Book 5. Chapter 14: Fhesiah and Ophelia - East and West

Book 5. Chapter 14: Fhesiah and Ophelia - East and West

Fhesiah landed at the South base, speeding up their Conquest of the point. There was a ring of white light on the ground, extending nearly a dozen meters in each direction. Supposedly, attacking anyone that stood within would contest the capture, interrupting it.

Jakes Garuda rushed off to face the giant wraith, and disrupt the enemy team in taking their point.

The enemy team was hard to monitor through the keep in the center with her Divine Sense, but Ira was able to give a proper view. After just a few seconds of helping take the point for the base, Jake gave his orders.

Ophelia and Fhesiah, head to your points. It looks like they are rushing to take them with a party each. They are fast, but you two should be able to arrive first if you leave now.

It looked like with the five of them, it would be nearly thirty seconds to capture a point. She wagered one by themselves would take several minutes.

Swirling her bloodline flames within her body, she filled her legs and leaped from the ground with draconic empowerment, while Ophelia blurred toward her conquest point.

Flapping her wings, Fhesiah was slower than Ophelia, but her speed was quite respectable. There was a well-balanced party approaching the canyon from the opposite side, one that she would need to defeat by herself.

Diving to the point from above, she landed on it and withdrew her torch. She had arrived there first, but an armored warrior and paladin type were fast approaching, some auras enhancing their running speed.

Some kind of rogue type thought he disappeared from her view using some kind of hiding or sneaking magic, but she was able to watch him all the while with her Divine Sense. Behind them was a mage and a healer type, each preparing spells at the edge of the canyon.

Their eyes were black and glowed with malevolence, a sign that they were people being driven by Tartarus itself. She waved her fan, sending flickering flames at the nearest demons.

They did not shy away from her flames, barreling right through them. Still, Fhesiah danced as she built up her orb of draconic flames, and they contested the point as they entered the magical circle.

She could feel the heat of her flames harming them, but they did not find purchase to engulf them and set them on fire. The demons chased after her undaunted, the warrior swinging a large two-handed sword horizontally to cut her in two.

But Fhesiah easily danced out of the way, staying within the bases circle. She gathered her flames within her Torch of Hestia, and blocked the paladins one-handed sword with her dragon claw.

The rogue approached as some magical missiles were shot at her by the mage, but she waved her fan and sent a lick of flames to block and discourage boththe missiles hitting her flames ineffectually, and the rogue taking a more circuitous path to attack.

The mage and cleric type continued their approach in the rear, the warrior now fervently swinging his large blade.

She ducked and dodged as this demon activated an angry red aura, and their evil paladin used some form of debuff that weakened her; her body covered in black scripts.

Her purifying flames and Qi quickly rebuffed the negative energy, causing the blackness-filled eyes to narrowmost likely, they wouldnt expend significant effort trying to debuff her any further.

Fhesiah knocked the large man away using her powerful tail, nearly sending the man flying with her powerful attack. Instead, it sent him skidding backwards several meters, his cloven hooves digging deeply into the ground.

The paladin blocked her oncoming claw with his shield, but her unyielding grip crumpled the shield, and ripped it away. With a kick, she sent that man flying through the air, knocking him out of the magical circle.

The cleric and mage type began a spell, but she closed her fan with a snap. Charging the flames within the torch further, the two demons continued their spell without fear.

It seems you demons arent properly concerned about my dragon flames. You should be.

She then breathed. Her flames were brought quickly into her lungs, using [Draconic Fire Plunder]. Channeling the flames into her modified [Draconic Empowerment], the draconic flames infused her body with draconic might, increasing her power.

Fhesiah grew, and her muscles bulked up with the power of dragons.

Not her favorite look, but she was covered in armor. It was fine. The mirror within her spiritual palace lit her hearth aflame, the blackish-purple flames of her bloodline enhanced by Bastet becoming available to her.

Three fox fires flickered into existence behind her, weaving an illusion against her foes. Building up her will, she manifested her Dao of dragon claws into her body. The demonic runes on her armor lit up, filled with mana from her Hearth.

Her fingers splayed wide, she swiped her claw from right to left.

A large manifestation of her dragons claw appeared, swiping at the mage and the cleric. The paladin roared, and activated some kind of barrier on the mage and cleric, enveloping them with a black, fiery light.

The mage completed their own spell, sending a malevolent beam of energy in Fhesiahs direction.

However, Fhesiahs attack wasnt just a casual one. She had empowered it with her Dao of dragon claws, the flames within her Hearth, and all the flames she had gathered for a time. Her claw rent the beam and the barrier asunder, her claw cutting into both the cleric and mage.

The mage was torn instantly in half, but some magical scripts appeared, the paladin receiving a cut equal to the cleric himselfan effect like Ophelia had, but likely some spell or ability as opposed to a bond. Thanks to splitting the damage, it appeared they didnt die instantly.

The warrior was upon her again, but he was no longer menacing with only his puny weapon as she looked down on him. She caught it in her hand, and crushed it in her grip.

Ripping it from his hand, she pulled him toward her, where she pierced his heart with her claw, killing him and dispersing him into motes of light. The lights headed toward their Gatehouse for respawn.

The paladin yelled and swung his serrated sword, but she blocked it with her wing. It dug into her slightly, but was nothing more than a scratch as it skidded off. As she was about to go in for the kill of the paladin as well, the cleric activated a beam of black light of his own.

Smirking, she interposed the crumpled shield from the ground using her Qi, blocking the beam of light. She activated one of her fox fires, generating a minor illusion where she shifted her body and moved toward the paladin.

