Chapter 15: Black Dwarf

"Welcome back to Lions Keep, Viscount Barton."

Now ringed by butler and the maidettes, wives, and shadows.  We top the last set of stairs to see old new seneschal waiting for us.

"Care to explain Lord Mauger?"  Do I need to give this guy a frequent prisoner card?  One free flogging every five lockups?

The grey haired castle manager is already on his knees.

"Count Werclair sent a commission to the Adventurer's Guild requesting tutors for you.  The Redbrand party accepted."

"And the reason they are ambushing me?"

"Their leader, Duridegit Kurfoud, demanded she be allowed to test you."

Both Frankie and Red react to the name.

"Someone you know?"

"Husband.  The Demolisher is a very famous adventurer.  Gold ranked."

"Her shield is an item as rare as your swords, master.  Has an Earth aspect."

Both of them step back from their hovering positions.

"That's it?  No,'we'll protect you with our lives.'  Not even a good luck?"

Both of my wives smile, lean in, give me quick kisses on the cheek, and step back further.

"When will master get the opportunity to face a gold ranked adventurer again?"

"This is a great honor husband.  Who could have imagined a warrior of her caliber would accept the quest?"

Sigh.

"Shall I allow her 'test,' my lord?"  New old seneschal looks unsure.  Well he just got hoodwinked not too long ago.  Once bitten twice shy I guess.

And Frankie's not wrong.  Training and practice only takes you so far.  Sooner or later you've got to apply it, 'in the field.'  The stronger the challenge, the better.

A Gold rank is about as tough as you can get.  Considered 'national' level assets.  Governments go to great lengths to attract and keep them.  She's probably got a 'do whatever the hell I want and get away with it' badge.

But don't guys this high up spend about all their time at the bottom of dungeons?  In huge guild raids?  Least that's what I recall Red saying.  Just how much is grizzly offering to make it worth her hauling her keister here?

All that knowledge and skill from fighting the toughest beasties this world can throw at you.  Learning from a vet with decades of combat experience.

So.  Lots of plusses with one teensy weensy, but ever so crucial, little tiny detail.  Death.  From Red I hear that the top dogs don't have a knob on their amp going from one to eleven.  They just have a switch.  On off.

So a Gold, or the isekai way 'A,' ranked adventurer?  Might stomp me into paste before even realizing it.  Maybe even a match for war machine mode.  Someone I can't just overpower my way thru.

Fortunately, I'm prepared.  By not wearing even a lick of armor.  Fashionable?  Yes.  But fashion doesn't have a slot in the leather, chain, plate, scale.  I'm not even the hero.  So shit out of luck with plot armor too.  Maybe if I wear glasses?

Yeah, I'm screwed.

Holy shit though.  Can you imagine the kind of living shadow she would make?  Can I imagine the shit storm if the adventurers guild ever found out?

This isn't an exiled elf caught red handed or a church ambush deep in a dungeon.  All Golds are closely watched by whatever nation they are in.  It would be monumentally stupid not too.

I've made an enemy of the church.  But its still one church among many in this kingdom.  Even if its the biggest one.  Killing this dwarf though would piss off the crown a lot more than some minor lords or their prized horsies.

That's even if I can.  Weak people are easier to reap.  So are near death ones.  But elf bitch was still a bitch to shadow.  Even stripped and after Alex and Mitsu worked her over first.  Wear down a Gold?  Yeah, right.

She makes her living at the bottom of dungeons.  Got to have the gear to survive down there against all kinds of weapons, magic, and traps.  Including ones that attack your astral form.

Fuck.

You know what?  If they want to test me?  I might as well test them too.

Recall the shadows who have the halfling sprinter cornered.

Leave my wives, seneschal, butler, and maids behind and walk passed the saluting guards.

Fifty feet away, down murder alley, is the inner gate.  Beyond it stands what look like two humans and two dwarves.  One dwarf in front must be the Gold rank.  Armored from head to toe in what's got to be dwarf made plate armor.

Reminds me of that black dwarf armor from the first Dragon Age game.  Damn that was a good game.  And that thief chick was so-  Stop.  Focus.

