EPISODE 193: FALSE SKY 3

— Nation of Ivory, Year: 7292. Season: New Beginning.

(Fireballs) surged , and the wind whipped Wilarax's silver-gradient hair behind her. A single, thin, curved blade—an elven scimitar—was held in the young woman's hands as she carefully judged her next actions. Her protectors hadn't moved, but her actions caused not just them but other [Adventurers] on this level to notice and move toward her location. A crowd gathered outside the battle range—over a dozen treetops held people who came to watch the show.

It didn't take long for a gasp to be heard among them as they recognized the figure who dared provoke not one but three mini-bosses.

…

"[ Chosen of El ]," they whispered.

…

Hushed tones and brilliant shining eyes watched her. A [Hero]—this was a [Hero]. Wilarax smirked, basking in the attention as she revealed a sharp canine. She was the lead heroine in a play of her construction. She glanced at her Life Points and calculated her next moves.

Wilarax Joi Simra Indrius — Level 75

HP: 1500/1500 (+100)

SP: 1230/1230 (+600)

MP: 2100/2100 (+50)

Surrounding her were three creatures of immense Power and size. She judged them each individually, starting with the [Veilshade King Treant] as it was the first to make its presence known. Four massive arms sprouted from its large trunk while long withered roots flailed about. A few were partially burned from Wilarax's previous spell. The creature was massive—easily a dozen meters tall and nearly the same in width when the mass of its arms was combined. A gapping, spike-ridden maw let out a silent roar at the hovering woman.

She breathed deeply, her gaze settling on the following creatures.

The [Iveri King-King Ape] roared back. Its large canines yellowed from excessive years of use, but they remained sharp like daggers. The ape beat its chest in a challenge, its lungs expanded, and silver-black fur bristled to make it appear larger. She chuckled at the display before finally setting her gaze on the third and last creature.

The green eyes of the [Windagle Queen] met her silver-golds. The beast was identical to a Golden Eagle—only its body sported large amounts of green for its affinity with the Wind Element. The element swirled around its body, small tornadoes gathering as it prepared an attack.

Two were beneath and one above—yet it was Wilarax Indrius who appeared like the one being challenged.

…

Were they the bosses… or was she?

…

"Go," Wilarax commanded, and the fireballs flew—over two dozen of them carpet-bombing the area the bosses beneath her occupied. The [Windagle Queen] screeched, its body accelerating, talons outstretched—ready to tear Wilarax to pieces.

Magic was Hers to command.

Her body accelerated under the command of (Elemental Flight: Wind)—while flames began to lick the edge of her blade, its light growing stronger as the Windagle Queen chased.

(Elemental Flight)

Function:

Harness the power of the elements to rise above the battlefield. Grants +250% Movement Speed and allows the user to command a chosen element for additional effects.

Cost:

250 MP.

(Elemental Flight: Wind)

Grants immunity to the {Slow} condition and other movement-impairing debuffs, excluding those caused by time-based abilities.

{Increased Agility} is activated, enhancing reflexes, jump height, and evasion for the skill's duration.

"Since we have a crowd… let's put on a show," Wilarax dodged the swipe of the Windagle Queen's talons, and her fiery blade racked across the body of the creature as they passed. Her attack struck deep; the flame of her blade lit her face in a savage light.

Windagle Queen -1,600 Health Points.

You have inflicted {Burning} on the Windagle Queen.

The creature screeched, its body buckled under the weight of her attack as it fell to the ground below.

"Ahahaha!"

Wilarax's eyes lit up, and she chased the falling creature just as the two below responded with attacks of their own. Her previous (Fireballs) failed to impact both beasts but served their purpose in distracting the two mini-bosses. As she chased, she kept a portion of her mind on her bag of holding, ready to remove the item at the moment she noticed. It would take precious seconds for the high-levelers to realize something was wrong—her goal was to add to the confusion and judge its overall effects.

Her actions remained calculated throughout the fight; not once did her goal and purpose slip her mind as she fought effectively. These creatures were strong, yes —any of the adventurer parties watching would have a tough time defeating them in group combat. Wilarax was just stronger —not in attributes, but in effectiveness. She grew among the highest of the highest. The best warriors, mages, Prestiges, and Demigods… were all available for her use in the Temple of the Sun. Her education, both in combat and knowledge of the Elrunian Continent, was second to none. ‎ …

She was a threat—but even this wasn't enough to escape the careful gaze of someone dozens of levels beyond her.

Their speed, reaction time, magic, and skills could and would be just as good as hers. Perhaps they would not have the same number of attributes when they were at her current level; perhaps they wouldn't match her once she achieved a certain level…

But those were, perhaps —fabrications and things that took time to develop. Wilarax would stay stuck in a gilded cage. For that was what her protection detail was—nothing could disguise it.

