Chapter 49: Lit By a Flame – Part 1

Chapter 49: Lit By a Flame – Part 1

There are four men and two women in two groups, both sprinting towards us. They are dressed in the same "ninja"-like black clothes as the invisible assassins that Darean hired.

"Get up! Something is happening!" I yell.

"Whaa... Wolf-..." Roxanne complains in her cutesy voice.

"GET UP!" I yell and no more complaints are raised. The girls immediately notice the seriousness of the situation.

We sleep in our leather armor, so we only have to make some minor adjustments and help Hana put on her metal armor.

While the others prepare themselves, I store the golems inside my "Items" and dart out of the tent.

"Someone's coming!" I yell.

I dart straight to Rande's carriage and burst it open. I see Osaria, Rande, Oura, and Nito all cuddling together naked in a sight very familiar to the one I wake up to everyday. I immediately turn around and yell, "Someone's coming! It's suspicious! Get ready for an ambush!"

I hear them all scramble and I close the door.

Next, I approach the nobles' carriage. There's a guard in front, but even without him, I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. I warn the guard, who turns around and knocks, then yells my information.

The girls start to come out of the tent, so I store it in my "Items."

The gigantic tree to the west of us has a double-helix pattern, just like DNA, which makes for a perfect overlook.

I cast [Telekinesis] on myself and jump. With a few adjustments, I land on the tree a good two dozen meters up. I pull out Ted, Suzy, the crossbows, bolts, and the rest of the rocks.

"Listen to this order. Use these weapons and attack anyone that does not belong to this caravan when I yell 'golems, attack!', understood?" They nod. "Also, try to focus your attacks on the person that I point at after I yell 'golems, focus!', understood?" They nod again.

"Remember: pretend to be normal, unmoving dolls in case someone tries to come up here." With this last point, I jump down from the tree and land in front of the girls.

Rande comes out of the carriage, Oura and Nito trailing behind and hurriedly putting his scale armor on him.

Lord Ricardo bursts out of his carriage with a servant behind him, desperately trying to tie his glossy wooden armor to his body.

"Ryder, report," Ricardo orders.

"Six people, fully clad in dark cloth, are silently sprinting towards us in complete darkness."

"How far?"

"A minute or so before they reach us."

"Then we meet them before they can do anything."

I nod in agreement, but then I freeze. The approaching ninjas suddenly stop and a familiar black circle appears in front of them. A dozen men in metal armor, mages in robes, and archers in leather emerge from each circle.

"Fuck! They just used [Gate] to teleport actual soldiers! From two sides!" I point to the two directions perpendicular to the road.

"Pincer?" Rande asks.

"Yes!"

"We have to split up."

"I can take care of a side on my own, so Rande, Anton, and the nobles can take care of the other side. Split the foot soldiers between us," I say.

"Weeper's nightmare, boy, can you really fight obviously trained soldiers on your own?" Lord Ricardo asks with a glare.

Rande turns to Ricardo and scowls. "He's reliable, I trust him."

Rande's opinion is regarded highly, because after a single glare towards Rande, Ricardo accepts our arrangement. "Fine," he grunts. "I'll send the horsemen away to attack them from behind."

He pulls out an Emergency Ring and approaches his two horsemen, who are getting ready to fight. He gives the Ring to one of them. Then they gallop west, down the road.

Coming towards us are ten spear/sword and shield soldiers, one greatsword user, five mages, four archers. On each side.

We have only ten foot soldiers and a few inexperienced Space mages for each side.

After I tell them the numbers, we all nod solemnly and continue our preparations.

I approach the girls and get close to Klein. "This is the first secret, don't ever tell anyone what I'm about to do," I whisper and she nods glumly.

"Become stronger," I say in the [Godly Language].

Her eyes bulge as her muscles get slightly bigger.

Gify turns on his "massage" and our minds are briefly linked, making each of our hearts burn bright with determination to protect one another.

"Wo-wo-wo-wow!" Klein staggers as she's also included in the link.

"Roxanne, elixirs," I order.

She pulls out one for each of us and we all drink it.

I feel so strong that I believe that I could split a rock with a single slash. This overconfidence is a bad sign; maybe I should have used the [Godly Language] differently.

