Syl: Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Healers First

"You know... Now that I'm on this side, it's funny how nobody actually knows what Syl is," Vee said.

"It's hilarious," Trixie agreed.

"It's certainly beneficial, but now dragon or demon? What's next?" I sighed mentally.

I was rather annoyed that whatever spell was cast to protect the mage had ejected him to safety after I had broken it. I eyed the holy woman angrily and knew she would be my next target.

"Whatever she is, kill her!" Kaspar shouted, immediately causing his party to halt to attention.

Before his party reacted, his shadowy centipedes were let off their leash and began advancing on me in a zigzag pattern. I shook my head in annoyance and cast three [Lightbomb] spells, unleashing a blinding light across the battlefield once more.

"Oh, crap! My bloody eyes again!" Vee cried out.

I mentally apologized, receiving nothing but annoyance and complaints in return.

This time, the shadowy centipedes were immediately extinguished.

"[Light Magic] was not in her dossier!" Kaspar yelled, rubbing his eyes painfully. "That explains what happened to my last batch of monsters."

Seriously, why do they have a dossier on me? How can one elf be hated so much to have elves and humans conspiring to kill her? They're horribly misinformed at the moment, but if the attacks keep scaling upwards, they could eventually grow to something I can no longer handle. I think I should just throw the stupid bag at the elf and leave. I've grown rather fond of this form, but if it comes with this much baggage, I will be forced to discard it.

"Who cares? You're the most flexible member of our group. Drink your potions and summon something else," Zara shouted.

"It's not that simple..." Kaspar shouted while fumbling through his satchel.

Summoners certainly sound useful... I wonder what's stopping him, besides Mana, from just summoning creatures for his teammates to fight and gaining experience? I know low-risk is penalized and high-risk is rewarded, but even so, experience is experience. However, if your Mana regeneration is poor, it'd cost you a fortune in potions!

If he was stuck regenerating Mana, then he was no longer a concern of mine, and I knew I needed to capitalize on taking out more priority targets like their healer. Watching Evan and Eliza work miracles taught me that you do not want an enemy healer prolonging a fight. Not to mention, if this healer's strange escape shield spell had other applications, then she could potentially let a runner get free.

No matter what, I can't let any witnesses live. If they've already got info on me, somehow, then I need to ensure they stay in the dark with as many of my abilities as possible.

The healer was recovering herself first when I appeared before her, thanks to [Wind Step]. Transforming the edges of my wings into razor-sharp blades while my tendrils took on piercing ends, I had the makeshift weapons converge on her position. She looked momentarily startled but must have been trained for such situations as she immediately started casting another spell.

Her spell formed and blasted me with radiant light, fracturing upon meeting with my multiple reinforced layers and barely leaving a scratch. The woman must have been prepared for it, as she was [Multicasting], and a shield was cast at the same time, which my weaponlike appendages shattered nearly instantly.

Like before, once the shield shattered, her body was flung backward. This time, however, I had expected it, and with outstretched palms, I fired multiple [Slime Shots]. I was tempted to use my beloved spell orbs, but I opted instead to fire my explosive needles, as they were more accurate. I knew if they penetrated, the detonation afterward would be much more lethal.

This time, the woman was much less composed and began frantically trying to swerve her body as much as possible, but it looked like her emergency escape had left her vulnerable. Some needles missed her, but most hit their mark, with some penetrating quite well into her unguarded flesh. I gave a wicked smile before triggering the detonation.

Boom! I giggled.

Shouts and screams erupted from the group, who had only just recovered from the blindness, to witness their healer being nearly blown to bits. Her high levels and perhaps some magic items were the only things keeping her alive, and she wasted no time enveloping herself in some radiant light and trying to heal her wounds.

"Nope, sorry, but I'm not letting you stay alive," I said, determined.

"Always take out the healer first!" Vee agreed mentally.

"I won't let you!" Otto shouted as he rushed to intercept.

"And I won't let you!" Vee responded, although, to everyone else, it just came out as spidery hisses.

Using [Blink], Vee appeared before him and then unleashed two massive magical clouds of poison and acid. Otto cried out and halted his progress, not wanting to go through such an ominous-looking area. I quickly commanded one of my [Sub-Cores] to cast [Gust] and blow it towards the Outeatus squad. I ignored him, putting my complete trust in my spidery companion.

"Kaspar, do something!" Zara cried out.

"I'm regenerating my Mana!" Kaspar spluttered, trying to chug Mana potions as hastily as possible. "Fynn, get to work!"

"Shit, shit, shit..." Fynn began panicking. "It's not as effective if she's already seen my class, and she has [Dispel]!"

"Amateur..." Trixie sighed telepathically.

"Do something!" Zara shouted. "Even if you have to throw your body at her! Helmine is far more important than your useless ass!"

I wondered why she wasn't doing anything, but then I noted that her dominant arm still looked like ribbons. Vee had effectively taken her out of the battle entirely with her well-placed trap. I made sure to send feelings of encouragement and thanks over our bond, to which I got back some mild embarrassment.

I reached Hermine before Fynn managed to do anything. The woman looked rather panicked as she noted that her healing spells seemed less effective than they should have been.

