe relayed Krusty's probable reasoning. "And he will be fine. At this height, he should be able to survive it."
At ten percent or less health. Though Krusty did have a surplus of healing potions that he kept on his person, so while it seemed nonsensical, time was of the essence. That and Krusty probably just didn't care about the fall damage.
Shiroe thought back to that night with the Sage of Miral Lake. Was it his Berserker subclass affecting him?
"My regular equipment is for crafting," Michitaka said as he took out his favored iron gauntlet. "The Round Table Uniform has better stats. What's the plan?"
"The rest of the Round Table that were resting will be mobilized to protect the ballroom. The three in the south seem like less of a threat to the Landers and will be dealt with as soon as one of the parties is done with their encounters. As for us… didn't I say it earlier?" Shiroe raised a brow. "We will be intercepting."
The Monk smirked.
"Alright then!" He rushed outside and charged towards the northern corridor. "I need to let out some steam!"
Shiroe merely snorted at his companion before looking towards the Landers. "I apologize once again, but we will continue this at a later date. For now, it would be best to remain here for your safety."
"Indeed," Phenel nodded. He looked to the soldier beside them, who had been gobsmacked the entire time. "You! Go and grab as many soldiers as you can and guide them to the lower meeting hall! The adventurers shouldn't be able to break through the sage's enchantments!"
"Yes, my liege!"
"A word of advice," Shiroe paused at Illya's words. "Do not use Mana Channeling on me."
What?
For what reason would she be asking that of him?
"While we are in a party with others, do not use it," Illya reiterated. "I trust you already know why."
… Ah, of course. It was a magecraft-related matter. That `Heaven's Feel` magic… Illya herself could not draw it out, but Shiroe, or any others, with spells like Mana Channeling, that share her mana pool with everyone in the party?
"Of course," Shiroe smiled. Against two other adventurers, likely at level 90? Against what was likely some pair of Assassins and/or Druids? When there were three of them, including an under-leveled Guardian? "We will not need such a trivial spell."
"Then if I may offer advice of my own?" He added. "Let the ghosts of the past remain in the past. It is we in the present that will have to do the work to avoid future problems."
From Illya's nod, Shiroe could tell she understood the true meaning of his words.
Do not call upon Krentelfal's assistance.
This was an opportunity, despite how lopsided their situation looked and felt. There was a message, a narrative, that they could push should they successfully repel this assault. That they were important enough of an ally to invest in. Such a domineering presence as Krentelfal would only harm their efforts.
… Though, Shiroe would only be lying if he said that he wasn't regretting that decision somewhat.
Ah, if only they had an actual DPS with them. A readily available DPS quickly came to mind… but alas, Shiroe knew that they weren't the party in need of her the most.
Their situation was troublesome, but doable. As for the others…
"Akatsuki," he reached out with a message. "Head to the ballroom."
-0-0-0-[Krusty, Bridge 1/1]
Throwing himself off of a building was always a thrilling experience.
Granted, the first time that Krusty did it, he had been both testing the limits of his adventurer body and playing a little prank on one of his Drei-Klauen. It was amusing to see Rieze's shock and panic.
However, despite the smile on his face, their situation was no laughing matter.
Krusty slammed his axe on the side of the building, scraping against it but not even scratching the brickwork, before pushing off of it and landing on the support-less bridge.
"What the–? Where'd this guy come from!?"
"Rude of you to arrive uninvited," he smiled. "Regardless of if you have invitations or not, our gracious hosts have decided that you are not welcome. I must ask you to leave."
"Surround him!" A healer from the back shouted. "That's Krusty! Be careful! He's got a life-steal build!"
"Then we out-damage his healing!"
Krusty eyed those surrounding him, noting that most were tanking classes. He also noted that his buff from drinking the Berserker's EXP Potion – which doubled his attack power, health recovery, and attack speed – would last for around two hours. An overkill amount of time for how long he'd need to deal with these people.
They were welcome to try.
Skills were cast, most of them damage reduction to reduce his healing amount. The damage dealers behind them attacked with gusto while the healers inflicted an endless amount of debuffs.
But the Berserker's potion was not all he had taken. Frankly speaking, it was almost cheating.
"He's not slowing down! Hey, Kannagi!?"
"It's washing off of him!" their Kannagi screamed.
The debuff immunity potion that they had crafted truly was cheating. However, Krusty had gleaned an idea after closely inspecting their current arena. A mischievous smirk worked its way upon his lips.
Krusty charged, seemingly ignoring the debuffs placed upon him, and tossed his axe into the air before. The strange act drew their attention enough that the lone Guardian grabbed two of the opposing tanks.
"What're you–!?"
"Did you think that I'd play it by the book?"
With a sick grin, Krusty threw them off the bridge. He didn't need to see them die from the height. His EXP bar slowly rising was all he needed. Only three left.
"Son of a–" one of the last tanks cursed before he tried the same thing that Krusty did, only Krusty simply parried his approach and grabbed him from behind. "W–Wait!"
"Toodles."
Then there were only two. A healer and a damage dealer– a Kannagi and a Sorcerer.
Perfectly doable.
"Well then," he smiled as he caught the spinning axe and pointed it their way. "Let's make this quick."
After all, there was a certain little princess that he felt needed his aid. Perhaps he'd be able to make better use of the EXP Potion's buffs from there?
