READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 52 - The Sierra Squad
Let go?
‘Yes…,’ she purred. ‘Just let me take the steering wheel for a while.’
My heart sank. But I knew this was the one right move. I kissed Aki goodbye and held Caeileera’s hand for a moment. I didn't actually expect to come back. Still… I had to try.
My hope was that at least Aki would somehow be able to get out if everything else failed. If she can take Caei out of here all the better.
Once I was out of the room, I thought to the Huntress.
Let’s do this.
It was not easy to let the Huntress take over. The rational part of my brain was fighting her. Eventually, I heard her say:
‘Close your eyes and listen to the world…’
I followed her instructions. After a few seconds, I started hearing and sensing things I wouldn't be able to normally. The subtle echoes of air passing around me, the distant skitter of something, Caei’s irregular heartbeat and fear. The existential terror of impending death.
This is what sent me over the edge. I grew to really care for the Sanguine over these past few days. The thought of her dying was… unbearable.
Yes. There would be hell to pay for this.
I left the carbine by the door. It would only slow me down. I activated the Swiftness of the Wind. I stopped caring whether this would send me over. There was no time to waste.
My first destination was Brind’s office. I literally ripped the drawers out of their desk in search of medical supplies. Papers went flying all around. I was equally ungentle with the cabinets. The time for subtlety was gone.
I charged into the next office. This one once belonged to our good friend Hakon Vaan Lohren. A Thrall was waiting for me there. I slid under it as it paused, raising the knife so the monster gored itself on it as it jumped. I finished it with a Shadow Bolt to the head.
Level 13 Rotting Thrall has been slain.
You have received 1300 experience points (2382/4500 total experience points progress to level 9)
Some remnants of sanity I still had wondered whether this was once Vaan Lohren, but the Huntress dismissed that as irrelevant.
‘History-later. Caei-now.’
Noted.
Vaan Lohren’s office also proved of no help.
Are all of the healing potions gone?
The commotion I was making drew another of the Sierra squad bastards in. Before he could do anything I cast Gust of Wind at him and, as he stumbled, threw a Blood Lance at his chest. I finished him off by smashing his head into the wall with a Fist of Wind.
Level 18 Sierra Squad Revenant has been slain.
You have received 1800 experience points (4182/4500 total experience points progress to level 9)
I’ve decided to find the lab next. There, I did find a clue - a2 note was attached to the door of the reagent cabinet.
Empty - check if anything is left in the East Wing.
I ran downstairs jumping over a step or two at the time, before bolting towards the entrance towards what I thought was the East Wing. I burst the door open and started bounding down the corridor. I noticed a sign with the phrase “Burn Ward”. This span had the single doors, so likely those were the sick rooms. Nice that the place had a uniform layout. As I was approaching the corner turning towards the side of the main span where I thought the nurse’s station was I heard the faintest of clicks. That was enough. I had too much momentum to quickly shed it so I dropped to a slide, and slipped under the barrels of a submachine gun and a pump-action shotgun.
Sneaky bastards.
I scrambled to my feet and once again wanted to start with the Gust of Wind. Unfortunately, the shotgun bastard already managed to train his weapon on me and fired. Most of the pellets banged off harmlessly of my armour, those that hit my exposed flesh hurt like a motherfucker though. It wasn’t enough to stop me, but slowed me down enough that the submachine gun fucko caught up and opened fire. The moment I saw I dove to the ground, not fast enough to save myself from some bullets hitting my back, and cast the Gust of Wind at their legs, knocking both of them down.
The back indicator on the paper doll flashed red, but I ignored it. I leapt back to my feet and pounced at the fucks, holding the knife in reverse grip in one hand and wind gathering around the other. I slammed the shotgun guy on the head with the Fist of Wind crushing it into bloody chunks.
Level 19 Sierra Squad Revenant has been slain.
You have received 1900 experience points (6082/4500 total experience points progress to level 9)
You are now Level 9 (1582/5000 total experience points progress to level 10)
Your total health has increased
Your total stamina has increased
Your total mana has increased
You have received 2 perk points (Current Number of Perk Points: 4)
I was starting to feel low on mana. The Fists of Wind were quite draining on me, especially, combined with the Swiftness. Maybe I would find a mana potion. If not… there was still the knife.
I turned towards the submachine guy who was already gathering up from the floor, his own knife in hand.
‘Give me the perk points,’ the Huntress commanded.
Nice of you to ask this time around. Granted.
New Skill Acquired: Combat Knife - Current Level: 1 (0% total progress to level 2)
You have spent 2 Perk Points (Current Number of Perk Points: 2)
Your Combat Knife skill has increased to level 3 (0% total progress to level 4)
You have spent 2 Perk Points (Current Number of Perk Points: 0)
I approve.
‘Thought you would.’
What followed was a complex dance of thrusts, cuts, dodges and parries. Thanks to my enhanced speed and reflexes I could mostly keep up with him, but he definitely was a more experienced fighter. So I had to even the odds. I cast Shadow Weapon on the knife to increase its damage output and set out a Shadow Bolt at his head. This gave me enough of a distraction. I slid across the floor behind him and hamstrung the bastard. As he collapsed to his knees I ripped off his helmet and buried my knife in his skull.
Level 21 Sierra Squad Revenant has been slain.
You have received 2100 experience points (3682/5000 total experience points progress to level 10)
All of my spells suddenly ended. And that was that for my mana. At least the one I could use without really fucking myself up. And it was a really bad time too, as two more Sierra squad members burst out of the room that I thought was my destination. Another fucker with a pump-action shotgun and a really big bastard with a light machine gun.
