Learning from experience from the first round against Löwe, I decided not to wait for him to make the first move. I pointed the Blade of the Black Rose at him and launched a gravity orb. The Nazi blocked it on the palm of his extended right hand and green flames began to envelop the “ball”. I wasn't sure whether Löwe intended to launch it back at me with some extras or just to destroy it. The smirk on his face didn’t make me particularly confident about the latter option. Still… the former possibility gave me an idea.
If spells can interact with each other…
I launched two volleys of Rock Spikes at him and just as I hoped the gravitational pull of the orb affected their trajectory making the projectiles curve straight into the direction of Löwe's outstretched arm. Were they moving faster too or was it an illusion?
As Lowe’s arm posed a relatively small target only one of the six spikes hit it, piercing it right through. This proved very effective though, as it broke Maximilian's concentration. He growled from pain and annoyance and both the gravity ball and the flames dissipated. This gave me an opening to start charging towards him.
Löwe ripped the spike from the wound, which immediately closed. This brought my attention to the fact that all of his wounds have healed.
Effect of what he just did to those undead, I guess?
Löwe turned his attention back to me but before he could do anything a beam of hellfire pierced one of his wings from the side and went through his shoulder. The fire on the wind considerably dissipated, but it was clearly levelled out by other wings
‘RAAAAAGH,’ he screamed.
He turned his attention to Aki, whom I noticed was going for her swords and just fired a shot of opportunity.
‘It’s my gun you are using, bitch!’ he shouted. ‘I’ll rip it from your cold dead hands!’
But Maximilian focusing on Aki meant he was not paying attention to me.
‘Hey, fucko!’ I shouted and lunged towards him. ‘Forgot about someone?’
The Blade of the Black Rose pierced his side, but before it could do a lot of damage Löwe buffeted with his wings. The resulting hot wind sent me flying. He miscalculated, however, as I managed to hold on to the blade long enough for it to cut half of his stomach open. The Blade of the Black Rose clattered on the ground, fucking off to parts unknown and I skidded across the floor stopping on the corpse of the Behemoth.
At this stage, I’ll learn to fly when by some chance I miss the floor after someone throws me across the room, I sighed to myself and started to get up.
I could see that the wound on Löwe’s stomach was already knitting itself, but his wings also shrunk considerably.
Someone has a limited power source it seems.
The Nazi was also realising this, as he raised his right arm and the corpses of the undead that we’ve slain with Aki, well… it was mostly her, disintegrated and the unleashed energy recharge Löwe’s wings making them about as large as they were before. He then turned his attention to the corpses of the Sanguine.
Oh no, you motherfucker!
I launched a volley of Rock Spikes at him. He managed to stop it with one of his wings, but then another shot from Aki’s gun pierced him through his chest. The girl followed with her Abyssal Bolt, but then a greenish energy field appeared around Löwe.
Learning, are we?
I summoned my sword and started running towards him again, my sword raised, but Löwe was faster. He managed to complete whatever spell he was casting. The corpses started glowing red and slowly breaking apart into a series of red orbs. Some of them flowed into the Nazi giving him an unhealthy-looking pallor. Blood started flowing from his eyes and his hair turned crimson.
The rest of the orbs concentrated in a single spot and morphed into a hulking creature. Unlike your usual Sanguine it was not looking like someone who’s diet consisted of air. It was maybe two metres tall and its body was naught but thick muscles. The Sanguine looked even more buff than the two hobgoblins we’ve encountered with Aki.
‘Now it’s two versus two,’ I heard Löwe say. ‘Much fairer, don’t you think, Lilyth?’
I turned back to him. His transformation seemed now complete. His green wings were gone. Instead of them he had a single pair of black-feathered wings. The wings tore off the top of his chest revealing a very slim pale body, covered in bloody splotches And his now thin hands ended with sharp black claws.
I felt myself capable of launching one more gravity orb. Then I would likely be completely out of mana. It was a difficult choice, but I went for Mr. Hyde over there who was starting to look at me with a hungry expression on his non-face. I had no idea how it pulled that off. The plan was to temporarily immobilise it. Any damage it did would be an extra.
Immediately afterwards I resumed my charge towards Maximilian. Löwe was ready for it though and jumped aside using his wings to propel himself off the ground. As he flew he spread his arms and three skulls from green fire appeared between them. He launched them towards him. I barely had enough time to throw myself to the ground. I felt heat as they flew above my back. They impacted the wall opposite Löwe where they exploded with a loud bang. After that I could hear heavy footsteps approaching me.
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This is bad. Where is Aki?
As Maximilian was transforming Aki ran into his laboratory and stopped by his alchemy table. Skipping this ‘Sarin’ she immediately loaded the dark purple Umbral Caustic essence into her satchel. Aki noticed a second one there, so it immediately joined the other in her pack. She gave the other potions a quick look. A bottle with a silvery liquid caught her eye.
Item: Moderate Dragon’s Breath
Type: Alchemical
Rarity: Terran - Very Rare
Effect: Deals fire damage to the target. Results in persistent fire damage.