There's no time for regret. Fortune favors the bold. Fear is the mind-killer. Hesitation is the kiss of death.

I look at Ciel. "[Wind Shield]?"

She activates it for a moment and my view of her becomes blurry. "Ready."

"Good work, Lina."

The little dwarf nods with confidence.

"Aoi, with me, I have a plan." She gives me a toothy smile and jumps up onto my shoulder.

"Alissa, if you get me behind their shields, I can blow them all up," Roxanne says, her eyes have a special glint to them.

"Can't you use [Heart of Fire]?" Alissa asks.

"That would be dangerous to chant in front of the enemy, and I would also be left vulnerable when I land."

"Hop on," Alissa says and changes into a large fox. Roxanne awkwardly mounts Alissa, but maintains her resolve. They dart off to the east, dashing down the road.

We pull out a variety of barricades, which will allow our archers and mages to have some cover that they can switch between. Klein and Laertes stay on top of Rande's carriage, which is reinforced to last through a battle. A sacrificial wagon shields their backs so they won't get shot from the north.

The civilians and the rest of the wagons are taken to the inside of the double-helix tree. I think the elves make them hollow specifically for situations like this.

We face the north and a wagon covers our backs. Rande's carriage is south of that, with Klein and Laertes on top. Ricardo and the others are beyond the carriage to south. To the west, the gigantic tree covers our flank, but our eastern flank is left exposed.

I leave only two Hollys summoned; I need the mana for my spells.

Our magic growth seems to have slowed down as we trained with Kyros' MP training routine, but after we left Rabanara, it stagnated completely since we didn't have enough time to do it at all.

My MP increased by 480 (now 1650) and my "Magic Power" increased by 240 (now 680).

Alissa's MP increased by 405 (now 980) and her "Magic Power" increased by 210 (now 480). She trains the same amount as me, but her affinity with magic seems to be lower than mine.

Roxanne's MP increased by 720 (now 2630) and her "Magic Power" increased by 400 (now 1090). She is the only one of us who did some regular MP training after we left Rabanara.

Hana's MP increased by 310 (now 825) and her "Magic Power" increased by 180 (now 385). Even less growth than Alissa due to her focus on maintaining her sword skills for this job.

Ciel's MP increased by 505 (now 1685) and her "Magic Power" increased by 300 (now 700). She's had more opportunities to fully spend her mana with [Heal], so she experienced better growth.

Lina's MP increased by 430 (now 1100) and her "Magic Power" increased by 220 (now 495). She's working hard on her enchanting, so her MP grew more than normal.

My skills and the girls' are like this:

(There's a new section called "Extra Spells").

