As soon as Roxie revealed her true intentions, I saw a pillar of fire flare into existence somewhere in the distance. Moments later, several wind blades flew through the air. Several other spells followed. My companions were under attack. However, I heard nothing.
It appeared that the barrier created by this runic circle blocked sound, but not sight. I wondered if Roxie, or whoever set it up, had intended this to happen.
"You treacherous snake!" I shouted, still keeping up my act for now. "You led us into a trap!"
Roxie let out a mocking laugh and clapped her hands in a sarcastic manner.
"Bravo, Lord Gabriel," she said. "You finally figured it out. Given how stupid you are, I didn't know if you would or not."
I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What do you want?" I asked. "Why are you doing this? You and I have no grudge."
Roxie's expression darkened.
"That's where you're wrong, Lord Gabriel," she said. "I have a grudge against your entire benighted House."
I guessed as much, based on her conversation with Cally the other day, but I wanted to know the specifics. No one held a grudge against an entire House for no reason. Something egregious must've happened.
"Why?" I asked, my confusion genuine. "What happened?"
Roxie snorted.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "There's no point in explaining it. You Sturms are all the same. Thugs pretending to be noble and righteous. It's better just to exterminate the lot of you."
My intuition screamed at me in warning and I activated Spirit Sight. I watched as some dark green miasma wrapped around Roxie's soul. It happened so fast that I couldn't glimpse her soul's original form.
At the same time, a thorny vine emerged from Roxie's back and whipped towards me. Thanks to Spirit Sight and my speed, I dodged it with ease. Roxie's eyes widened.
"Surprised?" I asked, grinning at her.
Roxie's eyes narrowed at me. My grin turned mocking.
"What? Did you think you were the only one putting on an act?" I pulled Sky's Dream out of my inventory ring. "See, my companions and I came here to find a base belonging to the Order of the Infernal Star. However, Mirkvale Forest is vast. It would take us ages to find the base if we searched for it the slow way." I gestured to Roxie. "So, we decided to find someone who could show us the way. So, thank you Roxie, for falling into my trap."
Roxie barked out a laugh.
"You're even more arrogant than I thought," she said with a sneer. "You knew who I belonged to, yet you still went along with my plan. Now your companions are suffering the price for your foolishness."
I glanced behind Roxie. The battle continued to rage as my companions fought with Roxie's compatriots.
"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "They look like they're holding their own."
"They'll fall sooner or later." Roxie shrugged. "Even if they don't, as long as I kill you, I still win. That's all I care about."
Three more thorny vines emerged from Roxie's back and her skin turned green. So, she was a briar maiden after all. Rather, she looked like one. However, based on her soul, I didn't think she was born as one.
This had ominous implications.
"Now die!"
With that, our conversation ended and the battle began. Roxie attacked me with all four of her whips, striking at me from several different angles. I weaved my way through them, avoiding each one with ease. Against another Third Rank Awakened, or a Tier Three monster in this case, I feared nothing.
[Freezing Mist]
I breathed out and coated the entire clearing in a freezing cold mist. This disoriented Roxie for a brief moment and slowed her movements. I took advantage of this to attack her from the side.
Roxie must've sensed something at the last moment, because she dodged just before my attack struck her. Sky's Dream grazed her side, drawing blood.
I moved to attack again, but Roxie retaliated with all of her thorny vines, forcing me to retreat. No matter. Roxie was no match for me. This battle was already over. It was just a matter of time.
Unless she pulled out another surprise.
"Fine! I guess there's no point in holding back anymore!"
As Roxie said this, I witnessed as a foul darkness emerged from the depths of her soul. It mingled with the dark green miasma, creating something new. At the same time, Roxie's body grew a little larger and her eyes turned crimson.
Huh. So she was a fiend and a briar maiden, or the result of some unholy experiment.
More importantly, her aura grew stronger. She went from a Third Rank Awakened to a Fourth Rank One, or perhaps a Tier Four monster would be more accurate.
Roxie snarled, before she drew a pair of short swords and rushed to attack me. At the same time, all of her thorny vines whipped towards me.
She moved much faster than before, making it more difficult to evade her attacks. My [Freezing Mist] wasn't as effective against her anymore. I used [Elusive Mist], which just barely allowed me to keep ahead of her.
[Mist Sword]
I formed twelve illusory swords made of mist and sent them to attack Roxie. Individually, each of my mist swords were no match for her thorny vines. However, all of them together managed to keep the vines at bay.
That didn't stop Roxie herself from attacking. The two of us clashed, her short swords against Sky's Dream. Sparks flew and the sound of clashing metal filled the air when our weapons collided. While Sky's Dream was longer, giving me greater reach, she was faster and stronger than me.
The demonic blood flowing through her veins pushed her to the upper limits of Tier Four. In fact, I suspected that she was close to Tier Five. If it weren't for my mastery of martial arts, and Spirit Sight which allowed me to better read her movements, I would've died already.
Despite this, I felt exhilarated. It had been too long since I fought in a true life or death battle.
