Cixilo couldn't think of anything worse than the pain in her stomach. The nerves didn't hit her often. She had forgotten how terrible it felt. Not only did she have to fight a boss, she knew that her brother was alive. Alive and working for her enemy.

The boss was a mass of metal or something. She couldn't tell and she didn't care. She needed to get her shard and talk to Chorsay.

Chorsay would know what to do.

Armor was going to make her umbra fighting style difficult. She'd need to focus on piercing attacks to poison, if possible.

She wondered what Sylmare would do. Some of their methods were different, but they were on the same umbra path. There were only so many options within each class.

With her hood up, hiding most of her face, Cixilo dropped to one knee and ran her palm over the flat side of her knife, leaving a coating of green fire. She did the same to her second knife, igniting it in brilliant purple flames.

The boss waited patiently as she prepared. As soon as she was on her feet, the boss charged. A quick semi-charged blast shot from its left hand, sending a red spell directly at her chest.

Cixilo stepped, and used Teleport, easily dodging the attack and closing the distance. As soon as she reappeared, a glowing halberd chopped at her face. Smoke Bomb erupted from her chest, encasing the entire area in a thick blanket of smoke. Her fiery knives barely made it to block, and even with their current enhancements, the halberd dug into the metal and launched her back to the opposite end of the arena.

Cixilo hit the ground and skidded to a stop. The moment she composed herself, she ducked, barely dodging another red blast. Based on the damage from a single strike, she'd need new knives by the time she returned to Vraxridge. Maybe Althowin herself would be willing to assist.

The boss fired a rapid barrage of smaller red blasts through the smoke. As soon as its view was clear, the barrage sped up with significantly better aim. Cixilo danced around each one, feeling the massive energy pass. That weapon was something different from regular claverstan launchers. She hadn't seen anything like it.

Fire launched from the boss's back, propelling it across the arena.

Cixilo watched close, hyper aware of the distance.

It was time to kill the boss and become a Shard Hero.

She had been humiliated by Andres Orben. She had made Chorsay kill a man.

Never again. Cixilo Lasknaill would be responsible for herself. If another Shard Hero wanted to harass her or her friends, they would die.

It was as simple as that.

Create Darkness. Cixilo formed a massive circle of shadow. Within the dark, she was powerful.

Shadow Step brought her a few feet to the side, just far enough to disorient the boss. Casting Dusk Enhance coated one knife in a mix of purple umbra fire and shadows. While she was within the thick covering, the enhancement to the knife was even greater.

Ideally, it would be strong enough to get through metal armor.

Umbral Onslaught increased speed while within shadows, and a simple Decoy spell created a realistic image of Cixilo elsewhere within the circle.

She rapidly cast all the spells, burning through her mana in a second. Just as she finished, the massive form of the boss flew right past, swinging its glowing halberd. If she hadn't moved, she would've been cleaved in two.

The boss pivoted, searching.

It wouldn't be able to see more than a foot in front while inside the darkness. Red light charged in its launcher. When it shot, it cleared a hole through the shadow.

That was not what she had been expecting. It only meant her time was limited.

Nothing wrong with that.

She dashed in and sliced through a tube hanging behind the left arm. Smoke sprayed out, followed by a spray of red energy. With no mana, she was forced to drop to the ground as the boss turned and blindly swung the halberd, chopping through shadow. It hummed as it passed overhead.

While she was down, she chopped her enhanced knife through the boss's ankle. It stumbled, but used the butt of the halberd to steady itself. With the brief opening, Cix darted between its legs, staying low, and chopped at a knee. As she reached its back, she drove the knife up, into the armor. It went deep, causing damage, and . . . it was stuck.

Her mana had recovered just enough to use a simple Teleport, putting her at the edge of the shadow circle. In the distance, she could see a bit of the red light as the halberd chopped hopelessly through the darkness. Red energy continued leaking from the tube, which was apparently enough damage to stop the launcher.

Cixilo dropped to a knee, grabbed a mana potion, and drank it quickly. She tossed the bottle to the side, letting it clink and draw the boss's attention. With her bar refilled, she easily used Shadow Step to appear behind the hulking form. She grabbed the knife with both hands and cast Hone, making the knife sharper and stronger.

When she yanked, it came loose easier than expected and she ended up on her backside. The boss turned on unsteady legs and swung overhead with the halberd. Cixilo scooted forward, dodging the attack, and chopped at the shaft. She cut part way through, but instead of breaking the halberd, the earlier damage caused her knife to snap in half.

Instead of lifting the weapon and swinging predictably again, the boss dragged the glowing red weapon over the ground, pulling it straight toward her. Cixilo grabbed the shaft and flipped. She kicked at the front, and found solid armor.