Guess humans can't make full plate but dwarfs can?  Definitely feeling light in the protection department here.

Fine.  Been working on my magic and got one from Margo.  An armor spell.  Its expensive to cast and needs channeling to maintain but, Ushalen showed me what relying just on war machine mode leads too.

The dwarf pulls her sword and I feel mana start loading her shield.

Only tested this a couple of times.  I never say this but, please don't suck.

"[Umbrarmatus]"

That familiar feeling of calling my shadows.  With this spell though its not leaving my mind.  Its invading my body.  I sweat blackish oil from every pore that flows across my skin and covers my clothes.  Expanding and hardening into plates and joints.

Left my belts and sheathes with the wives.  Tormentor and Sanctity already in my hands.  The grip of my hands changing as the oil on them becomes gauntlets.

Need to figure out an option that lets me keep scabbards on the outside.  Looks really funky, and is uncomfortable, when I keep them on.  Maybe a stretchable material for the belts?

"Too late."

I hear one of the humans, the robed probably mage, say.

The dwarf tank is still, charging her shield?  Well I've never been the patient type so...

Maximum effort.

*BAM*

Flood my body with magic nitro and launch across that fifty feet.  Driving both knees into her glowing shield while stabbing down from above with sparking and flaming super swords.

*skrrrrrrrrch*

Amazingly the dwarf stays on her feet, even keeps her balance and slides back a good dozen feet. Armored boots grinding across the brick path.  Used her short sword to catch and deflect both of my blades.

"Welcome to Lions Keep."  Gotta come up with a better, catchphrase?

Thru shadow I see the other three try to support my dance partner but they are pounced on by my minions.  Halfing on the wall is trying to line up a shot so Yodo, Mitsu, and Juri, pop up to keep her dodging.

This song is just for me and my private dancer.

Wives plus not-sebastian and the maidettes come round the corner and stop at the inner gate to watch the show.

Dwarf tanks shield slams into me a hell of a lot harder than it should and I go flying.  Earth magic?  Recover and land smoothly but she followed me and dives her blade in from my left.

Catch it with Tormentor but keep having to re-deflect it.  The tip always seeming to be in a different place.  Like she's changing the angle and twist during the thrust.

Easily stops Sanctity with her big ass shield despite my attempts to sneak around it.

Able to throw her to my left by driving my right knee in.  Reach may be my only advantage here.

Tank's sword cuts across my arm during her trip.  Leaves a deep scratch but doesn't get thru.

Keep up with her and try a kick this time but her shield meets it and stops me cold.  Again catches my swords with that weird floating tip move.  Her shield pulses and flips me back but I magae to land on my feet again.

Stays with me now too, but leads with her shield this time.  Twists and pivots it so the bottom catches my right arm.  Pushing me sideways and restricting my super swords freedom.

She completes the spin her shield started and reverse grips her blade into my back.  Tormentor guides itself and is able to redirect it, some.  The tip goes from stabbing into my back?  To my left cheek.  Left butt cheek.

This time it tears through and digs in.  Striking bone.  Well its not like I had much cushion back there to begin with.

I'm already spinning left and that rips it out of my butt.  Snaking Sanctity across my stomach trying to get in her guard again.  Somehow she's already forward gripped her blade again to cut off my hoped for sneak attack.

But, that's left her right knee open and Tormentor pierces into it.  Or would have if that wasn't a god awfully thick cap.  Instead it skids up but manages to cut through the side of her right thigh.

Dwarfinator is, coughing and laughing?

"Geheheh.  My admiration lordling."  Who you calling a lordling?  "I fought a dragon and Bulwark was only scratched up."  Notice the dents in her shield.  "What the pit are you?"

*zhing*

*skrrrrrrrrch*

Firing forward like a cannonball drives me back half a dozen feet.  My turn to grind across the ground.  That devilish sword arm stabs toward my crotch which I muscle downward just enough to miss the enemy of all women.

*phong*

Her five foot shield swings in from my right.  Feels like it cracks the bones in the arm blocking.  Jesus.  Would have turned it into pulp without me being juiced up.

Shorty still isn't interested in giving me time to recover.  Following right on my heels and randomly stabbing with her floating tip sword or pounding with the massive shield.

