163 – Archer vs Scout

I returned to Shorvanna's room, removed the mask, and took a deep breath of fresh air to clean my system. “Ayayay,” I sighed loudly while shaking my head.

My companions were at the center of the circular room, still fighting each other.

I sat down and focused on Pokora.

The Elf was facing off against several Hannas that popped into and out of invisibility. She shot projectiles in quick succession to what seemed like random spots, only for one of the Hannas to appear out of thin air with an arrow between her eyes, then dissolve.

Every once in a while an arrow was deflected mid-air without a Hanna showing up, which made me think the real Hanna was around those spots.

I squinted my eyes at them. Good thing I have Intimidate Prey to force enemies into attacking, otherwise I'd fall into mind games. Plus, Pokora has that skill that works similarly to Detect Life, I recalled, then focused on the arrows the Elf shot.

Some were sticking to the ground, and E'er visibly vibrated around them.

A beacon? I wondered. Does Pokora see the vibration, or does the vibration touch invisible beings and then lets her know? Does it work like Monster Hunter with analyzing reality and doing something with it? That'd be pretty useful outside of an ambush. My eyebrows joined in thought. Is that why she shot arrows before we did the nasty back in the forest? Can she use the skill without the need of arrows? Maybe a higher rank allows her to transfer the effect to arrows instead? I focused back on Pokora.

My girlfriend's eyes emitted bluish light through the helmet as she looked around. Then, she focused on a spot and released an arrow she had knocked.

The projectile was extremely fast, and changed trajectory at the last instant before hitting something. A Hanna showed up, fell down, then dissolved.

I noticed the arrow stayed on the ground, then started vibrating just like the ones I assumed were beacons.

Aha! I nodded. I see! Maybe she can't tell which is the real Hanna, after all. And Hanna can't risk being shot with a Mythical Bow... “Hmmm...” I hummed. But if she can't tell, why aim at the head? To force her into deflecting?

Hanna's clones kept dropping, and Pokora kept her guard up.

My eyes squinted even further. Clones... many cocks... the possibilities, Natasha! I told myself the most important fact I learned while observing them. H-how many, exactly? I wondered with a gulp and equipped my Starforged Eternium Plate Helmet, which had True Sight, then took a cheeky peek.

Four Hannas ran around Pokora, slowly closing in. Far back, however, a Hanna was crouching on the ground and observing. Not even a second passed since I had focused on her and she looked in my direction.

I didn't do anything, since that would reveal her position with Pokora's elvish senses or some nonsense like that.

Every time a Hanna went down, a new one emerged from her and ran towards Pokora.

So, five... I concluded, then counted the holes in my body. Doable, kekeke.

One of the clones deflected an arrow with a dagger and ran in the opposite direction.

I see. How cheeky. Are those from the Regicide Class? To send an invisible clone and kill the important person in a room while staying at a distance is pretty smart. Plus, the clones vanish. Can she switch places with the clones, though? That'd be a pretty good escape method. I focused on the clones, then on Hanna.

Just like the original, the clones wore black clothes that would fit in a cheap assassin movie. The very definition of 'assassin mob' or 'evil organization grunt'. The kind nobody takes seriously since they look like they work for below the minimum wage.

That needed some change.

I had given Bonte a white costume with high defensive stats that looked like the protagonist of the second game belonging to the saga about a guild of assassins that had influence across the world and through many eras.

As a Halve, I can't have a companion looking like a mob from a cheap movie. That would be inadmissible.

So, I searched my storage.

A black coat with red clouds? I stared at a piece of clothing I retrieved. That's more Ninja... How the fuck did Redeemers Bush get the license to this? I wondered and let out a long sigh, then stored it back in. That's cringe. I don't want Hanna going 'The world will know pain if they defy Halves' or some stupid shit like that. Besides, Pokora will recognize it right away since she's a weeb and probably will try to get her to say a few cringy lines.

After a few minutes of going through costumes that would fit a Scout, I came across one that was sober, hid any identifiable features, didn't expose skin, and was sturdy. It was very ninja-like but without any of the cringe that anime brings.

