Chương 35: [BL] 34. Strength [2]

By the time they returned, Willow was tired. In a way, she felt more tired than she had after the Lich fight. Maybe it was because the system strengthened her body physically but not mentally. Mentally, I'm ruined because of this hero instinct. She rested her back against a trunk, slumping down, letting a tall blue grass tickle her cheek as around her the soldiers began burying their dead comrades. Her [Wind Mage] class' runes were still zero.

Was it foolish to rather have the instinct of a killer rather than the instinct of a hero? Willow glanced at the dead half-dragon body, strapped above a horse around which other horses were being penned inside a group of thin trees—a sight that was rare inside this forest. Josha gave them a massage, along with Shera, whose group had arrived just a little earlier. Willow pushed herself up and stretched a bit. She made her way toward them, crossing over the temporary graves dug for the legionaries.

Wordlessly, Josha handed her a brush the moment she arrived. She chose a black horse and started brushing its neck. The horse's eyes were distant, staring at the ground below, and it whinnied to the side, glancing at a spot where the battle had taken place. They left the glade because they had spotted a group of Blight Goats watching them. The monster, however, decided not to attack—perhaps due to Drey, the injured [Champion], who, despite having a hole in his chest, still would destroy the riftborns.

"That one is Moon; her partner died," Josha said.

"Ah," Willow mumbled, softening her brushing.

"I'm sorry about Habel," Shera said from beside Josha. She had been massaging Enzo's feet.

"Don't say that to me," Willow said. She grunted, leaning upward to brush Moon's upper neck.

"He has a daughter. A handmaiden to the princess."

"That's rough," Shera winced.

"We should meet her," Josha said, and he sounded insistent.

"I used to hate old Caldre for being the newsbearer of my parents' death. But it's good to know the reason." Willow glanced at the half-dragon body and bit her lips, thinking. She was tired and just wanted to relax, to chat with Josha and Shera for a bit at least, but the power she saw of Leynah, of the Ember Blade, of the Shamanic Lich. She needed to get those—so she asked Josha to help her, and they rested the body just beneath a low branch. She reached down to the kobold's head, and a prompt blared.

[Hunt Trophy 0/5] Consume Kobold Half-Dragon? [Dragooner Class Stone] Y/N"I just got some kind of corpse-transforming Enhancer," Willow boasted.

"Is this some random ability that categorizes with the word 'bullshit' you used?" Josha asked, leaning against Enzo's body and crossing his arms. Willow found herself with a watching audience, mainly Josha, Shera, and the surviving youngsters, most of whom were still level one, but the two who had survived the last fight had grown in ridiculous leaps. [Warrior—Level 7] [Thief—Level 8]"Maybe," Willow admitted. She caught Leynah, who was somehow watching right behind them.

The others did not notice, and Willow stumbled over her feet a bit. She stumbled over a thick, bulging tree root where the half-dragon's head leaned against. The [Champion] had dodged the Ember Blade's blazing liquid sword earlier; did she disappear somehow? Well, no use thinking about it; it was clear Leynah had no intent on telling her. Willow mentally selected yes.

[Choose Your Trophy] [Half-talon Dagger (Tier one)] [Enhancer][Dragon Heat]—Summon overwhelming heat of dragon flame across the half-talon

"For an imbued weapon, do you have to have a corresponding rune to use it?"

"To a degree," Josha said.

"It's always better if you do so you can imbue it with your own rune or even recover its own use. If it has its own enhancer, then you can still use it, but someone with similar runes will draw the weapon's power far better than someone who doesn't." Let's see the other option…

[Spell] [Huntress Wing][5] Excuse me? A wing? Willow cursed the spirit for making it a spell instead of an enhancer. She could not sense its power yet, since she did not have it. Should she take it? But it was so expensive… Besides, the Dragon Heat was an enhancer and wouldn't cost her any runes at all. Still though, if she could fly and shoot arrows properly… Her mind drifted back to the time when the Ember Blade attacked her.

