Inferno a litrpg adventu.., p.23
Inferno: A LitRPG Adventure (Elemental Mastery Book 2), page 23
Nella had learned many spells from Gabriel in the single day she’d spent training with Gabriel, Zephyr realized, as he swept his gaze across the codex display.
“Well done, Nella!” Vincent said. “Looks like Master Venn wasn’t kidding when she said you had the strongest affinity for Inferno magic among the three of us after all. You picked all these spells up faster than Zephyr did with our Tempest magic spells!”
“Gabriel is a good teacher,” Nella admitted grudgingly. “He’s definitely better than Gathras at explaining the casting words and mental shapes. To be fair though, Inferno magic spells are much simpler than Tempest magic ones.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Nella,” Zephyr said. “You did some excellent work here. All these spells will definitely come in handy when we attack Betrayer’s Bay.”
“Enough, the two of you,” the ranger replied, faint spots of color arising on her cheeks. “I did what I could. Now, let’s take a closer look at what we have.”
Fireball (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Meteor Rebuke
Conjure fire vortexes (large, 20 feet radius, 30 feet range) or Create explosive sphere (large, 40 feet range)
Disintegrating Ray (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Meteor Rebuke
Conjure Burning Eyebite or Create disintegrating beam (60 feet range)
Flame Wave (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Meteor Rebuke
Burning Incarnation of up to 4 large fire beast constructs or Project screen of fire (20 feet tall, 30 feet range)
Scorching Barrier (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Meteor Rebuke
Conjure burning armor across beast constructs or Conjure burning armor across self
Nella’s spell variants usually revolve around incapacitating or immobilizing her enemies or empowering her beast constructs, Zephyr thought. Whereas most of mine improve my ability to fight up close, be it for Tempest magic or Inferno magic.
“Rina, here.” Vincent blinked, and the codex display glowed briefly with blue light. “You should be able to see what we’re looking at now.”
The quartermaster whistled with amazement as she ran her eyes across the words of the codex display and pointed at one of the lines.
“Meteor Rebuke is Nella’s Inferno Aspect, isn’t it?” she asked. “So the spell variants here are hers?”
“That’s right.” Vincent waved his hand, causing another codex display to appear. “I’ve listed the other spells she’s learned here, but underneath my Inferno Aspect.”
Comet Barrage (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Igneous Vault
Imbue Flame Hammer with Projection (40 feet range, up to 10 projectiles) or Create fiery spheres that track targets (40 feet range, up to 10 projectiles, up to 3 targets tracked)
Bright Armament (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Igneous Vault
Conjure up to 6 burning weapons or armor of major complexity or Imbue up to 6 weapons or armor with major Inferno magic
Meltdown (Mage)
Inferno Aspect: Igneous Vault
Destroy a single enchanted object on touch and replicate up to 3 of its enchantments on subsequent conjured or imbued armaments or Create column of intense heat (15 feet radius, 20 feet height, 30 feet range)
Vincent’s spell variants have to do mostly with his background as a smith and artisan. Zephyr nodded to himself. He blinked in surprise as Nella poked him in the side.
“Hey, Zeph,” the ranger said. “Rina’s been talking to you for the last little bit.”
“Oh.” Zephyr turned to the quartermaster and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry. I was lost in thought, and I didn’t catch what you were saying, Rina.”
“Yeah, you definitely weren’t all there just now,” the quartermaster replied, chuckling. “I was just asking about who calls the shots in battle just now, and both of your friends pointed to you.”
“Zeph’s really good at thinking on his feet and figuring out exactly what we need to do,” Vincent said. “If it weren’t for him, we would have died inside a Dark Labyrinth a long time ago.”
“He’s as good at leading as a senior ranger,” Nella agreed. “If he lived at the Blight Boundary, Druidess Filna would have made him one by now already.”
“Vincent and Nella are as brave and as resourceful as anyone I’ve ever known,” Zephyr said. “It’s been an honor to fight by their side.”
“Which brings me neatly to my next point, actually,” Rina said. “You work well with your friends, yes, but have you fought alongside anyone else?”
