Chapter 292: Familiar's Assistance

Chapter 292: Familiar's Assistance

Another torrent of leaves hit the peak of the mountain, shaving off chunks of rock. Party members scattered like ants, leaping off the mountain edge, and grabbing hold of the cliff until the wave passed. Everyone else sought shelter behind massive summoned shields. There was no elegance in their actions, they could even be described as cowardly and inefficient, but it was done all with one thing in mind: protect the secret of the partys advantage for as long as possible. It wasnt an easy task, but in the long haul, it was going to produce results.

Two line-strikes hit the massive minion, pushing it back hundreds of feet at a time. The mesh of vines surrounding its body proved too thick to let the attack through, regrowing quickly after each hit. Anyone would be concerned with such an opponent, but for some reason, March was happy. Dallions music skills let him see the grain of joy that appeared in her head; it wasnt much, but the first time he had seen anything of the sort.

Stay down! Euryale pulled Dallion back down behind the protection of the cliff edge. Its too early to have a death wish.

I dont have a death wish, Dallion thought. All he had was a cats curiosity.

I leave you for a few days and you still manage to get in trouble, the gorgon joked.

In typical fashion, she hadnt displayed any shock or concern at the sight of him being targeted by the guardians minion. Dallion didnt know much about gorgons, but from what he had seen and heard their emotional attachments were different from those of people: they were much faster to form emotional attachments to things they liked, while also not worrying overly much when they were in danger. In fact, the only time that Dallion had seen Eury really worried about him was when she had learned he was dealing with chainlings or the overseer.

Im getting better at it, Dallion smiled, earning him a punch in the shoulder. Shouldnt we do any fighting, by the way?

No, thats Marchs show. A few of the gorgons snakes stretched up, so as to get a better view of the fight. Shes been hoping it will happen for a while.

Oh. Dallion frowned. Using me as bait again

Not that part. She was hoping the guardian would attack her. Thats why she kept leaving the party, so she gave it the chance to act. Her, or me.

You? Dallion blinked.

What do you think a scout does in realm expeditions? Theres more to getting info than making maps and observing. The whole point is putting myself out there so the guardians tip their hand.

More blasts echoed in the sky. Someone was using a crossbow again, with limited results. Shortly after, a few more party members joined the rest, holding on to the cliff. Interestingly enough, Vend wasnt there, and neither was Agnii.

Just as Dallion was thinking of taking another peek, Euryale put her hand on his shoulder.Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m

Not yet, she whispered. Wait till the guardian falls.

Will you remain here till then?

There was no answer.

Whats the big deal with the minion, anyway? Its tough, but its just a minion. That said, it was also true that the guardian did massive area damage, putting even a group at risk.

Not quite. Eurys snakes moved about, looking in all directions. There were too many other people nearby to be sure that even a whisper would remain unheard. Grains of hesitation appeared throughout her face. Its not a minion, she whispered, moving closer to Dallion until her lips were almost touching his ear. Its a familiar.

In that instant Dallion froze. With all of Nils talk of familiars being rare, he had never considered such a possibility. While he knew he wasnt the only person with one, on some level, he believed himself to be the only person in the city. If anything, he hadnt seen any other minion up to this point. Of course, it was possible that those who had them were simply less reckless than him, hiding their advantage until they really needed it.

Shield, is that true?

Id say yes, the companion shield said. You must get close to it to know for sure, but looks like it.

Is that why the creature is unknown? Nil asked. The echo sounded more intrigued that Dallion had heard him in a while. It existed during the dryad era of dominance?

The armadil shield didnt respond, as if he hadnt heard the question. Apparently, limitations held not only for Dallion, but for other echoes as well.

Of course, Dallion thought. Its plan wasnt to kill off the group, but to keep them from progressing. Meanwhile, the constant echo attacks from the guardian would further grind them down until the party ran out of food or suffered enough casualties and was forced to retreat.

Change of plans, Dallion thought. Shield, get ready to cocoon me if something happens.

Here we go again, the armadil shield said, amused.

Ignoring shouts and warnings, Dallion pulled himself onto the summit, then rushed to where March was. As expected, it took everyone less than a second to notice. What he didnt expect was March ending up next to him in the blink of an eye.

I can get rid of the minion, he instantly said, overcoming his surprise. Without anyone getting hurt.

Dal, you idiot! Eury shouted. She too was dashing towards him, though nowhere as fast as March had been.

I only need your tower shield, Dallion insisted. Trust me on this.

Telling a captain, and an imperial army veteran, to trust him wasnt the most convincing argument Dallion could make. There probably were a lot of other approaches he could have taken, some involving persuasion from his music skills. However, there was no need for that right now. Dallion felt a deep conviction in what he was going to do, and wasnt going to let it slip through his fingers.

In Dallions mind, time stopped. He was imaging Marchs reactions, coming up with explanations and assurances to convince her he was right.

A massive shield appeared between March and Dallion. It was far bigger than he imagineda solid chunk of metal that extended seven feet high and three feet wide.

Go ahead, March said, moving the shield to the side as if it were made of plastic.

Lux, get the shield and crash into the side of the minion! Dallion ordered without wasting a moment.

The firebirds flames moved from March to the shield. A blinding flash followed, propelling the shield into the sky. It was fast, far faster than even March could handle. No longer afraid of harming anyone, the firebird gave it its all. Without warning, the shield crashed against the minions protective mesh, pushing it several dozen feet back.

Now, fly it back to the start temple! Dallion thought. And make sure to

The whale disappeared from the sky.

you bring the shield back, Dallion finished. Or maybe not

It wasnt like the shield was necessary, after all. This was a world, so March could summon it again at any point. Still, it would have been more impressive if Lux had returned the shield as well.

Explain, March said, looking at the sky. She wasnt the only one. Several more of awakened were staring in the air. Euryale was the only exception, but she always looked in every direction, so it didnt count.

The minion was only trying to delay us, so I did the same, Dallion said. Lux can act as he paused. Explaining propulsion principles in this world wasnt the best idea. Lux can move things from place to place really fast. I wont be able to use this trick again, but you wont need me to. At least this guardian will think twice before sending it to stop you.

That was remarkably sensible, dear boy, Nil said. Its always a pleasure seeing you mature.

Dallion didnt mind the compliment, although he would have preferred that Nil acknowledged the fact that he wasnt a child.

Youll still have to take care of the guardian, but now youll lose less time.

Interesting. March said. Everyone, prep up! Were heading for the temple! She ordered. Leave everything behind. Well get it when were done.

A flaming tower shield appeared in the sky above them. Seeing it, March unsummoned the gear, leaving a somewhat confused firebird in its place.

Start healing, Lux, Dallion thought. We dont have much time.