Two tanks and an Enchanter, one of which was under-leveled, versus two Assassins, both of whom were Level 93. They were certainly putting effort into leveling, it would seem.
However, Shiroe knew that there was at least one path to victory, which they had ingested earlier today.
A Berserker's EXP Potion provided the perfect buffs for Michitaka to be relentless in his assault. While he wasn't the most experienced in post-Apocalypse combat, it was simply a minor inconvenience once he got the gist of it.
That, and the man seemed to be more at home just letting his fists do the talking. Perhaps there was more than just pent-up aggression in there?
Illya, on the other hand, was receiving the least of his supportive abilities, which she requested. Her lack of levels would only make her an easy target for the Assassin duo, so she had elected to support them from behind and unseen. When asked how Illya responded by casting several Overskills that he had nearly forgotten she had.
A pair of ibis birds circled above and reigned down blasts of mana. It prompted the Assassins to dodge and create openings for Michitaka and Shiroe to exploit with `Thorn Bind Hostage`. At the same time, whenever the Assassins attempted to use a skill to punish Michitaka's momentary downtime, as Monks had a short cooldown between skills, the birds would change shape into daggers capable of stopping their assault.
All in all, their strategy was both haphazard and capable of being disrupted.
But it was good enough to eliminate both Assassins… even if it took an absurdly long time to do so. Ten minutes of constant battling drained their mana even with the aid of potions. A lack of a true damage dealer would do that to them.
"Shiroe!" Michitaka huffed momentarily. "Where to next!?"
"The annex where the Landers are being protected," Shiroe responded. Though, his eyes narrowed.
"Quite wonderful that they had enough hindsight to pack all the Landers in one place," Illya commented as she returned from her hiding place. "It's almost as if this was expected."
"Indeed," Shiroe muttered. "It's one piece of the puzzle that's started to make sense to me. However, I'm struggling to find a way to fit it to our favor."
Shiroe blinked as he received a message. He opted to answer it as they made their way to the annex.
"Isaac?"
"Yo, Shiroe," he said. "You were right about where those goblins would pop up. We managed to beat them back from the village just a few seconds ago, but they'll be back again… maybe in a day or two. We destroyed quite a few of their make-shift supplies. How'd you know they'd be here?"
"A hunch," Shiroe pushed up his glasses. "The fact that they arrived from there and not anywhere else… Yes, we can make use of this."
"We can?" There was a short pause. "What do you mean by `make use of`, Shiroe?"
"Good work," he said as he ended the call. "Illya, I trust you already know what's going on?"
"Vaguely," she shrugged. "That Saraliya… No wonder she did things the way she did. I'm almost impressed."
Shiroe nodded. Once again, he was proven that his confidence in her was not misplaced.
"Let us hurry," he said. "I do not know how long Akatsuki and the rest will be able to handle the rest of the invaders."
This was not what she signed up for.
When her guild master had told her that she would be accompanying him to the scene of what was likely to be a political battle, a stage where the future of both Akihabara and Eastal as a whole would be decided, she had expected to face opposition in the form of subterfuge. She had even expected to be posturing imposingly beside the Round Table as they made their demands clear.
Such were the battles she expected.
Takayama Misa frowned as she stepped just out of reach of a level 92 Guardian's axe.
What she didn't expect was a literal battle.
"Stay still!"
"I'd rather not," Takayama bit back as she once again dodged her foe's haphazard swings. She twirled her scythe, her `Calamity Hurts`, and managed to catch him with it. His health went down a bit, but Takayama mentally swore as her weapon's passive failed to proc. "I'm not one for idling by…!"
"Blackout."
Takayama smiled as a wave of black approached from behind her, a gift from her ally, and enveloped the enemy Guardian. He cried out as his vision was suddenly stolen from him. She did not miss this opportunity as she struck once more with her `Calamity Hurts`.
This time, she smiled as the weapon's innate passive triggered. What was one hit became many. Her damage tripled, and, in addition to the buffs being provided by her fellow Bard, Henrietta, it escalated even further. The continuous support song, `Sword-Speed Etude`, provided an increase in her attack speed and accuracy. It paired well with the high critical hit rate her weapon provided.
"Guh–!?"
"Reidus!" His fellow Samurai tank cried out, but it was too late. "Behind you!"
In the few seconds that the Guardian was blinded, Takayama assailed him with close to twenty attacks, each having doubled in damage due to her critical damage state being higher than normal.
The Guardian's health bar had been reduced by a solid quarter, but Takayama was not sated. She quickly shifted her position and avoided the Guardian's attempt at counter-attacking. She found it easier to do so, and upon flicking her gaze to her buffs, she realized that Henrietta had shifted her song from `Sword-Speed Etude` to `Pavane Dance`, which boosted both her agility and evasion.
And she said she wasn't used to combat, Takayama smirked slightly. Or perhaps it was their current situation that had her ally performing with excellence? An adrenaline rush and all that. Once Henrietta swapped back to `Sword-Speed Etude`, Takayama acted.
"Resonance Beat."
She punished the Guardian's failed attempt with gusto. Her skill took hold and inflicted the damage, and then her weapon's passive additional attack triggered, casting it once more.
An explosion of dissonant sound assailed all of her foes. When `Resonance Beat` was cast twice in a row, an explosion occurred that damaged all enemies within the area of effect.