“Gabriel was with us when we fought our way to the twilight fiend,” Vincent pointed out. “And we did help everyone out during the attack on Blackstone Keep.”
“I think I know what Rina’s trying to get at,” Zephyr said. “It’s about us attacking the plants within the Fennean Empire. We’ll be bringing nearly two hundred people with us, and no, I have no experience in leading such a group. To be perfectly honest, I find the entire prospect a little daunting.”
“As you should,” Rina said. “Leadership is no easy task, and commanding an army, even a small one, can be very challenging, especially against foes as formidable as drones and Slave-Masters.”
“We’ll manage.” Nella grinned and cracked her knuckles. “I have a feeling everyone we bring along except for Sahhto is simply there to keep the drones off our backs while we level the place to the ground.”
“Even that requires teamwork and coordination, Nella,” Vincent said, frowning. “Yeah. I think I can see what might go wrong now. Zeph’s not a soldier, much less a general. Maybe Mister Sahhto can help us out with that, then? He’s so old and wise, right?”
“I don’t know about that, Vincent,” Zephyr said. “Yes, it’s true that Sahhto’s very wise, but after talking to him about his past, I don’t think he has a lot of experience in commanding an army.”
“Sahhtoriakialis Thringax Illithal the Illuminated has no history of leading warriors into battle,” Rina said, pulling out a leather-bound tome from her mage band. The words Castor Aeristan’s Compendium of Draconic Personages ran across its cover in golden letters. “He was once renowned for his scholarship on geology and botany and his numerous philosophical treatises, but the latest one was published nearly three centuries ago. That was also the last anyone heard of him, except for the fishing village he claims as his neighbors. He is a thinker and an academic, not a warlord, unless he’s taken up military studies over the last three hundred years or so, which I doubt.”
“Huh. So Sahhto’s more of a bookworm than a fighter.” Nella sighed. “I should have guessed as much when he said he’s a dragon archmage. Speaking of archmages, what about Brass? She’s your leader, right, Rina? And isn’t she also a famous general?”
“We can’t bring her along when we attack the plants, Nella,” Vincent said. “She’ll be leading the main army against the Empire, remember?”
“That’s true.” Nella’s frown deepened. “Maybe I can get Druidess Filna to help? I can go to her right now and see if she can spare us a few senior rangers.”
“How many people does a senior ranger usually lead?” Rina asked, putting her tome back into her mage band.
“About a dozen at most,” Nella replied, before shaking her head. “Yeah, silly me. I compared Zeph to them, and Zeph already said he’s not confident about leading two hundred people, so a senior ranger wouldn’t do that much better.”
“Marie Vensk,” Zephyr said, drawing curious looks from his friends. “We’ll need to bring her when we attack the plants. She knows how to command a formation of troops, which is what we will be when we’re working alongside so many other people.”
“That’s a good idea. Vice-Captain Marie Vensk of the Vigilant Blades is not a particularly formidable warrior, and she doesn’t know enough spells to actually be considered a mage. However, she has worked for the Phoenix Knights for nearly a decade already, and she is an experienced field commander with a solid track record,” Rina agreed. “She has sergeants and lieutenants here to keep the Vigilant Blades in line, and Archmage Brass has overall command of the expeditionary force against the Fennean Empire anyway, so the main army can definitely spare her.”
“That’s the strange woman who was staring at you, right?” Nella asked. “Yeah, I don’t like her. She puts me off, for some reason.”
“If she’s been working for the Phoenix Knights for so long, there’s no reason why we can’t trust her,” Vincent said. “In any case, we can revisit this whole discussion after Betrayer’s Bay.”
Chapter 26
Avora’s last visit to Betrayer’s Bay was a long time ago, and his sketches of the place were drawn from memories marred by the passage of decades. Still, Zephyr reasoned, there was no reason to believe that too much had changed. Structures and buildings of the scale and size the Grand Sage had described in the planning room weren’t altered or moved on a whim, and the paved streets connecting the docks to the rest of the port settlement before heading out inland had fed the heart of the Empire for centuries.