Her speed could keep her moving faster than the boss, but she needed to reset. Teleport put her deeper into the circle. She took a deep breath, calming herself, and focused on her other knife. It was also damaged with a gouge from the halberd. If it was buffed, she hoped it would last long enough to finish the fight.

The boss attacked her decoy wildly, sending sparks up as the halberd's blade continually pounded against the stone ground. Something snapped and the boss toppled.

Cixilo ran her hand over the blade, casting Dusk Enhance and Hone in quick succession. Her mana was running low again. There was enough for another teleport or two, so she would be fine.

The boss turned and slowly tried to stand. It clearly had recognized the decoy, so it wasn't worried about turning its back.

That was a mistake.

Teleport.

Cixilo dashed from her decoy and stabbed her enhanced knife into the boss's face. Its arm creaked as it swung the launcher, smacking Cix in the face with the barrel. Her breath caught as blood pooled in her mouth. She even felt a tooth come loose.

It didn't matter. Not at the moment. She could get a prosthetic tooth or something. With effort, she tore the knife through the boss, revealing its weak point. Before she took another strike to the face, she used Teleport to move less than a foot into the open space around the boss's weak point.

There was a moment of clear panic in her opponent, and all Cixilo could do was grin. A quick, final stab finished off the boss, and broke her second knife in half. The boss's hulking form crashed to the ground.

Cixilo climbed out and let the circle of shadows fade.

Eldtannatar stood beside the fallen boss with a shard floating over their upturned palm. "Well fought."

"Thank you." Cixilo took the shard and took a deep breath. Now that the fate of her brother was clear, she knew what she needed to do.

Hopefully the others were done so they could head back. She really needed to talk to Chorsay.

***

Most of the sitting room was normal. Normal enough, at least. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with it.

Until Shade decided he wanted to play the piano.

The piano keys were the mimic's teeth, and the way the instrument shifted to let the massive tongue lash out was mesmerizing. Owin could've helped sooner, but mimics weren't nearly as dangerous as other mobs. Not anymore.

Shade flailed while being smashed against the rectangular teeth that still made noise when struck. It was a discordant melody that accompanied Shade's screams or laughter. Or a mix of the two.

Abyssal flames consumed the skeleton, and soon spread to the mimic. Magenta fire burned it from the inside out. By the time Shade was freed, a sour scent of cooked mimic filled the sitting room.

Owin just remained where he had been standing when Shade was first eaten.

"I do appreciate assistance when possible." The skeleton slumped onto a sofa and tried to wipe saliva from his bones and clothes.

"I didn't want to be eaten again." Owin climbed onto the sofa opposite and sat uncomfortably. It was significantly less comfortable than it appeared. "You managed."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Managed? I succeeded, certainly, but I did not manage. I . . ." Shade took off the olm skin glove and shook it, splattering saliva onto the coffee table. "I don't know."

A panel in the wall opened, grabbing their attention. Shade put his glove back on and narrowed his eye sockets. Owin held the stakes tight in his grip. There wasn't a day where he didn't wish for Artivan's gauntlets. Back when the old man had first explained how they worked, Owin had thought they were ridiculous.

Not being able to drop stuff didn't seem like that big of a deal. Now, he'd love knowing that his weapons wouldn't get knocked from his grip.

An elegantly dressed elf stood in the shadowed recess of the wall. Only her yellow eyes shone in the dark. She took a single step out, appearing to float. Her hair was straight and perfectly white. Her expression was without amusement.

Instead of darting to them, she kept Owin in her gaze and walked slowly. When she neared, she sat on the sofa beside him and grabbed the decanter from the coffee table, apparently unmoved by the splatters of mimic saliva.

She poured three glasses of whatever liquid filled the decanter, then reclined and sipped.

Owin desperately wanted to use Examine, but apparently it was rude and would only spur on a fight sooner. There was no doubt he would end up needing to kill the vampire at his side, but learning something before fighting started wouldn't be bad. Everyone told him to learn.

He couldn't jump at every problem.

The vampire's skin was pale and taut like she had been dead for a long time. There was no redness to her cheeks or life in her veins. She might as well have been a statue.

Shade carefully slipped his olm skin glove back over his skeletal hand before grabbing the glass. When he tried to drink it, he predictably poured it into his mouth, which caused the liquid to cascade down his spine and over his ribs, soaking into his vest and pants. Some of it even pooled onto the sofa beneath him.

"Delicious," he said.

Owin had to stand to even reach the glass, but before he could fully move, the woman grabbed it and handed it to him gracefully. Owin smiled awkwardly and took the drink. It smelled of alcohol and reminded him of Chorsay, which meant it was likely whiskey.

Owin took a sip and immediately wanted to spit it out.