Into the satchel it went. Nothing else seemed useful. Suddenly there was a series of explosions nearby. Aki ran out of the lab and saw Lilyth lying on the ground, some large and muscular Sanguine creature approaching her, and Löwe, now some harpy-like abomination, preparing some spell involving fiery green skulls. Aki grabbed the bottle with Dragon’s Breath and started running towards her girlfriend. She threw the substance at the creature, which she now noticed had one broken arm and some of the flesh from its torso was missing. The bottle landed on the monster’s muscular chest where it broke. The substance exploded with a blinding white flash.
As Aki was busy blinking away the aftereffects of the flash, she heard the creature start roaring in agony, then there was a series of explosions somewhere on the ceiling followed by load crashing of rocks. When she was finally able to see again, she saw the massive hulk trying weakly to roll on the ground, as the white fire melted its flesh from bone. She put it out of its misery with a pistol shot to its head.
Level 8 Sanguine Hulk has been slain.
You have earned 400 experience points (2150/2500 total experience points progress to level 5)
At that point Lilyth was slowly gathering herself from the floor. She looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise fine. Unfortunately, Löwe has also recovered from being blinded.
‘Together?’ Lilyth asked her.
‘Together,’ Aki responded.
She placed the gun into her satchel and unsheathed her swords. In unison, the battle-forged companions charged towards Löwe.
The man was starting to prepare another volley of skulls, but at that point they lost a lot of their scare factor. Just as they started flying, Aki and Lilyth jumped aside and continued their run. The ghostly projectiles harmlessly exploded on the floor behind them. Maximilian once again propelled himself off the ground, eschewing the skulls for his ghostly sword. Aki launched another Abyssal Bolt at him. It exploded against his shield. She did not care. That was the plan.
As they got to Löwe he swung his sword at Lilyth, who deflected it with the Blade of the Black Rose. Aki used that opportunity to launch a series of slashes at Maximilian. They all harmlessly bounced off his defensive barrier, but the magical field was starting to show cracks.
Realising his predicament, Löwe buffeted his wings again, pushing Lilyth and Aki back. He used the opportunity to regain distance. Lilyth was first to recover, so she immediately gave pursuit. Maximilian was preparing another volley of skulls. Aki’s companion didn’t give him a chance to launch them though. She strafed to the side and lunged at him, before he could turn towards her. By then, Aki was already running towards them, sheathing one of her swords. She pulled one of the Umbral Caustic essences out of her satchel.
Just as Lilyth hit the shield with a sideways slash, Aki threw the substance at Löwe. It broke on his shield, but some of the substance still stuck to it, slowly burning through it.
‘Is there anything you haven’t stolen from me, you filthy mischling?’ Maximilian shouted absolutely incandescent with rage.
‘Don’t you have bigger problems, Hans?’ Lilyth asked while she slashed at Löwe from above.
‘I TOLD YOU TO ST-’ the Nazi began, but stopped when he realised what was happening.
My sword stopped on his shield and started to push through it.
‘Scheiße…’ Maximilian muttered and once again took to the air.
But it was too late. Between my attack and whatever acid Aki threw at him his defensive barrier finally shattered.
‘NEIN!’
‘Ja, fucker!’ I shouted and chased after him.
Aki joined me. It seemed Löwe was down to his sword, as he did not start any further exploding-skull attacks. I leapt towards him, but he was ready and jumped aside. He wanted to counterattack, but Aki was already there and took his slash on the shield of her own. The shield burst immediately, but she was able to use the Nazi’s confusion to slash at his stomach with her sword, cutting it open.
It seemed he still had some healing magic left, as it immediately started knitting itself together, but it was of little consequence. This was now a DPS race and we had more of it. I made another overhead slash and managed to lop off one of his wings.
‘Try flying away now!’ I shouted towards him with glee.
Löwe did not share in my happiness, real party pooper I tell you, and enraged attacked me. As I parried it, Aki used this opportunity to ram her falchion into his side, not that far away from where I hit him previously. Great minds think alike. The tip of her blade emerged out of his other side.
Unfortunately, the attack ended in a similar way than mine as Löwe hit her with his remaining wing, throwing her to the ground.
‘Oh no, you didn’t,’ I said, rage gathering in me.
‘Is the subhuman in love with the mischling?’ Löwe taunted me, sensing my emotions.
I responded with a sidewise slash. The Nazi got what he wanted though, as he kicked me in my side, staggering me. He wanted to follow-up with his sword but then a bottle shattered on his head, black oozy liquid splashing all over it. Löwe screamed as whatever it was started eating through his skull. It was time to end this. I made a diagonal downwards slash and bisected him from the shoulder to his wounded side. The Nazi let out a final whimper of agony, as the two halves of his body fell to the ground.
Level 10 Maximilian Löwe has been slain.
You have earned 500 experience points (1600/2500 total experience points progress to level 5)
I wanted to do some badass one-liner but couldn’t think of anything. So I just flipped off his corpse. With both hands.