LTSV - Harbinger of Change - 51 (Patreon)

The sky went dark overhead and the shadows everywhere in the forest outside of the gate came alive with floating embers of furious light. The silhouette of a man rose from the ground in front of Mira and caught her by the elbows to help her up as he did.

Adra hadn't even bothered to bring a body this time.

"Are you alright," he asked quietly.

"I am going to tear him a new asshole," she seethed, but managed to keep her volume dialed down to 'private conversation' levels.

"Then I suppose that to mean you've called dibs?"

Mira glanced up at her husband. His eyes were narrowed enough to tell her that, yes, he was just as pissed off as she was. Still, he seemed to be remembering the relationship rule they'd established in Avenon: no kill-stealing.

"I'll leave some for you," she promised. "Or, compromise. You can have Heron, whose idea this surely was."

That got him to smile.

"Deal," he said as he released her. "No takebacks later."

Mira glanced around the clearing and realized some things had been going on outside the dungeon while they were dealing with the PK incident inside. The elves seemed fine although one or two were at the aid station getting potion sprayed on their wounds. The injured looked more annoyed than upset, so she set that aside for the moment and focused on the group of large green men kneeling to one side with their hands folded neatly behind their heads.

Syrith was pacing back and forth in front of them, wings and horns out, as she spoke to them. She was a bit too far away for Mira to hear the specifics. The orcs didn't seem terribly threatened, but they weren't making any sudden moves either.

She cocked her head. "Orcs?"

"There was a seizure attempt while you were inside," Adra replied flatly. "The elves had it in hand by the time we arrived. I was about to leave when the global alert sounded and you were expelled from the dungeon."

Mira bookmarked that for later.

She looked down at her bloodied front and pressed her fingers in through the hole in her dress. Solid flesh and bone met her touch.

No one else was appearing next to her so the others must be holding their own on the inside.

She approached the gate and immediately got a warning from the System.

[ALERT: You have lost a PVP match within this Dungeon under your current account. The Hunter Samira Bellamy will not be permitted entry to the Pearl Forest again until the dungeon has been closed and re-opened again.]

She frowned.

That was an awfully specific statement.

"Adra, would you be so kind as to transport me back to the Tower," she said, sounding strange even to herself.

He didn't ask questions. Shadow matter enveloped her body and set her down in their bedroom at the penthouse a few seconds later.

"System, I want to switch accounts!" she announced without waiting.

[Transferring…]

Mira's vision swam briefly and then she was half a head shorter, dressed in the shirt dress she'd been wearing the last time she had put on her own face. This was too light for what she had planned.

Adra brought his Illya body over as she plunged into the closet and changed into the red pantsuit and gilded red coat they'd dressed Syrith in for the adjudication, including the stiletto boots because they were the only thing she had that would fit and give her at least a little insulation.

"Darling, what are you doing?" Adra asked as Mira took down the velvet lined box where they'd stored her Crown of Stars from the top shelf of her jewelry cabinet.

"I'm going to do what I do best, dear," she said in an icy cold voice. "I'll need your cooperation for this next bit, please."

Shortly thereafter, a van came trundling down the gravel track that the elves had laid down to facilitate access to the Gate. It pulled up in the small lot they'd made and Mira stepped out of the passenger seat, followed shortly thereafter by Adra-as-Illya from the driver's side.

She did not address anyone as she strode up to the gate and reached out a hand to touch it. The System responded with another window that just said:

[ACCESS GRANTED]

'Your grace! Please wait!" Syrith called out with just a touch of desperation as Mira started to step into the gate.

Mira shot her a look that she hoped conveyed the words 'talk fast' and 'this had better be important.'

"Please add us to your party!" Syrith asked once she had caught up. Mister Green and Mister White were not far behind. They'd been present to monitor the Gate while Mira was inside. "You need an honor guard. The System will permit me to enter if I'm part of a Hunter's party."

Curious, Mira checked her social tab and discovered that she could, indeed, invite Syrith and 'Two Unnamed Demons' to her party. She did so and jerked her head towards the gate. "Get in. We're going to teach the entire world what happens to Player Killers."

Syrith nodded and took point. Misters Green and White fell into step next to her and removed their bowler caps. They both doubled in size and their skin turned dark red as long curved horns emerged from their temples, framed by smaller growths that were starting to give the impression of a boney crown.

'They really are getting close to the change,' Mira realized.

"Move out," she ordered and they stepped into the gate.

[You have entered the Class D Dungeon 284J: The Pearl Forest. To leave the Dungeon, you must defeat the Dungeon Boss who guards the [Exit Gate]. You have 109 Hours to defeat the Dungeon Boss before a Dungeon Break occurs and the denizens of this Dungeon escape through the gate to assault your world.]

[Best time: 123 hours, 15 minutesTotal Clears: 1]

The gate set them down on the far side of the region that Mira had named 'Aurora Ridge' from the [SAFE ROOM]. They were immediately jumped by a bear that Mister White sent flying with a single backhanded blow from his fist.

