"Visage of the Harvest Guardian?" Yvlena said to herself, the amor shook and shuddered before facing her again. Through the helmet's visor, nothing but darkness gazed back at her.
There was no sign anyone was within the armor, beads of light where eyes would be stood vacant.
Yvlena stared at the enemy she just encountered, analyzing it to see what it would do. If this was the guardian of the Rose Manor then it would certainly have some tricks up its sleeve, especially if it was now corrupted.
The suit of flowery armor leaped at her sickle in hand, she didn't know how it could move so quickly. She dove aside, landing in a heap on overgrown bushes.
Yvlena summoned her party and prepared to do battle with the Corrupted Visage.
"It's not a Miasmic guardian, but it has the same feel to it." She warned them, Sprite nodded and launched a volley of stings, as she flew above the enemy.
Yvlena wondered how strong the visage was. If it was a copy of a former Harvest Guardians then there was no doubt it would be strong. But would it be as strong as Viseli or even stronger?
She pulled back, nearly tripping into the grass as she did. The Visage said nothing only diving forward with a swing of its great sickle. The Visage swung, narrowly missing Rabbit Knight who ducked underneath the massive blade.
"Close one," Sprite said in relief from where she hovered beside Yvlena. The girl swung her blade, attacking with her new skill.
[Yvlena Cast Carrot Beam (20MP)]
The wave swept over the area, hitting the Visage dead center in its chest plate, but it didn't stop the armor. The enemy turned its attention back on her, abandoning Rabbit Knight to chase Yvlena.
She ducked, watching a few strands of her hair meet the edge of the Visage's sickle. Yvlena yelped, rolling out of the way and grabbing her sword.
A clang resounded as she parried the blade just inches away from her face. Sensing her peril, the summons came to her aid in an instant.
[Rabbit Knight Cast Slash (03MP)]
The attack brought the Visage's attention back to Rabbit Knight who stabbed at it aggressively, the suit of armor spun around creaking towards the small creature with a burst of speed. Rabbit Knight was faster.
[Yvlena Cast Carrot Strike (10MP)]
Yvlena shot and ran before its attention could focus on her. The Visage paused, allowing the party to get a few more shots in.
[Sprite learned skill: Bind]
[Sprite cast Bind (03 MP)]
A vine burst from the ground, wrapping around the legs of the Visage, the armor creaked and groaned as it struggled against the force holding it back from attacking.
Yvlena recalled that the vines only had a limited amount of HP and went in for an attack before the Mimicry could set itself free.
[Yvlena Cast Carrot Beam (20MP)]
The beam pierced the armor again, hitting dead center in its chest. The armor vaulted forward seemingly paralyzed.
Yvlena knew it wasn't over because it hadn't dissolved into light. The armor began to quiver and shake.
Yvlena heard the sound of rattling metal and pulled her two summons behind her. The chest plate of the suit of armor burst open. With a shrill cry, a suffocating darkness was spat into the sky through the armor's visor.
Yvlena screamed, holding on to Rabbit Knight and Sprite as the winds whipped, dirt, leaves, and sticks in a whirlwind around them until suddenly everything went quiet.
Yvlena opened her eyes to find the armor still standing rigid, it had sheathed its sickle. The armor, jumped backward, covering a great distance as it leaped back to the entrance of the Rose Manor.
"Is it safe to approach now?" Yvlena asked, if she had known what would be waiting for her at the entrance she might have taken more time with the manor's grounds.
Yvlena and her summons inch closer, walking towards it with all the caution they knew to have when dealing with the enemy. The moment she's a hair's breadth away the armor's arm shoots up.
Yvlena and party jump back in fright but only after a moment do they notice the armor's outstretched palm. A small purple gem rested on the armor's iron gauntlet.
Yvlena picked it up, immediately getting a notification from the game that would tell her what she had just gotten. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why the gem looked so familiar.
[Yvlena Acquired
Exp: 450/1046
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
***
Rewards
Tool upgrade gem (1/5)]
"That's right! It matches the gem that was on the scythe's handle." She said retrieving the scythe from the inventory. Yvlena looked at the pale gem embedded within the scythe and then at the luminous purple gem she had gotten from her fight against the armor.
Holding the gem close to the armor, the little object snaps into place within her scythe. The handle glowed a bright purple before transforming the scythe into a sharper less rusty version of itself.
[Harvest Skill: Wide Sweep LV.1 Unlocked
***
You can charge your scythe to deliver a wide sweep to the area, this will clear up large areas of grass and can damage enemies who come in range of it's AOE.]
Yvlena squealed in excitement she was becoming a better Harvest Guardian already. Turning around to face some tall grass, she decided now was the perfect time to test her newfound skill.
