“While the usefulness of a ready and healthy mind is undeniable, one should be wary of losing oneself in that affinity. Pure cold logic only makes you go only so far in this life. Of course, living off raw emotions all the time isn't much better than being a mindless beast either. Balance must be maintained at all costs if you want to live a full and satisfying life."

-Master Liu Xiao, Monk of the temple of the Rising dawn.

Nashariel pov

Nashariel stood, frozen in shock. What the…

Even while screaming her lungs out, the ratkin bore her hateful gaze on the Templars without flinching. “I’ll make-force all… pay for crimes!”

/End her, now! The essence is rising!/ The secondary mind shouted.

The dragokin gathered power in her throat in a rush, unleashing a half-charged elementless breath.

The Cleanser pulsed with green light, absorbing her attack. The runes glowed much brighter.

Oh, fu-

A shockwave invested the Templars, shattering the floor and rocketing them through the walls.

A moment later, Nashariel found herself in another room without passing through the door, bouncing on the floor a few times. She shook her head, clearing out part of the blur and the ringing in her ears. She saw a man pointing his spear at her, shielding three older people with his body.

The weapon trembled in his palms, sweat flowing down his forehead. “G-go away, fiend!” He managed to stutter. “The others… the others will come very soon!”

Nashariel got up, shaking the debris off of her. She steeled her gaze, activating her Presence. “Call them, now! A Tamer has stolen a powerful artifact, and she has all the intentions of using it against the Cleansing Angel!” A Primal scream echoed in the hallway. The man’s knees almost collapsed. “Now, Comrade!” She shouted, including the four people in front of her in the buff against fear part of her skill.

They hesitantly nodded.

Without sparing them another glance, Nashariel crouched. She planted her feet on the floor, then rocketed from where she had come from.

*Stamina: 255/16.000 *

Crap. The blur worsened, but the leap served its purpose.

Nashariel arrived in the room, seeing only a giant hole in the floor. Toxic fumes filled the place, and none of her friends was in sight.

If that thing uses guerrilla tactics with that kind of firepower…The dragokin jumped down the hole.

Nashariel found herself in a web of tunnels well out of Ryahkera’s memories. Did they dig another set of tunnels? She wondered. The greenish color of the stone made her think of sewers, as it was a variety popular for its waterproofness. She can get everywhere from here! Damnation!

There was a log trail made of corroded stone to follow, at least.

Nashariel ran after it-

She stumbled, crashing against the floor. What the…

*Stamina: 203/16.000

You’re about to faint from extreme exhaustion. Please, find a safe place to rest. *

She glared daggers at the notification. So much for being as quick as possible.

/Primary mind, we cannot keep going. We must retreat/

Nashariel punched the stone. But-! She let out an enraged scream. Put some points into stamina; see if that works!

*Stamina: 221/16.020 *

That’s something. Nashariel glanced at her reserves. She had a few points available. Okay, pump it all the way.

The Secondary mind hesitated. /No, Primary mind. Even if we do reach her, how are we supposed to fight? You’ll faint mid-combat and die. Again/

Nashariel wanted to argue back, but the retort died in her throat. “Damn it…”

/Let’s reunite with the others. We’ll plan something/

“Yeah…” Nashariel got up, using the uneven floor as a stool of sort. Looking around, she noticed that the place hadn’t seen use in… some time. She shrunk her mantle, freeing her wings. The dragokin flew for the three-meter, finding herself on top of the hole.

And, obviously, she found some weapons pointing at her.

Again.

The Paladins glared, alternating between looking at her and the hole in the floor.

Nashariel let out a long, long, suffered sigh.

Minutes later, after being stripped of her mantle, Nashariel had found herself inside a small spartan room, chained at a bolted table. They made her keep her armor, which Nashariel decided to take as a good sign.

She could hear the voices of her friends in adjacent rooms. They seemed worried, but not hurt. Another good sign in her book.

I’m getting used to being arrested. Is it a good sign?

/Probably not/

The door opened, and a gruff man with gray in his hair entered with a martial pose. A redhead woman followed, glaring at Nashariel. The metaphorical temperature in the room dropped.

They both stared at her, waiting.

