The star of this chapter is Celesta the High Elf, cousin to Riveria. The substar is her Dark Elf younger half brother, Sven. In the previous chapter The Star was the Amazoness Lezanna, and the substar was Wilna the Prum. Enjoy!
Chapter 15
The Infinity Elf
"Will she ever stop chanting?!" Raorke Holler demanded. Their raid was being disturbed by a mere group of five. No, it wasn't even five. The one leading the defense was a male dark elf with a far too jovial look as he cut down any thief who attacked him. The other three fighters beside him-a human heavy shield wielder, a hume bunny spearwoman, and a tall, wiry, dagger wielding half-cat man-took care of any the dark elf let get past him. On the other hand, the tall, beautiful high elf that was behind them had been chanting the words to activate her magic for quite some time now, a bright white magic circle generated at her feet with her at the center.
Ordinarily, magic could not be used until the chant was complete…
"Ah! Watch out!" One of the bandits cried out fearfully. "Another light bomb is coming down!"
"Move it!"
A sphere of bright light came from the elf, arced over her comrades and fell towards the rear of the raid party. An unfortunate thief was hit while trying to escape it. The light exploded on contact and he was taken out, his body lying face down and his skin and burned. Several of his fellow bandits shared the same fate, their bodies also sprawled on various spots of the battlefield.
"...he ventured to the vast sea, bonding with the ocean herself…'
…Even though she had not completed her chant yet, her magic was attacking the bandits.
"What kind of magic is that?!" Holler growled. "How is it attacking us before completion?"
Celesta Lodos was an anomaly when it came to mages. It was basically the rule for a mage high elf to have at least three spells. She only had one spell. And it probably had the longest chant of any magic in existence. Her spell's chant was not a poem or a song nor was it a wish like other magics. It was a story, an epic of a little fairy on a journey to fulfill his dream of becoming a great hero. One of its greatest qualities is that it protected its caster with explosive light spheres and constructs. In addition, it also supported her allies with healing and enchantments. Attacking, defending, and supporting. Even before its completion, her magic could do all of it. It was the only magic of its kind.
"They are trying to keep us pinned," Holler surmised. Those five wouldn't allow them to go any forward, and that elf wouldn't let them retreat. They were trapped. "Pretty clever, I must admit."
Holler was an intelligent man. While not at the same level as Braver or Hildrsleif, he could understand the logic behind this mysterious enemy's actions. Whoever they were, they were clearly trying to protect the town that the bandits were going to pillage. If they allow them to scatter, then chaos would ensue, which could lead to the civilians in the town getting hurt. It was working, too. The thieves were now too afraid to make any sudden moves, lest they be smited by the elf's magic. Even though he hated them, Holler had to admire their cleverness.
"They probably plan to finish us all at once when that woman finally finishes her cast," he said. It was probably a given that whatever magic she was using, it would end them all instantly once she finally cast it. He had already tried to take her out with arrows, but her friends and the lights from her spell prevented any projectile from reaching her. Also, he doubted the magic sword he was given would be any more help, either. They only had one last card to play. "Release the monster."
"Now?!" The tamer beside him gaped. He had hoped it would not be necessary to release the monster inside the crate. Even if they said its will was beaten down thanks to drugs, the control collar, and that man called Shades's magic, he knew that the terrifying thing was way out of his skill level as a tamer. "But-"
"Do it." Holler said darkly, leaving no room for argument or debate. "Or else we are all finished."
Given no other choice, the tamer obeyed. He released the seal to the wooden case, causing it to fall open. Slowly, sluggishly, the monster inside walked out. It was large, its steps heavy and its skin green like slime. Anyone who saw it might've thought it was fat, but those who knew anything about monsters knew its mass was made mostly of sturdy muscle with incredible destructive potential. Its face was pig-like and it carried a stone cudgel ripped out from the stone found in the Dungeon's deep floors.
It was a Devil Orc, a monster that could be considered the more dangerous and powerful equivalent to the Orcs born in the Tenth Floor. It was over 6 meters tall and had a heavy set build. It towered like a bolder over everyone in the flatland. It looked very much like the chieftain of a brutal tribe of pillagers. Or at least it would if it did not have that ugly slave collar around its neck. It made it look like a pathetic slave made to fight for a stupid master.
