Despite the fact that I was the one who ran first, she managed to haul her ass ahead of me. She was even in a torn up, armoured uniform. I groaned internally. My pitiful Movement Speed was struggling to keep up. The direct path thankfully led away from all the fighting, but the enemy Hunter clearly noticed us. I hoped that the rabble and parties could distract him from coming over here.
As we cut around another corner, my mind circled back to the 184 points I had in my Plus Menu. Right now, I needed defenses and speed, right? Maybe a bit of magic, too. I huffed, frowning as the nasty smell of goblin guys invaded my throat as I took in more air to run. All of these status points seemed meaningless facing that Invader. Leah, for her part, checked on me every few paces. It would be endearing, had we not been seen.
Fine. I needed to catch up to her, and the Movement Speed attribute had to be the answer to that problem. There was no use in trying to gauge how much impact these status points had on my body— I had to use them now. Let’s see how thirty points in my feet feel.
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Notification
> You have added 30 points to Movement Speed. You now have 40 Movement Speed (F).
———————————————
As soon as the notification cleared, my body felt slightly lighter. It felt like a comforting energy coursed through my arms down to my feet, as if I had been doing morning runs all my life. Soon I was pacing well with the rushing Leah, able to stick to her like a little shadow. If I put effort into sprinting, I had a strange confidence that I could outrun her entirely. Good, I guessed that would solve the Movement Speed issue for now. Of course, this all could simply be placebo.
I still had 154 points left, so I decided to add a big portion to Magic and the rest into Constitution in case I run into more goblins while retreating. The second attribute was clear to me. I needed more magic to test myself on, and a body that could take a hit or two.
———————————————
Notifications
> You have added 100 points to Magical Power. You now have 135 Magical Power (F).
> You have added 54 points to Constitution. You now have 74 Constitution (F).
———————————————
I ran, anticipating that something was going to change inside of me after assigning those points, but I felt nothing. The hostile intent flowing from that Invader was still locked on us. It was intentionally holding back, watching us. Can’t it go bother someone else? I refused to look behind myself, so I kept my pace by Leah’s side.
The corridor was widening into a chamber, and the surroundings brightening from an unknown source of light. The shrine? I squinted. Of course, the shadows of scuttling creatures on the prowl were gathered all around the chamber, slicing the pale blue light with inky blots. They were busy stabbing at something, or someone, but now we were sandwiched.
Leah was also stumped on what to do, slowing down. This was no good, I gripped my staff.
“That’s the Shrine room,” Leah let out a breath. “We’ll have to… We’ll have to fight our way in.”
She didn’t sound convinced herself on how well that would go. I skidded to a stop. The menacing presence behind me had slowed down deliberately. The battle ahead of us suddenly became background noise.
“We’re screwed either way, aren’t we?” I growled under my breath, turning to face the Invader. Leah’s countenance twisted into fear for a second, before she immediately stepped in front of me. The golden light of her Fortress Ground Skill rejuvenated my spirit, but it wasn’t enough.
The shadowy figure emerged out of the dark, slinging the energized blade above his shoulder in a lazy fashion. His approach was clearly taunting, like a cat who caught a canary. Was this the mutation the Rift’s panel told me about? The voice that came out of the invader broke my concentration. It was a woman’s, though her tone was still full of a deep mockery and arrogance. The armour she wore bore a moss-green sigil that was different from our stone demonic crest.
She let out a laugh. “Oh, so you two have decided to stop running and finally face me, huh?”
“You— This is Ravenclast territory…! What brings you here?” Leah didn’t waver, even though it was clear that the Invading Hunter’s presence alone was overwhelming us. She was buying time, but I knew the Fortress Ground wouldn’t last forever, especially against this person’s monstrous strength.
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Notifications
> Hired Hand of House Beaumont, Giselle, has been added to the Database. [Locked]
Giselle Flametongue
Knight, level 10
A Reach Ranked Adventurer under the command of House Beaumont.
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Level 10? Adventurer? Weren’t Hunters and Adventurers the same thing? I swiped the screens away in disgust. You’re just a bully who picks on the weak!
