CRITICAL STRIKE

Dealt Damage is increased by 200%

The blades forming the protector’s wing shattered like glass, causing the creature to lose altitude. This was by no means a victory. Although wounded, the bladeler hadn’t lost its ability to fly. Blades from the other wing shifted, quickly reforming what was missing.

“Lux, to the left!” Dallion shouted, fully aware of what was about to follow.

Moments after, another line split the air. It was only thanks to Dallion’s splitting that he managed to plunge low enough to avoid the giant slice. None of his other instances were as fortunate, sending a shiver down his spine.

That was too close, Gen said.

Nox, get him on your own! Dallion thought, while looking for a place to hide. He didn’t want to use the shield to deflect any more attacks unless critical—there had been no rectangles regarding the shield’s condition, but Dallion wasn’t prepared to risk it, not so soon after the fight against Vermilion.

On the ground, a short distance away, the crackling emerged from the dagger. Grabbing the weapon with its mouth, it then ran in the general direction of Dallion.

Knives and swords kept flying through the air, flowing towards Dallion like pouring out of a firehose. At this rate, Dallion was forced to split into five instances, only to cope. However, with every second, his headache grew more and more.

For every narrow escape, Dallion had to evade twice more. The protector was actively adapting to his tactics. Even at a distance, the lag between the orders given to the firebird and Lux’s reaction was starting to become noticeable. What was more, the bladeler was successfully keeping his distance from Nox. Somehow he was able to sense the location of the crackling, even if he didn’t bother attacking.

You’ll have to come up with a new plan, dear boy, Nil advised. You don’t have the stamina to go against such an opponent. Not yet, in any case.

Easy for you to say, Dallion grumbled mentally.

With flight and music being useless against such an enemy, there wasn’t much he could do with the current approach. On the other hand, there was one thing he hadn’t done so far. It was going to be quite risky, but it wasn’t like Dallion had many alternatives.

“Shield!” Dallion shouted, holding it in front of him.

The shield extended, though not as wide as before. Apparently, it had received quite a bit of damage.

“Just a bit longer, buddy.” Dallion summoned the harpsisword.

Lux, pick up Harp and drive her in its chest! And, Harp, do that sound thing you do to deal continuous damage when in there.

There was a brief chord of disapproval. While enjoying a battle, the harpsisword didn’t appreciate the attitude. No doubt in her view the proper way to strike an enemy was by being held by a person, not directed by a firebird. Sooner or later Dallion was going to have to learn to handle a sword adequately, which at present the harpsisword didn’t think he was.

Without the firebird, gravity snatched Dallion back down. Normally, the landing would have caused him to crack a bone, or at the very least, to get hurt. With his current body level, he barely felt a thing. Meanwhile, the harpsisword thrust through the air, hitting the protector in the chest.

A sense of victory went through Dallion, followed almost immediately by a sense of fear. This was way too easy and if there was one thing he had learned from facing high level opponents, it was that they always had an ace in their sleeves.

For several moments, it was as if nothing had happened. The bladeler remained floating in the sky, the harpsisword sticking from him. However, there was no indication that he was hit, as if the weapon had done no damage. Then, suddenly, the protector’s wings exploded in a rain of blades.

CRITICAL STRIKE

Dealt Damage is increased by 200%

WINGS SEVERED

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

The shield expanded further on his own, shielding as much of Dallion as it could from the attack. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be enough.

MODERATE WOUND

Your health has been decreased by 10%

PERMANENT EFFECT - BLEEDING

You have been scarred by the attack. The scar will continue bleeding in the real world until the status is removed.

The status continues to be in effect in the real world.

One of the blades sliced through Dallion’s armor like butter, causing a slight nick on his skin.

“Damn it!” Dallion shouted.

This was the last thing he wanted to happen. Now there would be consequences, even if he managed to win the battle. The gamer in him whispered that it would have been better if he would have just left and risked losing the Moon’s approval for a while. The pragmatist, though, was adamant that he had made the right choice. After all, now the advantage was on his side again.

Lift me up, Lux, he thought.

Within moments the firebird appeared next to him, quickly landing on his shoulder, then lifting Dallion in the air. In contrast, the protector had crashed to the ground completely wingless. The lack of wings made him look far less threatening than before. Combined with the damage received, the bladeler looked more like a humanoid of light wearing a set of light armor. If this were a picture, one would even describe the being as beautiful. After having fought it for so long, Dallion had no illusions, though.

That could have gone a lot better, Nil commented as Dallion rose into the air. You’ll have to do a bit more training now that you have the attributes to handle it adequately.

As much as Dallion begrudged the comment, there was no denying that Nil and Harp were right. Facing low level opponents had made him complacent. If he wanted to progress, he was going to train more, and not only against the guardian of the stiletto. For the moment, though, it was safe to say that he had won.

“There’s no point in continuing,” Dallion shouted, fifty feet from the protector. “I have the treasure and you’ve lost your wings. Let’s just call it a draw, alright?”