"G-G-GOOOOOOO!" The tamer ordered loudly, pushing down his fear that the monster would sense his weakness and turn that stone weapon on him. To his utter delight, the monster moved forward. Unfortunately, because the bandits were all bunched together, the ones in the Devil Orc's path struggled to get out of its way, causing some of them to get stomped mercilessly by the giant boss monster. The tamer paled at the sight and sound of his fellow bandit's screaming in agony. "I-It's crushing our allies!"
"Unfortunate," Holler said dispassionately. He had no love or care for these men, not even the ones who were a part of his own familia.. "But now we have an opportunity to escape-"
More light spheres came crashing down onto them, early taking them out. Holler glared at Celesta. "Damn, elf! She isn't going to let us escape until she's dealt with. Tamer, order that monster to crush her, now!"
With some hesitation, the tamer commanded the Devil Orc to charge on and attack. The monster ran with vigor, crushing more of the thieves. It ran towards the five fighters that were blocking them. In response, five light spheres were shot at it. They all exploded on contact, but the monster was unphased and did not stop.
Unsurprising for two reasons. For one thing, the light spheres that came from Celesta's magic were not that powerful. They were only as strong as Level 2 or 3 quick chant spells. They could take out Level 3 thieves, but were ineffective against stronger adversaries. Another thing, Devil Orcs were really tough. Compared to other Deep Floor monsters, they were uncomplicated. They didn't breathe fire, or produce poison. They had no special tricks. They were simply tough and hard to kill, with great strength to boot.
They say when fighting a Devil Orc, don't let up until it's dead. Burn it alive with fire, it will still fight. Fry it with lighting, it will still continue. Freeze it with cold, it will not slow down until it is frozen solid. Shoot it with arrows, cut off its limbs, infect it with poison strong enough to kill Level 5s, it will still attack with as much strength and power as it has unharmed. Until it is dead and its body turns to ash, Devil Orcs will always be a threat.
"Hmph, those light spheres aren't worth crap against real monsters," laughed Sven Lodos, Celesta's half dark elf, half high elf, younger half brother. He was smiling despite the situation. Sven was the result of a passionate love affair between their disowned high elf father and his dark elf mother, who work as an acrobat in a traveling circus. Despite having a white high elf father, he strongly took after his mother and only had dark elf features. Naturally, high elven society never took too kindly to such an illegitimate union, less so to the child born from the affair. Not that it mattered to Sven. His family loved him, and that was all that mattered to him. When his big sister was recruited by Zeus Familia, he followed her. His time with the familia revealed his talent for swordsmanship and he became one of the familia's only magic swordsmen. His weapon of choice was a black steel cutlass. The gods gave him the second name, Laughing Dark, per his tendency to innocently laugh and smile while in battle. It goes without say, he was the complete opposite of the dark elf in Freya Familia. "You're done telling that long winded story yet, Onee-sama? You know if we end up killing that thing without you, Lezanna will laugh at you- AH!"
He narrowly avoided getting hit by a light sphere his sister fired at him.
'I can hear you, brat.'
"Hey! That would've hurt!"
"You shouldn't tease your big sister, Sven," Corey the shieldman said, stepping in front of his party. He raised his massive shield to protect them.
'Yes, he did.'
"Yeah, you had it coming," said Quinn, the hume bunny spear wielder. Her face twisted in disgust as she saw the Devil Orc crush and knock away the bandits in its path as it ran towards them. Did the ones controlling it not care that their allies were getting hurt? "The ones behind this will also get what they deserve."
'Yes, they will.'
"Fighting it will not be a piece of cake," said Thad, the half cat man who wielded two daggers. "It's a Level 5 monster, so until Celesta-san finishes her incantation, we are at a disadvantage."
'Then allow me to do what I can until then.'
Four spheres of light hovered over each of them-making Sven flinch-but these weren't bombs, but enchantments. Light engulfed them all and their bodies glowed with golden light. They were enchanted by Celesta's magic, which increased their statuses by two whole stages.
The Devil Orc swung down its stone cudgel immediately when it reached them. Sven, Quinn, and Thad leapt to avoid it while Corey blocked the attack with his shield to protect himself as well as Celesta. At the same time, Thad cut one of its sides with his daggers. Quinn stabbed it in the other side. Sven swung his sword, and launched his magic at it.
