CHAPTER 16 – THE ASTRAL LORD

Aetheris – Iron Ranked Dungeon – Boss Room

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They were transported into what could only be called a throne room and there was definitely a throne, an extreme gaudy display of arrogance and opulence. It had literal sky colored gems all along the sides of the arms and a cushion of something that looked like white satin all massively built to hold the extremely tall and slender Aetherborn sitting his ass in it. The level of ego rolling off the Astral Lord made the Butler seem humble in comparison. His eyes looked at them with disdain but unlike the Butler and the rest of the Aetherborn they’d met, a cutting intellect and cunning ran the man’s features.

He didn’t think the vaunted Astral King would be underestimating them or allow them to do what they did to the Butler. Made sense in a few ways. One, he no doubt watched what happened and only an idiot would make the same mistake. Two, the distortion field was not active for the first time since they’d entered the place which was a tell tell sign that the man understood it wouldn’t work so a waste of resources or that he would activate it when it was the most inconvenient for his enemies. He might even target Danny out of the gate. Gideon sent a message to everyone stating that which led to her moving a few steps closer to Gideon and L’Sana.

Arrayed before him were four men in full plate with full helms, all of them with great swords, pommel down, their gauntleted hands gripping them with the five feet of blade length ending with its point resting on the marble floor.

They looked formidable and the heavy plate with helm would make them a bitch and a half to get to with weapons. His Uncle using [Kiss of the Moon] would be able to go right through it if he could get up close and personal and L’Sana’s [Memory of Tombs] would at least shiv the necrotic energy through the armor but Gideon and Ari would be hard pressed against the barrier of plate. Skald might be able to pierce it but that was a big question mark. Danny’s sound attacks would have some effect and of course Gideon’s Aura would be a chain-link to get the show to where they needed it but his focus would be on the man of the hour as usual. Gideon threw an [Identify] at the Guards to get a better view at what they were dealing with while also sending out a party chat for beginning strategies.

Astral Forged Justicar (Rare Class – Elites)

Foundational -- Mystical

Soul-Pillar – Astral

Race/Bloodline – Aetherborn

Level – 35 (Iron)

Yep, problematic. He shared the info with everyone. He also noticed the one he’d identified tilt his head towards him. That was exactly why he rarely used the Skill. L’Sana as usual was raring to go the ‘snikt..snikt’ of her claws sliding in and out. With a motion of her shoulder Ari flew up causing the Lord’s and his guards to all turn their heads up to follow her flight as his Uncle disappeared from sight. There was a reason they’d spent time training before stepping foot in an Iron Ranked Dungeon.

Ari landed on a balcony, one of two on each side of the main entrance no doubt having stairs that led to some side entrance for nobility to sit and look upon the festivities of the court. When the Astral Lord looked back down upon the rest of them it was with an irritation and arrogance to the fore, exactly what Gideon had hoped the stunt would pull. He needed the man to be less about his cunning and forethought and more into the ego stroking and being insulted by the piss-ant peasants.

He, Danny and L’Sana had grouped closer and he’d even had Freddie leap off his wrist in his pitbull form with the admonishment to lose the transformer sounds. The hard persuasion was successful when he hinted that it would mess up Ari’s performance of distraction. The Astral Lord’s voice was exactly how Gideon thought it would be, cultured but dismissive. Some people never learned from fuck-ups, always someone else’s problem or fault. The Astral Lord was the poster child for assholes like that. The good flip of the coin was he didn’t seem to notice one less person.

“You all have proven unequivocally maleficent in your attitude and actions and utterly ignorant of your place within the Multi-Verse, that as a commodity to fuel the rise of your betters or for the women, as a play thing for when Nobles find time to spare.”

L’Sana as usual gave the retort while he threw a chat message to his Uncle to be ready. Gideon knew his Uncle’s new ability [The Embrace of the Night] was a hard toll on his resources and low level as a part of his Sub-Class. Gideon tuned into the shit-talking of his other half.