Come to think of it, Dallion had no idea what happened to a protector once defeated. Guardians improved, but the protector was no guardian—it didn’t control the realm; it was merely there to protect what it was tasked to.

Nil, what happens to protectors once they are defeated? Dallion asked.

It’s just as you suspect, dear boy. They cease to exist. Think of them as more complicated echoes. Well, technically, no one has managed to provide absolute proof. All we know is that once defeated, they disappear, never to appear again. Personally, I think they are permanently destroyed.

This wasn’t the answer Dallion wanted to hear.

“I’ve no reason to kill you,” Dallion said. “Let's just stop. I have what I came for, I just—"

“You have too much empathy,” the bladeler said all of a sudden. Its voice was clear, slightly high pitched. “Win or lose you’ll face a lot of pain.”

“In that case, I prefer to win,” Dallion said. “I’d still like to settle this with a draw, though. There’s no reason for us to fight. And it’s not like you have a chance. You have no wings now.”

“Neither do you.”

An attack immediately followed, splitting air, stone, and wood as it continued towards the horizon. Dallion had Lux thrust up. No sooner had the firebird done so, when another line attack followed, and another. Even at this point, the threat remained very real. The protector kept on with its attacks, forcing Dallion to block or evade.

“I’m offering you a draw,” Dallion said. “I won’t for much longer. If you keep this up, I’ll have to kill you and you won’t be coming back.”

“We must do what we must.” The reply came.

“It won’t end well for you.” Dallion could already foresee what would happen.

Just accept the deal, Dallion thought, as if that would be enough to convince his opponent.

As expected, the protector didn’t, launching another of his attacks.

Do it, Nox, Dallion sighed.

On cue, the crackling leapt at the bladeler, claws first. A loud screeching sound filled the air like Styrofoam on glass.

CRITICAL STRIKE

Dealt Damage is increased by 200%

Blade parts fell on the stone path, as Nox’s claws dug into their target. There was no scream or flinch. The protector tried to look over his shoulder to see his attacker, but before he could, the light within him disappeared. Left without anything to hold them, the remaining armor parts fell on the floor, reverting to their original shape.

NOX IS LEVEL 3

Fancy that, Nil said as the blue rectangle appeared. Little Nox if finally growing up.

Dallion didn’t respond. For several seconds, he remained in the air, waiting. Once half a minute had passed, and it was clear that the protector was no more, Dallion had Lux land him on the spot.

You really mustn’t be so harsh on yourself, dear boy. Not everyone will accept your offers. After all, you made it. It’s not your fault that protectors can’t respond adequately.

That didn’t make Dallion feel much better. Having Nox leap onto his shoulder, though, did have a soothing effect. Visibly, there didn’t seem to be any change in the crackling’s appearance. But Dallion could sense the cub had grown stronger. And still he had ho idea why that had happened.

Rest a bit, if you want, Nil said. At the very least, have Lux heal you as much as possible.

Dallion looked at his leg. There was no indication of a wound. Even so, he let the firebird perform its healing magic. Close to a minute later, he was at full health again, but even so, the victory felt hollow.

You gained a skill, Nil reminded. Not to mention you defeated a protector. Honestly, that’s a good thing. You shouldn’t be so gloomy about it. Anyone else would have organized a feast. Not that you do those things.

“Yeah. I just didn’t expect this,” Dallion lied. For some unclear reason, he felt as if he could have prevented the protector’s destruction. For the moment, though, he had to put all that behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Dallion recited the names of the Moons and then returned to the real world. Estezol was there. From the man’s perspective, he had just given him the ring as a gift. Now that Dallion had gotten what he wanted from it, he didn’t need it anymore. However, he didn’t have it in him to refuse.

“Thanks, Estezol,” he said, mustering a smile. “I’ll remember this.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just, if you happen to have any more awakened friends, bring them here first, okay?”

“I promise,” Dallion laughed. “I’ll be going now. Take care.”

It probably was obvious to Estezol that Dallion had spent a while in an awakened realm. Regardless, the short man just waved briefly before rushing back into the guild. Dallion waited until he was gone, then looked around to get his bearings. Once he did, he too set off for Hannah’s inn.

“How are you holding up, shield?” he whispered while walking.

Honestly, I’ve been better. You really know how to challenge your gear. First Vermilion and now this? You’re lucky the bladeler wasn’t particularly well trained. Also, you should listen to Nil on this one. Protectors never back off, even when they lose the thing they are sent to protect.

“So, there’s no other way of stopping them?”

There might be, but not one you could pull off. Seriously, bladelers are little more than a stack of blades given sentience. Feeling bad for them is the same as feeling bad for an ingot you use to make something of. At the end of the day, they are just a lock, and unless you have the key, you must break them.

“In that case, I’ll learn how to make keys,” Dallion whispered. He had no idea why he’d said that. From a logical point of view, he agreed with everything the shield had said, but still something was making him feel sad—something he could have sworn wasn’t there a few days ago.