"We're heading to the west," Mira directed. "They attacked us outside of the [SAFE ROOM]. Follow the scent of wood smoke once we get close."

Mister Green picked her up and put her on one of his shoulders without asking, but Mira didn't protest. She was not dressed for a hike anymore and her stride could not even begin to compare to his, especially now that she was four inches shorter.

Instead, she took to shooting down anything that got close to them.

Syrith took to the skies and directed their route as they plowed through anything between their entry point and the [SAFE ROOM].

Mira's temper cooled on the way, but only in the sense that her anger had turned sharp and frozen as she mulled over the plans she'd made in her initial fury and changed none of them.

They heard the sounds of combat before they caught up to Mira's party.

Bits of green ectoplasmic fire clung to some of the trees as they passed; the Localized Ecto-Napalm spell that Will had requested for his grimoire. Swords clashed and people shouted. Another spell erupted in yellow fire visible through the trees with a CRUMMPT noise. That one Mira did not recognize.

They emerged from the treeline to find the two groups facing off. Cece was behind the front line, bloodied up to her elbows as she channeled a healing spell into Randall's open chest. Bryn was covering them with his shield, while Alan tangled with Viola off to one side. She kept vanishing and re-appearing in a slightly different spot whenever it looked like he was about to hit her.

Raoul was the source of the yellow magic. He threw another mana bolt at Bryn just as they arrived. Bryn tanked the shot with his shield. The old man face embossed on the front of it opened its mouth and swallowed the spell. His eyes cracked open to reveal a tiny sliver of glowing yellow eyes.

Andre was guarding Raoul and said something quiet to the boy when the shield began to change. Then he tracked Mira's motion at the treeline and turned to face her—there was a brief moment where she could see his face, right before her lightning bolt blew his torso off of his legs, where she could see his jaw drop.

Raoul shouted and ducked away as Andre's body dissolved in golden light.

Syrith spread her wings with a thunderous snap and magically enhanced her voice, "WEAPONS DOWN!"

No one complied. Raoul threw a spell in Mira's direction. It was bigger than the one he'd used on Bryn, but sloppier and Mister White smacked it out of the air between them.

Syrith sighed and snapped her fingers. Black flame erupted around Raoul's position and soon he too was just a fading cloud of golden dust.

Viola saw all this and did what Mira honestly thought was the only smart thing if you were on the losing side of this fight. She turned tail and ran.

Obviously, she didn't get far, but it wasn't Mira or any of the demons who got her. She made it perhaps less than ten feet before Alan's thrown knife slammed into her back. She was dust before she even hit the ground.

Alan scowled up at the sky. "I don't want an achievement for that," he informed the System. "Dismiss!"

Mira wasted no time and went to to where Cece was fighting for Randall's life. Syrith landed next to her and pulled an elaborate, gilded vial out of her jacket pocket.

"An emergency elixir, your Grace," she murmured. "There's a harsh penalty if you die in PVP more that once in a 30 day window. Snap it and let him breathe in the vapor."

The elixir was more of a glass ampoule than a vial, Mira realized once it was in her hand.

She knelt next to Randall who was struggling to focus on her. He'd lost a lot of blood and she could see the frustrated tears welling up in Cece's eyes.

"Here," she said quietly as she snapped the ampoule in front of his face. "Breathe in deep. You'll be alright."

Randall didn't question it and heaved it all in as the red vapor clouded his face. Red-tinged light surrounded his wounds and then faded to reveal unbroken skin. After another second, his color improved. The elixir must have replaced his lost blood volume too.

"I'm OK!" he wheezed. "It worked!"

"Stay laying down anyway," Cece told him, trying to downplay the way she was wiping her eyes and face. She was still covered in blood so she was only succeeding in making a mess of herself.

Bryn came in clutch with a pack of BroWipes.

"Stop touching yourself, you're making it worse," he admonished, trying to wipe her down.

"There has to be a spell for this," Cece mourned as she submitted to the cleansing.

"There is," Mira said. "I'll teach it to you once we're out of the dungeon."

"We have to leave?" Randall cried out. "We just started the trip!"

"There are three PKers being held outside awaiting Her Grace's judgment," Syrith said in reproof. She was standing behind Mira's back with her arms crossed. "Your reconnaissance mission will resume when the Pearl Forest opens once more."

"Is Mira alright?" Cece asked. "It was so sudden and I know what the global message said, but…"

"She is fine," Syrith replied, a bit more kindly. "Our Lord transported her back to the Tower before we left on this expedition. She will meet you there. There was some damage to her gear, but it was nothing that cannot be fixed."

"Bet she's pissed," Alan observed as he joined us.

"You have no idea…" Mira murmured, looking away before adding, "…but I'm sure she feels better now."

Note:

Mira: I'm going to do what I do best, Adra.

Adra: Scaring the hoes?

Mira: Precisely.

BroWipes - Dude Wipes