Sprite and Rabbit Knight stepped back the moment they saw the gleam in their Summoner's eyes.
Yvlena took a stance to test out her ability.
Rearing her hand back she focused on charging the scythe with mana, she swung forward, unleashing a slicing gust of wind that leveled the grass five meters in front of her in a half moon shape.
"Amazing," she said, looking at the scythe in her hand. It would be much easier to clear up the grounds this way.
In return, she received a bunch of fiber and wild seeds for her efforts.
"Are there any more tool upgrades in the house? Or are they scattered around Bloom Haven and perhaps even, Moon Valley itself." Yvlena said.
Having done its work, the armor, marched back into the Rose Manor presumably to take its usual place in the home. The door slammed behind it, meaning Yvlena would have to unlock it again.
"I hope there's nothing else waiting for us in there," Sprite said from her perch in Yvlena's hair.
"Who are we kidding, with how old the manor is, there's gotta be some kinda boss within It."
----------
Aya is pulled out of the game by some intense knocking at her front door. She stopped her game and yanked the Revista off her head.
"I'm coming!" She yelled, crossing her living room to unlock and open the door.
Lydia's thin, cruel face.
"What are you doing here, you useless lout?" Lydia spat, but Aya could see the surprise in the woman's beady eyes.
"You nearly tackle my door down at a time you expect me not to be home? Now what do you want?" Aya asked.
"Watch your tone girl. I can make you homeless in a moment."
Aya scoffed, uncharacteristically.
"Doubt, what do you want?" She asked again, punctuating every word with growing impatience. Lydia paled, suddenly having nothing to say.
The sudden pushback was unexpected, she was struck mute by the girl's words.
Aya knew the woman needed her around to blackmail whichever relative she was connected to. Aya just needed to bide her time and find out who it was from the game.
And hope they were looking for her too.
"If that's all, I'm going to get back to cleaning now," Aya shut the door without waiting for a response from the older woman.
She imagined Lydia fuming outside the door at the disrespect but Aya couldn't care less. This woman was a true villain and a danger to her and any surviving relative she had.
"The deed's not here so mom must have put it in the game, I'm sure of it. I'm so sure," Aya ran back to the game and put the Revista back on.
----------
Yvlena rested her foot on the first step of the porch, listening to it creak faintly under her weight. She moved towards the heavy arched door and pushed the key into it.
The door fell open once more, Yvelan hesitated, wondering if something would come out to attack her and her party once more. Nothing but stale air greeted her at the front.
She walked into the Manor, stepping into the foyer of the grand manor. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked around.
A stunning chandelier caught her gaze first, it hung from the center of the ceiling, bright with crystals and candles on a golden three layered frame. The candles had long since melted into oblivion but the beauty of the piece delighted her still.
Her boots clicked against the rose-tiled floors as she walked forward to pull open a moth eaten curtain to let some light in. A gust of dust bathed the room as she pulled the rich fabric.
Yvlena coughed, but now she could see the intricately lined stone walls. She ran her finger over it, tracing the interlocked patterns.
And this was just the foyer.
She pulled away from the wall and walked through a set of double doors leading to a grand hall with a large staircase in the middle separating the manor into two wings, the east and the west.
The once gleaming and polished wood had long since rotted away and the staircase was now filled with missing holes in its rug and on the stone.
Yvlena stepped forward with her summons looking up to see a huge glass dome streaming light Into the grand hall.
Her mouth hung open in awe.
This must have taken a lot to build, several years in fact. And she would have to be the one to restore it.
She decided not to go up the stairs just yet and walked towards her left.
----------
Yvlena and her party entered an old, dust filled kitchen. It was almost amazing how the game was able to replicate the grain and texture of dust.
"Achoo!" Sprite sneezed. Yvlena giggled. Walking around the large kitchen and taking note of the stove, then the large brick oven.
"I'll be able to cook, instead of just using the cauldron," she said. The girl blew the stove top, launching a cloud of dust into the air that blew back in her face.
She coughed, even through the muted senses dust, filled her nostrils causing a sneezing fit so bad she rushed out of the kitchen.
"That was a bad idea." She said.
To her right was a large living room and hearth, it could easily host a whole family in one sitting. The chairs were old, moldy, or broken.
"I would need a carpenter to fix all this wouldn't I," she said. Sprite and Rabbit Knight were busying themselves inspecting the curtains and shelves.
One thing was certain. Yvlena would have to put that axe to work.
The same excitement from before filled her, the anticipation of restoring the Rose Manor and uncovering its secrets thrilled her. She would get to know more about the town and her parents in the process.
"I just hope I find some type of clue about what happened to Dad, I know he didn't just leave me, something must have happened to him."
She steeled her resolve and faced the room underneath the staircase.