“...think you all just suck each other’s cocks and between that hard meat in your pie hole you pay people to tell you all how pretty and amazing you are when in reality they just want to shove a stick up your bum hole…”

She didn’t get any farther as the Astral Lord like the Butler before him greatly underestimated L’Sana’s smack talking Skills and leapt from his throne roaring so hard spittle was crack-shotting with every syllable.

“KILL THEM ALL!!!!”

Gideon sent the message. Let the fireworks begin. His Uncle leapt out of thin air onto the back of one of the plated Tanks his hook blades lined with silver energy as he shoved them both into the sides of the man’s neck, his Ability allowing his blades to go through the plate like it was cloth then he ripped them out allowing the hooks to shred what was left of the man’s throat and neck while L’Sana lit up like a necrotic Christmas. Danny let loose with her vertigo ability though only hit two of them and he saw them wobble for a moment before Astral Fuck’s rings lit up with energy and it washed over the group dismissing the effect. That was going to be an issue if he could break debuffs.

Gideon threw a couple messages as quickly as he could then it was time for him to enter the game, namely keeping the Astral Lord busy. Freddie leapt up in the air full transformer’s sounds amped to the plus ten volume as if to make up for having to hold it back earlier. Gideon couldn’t keep a smile from his lips. Freddie changed to an owl as he and Ari had a plan in their laps they needed to roll. L’Sana, Danny and his Uncle had to do their best to deal with the three Justicars that were left.

Gideon couldn’t use either of his movement Abilities which put some chains on his options. The Dungeon locked down anything that took one out of the place so [Nocturnal Embrace of the Shade] was nixed and the throne room was heavily lit like everything except the dungeon where they’d been locked up and to some degree the adjoining guard room so [Birthed of the Eternal Eve] was a no go. Once again he needed to do it the old fashioned way.

The Astral Lord for now was spending more time seething from the sudden death of one of his elites then pushing himself into the fight besides him somehow dismissing the debuff Danny had thrown. The rest of his party was already engaging the remaining three Justicars or doing their best though they looked to be getting the hard end of that exchange. That plate mail was the issue and his Uncle couldn’t get close again with the length of those two-handers keeping them at distance.

Nothing for it. Yisara whispered in his mind. ‘I am with you child.’. That was new, child huh? Well she was millions upon millions of years old or something. With the over lit room her help would be limited. She was a creature of the night and the bright lights illuminating the entire room would hamper anything she could do. Still, he appreciated the thought.

Gideon took off, Skald in one hand while he activated [The Edge of the Deep Umbral] pulling black and silver edged blades of runic energy in his free hand

Time to bring the Astral Lord’s focus where it belonged, on him. He tossed some warning shots as his eyes were on Gideon’s family with a Machiavellian glint in his eye that spelled trouble. At least the whole distortion effect wasn’t rumbling through everything though he highly doubted the man wouldn’t pull it at some point. As the dark blades shot towards the Man’s feet the Lord leapt back eyes shifting to target Gideon then with a smile waved a hand as some kind of shield of energy appeared around him made of the same white and light blue as everything else.

The Man’s arrogance was a post sign for a fall. Gideon had to put worry for his family to the side. If he couldn’t put this man down or at least keep him occupied, a Mage would cause havoc amongst them left unfettered.

He threw three more blades with his left, one after the other, as he closed the last thirty feet at a steady trot. The Man was on the top of three steps that went from the floor to the dais the throne chair sat upon. The Man’s smile twisted as the thrown dark energy blades splashed harmlessly against his shield. That was until Gideon’s secret weapons hit from behind, Freddie with his ridiculous transforming sounds shifting from Owl to Pitbull careening off the shield around the Man but still sending the Asshole stumbling forward tripping down the steps falling on his face and sliding to the bottom as Ari followed hitting him with [Breath of the Dark Moon] layering the shield. It didn’t seem to do much against his magical defenses but was enough to keep him on his back foot as he attempted to get up while his eyesight was being hampered with the silver flames covering his shield.