[Storm Dragon's Fang]
I thrust Sky's Dream towards Roxie's chest, trying to force her back and earn some breathing room. However, to my surprise, Roxie didn't try to avoid my blade. Instead, she moved her body so Sky's Dream stabbed her shoulder instead. At the same time, she swung her short swords at my neck.
It was too late to abort my attack, so I used [Elusive Mist] to try and minimize the damage. Roxie's short swords grazed my neck. If I hadn't moved when I had, she would've taken my head.
Alright, time to turn things up a notch.
I activated my Aura. Crackling lightning and roaring thunder filled the air, accompanied by the smell of ozone. The surrounding temperature dropped even further. A silvery-blue dragon formed around my entire body.
My Aura also encompassed Silver's Dream, which was still embedded in Roxie's shoulder. The smell of charred burning vegetation filled the air as my Lightning scorched Roxie's tainted flesh. She screamed, before she retreated, using her thorny vines to attack me. However, my mist swords blocked them.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I pressed my advantage, forcing Roxie on the back foot. Despite her superior strength and speed, Lightning was the bane of all demons, which gave me a significant advantage.
I studied Roxie's eyes and saw her resolve wavering. Well, we couldn't have that. The entire point of all this was to capture a member of the Order of the Infernal Star. Letting Roxie flee would defeat the whole point of this.
Sure, my companions could capture one of Roxie's compatriots. However, the more the merrier.
"Is this it?" I asked as I pressed my attack. "Is this all you can offer? Someone this weak dares to challenge a Sturm." I sneered. "No wonder you deserved what happened to you."
My taunt worked.
The wavering in Roxie's eyes disappeared, replaced by anger and hatred. With a scream, she attacked me with a savage ferocity, abandoning defense altogether. Her frenzied attacks put me on the back foot once again. So much so that I started to regret my words.
Maybe taunting her hadn't been the best idea.
Roxie started to accumulate wounds, but so did I. Despite my best efforts, she managed to hit me several times. Not good. While none of my wounds were too serious, they accumulated at a fast rate.
At Tier Four, Roxie was much tougher than me. In a war of attrition, I would lose. I needed to win in a decisive manner. Not only that, but I needed to capture Roxie alive as well.
This left me with one option.
'Is it my turn now, Gabriel?' Aurora asked through our bond.
'Go, Aurora! Use Freezing Breath!'
A beat of silence followed.
'I'm going to pretend that I never heard that.'
Aurora emerged from my chest, right in Roxie's face. This caught the woman off guard. Aurora used her bulk to knock Roxie back, before she opened her mouth. With a roar, she used her Dragon's Breath.
A wave of frost emerged from Aurora's mouth, coating the area in front of her in a thick layer of ice. This included Roxie. She tried to avoid the Dragon's Breath, to no avail. Soon, she became an ice sculpture. Thanks to Spirit Sight, I saw that she was still alive.
"Thank you," I said, panting.
I took a Healing Potion out of my inventory ring and guzzled it down. It started to heal my wounds. At the same time, I dispersed my Aura to preserve my mana.
"You know, if we used full unity, you could've frozen her yourself," Aurora pointed out.
I shook my head.
"That would've taken too long," I said. "Roxie would've used that time to kill me."
That was something I noted a while ago. Reaching full unity took time. It was best to use it before a battle, not in the middle of one.
That led me to wonder about half unity. Was reaching it faster than reaching full unity? The only way to know for sure was to master it.
It looked like Aurora and I needed more practice.
"How long will she stay like this?" I asked, walking up to Roxie.
While she couldn't move her body, she could still move her eyes. Roxie gave me a venomous glare. If looks could kill, I'd be dead a thousand times over.
"I'm not sure," Aurora said, sounding uncertain. "This is my first time freezing someone."
"It doesn't matter," I said after a moment. "Right now, we need to go help the others. See if you can go underneath this barrier. I'll try to break through it."
Aurora nodded, before she swam into the ground. A moment later, she emerged on the other side of the barrier and flew off. Good. Whoever created this runic circle hadn't extended it underground.
After Aurora flew off to help the others, I tried to break through the barrier. However, it was pretty tough. I estimated that it would take me at least an hour of continuous effort. By that point, the battle would be long over.
Going underneath would take too long as well. Unlike Aurora, I needed to dig through the earth.
Rather than waste my time and effort, I was better off resting and recovering. So, I sat down and waited for my companions to get me.
About ten minutes after Aurora left, she returned with the rest of my companions. All of them looked battered and bruised to varying degrees, with Priest Jaime and Priestess Natille being the worst off. However, none of them sported any serious injuries.
I sighed with relief. Good. Walking into this ambush had been a risk, and I'm glad none of my companions suffered too much because of it.
After she arrived, Cally worked to dismantle the runic circle. The barrier it created blocked sound, so I couldn't talk with them. Instead, I studied my companions while Cally worked.
It looked like they had captured three of the enemies, who lay unconscious in a pile nearby. I recognized all three. They were adventurers I had seen in Mirktown.
