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The shallow waves washed Rayor to the shore. He had slightly more wounds than when he escaped Erin. Hundreds of monsters lived within the lake. They immediately attacked when he was in the water but they didn’t do much as he was partly Demon. He knew that well before he dove into the water but he couldn’t see any other way to escape. His wings were instantly burnt to ashes by the cyan flames. He remembered how much the flames hurt. He was no stranger to the pain fire could bring but the cyan flames brought a whole level of pain to him. That was because he was half Demon and though he didn’t know much about Demons, it was common knowledge among the learned ones that Demons’ biggest weaknesses were Holy Magic and Spirit Magic. If he had been a full-fledged Demon, the cyan flames would have already killed him way before he could dive into the water.

He lay on the shore of the lake with his back on the damp soil and his eyes staring into the vast blue sky that didn’t have a cloud in sight. Contrary to the peaceful sky, Rayor’s inner thoughts were in turmoil. Every piece of his mind was burning with rage. He clenched his fists hard and gritted his teeth. His slightly reddish veins turned into a darker shade in response to his emotions.

“That bitch…! I’ll fucking kill her!” he made a silent vow in his heart. The brief moment he spent lying on the shore had healed all his wounds. He had dawdled enough, he told himself.

As he pushed himself to his feet, a stinging pain assaulted his head.

“Rayor,” a resonating voice followed.

“Varus?”

“Do not be alarmed. I am merely talking to you by way of telepathy.”

“How is this possible?”

“Do you think Marduk will let a heavy investment like you prance around without any supervision?”

“....What do you want?”

“I’m here to remind you of your job, that is to find your daughter and bring her to Marduk. It appears you are distracted.”

“That bitch almost killed me! If it wasn’t for this power, I would have been literally scarred for life!”

“That should not be your concern, Rayor. Do make me repeat myself. Do your job or someone else will.”

“And the Fae just walks free? She has five tails. Even three tails were already a rarity. Surely Marduk will be interested in her, no? It’s not often we find a Fae so far away from their forest, let alone a five-tailed Fox-kin.”

“Marduk already knew of her but she’s not your responsibility. Someone else will be tending to her, not you. You just need to remember your own job and do it. No more mistakes this time.”

And Varus’ voice left his mind.

Rayor stomped the ground as he bellowed in an indignant fury. “Damn these sons of bitches! You take me for an errand boy!?” He wanted to reject the orders but doing so would return him to his death. It was only on Marduk’s “generosity” that he was still alive. If the Demonic power was taken from him, he would go back to being a corpse. In the end, he could only suck in his pride and follow what he was ordered to do, regardless of his personal grudge.

****

An arrow streaked past the trees, swerving around those in its path, and found its mark, a Rock Ape feasting on a citrus fruit while perching on a branch. The arrow hit the Rock Ape but it merely bounced from a rock-hard shell that covered almost every inch of its body except for its neck.

“Damn it,” Lyra cursed. “I didn’t miss it but I didn’t hit its neck.”

“At least you hit the Rock Ape this time,” Erin said. “You’re getting better. I’m sure you’ll be a master of the Seeker skill in no time at all.”

Erin, Lyra, and Siv had resumed their journey. An hour had passed since they left Valenolk. Not a cloud in the skies. It was the perfect weather for any trip. Siv was holding the reins while Erin was sorting out the gifts they received from the grateful townsfolk of Valenolk. They had enough food and water to last time a week and also various other trinkets that could prove to be useful in their journey. There was even a hook tied to a rope among the pile of items, an unusual choice for a gift. Perhaps the townsfolk knew they were adventurers, so they gave them items that would help them in the trip.

“What of our stalker friend? Are they still stalking us?” Lyra asked as she nocked another arrow. Normally, she wouldn’t be using arrows so wastefully but since there were arrows among the gifts, she could afford to waste some arrows for training.

“Curiously, they stopped following us the moment we entered Valenolk,” Erin said. “And they seem to have stopped following us since.”

“That is indeed curious,” Lyra muttered. She looked for another target that she could mark with Seeker.

“Perhaps they have merely passed on their duty,” Siv presumed.

“You’re saying someone else took over the stalking duty?”

Siv nodded at Lyra’s words. “It happened a lot when I was still in Lord Hegan’s employment. To avoid arousing suspicions, the stalkers would have a rotation shift.”

“I’m not sensing anyone tailing us anymore,” Erin said. “If there is someone still tailing us, they are doing a very good job at it.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “That sounds possible and a tad worrying.”

“There is also the possibility that our stalker friend simply became better at stalking.”

Lyra lowered her bow. “I’m just going to go with the assumption that our stalker friend had given up. That’s a less worrying thought.”

“But also more dangerous.”

Lyra sighed. “Erin, are you alright? You looked more tense than usual.”

“I fought a Demon that was stronger than me. Admittedly, that was thrilling. However, I didn’t manage to kill it. For all I know, it could be already hunting me down for revenge as we speak.”

“And this time, you will kill it, Erin. We’re here. We can help.”

“I concur with Lyra, mistress.”

“Then, I’ll be counting on the two of you when that time comes,” Erin said and sat on her knees. Her hands laid on her lap and her eyes closed.

Lyra and Siv instantly knew what they had to do. They sharpened their focus and stayed ever the more vigilant towards their surroundings.

Erin was using this respite to meditate. As she meditated, she finally got to do what had been on her mind all this time, allocating her points. She had eight and six unused skill and ability points, respectively.