Considering that they were fighting in a hallway?
"That took half out of me!" A Sorcerer snarled. "What're you doing, tanks!?"
"You should've been farther away!" The Samurai defended his fellow Tank. "These shitty bards… how the hell are they doing this much damage!?"
The potions that their fellows had them drink were the answer that they were looking for.
Takayama had questioned her guildmaster's purchase of them last month, but seeing the effects of them in live combat? Perhaps she should see that they secure even more if it enabled her, a Bard, to act as an evasion Tank without issue. However, that might be because their foe's damage dealers were all busy trying to survive whatever was currently assailing them.
Their under-leveled Sorcerer has said that, as long as they kept their fight in the hallway, their foes would be disorganized. She was proven correct from the looks of how the DPS was seemingly panicking at every shadow, failing to land even a single blow, with the enemy tanks unable to react to their Swashbuckler's cries for aid.
It was a strange Overskill that Takayama hoped was teachable, despite their inherent unique nature. Unfortunately, due to being under-leveled, Rin's Overskill would not last for long. Just as high leveled players took less damage from lower leveled ones, the duration of lower leveled skills affecting them was also lowered.
In other words, they had a time limit.
She eyed her fellow Round Table members. Henrietta was once again singing `Pavane Dance`, which allowed Takayama to evade once more. She couldn't exactly walk away from him though, as she was under the effects of `Anchor Howl`. The moment that she chose to attack anyone but that Guardian, she'd receive an unavoidable strike, which wasn't something she could truly risk at the moment.
Not when she was their valuable make-shift evasion tank.
The Guardian was hers to hold, and the Swashbuckler was locked out of their fight, but the Samurai–
"Little rat–!" The Samurai shouted as he parried a blow from behind, an automatic response from his toggleable defensive stance. A failed counterattack later and Akatsuki was once again circling him in caution. "Just wait! I'll catch up to you sooner or later!"
Akatsuki's eyes narrowed as if daring him to do so before seemingly disappearing in tandem with Henrietta's song.
The Samurai was an outlier in that he was using a similar build to one of the Round Table guildmasters, Soujirou– a Vengeance Samurai. In simpler terms, it was focused on counterattacking rather than completely tanking as it normally would. Though, considering their enemy already had a primary tank, their Guardian, it only made sense that the other tank would be a sub-tank instead.
Unfortunately for them, it meant that Akatsuki was not able to instantly kill him with a rapid assault. Even if his defenses were lower than a regular tank, Akatsuki would not be able to handle the punishment that came after. She was more likely to die before he even got to half health, at which point their haphazard formation would fall apart.
Takayama could only frown in frustration as her damage wasn't good enough to defeat the Guardian and aid her allies. Fortunately, while Akatsuki was busy in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, she had another ally to rely on.
"Blackout."
Takayama mentally steeled herself and once more went in for the assault, once more carving a large chunk of damage out of her foe.
ConquerorsAdvisor, or Waver as he preferred to be known, was a rare breed of Enchanter that focused on battering their foes with debuffs. It was centered around the build's most heavily used skill, Gazing Eye, which greatly increased the damage of all skills that inflict debuffs while active. However, the main trade-off was that the user could not equip a helmet. Whether it was worth it or not was irrelevant, as it pushed Takayama yet another inch toward taking out their foe.
However, he could not attack alongside her. All Waver could do was provide damage boosts and some minor lockdown spells. The moment that he did, he would be caught by a taunt, and not be able to cast `Mesmerize` on the enemy Sorcerer, who had been out of commission the entire fight and was likely fuming from the confines of her mind.
Unfortunately, despite having learned Mana Channeling, Waver knew that using it was a bad idea. It would drain all of their mana before distributing it back, but that would create an opening that the Guardian or Samurai could exploit, especially since the skill itself was incredibly eye-catching.
Time was currently against them, but if they continued at their current pace, then they would certainly–
"Sorry…" Takayama heard the rasping of their under-leveled Sorcerer behind her. "... I'm all tapped out."
They ran out of mana potions!?
Takayama's eyes flickered to the Swashbuckler, who finally seemed to have a grasp on his surroundings.
"Not good," Waver muttered. "The Bounded Field is dispersing–"
"Can you Mesmerize–!?"
" It's on cooldown."
"Then give her mana with one of your skills"
"All of those are too!"
"I'll rip you to shreds!" The Swashbuckler howled with indignant rage as he leaped into the air with his pair of cutlasses.
Shit.
The Swashbuckler was free.
That attack motion… Takayama widened her eyes in realization. It was an area control skill that would attack every foe within its range, but more importantly, it would have a chance to instantly kill any opponent with a lower level than its user.
Only one person entered her mind.
"Get out of range, Tohsaka!" Waver ordered before he shot every debuff skill he had on the Swashbuckler, except the one they needed the most.
However, it was too late.
"End of Act!"
And Rin's body was sent flying across the hall.
From within the confines of her room, Rayneshia could only keep quiet as she steadied her breath.
What on earth was happening?
At first, everything seemed normal, with yet another of her appearances scheduled for the ball tonight, but suddenly her aide had told her to stay for a while if she wanted to be safe.
When Rayneshia tried to open the door, she discovered that it was locked. It was only after the rapid sound of the palace guards rushing to her side, with her aide barking out orders before gently escorting her outside, that she finally understood her situation.
