Disclaimer: I do not own the Witch and the Hundred Knight.
Slash.
Hack.
Jump.
Spin.
Drop.
Roll.
Slash upwards.
Black smoke surrounds me as yet another witch soldier is destroyed.
Using my Dash skill, I move backwards to evade a larger witch soldier crashing down where I was. Gripping my broadsword tightly, I slash forwards, my blade slicing into its body before getting stuck. Letting go of the blade, I draw upon my hammer instead, and swing it into the witch soldiers head, pummeling it into the ground till it dissipates as well.
"Good job Hundred Knight." My master's voice echoes out from within my head. "These witch soldiers are no match for you as you are now. Hehehe, its a good thing I found that shop function in our screens."
I nod to what she is saying. Agreeing that it was a fortuitous thing to have even if I do not fully understand how it works.
[Shop of Reality]
[Within the Shop of Reality, one can purchase various items, Skills, Magic, and even Perks from various realities by using Quest points earned through specific Quests]
Unfortunately, we haven't gotten any Quests yet besides the one to spread the swamp around the world. The only benefit of it so far was that we each got a free buy of anything costing 10 Quest Points or less. I'm aware my master bought herself a potion of some kind, but nothing else about it.
She did command me to buy myself my current broadsword though, since for its price it easily outclasses the one she gave me herself.
[Knight's Broadsword- 10 Quest Points]
[A sturdy and well made broadsword once used by the knights of the long dead Kingdom of Hyrule. Grants an additional 5 points to the wielder's Attack Stat while in combat. Stat boost increases with each additional piece of Knight equipment used]
As my master told me, once I have the Quest points available, I'll be purchasing as many of the Knight equipment as possible for the additional increases. Some of them do seem somewhat expensive though, so it'll be a bit before I can get ahold of them.
[Shop of Reality]
[Knight's Claymore- 20 Quest Points]
[A large and imposing weapon wielded by the most confident knights of the long dead Kingdom of Hyrule. Grants an additional 10 points to the wielder's Attack Stat and 5 points in the wielder's Defense Stat while in combat. Stat boost increases with each additional piece of Knight equipment used]
[Knight's Halberd- 15 Quest Points]
[A sturdy spear used the mounted knights of the long dead Kingdom of Hyrule. Grants an additional 5 points to the wielder's Attack Stat while in combat. Stat boost increases with each additional piece of Knight equipment used]
[Knight's Bow- 15 Quest points]
[A well made bow used by the knights of the long dead Kingdom of Hyrule. Grants an additional 5 points to the wielder's Attack Stat while in combat. Stat boost increases with each additional piece of Knight equipment used]
[Knight's Shield- 10 Quest Points]
[A near unbreakable shield used by the knights of the long dead Kingdom of Hyrule. Grants an additional 5 points to the wielder's Defense Stat while in combat. Stat boost increases with each additional piece of Knight equipment used]
They seem good from what I can tell, so once I get the Quest points I'll begin buying all of them.
"Oi Hundred Knight, get back to work. You've still gotta find the Pillars and kill whatever guardian is waiting for us." My master speaks up again from within my head.
Nodding my head at her order, I continue making my way through the forest surrounding the swamp in search of a Pillar.
Quickly making my way through the forest, I continue searching for the Pillar.
As I do, I come across some kind of creatures. Small bulbous plants poking out of the ground in large numbers of at least three dozen. Each of them scuttling around in a circular pattern as they move around the area.
"Skreeeee!!!"
While I'm watching them, one eventually sees me. A mouth appearing as the top of its head opens up and letting out a screech at me. Alerting all of the others nearby which also begin screeching as well.
"SKREEE!!!!" The sounds of every plant creature at once all screeching out at me making me take a step back from the sheer sound wave hitting all at once.
"Gah! What the fuck Hundred Knight?! I can hear those things all the way back in the swamp!" My master says. "Shut those things up already!"
Readying my sword, I prepare to combat the plants, watching as they all begin to pull themselves from the ground and begin charging towards me. The whole bunch of them clumping and clambering over each other in their desperation to get to me.
Using my Dash Skill, I meet them halfway, swinging my greatsword in and slicing through one of them with ease, while the others swish around the blade like leaves in the wind. This action causing multiple of them to slam into me instead, sending slight shocks of pain to shoot through my body before I manage to shake them off.
Dashing a short distance away, I grip the Knight's sword with both hands and ready myself to try again.
Hurriedly rushing in once more, I swing my blade back behind me and go to swing into the horde of plant monsters again.
Only to be interrupted by something much more terrifying.
Crash!!!
An absolutely massive caterpillar monster, easily three times the size of me, charges through the plant creatures before I have the chance to do the same. Flattening and tearing apart the vast majority of them in its haste to get through the throng.
"Gyaaaaaggghhhhh!" The caterpillar wails. "Malia you witch! How dare you do this to me?! Whyyyyy?!!"
Its continuous wails shake the trees around the area. The sound echoing out further and further, causing large flocks of birds to take to the skies in the process.
As I stand there watching it, my master speaks up to me again.
"Hundred Knight, tread carefully. That caterpillar mentioned Malia. Shes the forest witch that rules this entire forest around my swamp, so we're going to be fighting her once the time comes. In the meantime, this caterpillar thing seems to have met her at some point, so maybe we can use it to our advantage." She cackles at the end.