Since her future opponents would most likely be Demons, she raised her level eight Spirit Magic all the way to ten, using up four skill points. She raised Arcane Edge’s level by one as it was the quickest range-type attack she could use with Aura Shot. She used the remaining points on Mystic Tail Arts. The Magic Art was proving itself handier than she had given credit for. Whenever she was unable to use her sword or spells, her tails were always the alternative.

As for her ability points, she allocated them evenly on Arcane and Finesse. It was becoming more and more impossible to compete with her opponents in terms of raw physical strength the higher her opponents’ levels were. It was better to focus more on what her body and spirit were adapted to. That said, she didn’t intend to completely neglect her physical strength. Strength was still needed to efficiently wield her weapons and allow her to fight a battle longer.

The points weren’t her only objective. She also needed more means in fighting. She deemed it was nigh time she learned another magic that could greatly assist her in combat. Although, this was where she met an impasse. She didn’t know how to do that. Nivia wasn’t with her. The only way she could think of was to search her memories. The moment when her sabre began showing cracks under the strain of Mystic Blade surfaced in her mind. She needed a better sword but the sword she was using could be considered the best by far. Even the swords among the pile of gifts were largely inferior to the sword she was using. It wasn’t just the quality. The sword Aedan gave her even had a polished appearance. Huge efforts were poured into the forging of this sword. Such a weapon was given to her. She couldn’t be more honoured but she also harboured some doubts whether Aedan would be asking her for some favour in exchange in the future. Knowing him, she was almost absolutely certain that would be the case.

“No no no. What am I doing? I shouldn’t get side-tracked thinking about that guy!” Erin figuratively shook her head to get herself back on her original train of thought. “I need a weapon. It doesn’t need to be better or neither does it need to be as good. Just enough to not fail me in battles and get me through a predicament.”

As if responding to her thoughts, the Spirits in the vicinity converged on her and gathered around.

Erin chuckled. “Oh my, such courteous and helpful fellows. Alright, I’ll accept the assistance.”

Lightning began to crackle between her hands. Lyra and Siv were caught off guard by the sudden development but they calmed down when they saw the faint grin Erin had. They were assured that she knew what she was doing.

The Spirits shirked away from the lightning-like little animals when they were offered something unknown by humans. Erin calmed their fears and beckoned them to approach lightning. She found it amusing that the Spirits could get scared. She guided the Spirit into the streams of lightning. Though the small fluffs of light were hesitant, they trusted Erin. One by one, they hopped into the lightning streams. True to her words, the lightning merely coiled around the Spirits and did not harm any of them.

It was a surreal sight to Erin, even though she couldn’t see with her eyes closed. Her perception was more than just something her eyes received. It was something she could smell, hear, feel, taste, and sense. All these combined into one, painting a clear picture in her mind. She painted a picture of a sword in her mind. Responding to her mind’s painting, the Spirits arranged themselves to fit that picture. Erin helped the Spirits by moulding a frame of the sword using the lightning streams.

She had done this before. Mystic Blade was also born of such a method. She had a clear picture of what she truly wanted. That was the main ingredient, a clear and true idea of what she desired and needed. She desired and needed a weapon that could serve her well and endure the countless strains she would be putting it through. It also needed to be something she could store away easily and take it out just as easy. It would be an ethereal and ephemeral weapon.

The shape of a sword was slowly taking form in the union of the Spirits and the lightning streams. However, it was only half of what Erin had envisioned. It wasn’t enough. It needed to be better. At its current state, it would even be better to use a normal sword. She called upon the aid of more Spirit and they were more than happy to oblige. Erin found it endearing. They were more alive than she thought. These endearing Spirits, at the same time, were also the bane of Demons. It was really hard for Erin to fully see them as a couple of fluffs.

Erin poured more of her intent into the sword that the lightning and Spirits were forming into. There were no raging storms or typhoons. There were no wild flashes of lights. There were only gentle waves of glow as the lightning and Spirits came together.

“It’s almost finished,” Erin said. But as soon as she said that, the sword of lightning and Spirits fell apart and the lightning disappeared in a flash and the Spirits scuttled some distance away.

Lyra shrieked but Siv merely jumped a little.

Erin opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. Her palms were charred.

“Ow...” she muttered.

“What happened!?” Lyra asked. Worries tinged her face as always.

Siv was looking uninterested but she was just as worried. “Mistress, you should be a little restrained about this. Being too adventurous could get one killed, or worse.”

“I tried to… create a new magic...” Erin said, clutching her own palms.

Creating new magic wasn’t just something anyone could do on the fly but Siv and Lyra were already used to Erin being an exception in many cases.

“You did not succeed?” Siv asked.

Erin nodded. “I failed,” she admitted.

“But why do you look so happy?” Lyra pointed out as she saw the grin Erin had.

She widened her grin. “Because I know I won’t fail the next time.”

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Five-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 34 | Status: None

Might: 22 | Arcane: 44 | Finesse: 39

Magic Arts

Spirit Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Edge Lv. 6 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 10 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 7 | Mystic Tail Arts Lv. 3

Combat Arts

Sword Art Lv. 8 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5

Innate Skills

Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 7 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex | Mana Harvest Lv. 1 | Lightning Resistance Lv. 1

Unique Talent

Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

Level Progression: 40%

Remaining Skill Points: 0

Remaining Ability Points: 0