So that's it.
‘Not if I have anything to say about it,’ the Huntress laughed. ‘Brace yourself. This will hurt.’
She didn't lie.
Using my connection to Nyx and Ereshkigal she started to channel raw Umbral and Air energies through my body. I could feel myself being restructured as it happened. I rose slightly from above the ground and concentric yellow and black circles appeared beneath my feet. The big fuck opened fire but I extended my hand and a bolt of lightning shot out, turning both the bullets and the gun into ash. I extended both my hands with wrists clasped together. A black ball of energy with crackling lightning formed and a beam of arcane fury shot out incinerating my enemies into nothing. Then, as the energy left my body the real pain began. It felt like parts of me were burning away, while others kept shifting around.
This can’t be good.
I crashed to the ground and landed on my knees. The two knives I forgot about clattered to the ground next to me. Instead of long straight blades, they now had curved ones - one shining with black light, the other with yellow.
Level 22 Sierra Squad Revenant has been slain.
You have received 2200 experience points (5882/5000 total experience points progress to level 10)
You are now Level 10 (882/5500 total experience points progress to level 11)
Your total health has increased
Your total stamina has increased
Your total mana has increased
You have received 2 perk points (Current Number of Perk Points: 2)
Level 25 Sierra Squad Greater Revenant has been slain.
You have received 2500 experience points (3382/5500 total experience points progress to level 11)
Notice: You have eradicated the Sierra Squad almost single-handedly. For this feat, you have received 2 perk points. (Current Number of Perk Points: 4)
I picked them up.
Item: Sol
Class: Weapon - Daggers - Combat Knife
Rarity: Unique
Durability: N/A
Traits:
Soulmade - Created out of a piece of the user’s soul. Cannot be destroyed. Can be resummoned if lost.
Elementally Infused - Lightning - Attacks have a chance to inflict additional Lightning damage. Higher levels of Air Arcana knowledge will improve the probability of the effect occurring. (Currently unavailable)
Item: Luna
Class: Weapon - Daggers - Combat Knife
Rarity: Unique
Durability: N/A
Traits:
Soulmade - Created out of a piece of the user’s soul. Cannot be destroyed. Can be resummoned if lost.
Elementally Infused - Shadow - Attacks have a chance to inflict additional Umbral damage. Higher levels of Umbral Arcana knowledge will improve the probability of the effect occurring. (Currently unavailable)
I frowned seeing the “currently unavailable”. I looked at the damage indicator, now deep red, and saw multiple new status icons. As I wanted to take a look at them, the Huntress once again spoke to me.
‘Get up. ‘You will have time to lick your wounds later. You have a friend to save. There is little more I can do for you, here. If there are no potions here… I don’t think much more can be done.’
I sighed. There, indeed, was a job to do.
Despite her putting on a brave face for Lilyth, Aki was terrified. What happened to Caei… could that just have happened to her as well? Was it just sheer luck that it was not her lying there instead? She grabbed her girlfriend's hand. This seemed to have brought Caeileera some degree of comfort as her breathing got easier.
She hated just waiting there, being unable to do anything, but what else could she do? Lilyth was right. Someone had to stay there with Caeileera. If anything happened to her while they were out… no. She could not bear the thought.
Aki could hear Lilyth rummaging through the other rooms. Then there were sounds of struggle. Followed by rummaging. And more combat sounds. Then someone, she guessed Lilyth by the sounds of the footsteps, ran towards where they were hiding. Hope sprang in Aki’s heart upon hearing that, but the Lilyth passed by the door and started descending down the stairs.
What in the Abyss?
Only silence answered her.
She felt helpless. The only thing she could do was comfort Caeileera and wait. And she hated waiting. It reminded her of those few days she spent as a prisoner of the goblins, waiting to join the other prisoners as the monsters’ dinner guests. Images of that horror started flooding her. She began to sob softly. Some of the longest minutes of Aki’s life later, distant cracks of gunfire sounded but were quickly cut short. Then… the weirdest thing she has experienced happened. The air became electrified with magic. It was brief but noticeable.
What’s happening? Someone help us. Someone help me. Please Lilyth… help us.
A message appeared before her eyes.
Notice: The Sierra Squad has been eradicated. For your contribution to this, you have received 500 experience points. (3172/3500 total experience points progress to level 7).
What? Lilyth killed all of them? How?
Hope started to blossom, in Aki’s heart, but then she heard scratching and dragging sounds from behind the door.
Another of these monsters.
She gripped her pistol tightly and aimed it at the door. The beast began hitting it but was interrupted by a loud gunshot, sounding like the gun that hurt Caei. A second gunshot quickly followed, followed by a gentle knocking on the door.
‘Aki…’ she heard Lilyth’s tired voice. ‘It’s me… I got it.’
The door opened and Aki could not help gasping upon seeing Lilyth. Her friend changed. Her hair was now a small evershifting cloud that remained Aki of some hairstyle she sometimes saw men wear, though theirs did not have lightning flashes going through it, the irises of her eyes became gold, and there were stripes of liquid darkness under her eyes and triangular stripes of it starting at her jaw bones and ending in the middle of her cheeks. Her arms were covered in some snake-like shapes that oozed shadow. In the right one, she was holding the gun that looked like the one that hurt Caei, and in the other, there was a large healing potion. She offered it to her and said:
‘Give it to Caei, I think I need to rest.’
Then Lilyth just collapsed on her face.