A common trick to make a suspect spill all the beans, as Thomas once told her. Having nothing to hide, Nashariel swiftly told the duo the whole story of the chase, leaving out only her memories. “Now she’s hiding in your sewers.”

The man reclined back onto the chair, brows furrowed in thought. “And why would she assault this stronghold? She will be killed, eventually.”

“I don’t know.” Nashariel replied half-truthfully.

Both Paladins narrowed their eyes.

Right, can’t really lie to Paladins. I forgot about that. “I’ve heard that ratkins have been thrown out violently, some time ago. I believe that she’s out for blood; the more, the better.”

The woman glared harder. “They have murdered two of us, and more died while chasing them. They have no right to seek vengeance.”

Nashariel took a deep breath. “As you say. We still have to deal with this Tamer, before she murders others in her wake.”

“On that, we agree.” The man said. “But why would you wish to be involved? You’re barely sitting upright.”

Lowering her gaze upon her body, Nashariel noticed that she was trembling. Everything had felt sore for so long that, at some point, she had stopped noticing it. She readjusted her position. “She merged herself with a powerful artifact. I must see them gone for good.”

He gave her a respectful nod. “Well said, Comrade, and your story matches with those of your companions.” He stood up, extending a hand toward her. “Garran Radiantgaze, Inquisitor of Her Holiness the Flaming Wing. Proud to meet such a promising future, Templar."

The woman simply nodded. “Aretha Iceshield.”

“Nashariel Holyshield. How do we detect her in time?”

“The Light will guide us. Don’t worry, she won’t be able to hide for long. You, despite your determination, will have to stand back.” He raised a hand to interrupt Nashariel’s retort. “You must learn the differences between a battle that must be fought, and the ones that are best avoided. You would be a liability in this fight; you must wait to fight another day.”

Which is basically what my secondary mind told me… Dang it!“…I understand. Is there a place that I could defend, at least?”

“The Infirmary. Many have been wounded during these chaotic days. Another proper healer would be a boon sent to our Doctors.”

Still monster-flooded? Well, not gonna say no to healing someone. “Gladly. Be careful out there.”

“You too, young Templar.”

Astill’s mercy, I hope that this soul stuff never happens again.

/We’ll simply be more careful next time/

Oh, absolutely.

The door silently opened, letting the sun wash over Nashariel for the first time in… a while. Shielding her eyes for a brief instant, Nashariel enjoyed the warmth upon her tired body. Spring sure does feel better than Winter…

/Reptile talking?/

Nashariel cracked a smirk. Can't talk about the Ice Aspect!

The Stronghold showed itself in all its imposing, militaristic self. Much like the Citadel, there was a large open space filled with four perfect rows of buildings. Nashariel wondered how many of those were houses. During her and her friends' hasty entrance, she noticed that the intern of the huge walls seemed perfectly livable on its own.

Her sharp hearing caught the hinges of the other doors creaking. Turning, she saw her friends, looking safe and sound. Nashariel exhaled a breath that she hadn’t noticed to have held until now. “Anyone hurt?” Just to be sure.

They shook their heads. Vel still held the small evolving slime.

“What happened, boss?” Dan asked. “I only remember flying through a wall.”

“That Tamer merged with the artifact.” And I probably powered it too… “Now she’s hiding in the sewers. I can’t… I can’t follow you guys because of my Soul-fatigue.”

“How much…?”

Nashariel quickly glanced at her sheet. “200-ish. I can’t faint mid-fight.”

“Ouch.”

“Is there a way to heal it right now?” Veliel asked, softening her eyes.

“Rest, or so the system says. I’m no expert, tho.”

“We could use some capable fighters.” Interjected Garran. “Most of our warriors are exhausted.”

The humans and the siren glanced at Nashariel. She nodded. “Don’t be reckless. I don’t know how powerful she has become.” But Vel is around 300, not that I think about it. She steeled her gaze. "If things get too dangerous, then leave immediately. Got it?”

The trio nodded.

“What will you do, Boss?”

“Clinic duty. The hordes haven’t stopped coming.” Guess we found out why Kharos hasn’t gotten any reinforcements. “Vel, give me the cocoon. You’ll need free hands to fight.”

The Voice gladly acquiesced. “It’s going to hatch soon. I felt some cracking.”

“Haste, Comrades.” Aretha said, tapping her arm impatiently.

