Since there were three Fledglings, and since Kanda was now officially their chaperone, they split the nine cards three ways. Alistair got two points in CON, and a {Wandbound Skill} known as Rain of Blades from a Level 13 Valkerie Kappa.
[Rain of Blades allows you to summon a shower of Resonant Mana swords to drop on your opponent. The Strength of the power is 1X your CON.]
As usual, Ghost found other usages for this kind of skill.
Ghost: This would be an incredible thing to use on an opponent from above, a rooftop or something. Kill them before they even know you’re there. That has always been my preferred method of assassination. It’s one of the reasons I went by the name Ghost.
Alistair: You really can turn anything into a treaty about assassinating someone, can’t you?
Ghost: Is there a problem with that? It’s how my mind works. But don’t worry. We can test it in the next chamber.
Juno took three Attribute Cards, one in each category, which he placed into his chest after Ziggy squished to the side a little, and Zola received two points in STR and a card known as Valkric Boost, which augmented her CON.
Just as they were wrapping up, Tarnis taunted the group as they approached the next stairwell that led down.
[Are you ready? Are you ready to tackle in the way it is meant to be tackled? Gee, it must be nice to just summon some forbidden hellspawns to clear out the chambers ahead. So nice. But not any more! Let’s see what you really got!]
A message came in from Kanda, one meant for all of them.
Kanda: Just as I suspected. Tarnis has now confirmed that there are multiple chambers. From my experience in the past, I would say there are between four and seven.
Zola: And we just passed the second chamber. This could be a long fight. Do you think there are Sanctuary Zones?
Kanda: No, I don’t, Zola. Those are added later by Tarnis.
Zola: I can’t imagine how much he bitches about that.
Kanda: Me too, girl.
Juno: Me three, girls. I’m starting to get a little worried that I’ll never be able to see or taste anything again. I can definitely smell, though.
Kanda: You will see and taste again. Just stay out of the fights. Let Ziggy and Noctarii manage you. And don’t tell Melissa what’s happening.
Juno: Why would I?
Kanda: I mean now, or later. Try to keep a secret for once, Juno.
Juno: I can keep a secret!
While they hashed Juno’s secret-keeping ability out over Spectral Text, the two summons did their best to handle his move, clearly with some animosity between the two of them.
“No, no, no,” Noctarii said as Ziggy positioned Juno to the left of the group. “Stay behind them. Just like Kandy said.”
Squish!
“It’s Kanda,” the Skyward girl said as she moved along, her blazekitsune lighting their way forward.
“Yeah, Kandy, just like I said.” Even though wore his mask once again, it was easy to see Noctarii was grinning at her beneath it.
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“My name is not that hard to remember. Alistair, Zola. Keep your wands ready. Juno, let Ziggy handle things. And Tarnis?”
[Yes, my dear Skyward?]
“Gross. Let us know when we are close to the cure. Don’t interrupt us until then.”
[You’re going to regret telling me not to help out. Here I am, willing and able to help heal the kid’s facelessness and you have the nerve—]
Kanda started down the stairs, Alistair and Zola directly behind her. With Fiera at the front, this provided Alistair a chance to test the power of his new skill, Moonlight Eyes of the Assassin. He stopped to wait for Juno, Fiera’s light fading away and replaced by an abstract whiteness that soon filled with color.
He figured he would let Ghost know what he’s doing before the assassin snapped at him to continue onward.
Alistair: I’m testing the seeing in the dark skill.
Ghost: And? It’s pitch black to me aside from Noctarii’s glow.
Alistair: It will help. I can see everything with this power.
Ghost: Nice.
“You good?” the shadow fae asked as he stopped next to Alistair.
“Good. Let’s continue.”
“What’s going on?” Juno asked, but by this point Alistair had moved on.
“Just trust Noctarii and Ziggy,” he called back to his friend.
Alistair reached the bottom floor to find Kanda and Zola ready to go, the two just about to engage a pair of Level 18 Twilight Ogres. Both had rotted skin covered in boils large that pulsed with a glowing neon yellow liquid inside. The ogres were easily ten feet tall, the two forced to bend over so their heads didn’t scrape against the ceiling.
The first rushed at Kanda, the ogre’s epic swipe blocked by a fiery slash from Fiera. Next to her, Zola summoned her runestone onikuma, which slammed into the second ogre, the two flipping to the side.
The bear screamed in pain as the ogre’s boils began to pop, releasing a toxic smell that was two parts vomit, one part carrion. They also released a yellow liquid, which boiled as soon as it hit the ground.
Since he’d never tried it before, Alistair used Rain of Blades, which brought for a dozen blades made of an electric blue light onto the Kanda’s ogre. The monster yelled in pain as the blades passed through it, bringing numerous puncture wounds across its body that also popped many of its boils. Some of the pus that sprayed out caught fire as Fiera raced around the first ogre, the kitsune gearing up for an attack.
Squish!
“No, Ziggy, stay back you absolute lunatic!” Noctarii barked as the slime moved to deal with the boiling pus on the ground.
“Ziggy, listen to Noctarii. Stay with Juno!” Alistair shouted. “Um—”
Ghost: Swords would be helpful right about now. Wait. Try Flame Kissed on the pus. Did you see what the blazekitsune did with her tail? Let’s amplify that.
Alistair: Light it on fire?
Ghost: Before it gets here. Hurry. The girls can deal with the ogres.
Alistair slipped over to the oozing pus, which was starting to spread in their direction. He ignored its foul stench as he touched his wand against the edge of the liquid. It immediately ignited, the fire quickly spreading to the far corners of the room and turning neon green.
Squish! Ziggy, and by extension, Juno, backpedaled and fell to the ground, the slime’s naturally buoyant body simply forcing Juno back to his feet.
“Whoa!” Juno said. “What the hell is going on?”
“Dammit, Alistair!” Zola yelled as her bear caught fire. She called it back and raced toward the stairs, where she grabbed Juno by the arm and dragged him back with her.
“Ziggy, get Juno’s ass, back here! It’s going to blow!” Noctarii shrieked as the flames bloomed with neon intensity. They pooled around the two ogres, igniting their bodies and popping more of their boils.
“Wait, this is good!” Kanda said, madness in her eyes. “Alistair, get over here!”
Alistair moved a few paces toward Kanda, who summoned a shield made of a red energy rimmed in white. It spread before them and protected the entrance to the chamber, where Zola and Juno stood, Zola with her wand pointed forward.
The fiery neon explosion that followed shredded the two ogres. The flames blazed until they were quickly contained by Fiera, who used her tail like a paintbrush to thin out the fire until it was gone.
Once the fires ceased, and Kanda swept the room with her wind skill, Tarnis spoke.
[Now that is the way to do it. But I was able to take a quick peek at the next chamber and let me be the first to tell you: it’s not going to be that easy. Sort of a cheap move too, if we’re being honest, but at least you didn’t send your summons to do all the dirty work. And like I said, the next chamber. Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.]
A single card hovered over a clump of flesh.
“Alistair, check the card,” Kanda told him, “And Tarnis—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Juno said for her.