They were being attacked.
Was it the adventurers they invited in? Rayneshia couldn't see it, but an inkling of doubt at the back of her mind told her that it wasn't outright impossible. They knew that they weren't safe out in the open halls, and they had yet to hear back from the rest of her family, so her guards elected to follow protocol.
Being escorted to a safe room was somehow much more frightening than the drills that father had put her through, now that there was an actual tangible threat almost waiting at every corner, but she found herself in an almost surreal sense of calm.
Why was this happening?
However, that would not last.
"My lady…" Her aide whispered as she took a step in front of her. "I believe we have company."
It was there that Rayneshia's fears were confirmed.
"Oh, we finally found some of them."
"From the looks of it, she seems pretty important," one of them chuckled. "You think we should hold her hostage?"
"Nah, remember the plan. Leave no survivors."
Adventurers. Three of them.
And with them, a wave of fear.
"My lady…" Her aide called once more. "While the guards hold them here, you must run–!"
"But–!" Rayneshia caught her tongue and bit back her remark. If she ran, then everyone behind her would die… but if she stayed, nothing would change at all. She'd just end up as one more name to mourn.
She clenched her teeth, lifted her dress, and turned around before breaking into what must've been a pathetic sprint.
"Hey," she heard one say in a lazy tone. "That one's running."
"Yeah, I'll get her. Don't worry."
Rayneshia almost stumbled as she turned her head to look back, but she deeply regretted doing so.
It was almost comical seeing how her guards, skilled knights from all across Eastal sworn to protect her, had been tossed aside like ragdolls as they barreled straight toward her. One of her guards tried to grab onto a Wolf Fang fellow, but he ended up being dragged along before being thrown against a wall.
Why!?
It didn't even take ten seconds before the Adventurer grabbed her by the neck and completely stopped any chance she had of fleeing.
"My lady!" her aide shouted, but Rayneshia could not see her, likely hidden underneath the guards that had fallen with ease.
Rayneshia momentarily struggled, but found the grip too ironclad to escape. Was this it? Did she want to die here? Accomplishing nothing? Experiencing nothing? Being nothing?
Is this what the poets meant when they sang about how one's life would flash before their very eyes? To see every second that she wasted, every second that she simply coasted along without purpose? The gods were certainly cruel to do that to her.
Rayneshia's life was laid out for her… but she did not feel proud of what she saw.
This would not be what she'd leave behind…!
She heard the sound of a blade being swung– she cried out in defiance, ready to disgrace her standing as a princess if it meant she could change her fate, to fight against the cruel hand that she had been dealt.
But as she did, she suddenly found herself being torn away from it all and into unexpected arms.
"I apologize for being late, princess," muttered an unusually sad voice. Rayneshia did not feel the cold bite of steel, nor did she feel the crippling expectation of death. The paradoxical warmth of armor caught her unexpected tears as an arm gently lowered her back to the ground. "To be so rude to the Round Table's potential allies… this warrants death, does it not?"
Just like before, an Adventurer had arrived.
But this time, as Rayneshia watched him charge at his trio of foes, handling them with seeming ease, it was not fear that followed.
Instead…
"As the guild leader of D.D.D…. I hope you are prepared, Brigandia."
… it was hope.
As Rin was sent flying across the hallway from a particularly nasty slash down her sternum, what would normally be a lethal blow had she owned a regular body, only one thought ran across her mind.
That was way too close for comfort…!
From the corner of her eye, she watched as an accessory of hers shattered into pieces, with her health stopping at one single point away from hypothetical death.
Once again, I'll have to thank Lord El-Melloi II.
Rin didn't know where he had gotten an item that would negate being killed once, almost akin to battle continuation, but she thanked every lucky star she was born under before getting up to her feet and retreating further down the hallway, further and further from the fight.
As she was currently, with a single point of health and little-to-no mana, she was useless.
So this was why Illya wanted them to gain levels quickly… being at almost a forty-level disadvantage made for an impossibly difficult fight. Keyword being impossible. With the Swashbuckler back in the fight, likely putting pressure on the two Bards, with only an Enchanter able to help them, things were simply not in their favor. The most she could offer was being a distraction… which was nothing.
Rin quickly realized the obvious. Unless something changed, they were going to lose. Fortunately, Rin only had to wait a few more seconds before Lord El-Melloi II dispensed her some mana with any of his mana-dispensing skills.
Though, Rin knew that it would only be a stopgap measure. If she was bestowed more mana, then all she could do was create another instantaneous bounded field for the Swashbuckler, as targeting any of the tanks would allow them to target her in turn with skills that could seal her own and force her into open combat. Her damage was pitiful at this point.
There had to be more that she could do to buy some more time–
A certain Servant once again appeared in her mind with a soft smirk.
–she paused and considered the idea.
… If it was her old world, then she'd likely need at least ten more years of studying the full capacity of her magecraft under Lord El-Melloi II's class… but in this world? She'd have to cook up the incantation on the spot, but considering their choice of opponents, it could work… she might even be able to skip the incantation entirely, but she couldn't skip having the spells prepared beforehand.
However, there was something else she could use that had spells inscribed into them, wasn't there?
It was a gamble, but they were fighting a losing battle. The choice was to either accept inevitable defeat or leap for a chance of victory.