“You’re the first one to ask me of my intentions here, little creature,” Giselle laughed boisterously. “Why, I’m honoured! You should ask your friend.”
So, that’s it, I sighed. The reason why things weren’t going smoothly was my existence. Had it not been for surviving the poison drinking test and accidentally killing the Armoured One’s mind, I probably would be terrified. Now, while I was still absolutely scared out of my mind, I was used to it. I could even look at the menacing figure in front of me for a few seconds. Things not going well was the standard.
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Leah still stood in front of me. Her stance was clear, loyal to a fault. She was here to defend me because we were fast friends, or perhaps, the Ravenclast Cadet bands wrapped around our wrists tied us together. The Invader Hunter straightened, then jabbed her massive sword into the ground next to her leg, and let out a huge, boisterous laugh.
“Now this is a first! Togetherness and teamwork—“ Giselle hefted her sword with one hand, which erupted in flames for good measure. “That’s rare amongst you Ravenclast creatures, isn’t it?”
So noisy! Ugh. I sighed. The clanging swords behind us were also dying down. I needed to do something about this Invader, or else the victors of that fight were going to come down on us as well. It was time to put my leveled-up points to work. The feeling of magic was getting more and more natural, flowing through my arms like smooth water ripples.
I was the container for this magic, and I could spill it out if I wanted!
The pale blue hall became illuminated in white as my own core burst to life like it was a flashbang. Giselle covered her eyes, but stepped closer to Leah’s Fortress Ground. The girl’s shoulders were shaking, but she still stood between us defensively. I could sense her own Skill was ready. It was too late, because in the next moment, the Hunter had already closed the distance and was towering over us with a deadly aura.
A wicked grin revealed itself beneath Giselle’s helmet. “Together, you will—“
She froze. Her flaming sword stopped in the middle of its swing, as if someone pressed the pause button on her. I took the opportunity to check for anything with my magic. Something, or someone, was messing with her. I didn’t have a clue what I could do, so I was hoping I could buff Leah somehow. Instead of any wounds on her, I saw a massive black hole burning in the middle of Giselle’s chest, which was now glowing crimson.
Could I use my magic on it? Maybe mess it up somehow and get a longer stun? I sensed the magic Core’s vast size inside of me shift, its own emissions threatening to lance down a pathway in the white void. I realized that it was connected to my arm from the sudden jolts zapping me every time my Core pulsed.
It’s now or never, magic. Serve me!
Again, that skill name tumbled out my mouth. “[Basic Healing].”
I watched the massive ball shoot out a long tendril of its magic through my arm, whipping it like a heavy downpour. It traveled violently up my staff, lighting the top in a blazing white-hot sphere. A sizzling noise screamed in my ears as the magic intensified. My Core bent and curved like it was deflating, and my arm felt it was going to break apart. I quickly found out why— It was bright like a snapped glowstick. I let out a sharp gasp of pain. I must push myself to the limit for Leah! I shot my arm out and desperately lifted the staff in the air. Get out there!
The black flames of Giselle’s core withered, evaporating in the wake of my staff’s magic. The staff in my hand dimmed, and the three of us stood still. A ding popped up in my head, shaking me out of my trance.
———————————————
— Basic Healing [Tier 1] successful. Target Giselle Flametongue, level 10, has been healed.
———————————————
No way, I healed her? I stared at the screen in shock. I barely registered the magic zapping my fingertips as I swiped it away. Well, I didn’t know why I did it— I expected it to fail like all the other times.
Caught off guard by my sudden philanthropic offense, Giselle stumbled back as if I struck her. Whatever interference in her mind also subsided, and the Adventurer regained her stance, snapping out of her paused state. Her sword dropped to the ground as she patted her chest with an armoured fist as if she was putting out a fire, then she looked at me. I couldn’t see her face through the helmet, but I could tell she was bewildered, with a hint of something indecipherable in her voice.
“You! T-That— That felt good!”
“[Ravenclast Slash]!” Leah screamed, cutting her off.