Zephyr was sure that he wasn’t the only one troubled by Avora’s journey of Betrayer’s Bay. After all, what could have transpired for the Grand Sage to travel to a part of the Fennean Empire known to cater to the worst of humankind? Avora’s vague tale about hunting slavers didn’t seem particularly convincing. How did he escape Betrayer’s Bay, if he weren’t also a slaver or corsair engaged in commerce with the Slave-Masters? Lastly, was it wise to launch a full-scale assault on a place of which only Avora had knowledge?
Nella shared his doubts, having voiced her disdain for and distrust of Avora on more than one occasion. Vincent felt similarly too, though he was more than a little overawed by the Grand Sage’s undoubtedly deserved reputation. Sahhto didn’t entirely trust Avora either, though the dragon had readily admitted his perspective was prejudiced by his scorn for the Grand Sage’s ancestor. And then there was Archmage Brass, the grand orchestrator of this offensive against the Empire. Surely someone as wise in the ways of war as her couldn’t be blind to all the troubling uncertainties surrounding Avora’s idea?
It was fear, Zephyr realized, that fueled this attack on Betrayer’s Bay. Archmage Brass and the Phoenix Knights feared that they would lose this war against the Empire. Sahhto feared falling victim once more to Slave-Masters’ Tyrant magic. Everyone—including the trio—at Blackstone Keep feared missing out on an opportunity to bring the fight to the Unliving Emperor and end his regime once and for all. It was fear that blunted their doubts and silenced the questions that surely yearned to spill from their lips.
All these thoughts raced through Zephyr’s mind as he soared through the heavens upon his Wind Walk spell. Vincent and Nella traveled beside him, wreathed in the Tempest magic of their own spells. The trio carried a host of Phoenix Knights and a small group of Vigilant Blades in their wake. Sahhto came along too, borne on the energies of Vincent’s Wind Walk spell. Conveniently—and troublingly—enough, Avora hadn’t recovered from his wounds yet, so he wouldn’t be participating in this attack.
No. I can’t think about that right now. Zephyr clenched his jaw and steeled his resolve. The strike force would arrive at its destination imminently, where they would then proceed to unleash as much havoc and ruin as possible. The plan was simple: with the trio’s assistance, the Phoenix Knights and Sahhto would lay waste to Betrayer’s Bay. The dozen Vigilant Blades accompanying the strike force had been tasked with capturing as many Slave-Masters as possible for interrogation. Once Betrayer’s Bay was a smoking hole in the ground, the trio would traverse the inland roads to locate the closest drone processing plants.
His Wind Walk spell ran its course, depositing him and seventy Phoenix Knights and Vigilant Blades upon a gigantic alien building that reached nearly four hundred feet into the heavens. A column of cobalt light landed upon the roof of another similar building opposite Zephyr’s and broke apart into a shower of sparks, revealing Nella and those she’d brought. Vincent’s group arrived next upon yet another building, and Sahhto immediately took to the grayish, smoke-wreathed skies, resplendent in his draconic aspect.
They’d arrived in Betrayer’s Bay. From his perch high in the sky, Zephyr quickly saw that it was a sweeping coastal settlement, spanning dozens of miles in breadth and length. Alien gigantic buildings like the one he was standing upon dominated its skyline. Right beneath him, broad streets swarmed with the metallic motion of countless drones. Smaller buildings of wood and brick lined the frothing, wind-swept coast.
Taverns, inns, residences, and the like, Zephyr thought, adjusting his grip on Lethal Swiftness. That must be where the visiting slavers stay, while the building I’m standing on can only be one of the places where the drones bring their human captives.
Archmage Brass strode to his side, a massive two-handed battleaxe in her hands. She nodded approvingly to him, then raised her weapon high. The doubled blades of her axe burst into dancing flames.
“Immolation!” Archmage Brass roared, her magically empowered voice thundering across the skies. Fiery wings roared into existence across her shoulders, and she hurled herself off the lip of the building, her mighty frame turning into a blazing comet as she descended upon the drones below. The Phoenix Knights accompanying Zephyr rushed past him, echoing their leader’s battlecry, and dived after her, their shoulders adorned by wings of flame as well.