Nashariel nodded. “Where’s the infirmary?”

She gave her quick and precise directions, then followed the older Paladin and Nashariel’s friends.

Nashariel looked until they turned around a corner. She attached the small cocoon to her left side, using some conjured metal to make an improvised belt. Astill, please protect them!

Taking steps full of apprehension, Nashariel hurried to the infirmary.

As with Kharos, the building was vastly insufficient to hold all the patients inside. Two buildings had been demolished to make space for all the patients lying on more or less clean sheets. Doctors buzzed like angry and exhausted bees all around, briefly checking out the worst patients of the bunch.

Entering in her most professional state, Nashariel shifted into Healing, blasting a fully powered [Light’s refuge]. She hesitantly put a bit of her stamina into it; after seeing that her bar didn’t decrease, she put everything she had into it.

A collective sigh of relief echoed in the whole place.

Nashariel quickly rushed to the middle of the wounded. Still, her skill wasn’t able to catch all.

/Let me handle this/

Sure, feel free to play with the skills. Nashariel felt her secondary mind prodding at her sheet. After a moment, the upper side of the skill flattened, making [Light’s refuge] seems more akin to a brick than an aura. [Mana finesse]?

/Yep. Can’t do much yet, but it’s a start. Want me to power your Territory too?/

Gladly. Nashariel activated her Healing aura. Her mana reserves plummeted, but then Omnia took their place. Nashariel figured that, given that she wasn’t going to get involved in a fight, might as well go all out.

Ten seconds of tranquility later, her Territory took hold in the same area of her other skill. Nashariel saw as the secondary mind manipulated the skill in the same way.

A Doctor approached her with a large smile. “Glad to see a faithful of the Merciful Wing here and now! Galas Lightouch, extremely pleased to meet you.” He said, shaking Nashariel’s hand.

She replied in kind. “Pleased to help.” She nodded toward the patients. “Monsters?”

The man grimaced. “I’m afraid so. They keep coming, and their level keeps growing with their number. We were not prepared.”

Meanwhile, even the other Doctors had powered their respective [Light refuge]s. It looked slightly different than Nashariel’s, but she had only the first Tier of the skill, after all.

“Is there any other way that I can help with?”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing now. Thank you.”

Nashariel nodded, sitting down on the spot. Her stamina had barely decreased, despite all the strain on her skills’ part. Guess that’s my part for today.

Heavy vibration shook the improvised hospital, followed by a massive purplish cloud coming from the nearby drains and a screech.

Or not.

/Or not/

Dan Pov

“This way.” The old Paladin said, stopping in front of a heavy-looking door.

“I hope that the Boss isn’t too upset.” Vel muttered, throwing a glance at a nearby window. From it, they could see an Angel-shaped fountain that filled a small pool underneath.

“She definitely is,” Dorel replied. “but this is for the best.”

“Then we just need to be quick! By the way, are we going by ourselves?” Dan asked the Paladins.

“We can’t spare any other defender. Alka’s willing, we will suffice.” The woman replied with a tired sigh.

Damn, I kinda want the boss here now.

They entered the sewers.

Dust danced on the few rays of light that reached down there, disturbed by the group’s heavy steps. The place didn’t look used at all and certainly didn’t smell like Dan expect a sewer to do. Not that he complained about it.

Still, the acrid smell of Mire deeply permeated the environment, taking a few fits of coughing out of everyone. I hope that this isn’t poisoning our butts…

The Paladins led the way, Dorel trailing behind. Veliel was in the middle, with Dan closing the ranks. He quickly used [Trickster’s prank] to summon two copies of himself. The skill still needed a bit of work to get right, since it was in its second Tier.

The trail of mire ended soon after, right at an intersection.

The Paladins muttered some curses.

Fortunately, [Trickster’s instincts] kicked in, highlighting a few interesting spots. Dan quickly noticed that the tunnel on the right was as clean as it could get, unlike the other filled with layers upon layers of dust. “The right one seems oddly clean. Let’s check it out first?”

The man nodded, massaging his bagged eyes. “How could I miss it… Yes, let’s.”

These guys had it rough too, uh? Sucks that Vel can’t exactly sing them something right now.

The group proceeded…

Until a wet crack warned them against danger.