Her sword became bathed gold, exuding an even stronger aura than the previous times she used it. The Skill crashed into the unguarded Giselle, the auric sword now like a battering ram, sending her flying into a wall. No, I squinted through the debris and smoke. Leah had actually managed to send the Invader through the wall. She turned to me, breathing heavily. I stepped back, ready to dodge her hug attempt.
“We— We survived again!” She jumped for joy. She was about to invade my personal bubble again, but I turned towards the chamber at the right moment.
“We gotta get going,” I hurried her along. I saw the tag over Giselle’s head before she vanished into the Labyrinth wall— she was knocked unconscious. It made sense. There was no way a level 2’s silly little Skill could take out a beast like that. “We got lucky.”
“Right, the Shrine awaits us ahead,” Leah seemed disappointed for some reason, but concentrated again. She already moved past me. “And— if we run into those two…”
I nodded. Right. Those two were possibly still out there. And somewhere else, the Human blob and his crew were potentially still around as well. We weren’t out of the woods yet, no, not even close. I picked my staff up and followed Leah.
The Labyrinth walls began to shake again, this time more violently than before. A groan wormed its way into my ear, making me search for the source— landing on nearby wooden supports on the verge of snapping. A force yanked me forward. “Watch out!”
I stumbled from the shaking and toppled over, landing on something soft. An avalanche of debris and crumbling walls echoed through the hall as I felt myself being dragged out of the way. The Labyrinth collapsed after that quake, and I promptly spat out a mouthful of dirt. The shadow of an outstretched hand hovered over me.
“T-Thank you,” I said, taking Leah’s hand, and patting myself off.
“We’re together,” she nodded solemnly. “I told you, my promise as a Knight will hold as long as I live.”
“I—“ I suddenly felt like a burden. I turned to face the collapse, hiding my burning face. A wall of boulders, broken bricks, and busted beams towered over us. “Looks like we can’t go back. Maybe that Hunter can’t get through to us now.”
“Onwards to our Mission,” Leah sighed.
She sounded weary or resigned over the blockage, but onwards we went. She was walking cautiously, slower this time, but we carried on quietly. The quakes lessened. After that, I realized she was worn out. Checking her over with my magical sight revealed nothing. Couldn’t even heal her. A mixture of concern and guilt over my uselessness I didn’t know I could feel washed over me. Why did I feel so invested in this fast friend of mine? Maybe I truly was a Healer at heart, after all.
“That… Skill,” I mustered up the courage to speak again. “It seemed more powerful than the last time you used it just then.”
“It is all thanks to the Blessed Lady Emily,” Leah spoke with utmost reverence. I suppressed the urge to gag. Must I accidentally trigger her devout persona whenever I probe for information? “That I inherited her Skill. The Skill all Ravenclast Hunters aspire to have— it’s all mine!” She bowed her head and closed her eyes with a contented smile. “Glory to her, may I bring glory to the Ravenclast name.”
“Yes, yes,” I agreed dryly. Leah didn’t pick up my sarcasm and continued.
“We Hunters— We might be small in comparison to the Main Family, our Skills few, but we are blessed all the same. The more we last, the more we can get used to our Skills. The more we bring, the more glory awaits us back in the world.”
Ah, look at this wonderful girl, Lady Emily, I mused inwardly at that Main Family daughter. So eager to toss yourself into the dumpster fire of your Family’s little pyramid scheme. Yet, I felt inexplicably compelled to help you the best I can!
Leah held her stone pendant out. It was preserved through all of the fighting, reflecting the cold blue light that permeated through this entire Rift. We lined up at the entrance of the Shrine room. Its light made the room heat up, and that electric feeling of foreign magic crawled up my skin again. I strained my ears for a sign of fighting, but only heard strange squishing noises. I turned to face her, only to see her nod silently. That was the signal to enter.
Well, here we go. My stomach did a flip as Leah entered, and I followed. Hopefully, she knows what to do about the Shrine, since the instructions weren’t clear after we reached it. Maybe we could get lucky through all of this again.