Chapter 621 Terror of Krahen Keep

‘ding’ ‘You have heard the wail of a powerful creature – You resist its effects’

Ilea put her remaining stats into Intelligence and Wisdom, preparing herself for battle.

“That didn’t sound right,” Kyrian said as the group joined him on the lower floor.

“It is beyond these doors,” Neiphato said.

Ilea walked ahead and pushed the gates open.

An expansive cavern spread out beyond, water dripping from the high ceiling. Hundreds of Taleen machines littered the ground. The pieces that remained. The craters suggested not just Centurions had fought here but Praetorians too.

More bones were mixed in between, rubble and rusted armor remaining from whoever had fought here.

Amidst the long forgotten battlefield moved a single creature, as large as a Praetorian. Four legs carried the main body, one with a human foot, another with hooves. A flesh like torso grew from the main body, two large arms extending outwards. A goat like head sprouted from the being’s shoulders, two horns reaching upward, one eye squashed and the other a milky white color. It dragged a heavy mace over the ground, shoving around the steel and bones.

Its whole body showed seams amidst the chunks of flesh, rusted chains fixed to its legs flickering with golden magic light as it shuffled over the floor.

It wailed once more, suddenly slamming the mace down onto the remains of a Taleen machine.

[Terror of Krahen Keep – lvl ????] - [Frenzied]

Didn’t have to tell me that, Ilea thought, whispering to her group. “I’ll attack and you guys stay at a distance. Is it alright for you all if I kill it alone?” she said.

“If you can,” Kyrian said, his flails floating close to him.

The Elves hissed, both approving.

“Join in if I become incapacitated but don’t overextend. It’s not far above one thousand,” Ilea informed them. “Retreat if you are wounded badly, I’ll try to keep its attention on me.”

“Good luck,” Kyrian said.

Ilea grinned, looking at the flesh abomination as she walked towards it.

The Terror stopped moving, turning her way before it wailed, spittle and blood flying her way before it rushed forward. The chains ripped instantly, the old magic not enough to hold it back any longer.

Ilea barely managed to blink out of its way, the massive being moving through the cavern with booming steps.

It rushed her the moment she appeared again, its mace flying past as she dodged backwards, forced to displace herself when the monster brought the weapon around with incredible speed.

She didn’t think it was time magic, nor was it anything like the Noro, where momentum hadn’t seemed to apply. No, this creature used body enhancement spells, powerful enough that the massive mace became something akin to a rapier, its expansive form not holding it back in the slightest.

Ilea tried getting close, charging heat as she spread white flame onto the large creature. She was forced to dodge again when her leg got chipped by the mace.

The single moment of imbalance let the Terror strike her directly, displacement activating just before the weapon came down on her.

__________________________________

“I don’t think she can handle that,” Kyrian said, Ilea dodging past thirty attacks in the time he said the sentence, occasionally getting hit by the monster’s weapon. It moved around like a beast one hundredth of its size, its attacks flailing and unpredictable.

“It probably can’t fly, let’s go higher. Prepare that circle you used before. Neiphato, try to slow it down,” Feyrair said as his wings spread.

The cavern was somewhat high. Enough that they could stay at a relatively safe distance. Kyrian watched Ilea appear when the mace crashed against her head, one of the spikes digging into her skull.

Fuck.

He sent his flails at the creature, the Terror bringing its mace down on the ground, landing four direct strikes onto the incapacitated Ilea. Her ash and body were squashed and destroyed, her organs flung aside, nothing recognizable remaining.

“Focus, she’s fine,” Feyrair said, turning into his dragon form as he charged his flame attack.

The fires came down, the Terror jumping to the side before it looked up, jumping with enough force to reach Feyrair in mid air, Kyrian’s maces failing to reach it in time.

The elf blocked the first attack before his massive arm was snapped aside, his head deformed and reduced to pulp with the next hit.

Kyrian made his flails explode into thousands of needles, the storm rushing at the massive being now falling towards the ground, Feyrair returning to his Elven form.

He was about to go for the elf when he saw the body vanish, appearing close to Neiphato who hovered further away.

“Heal him!” Ilea called out, fully recovered as she hung from the monster’s back, her ashen limbs digging into it as it flailed and tried to hit her.