Then, I searched for daggers that were similar to the ones she used. I found a pair that fit pretty quickly.

[+100 Venom Fang (Legendary) {Ascension Lvl 10}](SS+ Sharpness) (Durability S+)-Sharpness + 100% ({Lvl 10 Emerald}x10)-Sharpness and Durability + 10% (Enchantment)-STR + 100-CON + 100-DEX + 200-Blade carries potent Neurotoxin of A-FA-5 type.*Feeding E'er into the blade will produce a Hemotoxin of A-SA-1 type instead, or produce and antidote for both.

They were long, thin, and light.

I kept the blades away from my skin for obvious reasons. I didn't know what exactly a neurotoxin would do to me, but I knew it fucks with the nervous system from watching a documentary, plus it being in the name. Hemotoxin was a bigger concern, so I didn't inject E'er into the blade. I didn't want my blood turning into jelly, after all.

With Hanna's gear decided, I stored everything and continued watching the fight.

In the end, it was a stalemate. Hanna focused on hiding and sending clones, and Pokora kept shooting them down. No progress was made, so Shorvanna switched the pairings.

Thirty minutes after the pairs switched, Shorvanna made them do some exercises, stretching, and running. Other than the lunch Shorvanna told me they had, I didn't see them take a single break.

Two hours after I returned to the world from meditation, Shorvanna announced the end of the first day, then went into the wall.

Surprisingly, none of them dropped like the Goddess said they would. Maybe their stamina was higher. They did look pretty pooped, though.

Pokora walked to me covered in sweat. “Bruh,” she uttered and sat down in front of me. “This is harsher than my time in the army.”

I nodded. “But your stamina is higher,” I pointed out.

“True, but muscles ache either way,” the Elf complained and sighed.

“Right,” I chuckled. “You should take a shower.”

Pokora nodded and nodded. “I should.”

“How was it?” I asked her. “To train under a God.”

She closed her eyes and winced. “Please don't go there. I managed to ignore the fact a sentient armor was barking orders.”

I noticed Hanna walking towards the wall.

“Wait a sec,” I told Pokora while standing up. “I'll give Hanna some gear.”

“Sure,” she replied and laid down on the cold ground, then let out a pleased sigh.

I walked to Hanna and waved at her to get her attention.

The Ork turned to me and gave me a nod. “Your Excellency,” she greeted me.

The woman was covered in sweat, but her breathing was calm.

“I got something for you,” I told her and produced the gear. “No buts. You need better equipment fitting for my companion,” I bullshitted, appealing to whatever made her behave the way she did.

Hanna went down on a knee and lowered her head, then spread her arms forward to receive the items. “I am blessed to receive a gift such as these, even though I am not worthy of it. Your Excellency has my endless gratitude!” She loudly exclaimed with reverence.

I closed my eyes and resisted the urge to kick her teeth in. With a sigh, I opened them and and pulled her up with a hand. “Here,” I told her and placed the clothes on her hands. I added leather undergarments and jewelry as well.

She stored them and gave me a big smile. “Thank you, Your Excellency.”

I retrieved the daggers and offered them. “These are venomous, so be careful,” I told her.

Hanna took them and produced a scabbard, then sheathed them. “Noted, Your Excellency,” she said and stored the weapons. “Anything else?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Go shower and relax.”

She nodded. “Have a good night, Your Excellency,” she told me and turned around, then walked away.

I stared at her ass. Why are you like this? I wondered while shaking my head. It felt like a transaction more than anything else. Though that smile was killer, I admit, I chuckled, then returned to Pokora.

The Elf stood up and sighed. “Shower,” she muttered and walked into the wall.

I followed her.

We emerged in a room that had the scent of a thousand different enchantments. Our of them, I noticed the familiar way E'er was rearranged to form the sound-proof enchantment. The rest I had no solid grasp on.

The room had a few showerheads near the ceiling. Right below them, on the wall, the related circles to control water temperature were etched.

Even though I hadn't sweated, I hadn't taken a shower in more than 24 hours, which meant I was dirty and needed one.

As such, I took a shower with Pokora.