Chapter 197: The Real Thing

Chapter 197: The Real Thing

Thats a very nice harpsisword you have there, Lady Marigold noted as the group rode in the carriage.

It was an incredibly large carriage, more spacious and luxurious on the inside than an Earth limousine. What was more, there was a selection of expensive liquors near the nobles seat, along with what appeared to be a belt of metal badges. From what Nil had said, those were opera plays performed by echoes. It was amusing to see that nobles went around with their own collection of songs and movies. One probably cost more than the entire Icepicker guild could make in a week.

I was very lucky to get it, Milady, Dallion replied. Would you like to he hesitated. Would the offer be viewed as a threat?

Dont be so tense. What would an old woman do with a weapon like that? the woman asked, genuinely amused. I take it, you're skilled enough to play it?

Only in the awakened realms, Milady.

Oh, thats a pity. Back when I was a girl, there were real harpsisword operas at the imperial court. The performance would play, sing, dance, and fight all in one with magnificent precision. Nowadays itd be lucky to see a play that has only two of those activities, and even luckier if they do them well.

Dallion swallowed.

Who did you buy it off? I havent seen that type in quite a while.

To be honest, I dont know, Milady. The person who sold it to me disappeared along with his shop a few days after I got it.

There was no need to add details. The more details the more suspicious was Dallion making this seem. Sadly, it seemed that it was already too late. A faint note of curiosity flickered within the noble. Without warning or request, she reached towards the sheathed weapon. Before her fingers could touch it, three of the strings of the harpsisword vibrated.

Lady Marigold instantly stopped.

Protective girl, isnt she? the woman asked.

Apologies, Milady, Vend intervened again. Hes still figuring things out.

For once, the noble didnt have anything to add. Instead, she kept glancing at the weapon for a while longer, before pouring herself a glass of extremely fragrant cherry alcohol.

As far as Dallion could tell, there was no change in the nobles emotions, but he knew that not to be true. She had visibly reacted to the harpsiswords vibrations. Several seconds later, the weapons strings went still.

What happened, Harp? Dallion asked.

I think it would be best if you pretend all that didnt happen, Nil suggested. Just stay quiet and let Vend handle the situation.

But what happened?

Your guardian reacted to a noble.

I think I got that, but why? What would make

Your guardian doesnt accept Lady Marigold as her noble. To simplify it for you, your harpsisword chose you over her.

No one attempted to start a conversation during fifteen minutes it took the carriage to reach the Stone Garden. Once there, Vend was the only one to step out. Holding the ladys hand, he set foot in the garden.

Time to go, Vend said to the rest of the group.

Getting the hint, Veil, Gloria, and Dallion reach out, grabbing hold of his forearm.

AREA AWAKENING

The familiar landscape of stones and pillars surrounded them. For a split second Dallion wondered if he wouldnt see an entirely different aspect of the nobleprobably her, as she was in her thirties, or younger. Anticlimactically, the woman was just as she was before, even to her clothes. No weapons, shields, or pieces of armor were attached to her, almost as if she werent here to fight, but just on a brief vacation.

Playing a chord of calm and warmth, Dallion did a series of cone slashes, attempting to cut a hole through. His hope was that the music would act as a local anaesthetic, preventing the guardian from noticing him meddling with its defences. To his relief, the attempt succeeded.

The blade cut through the outer layer of the mesh with each, then continued the motion, carving a hole further in. Two layers of air disappeared, then three, then four, finally allowing him the space to pass through.

Shield, cocoon me, Dallion whispered as he pulled back his sword, rolling into a ball mid-air.

The shield obeyed on the instant, its dimensions matching the size of the opening.

Lux, give me a push.

Instantly a force shoved Dallion forward. There was no resistance. A second later, the shield returned to its normal stateDallion had gone through the guardians defensive perimeter.

That wasnt exactly part of the plan, was it? Nil said, in a combination of scorn and pride.

It is to a degree. In any event, its close enough.

No red rectangles had appeared, which was goodit meant that the guardian hadnt noticed the breach. All Dallion had to do now was cut off a tendon and

Youve got a problem, Gen said. Look behind you.

Dallion glanced over his shoulder. The hold that he had made moments ago was completely gone. That just made things a whole lot more complicated. It wasnt a matter of Dallion being trappedthe plan didnt involve him surviving either way. What the plan did rely on, though, was there being a way for the noble to reach the guardian for the final kill, and if the defensive mesh could repair itselffor lack of a better wordthat became an impossibility. Worse of all, there was no way to tip Vend and the rest off without attracting the attention of the guardian.

Scenarios started playing out in Dallions mind. Sadly, all of them were pretty much the same. At his level of mind, and under pressure, he couldnt come up with anything worthwhile in that amount of time. The only choice was to go on with the plan.

A targeting marker appeared just above the giants shoulder. Dallion gritted his teeth.

Give me a bust, Lux, he thought. Nox, stay out of sight.

Meow?

Sorry, buddy, but I dont want you to be seen on this one. Ill find you a scratchy toy to play with later.

With a chirp, the firebird landed on Dallions back and propelled him forward. Since it took care of all the navigation, Dallion only had to worry about getting the strike right. Gritting his teeth, he split into two instances. Both reached the spot at the precisely same time and hit the target with one precise chopping strike.

CRITICAL WOUND

Dealt Damage is increased by 200%

ARM SEVERED

Enemy will no longer be able to make use of its LEFT ARM.

The air tendon snapped like a piece of rope, letting boulders crash down to the ground. The guardian roared in pain, grabbing its shoulder with its right arm. As it did, it inadvertently crushed one of Dallions instances out of existence. From this point on, the stakes were real. Dallion didnt have the mental strength to think of more instances.

As expected, the wound had caused the guardians health to drop down to forty percent. From here, even a series of daggers would be enough to finish it off. If Dallion wanted, he could end it all now, with a well-targeted strike to the left legs tendon. Unfortunately, that was out of the question.

The mesh restores itself! Dallion shouted. If its anything more than a cut, it

Before he could finish,two things happened simultaneously. The wind currents around the guardian changed, filing in all gaps as they created the perfect defense. This time, though, it wasnt only the surrounding ones that did. The forces that held rocks together shifted, causing the mountain to crumble to the ground like a pile of rubble. A split second later, they reassembled, creating something completely new.

Stone scorpion! Vend shouted. Everyone, get back! Protect the noble!

Just great, Dallion thought, as Lux kept him in the air. It turned out the guardian really did have a second form.