Dan's two copies threw themselves in the way. While they were too etheric to provide a total defense, their sacrifice tanked the Mire projectile that had been thrown in the group’s direction. The Trickster instantly summoned his limit of six copies, all armed to the teeth with weapons made of solid light.

From the thinnest crack in the walls, an enormous dark-purple blob bursted through. Despite the thunderous noise of the crumbling stone, the monster itself was eerily silent except for the wet sounds left in its wake.

A brilliant green thing shone brightly, right in the slime’s center. Dan was ready to bet his helm that the Cleanser was still functioning.

"Stand back!" Garran shouted, slashing his bastard sword three times in rapid succession. That many magical slashes shot at the monster, splashing some corroding sludge on the floor.

*Mire/Craving/Torment/Shadow- Self-tamed vengeance (II) (Tamed) Lvl 301

???

??? *

Should’ve upgraded [Identify]! He could almost hear the boss reprimanding him for it. Dan donned his invisibility spell like a cloak.

The massive blob had no obvious weak point, except for the large thing at its center. Since Dan wasn’t his boss, he wouldn’t survive a swim toward it. Hacking it to pieces it is.

Dan chanted a spell, transforming his and his copies’ daggers into large greatswords. Veliel’s songs echoed in the sewers, granting him and the rest of the group resistance against acid and great strength.

Dorel’s [Taunt] grabbed the monster’s attention, granting the Trickster the perfect opportunity to strike. Dan and his copies jumped in perfect synch.

Seven ample slashes bit deeply into the monster, leaving behind a trail of light. Two of the copies misjudged their jumps and landed upon the monster. They thrashed the hardest they could, before getting dissolved by the acid.

The slashes simply closed off in the span of a second, despite a shiver from the massive blob. Tch, not worth it.

Dorel’s shield had already extended to hermetically seal the tunnel. The slime was pressing against it with all its weight.

Web-like cracks spread along the Protector’s skill. Before Dan could get a warning out of his throat, the skill shattered.

Dorel calmly aimed at the monster's center of mass and unleashed a massive ray of light.

Dan reflexively closed his eyes, avoiding his friend’s searing light. I wonder if I’m going to get sunburned from this… In turn, Dan used the lingering wisps of light, transforming them into a deadly rain of daggers onto the monster.

The blob’s mire exploded in every direction, but the total mass remained unchanged. It slowly but inexorably advanced toward the group, shooting projectiles all the way.

“Its vitality is abnormal! We must fight an attrition war!” Shouted Garran.

Veliel finished chanting a spell. Four brilliant electrical orbs appeared on each of her wings. The moment that the priestess finished her chant, they all turned sky-blue. Despite their beauty, their humming made every hair along Dan’s body straight as an arrow. In an elegant move, Veliel threw the four of them into the monster, aiming at the glowing green spot.

As the electricity came in contact with the monster's outer surface, a large vaporous cloud diffused from the surroundings. For the first time, the slime screeched with a clear humanoid voice.

“What was that?” Dan shouted.

“Anti-magical Lightning! This monster is vulnerable to…”

A large mass of sludge cleaved through the fog, right in Veliel’s direction.

Fortunately, a moment before the impact, Dorel seemingly teleported in front of it. The Protector tanked the hit without his shield, his skin barely damaged by the potent corrosion. “Focus now, talk later!” He reprimanded the both of them, heavily landing on the ground. “Vel, this thing is almost immune to weapons. Do your thing again.”

“Onto it!”

Dan smirked. And that’s how you get him to talk a bit more. Still, he refocused on the fight.

While the Paladins and Dorel shifted into a more defensive style, Dan chose to play with the monster’s senses. He chanted a short spell, sending a mental harpoon against the slime.

Slimes, usually, were famous for their immunity to Mind effects. On the other hand, this wasn’t a natural ‘born’ monster.

The spell found purchase, creating a chain between Dan and the Tamer. He felt something fighting the manipulation, but he just needed to buy some time.

As his Title implied, Dan tricked the monster’s senses. He sent repeated and multiple false inputs, causing the slime to crush various sections of the greenish stone. On the fourth missed strike, the spike broke.

The backlash had Dan grit his teeth and clutch his head. Nope, not gonna do that again.

Veliel repeated her spell, causing another purple cloud to blind everyone nearby.