SpoilerWolf Ryder Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use12+9Dodge4+5Parry4+5Block1+8Shield Bash0+1Battlefield Perception1+1Muscle Explosion1+1Ekrano Style (creator)1 MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana0+6Mana Control0+14Mana Recovery6+0Mana Efficiency0+7Reduced Mana Cost0+7Mana Overuse Resistance0+3Fire Magic0+4Earth Magic0+3Water Magic0+1Wind Magic0+2Electric Magic6+14Light Magic2+8Space Magic7+23Summoning Magic13+24Blessing Magic8+22Nature Magic3+17Conjuring Magic0+1Spirit Magic0+1Illusion Magic0+2Golemancy0+9Redirect Mana (creator)3Sense Soul (creator)4Godly Language30+0 MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelCooking0+4Andraste Language4+6Dismantling0+4Massage0+1Enhanced Semen Recharge0+9 Personal InformationNameWolf RyderAge16RaceHumanHP100MP1650Magic Power680Level24 StatsStrength11Endurance13Dexterity11Speed12Intelligence21Wisdom16Willpower17Charisma12Piety15Perception16Sanity11+4 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesnickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of RabanaraAffiliationsHelios (Fellowship), Alissa (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Hanafuria (Blood Slave, Fiancee), Roxanne Succubus (Fiancee), Lina (Slave/fiancee), Ciel (Fiancee)CompanionsAlissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, LinaCrimesNONEAlissa Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use9Bow Use28Parry4Dodge2Sense Presence6Hide Presence4Enhanced Olfact5Enhanced Hearing3Hawk Eyes4Muscle Explosion2Quiet Steps4Quiet Action2Enhanced Stamina1Enhanced Reflexes4+1Tracking2MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control3Fire Magic1Light Magic1Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic4+6Fox Transformation (innate)5MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework3Cooking4Cleaning2Washing5Riding2Oral Technique4Pain Resistance2Hand Technique2Personal InformationNameAlissaAge16RaceFox-Type WereanimalHP100MP980Magic Power480Level31 StatsStrength12Endurance18Dexterity22Speed20Intelligence12Wisdom14Willpower16Charisma13Piety15Perception17Sanity15 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesBlessing from the Goddess of Love, Blinding ArrowsAffiliationsWolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)CompanionsWolf Ryder, Roxanne Succubus, Hanafuria, Ciel, LinaCrimesNONEExtra SpellsGhost Lights (instant), Double Image (instant), Ignorance (instant), Loosen (instant enchantment)Roxanne Succubus Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelDagger Use2MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana3Mana Control27Reduced Mana Cost3Mana Efficiency9Mana Overuse Resistance1Fire Magic25Water Magic4+23Light Magic1Space Magic8Conjuring Magic5Alchemy3Potion Brewing11Poison Brewing2Redirect Mana1MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework1Cooking1Cleaning1Washing1Riding1Personal InformationNameRoxanne SuccubusAge21RaceSuccubus-Type DemonHP100MP2630Magic Power1090Level34 StatsStrength9Endurance9Dexterity12Speed9Intelligence18Wisdom18Willpower14Charisma15Piety10Perception11Sanity12 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesNONEAffiliationsWolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (fellowship)CompanionsWolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Ciel, LinaCrimesNONEExtra SpellsExplosion (instant), Melt Skin (instant), Ice Lance (slightly weakened/instant), Heart of FireHanafuria Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSword Use20Spear Use14Bow Use9Two-Handed Sword Use9Polearm Use6Dagger Use4Shield Bash6Block8Parry6Dodge4Tatesomu Style5Muscle Explosion4Battlefield Perception2Taunt3Intimidate2Enhanced Reflexes2Enhanced Stamina4Enhanced Strength2Enhanced Endurance4MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control1Fire Magic1Earth Magic1Light Magic1Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1Illusion Magic4MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHousework2Cooking1Cleaning1Washing1Riding3Massage1Pain Conversion1Dismantling4Oral Technique1Fire Breath (innate)5Summon Wings (innate)3Personal InformationNameHanafuriaAge24RaceFire-Type DragonkinHP150MP825Magic Power385Level37 StatsStrength19Endurance24Dexterity10Speed13Intelligence11Wisdom12Willpower19Charisma16Piety11Perception10Sanity17 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesNONEAffiliationsWolf Ryder (fiance), Blood Slave (Owner: Wolf Ryder), Helios (Fellowship)CompanionsWolf Ryder, Alissa, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, LinaCrimesNONEExtra SpellsDouble Strike (instant enchantment), Double Image (instant), Wind Shield (instant enchantment)Ciel Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelGlaive Use15Sword Use5Parry8Dodge6Block4Imperial Hasterrum Style2Muscle Explosion2Battlefield Perception1MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana2Mana Control6Reduced Mana Cost1Mana Efficiency4Wind Magic2+17Fire Magic1Light Magic26Space Magic3Conjuring Magic1Diagnosis7Redirect Mana1MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelFirst-Aid3Housework3Cooking2Cleaning2Washing1Riding1Washing1Riding3Massage1Personal InformationNameCielAge21RaceHumanHP100MP1685Magic Power700Level33 StatsStrength14Endurance13Dexterity17Speed18Intelligence15Wisdom19Willpower14Charisma17Piety21Perception13Sanity19 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesNONEAffiliationsWolf Ryder (fiance), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)CompanionsWolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, LinaCrimesNONEExtra SpellsWind Storm (slightly weakened/instant), Judgment (weakened), Holy Spirit, Wind Shield (instant enchantment)Lina Skill ReportPhysicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelHammer Use10Axe Use4Throw2+2Parry2+5Dodge2+4Block1+6Muscle Explosion2Shield Bash1Battlefield Perception2Dwarven Pride Style2Enhanced Speed5+0MagicalSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSense Mana1Mana Control5Mana Efficiency1Fire Magic1Earth Magic3+7Light Magic1Space Magic1Conjuring Magic1General Enchanting9Magic Tool Carving1MiscellaneousSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelSkill NameLevelGeneral Blacksmithing4Sewing4Housework1Cleaning2Washing1Math4Riding1Stonebody (innate)4Personal InfoNameLinaAge15RaceDwarfHP100MP1100Magic Power495Level24 StatsStrength8Endurance8Dexterity13Speed12Intelligence16Wisdom13Willpower17Charisma10Piety12Perception14Sanity12 OtherStatus EffectsNONETitlesNONEAffiliationsWolf Ryder (master, fiance), Helios (Fellowship)CompanionsWolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, CielCrimesNONEExtra SpellsManipulate Metal, Double Strike (instant enchantment)[collapse]