"Tohsaka!" The Clocktower Lord sent a wave of mana toward her through skills such as `Mana Siphon` and `Mana Transformer`. "Set up the bounded field!"
The choice was obvious.
"Lord El-Melloi II!" She turned to face them and noticed how the Swashbuckler's eyes snapped toward her. "We're changing tactics! Mesmerize the Swashbuckler and leave the Sorcerer to me!"
"What!?" Takayama sent her a dumbfounded look as she parried a blow from the Guardian. "Are you–"
"Understood."
"You son of a–!" the Swashbuckler took one step before crumpling onto the floor. However, from behind him, the Sorcerer slowly stirred.
"Waver!" Takayama tried to scold, but a look from him seemingly held her tongue.
"Whatever you plan on doing, Tohsaka," the Clocktower Lord sent Rin a look as she stood beside him. "Do it."
With pleasure.
The idea of the spell took shape in her mind. Unlike before, when she first arrived in this world with no idea how to actualize it, she was able to do so thanks to the research of adventurer bodies. The elemental affinities within her, the status of an Average One, roared as if challenged.
In her mind, she saw the spells capable of being learned by all Sorcerers laid out before her awaiting the proper time for her to use them. The blueprints for them were right there in the confines of her adventurer mind, albeit incomplete, but she could not reach them.
However, by what right did this system have to dictate what she was and was not prepared for? What right did it have to keep that knowledge from her? Her meager level?
The enemy Sorcerer woke up with a snarl.
If levels were all that was stopping her from reaching those spells, then she'd simply reach them through other means. Within Rin's outstretched hand sat a nameless and empty gem.
"You'll pay for that!" The Sorcerer, a female wearing grayish garbs, raised her staff, with blue mana all but exploding from it.
"Tohsaka, she's going to cast Blizzard!" Henrietta shouted from beside her. "We can't afford to be hit by that!"
"Three seconds until the spell is complete," Waver said from the other side.
The biggest gamble of her life as an adventurer thus far stayed within, lying in wait for her call– for a name that it could use to distinguish itself from other spellwork.
"Schreiben," the energies that the spell was about to release were unfamiliar to Rin, but she knew that her body was far more familiar with them. She allowed that familiarity to take hold and began to write it into the gem before her.
"Two, one–"
And call it she did.
"Blizzard!"
Two voices cried out.
The Sorcerer watched in confusion as her spell, exclusive to level 80 ice-focused Sorcerers, was met with an equally powerful copy that canceled it out.
The gem in Tohsaka's hand shattered, but she took out another one as her Sorcerer foe began to cast another spell.
"Orb of–"
"–Lava!"
Molten balls of fire canceled each other out. Her gem shattered once more.
"How is a sub-sixty scrub doing this!?" The enemy Sorcerer snarled. "You cheaters!"
Serpent Bolt. Turbulence. Lightning Cage. Icicle Blade. Flare Arrow.
No matter the spell, Rin always managed to cast it at the same time, nullifying the opposing Sorcerer's efforts. The frustration building up on her face was impossible to ignore.
A new stalemate was established, but this time, it was in their favor.
Rin had kept an unhealthy amount of gems with her, primarily those she used to hone her Artificer subclass, and she was more than willing to use them in any way she could.
Eighty gems left…
Each time she wrote a spell into her gems, she got faster, as if her adventurer body was getting used to the routine she put it through. Her mana was rapidly draining each time she wrote, but it wasn't as rapidly as the Bounded Field. Lord El-Melloi II was able to keep her mostly topped up.
"I see…" Waver muttered as he realized what she had been doing. "Your adventurer body can't cast the spells due to the level restriction, hence they are locked, but you are outsourcing them to your gems, turning them into one-time use consumable items that don't cost as much mana to use– items that cast a Sorcerer's spells. Said items do not have the prior level restriction."
Rin widened her eyes as she noticed the Sorcerer reach into her inventory for an item, likely a potion, while she was casting another Blizzard.
But by now, Rin was familiar with the energies that formed most of the spells.
She did not need to wait.
"Blizzard!"
"Bli– what!?"
The swirl of ice shot towards the Sorcerer, who could barely react as her spell-casting was interrupted. However, Rin didn't allow it to end there. She held up another gem in her off-hand and turned towards the Guardian.
"Now!" she shouted. "Lightning Cage!"
A burst of electricity surrounded the Guardian, who looked on in confusion before being assaulted by the spell's thunderous retribution. It did little to damage, but it interrupted him from recasting his defensive skills.
An opening was made, which the others did not miss.
"Resonance Beat."
A cry was cut short and the Guardian was no more.
The Samurai nervously chuckled beside his Sorcerer ally as the two Bards, no longer having to fear the fallen Guardian's retribution, turned their attention towards them.
Rin smirked before looking on in realization.
Did she just pull a Shirou?
"It looks like we were late to the party," Illya commented.
Fashionably late, she'd say, but that might be out of taste.
"Indeed," Henrietta sighed. "It was quite a show. However, we brought you a souvenir."
Illya eyed the Swashbuckler, still under the continual Mesmerize of her guild member.
"... That's certainly a welcome one," Illya smiled. "The ones we had died a bit too quickly."