Gideon took a risk but needed to make a statement. He let his last [Shadowmoon Lightning] blast out from the tip of Skald as he followed hard on the crackling tri-colored electricity. The colliding of the bolt with the Lord’s shield flashed heavily across the room. Gideon closed his eyes and thrust through trusting Freddie and Ari to stay on the other side of his target. Skald smacked something through his temporarily blinded eyes and the sounds of something breaking hit his ears but also sent him flying back from what he’d guessed was the shield bursting with some kind of retaliatory magic if shattered.

He landed hard, face pointed at the ornate ceiling as he slid across the marble for a good twenty feet, close to where he began. If that had been the shield and his biggest attack hadn’t even managed to break it, it put them in a hell of a hole. He flicked his eyes at his Health and saw it was Low-Green. He felt bruised as fuck and if not for his new armor and his juiced up Bloodline mitigation he would have felt it more.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Hopefully the man couldn’t just throw it back up though Gideon knew that was tossing dice on the end line. Something that powerful had to have taken a shit ton of Mana from the Mage. The sounds of fighting had been silenced for a moment as the blinding flash and subsequent kinetic blast had hit everyone. As Gideon’s eyes finally cleared he locked in all the sprawled bodies bowled over from the concussive blast.

Danny and his Uncle and the two Justicars they’d been fighting had been the furthest away so nothing but bruises while the Justicars in their armor had trolled through it unharmed besides being tossed. L’Sana and her dance partner however had been no more then ten feet off the center point. His other half though had a grin on her face and leapt on top of the prone tin can as she rematerialized after being quick enough to use her Racial Ability [The Ghost that Walks].

That was his Girl. He’d put hard money on taking the walking plate mail down with the man on his back and her on top. He shifted his eyes as Yisara brought Skald back to his hand from where it had fallen. The Astral Lord was standing utterly dumbfounded that Gideon had shattered his shield in addition to one Justicar down, another on the way and none of them really hurt yet much less dead but Gideon should have known even the thought was a bad track to start. Danny’s voice rang out across the room.

“Marcus!!!!!”

He turned to see his Uncle hanging off the two-hander in the hands of a Justicar who had shoved it through his back and had him lifted in the air blood gushing from his Uncle’s mouth. Everything in Gideon wanted to go to him, to destroy the man who hurt him and possibly killed him but he couldn’t. He had to stick to the plan or his Uncle wouldn’t be the only one.

Danny blasted [Banshee Shriek] at her opponent sending him in all his armor tin can to ass tumbling across the marble then she ran full tilt dropping her blades and tackling the legs of the Justicar taking him to the ground, him losing his weapon, his Uncle being flung off the blade. Gideon had no time to worry about whether he’d just lost the only blood he had left. He took off at the now smiling Lord as Gideon tossed a chat message to Freddie and Ari.

They both took off to help Danny and for Ari to see if she could save his Uncle as Gideon closed the last few feet thrusting in the Falcon’s Swoop just as his Father had taught him, Skald’s point aimed at the man’s chest when a flash of blue and white had the man standing before his throne once more and Gideon stumbling forward. He wanted to smack himself.

He was so unused to all these superhuman attributes he didn’t push what he was really capable of. All the Aetherborn could teleport at a whim. If it had cost appreciative resources it hadn’t shown so far in any of their fights. His Agility was by far his greatest advantage. He needed to use it. He took a breath as he looked at the leering Astral Lord whose cruel grin only made Gideon grit his teeth.

He let himself fall into his [Combat Awareness] and his new Skills [Investigation] and [Insight]. If he could use them to cheat when L’Sana and he fucked he was damn sure he could use them in combat. He threw up [Night of the Ecliptic Horror] while reinforcing it with [Mortal/Divine Shroud – Umbral/Moon]. It would hit his resources hard but he needed something that would get through the man’s defenses.