Everyone's [Earth Bullet] hits like a truck now.

Alissa prefers having more points in [Enhanced Reflexes] instead of [Bow Use] because it has better cost-effectiveness. Too much [Bow Use] is useless if you don't have the stats to use the increased skill with the bow.

Lina prefers [Enhanced Speed] so she can keep up with Hana's repositioning and support her better.

Flaming ghosts with cute round eyes appear floating beside the shoulders of the enemy mages.

"Fire mages! Get ready for Fire mages!" I yell.

Suddenly, all twenty men turn into balls of fire and rush towards us at frightening speeds.

"[HEART OF FIRE]! GET WATER MAGIC READY!" I bellow.

I split the ten nervous foot soldiers in two groups, five covering each of our sides. Four mages lower themselves behind the barricades and start to pray, erm, chant.

In the next moment, the balls of fire appear from behind the gigantic trees in the distance, from both the north and the south.

"[Inspire]!" Ciel casts the spell and we all feel courage filling our hearts and spreading through our blood.

That'll have to be enough. There's no time for speeches or calming the men. I barely even had enough time to fasten my armor.

"RELEASE WATER MAGIC!" I hear Lord Ricardo yell.

"What about the other enemies?"

"Aoi got them and the Aberrant is clearing out the line."

"Aberrant..." She grimaces, then grabs my hand and holds it on her burning skin. "Do it."

I cast another [Heal] and feel my mana drop to dangerously low levels.

"Roxanne?" I turn to her and ask.

"Okay..." She mutters weakly. "I can fight..."

"Go!" I yell to Alissa.

While grimacing heavily, she grabs Roxanne and gives her a piggy-back ride. Then she turns into a fox and dashes away with Roxanne sitting perfectly on her back.

"Ignore me and continue fighting," I tell Aoi through [Bind].

"What?!"

"Trust me."

"Okay!"

That was easy.

There's only three remaining metal soldiers on our side now, so I unsummon the Aberrant and cast [Heal] on myself. The growing pain in my side nearly disappears, but the overuse stacks up again and I lose my hearing.

Suddenly, a ball of fire impacts the overlook where Ted and Suzy are. The two dolls are playing dead while the mage searches the area for the pesky sharpshooter.

Frustrated at finding nothing, he throws a [Fireball] at the crossbows, blowing them all up and throwing Ted and Suzy off the overlook.

He turns around and starts chanting something I have never heard before. Something... evil.

Chants aren't supposed to be chilling, but "hellfire" is the least horrible word he's using.

The mana all over the battlefield goes wild. The soldiers on our side, who were doing a short cheer, suddenly stop. Even the side of the nobles, who are in a difficult battle, stop completely.

All of our mages desperately try to undo the spell, but we are all too far away and the mage is too powerful.

You know what? FUCK YOU!

I sit down and concentrate. I spread my soul far and reach towards the maelstrom of mana that's forming above our camp.

Redirecting mana to myself involves "willing" it to come to me, but what if I will it to do something else? Wait... isn't that like casting a spell? Instead of casting where my body is, I can try to cast it where a part of my soul is.

I have no time left to test this, so the brute-force method it is.

I completely wrap my soul over the maelstrom. I see Roxanne chanting [Heart of Fire], but she'll put herself in a dangerous position if she charges at that mage. Hana is catching her breath, I have to finish this before she tries to attack.