"How was I supposed to know that they'd die that quickly?" Michitaka whined as he rubbed his head. "I get that Assassins are pretty squishy, but I don't usually do that much damage."
"It just means that Shiroe is just that good of an Enchanter," Illya said. "Where are my guildmates? I have things to discuss with them."
"They're getting something to eat in the ballroom," Takayama pointed behind her. "My lord followed them when he arrived. He was escorting the princess and her entourage."
"Seems like everything ended well," Michitaka muttered. "... Wasn't this all too easy?"
"Ah yes, it certainly was. It is not as if I had to be a tank for several minutes, something my build is not geared for. No, just smooth sailing," Takayama rolled her eyes. "However, he brings up a point. That did not seem like a substantial invading force. I'd imagine Brigandia to bring a lot more if they wanted to assault the palace. Was it arrogance? Did they think that they'd only find Landers here?"
"No, not necessarily," Shiroe shook his head from beside her. "However, we shouldn't talk about it here. The lords must be anxiously waiting for us in the ballroom. If I'm right, then our questions should be answered soon. All of them."
Illya only nodded but raised a brow at the discarded gems on the ground.
Looks like Rin managed to do something despite the level gap… though, Illya supposed she shouldn't be surprised. She had similarly done so against the two Assassins, albeit with Shiroe's `Thorn Bind Hostage` being their primary boost in damage.
However, Illya didn't have enough time to dwell on what had happened.
Not when she immediately found herself sitting in the ballroom– a now-turned meeting hall. It was almost ironic that the couch that they sat on during the first day of the gathering was being reused for what was looking to be its end. Though rather than it just being the political head of Eastal surrounded by adventurer envoys, it was now the entire Cowen Family – flanked by dukes and counts from all across Eastal – and the entirety of the Round Table.
There was just not enough space to comfortably seat everyone. Normally, they'd be reconvening at a proper venue, to give everyone some reprieve from what surely must be a strenuous event.
However…
"I trust that the Round Table has some explanations for what has happened?"
She should've known that it would be Saraliya that'd start the dialogue. Illya withheld a snort as she eyed the Duke. Judging from the lack of berating, Sergiatte also sought answers. No doubt eager enough to do away with proper decorum, no matter what inconveniences their `peers` felt.
"Of course, madam Saraliya," Shiroe smiled. "As you can see, the venue has been assailed by foreign adventurers."
"Foreign adventurers?" A count from behind seemingly questioned– Kirino if she recalled correctly. "And how are we to know that this is not some sort of ploy by the Round Table?"
Illya almost sighed. It was almost too obvious that there'd be someone pointing that out, but she had thought it would've been Saraliya. Unfortunately, this claim was hard to dispute on their end, as anything they said would be held with distrust.
"Perhaps we shouldn't be buffoons and approach the situation with clearer minds?" Langrissa, bless that woman, berated the upstart of a count. "Such blase claims without hard evidence only serve to harm our goals, lord Kirino."
"My apologies for being worried about our current situation," the count subtly bit back, not that the Cowen head seemed to mind.
"It wasn't an unwarranted concern," Shiroe said, his tone giving off the equivalence of a shrug. "Had it truly been our affiliates, this would surely create a scenario where we, the saviors, would be repaid by you, the saved, with gratitude. What form that gratitude takes would end up always being to our benefit. However, such methodology would only create a ticking time bomb when it is discovered."
Illya simply nodded along as she ignored the raised brow from her Sorcerer guildmate.
"That is if it is discovered," Saraliya smiled. "Though, I agree with my sister. There is no point dwelling on what-ifs. Instead, why not focus on how these `guests` infiltrated the venue at all? Our territory is heavily watched, and we've created an agreement with the Sage of Miral Lake to inform us of such visitation."
"There is a chance that the sage's detection system did not account for more aerial infiltration," Shiroe offered. "Flying mounts are incredibly rare, and the difficulty in obtaining one is nothing short of miraculous."
While ruminating on how Brigandia managed to invade was a tantalizing idea… Illya decided to cut it short.
"Something to think of later," Illya decided to speak up. "There are more pressing matters we must discuss."
"More pressing than the security of Maihama?" Phenel, Saraliya's husband and head of their knights, questioned. "I highly doubt so."
"No, she is correct," Sergiatte Cowen finally said something. "Today is the last day of the annual conference. Admittedly, it was a much more `exciting` ending than we had expected, but an ending nonetheless. It is time that we offer you, our guests, a proper answer as to the nature of our alliance."
"Indeed," Illya smiled as she eyed Saraliya. "We are eager to hear your decision."
The Pearl of Eastal simply sat there with a smile.
"As the representative of Eastal's League of Free Cities, it is with great honor that I declare the Round Table, and its members, as the recognized leaders of Akihabara and her surrounding territory," Sergiatte said. From the few unsure looks sent towards him by a couple of the surrounding counts and viscounts, it was not a decision made with utmost unity, likely due to the prior invasion. "However, as the territory is not headed by a Lander of Noble birth, we cannot recognize it as a vassal state."
"Then will we be considered a tributary state?" Krusty seemingly frowned. "Unfortunately, much of Akihabara's funding and resources are being put to use towards the betterment of its local populace."
Namely, paying the Landers for doing their paperwork and menial tasks. There was just zero chance of ever getting a player to do that work willingly, not without a rare item or something similar.