Every time that shield hits it feels like a boulder is being dropped on me.

Not like I'm just taking it either.  Chopping, slicing, and stabbing while sending fire and volts into the midget juggernaut.  Keep using my height and reach to knee and kick.

Really want to learn how she keeps changing the target in mid strike with that sword.

This dark armor stuff is tough but tank's blade gets thru more than a few times.  Thank god I've gone turbo so the wounds close fast.  But it still hurts like a bitch.

Not as many or as deep as hers but I get in a few myself.  Each has fire or lightning damage on top of it.  Her wounds are healing fast.  She's got some impressive body magic tricks.  But they aren't healing anywhere near as fast as mine.

She's losing more blood than me.

Thru shadows I see the west end of Lions Keep has become a warzone.  Half my undead are battling it out with the four other members of Redbrand.

Hacking and blasting away at each other.  Redbrand should be dead meat but their teamwork is exquisite.  Then again I've told mine to not kill so they are holding back quite a bit.

The teammates keep trying to backup tank but my knights, priests, and assassins, keep cutting them off.

Hehe.  Ex-patchy is about yelling his head off at new old seneschal.  A good fifty black and greens and men-at-arms are chomping at the bit to charge in but new old seneschal keeps ordering them to stay put.

Bunch of crossbowmen are along the walls too.  Begging for the okay to turn Redbrand into pincushions.

My spouses eyes appear to be locked on me.  Like they are trying to memorize my every move.  Its, kinda creepy.

The sidewalk from the west gate to the keep is a mess of broken brick as its taken as much damage as we have.

Fighting the dwarfinator is amazing.  Every time I slip up in the slightest I'm bleeding from another spot.  There is no pattern to her attacks.  Guard nearly impenetrable.  Even her pace, her speed, fluctuates.

Some attacks a little faster.  Some a little slower.  Or even speeding up or slowing down in the middle of the swing.  Its maddening.  Its chaotic.  I'm having the time of my life.

It should be a frustrating fight for both of us.  I've got the reach and flexibility.  She's got the strength and toughness.  Not entirely sure I could even pull ahead of her with [Bullet Time].  Get the feeling she has some unused tricks up her sleeves too.

At least for me?  This is fantastic.  She is so far above anyone else I've fought.  Probably the equal of even lamer saruman.  Feels like I've learned more in the past ten?  Fifteen?  Minutes?  Than I have in years.

Finally!

Tries to pull another pivot and twist move with her shield but this time I manage to reverse grip Sanctity first and slide it up under her shield.  Slicing deep into her hand and wrist.

"Auugh!"

She turns her spin into a roll to her right to keep me from taking her hand off completely.

"Duridegit!"

"[Stonefist]"

A large stone, well, fist cast by the dwarf priest looking guy hammers into my side and sends me rolling to my left.

Shit.  The cavalry's finally arrived.

Redbrand shows up in force around the suddenly struggling dwarfinator and I will my undead to pull back.  Wow.  The place looks like it went through an artillery barrage.

Bet the janitors here really, really, hate my guts at this point.

Dwarf priest is working on tank's hand and its a pretty freaking deep cut.  Couple fingers even hanging by threads.  Would feel leet but it was luck.  Noticed the move in time to try a counter and Sanctity did most of the aiming.

Uh oh.  The midget monk isn't looking happy.  Again, its kind of shocking how limited healing magic is in this world.  They can probably save the fingers.  Maybe even get decent function back in the hand.  Those sliced fingers though will never fully recover.

Her career may not be over?  But she won't be climbing any higher with a handicap like that.

Well this won't do.  She is the toughest I've ever fought.  Won't be a good sparring partner with a bum hand.

"Get out of my way."

The barbarian girl is distracted.  Keeps looking back at the dwarf.  So when I'm suddenly in front of her?  She panics and attacks.  But she's nothing.

Easily get within her guard as she jumps, startled.  Grab and pull her sword hand by the wrist while driving my right knee deep into her stomach.  Knocking the wind out of her.

Halfling slips in from my right with a cursed looking dagger.  But I've already caught it with Sanctity and she over extended.  Causing her to twist.  Letting me pivot on my left and drive my right heel into her side.