He let his Skills lead him as he leapt up the stairs towards his adversary. On his third step a flash of blue/white came from underneath him after which he he found himself twenty feet away but didn’t think, didn’t question, instincts pushing him back towards his enemy. He kept his Aura rolling as his Skills led him with [Combat Awareness] as the baton utilizing the other two to chart a path. He threw [Pitch of the Umbral Moon] centered on the Astral Lord slowing him, obscuring his vision and followed it with a thrown Skald on the move followed by several tosses of dark and silver blades of energy courtesy of [The Edge of the Deep Umbral].

The sounds of battle faded, his family’s survival and safety let go in the essence of need. He tossed more energy blades than pulled his daggers as a flash of white and blue shot out from the area of pitch and silver clouds that encompassed the Astral Lord. Gideon’s [Combat Awareness] amplifying his huge Perception Attribute shifted his eyes to follow where his target had gone.

He unleashed his even higher Agility and pushed himself like a bullet to his right twisting his body to plant his legs skidding to a halt and shooting to the spin of direction. [Combat Acrobatics] kicked in to make it much simpler.

He found a body in front of him, a pool of white blood trickling from a wound on his prey’s hip, a slight layer of frost lining a battle robe. He licked out with his blades, one, two, more blood, flash of white and blue, gone. Gideon had become primal, one target, one hunt, his Sub-Class infiltrating thoughts, details, movements, air displacement.

[Combat Awareness] flashed, [Investigation] and [Intuition] having him tumbling forward as a blast of energy rocked the marble floor behind him. He spun, pushed his Agility to flip back to his feet as [Combat Awareness] flared. He landed light and pushed forward, throwing another [Pitch of the Umbral Moon], one dagger sheathed, His senses started spreading through his active Aura, using it is as an added radar, realizing he could utilize in ways he’d never thought of before, that it wasn’t just an Ability, not with his Shroud amplifying it. It was an extension of who he was, his soul and senses, his truth, his power. He then realized it wasn’t his Aura, his Shroud was the tool.

He dropped the Aura Ability as Spirit hit High-Red but kept the Shroud, extending it, stretching it. It now encompassed half the room and moved as he moved. [Umbral Savage], [Lunar Hound], different but both hunters, both killers.

A huge plated form teleported to his shadow a huge blade thrusting for his back. Instinct pulled him to the side, Yisara wrapping the extended weapon, pulling the wielder off balance, Gideon’s Mate, now a spectral beast, fur and fangs, tackled the plated enemy pulling the enemy off him. His focus swiveled back to his prey, the man who would take his family from him. He growled, joining his Mate as a beast, [Nocturne].

Another bolt of white and blue lanced through his Aura. He shifted, his speed an instinctual flex. He slid forward, to the side, another bolt. His prey slipped through space again, this time, his [Intuition] seeing the pattern, his Shroud extending even further, energy from both his Pillars threading together before fueling it. There was a truth there barely glimpsed but one he knew he if he could get to it it would break a barrier that needed to be broken. His brain was too deep in the primal instincts of the hunt to see it. The animal within him not caring about truths or insights only blood and the kill.

He threw another [Pitch of the Umbral Moon], the heavy cloud of night with silver flashes lining it’s depths on top of where his prey would land, a heavy breath and gasp of pain as his target reappeared in the middle of it. He held his one blade, the other still sheathed as his left hand shot forward, a torrent of dark and silver blades from [The Edge of the Deep Umbral] slicing into the dark cloud, grunts of pain, another flash of white and blue. He spun, his Shroud now covering almost 3/4ths of the room. [Apex Predator] activated, a burst of resources back to Yellow.

He ignored those he cared for, those he loved, the prone form, the small Dragonling over it with moon infused energy, the metal dog, hurt, part of his body no longer working, standing as guardian, his Mate having somehow killed her previous target, tangling with another with the Harvester helping.