Shade's eye sockets were wider than usual as he shook his head back and forth.

Owin fought the urge and forced himself to swallow the foul drink.

The vampire watched without emotion. She sipped her own again and didn't flinch in the slightest.

"So . . ." Shade set the glass on the coffee table. "How's your day going?"

The woman drank the remainder of the glass in a single elegant gulp, then returned the glass to the middle of the table. "Shall we commence our battle?"

"Huh?" Owin had been trying to keep the stakes completely out of her view, but now her yellow gaze fell directly on the blood-stained wood.

"We had no guests scheduled for today, and you." Her face turned into something adjacent to amusement. "You are not someone we would invite to dine with us."

Fortress Mob

Redella Brassad

Greater Vampire

Level 65

The glowing red palm strike was so fast that Owin only started to summon his crab legs as he flew off a shattered sofa and crashed against the far wall. He bounced off the boundary and fell onto the wooden floor. His armor came to life, pushing him to his feet.

"Do you not know how rude it is to use that ridiculous spell?" Redella brushed some dust from her red jacket. She stood amongst the wreckage like she hadn't been fully sitting just a moment ago.

Meanwhile, Shade was on the ground near the dead mimic. Instead of standing and fighting, he was sitting where he had landed and was casting some magus spell.

"Why'd you attack?" Owin asked. His specter skin cape fluttered as the armor released every leg and claw.

"I would never allow a goblin in my home." Redella flicked her hand out, forming a full curved saber.

Owin couldn't tell if it was a trick and she was just revealing it or if it was actually summoned. He wanted to summon weapons like that. As if reading his mind, his armor drew the Incandescent Blade and tried to pass it to him.

"I need to use this," Owin said, holding up one of the stakes.

The armor pushed the sword toward his face.

Redella flicked her wrist again. A bubbling red aura formed over the saber.

Maybe the armor had a point. Owin tossed the stakes across the room, roughly in the direction of Shade, and took the sword from the crab claw. As soon as his hands touched it, he let flames erupt from the hilt. The Incandescent Blade burned brightly and actually made the vampire's face shift, even just a hair.

Owin cast a look toward Shade, who remained sitting. Abyssal flames swirled around him, but that was how every magus spell looked. Myrsvai could probably identify the spell just by appearance. Owin definitely could not.

"You know you're destroying your own furniture," Owin said.

"After a goblin touched the sofa, it was trash. Nothing more than kindling." Redella stood tall, unlike any fighting stance Owin had seen before. She extended her free hand and waved him over.

There was no doubt that she was fast, but Owin had to be faster. It was the thing that had helped him win the most fights. If she was faster, then his strength and durability would have to be greater, and he wasn't certain that was the situation. Not yet, at least.

"A greater debt will be owed," said a suddenly chilling voice.

Owin and Redella both looked at Shade, who sat cross-legged with a half-formed abyssal portal floating behind him. Countless white hands emerged.

"Deal," Owin said immediately.

An intangible string shot from Shade and hooked onto Owin. He felt the sudden flow of power fill his muscles. Faint abyssal flames burned in the air surrounding him. Everything he could see changed in a way that was difficult to understand.

Shade was nothing more than a black silhouette while Redella was a pulsing mass of red. Her sword was the same color and looked like an extension of her body. Gray haze covered the rest of the room. If he focused on anything specific, he could see it with perfect clarity, but the contrast in colors made it significantly easier to focus on the other living entities in the room.

Or unliving, he thought. Vampires and Shade were both kind of undead or specters or something. It was all confusing.

And it hardly mattered.

"The assistance of a Lord of the Abyss only taints what is already waste." Redella's wings formed and opened wide. A burst of power spread through the room, disturbing the dust before it could settle.

She turned to Shade, who had remained sitting with the portal open. The Vile Fiend's hands were gone, but the connection to the Abyss remained. Without the thread tethering the skeleton to Owin, the buff would vanish.

He sprinted forward with all his strength and reached Shade just as Redella brought her saber down upon the skeleton's head. The Incandescent Blade met her blood-powered weapon with a mighty clang. Wooden floorboards shattered under Owin's feet.

Redella was strong, but she was no Zezog.

With his enhanced sight, the movement of mana through her body was oddly clear. She had some blood spell planned against Shade. It wasn't worth his time to block the spell or stop it in any way.

Even Shade just stared.

A bubbling red mass erupted from her hand, striking Shade in the face.

Her strength faltered slightly as the spell burst from her palm, so Owin pushed off his foot and lifted the Incandescent Blade, causing the vampire's saber to slide toward Owin's hands. Crab claws grabbed at the weapon and clamped onto her hand.

