Chương 334: Chapter 308: Winged Problem Solver

Lyara was on an emotional rollercoaster. She had been part of Kael's camp since the third stage, but things changed when they lost to the vampires. That was the first time she truly realized how cruel Kael actually was. He had triggered the teleportation far too early, which caused many people, who had already earned a large number of credits from killing undead beasts, to die needlessly, their bodies fed to the vampires. From that moment on, she didn't like Kael at all, and her disdain for him only grew.

Next came the encounter with Thalion's forces during the fifth stage. After Kael lost that fight, she switched sides and joined Thalion's camp. She had never personally had anything against Thalion. At first, she believed the horror stories Kael and the others spread about him, but after witnessing Kael sacrifice hundreds of people to the vampires, she began to suspect those stories were just another one of his many lies.

She had also gotten along reasonably well with Kaldrek, at least before he suddenly didn't teleport with the rest of them. It now seemed Kaldrek had stayed with Thalion all along, and he was, of course, happy to accept her into Thalion's ranks. Still, he didn't trust her completely, and she had to prove herself first. That was a bit annoying, but she understood. Kaldrek couldn't just blindly trust her. This was how she ended up in her current situation: part of a ten-person party led by a monk named Lee.

One of the powerhouses of Thalion's base, which actually meant something. The average strength of fighters here was far higher than back in Kael's camp, and she would have to work hard to become one of the elites again. Even though Lee was still only level eighty while she had already evolved to E-grade, he was much stronger, something she didn't quite understand. Lee was friendly and gave her a lot of advice on how to improve. At the moment, they were on a rescue mission to save survivors from the elves.

They had set out about half an hour ago and had yet to find either survivors or elves. Lyara didn't mind. She wasn't confident she could defeat elves anyway. She was a pyromancer, and elves were extremely fast and fire spells were not the quickest among the elements. Elves were also experienced fighters and masters at evading spells, you really had to pressure them hard to land a hit. They had been dropped into a small jungle where several other parties were already at work.

Lyara had just started hoping they might get to stand guard for a while, then return or maybe hunt a bit in the meantime. She still needed to deliver four more high-rarity corpses to the alchemists to get enough tickets for the smiths to upgrade her gear. Good equipment made a huge difference and could greatly enhance her magic. Thalion was the perfect example. She had no idea what rarity his equipment was, but it looked absurdly powerful.

Those body armors made of multiple plates and almost futuristic in appearance weren't normally popular. They were heavy and didn't offer much more protection than lighter armor. Most medium warriors were strong enough to wear heavier armor that provided better defense without being cumbersome, while for light warriors it was far too heavy. Only a few battle mages chose that kind of armor, as the enchantments were stronger and could enhance their spells.

Battle mages mostly relied on mana barriers or their skills for defense, making that type of armor ideal for them. Their physical strength was usually too low for heavier armor to be practical. Right when she was about to suggest to Lee that they shouldn't ignore the beasts in the area anymore, they received a distress call from another elite party nearby.

"Alright, everyone form up! We're going to help our friends. They're fighting a large elven party. Extreme focus will be needed, so make your preparations," Lee said in a thick Chinese accent. It was a little odd, since everyone could understand each other perfectly thanks to the translation skill they'd received at the start, but accents remained intact, which was often pretty funny. Not that it mattered right now. She was second in command here and needed to live up to expectations.

Normally, hunting parties had more high-level members, but with Lee being so powerful, that wasn't necessary this time. Lyara didn't have to do much. She simply took out her fire staff and followed behind him. The fighters enchanted their blades, the archers applied poison to their arrows, and a few mages activated skills that boosted their next spell. But in general, mages couldn't prepare much before battle. Not the normal ones, at least.

She followed Lee through the undergrowth, and it didn't take long before they heard the sounds of battle ahead. Using one of her fire movement skills, she soared onto a high branch, giving her a clear view. It was a massacre. Over thirty humans were being slowly overwhelmed by more than forty elves. The elves were everywhere, and several humans already lay dead on the ground. Lyara suspected they were mostly weak refugees, but she wasn't sure.