…

A cage, no matter how fancy—regardless of what luxuries provided… was still a cage.

…

Sharpened root bullets shot toward her as several dozen spell constructs appeared surrounding the [Veilshade King Treant]—its maw shaped in a silent snarl as it fired at Wilarax. She moved through the air, her body dodging the root tips as they attempted to pierce her. Wilarax responded with spells of her own; a quick, single cast (Fireballs) sprouted from her palm and blasted forward—her chase of the Windagle Queen halted forcefully.

Wilarax flew through the air like a bird in its element. A flame trailed behind her as the fire fell from her blade. The forest below was lit aflame, and thick black smoke rose into the air, making the visibility of the young True Elf harder for her audience.

"Hmmmm," she hummed silently, focused on dodging what seemed like an endless barrage of wooden projectiles. The [Veilshade King Treant] was a magical creature sporting no Stamina Points. Its magic levels were phenomenal, with over ten thousand Mana Points ready to be wasted. Its Base Attack was mediocre for its stars, and Wilarax was waiting to use it for her magic trick. She wasn't out to play with her life, but her performance had to be convincing enough. She could only attempt this once—twice became a pattern, and Wilarax Indrius truly planned to disappear the second time this would occur.

"I need to be lower, closer to the ground, and create more chaos," Wilarax stated. The moment the thought was formed, her body shot low and immediately headed straight down.

Green and brown rushed to her vision as the forest approached faster and faster—behind her was a rain of bullets attempting to blast her from the sky. They halted just as Wilarax entered the green; her body jerked as she shot ninety degrees just centimeters from the ground. She danced through the trees; the magic was her partner as they twirled about.

The [Adventurers] gasped, their object of appreciation gone into the trees and outside their vision. Many wanted to rush forward, but they held themselves back as they remembered the three mini-bosses the [Chosen of El] fought against. The forest grew quiet as even the creatures fighting against Wilarax lost sight of her.

RROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRAAAAAAGGGHH!

A high-pitched roar transformed into a scream as the Iveri King-King Ape sported a new diagonal slash across its chest. It raised its arms high, then slammed— hard .

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The ground moved like a pebble impacted into the middle of a pond. Dirt, trees, and more were destroyed in the King-King's anger. Wilarax's new focus allowed the Windagle Queen to rise back into the air—the flames on its chest extinguished, but the green of its eyes was now replaced by red. Its chest expanded, and a nasty charred wound displayed pink flesh from the movement. Then, it turned in a certain direction and released a powerful call.

An eagle's screech tore into the ground, causing further devastation, and it struck the area of burning trees. Many were put out, but the large amounts of smoke caused visibility to further drop. The Veilshade King Treant's body slowly faded into the background of the battlefield where trees remained, its body morphing as an illusion sprang to life. Long, heavy roots dug into the ground and sprouted a distance away; their target was a young True Elf girl who was forced into revealing herself.

Wilarax laughed, its sound loud and clear. The [Adventurers] exchanged glances.

…

Fun…? She was having fun?

…

Every one of them knew this was a life and death situation for themselves, but the young [Chosen of El] was laughing and having fun. This was someone of the divine—this was someone they could look up to.

…

This was an [Adventurer].

…

A person who completely embodied the word—the term introduced to the Elrunian Continent by God El — The Adventurer. For thousands of years, their profession has existed in the realm. They weren't a class, but titles gained through experience and skill—while the basic requirement was to join a local Adventurer Association branch. These men and women—Saphens—served as [Warriors], [Bodyguards], [Babysitters], [Odd-Jobs Specialist], and so much more. At heart, at the very core of their being, they were [Adventurers]—people who enjoyed exploring the world and learning all its secrets.

The young woman—young True Elf—embodied that and more. She laughed in the face of danger. She fought as an army of one, where she was the [Boss] and the beast the [Adventurers] facing against a tremendous creature. How could their eyes not light in excitement when seeing her in action—when seeing someone who embodied everything they strove to accomplish?

…

She was unfettered, unrestrained.

…

A few [Adventurers] made symbols of worship as they watched the dungeon beast battle against her. Wilarax laughed as she fought, the surrounding haze increasingly becoming heavier. She was the lead actor, and her fellow co-stars all followed her lead. She signaled them, and together they struck.

Wilarax held her breath; three powerful attacks made their way toward her. She held little room to dodge as large (Wind Blades) came from above, root strikes from below, and the large boulder tossed by King-King came from straight ahead.

Everything around her slowed as she spoke—bringing to life a new skill.

"(Elemental Flight: Time)," she activated.

(Elemental Flight: Time)

Your cognitive speed increases drastically, making the world around you appear slower. {Enhanced Reflexes} improves reaction time, aiming precision, and decision-making during combat.