Redella beat her wings, trying to separate, but the chitin armor refused to let go. Without a stake, Owin's best option was to cleave Redella into as many small pieces as possible. Then he could stab her heart while she was trying to pull herself back together.

It wasn't just her mana that he could see. Every little movement was obvious. The way her muscles shifted, the way her fingers twitched. He could see it all. The neural demon vision was overwhelming, but with practice, it could be an incredible advantage against any opponent.

Unfortunately, Owin hadn't had any training or time to practice, so when Redella twisted and kicked him in the face, he didn't react in time.

With all crab claws holding onto her and the legs digging into the floor to stabilize him, the kick didn't send Owin flying like it otherwise would've. Their swords were practically locked together, and he was having an incredible amount of trouble doing anything useful.

Her cold heart was clear in the red silhouette as an orange, still mass in her chest, and her mana was like little blue pellets that sometimes appeared, but were otherwise nowhere to be seen.

Owin pulled back all his strength, letting Redella slam the Incandescent Blade into the ground. Any other weapon would've snapped in half under her incredible strength. Owin kicked the side of her saber and sent it flying. Her hand snapped out and reformed the weapon before it even crashed into the wall.

Owin planted his feet, grabbed the Incandescent Blade, and imagined the vampire beside him was Zezog. No amount of power was too much when fighting the Barbarian. She had the advantage when Owin was trying to protect Shade, but now he wasn't trying to block. There was no need.

He had been entirely wrong.

Owin wasn't an assassin. He wasn't made for speed. He was a soldier like Chorsay. And a soldier could stand their ground without fear.

The fire of the Incandescent Blade flared as Owin shattered the boards beneath his feet as he swung diagonally up. Redella thrust her open hand down to block the blade with a bubbling red spell over her palm.

It made it feel like Owin was chopping through wood, but even the mightiest tree couldn't stop his attack. The edge of the Incandescent Blade cut right between her second and third finger, and up her forearm.

She shifted her weight and swung with the saber. Owin could see the change in stance, and the attack was predictable enough anyway. It was still unclear if the armor could read his mind or not, but it moved to intercept the attack. Redella managed to cut through a few chitin legs before the armor stopped the swing.

Mana flowed through her body, focused on her bisected arm. The mass of blue was growing rapidly, and he knew from the fight against Arintak that the injury would vanish as soon as the mana finished gathering. The vampiric regeneration was powerful.

Since he couldn't kill her with the sword, he needed to focus on the plan to cut her to pieces. That plan was useless if she regenerated. A quick, accurate slash straight through the mass of mana severed the arm and dispersed the energy with a small pop.

Redella abandoned the saber and backed away. She resummoned the weapon in her hand and said something in a language Owin didn't understand.

"Can I suggest you kill her?" Shade shouted.

"You can suggest anything."

"We're going to try something else." Shade stood up. The portal behind him closed and the tether connecting them vanished.

Owin's vision returned to normal so quickly that his head pounded. Redella must have noticed because she was on him with a flurry of attacks. Quick and strong weren't good enough qualities to face Owin head to head in a duel.

He planted his feet like Zezog had taught him and blocked or parried every attack that Redella sent his way. He didn't need tricks or the chitin armor for assistance. This was something he knew how to handle.

In the flurry of attacks, she managed to regrow her arm, but the mana from it caused the blood aura from her saber to fade away. Overconfidence plagued her as she shifted her stance and lashed out with her long claw-like nails. It gave Owin the opening he needed to chop her left hand off, sending the saber scattering across the floor. He turned his head in time so the nails raked across the chitin without touching his skin.

He twisted and cut off her other arm that was still slick with whatever liquid covered it after regeneration. Her mana would already be working to create new arms, so he continued attacking.

Before long, she was little more than a pile of meat. Shade approached, found her heart, and stabbed it repeatedly with the stake.

"Just to be sure," he said while stabbing it for the tenth time.

She had been dead since Owin cut her heart in half. The stake wasn't necessary, but he didn't want to tell Shade.

"Just to be sure," Owin repeated. "Do you think there are more mimics in this room?"

"Why?" Shade lifted the bloody stake. "Looking to get sloppy?"

"I was going to sit down." Owin found a spot free of debris, saliva, or blood and flopped onto the ground.

"Are you actually tired?"

"No." Owin closed his eyes. The headache from the neural demon vision had faded quickly, but his eyes still felt weird. "Maybe. Probably not."

"These answers are really helping me figure out what's wrong." Shade sat on the ground beside Owin. "Want to hear me play the drums?"

"What?" Owin opened one eye.

Shade leaned over and started tapping his hands on Owin's stomach. The metal gauntlet and olm skin glove gave very different sounds with each tap against the chitin armor.

Owin closed his eye again and let Shade continue.

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