Saphron
The squad approached an area that opened up in a large 20 meter ring. Akamori called the squad to a halt and everyone scanned around quickly. The ring was empty save for railing around the perimeter in gold mirrorsteel. The floor was crafted of white and gold stone tiles in elaborate patterns.
“Gettin real bad vibes about this spot.” Sirsir said in a whisper.
“Definitely yellow pants. Maybe even brown.” Sala said at the front next to Akamori.
Akamori’s brow quirked but before he could ask, a 5 meter tall Saphrin fell from the canopy and landed in a crouch at the back of the ring blocking their passage. The figure had 10 wings, long platinum hair that matched his glowing eyes, and gold skin. Everyone’s weapons came up at the massive figure.
“That’s not Seraphina, is it?”
Akamori used his perception skill, absent his armor’s integrated tactical display. A fiery translucent scroll only he could see unfurled in his peripheral.
Saphron
Divinity: Demi-God, Magic Rating 6
Challenge: 6
“It’s named Saphron, it’s a demi-god level being. If I had to guess, he’s probably a personal guardian to Seraphina.” Amara said from behind Akamori.
“What are we up against?”
“Powerful light magic. Expect wards, heals, and plasma damage based spells. Weak against void magic, but also does double damage to void magic users.” Amara said after studying the tall angelic looking being who simply eyed them neutrally like a guard dog, judging if it should attack or not.
“Fuck.” Akamori muttered.
“What’s the play, Cap?” Sirsir turned back to Morwen, who seemed to gaze off into the distance. They all waited patiently. Saphron included. Eventually Morwen blinked her eyes several times after spacing out. She gave the squad a look and then focused on Saphron.
“Our friend here likes to employ a variety of area of effect attacks. He’s a capable swordsman and powerful. When I say move, go where I say exactly when I say and do not be late. Assignments will be: Private Sala, you’re on control duty. Get the Seraphin’s attention and keep it. Akamori, Sirsir, Yasiin? Damage duty. Make it bleed for me. Lots. Amara and I will be floaters, but our primary tasks will be sense and warn. If any uninvited guests should make themselves present, we’ll see to it they leave the party. Everyone clear?”
“Green.” Akamori said.
“Green” Sirsir said.
“Green.” Yasiin, Sala and Amara chorused.
“Good. Then let’s go slay a demi-god.” Morwen said as she readied a variety of spells. Her aura flared, making her navy blue duty uniform jacket flutter. The squad advanced. Saphron stood taller as the squad advanced, drawing a pair of shimmering silver short swords. The two parties squared up and combat began when Sala let out an ear-shattering roar, his aura flaring defiantly as he leaped at the Saphron and delivered a blow with his fist that sent a shockwave thunder clapping out.
Akamori drew Thanaton, allowing his void magic to coat the full length of the blade, enshrouding it in void glass and turning it into a massive scythe. To battle! We’ll devour this pretender godling’s magic! Thanaton purred eagerly. Sirsir and Yasiin opened fire, a torrent of spell bolts splashed into Saphron’s skin. The angelic demi god shrugging off the weapons fire as it swung its blades down at Sala, who blocked the attack with his aura and stone skin combo. Akamori flew into motion, racing forward and rammed the haft of his spear into Saphron’s leg while channeling his Death’s Shadow ability, applying a debuff on the towering enemy that increased the damage it took. Dark necrotic veins spread from the impact wound.
In response, Saphron’s body pulsed with golden magic and some of its injuries healed over, but Akamori’s debuff wasn’t cleansed. The squad kept up its attack. Sirsir’s heavy weapons sprayed hundred of finger sized ice spikes that continued to shatter against Saphron’s skin while the fire shells he lobbed from his cannon detonated with impressive effect visually at least. The actual damage value, however, probably left the bigger man wanting.
“Gods damned, he’s a tough sonuvbitch.” Sirsir growled.
“Focus sergeant.” Akamori said, sliding under a golden sword that nearly claimed his head.
“Everyone break formation and fall back five meters on my mark!” Morwen ordered. A few beats later, she gave the word and everyone disengaged that was in close to the massive Seraphin. An instant later a cyclone of swords formed around it carving up the stone floor as the squad waited outside the blender of blades patiently.
“You know that fruit stand on the main drag?” Amara asked Akamori while they waited.
“Oh yeah, Mrs. Velanne’s stand?”
“That’s the one. She’s getting a new stock of light grapes in soon.”
Akamori groaned, “Ugh. I could kill for some good grapes. I haven’t had any since…”
“Since home.” Amara said softly as the storm of blades subsided and the squad prepared itself to charge back into the fray. Akamori’s scythe drew sparks along the ground as he advanced ahead of the others, falling into pace with Sala. Sala blew ahead of him when the primal channeled his golden aura and stone skin again, vaulting off to land a flying haymaker on Saphron. The golden helmet rang like a massive gong when the primal crashed into it.
Akamori refreshed his Death’s Shadow ability, keeping the damage increase stacked on the target while the others went to work. Yasiin scoped up his long rifle and fired a bolt of negative light into Saphron’s helmet, and the massive warped seraphin recoiled in pain. It flicked a handout and a flurry of conjured blades smashed into the stone floor. The blades jutting out of the floor like giant sized knives in a butcher’s block.
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Amara struck with surgical precision, striking Saphron in the legs, causing it to stumble and sway. Sensing an opportunity, Akamori triggered his void cloak.
System Info: You are now Enshrouded. Special Void Shroud Attacks can be executed now.
