Chapter 84: Walking of the Air Cleaner
The Canyon of the Ancient Souls. According to legend, it was the site of a decisive battle in a great war that took place a bit after the Divine Era... back when humanity had not yet reached its current level of civilization. Ironically, the war was forcibly halted by the intervention of monsters, but the land—having produced a mountain of corpses—became a place where miasma lingers, a nest of undead that despise the living. As the years and months passed, it swallowed not only the humans who died in that ancient war, but also monsters that wandered in and even the brave souls who attempted to pioneer this region. Even now, it remains a danger zone that scatters death and curses...wa.
—or so Emul explained, lowering her voice in an exaggerated, almost ghost-story-like manner to describe the area known as the Canyon of the Ancient Souls.
Unfortunately for her, my horror resistance is fairly high. I've played both run-and-hide horror games and zombie shooters that call themselves horror games where you get a shotgun in the second half. Trash games in the horror category—already full of unreasonable nonsense even at the best of times—are truly something else. Evil spirits that accelerate at the speed of track athletes, stuff like that. The intent to kill is so over-the-top it practically becomes a comedy game.
But anyway, that's beside the point. The real issue is the unique trait of the Canyon of the Ancient Souls.
Sunraku: "The entire area is filled with miasma emitted by the area boss. Stay here too long and you get the 'Curse' status. On top of that, about half the monsters here use debuff curses. Basically, it's the kind of area designed to screw with you all the way to the boss..."
Emul: "That's why you need to bring holy items or a priestly job user...wa!"
Unless you buy the rather expensive "Holy Water" in Fourfossier, or party up with someone who has a cleric-type job capable of using the "Purification" magic that can remove curse status, you'll have your HP endlessly whittled down by the curse while a constant sense of unpleasantness clings to your body as you push through. I see—it certainly is a troublesome stage. However...
Sunraku: "...Hey, Emul. I think I might've gotten just a little too strong."
Emul: "It appears so...wa..."
Bilac: "The air around you's awfully clean, ain't it."
An effect that nullifies magical and curse interference from any force equal to or weaker than Lycagon the Nightslayer.
An effect that causes monsters at or below the bearer's level to flee from anyone bearing the "Curse."
Because I possess Lycagon's "Curse Marking"—which contains both of these demerits and merits—on both my body and leg slots, the miasma around me is being repelled, leaving the air around me unusually fresh. And on top of that, unlike Oikatzo and Pencilgon, I didn't suffer any level-down penalty after the Wethermon battle, so I leveled up plenty from that experience and easily surpass the recommended level for this area...
Sunraku: "Look at that, Emul. That perfectly coordinated movement—surely they must have been a disciplined army in life."
Emul: "If I may say so, I believe they are simply fleeing unanimously...wa."
Bilac: "Even the zombie wyvern's forgotten how to fly. That's how much they fear the king of the night."
Watching the decayed wyverns scramble away with unsteady, lumbering gaits, we advanced through the canyon as if we were taking a leisurely stroll.
Sunraku: "Hey, I was just thinking—couldn't we just skip the canyon floor and go along the cliff edge up top instead...?"
Bilac: "If you're lookin' to get yourself killed, that might be a fine plan. But I'll pass."
Emul: "Above the Canyon of the Ancient Souls, there are tons of Crystal Scorpions lying in wait...wa. If even one spots you, within ten seconds, ten times that number of Crystal Scorpions will swarm in...wa."
They are apparently over level 100, too.
Hahaha, getting mobbed by level-100-plus monsters? That's way more horrifying than the area's backstory. Well, to put it in meta terms, it's probably a measure to keep players from taking shortcuts—and also a way to blow off steam and create a shortcut yourself once you're strong enough to handle the Crystal Scorpions or whatever. At the very least, it can shorten the travel time when going back and forth between Fourfossier and the next city, Eighthold.
Sunraku: "Hmm... I know this is just a pass-through point, but when it's this easy, it kind of makes me want to... pick a fight."
In the distance, a monster approached with the clop-clop of hooves, showing no sign of fleeing at the sight of me. Actually... can they even see me?
Sunraku: "A Dullahan, huh... Nice. 'Horse and Swordsman'—I just fought the ultimate version of that combo not too long ago."
Both rider and mount lacked heads. He must have been a renowned knight in life. Clad in armor that barely retained its original form as protective gear, he steered his headless horse toward us with an imposing, dignified air.
Emul: "Sh-Should I launch a preemptive strike...wa?"
Sunraku: "Wait, stay. Wait, stay. He might be one of those NPCs who still has their reason intact—you know, the kind you can talk things out with."
Bilac: "Ya fool! A Dullahan ain't got no mouth!"
Emul: "Eeeek! He's drawn his sword...wa!"
Sunraku: "Hahaha, fair point! Go, go, go! Dullahan hunting! Sorry, but everyone's on their own for miasma countermeasures!"
I readied the Empire Bee Twinblade—properly repaired and restored in durability—and launched myself at the charging Dullahan. Now then, let's start testing out all these new skills!
Sunraku: "Let's get this ignition going—Ignition!"
This skill—usable only at the start of battle, making it extremely situational, yet guaranteed to activate in any battle, truly living up to its name—gradually boosts DEX and STR over a period of thirty seconds from the start of combat. Its effect lasts one minute, so you spend the first thirty seconds warming up the engine, and the remaining thirty seconds... releasing that fully warmed engine. That's probably the idea.