Deeper he went, into the beast, into the two flashing Pillars of black and silver sitting in the pit of him, sending a threaded stream of power to his limbs and shroud. Another flash of white/blue sparked under his feet, body moved near the throne once more. At the same time a bolt of Astral energy hit him square blasting him back into the throne chair, tumbling over and skidding into the back wall. His Health flashed Low-Yellow, his Spirit being drained by whatever magic was in the bolt, dropping to High-Red. [Pain Resistance] flared, shoving the pain below.

His body kept moving, the white and blue energy still permeating his frame, eating his Spirit. Instinct took over, a flex of Will to his Shroud and a pulse of black and silver through his domain and the energy dispersed, broken by his Shroud, fed by his twinned Pillars empowering its expression.

He ate up ground, his target pinpointed. His senses now fully integrated through his Shroud covered almost the entire room allowing him to utilize [Investigation] and [Intuition] to mark his prey, moving sluggishly, tired, weakening.

The dent from the Astral magic eating his Spirit and the heavy use of his newly awakened Shroud had brought it to Mid-Red. He sheathed his single blade to join its brother at his back as his feet chewed ground and Yisara stretched her widening material pulling Skald back to his hand as he ran past, white blood dripping off it’s tip. He shoveled his frame closer as his target once again flashed away, Gideon skidding to a halt, twisting, turning, pushing his Agility, his speed, [Combat Acrobatics] making it an exercise in simplicity.

The prey was now breathing heavy, sweat dripping from his brow. Gideon felt within his Shroud another of the Justicars fall. Only one was left, his Uncle still on the ground, Ari still near him. He threaded all his emotions away from himself, away from any meaning. He and his target were the only world that existed, the only focus he could give into. Time to end the hunt.

He had to keep his prey from escaping over and over. He let his subconscious chew the strategy as he once again cornered the Astral Lord near his throne, bleeding, pretty robes torn. The man was not a true combatant and certainly not in melee. He was a Scholar, a Mage. Get in close, pin him down, kill him.

Gideon closed on his position. The man had hands on knees, out of breath. As he got close the white and blue energy of another teleport began. Gideon pushed out [Night of the Ecliptic Horror], this time, threading his braid of dual pillared moon and umbral energy into his shroud then merging it with his Aura. A mountainous burst of miasma exploded from him enshrouding his prey in less than a second, within a breath, his attempt to teleport breaking, the man dropping to knees, frozen in the horror of the deep void as Skald shot forward piercing through his chest and out his back.

Gideon’s hands let go of Skald, leaving it in the man’s body and in one motion pulled his blades .He planted the first through his prey’s eyes, twisting around, a dance, the other, planted into the back of his neck up into his brain stem. As soon as he let go, the body fell, lifeless, both blades and Skald pin cushioned into the corpse as flags of conquest.

Gideon collapsed to knees his Shroud and Aura cut off. His eyes flicked to his Spirit Bar, a flashing sliver of Red. He went face first into the cold marble his consciousness on the back end of ‘Shit out of luck’. He heard a familiar husky female voice above him.

“Oh Gideon, damn. This is getting Anime funny, like a big over-sized fucking sword no one could ever lift or use in real fucking life. Seriously. Ari and Freddie made me watch some of those shit shows. Like who the fuck could wield a weapon that was three times their own fucking size and who the fuck would want to. You ask me whoever wrote that shit got some serious inadequacies they are attempting to make up for. I don’t give a shit how strong the bitch asses were. It’s just, just no.

But look at you Poopsy, once again face first in the ground. If your Uncle still wasn’t on the verge of death and the rest of us all sorts of fucked up I’d say someone grab a bottle of tequila and let’s do a shot. Gideon’s went beddie-bye again. It’s becoming one of those, what do they say? A Meme, that’s it, a meme. I can imagine it now. Giddy falls unconscious, do a shot.”

Gideon groaned and not only because of the agony from Spirit exhaustion. With his last shred of thought he attempted to smile before falling into the black he felt L’Sana kneel down over him, her voice a whisper as he spiraled into the void.

“It’s alright Giddy. Momma’s here to save the day once again.”

Snorts rolled out like thunder and the last thing he recalled was a splash of liquid hitting his face.