"Bloodrot?" Hermine whispered in a strained tone and began frantically searching her bags for something, presumably an antidote.

While she was helpless, I began stacking all my debuffs on her. The woman was growing paler by the second. I raised my bladed appendages once more just as Fynn finally arrived on the scene.

The man had come with a small army of himself, although he was right about one thing; his class was much less effective if I knew his trick. As if agreeing with me, I even got a notification.

<Proficiency gained. [Illusion Resistance LV 3] improved to [Illusion Resistance LV 4] .>

Even before the unexpected level-up, I could already tell which was him, thanks to [Essence Sight] and my preexisting resistance level. Either way, I wouldn't be upset about a random trait getting better, especially if it one day let me finally see through someone like Trixie's trickery.

Unbeknownst to him, I halted my attack on Helmine, waiting for him to get in range. The woman did notice, however, and tried to cry out a warning.

"It's a trap!"

But it was too late, and I cast [Contagion], releasing the infectious black cloud into the area and successfully passing on all the debuffs to him. He spluttered and coughed while his clones began attacking me. I ignored them as they passed harmlessly through me and finally brought down my slimy weapons on Helmine.

"May the Emperor smite you!" she condemned with her dying breath.

<Human LV 21; Pale Apostle LV 31 defeated. Experience gained.>

<[Curse] partially resisted.>

<Proficiency gained. [Curse Resistance LV 2] improved to [Curse Resistance LV 3].>

She actually cursed me!? I panicked slightly.

I had no idea what she had cursed me with, but hopefully, it wasn't anything too serious, and I'd overcome it with a bit of time.

"You filthy elf, how dare you!" Fynn yelled as he lunged at me.

His weapon was an adorned scimitar, and he danced with the blade that blurred into multiples. Despite resisting his major illusions handily, it seemed that if he kept the effect minor, he could still accomplish something.

I tried using my long-forgotten [Tranquil Flow] skill to see if I could dodge, but he was simply too fast unless I jellified my form, and spotting his actual blade was like a tree in a forest. Not that it actually mattered, though, as when his blade struck against my blackened [Tempered Reinforcement] and [Draconic Scales (Lesser)] skin, it practically bounced off.

The man continued attacking, but as he continued his assault, he began to visibly sweat and curse. His arms grew tired, and his blade was dulling.

"By the Emperor, what monster are you?" Fynn cursed in question.

"That's certainly a question," I taunted.

He was more skilled and swifter in the blade than me, but I had the advantage of multiple limbs. Since his weapon failed to leave a mark, I began forming more weaponlike limbs with my tendrils and began lethally sparring with him.

He began parrying and dodging, but his fatigue and annoyance were piling on. When he slipped up and took a wound, the rapid start of his downfall began, as the injuries started to grow exponentially.

"I-I surrender..." He whispered.

"No, why should I care?" I replied harshly.

Even if I felt merciful, these would-be assassins had seen far too much, and I had reached my breaking point. Doom filled his expression as he desperately tried to fend for himself.

"I can tell you secrets; just spare me," Fynn pleaded.

"Then tell me why you're after me," I demanded.

"We were ordered to retrieve the bag and to-" Fynn's throat seized up. His expression paled, and desperation kicked in as he began attempting to scream or shout, but nothing but incoherent gurgling came from his lungs.

"You dare try to betray the Emperor? For your worthless life? You maggot!" Kaspar exclaimed. "Hans, incinerate them both!"

"As you command," Hans replied.

Briefly focusing my gaze in that direction, Hans had formed a massive black sphere of fire. It was the mother of all [Fireballs] that someone like Dewi would undoubtedly fantasize about. Hans was coughing blood, and the spell grew in intensity with each cough. Old wounds on his body began to reopen, and his lifeforce was withering away while his spell only continued to grow.

Fynn was shaking his head desperately as if trying to deny it right as my tendrils ran multiple blades through him. I wasn't going to let him live anyway, but now he'd genuinely lost any purpose, and I didn't want my experience being taken from me.

<Human LV 21; Mirage Duelist LV 33 defeated. Experience gained.>

<[Curse] intensity has grown.>

That doesn't sound good...

I stared at the ominous notification while the growing fireball loomed in the distance. It looked like an evil sun had risen and was about to doom the world.

Well, no way I'm letting that hit me! I thought as I began to use one of my movement skills.

<[Curse] has been triggered. [Prison] applied.>

[Wind Step] failed, and I moved barely an inch from my spot. A sinister magic circle scorched into the ground around me and shone with a pale light. I tried again to move, but without a skill, and found myself unable to leave the confines of the magical circle.

Hans began to snicker as he continued sacrificing himself to his spell. I tried throwing a [Dispel] at the magic circle, but it was rebuffed instantly. I tried breaking the ground itself, but my assaults against the magical circle only flashed brighter in defiance.

Thinking quickly, I began forming and firing spells as rapidly as possible. That was when numerous summoned creatures appeared and began intercepting my spells.

I cursed in annoyance and began throwing out [Slime Shot] to the mix, but to my horror, the slime struck the magical barrier and rebounded-blocked by the curse.

"Well, that's not good..." I muttered.