When The Cute Godkiller Opens A Tavern [OP Mentor, SoL, LitRPG]

"Only female noldzwjaks can have six horns. They develop it as a sign that they've just given birth. After a while, it reverts back to four. But when there are six, it means she's very territorial." ~Orulixshen Umbrafen Shoruwitchsel Karuphra, God of Horrors

Grace took the sides. Ren took the front. And Tayin stayed back. Each of them knew their roles. It had worked for every creature they've hunted thus far, but it was proving to be ineffective against the noldzwjak.

The half-orc's Mana-Edge +3 couldn't pierce the monster's stone scales. And with each attempt, she had to go through spikes and claws, only to be shown that her weapon was ineffective. That she was ineffective.

There was only one thing that could cause the noldzwjak to flinch. After making sure Ren got the monster's attention, she resumed her attack.

"Mana Slash!"

Grace's Mana-Edge whirled with a deadly hum, finding purchase on the noldzwjak's scales. It was the first time she had felt her weapon actually get stuck in something, as though it had a physical blade, and not concentrated, sharpened mana. She pushed down, slicing through the scales of the monster's stomach. The wound itself was shallow.

"Grace! Back away!" Ren called out just in time.

The half-orc jumped back, barely avoiding a claw. She felt the breeze brush past her, before a sudden force threw her off balance.

The monster reacted quickly, turning away from Ren, and rushed to pounce on Grace. It stopped in midair before it could land. Time Stop locked it in place. But just as abruptly, it broke free of the Spell and continued to fall onto the half-orc.

For Ren, with his Shield Charge, that momentary pause was enough for him to catch up. He bashed the noldzwjak with his shield, barely making it move, but that gave them just enough space to create distance and return to square one. They joined with Tayin to take a breather while keeping a close eye on the monster

Said monster eyed them back, leaning heavily on its remaining arm. This time, it didn't give chase. The swirling mana around its jaw was enough indication of its next chosen strategy.

"It's not working!" Tayin exclaimed, drinking her remaining mana potion. This was the third time she had cast Time Slow, and was the third time she was resisted by the noldzwjak. "Even if I add phrases to strengthen the effect, it's just too powerful. I'm spending too much mana."

"We'll just chip away at it, then," Ren shouted back.

"Our attacks do damage," Grace said, agreeing with the Shield Knight. She took her own mana potion. Her last one. "That means we can kill it!"

"Alright, let me prepare my Fire Lances. We'll blast it to smithereens!"

"How long?" Ren asked.

"Twenty seconds!"

Why does it take ten seconds to prepare each Spell and only two or three to cast it?

Grace understood that there had to be a reason behind it, but she also realized that she didn't have the time to entertain the question. She got the idea behind why the halfling had to prepare, however. If Tayin could cast both Fire Lances within a single second of each other, rather than two or three, the burst of damage would be devastating for the noldzwjak, depending on where she aimed.

It was worth a shot.

"How long do you have on the Battle Elixir?" Ren asked, eyeing the monster in front of them. It was buying just as much time as they were. Already, some of its injuries were patching up due to its ability to regenerate. "We need to keep it busy."

"About six minutes," Grace replied, looking at Stachie's notification at the side of her view. It wasn't intruding, only ever becoming clear if she paid attention to it.

"That's our time limit, then. If you're down to one minute, we'll retreat if it's still not dead."

As the two rushed towards the six-horned noldzwjak, it quickly retaliated by unleashing a spray of spikes from its tail.

Parry and Shield Charge protected the two on the frontlines, with Grace having to resort to refreshing her Haste in order to keep up. She knew that relying on her mana regeneration would be a mistake. Barring her Attribute and natural ability to gather mana, she had nothing else that would ensure she could regain it while in combat. The mana potion she drank could only refill her half way. Like earlier, that was enough for two Mana Slashes, or one if she had to use Haste a third time. She always left a small reserve for Parry, in case of emergencies.

That left her no choice but to rely on her normal attacks, until an opportunity arose. Proven by her earlier attempts, her current level wasn't enough to make those effective. They were easily deflected by the noldzwjak's tough scales. It reminded her of the drillbulls from the other day. It also reminded her how they defeated one of them.