Lazy bums.
"Forgive me for putting forth such a misunderstanding," Sergiatte tipped his head slightly. "Simply put, similar to how our League is an alliance between Eastal's nobility, we will treat the Round Table as the definitive head of all adventurer matters related to Eastal. It is not that you will be an allied territory, but an allied organization."
And since it included Akihabara's surrounding territories… they were effectively a small country.
"Some land we've recognized as yours was formerly of the Cowen family," Langrissa added. "However, as we've yet to put it to good use, or any use at all, it will be included as Akihabara's territory."
"With some stipulations," Saraliya finally spoke up. Though, that smile seemed to remain unperturbed. "I'm sure you are well aware of the ruined land up north, presumably perpetrated by these goblins you spoke of?"
"Their threat is very much real," Krusty reminded. "Eventually, we will be assailed by them."
"And yet they have yet to have proven to be a problem," she replied. "While primitive and capable of tools, weaponization of fire is not their prerogative. The lack of corpses–"
"Is a topic we've trodden before," Langrissa narrowed her eyes. "I highly doubt it is the Round Table's fault that we've lost contact with Lawaroll town, especially since their location means they are much nearer to a certain other adventurer city."
Susukino, namely.
"Implying such was not my intention," Saraliya's composure remained. "I meant that, in their failure to mention such a threat to us, they've inadvertently caused us harm. Asking for minor reparations before solidifying this alliance is merely expected, is it not?"
Illya almost growled. No way in hell that made any sense–
"I'm inclined to agree," Illya's eyes snapped to Shiroe. What was he doing? "However, we have already been putting in the effort. One of our knights has already prevented a goblin assault. I'm sure that the first city to hear of it will be Lord Barte's considering it happened within his territory."
Lord Barte, now under the eyes of the venue, loosened his collar as he took a calming breath.
"... I will be verifying that claim as soon as possible," he said. "You have my thanks, should such claims be true."
"Which they will," Shiroe reaffirmed.
However, both of them knew that had they not sent Isaac there, they'd be in a much worse position, with the venue still seeing them in an untrusting light. The Villain in Glasses' foresight was rewarded quite well. Illya would've left them to their fate and then reaped the benefits from their fallen cities as `saviors`, but there were merits to an alliance like this as well.
As Illya thought of their situation, the discussion continued, mostly about how Akihabara would be offering their services, provided they were compensated, in protecting Eastal from the goblin threat.
Everything looked to be proceeding smoothly… but why was Saraliya doing nothing about it?
Why? Why does she do nothing when she has effectively stone-walled their efforts at the beginning? Why does she do nothing when her efforts seem to go unrewarded, with her family objecting to her decisions? Was she bottling it up for later for some heinous retribution?
More importantly, why did she stone-wall them in the first place?
It took a while, but Illya already knew the answer.
"Let this be a toast," Sergiatte raised a glass, alongside the nobles behind him. "To the Round Table, our ally against the coming threats, present and future!"
Shiroe raised his glass while pushing on his spectacles. The Round Table soon followed.
"To our allies, the League of Free Cities. May our alliance be fruitful in all endeavors!"
From the knowing look in his eyes, the Villain in Glasses also knew.
Saraliya wanted this alliance as much as her family did, but not how it would've initially gone.
Both Illya and Shiroe had wanted trade agreements and the ability to be recognized as independent from Eastal in general, as its own governmental body. Saraliya wanted them as an ally, but not for the trade and revolution they could bring culturally as Langrissa seemed to advocate. No, it was much simpler than that.
Power.
With the loss of the Knights of Izumo, Eastal sorely lacked the power to compete against their neighbors. The Ezzo Empire, while still subjugated under Brigandia, was a threat that they alone could not overcome. Their hostility with Westlande, while one-sided, was something they couldn't ignore either, especially if the rumors of their disregard for border policies proved truthful.
Had things gone as they would have, Akihabara would have had no obligation to help Eastal if they were assailed by a foe. In their ideal world, the Round Table would only intervene if it directly affected their livelihood. If it didn't harm her family, it didn't matter to Illya. She imagined that Saraliya felt the same way.
Akihabara having no obligations to aid… That was how it was supposed to have gone, but Sariliya had stopped it. Not only that, she further built upon it.
The militaristic value of a whole city of adventurers, numbering almost fifteen thousand, was undeniable. While their location made them a shield for Maihama by default, Saraliya sought more from them. She didn't want them just to protect Maihama and those nearby, but rather, wanted them to protect the entirety of Eastal.
The collusion behind her back from her family likely meant that they disagreed on methodology, and hoped that merely being good neighbors would merit the Round Table's assistance should such a time come to pass. However, that wasn't enough for her.
Illya knew that the impetus for her actions must've been what happened up north. If it didn't happen, the destruction and abduction of the Lawaroll townspeople, then Saraliya might've opted to let everything play out.
If Illya had to dumb everything down… Saraliya was afraid of the adventurers further up north, in Susukino, more than she was afraid of pissing the Round Table off.
The alliance needed to be ironclad, and once the issues were ironed out, it likely would be. Especially since they fought back against Brigandia's adventurers. If there were still nobles among them who fought against that claim, Illya knew that she could trust Saraliya to back them up on it.
Especially since the reasoning behind the alliance shifted from `coexistence between Landers and adventurers` towards `Eastal versus those against her interests` such as Brigandia and Westlande.