For the first thirty seconds after activation, I'm not at full power, but my stats are still steadily rising. The Dullahan fired a sphere of compressed miasma at me, but I simply shifted one step to the side while running to dodge it. Since neither the Dullahan nor its horse have heads, I can't even hear a whinny, but the horse's tell-tale motion gave away that it was preparing something. And now—the headless horse and its rider were charging straight at me, showing no signs of slowing down, clearly intending to run me over.
Sunraku: "Approximate speed... startup timing... three, two... jump—now!"
Matching the timing, I leaped three steps backward with a backstep while releasing the evolved Vorpal Blade Art [Water Mirror Moon]—the Type 3 version. I adjusted the hitbox of [Water Mirror Moon] to intersect with the coordinates where the headless horse would be several seconds later, using the backstep to fine-tune the alignment. Was it because my player skill improved during the Wethermon fight? Or because the stat increases made my body move more smoothly? Or did the RNG just roll in my favor?
Given the physical structure of a horse, what happens when it tries to forcibly turn around in response to aggro from behind? Especially when it's already running at full speed and suddenly tries to redirect its attention in the complete opposite direction?
Sunraku: "Whoa... my condolences."
The headless horse, attempting to turn in a physically impossible posture, flipped over sideways. The Dullahan, caught in the double combo of inertia and centrifugal force, went sailing through the air. Normally, I'd be celebrating with a triumphant "Hell yeah!" right about now—but the reason I felt sorry for him...? Well, it was because Bilac had her sledgehammer wound up and ready, right in the direction he'd been sent flying...
Bilac: "C'mere, you flyin'— MEGATON SWING!"
BWA-KOOM! An impact sound that was clearly not the result of a half-baked hit echoed across the field. The Dullahan, its chest smashed to pieces by a power that not only canceled out all the energy from being thrown off the horse but exceeded it entirely, went sailing through the air once again. I know this has nothing to do with me, but my own chest kind of hurts just watching... Still, no mercy. The fact that he didn't run from the "Curse" means he's a higher-level opponent than me. If I let my guard down, there's a very real chance I could die.
Just how much STR did Bilac pack into that swing? The Dullahan came flying back toward me in a higher arc than when the horse threw him. I could just attack him on the way down, but let's try a little challenge—a test run for some skills while I'm at it.
Sunraku: "Moon Jumper, then Six-Fold Jump...!"
Six-Fold Jump—with the increased "folds," both jump distance and the number of skill-enhanced leaps have increased—combined with Moon Jumper, which boosts upward jumping. I used both to leap in a single bound to the height where the Dullahan, caught by gravity, had begun to fall. Honestly, there's not much reason to attack in midair. But I think piling up challenges like this is what leads to new skill developments.
Sunraku: "Aiming for an air jump...!"
I activated In-Fight, then delivered a dropkick—imbued with Hate Trample—to the Dullahan, who was still in the middle of being knocked back... meaning still in stagger animation. Like rubbing salt into a wound, the dropkick landed squarely on the spot Bilac had already crushed, smashing the Dullahan straight downward. I corrected my posture in midair and landed... Ignore the fall damage, ignore it! The headless horse still hasn't gotten up—better finish off the Dullahan first. Now that I've surpassed Emul's level, relying on her strength no longer counts as leeching.
Sunraku: "Emul! Magic, on standby!"
Emul: "Hai na!"
After confirming that Emul had activated Add Spell, I checked Bilac's position. She had her sledgehammer wound up again like some kind of major league slugger—and that chin-jerk she just gave... was that her way of saying "send him over here"?
Sunraku: "Fine by me! Assisting NPCs so they can take the spotlight is an essential skill for trash games!"
Situations where you can't clear an encounter unless an NPC lands the finishing blow, or where only an NPC has an effective attack against an enemy—these are common even outside of trash games, so assist play is crucial. Especially in battles where an NPC going down means game over, depending on the AI it can turn into a complete nightmare, which hones your ability to control the battlefield whether you like it or not.
Sunraku: "Knockback direction, positioning, distance... done! Chart complete!"
I scooped up the still-chanting Emul with my left hand and closed in on the Dullahan as it rose to its feet. Activating In-Fight, I drove my clenched right fist straight for the Dullahan's solar plexus.
Sunraku: "Eat this—the power of three digits!"
Hand of Fortune pierced into the Dullahan's solar plexus. Even for a pain-insensitive undead, a three-digit Luck punch to a weak point isn't something it can just ignore—its body folded into a V-shape. Then, I thrust Emul—still in my left hand—forward like I was aiming a handgun.
Sunraku: "Behold—the Rabbit Gun [Palm Turret]...!"
Emul: "...! Magic Edge!"
Emul looked like she had a whole lot she wanted to say, but she held it in and fired a blade of magical energy at the Dullahan. Having tagged along for my and Oikatzo's leveling, Emul had leveled up quite a bit herself. The Magic Edge, fired at point-blank range, had no way to miss. The impact—doubled in power by Add Spell—sent the Dullahan flying. And the third trajectory of the airborne Dullahan's destination was...
Bilac: "TITAN BLAST!"
If her earlier Megaton Swing was a BWA-KOOM!, then this Titan Blast was more like...
Sunraku: "Something like... GRAAA-CRUNCH-SHRIIIEK!, I'd say."
Emul: "Sunraku-san! I feel like you've been handling me rather roughly...wa!?"
Sunraku: "Here—have a carrot."
Emul: "Yaaay!"
I casually tossed Emul a carrot bribe and watched the Dullahan sail off into the distance with an almost refreshing feeling.