Stop this! I don't want you, I don't need you, you should go away! This mana is a tainted, filthy, disgusting piece of shit! I hate you, I wish you death, I wish you pestilence, I wish you chaos, I wish you pain, I wish you cold, I wish you darkness, I wish you to go to hell!

"And I'm fee~ling good!"

The hit drops and the music gives me goosebumps.

"Ahahahah!" I laugh and fall on my ass.

A bright pink fairy slaps the baddie mage on the cheek with such strength that she rips his jaw off and twists his neck. Then he's sent flying off the overlook.

The wood turns to sand and a huge hole opens up in one side of the helix tree.

The fat man burps towards the sky and lights his own gas on fire. It shoots up fast and reaches the leaves of the trees. The fire quickly consumes the branches, making it rain flaming leaves, which then burn slower. But fire consumes everything, so the flaming rain changes midway into flaming snow.

The men down below yell in pain as the flaming snow lightly sears their skin and immediately fizzles out, leaving a wet welt on each spot. The commoners panic as the double helix tree creaks and buckles, but doesn't come crashing down. The children laugh as the leprechauns all come out of the holes in the tree to gasp and faint in surprise at what has been done to their home.

"Oh no! Don't laugh! Poor lepries!" I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand.

The adorable woodland creatures rush to the battlefield and swarm over the evil men. Their cute, serrated pincers inject venom into the blood of those who dare to struggle.

As fast as it came, the bent reality warps back into its normal shape and the battlefield turns to a standstill again.

"FUCK THAT! I STILL GOT DICKS TO CASTRATE!" Hana taunts while raging and flies towards the front line on the nobles' side. The battle quickly resumes after that.

Wait, what the fuck just happened?

Gih.

Fuck me, did I almost break reality?

Gih.

Raw mana manipulation is really dangerous...

Gih!

Okay, sorry, I...

Anger flares again as a Holly notices a group of fifteen horsemen galloping down the road from the east. They are carrying lances and seem to be armed for battle.

For fuck's sake!

I crawl out from my cover and tumble my way towards the road.

"Alissa, get Roxanne to pull out the flaming oil flasks and bring Lina with you. More enemies are coming from the east," I say through [Bind].

"Understood!"

"And come find me."

A horrible headache starts to pound in my skull. I grit my teeth and let the anger flow through me.

You are all still underestimating me, which is good, but still so damn frustrating.

Alissa appears beside me with Roxanne, who is recovering from her stupor, and Lina on top of her. Roxanne clinks the dangerous flasks and giggles evilly.

We hear the trotting of the horses and soon they appear down the road. The still living metal soldiers on the other side cheer at the sight of them.

Through Alissa's ears, I hear her ask, "What are you going to do?" She seems slightly nervous about my deteriorating mental state.

"Fuck them the only way they deserve."

I can't see, so I cast a very long and wide [Warp Space] where I think they are going to pass through and hold it there. I force the space to be very deep, which makes the rest of my mana rapidly empty out of my body.

Meh, I have enough left.

I unsummon one Holly and exactly what I wanted happens: the horses enter the area of my [Warp Space] and their hooves desperately try to find the ground, only to suddenly discover it when they finally accepted that they were falling into a hole. This makes the first horses immediately crash to the ground, which causes the ones behind them crash onto the first, and a domino effect ensues. Those who try to avoid it and move to the sides, also fall into the warped space and crash on the ground, too.

Once they are all down, I finally dispel the warped space.

"I can't see, so you'll have to do it, Lina."

Roxanne giggles evilly and gives the flasks to my adorable little girl. Mana courses through Lina's body and she hurls the flasks. They perfectly hit the horsemen and splash most of them with the sticky, highly flammable, oil.

After one last giggle, Roxanne casts a spell.

"[Fire Storm]."

Announcement

Hall of Fame of Patrons.

The patrons who support Rupegia shall have their names sung by the bards for they deserve the glory and honor. Their names are:

Oracle Maximillian Hübner.

Prince Bradly.

Lord Andrew Meyers.

Lord Hope.

Lord Samuel Lim.

Lord Cody Weigel.

Lord Bill.

Lord Novgarod.

Lord DJ.

Lord Ashadun.

Noble Salty Panda.

Nobleman Lassiter.

Noble D4rk Sheep.