Leveling up the World

Chapter 419: Double Hilted Daggers

MINOR WOUND

Your health has been decreased by 15%

A third dagger appeared in Dallions back, sending a wave of pain throughout his body. The pain was momentary, but it was without question that each time Dallion experienced betrayal it was getting stronger, radiating not only from the new dagger but all the previous ones as well.

Pull it out, the armadil shield said. All of us have experienced betrayal. We wont hold it against you.

There was a certain degree of truth in the guardians words. All the guardians had been banished as a result of the Stars betrayal; however, if Dallion was to rely on that, it made him no better.

I can handle it, Dallion replied. I just need to be fast about it.

SUN GOLD ATTACK GAUNTLET BLUEPRINT

Made exclusively for combat, this single gauntlet has three layers of spikes that emerge when the fist is fully clenched. With the appropriate strength, the gauntlet could easily punch through armor or shatter massive objects. It also allows its wearer to perform line attacks.

A blue rectangle appeared, but was quickly shattered by one of Dallions instances. Benefits were all find and good, but winning the fight was the main focus.

Nox, leave the treasure hunting and join the fight, Dallion ordered sternly.

This was the second time he had to remind the crackling that the priorities were shifted. While it was true that a sudden stat increase would give him an advantage, especially if his reactions got boosted, having even one of the cublings copies do a solo was ill advised.

Having problems controlling your familiars? Vend asked as waves of instances attacked Dallion from all sides, overwhelming him. That sounds like a betrayal to me.

Fortunately for Dallion, no new daggers appeared in his back. Unfortunately, that didnt prevent Vend from using an instance to throw two daggers in his leg. Two red rectangles stacked up, each a minor wound, dropping Dallions life to a quarter.

Taking the opportunity, the tip of the whip blade darted forward, right at the elite. The moment it struck him, though, the man had already burst into instances again. No wonder he had been made a lieutenant. If anything, the guild had waited too long to do so.

Combat splitting is always faster than any action, Vend said. I thought I had taught you that.

The splitting is, Dallion replied, using his music skill to add slowness in his voice. The speed of the instance is your own speed.

You actually listened? Vend smiled. Nice touch with the music, there. It wont work. In case you have any doubt, Im wearing a blocker ring. And no, it isnt metal, so you wont be able to find it either.

Dallion gritted his teeth and swung the harpsisword around him. For a moment, all strength left him, as he performed a line-attack. The action was exhausting, though not to the extent of having him lose consciousness. Relaxing in the air, Dallion watched the thread of destruction move forward, slicing through instances of Vend, and structures alike. A whole segment of the paradox cube burst into bits. The initial inertia forced it to continue in the direction it had been going before, while the lack of firm attachment made it impossible for them to take the turns required.

For several seconds Dallion looked in hope at the floating debris as they slowly made their way to the outer walls of the cube. Alas, no red rectangles appeared.

Nice execution, Vend said. Thats at least one area in which youve reached me. Maybe you even surpassed me. Attacks are more Marchs style. I focus on my own thing.

A dozen more instances emerged on larger chunks among the debris, leaping from fragment to fragment.

Theres one thing I didnt tell you about split negation, the elite continued. Its extremely effective against a person like me, without a doubt. However, it still requires you to get close enough to use it. Thats what I kept pushing you to increase your splitting length. Having a hundred of instances is nice, having ten that can last five seconds is better.

Thanks, lieutenant obvious, Dallion grumbled, waiting for Luxs healing effect to restore his health back to eighty-five percent.

That guys wicked cool! Onda said. Hes your girlfriends ex?

He was my mentor, Dallion corrected. He was barely in his twenties, and already he found obnoxious teenagers annoying, or at least Onda. Gleam, can you do something to pin him down?

How do I do that? The shardfly asked, annoyed. Attack the one in the middle?

Slice the instances that are heading towards me! Your goal is to control his movement, not deal damage.

The familiar didnt reply. She was both annoyed that he was right, and also impressed at his strategic thinking. In the coming months, Dallion was going to have to spend a while teaching her to be more of a party hunter. Strategy was the only way to defeat enemies like Vend. He couldnt hope to out-split them, he didnt have the stamina to use destructive strength like March did, and his empath abilities were seriously hindered because of the blocker item his opponent was wearing.

Taking a deep breath, Dallion switched hands, moving the harpsisword to his left.

Its too soon, Harp said in her combination of sounds.

Ill be fine. Im used to it now.

No, youre not.

Both of them knew that he was lying, just as they knew that Dallion didnt have much choice in the matter. In order to win, he had to use anything and everything to gain an advantage. Well, almost everything.

MINOR WOUND

Your health has been decreased by 15%

Stings, doesnt it? Vend asked. Some say that betrayal is a dagger with a second blade in the place of a hilt. Maybe thats true in the long run. Ive found that isnt the case in the immediate future. The hand that holds the blade might tremble the first few times, but the back that receives the strike will bleed much longer.