_______________________________

How dare you, she thought, displacing herself when the mace came for her head again. Burning ashen lances shot at the creature, digging into its flesh as it wailed. Her attacks injured it, but the Terror didn’t stop, it came at her with the same momentum as it had before.

She started teleporting higher distances, spreading her ash into the air before she set it all alight, the white flames clinging to large parts of the monster’s body. For now she needed to stall for time. Getting close might not be possible as she was now, but if the others could use their magic, they might stand a chance.

The storm of needles was a good start, thousands of them digging into the creature’s flesh and spreading Kyrian’s curse into it. So far it had no discernible effect but she knew it simply took more time.

When she saw the wounds from her spears heal entirely, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Focus, keep on it, she thought, a beam of fire burning into the monster’s side a moment later, making it stagger. Feyrair was back up.

Roots broke out of the floor, failing to grab the jumping creature, its ascent allowing everyone to send their ranged attacks at it.

Ilea appeared close by and used Heart of Cinder, the beam of fire enveloping the goat like head, melting its skin before it started regenerating again.

Healers really are the worst, she thought, watching the being land before bright green runes lit up on the floor, a beam of cursed energy rushing up towards the ceiling.

The Terror wailed and staggered back, Ilea’s ash and fire crashing into it with white beams singeing its legs all the while.

Wooden roots snaked around its legs, ripped away with an angry stomp.

It rushed away, focused once more on Ilea. But the curse was starting to take a toll.

She dodged the mace more easily, three of her ashen limbs cutting its arm as it passed before she was forced to displace herself again.

Ilea used monster hunter when the Terror turned to face Kyrian’s floating form. It hesitated for a moment before jumping at the curse mage anyway.

Motherfucker.

Kyrian waited for the last moment and vanished, appearing on the other side of the cavern. His mist of needles had cleared most of the bones and metal from the ground, several circles already drawn. One of them activated as the Terror came down, the creature stumbling to the side as it tried to avoid the powerful magic.

Feyrair used the moment to change into his larger form, his breath attack enveloping the monster before he turned back and vanished, the Terror flailing before it hit the wall, trying to put out the fires.

Ilea didn’t waste the opportunity either, rushing past the moving roots grasping the creature from below before her limbs pushed all the mana she could muster into the massive body.

She could see the needles dig into its flesh as a hundred of them drew a runic circle below its very feet. This time the wood held for a mere second, the curse flaring up a moment later.

Ilea remained in the energy, her resistance and healing counteracting the effects as she continued to let her ash do its work, her fists delivering Absolute Destruction against the wailing monster.

It finally jumped out again, its mace rushing past Ilea’s head as she dodged backwards and pressed on, steel needles flying next to her before a fiery beam flashed past, searing the monster’s injured side.

The tides had turned in the span of about eight seconds, the creature now flailing its mace around in an imprecise manner, Ilea moving past as she continued her assault, blinking around the creature as she focused on its leg joints, her punches hitting hard before she teleported to the other side, the monster considerably slowed.

Wooden roots flowed around its legs when Ilea’s fist broke through, the joint on one of its knees snapping. An instant later, bright flames roared in from above, Feyrair back to his dragon form.

She jumped away, avoiding a blow to her side as her ash continued to cut into the monster, another curse circle finishing in that instant.

Come on, Ilea thought, releasing Heart of Cinder once more.

The Terror fell forward, its legs twitching as it tried to stand up, its back scorched by fires, sides cut apart by ash, its whole body riddled by steel needles filling it with a destructive curse.

Ilea watched as wooden roots started to envelope the lower part of the being, digging into wounds to keep it in place.

It flailed around, its mace hitting the growing wood as its body burnt.

Ilea displaced herself onto its head and started slamming her fists into its skull, the spells of her allies supplying her with more mana.

Feyrair’s flames subsided, the elf turning back before he floated away, breathing hard as he hissed.

She would soon be out too, the enemy not supplying her with sufficient mana to keep up an all out attack. Her fires kept burning, the spell only requiring health, the ability slowing down the beast’s regeneration.

A last punch cracked the monster’s fragile skull, its whole body going limp. “Kyrian, how long can you keep this up?!”