Some carried impressive weapons, which suggested they were from Thalion's base and not weak at all. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Lee didn't waste a second. He dashed from under her perch straight into the heart of the battle, aiding a human desperately trying to hold off several elves. Watching Lee fight was astonishing. He used no weapons, no armor, only his body. One punch shattered an elf's shoulder, sending the creature flying more than ten meters.

Yet in the same moment, the other elf managed to slash deeply into the human's arm, dropping him to the ground screaming, and put some distance between himself and Lee. The battle was chaotic, no formation, no order, just raw violence as both sides tried to inflict as much damage as possible. Lyara didn't hesitate any longer. She began casting fiery attacks in the form of small, high-speed birds. They moved like heat-seeking missiles, tracking the elves briefly if they tried to dodge, and exploded on contact.

This was one of her fastest spells, and the one she considered most effective against elves. She unleashed twenty more of the birds into the fray. It didn't take long before the first arrows were fired at her and elves never missed. She barely managed to summon a fire shield to block the shots, but it wasn't enough. The elf didn't fire a single arrow. He loosed four in rapid succession. The first two were deflected, but at a high cost; her barrier was almost destroyed.

The next two punched through what remained, only slowed slightly. She ducked just in time to avoid one striking her heart, but the other two buried themselves in her shoulder and stomach, sending her tumbling from the branch. Another elf leapt after her, blade raised high, intent on finishing her off. Before he could strike, she dissolved into fire and reappeared fifty meters away, panting hard. The arrows were poisoned, rapidly draining her vitality.

She acted quickly, downing an antitoxin and a potent healing potion. The poison's effect stopped, and her wounds began to knit, though slowly. From her position against a tree trunk, she could see the battle was going horribly wrong. The elves were winning easily. These ones were clearly much stronger than average. Even Lee had two nasty wounds on his left arm and leg, and the blood loss didn't look good. The elf pressing him was relentless, and Lee struggled to dodge the blade. The other humans were also falling.

It was almost as if the elves had intentionally let them send a distress call before beginning the slaughter. Lyara could do little but watch as the elves grew more serious and the humans fell one after another. Lee was skilled, with powerful abilities, but it wasn't enough. Strangely, the elves didn't seem intent on killing him. She suspected they were looking for strong prisoners. Most of the weaker humans were dead, while the stronger ones were steadily worn down.

She watched in horror as new cuts opened across Lee's body. Once she had recovered enough strength, she conjured another fire spell. A powerful lance that might buy Lee some time to heal or drink a potion. But before she could finish, the spell changed. First it was a red-hot spear, then suddenly it turned azure blue, crackling with lightning. An arc of energy jumped to her hand, shocking her so badly that her head slammed into the tree trunk behind her. Then it appeared.

A grey eagle with crystalline feathers, flying so fast it vanished in a blink. The elves looked startled, and for a heartbeat the battle froze. A moment later, the bird returned from the opposite direction, even faster this time, likely using some skill. From its beak, a massive lightning beam erupted, vaporizing an elf and splintering the trunks of two massive trees as if they were saplings. The sound of breaking wood and panicked cries echoed through the jungle before the bird vanished again.

It all happened so quickly that Lyara barely processed what she was seeing. The eagle wheeled again and made another pass, this time unleashing an even stronger, more precise beam that killed three elves in a single shot.

"What is this..." one elf shouted from a branch ten meters up, but before he could finish, his head was gone. The eagle had struck from behind, talons glowing with radiant, crackling power. The elves were too shocked to react, and the humans took advantage of their hesitation. Lee kicked his opponent hard and began rallying the battle. Moments later, the eagle dive-bombed toward the ground near him, but before impact, it transformed into a man who landed with inhuman grace.

"How are you doing, Lee? You can take the others back, I'll finish these off. Flying between these trees at that speed is no fun at all," Thalion said in a tone that almost sounded like a complaint.

"Yes, Master Thalion. Grab the wounded and follow me!" Lee shouted, turning to help the other warriors.

"What? Thalion?" Lyara thought in confusion. Maybe the poison was affecting her mind, but why was Lee leaving him alone with the elves? He wasn't even wearing his armor, just red silk. This could not possibly end well.