As she weaved around the battlefield, while Ren took the noldzwjak's attention with Taunt, Grace quickly positioned herself on the monster's side. There she observed its missing arm. The wound had already stopped bleeding, with fibrous muscle tissues pulsing around it, forcing it to close. But apart from its eyes, that was the only place not covered by its stony scales. She had learned from the closing scales on its leg joints and didn't want to try there again.

With a step, matching her timing with the monster's attack on Ren, she aimed for its freshly healed wound. As far as her standards went, though she was sure Shallies would easily find something to improve, her execution was perfect. Her attack, a normal slash, sliced through. And then she was gone with another step.

Though the noldzwjak yelled in pain, it still trained its attention towards the Shield Knight. It sent its remaining front claw in a downward arc, not caring for its balance, large wings still struggling to adjust to its missing arm. But strike, the monster did, sending its full weight down at Ren.

The human knight jumped out of the way at the last second. He raised his shield, blocking debris and whatever force the monster had sent out from what was essentially an unintentional body slam.

Grace protected herself as well, using her armguard to shield her face as she was sent flying from the force. She twirled in midair, finding purchase on the ground.

It has to be more than twenty seconds now! Grace turned at the thought. She found Tayin with a scroll in her hands. A second Preparation Scroll.

The half-orc had to force herself to think. She knew that the halfling had used one earlier, and they both knew the scrolls didn't stack. Then she realized that Tayin had used up all her prepared Spells earlier. She was setting up a trifecta of prepared Flame Lances, with the intention to hard-cast a fourth.

It was, quite possibly, the greediest tactic she could've come up with on the spot.

Grace turned to find Ren realizing the same. It simply meant that they needed to buy another ten seconds. They already bought twenty, so neither of them complained.

The noldzwjak did, however. A simple turn with its long neck telegraphed its intentions. Mana swirled around its jaw, culminating in flames and lightning. Grace wondered if it had chosen to forgo its poison breath for some reason, then she remembered that the same substance had combusting properties.

Grace and Ren made quick eye contact and confirmed their roles right away. For one, she still remembered that the Shield Knight had already taken the brunt of the monster's lightning breath. How he was still standing was beyond her knowledge. For the other, he didn't even show a hint of hesitation nor fear when he decided to get in between the noldzwjak and Tayin for the second time.

She knew she had to match that resolve.

Grace closed in on the monster, observing it intently as she hid near the tree it had been sleeping on earlier. She had to react the moment it let loose its attack breath in order to catch it off guard. The draconic eyes of the noldzwjak were honest, looking directly at Tayin and Ren. She was being completely ignored. As far as she was concerned, she was fine with that.

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The next ten seconds felt like they took forever. Grace held her Mana-Edge +3 tight. She had it turned off to avoid attracting attention. She saw Ren raise his shield, with eyes intent on standing ground. Tayin was in full concentration. She had placed her trust entirely in the Shield Knight.

The two had committed to their tactic. Sure, the halfling could move and try to get out of the noldzwjak's range. But not only did they not know the monster's range, it would disrupt her Spell Preparation and slow it down significantly. Not to mention, for Ren, defending on the move might be a problem.

Regardless, they had managed to force the noldzwjak into a standoff.

The lull allowed Grace to breathe. She risked the chance to look at her surroundings. Making sure there was nothing waiting in ambush was one of her duties, after all. They had made sure of it before their preemptive attack, but the surges of mana and explosions of lightning might've attracted new unwanted attention.

They were alone.

It's too isolated… Grace realized that she couldn't find small bugs or even the giant insects from before. They were completely alone. She shed away her suspicions, utilizing her Mana-Affinity to spot anything invisible. It wasn't as efficient compared to an actual Skill, but this was her only way.

There was no time. The noldzwjak had finished preparing its breath quicker than Tayin could her Spell. Grace reaffirmed her grip on her weapon and prepared to dash. Whether they were truly alone or not, they would have to adapt on the fly.

As the noldzwjak reared its neck, lightning crackling around its jaws, Grace stepped out of the tree with a sudden burst. As the monster opened its mouth, she ignited her Mana-Edge +3. And as it unleashed flames and lightning, she closed in on its arm.

"Mana Slash!"

The timing was perfect. All the time sparring with Shallies, trying to coordinate their attacks down to the millisecond, bore fruit in this instant. A deadly arc of sharp mana echoed Grace's slash, creating a blade of mana large enough to reopen the noldzwjak's wound.