Normally, she would be filled with excitement. Ready for battle against these five combatants, there would be great glory to be earned, a thrilling fight to take place. She was a little excited about this battle, but it was muted.

Instead, she found a peaceful, calm strength had filled her. A blackish gold light lit the runes of her weapon and armor, and she was ready to control this battle with her superior power, and strength of arms.

Standing in the center of the point, she waited for her enemies to enter her domain. Valora aided the capture, the progress moving a decent amount.

The warrior and bard contested the base, so she filled [Retribution] with auril. Elongating her blade, she swung her halberd in an overhead chop with Valora dashing forward.

He met her attack with an overhead guard, but the force drove the mans hooves into the ground. Ophelia was surprised at the mans strength, able to mostly withstand the attack even with their incredible momentum behind it.

The bard flanked her with his own two-handed axe, but her shield easily deflected it. Ducking under an arrow shot at her, she spun and shifted using her Technique, slicing at the large warrior once more with her back swing.

Only this was more of a feint, as when the large warrior blocked her haft, she hooked his poleaxe with the back of her weapon instead. Wrenching his weapon out of her way, she enhanced her body with her Technique by filling her body and Valoras with holy might, and she kicked him in the face.

She moved so fast her movements were likely a blur, and she had sent the man flying through the air with a resounding crunch. While the man wore a helmet, it dented from the powerful impact.

Filling her halberd with the flames of Hestia, she then brought her axe head powerfully in a diagonal swing toward the bard. The man tried to block, but her blade was massive when filled with her flames.

It cut deeply into his shoulder, severing his arm. The man screamed in pain, his defense crumbling as he was lit with her divine flames. The large warrior returned covered in a black light, the evil priest infusing him with a black aura.

The ranger was near the edge of the ridge, near the cliff face. He activated a powerful bow skill, and the arrow also filled with a malicious black aura; the two launching a coordinated attack.

Ophelia was going to just interpose her shield in front of the ranger, but the warlock and imp cast a spell on it, cursing it into near unresponsiveness with what appeared to be black chains wrapping around it.

The Guardian Hearth launched out of the shield, the valkyrie warrior creating a barrier there instead. The consumption of the warrior increased, and Ophelia couldnt help but smile that their strange spell was circumvented so easily.

The black arrow released by the ranger shattered the summoned valkyrie warriors barrier, but the trajectory was changed enough for Ophelias purposes, Valora easily blurring out of the way.

Activating [Consecration], a massive wave of golden flames filled with lightning was emanated from her body. Filling her body with the vajrafire flames, she triggered [Vajra Strike]. Like a thunder strike, her axe head met the oncoming warriors axe with a crash.

Bolts of righteous lightning were released in a cone in front of her, piercing through the warrior, bard, and into the evil clericwhich had already been bathed in righteous flames and lightning already from her improved Consecration ability.

Filling herself with auril, she ducked under the deflected arrow easily, and swung powerfully into the bardic warrior.

He was easily cleaved in half, but the larger warrior glowed green, despite his wounds. His attack was nearly instant, and Ophelia thought she wouldnt make it. But she manifested her will, forming a deathly shield with her auril.

She had practiced [Advanced Energy Manipulation], and this allowed her to manifest her will. As one might expect, her manifestation was a deathly shield.

The deathly shield shattered at his terrible blow, but the blade only skidded off her powerfully crafted armor; her runes glimmering in a brilliant dark golden light. She filled her halberds blade with the fires of Hestia once more, and her counter swing was as vicious as the warriors attack, enhanced by Valoras movements.

Only hers carved deep into his chest, shearing right through his arm and lighting him aflame. Wrenching her blade free of his dying body as he disappeared into motes of light, Valora dodged a bolt of shadow from the warlock and another arrow from the ranger.

The imp tried covering Valora with fiery looking chains, but they were far too slow to contain her, her running a circle around the flag.

From across the battlefield, an arrow from Tandas bow arrived, slamming into the warlocks throat and taking off his head with the bite of a fiery wolf. The imp and the warlock disappeared into motes of light.

The ranger tried to return fire at Tanda, but Ophelias Guardian Hearth returned to her shield, and blitzed into him. Her Guardian Hearth of Hestia then shocked him with powerful blasts of righteous, flaming lightning spears, shooting him off the cliff.

She expected he might survive the fall with the use of his strange cloak, but Tanda launched a volley of several arrows at him in midair.

The entire time, Ophelia had not left the bases circle. Only the evil cleric was left alive, and he was already on his last legs from her enhanced [Consecration], and her [Vajra Strike].

Gathering her mana and merging the runes through [Retribution]s Function, her runes coalesced in the air as she cast a powerful lightning bolt at him.

The evil cleric sneered, casting a black barrier on himself. The pages on his book flipped and glowed with an eerie dark light as he cast more spells, him speaking some language she could not understand.

A bolt of black lightning was reflected at her, a sort of mirror of her attack sent against him. She was about to block the attack, but Valora whinnied and intercepted it. The attack was ineffectual, the creature nearly-immune to lightning.

The evil cleric continued his casting, but he seemed to have forgotten her Guardian Hearth shield. It rammed into him from behind, sending him flying near Ophelias feet.

She swung her halberd down powerfully, splitting the man in two; sending his body into motes of light to be respawned.

Overlooking the battle from her vantage point, she took a deep breath as she recuperated, Valora performing a dancing shuffle of her feet in pride.

The East and West bases were captured at nearly the same time, and the Center Base was still contested.

Ophelia felt a peaceful calm wash over her, from having conquered her enemies. Whatever difficulties might come, she and Valora would be ready.