He saw the familiar five glowing orbs of void magic. Time to act. He sprinted around and ran up the back of the swords embedded into the floor and jumped. The black void cloak whipped wildly as he flew the air and brought Thanaton around in a vicious slash across Saphron’s torso. Black and purple void magic roiled along the length of the blade as it cleaved into the pristine and perfect Saphron’s hide.
He flicked a quick glance at the basic UI he had and grimaced. No number values to denote anything. Just basic gauges, giving him a rough estimation. Thankfully, the Soul charge gauge is pretty simple in enshrouded mode. One of the void orbs was dormant now after his first attack. He followed up with a second slash that would have swept aside a squad of mages. He followed with a powerful blast of void magic in a column that fell from the sky like an obsidian obelisk. That was his Reaper’s Judgement ability, which was unlocked after two Void Reaper Slashes.
Sensing the momentum shift, the rest of the squad poured it on thick. The sergeant experimented with mixing light and fire together with unusual results. The result being a gout of plasma that burned like fire.
“Awe fuck yeah! Get some, you winged bastard!” The big man roared.
Saphron’s healing pulses did what they could to blunt the damage the team piled on, but thanks to Akamori’s Reaper’s Death Mark, it took more damage than it could shrug off, resulting in a slow but steady march to oblivion. Morwen sensed they were close now and gave various commands to the individuals in the squad.
Everyone executed their orders as given. Amara continued to debilitate the towering enemy with more debugs. Yasiin piled on critical damage by target weapons expertly called out by Amara. Sirsir made things go boom. Sala handled the role of outlasting the damage Saphron dealt like a champion. As for Akamori, he did what he’d fast grown used to doing. He swung his big sword morphed into a crystal scythe like a giddy madman. He finished his enshrouded phase with a perfectly placed Entropy bomb right as Yasiin brained it with a high magnitude void bolt to the eye.
A whoosh of air and brief sucking sensation later as air rushed back into the negative space previously occupied by Saphron’s cranial matter, and the fight was over. Saphron’s headless body toppled over in a whoosh of dusty. The massive conjured swords from its previous attack broke down. Cracking like compressed glass, they shattered into motes of sparkling aether that drifted away, leaving the deep gouges in the ground they carved. Shortly after, Saphron’s own body broke down into motes of aether as well, drifting away like a swarm of light blue fireflies.
Akamori sat down and leaned back, leaning his head back. He’d been growing his hair back, and it’d already grown to neck length again thanks to secret trips to a local mage barber. Hair magic was unironically stupid, expensive on a word festering in vanity.
“Well. I don’t think the Adventurer’s guild will have a codex for that big fella.” Akamori said, nodding to where Saphron’s body had been.
“Pretty sure that means extra marks.” Amara mused.
“Marks?”
Amara stared at Akamori flatly. “You took the contract and didn’t even know what you were going to be paid with?”
He shrugged, “What? It sounded fun and needed doing.”
Morwen allowed herself an amused smile. “I’m thankful I made the choice to spare you, Lieutenant.”
“I wasn’t entirely sure you would.” Akamori said.
“Nor I. You were still largely an unknown, and I was taking a big risk in choosing you. But, unfortunately for Rayshe, I knew what I was getting with him and I couldn’t be certain of victory had I executed the bulk of my mages over his wounded pride. Having the squad back you helped solidify the choice.”
Everyone got up as the path forward revealed itself when a staircase descended like a drill bit that grounded into the far end of the battle arena. Akamori dusted off his hands, placed Thanaton back on his back. The weapon growled as he drew his rifle and he chuckled. Thanton was notoriously jealous, and even a little petty.
At least I have a developed mind. Take care that your rifle doesn’t drool on itself.
“Play nice.” Akamori said in a flat tone. “Besides, you were a drooling simpleton once, too.” He chuckled.
Thanaton simply thrummed agitated on his back. The spell rifle was oblivious to all of it. Only a basic consciousness, little more than awareness, really. Sometimes he envied it that. To be able to exist blissfully ignorant of all the madness in life. But then, if he lacked anything more than basic awareness, where he would find good grapes from?
“Alright, let’s wrap this up so I can go hit Mrs. Velanne’s.”
The squad advanced slowly up the conical spiraling staircase. Akamori noted the white stairs and golden railing. “These look like elvan design themes.”
“It’s believed that the Seraphin are a group of more magically saturated elves who broke off from the city shortly after Aeryn created it.” Morwen said at the rear of the group.
“You’re saying there’s a chance the two are closely related?” Akamori asked.
“More than likely. The seraphin have usually been content to stay here and keep to themselves where the rest of us remain in the city. Recent events have likely made them desperate.”
“Yeah. Desperation and survival have a way of driving people into making stupid choices sometimes.” Akamori said.
At the top of the staircase, the squad found themselves on a higher branch that led back to a wider tree. It left him wondering at the sheer size of these trees. Magic really just ignored the laws of physics sometimes, allowing nature to completely grow beyond what it should be capable of. His awe at the size of the trees and the living space of the Seraphin turned to ash in his stomach as they entered a small clearing and noted it was packed shoulder to shoulder with Seraphin in golden armor, ready to stand between Seraphina and the heretic non believers.
“Getting some real creepy vibes from this crowd.” Akamori said, pulling his spell rifle up slowly.
“The One of Us kind?”
“Yeah. That’s it.”
“Same.” Yasiin said, his rifle also at the high ready.
“Gentleman, let’s get to work.” Morwen said.