The explosion of fire and lightning caught Grace's attention. Again, she worried for the Shield Knight. It just didn't seem feasible to block lightning. She just couldn't trust in it.

Then the monster roared. Grace whipped her head back to the noldzwjak before hearing something coming to her side.

"Grace!" Tayin screamed, but it was too late.

The half-orc turned to the opposite direction, her arms raised to defend her right side. She managed to put them up on time, but the noldzwjak's spiked tail pierced through her arm. Grace felt her entire side burn in pain as she was flung in the air, hooked by a number of spikes in her side. Then she was mercilessly bashed into the ground.

The recoil forced Grace off the spikes. She flipped multiple times as the same force bounced her off the ground. The air had completely left her lungs. Her right arm and leg were bleeding. Her neck and stomach too.

Her other side felt numb. Her left leg was broken. She had a large gash on her back, and she couldn't move her jaw at all. She couldn't see from her left eye, while what she could see from the other was completely red. Tears fell down her face as she simply lay there on the ground. Explosions erupted nearby, and sent a piercing pain in her head. Her ears were bleeding.

Grace didn't know where she ended up. But since neither Ren nor Tayin were coming for her, she guessed she was thrown in the opposite direction.

This is bad, I didn't scout what's around here…

The half-orc realized she couldn't even turn her neck.

Am I paralyzed?

[You're suffering from numerous internal injuries, Grace. You're losing blood from all your puncture wounds. You're suffering from both the Paralyzed and Poisoned Conditions. You're also in shock.]

"Stachie?" Grace ignored the shaking ground and the heat. She couldn't think much of anything. The System Assistant's voice had a tinge of worry, but she was keeping it professional. "Can you call Shallies for help?"

[If I do that, you will break all your agreements with Lady Shallies. Including the ones you didn't make.]

"But if I die, they'll get disqualified too."

[That was only under the pretense that they'll betray you. Lady Shallies is a good judge of people, but she's not quick to trust.]

"Oh…" Grace managed to struggle the realization out in a whisper. "If that's the case, then it's alright."

[Are you sure?]

Grace didn't reply right away. She couldn't stop her tears from flowing. She couldn't even wipe them away.

"I don't want to die…" She sobbed. "But I don't want them to lose this opportunity either."

[Your life's worth more than that, Grace. Don't throw it away. If you die, whether Lady Shallies is lenient about it or not, those two will refuse their mentorship. You need to do this all together.]

Grace noticed that her consciousness wasn't slipping away. Stachie was keeping her awake. It made her more aware of the pain throughout her body, but she understood that the alternative might cost her life.

"I don't think I can be an adventurer after all this, Stachie." The half-orc tried to move her hands. The Paralysis prevented her, but she knew even without the Condition, she was already fully paralyzed regardless. "I'm not cut out for it."

Stachie didn't reply.

The ground shook once again. Then, against any rhyme or reason, she began to hear footsteps running towards her. When they called her name, something that was keeping her tense broke loose.

[Grace! Stay with me. We can get you home!]

"Grace! Grace!" Tayin knelt down beside her, tapping her face lightly. "Grace, wake up!"

"I have a healing potion!" Ren called out. But they all knew it wasn't going to help. At most, it would close a couple of her wounds, not even enough for all her punctures.

[Grace! Call out your Class Inventory, please!]

That one got the half-orc's attention. It didn't need any physical effort. With a thought, she opened her Class Inventory.

Normally, other Class holders wouldn't dare meddle with someone else's Class Inventory. But nothing prevented them from doing so. Grace heard Tayin reach into it, pulling out everything the half-orc had stored inside.

"Found it!" the halfling celebrated. "Grace, drink this! Come on!"

Liquid ran down the half-orc's throat. It was icy, rejuvenating even. Grace didn't realize how thirsty she was until the first gulp. And that was all it took.

Her mana surged as pain was replaced with warmth. Her bones went back into place with a hint of ache. She could feel her breath returning to normal, her vision clearing, her wounds closing. She could feel her energy spiking back to full awareness, her mind recovering from despair, as if the world itself was telling her that things would be alright from now on.

Grace sat up, blinking in confusion. "What?"

Then she was knocked back down to the ground by Tayin's energetic embrace. "I'm so glad it worked!"