His circle subsided. “Takes most of my metal to keep it slowed!”

Fuck, Ilea thought, her limbs trying to cut into the creature’s opened skull, the flesh regenerating faster than she could get there. “Fuck the needles, take its head!”

Kyrian appeared behind her, all the needles moving out of the monster’s body before they flowed to the man, forming a horizontal wedge in front of him, his armor thickened as mana gathered around him.

Ilea grabbed onto monster’s horns with her ashen limbs, jumping down before she pulled.

Its neck was exposed, Kyrian’s form vanishing in the same instant, a splatter of blood, bits, and metal exploding outwards when he flashed through its head. He crashed into the stone wall behind.

Ilea moved her wings, spreading ash over the whole of its body, white flame erupting in the same moment.

A stream of flame joined in form above, stripping flesh from bone with each passing moment.

She glanced back to see Kyrian standing up, six flails forming from the chunks of his deformed armor. He floated up as he began to twirl all the chains, blood dripping from his brow. His weapons slammed down into the body, crushing flesh and bone alike. He left them sitting there, activating the circle again.

Ilea pushed her remaining mana into the creature, Destruction and Storm of Cinders flaring up dozens of times as she focused fully on the offensive, each pulse rupturing through the monster’s insides.

She jumped up when she only had a few hundred mana left, into the curse and fires. Her hands grabbed onto the exposed and charred spine of the creature, ashen limbs flowing around to further secure it. A few thousand health went into her aura before she pulled with everything she had.

With a series of cracks, a chunk of its spine ripped out. Ilea tossed the piece aside and flew straight into the open wound, her ash wreaking havoc before Heart of Cinder flashed out in a sphere, burning through flesh and bone alike.

She displaced herself out of the creature and her friends’ spells before she fell down to one knee, breathing hard as she focused on her regeneration.

Feyrair continued breathing his flames, the curse circle remaining active while wood dug deeper into the Terror from all sides until the flesh finally stopped regenerating.

A ding resounded within her mind, followed by many more as she fell backwards onto the bloodied ground.

“Are you alright?” Kyrian asked as he landed next to her, looking down at the healer. “Oh. Congratulations,” he added with a chuckle, turning back to the monster. “Take your time, we’ll destroy the remains. Wouldn’t be surprised if it got back up.”

Ilea slowed her breathing, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore the horrible smells around her. Ash spread out and pushed away any blood and guts in the immediate vicinity. She deliberately sat up, crossing her legs as she watched the Terror’s remains burning away, Kyrian congratulating Neiphato, the wood magic elf sitting on the ground as well.

She looked at the messages before Feyrair could ruin the moment, brushing the sweat away from her brow with moving ash.

‘ding’ ‘Your group has defeated [Terror of Krahen Keep – lvl 1098]’

‘ding’ ‘The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 498 – Five stat points awarded’

‘ding’ ‘The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 499 – Five stat points awarded’

‘ding’ ‘The Azarinth Sentinel has reached lvl 500 – Five stat points awarded – One Core skill point awarded’

‘ding’ ‘Kin of Ash has reached lvl 491 – Five stat points awarded’

‘ding’ ‘Kin of Ash has reached lvl 492 – Five stat points awarded’

‘ding’ ‘Kin of Ash has reached lvl 493 – Five stat points awarded’

‘ding’ ‘The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 452 – One stat point awarded’

...

‘ding’ ‘The Faen Valkyrie has reached lvl 456 – One stat point awarded’

‘ding’ ‘Flare of Creation reaches 3rd lvl 27’

‘ding’ ‘Displacement reaches 3rd lvl 23’

‘ding’ ‘Space Shift reaches 3rd lvl 19’

‘ding’ ‘Body of the Valkyrie reaches 3rd lvl 24’

‘ding’ ‘Deviant of Humanity reaches 3rd lvl 6’

‘ding’ ‘Deviant of Humanity reaches 3rd lvl 7’

‘ding’ ‘Deviant of Humanity reaches 3rd lvl 8’

‘ding’ ‘Veteran reaches 3rd lvl 20’

Ilea summoned herself a meal and some of Walter’s ale. The sights and smells could have been better for a moment like this but in a way it was fitting. Killing monsters was what got her these abilities in the first place.

