Legend of the Awakened Goblin [Tower Climbing LitRPG]

Vephthru Veriss, leader of the Void Nexus Hero Company, turned to pure lightning.

The transformation alone was enough to send Owin, Chorsay, and Shade all flying back. Owin saw blue light flash, then felt the ground hit his back. He rolled, focused on his dexterity, and flipped to his feet.

Veph floated, hovering a foot above the ground, as a being of electricity. Even her crystal sword had become lightning, fizzling with power as she lifted it to point at Owin once again.

The entire floor quaked from the Power 6 spell.

Chorsay had landed hard on his back. He sat up, seemingly uninjured, after flying only a few feet.

Shade had crashed into a broken wall and somehow stayed intact. The skeleton was already on his feet and running straight toward Owin.

Fire flickered on the Incandescent Blade. With his huge increase to intelligence, his mana wouldn't run out from simply using the fiery sword. He was sure he could use it all quickly if he used Discharge, but the electric spell would be beyond useless against Veph. Especially now.

He had to rely on his strength and speed. Nothing else was going to get him through the fight. Nothing else would save him.

Veph sent a bolt of lightning his way. Owin had been ready for it. It was a spell she used frequently enough. He caught it on the Incandescent Blade and pushed. Elemental electricity against elemental fire gave no clear advantage. They pushed against each other, but Owin won out and directed it toward the ground at his side.

"I think I have some ideas," Shade said as he skidded to a stop. He formed a ghost kunai like Vondaire always did. "It's all about mana, right? She might be able to use a sword, but her main abilities are all focused on the whole wizard thing. Imagine being a wizard that needs magic. Bah!"

A simple crackling Bolt flew at Shade. He yelped and ducked under it.

"Can you cover my sword in any apparition damage?"

"Uh, uh." Shade opened his index. "Let me see."

A hand of pure lightning grabbed Owin's throat and lifted. Veph lifted, and brought Owin down with enough speed to cause a shockwave.

Withered Shield.

Gray dust appeared around Owin as the impact thundered through the entire floor. Veph's hand let go and passed through the dust. When it fell away, Owin found himself at the base of a crater.

He could create craters too.

If Veph was truly just electricity, he could still hurt her with fire, and he could definitely do something with apparition damage to burn some mana away.

"Here!" Shade's flailing arms were barely visible far above.

Veph even looked at the skeleton.

Big beams of spectral energy erupted from Shade's eye sockets. They hit Veph's electric form before fizzling away. She flew toward him.

Shade appeared in a poof on the other side of the crater. "Your turn!"

Owin crouched. As soon as Veph turned to look at Shade again, Owin leapt with every bit of strength he had. The world smeared. The edge of the Incandescent Blade smashed into Veph's side. Instead of cutting, the fiery blade launched Veph with the same speed at which Owin moved.

Owin flipped and landed on his feet against the top of the boundary wall. Veph crashed into it and bounced. She recovered immediately and sent bolts of lightning.

Simple Teleport.

Owin wasn't sure how far it went, and it really wasn't a great distance. He hovered in the middle of the air.

Shadow Step.

Shade had activated the spell for him, and Owin found himself only a few feet above the ground as he reappeared. He fell, landed, and prepared to do it again.

"I have an idea," Chorsay said. He drew the Transference Dagger from his waist.

Shade looked at him. The skeleton's eyes immediately widened bigger than Owin had ever seen them.

"No! No! No! No! Put that thing away! Throw it away! Get rid of it!"

Owin caught a blast of lightning with the sword, but wasn't ready for the follow up assault. Veph's sword of electricity passed through his right hand. The metal fingers danced and moved on their own. Her electric fist was more material than it appeared and his nose was completely crushed as he was sent into the ruins of a building.

"I don't care!" Shade shouted. "You could save the whole fucking world! Not with that!"

"Let me by," Chorsay said, voice serious.

Owin wanted to ask what was happening, but he didn't have time. Chorsay wasn't fighting and Shade couldn't stand against any heroes, let alone one with three more shards. Owin shoved the wreckage away.

"Drink."

Owin took a health potion in his seizing hand and crushed it.

Torban formed a weird black appendage, pulled another potion from its mouth, and poured it on Owin's face. The bag did the same with a shield, which blossomed just as three bolts of powerful lightning cracked against it.

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"Why is she struggling?" he asked.

"Power 6 takes time to learn," Torban said. "My old form gave me access to Power 6 and Power 7 apparition spells. I did not learn to properly wield them."

"Uh. What?"

Owin pushed his way through the last of the wreckage. Shade stood with his arms wide, blocking Chorsay from attempting to approach Veph.

Veph floated about fifty feet away from Owin, near the crater, and just stared. Her eyes were white dots and her hair, even as electricity, stood as a clear ponytail. Her index opened.

"Shade!" Owin shouted.

The skeleton just shook his head without moving. Chorsay just growled, grabbed Shade's arm, and tossed the entire skeleton aside.

"Veph, I gave you a chance." He stomped forward. Each powerful step left its mark on the terrain. The Transference Dagger's curved blade glittered in the bright blue electric light of Veph.

She flew into the sky. "Give up, Chorsay." Veph looked at her own hand as she opened and closed a fist. "Stormcaller's Avatar is about regenerating mana, mobility, and reduced cooldowns. It was never about strength or hitting harder. My mana hasn't changed." Her index closed. "I have thirty seconds left on this form. Owin." She dropped her hand. "I will leave you alone if you survive this."