"Haunted Black, Void Slash!' Black magical energy exploded in the Devil Orc's face. It damaged it, but didn't kill it, which was not unexpected, given its reputation for toughness. Not deterred by its damage, it swung its cudgel in a brutal fashion at the ones who opposed it. The Level Fours moved to avoid the brutal swings, while simultaneously keeping up their attacks. They all worked well together, moving seamlessly and well coordinated. It wasn't something that was unique to this particular foursome, all the Zeus Familia adventurers had near perfect teamwork. If another combination of Level Fours were chosen to guard Celesta, they would be able to work just as well with each other. It had been that way since before their failure to defeat the One Eyed Black Dragon and their familia's fall from grace. They all knew what their roles were and how to do them.
Of course, Celesta was completely aware of their battle, just as she was aware of how the leader of this band of bandits was looking for an opportunity to escape, and how the bandits were also trying to run. Despite casting her magic with a ridiculously long incantation, she was almost omnisciently aware of everything happening on the battlefield. She also heard everything. She heard the lack of sympathy or care the leader-Holler-had for his subordinates, so whenever he tried to run away, she would drop her light bombs onto him. She did the same to any of the bandits who had tried to escape thinking she was distracted. She would not allow any of them to run, nor would she allow them to die, so she uses the healing power of her magic to save the lives of those who were critically injured. In a world where many roads led to infinite possibilities, she wouldn't allow any roads to exist save for the ones that led to her ideal result.
"...The fairy hero reaches his final destination. He battled many foes, and traversed wondrous lands. He ran through fire to save a friend. He battled lighting to free a princess. He swam the oceans to keep his promise. He trudged through the frozen tundra to protect the world. He used his light and bravery to slay the greatest calamity. He transcended and became unlimited."
Finally, she reached the end of the incantation and she finished the story.
"Humbly, I ask thee, noble fairy. Become my guardian, my knight."
With the story completed, she could finally call the magic's name.
"Faerie Infinitum!"
A bright tower of light rose from Celesta's mage at the command of the magic's name as light spheres. The bandits stared on in fixation as countless little spheres of light combined together like a swarm of fireflies. The light sphere merged into a single giant light sphere, then it changed shape. It took the form of an armored knight of fairy tale legend with a broad sword and shield in either hand made entirely of golden light floating above them all like a guardian angel.
The Devil Orc growled viciously at it, as if its very existence offended it. The guardian knight descended down to the battlefield to face the monster. The first thing the Knight did was swing its broadsword-severing the control collar around the monster's neck. Everyone gasped, including Sven and the other Level 4s, who after Celesta cast her magic, moved to her side. Their role was over the moment she finished telling the story.
"Celest-nee! What are you doing?!" Sven cried out as he saw the control collar fall to the ground in two pieces. The next thing the guardian did was change its form. It now became the image of a stereotypical wizard with a long beard and wore robes and pointed hat. The guardian knight was now a wizard. The wizard waved its hand and the Devil Orc was engulfed with light similar to the enchanting light used on the Level 4s, except this light was far brighter and more ethereal than the one protecting them. Swiftly, all of the wounds they had inflicted onto the Devil Orc vanished. Left behind was an enchanting light that radiated the orc like a powerful aura. "D-Did you just heal and enchant it?"
"Yes," Cesta said, nonchalantly. The Guardian's default form was a knight, but it needn't stay that way. It could become anything. A wizard, a thief, a pirate, a gladiator, a samurai, a ninja, an ordinary man. Anything. "That dirty amazon probably also broke the control collar on the monster she fought, so, of course, I must do the same. But that brainless brute can't heal nor can she enchant. So, I win. Besides, it's hardly fair to fight it as it was."
Sven and the other Level 4s couldn't hide their looks of disbelief. The face Celesta was making did not match the look of regality and dignity that was typically associated with high elves. Her face was scheming to one up her rival. The fact she would do this with a whole town at stake and also that she was over a century older than all of them made them speechless. Even Sven, who had a reputation for being a clown and not taking things seriously, looked at her as if she was mad.
"Now," she said, ignoring her friends and brother's looks. "Let's really do this."