She lands about a dozen feet away.  And not on her feet.

Already picked Tormentor back up and it eats a [Firebolt] from the short mage.  Unfortunately for him I'm only a couple of feet away and the side of his head is soon dented by the swept hilt of Sanctity.

So two steps for the barbarian.  No steps for the halfling.  And two steps for the mage.  Huh.  Four steps.  Not bad.

"Please.  She's my friend."  Eh?

Turn to see dwarf priest with a left arm pointing a mace my way.  His right arm is wrapped protectively around the back of his patient.  The dwarfinator's left hand is already wrapped up in bandages.

But it doesn't take a medical degree to tell that hand's in bad shape.  Her eyes are still razor sharp though as she speaks.

"Its okay Mularur.  He didn't kill Nevisa, Tebabia, or even Almede. ... Is what you can do true?"

"Who told you?"

She laughs and coughs.

"Geheheh.  The adventurer community is a lot tighter than most think.  Especially once you reach a certain level."  Gives me a smile.  "Did you really think that halfling scout wouldn't tell dad about how unbelievable your healing magic is?"

Shit.

She's still smiling and waves her good hand dismissively.

"Don't worry.  Her dad's the guild master in Colrac now.  So what you are and what you can do?  Is only being shared at the highest levels."

"Why are you here?"

More coughing.  Is that blood?  The dwarf priest looks at me.

"The rest of us are getting a lot of gold.  She?  Is getting you."

"[Eyes of Ouroboros]"

Sigh.

"Her lungs."

The dwarf priest nods.  "Consumption.  Spend too long in the deep dark and you will get it sooner or later."  He looks at his patient sadly.  "Most can be treated.  Expensive, but affordable for a famous warrior."

Dwarfinator sighs.  "Unless you get a rare variety like I did.  Then no spells or potions will work.  Just whither and die."  Her eyes turn hard.  "Like I would ever stop fighting.  Ever stop looking."

Yeah, what's in her lungs looks off.  Spell tells me its, mutated?  Stupid fantasy world with its stupid fantasy diseases.

Fuck it.  Let's get this done.

"[Embrace of Hygieia]" "[Vision of Isis]" "[Hygieia's Gaze]" "[Touch of Menerva]" "[Aceso's Spirit]" "[Skill of Chiron]" "[Hepius Weaving]"

Spend the next hour cleaning out her lungs, burning out the infection, rebuilding her left hand and healing her other injuries.

And while I'm burning a ton of mana and sweating my ass off?  Butler and the maidettes have setup tables and I get an audience.  The drinks are out and everyone else is enjoying the nice spring morning.

Not everyone is drinking though.  Some are doing something that suspiciously looks like praying.  Frankie completely ignores my dirty looks.

Turning off [Umbrarmatus] reveals my clothes.  Or, at least, what left of them.  Ripped and torn, guess she stabbed me even more times than I thought.  Ugh.  No gasping in the peanut gallery please.

Damn, I am fucking covered in bruises.  Like someone worked me over with a meat tenderizer.

God I'm sore.

Edel and Ushi help me hobble over to a chair.  Need a good long soak.  With naked maids.

"Join me for a drink."

Dwarf priest and barbarian girl help tank to another chair at the table.  Her now dented and cracked up armor stripped off while using [Recovery Magic].  Wow that's a lot of muscle.  She has a bunch of bruises too.

She breathes deep several times.  Not a single cough.  Slugs back an ale handed to her by a maidette.

"Thank you.  I had forgotten what not having my lungs full of hot soup felt like."

I take a drink from the cup Frankie hands me.

"Thank you too.  I've never fought a gold rank before."

Oh, fruity and alcoholic.

"Its a pain in the ass."

Dwarfinator laughs and accepts another ale.

Almede (male, dwarf-human, tourinese)

Gurulogg, Mularur Cinderbelt (male, dwarf, thuriborn)

Kurfoud, Duridegit Cavebraid (female, dwarf, thuriborn)

Nevisa (female, human, barbarian)

Steiatius, Tebabia (female, halfling, aquecian)