But it left one question unanswered… or rather, two. One of which was why Brigandia assaulted them here and the other she had stopped others from ruminating earlier.
How did Brigandia invade Maihama?
Geographically speaking… it should be impossible for them to even get to them, not without going around Akihabara…
"Ah, lord Michitaka!" the familiar voice of Lord Barte came from beside her. "I trust you have concluded our earlier conversation?"
"Erp," Michitaka cleared his throat before answering. "Yeah… I still need to check with the rest of the Round Table, but please don't have high expectations. I doubt that the Ocypete is even out of its testing phase."
… No, it can't be that simple, can it?
She felt a tap on her leg and looked to find a familiar spectral arm waving at her to bend down. Krentelfal… the last time she saw him, Illya had told him to circle the perimeter in case of any stray Brigandia members. The fact he had yet to reply was a good thing, but his return meant something urgent enough to tell her about.
She dropped a handkerchief and picked it up, which gave enough time for Krentelfal to whisper something into her ears.
Illya's eyes narrowed.
… Shit.
"Shiroe," she whispered. "We need to return to Akihabara."
His own eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the souvenir?" she gestured to where the Swashbuckler, drained of his mana and wrapped around a pillar with rope, was quietly resting. "... How did he, and his allies, get here without our people knowing about it? We're basically in between Susukino and Maihama."
Shiroe opened his mouth to answer but paused as he realized what she was getting at.
"... The subclass system," he whispered, almost like it was a curse. "But that doesn't make sense… Demiqas didn't seem like the brightest, but he shouldn't be capable of–"
Shiroe paused as a revelation came to him.
"... It's not Demiqas, but Londark."
Who?
"Forgive me, but the Round Table and I will be retiring for today," Shiroe said as he turned to Lord Cowen. "There are urgent matters that I must handle back in Akihabara, personally. Rest assured, we will be back by tomorrow, unless there is nothing else to discuss?"
"Not in particular," Sergiatte rubbed his beard. "Perhaps we may be of some assistance?"
"In due time," Shiroe replied. "I wish you all a fair evening."
He turned to leave, with Illya and the rest of the Round Table picking up on the urgency to follow soon after.
"Oi, Shiroe, what's up?" Michitaka whispered. "What's wrong?"
"The Ocypete."
"Something's wrong with my–!?"
"No," Shiroe cut off. "If we could figure out how to make a giant steamboat, then wouldn't it be simple for anyone else to make, oh I don't know, a hot-air balloon that can go several thousand feet into the air?"
"Yeah but…" Michitaka paused. "Wait, is that how those bozo's got here!?"
"I confirmed it," Illya said. "And we might as well kill the Assassin. We can't let him run loose once we're gone."
"And he likely doesn't have any information, not if he was sent here as canon fodder," Shiroe agreed before nodding toward his personal Assassin. Akatsuki didn't need to be told twice. "With that out of the way… we'll need to call ahead."
Illya attempted to send a whisper and start a call with her brother, but it was only after a delay that she finally got a reply.
"Ah, Illya, what's up?"
"Be prepared," Illya said, looking out from the tall glass windows. "We were just attacked in Maihama by Brigandia. We aren't their only targets."
The frigid cold winds were almost torture to him, but he couldn't help but break out into a large smile at what they were doing. From high up in the sky, several thousand feet into the sky, where not even Wyverns would dare soar, a Human Druid stared down at the hustle and bustle of a certain city's brilliant nightlife.
He wrapped something around his body, unequipped his armor to lighten the load, and laughed.
"Blue skies boys!"
This was going to be the most fun they've had in months!
The sound of his other guild members leaping down towards the city was music to his ears.
A/N: I learned that writing all the fights out didn't feel in line with the goals and theme of this fic, so I only wrote out the important ones that would have ramifications moving forward.
Rin's fight is essential to lay the groundwork to formulate a Pseudo-Edelstein expy, the spell she created in the `Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II` Light Novels. Krusty's fight(s) was for both slight comedic relief and to birth a sense of purpose for Rayneshia, whom he saved.
I am indeed still writing for My Ideal Academia. The chapter is technically done, albeit recently, but it still needs to be beta-read. It'll be out by this month, probably.
I also learned that I can't keep up with deadlines anymore. I used to be able to do so because they meant something back when I still went to campus, but now? Idk man it's just how the cookie crumbles. I'll just have to write when I feel like it, which sadly means less frequent updates. Is this what they call writer's burnout? It only really happens when I write for my main fics and not the one-shots I occasionally write out.
It was also suggested that I start a Pteon, but knowing my upload schedule nowadays, that probably isn't a good idea. Unless the added incentive would push me to update, it'd more than often be a scam. I wouldn't even know what to offer in the first place as the rewards.
Naturally, this doesn't mean you need to pay for chapters, because that's a stupid bogus idea that only bozos would do. The only reason I'm even considering the idea is because it's more akin to getting donations in my eyes, like how a fan artist gets commissions or how a streamer gets super chats. I'll still try to upload often, but I cannot make concrete promises because I, more than anyone else, know how I am with deadlines. Not to mention it's a legal grey area.
I'll shelve that idea for now. I need to watch more VTubers.
Until next time,
[Insert appropriate Twitch Emote here]