The Devil Orc roared far more ferociously and bloodcurdling than it had before. The enchantment placed on it giving it renewed vigor as well as power. It swung its stone cudgel at the wizard. The wizard, in response, erected a barrier that blocked the swing-and also electrocuted it. 1 million volts ran through its body and it cried out, but it remained standing. When it made the movement to swing again, the wizard changed its form into a kimono-clad, katana-wielding samurai. The samurai's blade clashed with the orc's blunt weapon causing a shockwave strong enough to shake the surrounding earth and knock the bandits watching on their butts, and even the Level 4s had to shift their footing to avoid falling.
With impeccable footwork, the samurai moved past the Devil Orc and cut its side. The orc moved to counterattack, but a powerful, magical gust of wind blew it black several paces. The orc forced itself forward and unleashed multiple rapid swings and samuraI blocked all of it with grace and skill.
The samurai then changed and became a nimble thief. The thief was shorter and smaller than the Orc but could easily maneuver past the Devil Orc's clumsy swings and stab its torso with a knife made of light.
The thief transformed to become a beautiful swordswoman with long hair and a broadsword. The swordswoman swung, slashing the Devil Orc's body. Still, the monster fought.
The Swordwoman became a gluttonous swordsman, delivering another critical wound. Then the Guardian became a powerful dwarf. Then a wise sage. An untouchable cat spearman. An invincible man. The Guardian could become anything. Any kind of warrior, wielding any kind of magic. It could use anything. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, healing, enchanting. Whatever came to mind, it could do it. The only limit to the Guardian's power was the mage's power and her imagination.
Celesta Lodos had one of a kind, infinite magic. She only had a single magic because that was all she required. She was Level 6. The gods bestowed her the title Infinity Elf.
'...Isn't this a bit cruel, Nee-chan?' Sven wondered as he saw the damage the Guardian was doing. Honestly, this would have been over instantly had she not healed and enchanted the Devil Orc to boost its strength and give it potent protection. The others thought the same, but none of them dared to say it out loud. It was times like this that reminded them their best were borderline insane, and they were lucky Kyra and Barren were around to keep things somewhat orderly.
The Devil Orc still stood. It had lost its arm. It was hit with every element. Not an inch of its body wasn't wounded. Still, it fought. Devil Orcs were reputed for their toughness and their ability to keep fighting no matter how damaged they were. Celesta's magic may have enchanted it, but what kept it fighting was its nature.
The Guardian transformed one more time. It took the shape of a certain man. The man had the hero's aura and wielded a sword worthy of such a person. The Level 4s looked at it with reverence. This was the form of the man they gave their lives for. Their hero. The Devil Orc swung with its remaining arm. The hero swung back. In a snap, the Orc was cut down and engulfed in golden flames. After several moments, the monster's body turned to ash, leaving behind nothing but ashes and its magic stone.
Hope all of you enjoyed this latest free chapter. Hope the Level 6 High Elf was appropriately fearsome as well as the Level 4s. Honestly, I really feel I gave myself a big challenge making Celesta's spell a single super long epic-styled chant. Eventually, I will need to write it out in full. While her magic is fearsome, it has certain weaknesses. For starters, Faerie Infinitum has the longest chant of any magic. While it has the unique quality of being able to fire off magic attacks, as well as create barriers, and provide healing before the chant is completed, the power is much weaker compared to Celesta's full magical power, so at best they are Level 2 or 3 attacks. Not weak, but for the level of combat she regularly engaged in prior to the fall of Zeus and Hera, it only annoyed and delayed her opponents. Also, the avatar created after the chant is completed is incredibly powerful, but it has two glaring weaknesses. Firstly, it is a living entity that feels pain and can be damaged, and Celesta is linked to it on every level, so its pain is her, and her pain is its pain. If it's destroyed, then she goes into an immediate mind down. Also, if she is somehow subdued or killed, the Guardian immediately vanishes. On top of those two big weaknesses, the Guardian is an entity of magic, so if the opponent has any anti magic tactics, it's bad. Especially if the opponent can totally negate magic… Even so, Celesta is a competent close range fighter despite being a rear guard mage. She isn't easily beaten in any scenario.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember, you can continue reading on my Patreon for just 2 dollars. Also, please leave a review and tell me what you think.
Until our next adventure!