"What worked?" Grace freed herself before she actually died of suffocation.

"This!" said the halfling, revealing a small, intricate potion bottle on her palm. "Angel's Tear!"

"Oh… I forgot I had it." Grace blinked as she took the vial. "What happened to the noldzwjak?"

"We took it down," Ren said, standing up. "After you reopened its wound, we all concentrated fire on it, until we reached its heart. I'll go put it in a Container before it completely drains out of blood."

"Wait," Grace called. "How did you survive those lightning breaths?"

Ren simply shrugged. "Good armor, good Skills. At my current level, I'm supposed to be able to do that, Grace. I won't be much of a vanguard, if I couldn't."

"Oh…"

Grace turned to Tayin, who was still looking quite worried despite their success. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You were thrown out pretty far," the halfling began. "I couldn't concentrate on it, but I could tell that you lost control of your mana when you were being flung around."

The half-orc realized the implications of it. She realized her pack was ripped away from her back, leaning conveniently on her lap. Luck had brought it beside her. But she dreaded that what was inside might not have been as fortunate.

Grace picked it up, and her heart immediately sank. Valor'el's Protection Orb was broken. Or, no, not really. It had just lost its protection due to loss of mana, and was now dishearteningly ajar. She opened it, and realized that, despite everything, she had ultimately failed.

Not sure if she should cry or not, Grace took the cradle egg and showed it to Tayin. "It's cracked."

"Level 50, huh…" Shallies pondered while drinking her sixth cup of Latte. She was getting better at them, enough that she wouldn't be embarrassed to sell it as part of her menu.

She lounged behind the bar, listening to Apple's new music box. Hearing the teacup fairy's voice was a breath of fresh air for the both of them. It was smooth, slightly lower pitched than one would expect from someone of her size. And yet, it was alluring and majestic. The vibrato alone was a display of mastery so few bards and songstresses could replicate. As for the fairy herself, she was lolling beside it, enjoying the music.

"They successfully hunted it," Valor'el said, his voice passing through the opened System Console. "Grace almost lost her life, but they managed to get her Angel's Tear before it was too late."

Shallies remembered giving each of them one. While Ren and Tayin had used theirs to heal Gar, Grace had simply kept hers. Whether the Godkiller had intended for the half-orc to use such a precious potion this early, didn't really matter. She gave them as a precaution. She was just glad there had been no death in this quest.

"It's just a gathering quest," Shallies said, shaking her head.

"And yet, you gave them enough freedom with distance to reach this swamp," Phey'lan replied, joining in on the conversation window of the System Console. "You didn't exactly intend them to go fight a six-horned noldzwjak, did you, Shallies? And it's a matriarch!"

"I didn't," Shallies said. "That's exactly why I asked you three to isolate the place."

"Well, they did it, so I think we should be thankful."

"How was Arun'dul's performance?" Shallies asked, trying to change the subject.

"Our assumptions were right," Valor'el replied. "So long as he utilizes only his Advanced Class Skillset, he'll be able to keep the Curse at bay."

"Did you let him try something from the Hero Class?"

"We did," Phey'lan replied this time. "He didn't notice anything the first time, but his mana-flow radically fluctuated. It's a behavior we usually observe in lycanthropes during transformation. We let him keep trying until he felt the symptoms, so he knows when to stop."

"Good. What about the Rift?"

"It's closed, like Stachie said," Valor'el replied. "We can try opening it, if you want?"

"No need. We're still monitoring if the Gaiamaxims will open a wide search for closed Rifts." Shallies sighed. "I think that's all of it. You guys can come back now. I'll have dinner ready."

"We'll just leave them like that?" Phey'lan asked, referring to Grace and her party.

"Yeah. They signed up for it. If it weren't for the Angel's Tear, Grace would be dead by now. Let them feel the consequences of their actions, even just a little. I'll give them a good scolding when they come back."

"Alright…"

With that, Shallies closed her System Console before opening a new one.

"Stachie, how's Grace's Lifeline?"

[It's stable now,] her System Assistant replied. [She's stressed. A bit jumpy, and really worried.]

"Worried?"

[Her egg cracked.]

"Oh…"

Apple paused the music, and the two Godkillers looked at each other. After a while, Shallies just sighed. She started brewing her seventh Latte.