She put the rest of her stats into Intelligence and checked her status.

Name: Ilea Spears

Unspent statpoints: 0

Unspent Core skill points: 80

Unspent 3rd tier General skill points [2085 Total skill levels]: 1

Class 1: The Azarinth Sentinel – lvl 500

- Active: Absolute Destruction – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Sentinel Reconstruction – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Azarinth Awakening – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Blink – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Sentinel Sphere – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Sentinel Core – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Azarinth Fighting – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Sentinel Huntress – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Azarinth Perception – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Azarinth Reversal – 3rd lvl 30

Class 2: Kin of Ash – lvl 493

- Active: Armor of Ash – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Aspect of Ash – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: True Ash Creation – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Heart of Cinder – 3rd lvl 30

- Active: Storm of Cinders – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Ash and Ember Unity – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Ashen Wings – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Eyes of Ash – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Avatar of Ash – 3rd lvl 30

- Passive: Keeper of Ash – 3rd lvl 30

Class 3: The Faen Valkyrie – lvl 456

- Active: Phaseshift – 3rd lvl 21

- Active: Flare of Creation – 3rd lvl 27

- Active: Displacement – 3rd lvl 23

- Passive: Space Shift – 3rd lvl 19

- Passive: Body of the Valkyrie – 3rd lvl 24

- Passive: Space Awareness – 3rd lvl 4

General Skills:

- Dancing – lvl 3

- Deviant of Humanity – 3rd lvl 6

- Elos Standard language - lvl 6

- English Language – lvl 15

- Gourmet – lvl 5

- Harmony of the Drowned – lvl 16

- Heavy Archery – lvl 11

- Identify - 2nd lvl 1

- Meditation – 3rd lvl 14

- Monster Hunter – 3rd lvl 13

- Oxygen Repository – 2nd lvl 6

- Sage of Torment – 2nd lvl 7

- Soul Perception – lvl 9

- Teaching – lvl 6

- Veteran – 3rd lvl 20

- Warhammer Mastery – lvl 9

- Arcane Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 20

- Ash Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 2

- Astral Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Blast Resistance – 3rd lvl 4

- Blight Resistance – 2nd lvl 1

- Blood Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 18

- Blood Manipulation Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Bone Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 16

- Corrosion Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Crystal Resistance – 2nd lvl 14

- Curse Resistance - 2nd lvl 20

- Dark Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 6

- Death Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Devour Resistance – 2nd lvl 6

- Diamond Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 3

- Divination Magic Resistance – lvl 9

- Dust Magic Resistance – lvl 6

- Earth Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Emerald Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 1

- Fear Resistance – 2nd lvl 1

- Flesh Magic Resistance – lvl 9

- Gold Magic Resistance – lvl 1

- Gravity Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Health Drain Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Heat Resistance – 3rd lvl 14

- Ice Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Lava Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 1

- Light Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 3

- Lightning Resistance – 3rd lvl 9

- Mana Drain Resistance – 3rd lvl 7

- Mental Resistance – 3rd lvl 17

- Mist Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Obsidian Magic Resistance – lvl 3

- Pain Tolerance – 3rd lvl 3

- Poison Resistance – 3rd lvl 2

- Rot Resistance – 3rd lvl 4

- Ruby Magic Resistance – lvl 14

- Sand Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Sapphire Magic Resistance – lvl 13

- Silver Magic Resistance – lvl 1

- Smoke Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 3

- Soul Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 13

- Sound Magic Resistance – lvl 18

- Space Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 5

- Stamina Drain Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Time Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

- Topaz Magic Resistance – lvl 18

- Vine Magic Resistance – lvl 14

- Void Magic Resistance – 3rd lvl 8

- Water Resistance – 3rd lvl 4

- Wind Resistance – 3rd lvl 7

- Wood Magic Resistance – 2nd lvl 20

Status:

Vitality: 1500

Endurance: 450

Strength: 515

Dexterity: 450

Intelligence: 1536

Wisdom: 1570

Health: 22412/27690

Stamina: 2108/4500

Mana: 821/31400

She smiled, looking at The Azarinth Sentinel. You were a wonderful companion. Now let’s see what you can become.