Jazmel studied the place where the fallen Valkyrie had arisen from. The system had said he had purified it, so in truth. It was no longer fallen. Knowing what he knew of Valkyrie he wondered if in some dark way they had been tainted and fallen away from their duties of battle.
He shuddered, wondering how a being known to save the souls of fallen warriors could have ‘fallen.’ He turned facing his friends as they dismantled the flock.
When they were done, he looked around and saw that the isle was the lowest. A waterfall cascaded down, and it looked like the only way up. Was through it, Jazmel motioned to Bannerman and they both slipped through the torrent of ice-cold water. Luckily, it was nothing but water blocking the entrance to a cavern that led upwards. They followed the route and soon found themselves coming through another waterfall. Out onto the floating island.
DING!
YOU HAVE REACHED THE FLOATING ISLAND OF THE FALLEN!
DEFEAT ALL OF THE FALLEN AND ADVANCE!
…
The island was much bigger than the isles, trees and shrubs grew around a lake. There was something peaceful and serene about this island but that was soon short lived.
Shrieks from the sky could be heard, three flocks of harpies appeared. Then in amongst them, Jazmel could see three Valkyrie flying at the forefront. Two had four wings and the other had six. Hollering and wailing in the sky.
“We got the flocks!” Sadé and Tera Nema said.
“Leave me the four wings.” Katie said, her voice raw. Sounding like she hadn't spoken in a long time.
“Nothing for me again?” Bannerman said, but his words were soon unwarranted. The sounds of the flocks had drawn the attention and from the lake ripples began. Ripples flared and Jazmel, Baek and Bannerman looked like a toad humanoid crawled from the lake. Croaking, it looked up and saw the flocks. Its tongue flared out and it grabbed one of the harpies straight out of the sky. Swallowing her whole.
“Leave the toad to me.” Bannerman said, bounding towards it. Baek simply watched, ensuring he was close enough to them all to watch and intercede if they needed him.
They all split and Jazmel moved towards where the six-winged Valkyrie hovered in the air. She looked towards Jazmel; she clutched two swords. When he drew Furyu she nodded as if she had been waiting for him and then swooped down.
Their swords clashed, sparks scattered and Jazmel grit his teeth. The pressure from her was immense, she was much stronger than the four-winged Valkyrie, but he wasn’t being completely supressed. But he could tell she was strong.
Her wings were paired; top, middle, and lower. The top pair flared and Jazmel felt immense Mana pressure.
DING!
TIER III SIX WINGED FALLEN VALKRYIE USES MANA PRESSURE TO RESTRICT YOUR MOVEMENTS!
…
…
TYRANT BASTION HOLDS OUT!
+2 WIL
He flared his own Mana, and he felt the pressure subside before his.
Great rumbling dragon!
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The Valkyrie was knocked back. The dragon maw made of Mana rushed forward, chasing. The Valkyrie whirled her swords, but the maw simply slipped through them and buffeted her with its power. She shrieked, her helm covering her face. But Jazmel could see her face hidden beneath the helmet that was fashioned like a hoplite. Her nose guard was flecked with rents from the Mana dragon. But her eyes showed she was defiantly standing. She had no means of stopping.
All six of her wings flared and the system perked up.
DING!
TIER III FALLEN SIX WINGED VALKRYIE HAS CAST FEATHER DANCE!!
…
All six wings flared out and Jazmel watched as the feathers aimed at him. Sailed through the air aimed at him. Most he danced through, but some struck him. Not deep enough to do true damage, but enough to try to turn him into a pincushion.
Jazmel spun one way and then twirled the other. A moving target was harder to hit, but he was making himself smaller and that lowered the chances of being hit also.
The feathers stopped striking the ground around him and he realised that her skill had completed its ‘turn.’ And now, now it was his turn to respond. Furyu was in his hand, the elegant mistress of the wind. Seemed to move through the air quicker than his others. He turned the edge and skimmed up through the air in an ascending leap. Aiming for the Valkyrie, she hurtled upwards. Out of his reach but, not his range.
Flaming Evisceration!
Before he descended, he whipped his sword about his body. Sending the skill off at an angle, the soaring skill became a flaming scar across the sky. The six-winged Valkyrie blocked the skill, the air was burning with the expended Mana. A few harpies had broken off from the flock and were trying to assail Jazmel.
Great rumbling dragon!
DING!
X7 TIER II HARPIES KILLED!
EXP ACCRUED!
They were massacred by the Mana dragon formed from his Mana and skill. The six-winged dragon screeched as the harpies fell from the sky, dead. She soared through the air all six of her wings flaring and flapping in unison, to propel her forward. She pointed one sword at Jazmel and then used the other as a guard, to counter him if he would dare. But she was not the only one to have more than one sword.
Jazmel brought out Yoru No Tsubasa and holding a sword in each hand. He slashed across himself, and the swords crossed in the shape of an ‘x’ rushing across the expanse as she shot towards him. But it was too late for her.
Flaming Evisceration
Flaming Evisceration!
The burning red Mana leapt from Furyu in skill form, but to Jazmel’s surprise. From Yoru No Tsubasa, a crippling blue flame burst forward and when it struck her; she had managed to block the first skill. It burned and froze her. A few of her wings were crippled from the frosted flames. She cried out, and Jazmel wondered how the pain must’ve felt.
She fell to the ground, not dead but close. She gathered herself up to her knees. Her wings limp and dragging on the ground behind her. She had stabbed her swords into the ground and were using them to hold her body up. Her breathing was haggard and beleaguered, Jazmel felt sorry for her. He swung his sword with empathy and killed her.
Much like before, her spirit left her body. and she vanished as she flew up into the clouds high above.
DING!
YOU HAVE PURIFIED A SIX-WINGED VALKRYIE!
…
…
X2 SWORDS OF THE SHIELDMAIDEN!
ONE KEY TO THE GARDEN OF THE AESIR!
…
EXP GREATLY ACCRUED!
LEVEL UP!
He pulled his gifts into his ring but scanned over the key, to see what the system stated.
KEY TO THE GARDEN OF THE AESIR GAINED! One key to gain entry to the gardens of long forgotten beings, gain the favour and audience of one such. One time use!
That did sound interesting and Jazmel wasn’t going to waste its use. When he put away his rewards, he noticed that the six wings of the Valkyrie had remained behind. He pulled those into his ring, but not having the time to read up on them. He scanned the battlefield.
Everyone was clearing up and handling their share of the battle. Bannerman roared, crooning his face to the sky, and clutching the toad man by the throat. He roared his victory; his claws were bloody and Jazmel noticed small wounds on him.
The girls had reduced the flock to burned bodies and bits. Fire, thunder and arcane Mana sizzled in the air. It almost made Jazmel’s hair stand on edge. But they were fine, Tera Nema waved her wand while Sadé raised her hands and cast thunder and flame about her. Her thunder crown spinning above her head.
He turned again, looking for Katie and he watched as she killed the last four-winged Valkyrie. She had used her chains to wrench the wings off of their bodies and then tore them asunder with her thorned chains. She flicked gobbets of flesh from her chains before recoiling them around her. She looked up and saw Jazmel looking at her, she turned her face away.
They would really need to speak soon.
DING!
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU MAY ADVANCE!!
…