Focusing all his strength, Dallion did another line attack. This one was aimed more at Vends surroundings, slicing off another vast chunk of buildings as they were splitting apart. As in the previous time, several dozens of Vends instances disappeared. Quite a few more were slashed out of existence by the whip blade, however, the elite himself remained unharmed.

Dallions vision blurred.

Must stay awake, he told himself, struggling to remain conscious. If there was a stat such as will, hed gladly have transferred all his points there. Sadly, will only relied on his character, and even in a realm built on mental images and metaphors, the will depended on his physical state as well.

The flames holding Dallion became brighter. Sensing the state of his owner, Lux focused on his efforts on performing a healing flash. This wasnt something the firebird had done before; it wasnt something the creature even conceived until now. However, spending so much time with Dallion had left its mark. Slowly, even it too was learning how to think outside of the accepted box. The attempt paid off. Within moments, Dallions vision returned to normal. He was still exhausted, but at least he was conscious.

Get me out of here, he told Lux. Gleam, continue to interfere.

Already ahead of you. The whip blade swished through the air. Due to Dallions current state, she could no longer see Vends instances, so was attacking under the assumption that they were everywhere. Apparently, her attacks were efficient, for without warning, a dagger flew through, hitting the weapon straight in the hilt. It was a one to a hundred hitin nearly all other circumstances the familiar would have deflected the weapon, or at the very least evaded the attack. In this particular case, she wasnt able to.

MINOR FAMILIAR WOUND

GLEAMs health was reduced by 20%

Without hesitation, Dallion unsummoned the whip blade. If things got more difficult for him, he could summon her back, but for the moment, she had done her job.

What the heck?! The shardfly shouted, not appreciating the action. It was just one hit!

I need you fresh, Gleam, Dallion replied, himself still drained of energy. Even after Luxs help, both his arms felt numb and his heart was beating like a drum. According to Harp, it would be still a while before he could get back to normal. The logical choice was for him to have the firebird fly him around, changing location frequently so that Vend couldnt take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately, that wasnt an option. Dallion already had four daggers in his back. Another six and his health would be at fifty percent, which meant that Vend could take him out with a frontal attack.

Lux, take me to the start, Dallion ordered.

The acceleration felt like a kick in the lungs, but within a few moments Dallion was where he wanted.

Now let me down, then go and thrust all the debris in the area where hes at. Dont target Vend even if you see him, just clear the space.

The firebird let out a reluctant chirp, but did as it was told, vanishing from sight. Moments later, Dallion could see the effect in the distance, as chunks of stone flew like hair smashing into the walls and in other buildings. The space of emptiness that had already formed within the everchanging paradox cube after Dallions line strikes now grew, removing more and more. This was definitely a step in the right direction, but Dallion continued to worry about the trial puzzle. Sometimes things were straightforward, but this time he was reluctant to assume so. Vend had said that by defeating him, Dallion would get rid of the doubts that kept him back. However, there was no way that would deal with the betrayal.

You cannot be betrayed by an enemy, Dallion said, forcing himself up on his feet. That means the enemy isnt the opponent. Its the result of the betrayal

There were different ways to pass the trial. Defeating Vend was the simplest, relatively speaking. Stopping the betrayals was potentially a second option, although that was yet to be determined.

Theres something more. Dallion closed his eyes. The level of his mind allowed him exceptional recollection, as well as the ability to imagine scenes vividly in his head. Going back, he went through every word Vend had uttered, the daggers that had appeared in his back, the fashion in which Vend fought. There was no denying that the newly promoted elite relied heavily on combat splitting. Yet, even he hadnt used this many. Potentially, he was capable of achieving the feat. If he had a gift that tripled the standard amount for someone with his mind value could achieve, it would be quite easy. However, there was too much smoke and mirrors, even for him.

A dagger has two blades and no hilt, Dallion said to himself. If that were the case did it mean that the dagger also had two hilts?

Dallion opened his eyes. Time had slowed down to a crawl. He was able to see Lux jump from chunk to chunk, propelling the debris through the air in slow motion. A moment later, things had returned to normal. The firebird was moving too fast to be seen, even with Dallions perception focus.

Harp, take your nymph form, he ordered.

Whoa! Isnt that a bit extreme? Onda asked. You just have to defeat him, not destroy the entire

Please, Harp, Dallion insisted.

The harpsisword disappeared. Soon after, its guardian emerged, a step away from Dallion. There was a hint of fear moving throughout her, like a firefly in the night.

Pull one out. Dallion semi-turned his back to her.

You cant be sure what will happen, Dallion heard the vibrations composing her voice in his mind. I might end up hurting someone else.

I doubt it. Dallion smiled. The only way to stop betrayal is to prevent it from happening. I trust you, but this goes beyond my trust. I want you to trust me. As the saying goes, better clear enemies than false friends.

There was a moment of seriousness, after which the nymph shook her head. Clearly, the speech wasnt considered to be Dallions strongest points, but his determination was. With one swift action, she removed a dagger from his back. Instantly, his health rose by five percent.

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