More Phoenix Knights did the same from the top of Nella’s building, while the ones accompanying Vincent took flight instead toward the coastal buildings. Sahhto headed in that direction as well, tongues of fire trailing from his open maw. Several forms clad in the leather armor of the Vigilant Blades were astride the dragon’s back. Vincent flew alongside them, his Storm Hammer in one hand and his Flame Hammer in the other.
Strange, blaring horns blasted their inhuman bellows into the skies as the Phoenix Knights began laying waste to every drone within the reach of their spells. The alien cacophony scratched at Zephyr’s nerves and set the pit of his stomach churning with a deep sense of uneasiness, but he recognized it as the discordant chorus of alarms across Betrayer’s Bay. The Slave-Masters had registered the fact that they were under attack, and they would respond imminently.
I’ve got to move! he thought, infusing his internal energy with Tempest and Inferno ether and wreathing his body in the Soaring Breeze spell, before stepping off the edge of the building and joining the Phoenix Knights in their descent upon the drones.
Zephyr flashed past the Phoenix Knights and Archmage Brass, moving so swiftly that the air crackled and boomed in his wake. A sea of drones with bulbous torsos and swarming tendrils in place of legs filled his vision, each of them trailed by a wheeled cart laden with naked, vacant-eyed human forms.
Slaves, brought in from all across the world! Zephyr roared with indignant anger as he landed upon a drone and slammed his Fury gauntlet upon its smooth, shell-like back. The creature’s body caved in beneath the tremendous impact of Zephyr’s blow, before melting from the intense heat that radiated from his gauntlet. The casting words of Lightning Step fell from his lips, and the spell flashed him across to another drone ten feet away. Lethal Swiftness bisected it down its length. Zephyr spun in mid-air and thundered his Fury gauntlet against the side of the closest drone within his reach, blasting a molten hole through its grotesque body.
Archmage Brass caught up to him, then. Her fiery axe descended upon a drone, turning it into a pile of melted iron. Brass raised her left hand and angled it down the length of the street. Fireballs poured from her open palm and beams of heat lanced from her fingertips, scything down dozens of drones in the blink of an eye. The rest of the Phoenix Knights followed up a heartbeat later, filling the street with gouts of flame and arcs of fire. Within moments, the entire street was clear.
Zephyr turned his gaze toward where Nella and her contingent of Phoenix Knights had descended and saw that they’d cleared their street of the strange, mollusk-like drones as well. The ranger was astride her sky-wyrm, and her eyes blazed with lightning and flames alike. She noticed Zephyr’s regard and gave him a thumbs-up.
Zephyr responded with a similar gesture and turned to Archmage Brass as she bellowed orders to her Phoenix Knights. Groups of crimson-robed mages landed atop the carts holding the captives and swept globes of white light across their emaciated bodies. The tormented wretches disappeared into the spatial enchantment—one tailored to safely hold human beings in stasis—bound within the globes.
Vincent had suggested using these globes to bring even more troops, only to dismiss the notion after examining the glyphs upon their surfaces more closely and realizing that any soul held within this specific spatial enchantment would be comatose for at least a day upon reemerging.
“Avora says they can still be saved at this stage,” Brass murmured, mostly to herself. “Balls of Fire, if we accomplish nothing else, let’s at least get these poor souls safely back home.”
Zephyr nodded grimly. According to the Grand Sage, the captives would undergo the first stage of being turned into a drone within the buildings the trio had initially landed upon. Once that occurred, they would become quivering piles of nerve-rich flesh, good for little more than implantation within a drone’s metallic husk.
“Stay sharp, Zephyr,” Brass commanded, raising her axe high once more. “That was the easy part. The real fun starts now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Zephyr replied as vast panels upon the sides of the building slid open and war drones began to emerge in swarming tendrils. He returned Lethal Swiftness to his mage band, freeing both of his hands. “I’m ready.”
“You know what you’re supposed to do,” Brass said. “Get to it!”
A swift Lightning Step spell brought him into the midst of the massing war drones, where he punched one in the head with his Illumination gauntlet. The creature reared back, but Zephyr wasn’t done yet. A Thunder Clap spell radiated from the point of impact, washing the horde of war drones in crackling sparks that stripped them of their dark magic barriers.