If at that time Leynah were not there and she could choose among these three choices, Dagger or this enhancer wouldn't save her. Also, she had a feeling that she could get stronger equipment in the future with her Hunt Trophy. Willow made her choice. [Huntress Wing][5]"Well?" Shera prompted.

"I can summon a wing, but it's costly," Willow shrugged. Beneath her, the half-dragon's corpse started to turn into motes of golden light. Each time an orb materialized, a small part of the half-dragon detached and hovered toward Willow. [Hunt Trophy 1/5]"You can fly?" Josha shot her a doubtful look.

"Hopefully. Maybe? I don't know. I kinda want to try," she admitted sheepishly. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Don't," a calm, authoritative voice cut Willow's hope to show off. Everyone turned toward Leynah, and Shera yelped, falling backward almost into Moon if not for the horse prancing sideways.

"We need to get your mana recovered when we're back with the Princess entourage."

"We're going there now? Not the Imp's rift?"

"We just found the Rift; it turned out it's a black Rift. At least a tier-four will serve as the Rift-boss. A tier-four," Leynah repeated the last part, and her starlight eyes shifted to the Sheran folk. She smiled a pretty smile, but the unsaid word was clear.

"We have two to three tier-four for the Hollow Knight Rift!" The [Thief] girl defended the village.

"I find it odd the village has the gall to keep a tier-four rift… But, yes, now I'm looking forward to seeing this place. You. Bright lady. You haven't told me your name."

"Oh, it's Willow."

"Okay, Willow. Ride with me, can't have you die now." -- The night was thinning under the surging morning that was approaching. Willow stared up; every so often, when the blue leaves let her watch the sky, she always sought more Bright Stars, but none came anymore. And she felt lonely. The entire group marched with formation Drey—the tier-three [Champion] had come up. The man earlier had involved Erick and Willow, pretty much forcing them to take part.

It was obvious he did so to get control of the Sheran folk, to make them think they were recognized by the empire. Willow let the two of them come up with everything. Every so often, Drey asked her about her past life, trying to find out if she had military experience or not, and she was honest with him, telling him that all she did was sport. Leynah eventually came and took Willow, making sure she shared the saddle with her.

They rode right in the middle of the formation where the injured had to follow on their own horses, being led on foot by legionaries. Josha and Shera were assigned to the back as rearguard, because she could summon mist just in case they got into danger. She sighed, too tired to protest. The whole formation was obviously made to protect her like some bloody escort.

"Not happy?" Leynah shot her a smile.

"No."

"Well, get used to it. Surely by now you already know why everyone wants to keep you safe and close." Soon, a rider raced toward them from the front and reported contact with fleeing Kobolds.

"Will it be a problem?" Drey asked, the [Champion] stubbornly riding on his own and seeming fine.

"No, sir. It has been taken care of. Although their behaviour is highly unusual."

"Their rift is closed," Leynah stated, then she nudged Willow's hip with her elbow. Willow tilted her head before saying.

"Yes, it has. Erick can confirm." Erick, who was asked by Drey to ride beside him, nodded.

"It's normal for a Riftborn to act erratically when their connection to their home rift is cut. You know this. It will take them an entire year before gathering themselves to form a wandering party," Leynah said.

"Yes, of course!" The messenger raised both hands to his chest in frustration.

"But this time it's just not right. They still should retain their sense of survival and avoid our front."

"This is the Kobolds?" Drey asked.

"Yes, sir."

"A straight route to the princess carriage…" Drey mumbled. Leynah spurred her horse, and they rode closer to Drey.

"They're escaping from Bannerlord?"

"That shouldn't stop them from escaping anywhere else. Unless they're somehow pinned by two sides, and three if we count Lord Kroos."

"At the very least they will retain their beast will to survive, so they might run from presence," Leynah theorised.

"I don't like this, Len. Now that we know the Imp is a dark rift, especially. We gallop! Get the girl to safety, and then we go from there." Willow raised her eyebrow and slung her hand around Leynah's hip. They went to race forward, full gallop for everyone. But shifting from tree to tree in this dense forest was difficult; twice the horse neighed, and they were forced to slow down.