***

A bell rang through the Void Nexus lobby as Nikoletta's luminous mace clanged against Potilia's kanabo. Siora pushed through the blast, ducked under a wave of luminous energy, and slashed. Her glowing sword cut deep into the mender's leg, melting armor and cutting into bone.

Siora finished her slide by tearing the glowing blade free. Sizzling blood splattered on the broken floor.

A silver fist formed in the air above Siora. She watched the luminous light form the cathkabel fist and tried to think of what it was before common sense found its way to consciousness. It all happened in a blink.

Siora dove as the luminous fist smashed into the ground where she had just been standing. The opening gave Nikoletta time to push Potilia back and heal the newest of her wounds.

With cathkabel blood and unlimited mender spells, their only option was to wear Nikoletta's mana down. Once her mana was burned, she would be helpless. That meant approaching with thought, and that was not a real option for a berserker.

Potilia was a true force. She was standing toe-to-toe with a fused hero that was a full shard above. Even without Siora there to try to find some vital spot or weakness, Potilia could have stood on her own for a significant time.

Nikoletta took a step back and smashed her mace into Potilia's shoulder. The berserker took one step to the side but righted herself and kept attacking, unfazed by a strike that Siora knew broke bone. Rage pushed her through while she shifted the kanabo to one arm.

Siora closed in again, stabbing and trying to use a Greater or Lesser Pierce on cooldown to find an opening. Nikoletta moved quickly, even with her injured wing. Her mace knocked blows aside, and her other four-fingered hand would glow with such dense luminous light that it blocked attacks from Potilia.

If they kept attacking and shifting sides, eventually Siora knew Nikoletta would block with that hand and her sword would pierce right through it. Without two ways to defend, Nikoletta would go down. Her shard advantage didn't give her enough of a boost in dexterity to outspeed a soldier and berserker. They just needed to get rid of that hand or find another opening.

Potilia flashed.

A level up?

Nikoletta stumbled from the burst of energy. A white line formed in the air behind her.

That was it. That was the opening.

Siora dashed in and stabbed.

Vital Strike.

Nikoletta noticed at the last moment and turned. Her oversized silver eyes look straight at Siora as the burning Rilokos Blade melted through silver skin and passed directly through Nikoletta's brain.

Potilia fell to one knee. "I-I . . ." She took a deep breath. "I didn't think we could do it."

Siora pulled the sword free and let Nikoletta slump to the ground. The mender smashed her face into broken stone and stayed still.

Potilia pushed the tip of her kanabo into the ground. "What's that?"

Siora's shard dropped into her shoulder as she looked at the sky and took a few measured breaths. "What's what?"

Potilia pointed.

The white line parted into a rectangular doorway and a lean cathkabel stepped out.

A Bishop of the Globe has appeared

His wings were small, especially compared to Nikoletta's. What stood out specifically to Siora was the cathkabel's helmet. It was a grand metal structure with three spikes that looked inspired by wings. She had seen a few cathkabel, but she had never seen one wearing a true helmet. It covered its cheeks, putting more emphasis on the massive silver eyes. It still wore the skintight silver suit, but over that it had a perfectly polished segmented breastplate.

"Bow," the cathkabel said in a stern, tinny voice

When neither Siora nor Potilia moved, the cathkabel glanced at Nikoletta's form. He held two identical oversized cleavers that looked like they would rip flesh apart with ease.

Siora's heart quickened. How did a bishop match up to someone like Graliel? He had been a deacon. Owin had fought a priest.

Was bishop above that?

"Who are you?" Siora asked.

"Mephikiel." He pointed a finger at Nikoletta. Light flashed and she lifted her head, gasping in air.

"Fuck."

Mephikiel was there one moment, and the next he was standing where Potilia had been. She crashed into the far wall of the lobby.

Siora hadn't seen the cathkabel move at all. He had hit Potilia so hard that he didn't see her flying across the room. That kind of speed was unheard of outside of Althowin.

"We'll leave," Siora said.

Potilia roared. Her shard hummed in the air as she launched herself back across the lobby. Thick bristles of hair grew from her skin as she ran like an animal on all fours, growing, changing, and—

Mephikiel appeared in front of her and chopped.

Potilia's head rolled. She transformed back to human as her body's momentum carried her over the broken ground.

Nikoletta was back on her feet. Her forehead was marked where the sword had melted and twisted the skin.

"Po," Siora whispered.

"Goblin filth. I thought you were smarter than this. I thought you would've come to your senses." Luminous light flared.

Siora squinted without taking her eyes off Potilia's head. "I'm sorry, Po. I thought I could help." She involuntarily dropped her sword. "I just wanted to be your friend."

"Do it," Mephikiel hissed.

The glowing mace struck Siora's cheek. Her body crashed into the floor. Vision disappeared, replaced by an endless sea of black. Another strike caused such pain that no other feelings existed. In the darkness, only a bar of red remained. It had already been whittled down low.

One more strike caused the last of the red to vanish.

Unyielding.

"I am in your debt, Bishop," Nikoletta said.

"You will pay that debt soon." Energy hummed, then vanished with a snap.

Footsteps thunked beside Siora's head.

"Get this filth back on the street."

Before long, hands grabbed Siora. She felt her body dragged through the lobby, bumping over broken stones, then tossed carelessly onto the streets of Atrevaar.