Chapter 977: Snow Enchantress
Taking Geiger Ruins meant longer travel and more uncertainty, whereas Veiled Coast was at least safe when Dokibell passed by.
âBy the way, when exactly did Dokibell visit the Veiled Coast?â asked Brofen.
âTwo weeks ago,â Sennefer deadpanned.
ââŠâ
The Overwatch Base was indeed pretty far from the Winter Palace of Nilehelm. It would usually take over a year for human travelers to cover the distance if they went on foot.
But for a phantom beast as big as Dokibell, a week was enough even if it took it easy on the way.
This meant Dokibell spent at least half the time slacking off.
Brofen shook his head. âTwo weeks⊠Whoever went there should be gone by now. I donât think a powerful monster or some demon would suddenly go to the Veiled Coast and see it as home.â
âItâs probably a demon living in level 3,â Vifet added. âBy going to the Veiled Coast, it should be heading to the Demon Monastery at the other side of the Veiled Sea.â
Everyone agreed that they would follow the original course, that they would travel to the Veiled Coast, then to the Overwatch Base.
Brofen offered an item he kept, which could temporarily boost Dokibellâs strength, in case they did encounter a deadly demon. When the bear went all-out, it could run faster than truth-finder wizards, which meant a demon was unlikely to keep up.
Even though the plan was determined, the journey wasnât exactly going at full speed because Dokibell always believed that ârest is kingâ.
Still, the creature wouldnât fully stop and hinder their progress when Sennefer was there to whip it into motion.
The journey across the snowfield was peaceful enough until the end. They had to move across a narrow valley between two cliffs to get out of the cold zone. This was when they ran into the first threat since they left the Winter Palaceâa monster enchantress constantly covered in an icy aura, standing in the middle of their way.
Her face couldnât be seen in the gloomy distance. However, her white, messy hair rampaging in the wind somewhat reminded people of Sennefer.
âWhatâs the plan?â Dokibell talked to the team using its gruff voice. âThat thing looks wicked. Maybe we should pick somewhere safe and wait until she goes away?â
âKeep going.â Sennefer ordered. âKill her if she gets in the way.â
âBut⊠you see, sheâs not doing anything to us yet.â
â
Yet
. So what? You think that thingâs friendly? Just go.â
Dokibell didnât respond this time. As a phantom beast with superior senses, it already felt the concentrated will of hatred radiating from the target, which was usually the case for most monsters living in the Abyss Plane.
This was similar to the Supreme Cult, which was devoted to wiping out all creatures from other planes. Most creatures in the Abyss also considered it their responsibility to repel invaders.
âAlright, alright, Iâll go that way.â Dokibell was still trying to bargain with Sennefer. âBut youâll help me deal with that thing, kay?â
Sennefer clenched her teeth as she ran out of patience. âOne more unnecessary word and Iâll make you go swimming in the Veiled Sea!â
Dokibell shuddered and picked up speed.
It planned to ram into the monster to kill her with its body weight. As the bear went faster, the bell on the top of the chapel rang louder and louder, replacing Dokibellâs casual aura with a more aggressive one.
Angor tried to inspect the snow enchantress when he still had time for it. The monsterâs lower body was fully hidden inside a small whirl of snow and ice, while what was above her waist looked like an ordinary woman. A very evil-looking woman.
While charging, Dokibell unleashed several icicles and hurled them toward the monster.
âYiiiaaarw!â
The ice attack sank inside her body and didnât leave any effect.
Dokibell was close enough now. It bounced into the sky and came down upon the enchantress, claw raised, hoping to shatter her completely.
This attack looked successful at first when the monsterâs body was vaporized. But soon, it reappeared inside a puff of white air.
âYee he hee ha haaaw!â
Along with the monsterâs maniacal laughter, the snow suddenly grew heavier and heavier, until it was hard for people to see their own feet.
Angor was attempting to assess the situation right now. But he didnât have much time to think when a freezing aura full of killing intent suddenly popped up behind him.
Several apprentices close to him all watched the snow enchantress aiming an attack at Angorâs back with a cruel look.
Angor became the obvious target probably because he inconveniently stayed at the edge of the team. Besides, he sure looked like the easiest prey. The snow enchantress knew that she couldnât easily defeat the wizards or Dokibell, so she picked the apprentice she could effortlessly reach.
Thanks to the snowstorm and her natural talent, even Sennefer failed to detect her approach.
âWatch it!â Madelyne hurried to Angorâs side. But she wasnât fast enoughâthe monsterâs sharp nail was only a few inches away from Angorâs heart.
Everyone flinched as they expected to see blood. But what they had in mind didnât happen. As soon as the monsterâs claw reached Angorâs spot, Angorâs body teleported to the other side of the chapel.
What welcomed the monsterâs attack was a wall of flame instead. The flame attack was too weak compared to the monsterâs icy power. With a simple claw swipe, she extinguished it.
âWait, how did he pull that off?â Brofen wondered.
He wasnât sure if he could escape in time if he were in that position. Maybe he could use his Bloodline power to dampen the attack, but he wouldnât be able to run that far when the monster surprised him like that.
In fact, Angor escaped so fast that nobody except Sennefer saw how he moved. And even Sennefer couldnât tell what exactly Angor used to get out of there.
âSoul ejection, sequence of gravity, a fire-based cantrip, and then return to his body?â
It was no longer a secret that Angor could eject his soul and wield gravity power. These privacies were exposed as early as when he became famous for his music boxes.
But being able to cast cantrips without a body was on another level. It wasnât difficult for wizards who studied Soul Link. Yet an apprentice, who only had access to cantrips, successfully mastered Soul Link, a Soul Manipulator spell? This was unheard of.
Sennefer was sure that she did not see Angor taking out any alchemy items, which meant the trick solely relied upon Angorâs own strength.
âOr is there another way to cast elementalist cantrips when in his soul form? HmmâŠâ
Since the monster went close enough, Madelyne had successfully captured her using a burning whip. Imprisoned by the full might of a wizard, the monster was burned to nothingness within seconds, for sure this time.
While still a little confused, Madelyne headed Angorâs way and was going to question what truly happened back there. But she changed her mind when she saw the others all looking this way curiously.
â⊠Youâre not hurt, Angor?â
âIâm fine, maâam. Thank you.â
Madelyne nodded and stopped talking, much to the disappointment of others. But nobody would actually push for an answer right now.
âSee that? You donât need me,â said Dokibell.
âUsing an ice attack against a snow enchantress. Hitting an elemental body with a claw?â Sennefer scoffed. âIf only your brain looked as big as your headâŠâ
âCome oooon. This is my first time seeing an elemental monster.â
The same went for Angor as well. He would never realize that the monster was an elemental body if not for the conversation he heard.
Speaking of elemental monsters, he suddenly remembered the strange map he saw in the underground treasure vault of the Shannon Palace.
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