This led me to wonder if they were members of the Order of the Infernal Star, or if they were just hired help that Roxie recruited. Well, I'd leave Priestess Natille to find out. With her Holy magic, it wouldn't take long before she had those three eating out of the palm of her hand.
Once more, I realized that Amara's divinity was rather terrifying. I made a mental note to never underestimate the Goddess of Love.
It took Cally about an hour to dismantle the runic circle. During that time, Priestess Natille healed her injuries before tending to the others. Soon, my companions were as good as new, albeit a little more tired.
"It looks like you guys had some fun as well," I said after the runic circle went down.
Anna snorted.
"There were a dozen or so people waiting for us," she said. "Most of them were invisible." She pulled out the Eyes of Truth. "If it weren't for these, we would've been in serious trouble." She dumped a bunch of invisibility bracelets on the ground. "Still, we managed to secure a good haul."
I let out an appreciative whistle.
"Not bad." I gestured to the three unconscious enemies. "I see you managed to capture some of them."
Anna shrugged, before grinning.
"Impressive," Cally said, studying Roxie. "Did you do this, Aurora?"
My familiar nodded while wearing a proud smile.
"It was my first time freezing someone," she said.
"Good job. The hardest part is freezing them without causing any actual damage. You succeeded on your first try. It took me a while before I mastered it myself."
I decided not to think about the implications of that last sentence.
"Lord Gabriel," Priestess Natille said. "Shall I question the prisoners?"
I nodded.
"Start with those three over there," I said, gesturing to the three unconscious enemies. "We'll save our briar maiden for last."
Priestess Natille nodded, before she walked over to deal with the three unconscious enemies.
"She's not a briar maiden," Anna said, studying Roxie through narrowed eyes. "Not a real one at least. Her eyes are too human, too full of hate. Briar maidens don't hate humans. They see them as prey. Food."
Everyone looked at her.
"What?" she asked. "It's true."
I shook my head.
"Why does Roxie look like a briar maiden if she isn't one?" Priest Jaime asked.
All of us, except for Priestess Natille, gathered around Roxie. She glared at us in impotent rage. Her gaze became particularly vicious when she looked at Cally, which I found amusing. Cally herself didn't care. She studied Roxie the way a researcher might study a test subject.
"I suspect this is the result of some kind of experiment," I said. "I looked at her using Spirit Sight when she transformed. When it happened, a dark green miasma engulfed her soul."
"On top of that, she's a fiend," Cally said with a frown. "This is strange. We've never encountered anything like this before." She looked at the rest of us. "I believe there is more to the enemy base here than we initially thought."
The rest of us nodded with grim expressions on our faces. However, before any of us could say anything, we heard sobbing. We looked over to find the three enemies, now conscious, kneeling before Priestess Natille with tears streaming down their faces. They resembled sinners begging for forgiveness.
I shuddered.
"That woman scares me sometimes," I said.
Cally snorted.
"That's rich coming from you," she said.
I frowned at her.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
An awkward silence fell over the clearing. Cally smirked. Leroy looked around, pretending to study the sky. Priest Jaime bowed his head, as if in prayer. Meanwhile, Anna looked around, her confusion mirroring my own.
"What?" I asked. "Why is everyone acting this way?"
Anna shrugged.
"I have no idea," she said.
"How do you think we felt when you went all demigod on us?" Cally asked.
I sucked in a breath.
"You seemed so divine, so pure, that we were filthy in comparison," Cally continued. "We craved your approval, your attention, your love. We would've done anything to earn it." She gestured to herself and Leroy. "The two of us handled it better than Priest Jaime and Priestess Natille, since we're your friends. However, it still wasn't easy."
Her words hit me like a semi truck. For a moment, I felt as if I couldn't breathe. The gulf between us grew a little wider.
Through our bond, Aurora offered me comfort. I accepted it and sent her gratitude in return.
"I'm sorry," I said in a quiet voice.
Cally shook her head.
"I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty," she said. "I just wanted to point out that you are in no position to judge Priestess Natille for what she can do. You're capable of so much worse."
"Enough," Anna said in a cold voice. "Can't you see what you're doing to Gabriel?"
"I know," Cally said in an even tone. "That's why I brought it up. Gabriel needs to understand the consequences of what he is. There are already too many callous and coldhearted gods. We don't need another one."
Anna walked over to Cally and stopped less than a foot away from her.
"You're one to talk, considering what you've done," she said. "Who are you to judge Gabriel?"
"His friend," Cally said, refusing to back down. "One willing to tell him the truth, even though it means hurting his feelings. I don't want him to walk down the same path as us."
Anna opened her mouth to respond, but I held up a hand to interrupt her.
"Enough," I said in a weary voice. "Cally's right, as much as it hurts to admit."
Anna gave me a sympathetic look.
"Gabriel," she said.
I shook my head.
"I need to clear my head," I said. "I'm going for a walk. Alone."
With that, I walked away and headed into Mirkvale Forest.