Chapter 157 Archon Blade (1/2)
[Embassy Arena: training Yard]
Nix stared at the longsword in his hands. It was thin and light and felt nothing like the blade he had wielded in Solomon City. A surge of strength coursed through his body when he gave it a practice swing.
Archon Long Blade
Basic: blade [Archon Class Only]
(Statistics Unavailable)
Nix studied the blade, it looked nearly the same as any other blade he'd held. ”I equipped it. Does this mean my hidden class is Archon? Or perhaps a sub-class of Archon?”
”Talking to yourself is a bad sign.” Nix jumped at the sound of his master's voice.
”Master Chiba.” Nix bowed politely, ”I wanted to show you this blade.”
Chiba touched it once and immediately handed it back. ”An Archon blade... Where did you get that?”
”Solomon City, in the Sky Kingdom,” Nix admitted. Chiba was someone he trusted, so he didn't consider making something up.
”You've been there boy?” Chiba smiled crookedly at him. ”You must have been brought in, I see no sign of the Planar trial on you.”
Nix nodded, ”I was brought in. The world felt like it was crushing me.”
Chiba was wearing brown leather pants and a white shirt. She pulled up her shirt and showed Nix a ragged scar that started at her side and extended around her abdomen to her spine. ”There was a time apprentice when I was a step away from moving to the Upper Planes.”
Nix frowned at the wound. ”That must have killed you. Why do you still bear the scar?”
Chiba shook her head, greasy gray hair flopping from one side to the other. ”The scars of the trial remain forever.”
”How did you even get to the trial?” As Nix understood, Oasis would be the realm between Colonial and the Sky Kingdom.
”There are many paths to the Upper planes, all of them are difficult.” Chiba lowered her shirt, wincing slightly.
”Are you okay Master Chiba?” Nix couldn't imagine someone skilled enough to wound her so grievously.
The old woman's face showed vulnerability for the first time. ”I... Did you face one of the Masters?”
Nix shook his head. ”No, but one of them taught me a skill called Flashblade.”
Chiba drew her own sword and walked out to the middle of the training area. ”One of the trainers taught you something? You're registered then? What was his name?”
Nix grinned at the questions the old woman spouted. ”I believe his name was Baiter. Perhaps you know him?”
Chiba lowered her sword for an instant before her face twisted into an ugly version of a smile. Her chortling laugh cackled through the training yard. ”NIX! I do know Master Baiter, very well!”
Nix tried to keep a straight face, but it was difficult. ”Want to see Flashblade?”
Immediately Chiba nodded and pointed to the training dummy. ”Strike it Nix, but first...”
Nix moved toward the training dummy, stopping 20 meters away. ”First?”
”Try pushing flames into that blade, the same way you do with that hilt I gifted you.”
Nix nodded and focused on the blade, instantly flames encircled the blade, licking at it with a crackling noise. The flames that enveloped the blade weren't green like his, but rather silver instead.
Chiba whistled... ”you flamed an Archon blade. Which branch are you?”
”No idea,” Nix muttered with a shrug. ”It's hidden, my level isn't high enough to open it up.”
[Flashblade]
A blur of motion and Nix appeared beside the training dummy. An effortless swing cut the target completely in half, leaving a deep cut on the stone wall behind it.
”Shit Nix... That kind of power makes me wet. Chiba licked her lips and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Let's take a break and go at it.”
”Um... No.” Nix shook his head vehemently.
Chiba grabbed her side where the scar was now hidden. ”Maybe you can you rub some liniment on my scar? It helps with the pain. Then I'll coat you with it too. Real good for training.”
Nix activated Deep Blue and chose the Glory Docks. He waved at Chiba, but not before she started rubbing her crotch suggestively.
A nauseous feeling Nix appeared on the docks a moment later. ”God... I can't unsee that.”
An hour later Nix, Mina, Pon, Wind, and Chael had gathered at the 8th-floor staging area. They were prepping to enter 8.1 while 10 members were waiting patiently to try 8.2.
/Inferno: Jun Li: As soon as you finish and exit, we're going to hit it.
/Inferno: Nix: 8.3 is a 20 person instance, so I'll grab the rest of our people and take it on when you guys finish.
/Inferno: Pon: All three parts of 8 in one day. It's ballsy...
Fajii stepped away from the second group and approached them. She smiled sweetly at Nix. ”Ready Nix?”
/Inferno: Pon: Yeah... there's five of us going. Not just the punk.
”Of course.” Fajii patted the old Fire Mages shoulder.
[Flaming Rock Wall]
Everyone in the raid felt strengthened as a rock barrier instantly became part of their armament.
[Charred Rock Blade]
The weapons of the raid seem more dangerous as their weapons are instantly modified to do Scorched Earth Damage.
/Inferno: Nix: Let's move in and then we divide up and explore the zone before attempting it.
The group of five appeared over the platform, a hallway curved away in opposite directions. They stealthed and then started swimming. Two heading one way while the other three went the other.
The hallway curved in a long circle, blue stones set into the tiles illuminated their way. The walls were coated with a thick green sea-moss, chunks of it would flake off when you swam too close.
Nix an Pon swam easily a few feet off the floor. After about a few minutes they ran into a Matriarch, she was surrounded by a dozen man-sized fish. The hall branched off behind her with a right turn or you could continue curving around.
/Inferno: Pon: Think those fish are friendly? You have the fishing skill right?
/Inferno: Nix: No and Yes. I'll take the right turn here, you continue straight.
Nix swam straight for another few minutes before he ran into another Aquarion, this one was an Elder Matriarch with 20 sea-beasts circling her. He spotted Mina coming in from the other direction and motioned for her to return.