They rode toward a downward slope, through a widening path where traces of a wagon's wheels being rolled scratched the grass below, and multiple steps resembling the kobolds and goats marked the ground. Steep cliffs enclosed the valley they were riding in.

Willow's eyes eyed the tree rising from the cliff somehow, and they bent down in a curve like they were threatening to fall; their long, broad leaves were like a banana tree, and they were big enough that Willow wondered if any Kobold were hiding behind— She saw one; the yellow, reptilian eyes watched her. Willow opened her mouth, but stopped when the Kobold instead tried to climb the cliff, uselessly doing so as its claws could not find any hold, and it kept sliding down, only being saved by the tree's trunk.

"Faster!" Drey commanded. The groups spotted their front units, which stopped dead—a group of five horsemen with their spears drawn facing a single creature. A red-skinned, adult-sized imp who lounged with one knee drawn forward and the other hugged, watching the horseman with a boorish expression. It idly spun its trident made of sleek black steel above its three horns, with the middle one curled around in a circle around the other two. Drey held up an arm, and the entire cavalry stopped.

"It killed our messenger," Leynah said to Drey.

"Its underling does," Drey said, grunting. Both of the tier-three were silent for a while. In front of Willow, Leynah's body stiffened, and she held Drey's eyes. A silent communication passed through which Willow could not decipher.

"Tier four," Drey said with a small smile. [?] The Imp perked up, and it jumped, flexing its wings, then hovered upward. It cupped a hand over its right eye, trying to see something; to see someone in the group, to be more exact. A grin split the Imp's face, and it glided toward them, or rather her. The horses pranced back and whinnied at the approaching monster. Spears pointed upward, and shields reflected the filtering morning sun as everyone faced the tier-four.

With an impish smile, it pointed its trident straight at Willow, opening its arm, making a demanding gesture. Drey rode closer to her alongside Maxim and Erick.

"Excuse me, Willow," Leynah said.

"What?" Before she knew it, she was being lifted with only one hand by Leynah and plopped down onto Erick's saddle. She winced as the pain traveled from her back up to her spine.

"Gallop straight. Don't stop. There's a tier-four human waiting for you two."

"We will," Erick said.

"We're going to get this tier-four here, right?" Willow asked.

"That depends on the princess's condition," Drey said. The Imp opened its arm, and a spectral dark flame combusted around it. Raising it high, it twirled its finger, and the dark flame split into multiple orbs of dark fire. Willow craned his neck up as strange heat bore down on her. The edge of her mantle singed with smoke, and sweat seared over her skin. Her throat turned dry, and her vision blurred as her entire being burned away with something invisible— [Blackfyre Imp's Absolute Heat bore down on you!] [-50% All Attribute!]"It's targeting her!" Leynah shouted. The white-haired woman unsheathed another sword from her back—a thin silver sword—and handed it to Willow, who barely had enough strength to grip it as Leynah opened her fingers and set them around the sword.

[The Rabbit sword passed onto you!] [-10% attribute to the Champion] [Champion's Courage activated] [+ 30% Strength to the Hunter.] [Remove Absolute Heat effect] The haziness flushed out from her head, and Erick was just about to spur his horse forward until a sudden cold descended on them. Hail of frost swirled around, and the morning light snuffed out of existence in the circles of hail.

Erick's horse strutted backward, and Willow raised her mantle to protect her eyes while keeping her grip on Leynah's silver sword.

Raging wind engulfed them and converge upward, gathering into a tornado where wind coalesced into a flowing blue dress made of cyclone, covering a feminine figure who primly shielded its flawless ashen smooth skin, but its face—or rather her face was an ugly mess of dark veins that crawled around her neck to her cheek and split like an abandoned spiderweb which extend up to her gleaming dark hair that flowed like a cape around her. [?] The woman gazed down on Willow, and a smile marred her lips.

[The Lich Queen's gaze bore down on you!] [Gaze of Frost Sovereign freezes you!]