The Paladins added another layer of pain with Radiant lunges, right where the Lightning had dug a passage.

Dan barely heard a faint ‘clang’. The green glow of the artifact dimmed.

The blob stilled, then began to lose a bit of cohesion. Mire fell and it remained on the stone, refusing to rejoin the large blob.

“Again! It’s working!” Shouted Dorel.

Vel looked slightly tried but nodded. "I need a minute!"

Not gonna lie, the boss would make this much quicker. Dan thought, thinking about her breath weapon. Shrugging, he summoned his copies, drawing part of the monster’s attention off of Dorel.

They were winning, slowly but surely.

Unfortunately, even the monster noticed it. It expelled a large amount of its mass toward them. As the tidal wave of sludge hit Dorel’s projection, the rest of the body followed.

The Protector planted his feet in the stone, but the sheer mass of the foe made him slide backward. Slowly at first, yet quicker by the moment.

“Throw everything you’ve got!” Shouted Aretha, adding an icy layer to Dorel’s defense.

An ominous crack emphasized the point.

Thinking quickly, Dan summoned his copies, then had them become immaterial. The moment that they passed through the wall, he chanted a spell as quick as he could, imbuing them with electricity.

They resisted for a few seconds, searing the monster from within.

That took a lot out of Dan since he hadn’t specialized in essence. He could only watch now.

His attacks had startled the slime, but the defense broke all the same.

As before, a massive ray of light struck the monster. Sludge splattered everywhere, yet a cart-sized portion of it darted toward Veliel.

The priestess was forced to interrupt her chant. She briefly disappeared, reappearing just a meter on her left.

The surprised slime didn’t stop its charge in time. It splattered against the nearest wall. It stopped for a moment, then darted toward the nearest grate, escaping on the surface.

“Cursed Darkness! Move!” Garran shouted. His bastard sword glowed red, then an upward mana slash shattered the grate and a good portion of the wall.

Welcomed fresh air filled the sewers, but the group had no time to enjoy it.

Dan rushed out first. Astill, please let the civilians be somewhere else! He used [Light-blink] to jump between the rays of sunlight.

An ear-shattering roar shook the dust down the buildings. Boss!

Dan landed atop a building, seeing as the draconic Protection form of his friend battled against a quick-dashing slime. Her aura washed over half a district, already permeating the ground upon which she stood.

While, to a normal eye, the dragoness could appear quick, Dan was familiar enough to notice her absolute sluggishness. Her eyes were unfocused, and her stance uncertain.

“The Boss is going down!” He shouted. For the one time that she is forced out of a fight! Damnation!

Vel’s and Dorel’s eyes widened.

As predicted, after a missed slash of her claws, Nashariel’s eyes rolled upwards. She returned in her dragokin form, then her unconscious body crashed down on the ground.

The slime immediately followed.

Dan saw red. He jumped from building to building, caring not for the ceiling that he shattered on the way. He was momentarily unbalanced by the wind moved by Veliel, her four wings beating as fast as those of a hummingbird.

They saw as the slime engulfed the boss, even if the light on the ground relentlessly assaulted it.

“Die, cursed abomination!!!” Veliel shouted, littering the floor with bright spheres of light. Each one of them left behind a small crater, much to the nearby people’s fear.

The slime hissed in pain. It nimbly jumped behind a building.

“C’mon, hold on boss! We’re coming!” Dan shouted.

Dorel landed on the street, cracking the stone. He then followed the slimy trail, barreling through a building without a single care in the world.

A flash brightened the day.

The trio quickly found the monster…

Or what remained of it.

Dan saw the boss in the middle of a small inferno, holding the melting remnants of what he assumed to be the Cleanser.

There was something wrong with her. She was suspended mid-air, her head hung low, and her feet were half dragging on the floor. The best comparison that Dan could think of was a puppet dancing on someone else’s strings. She turned toward him, her eyes half-closed. “Yo, happy to see you! Could’ve used a hand, tho. Gods, I hope that she won’t mind the points…”

The trio glanced at each other. “Who… who are you?” Dorel muttered.

Not-Nashariel stopped for a moment. She looked around, at the ashes that surrounded her. She nodded. “I’m Nashariel’s secondary mind. My name is…

Asha.”