A large, red bar appeared above the ten-headed hydra: 4 000 000. Its deafening roar shook the cavern. 10 copies of itself appeared around the room near the walls, surrounding Kiyomi and Razor.

They retreated to the center of the cave and stood next to the lake and away from the hydras. Since the copies were immune to damage, there wasn’t any point attacking them. They couldn’t afford to mess up here.

Kiyomi conjured her dome around Razor and herself—she could shape her forcefield how she liked.

All the hydras shot. Their water projectiles splashed off her shield.

“I got an idea.” Razor eyed the copies.

“I’m listening.”

“You distract the copies. I’ll handle the real one.”

Kiyomi thought for a moment and worked it out in her head. Yes, that could work. “Alright. Focus on attacks. I’ll cover you and do the stuns.” By stunning one mirage, the rest would attack her. She would hold aggro that way. Razor and the real hydra would fight their own battle.

“Okay.”

Kiyomi waited a few seconds after the projectiles hit her shield and lowered it.

Razor dashed out and headed to the wall where the real hydra had crashed through.

Some of the mirages looked at Razor, about to shoot again.

She released her staff and mentally moved it while it hovered. With her two hands stretched forward, she made fists and brought them together side by side. Shizunari. She moved her fists apart, making a dagger between them the further she separated them. At full length, she took the floating blade by the hilt in one hand. Shizunari was a long dagger that was especially good for stuns based on its description. But its damage was miniscule.

Before any mirage shot at Razor, Kiyomi rushed to the opposite side of the cave and plunged her blade into a hydra copy. ZZZZT. The blade sent an electric spark through it. It flinched at the hit, lowered its heads, and froze as if it had fallen asleep.

All the other hydras turned their heads and glared at Kiyomi.

Kiyomi put up her dome in time to block the barrage of water attacks from their mouths. Not a second passed between hits. All she had to do was stun occasionally and tank the hits. She would glance from the other mirages to the stunned one to make sure to stun it again when it recovered. Just opening a small hole in her barrier to poke the mirage a few times to re-stun it was a good move. Stun, block, wait, repeat. Water Cannon, Water Surge, Water Barrage. Didn’t make a difference. Everything splashed off her dome.

Once in a while though, she had to move to another hydra because of the Stun Resistance that had built up in the previous mirage she had stunned repeatedly.

She had the easy part. Razor had to focus on the real hydra—10 heads—and watch out for the Water Barrage. Still, his heightened Agility and Dexterity should help him evade.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

~~~

Sako sprinted through the gates of the capital and stopped in the town square, panting. That had been a big distance to run. She pulled her Stamina Potion from her pocket and gulped it down. Once she emptied it and refilled her stamina bar, the empty bottle vanished.

Guards ran about, giving orders to one another. A colorful team of geared-up combatants ran past her and headed to the palace gates. Their levels were higher than the average guard around.

Sako sneaked behind them, following discreetly.

They stormed into the palace. One looked at the rest behind him. “Find her!”

“On it, chief,” one of the rest said, and they scattered.

She followed behind two of them as they moved through the palace.

They ended up at two broken-down double doors that were in pieces on the floor. The two armored, bulky men marched in.

Sako slipped in after them.

“Let him go! You'll face us now!” One of them scowled to the figure who was standing across the room by the throne, holding a man by the neck with an arm. A bloodied crown was at her feet.

Dead guards littered the room.

Sako hid in a corner behind a pillar in the corner at the back as they moved a bit closer to the figure.

The figure in her black robe turned her head to the men. “You're far too late.” She flung her victim's corpse aside. Blood pooled out of him.

Shock and fear struck the two men.

That took Sako by surprise too.

“What have you done to our king?!” One of them quivered in anger.

“Are you honestly too stupid to figure it out? I can’t tell.” Le Francia was calm.

“You won't be leaving here alive! We’ll decapitate you here and now and leave your flesh and bones to rot in the graveyard where vultures will pick you clean in the sun until you’re an unsightly, reeking mess. They’ll pluck out your eyes and bury you in dung for months.” One man drew his heavy greatsword.

Wow, pretty detailed stuff there, pal, calm down. Sako shivered and tried not to imagine it.

The other man pointed his spear, which sparked with magical energy.

A portal opened behind Le Francia. She turned her back to them, about to go in.

“You won't get away!” The spearman threw his spear at Le Francia.

Le Francia’s floating sword moved behind her and knocked it away.

“Tch!” The man scowled.

Both men charged at her.

She put one foot in the portal then the next and disappeared. The portal began closing.

Sako made a beeline for the portal and dived in too just in time before the portal closed. She would rather not go through the trouble of trying to find a Teleport Gate somewhere else in the capital. Plus, chances were that these men would be hostile to her if she stuck around. And running all the way back wouldn’t be fun.

~~~

The portal opened in a hallway.

Le Francia stepped out.

Sako flew out and landed on her face next to her. “Ow!”

They were back in Aria at the palace.

She kept walking, ignoring Sako’s presence.

Sako recovered and got to her feet. “Wait! I have questions!” So many questions.

Le Francia continued her steps down the corridor.

“Can you at least talk to me?” She called after her.

Le Francia stopped, back still turned to Sako. “Begone. I do not converse with commoners.” She resumed walking.

Sako was defeated, unsure of how to continue the conversation. She could tell that begging wouldn’t help. Maybe Le Francia would come around later. She would leave her be for now and check on the prisoner. But which way to go? Sako glanced at both ends of the long corridor then went to the end opposite to Le Francia. If she wandered around enough, she should meet someone who could help her navigate.