Grants a short-range teleportation ability, allowing you to instantly reposition within a 15-meter radius.

The world slowed, and Wilarax noticed so much more than she had in this nanosecond. The brights became brighter —the green of the [Windagle Queen] plumage was near an olive green, but Wilarax noticed bright, lime-green spots in her feathers. She turned her head, her gaze on the roots below her. The vivid browns from the withered roots fascinated her as they slowly inched closer. She could see the small life that clung to the dirt displaced by the roots. Small worms, beetles, and other bugs were tossed erratically as they fought for their survival. Time wasn't slowed, her processing was just accelerated to an entirely new level where things occurred in slow motion.

She could kill them—each of them, at this moment before the beast even understood what occurred. Instead, her gaze turned toward her protectors, doing her best to judge their reactions. They had repositioned themselves—two in the air, the last three in different areas around her.

For a single moment, Wilarax believed she locked eyes with Trako, a high-level goblin who stood in the air above. At that same moment, she teleported, knowing for this instant she'd be outside his range of interpretation—even if he could keep up with her. And, a small vial filled with a mix concoction was crushed in her hands.

This all occurred in the same second. And, while Wilarax translocated, a single purple flash occurred before the three attacks collided. She recalled the final notification and its description of the concoction she'd put together. She was a [Mage] and knew a thing or two about magic potion concoctions.

Ku'veri Illusory Veil

Rarity: Legendary

Category: Consumable

Properties:

1. Hides the user from all five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste).

2. Obscures Intent: Prevents detection through magical, spiritual, or aura-based tracking.

Creator:

This concoction was crafted by Wilarax Indrius.

Description:

A single-use elixir crafted from rare and precious materials, including Ku'Bra Petals, Veilshade Crystals, crushed Veilshade Treant Roots, Three-Star Beast Cores, and other elusive reagents. When consumed or activated, the veil shrouds the user in an impenetrable layer of illusionary magic, concealing them entirely.

Wilarax reappeared meters away, the clash of attacks missing her entirely. Their after-effects ruffled her hair, but otherwise, she remained fine. She carefully moved, her steps not leaving a trace as she made her way away from the battlefield. She wasn't leaving, but she would reappear until she could confirm more of the effects. A quick eye at the new notification alerted her of the duration.

Ku'veri Illusory Veil

00:59:55

An hour's worth of time moving under the effect was perfect—however, Wilarax didn't plan on disappearing for that long. This test would only last fifteen seconds.

From her position, the young woman carefully watched the expression of Trako and the high-leveler next to the goblin. They didn't appear concerned; Wilarax immediately understood they probably assumed she dodged using one of her unique abilities. They didn't know her exact skills, but they'd been with her long enough to understand her general range of abilities.

Another two seconds passed before the expression on Trako's face, and his companion changed. In this time, Wilarax judged at her top speed she'd be halfway off this floor by then.

Trako signaled his companion, and they both moved—for a second, they were outside of Wilarax's gaze, and when she next spotted them, it was over where she disappeared.

The five high-levelers converged on that spot, not paying attention to any of the three mini-bosses as they spread out their Intent and various abilities. Wilarax was only thirty or so meters away as she observed them. She watched as the panic set in when they couldn't confirm her aura. She felt their Intents sweep by, and the five split from their meet-up point. Each charged in a different direction, panic on one's face as she passed close to where Wilarax was.

In that quick meeting, they'd determined she wasn't hit or killed by that attack. They acted fast before the mini-bosses could react to the presence of five new intruders. Wilarax judged this all. She smiled broadly when passed, and no sign of her being detected showed. She readied herself to break the effect and wave off the illusion—yet a new notification appeared before her, halting her actions.

System Generated Chain Quest: [Unhidden Star] — The False Sky

Quest Details:

Caged in a world surrounded by flames far more powerful, break away and discover the hidden truth as you delve into the depths of dungeons and creatures outside a mortal's understanding. Look to the sky and recognize its falsity. Gather ancient artifacts on a grand quest to become a [Hero] not just for home but the entire world.

Objectives:

— Heart of the Stars — Ashaka [+] ‎ — A Mother's Embrace — Folkrun [+] ‎ — Laugh Tale — Jaa'ja [+] ‎ — World Heart — Molten [+] ‎ — Cohort's Shield — Daahk [+] ‎ — Dragon's Tear — Rasheed [+]

Rewards:

Titled: Unhidden Star

Failure:

Destruction of the Elrunian Realm. ‎ WARNING: A time limit of two-hundred fifty years is in place for this quest.

"The False Sky," Wilarax furrowed her brows and shook her head. "Let's put an end to this before anything else."

AN: Win-De-gal.

I like to think most {Buffs} and {De-Buffs} are obvious through their name, but I'm digging the style of adding more onto them to make it clearer for readers.

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