Willing my sword away, I approach the caterpillar, waving at it to get its attention.
The moment it does however, it lashes out with its hindquarters and slams into me. Excruciating pain lancing through me upon its hit.
Flying backwards into the trees, I tumble end over end through the trunks of various trees, each one snapping in half with ease.
Finally, I stop after crashing into an even thicker tree then all the rest. The impact causing an unknown amount of branches and leaves to land around me.
"Tsk! Hundred Knight! Don't you dare let your guard down like that again! Now hurry up and get back over there! We need to get a handle on this thing to use it on Malia!" My master's voice rings out in my head, her displeasure at my actions quite apparent.
Gathering myself, and pulling myself away from the tree, I charge back towards where the caterpillar was. Sprinting through the foliage and thicket of trees back into the clearing, where the caterpillar is still tearing apart the plant creatures, though it does seem to have tired slightly.
Upon my arrival, its eyes snap over to me. Its entire body trembling as it lowers itself down into a crouching posture.
"Shit! Get ready Hundred Knight! It doesn't seem to wanna listen to reason, so you'll have to beat it down into submission!"
With my master's command I ready myself. Manifesting my Knight's Broadsword into my hands just as the caterpillar rushes towards me. Using my Dash Skill, I meet it halfway with a short sidestep out of its way at the last second, swinging my sword into it as it goes past me, leaving a large gash in its side.
[Skill Ranked Up!]
[Dash: Novice Rank: Allows the user to move in one direction at high speed]
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[Dash: Intermediate Rank: Allows the user to move in one direction at high speed. Can be used in quick succession]
Swiping the screens out of my sight, I turn back around and Dash back to the caterpillar. Bringing the Knight's Broadsword above my head, I begin to swing it down against the monster's head.
Only for one of its hands to grab ahold of the blade and stopping my swing with ease. An overwhelming amount of strength then yanks the sword out of my hands and throws it out into the foliage, depriving me of my best weapon.
Another arm lashes out in my momentary distraction and grabs ahold of me. Swinging me around, the monstrous caterpillar swings me back and slams me into the ground, cracking the armor I'm wearing in various places.
Tensing myself, I grab ahold of its hand holding me and wrestle my fingers between it and me, managing to just barely make enough space for me to Dash away once again.
Scrambling to my feet, I begin dashing wildly around it, not giving it a moment of freedom to relax. Willing my hammer into my hands, I take a swing at one point when I come close, slamming it into the caterpillars side, knocking it over from the force of the swing as it roars out in pain and defiance.
Taking advantage of its momentary weakness, I continue swinging my hammer at it, battering it repeatedly all over its body as I continue dashing around it.
"Grrrr! Will! You! Stop! THAT!!??" The monster shouts at me, knocking my hammer away from another hit.
With surprising spreed, it scrambles back onto its feet and charges into me with its head. The speed of its charge holding me against its head as it batters its way through the wilderness. Smashing my body through even more trees and shrubbery until we finally reach a small clearing.
Managing to pry my body off of its head, I dash back away and quickly survey my surroundings. We're enclosed in a small clearing by some incredibly dense trees, the new opening from my body being slammed through notwithstanding. What is odd though, is the massive bundle of white threads and bulbs making up one part of the clearing.
Flexing my hands, I begin to think of what I can do in this situation. No available weapons. No Skills that can assist in damaging this monster. And my master has gone silent, presumably from the distance away I now am from her swamp.
"You'll pay..." A muttering coming from the monster. "You'll become food for my children... making them stronger... then, Malia will... DIE!!"
No sooner did the words leave its maw did it begin another charge straight at me. Quickly dashing backwards, I run away. No use in trying to face it head on at this point.
Maneuvering around the beast, I attempt to grab ahold of its behind, but it quickly, and seemingly with ease, spins itself around to come face to face with me once more. My eyes widen at the sudden change and only just barely manage to bring my arms up in front of myself to block its collision just a little bit.
Swinging my arms down to the right to divert the monsters charge, I dash away once again. My armored gauntlets now broken and shattered in pieces on the ground beneath me, taking away yet another advantage I have.
"Why do you resist?" The caterpillar growls out. "Just give up and become food for my children!"
It charges at me even faster this time, gaining greater momentum the longer it moves. Thinking quickly, I dash towards it repeatedly, only to divert my body downwards underneath its charge.
With nary a thought, I punch upwards with all my strength, landing my fist right into its stomach and sending it upwards into the air.
"Gaaagh!"
Spinning back up to my feet, I tense my legs and push off with as much force as I can manage and jump after it. Reaching it quickly due to my strength, I grab ahold of two of its arms and use them as leverage to swing my legs forwards into its body, the power of my kick ripping its arms off and sending the rest of its body flying further off to the ground and into a couple trees.
Landing back upon the ground, I begin to dash towards the downed monster. Only to be interrupted by a shout from behind me.
"Madam Hundred Knight!"
Turning my head, I see master's golem, Arlechinno, pushing his way through the shrubbery. And in his hands are my hammer and Knight's Broadsword.
Arlechinno sees me looking and chucks both weapons towards me. Sword and hammer flying through the air, to which I quickly dash closer and grab them both, willing the hammer away once more and dashing towards the beast once more.
The monstrous caterpillar is still stunned and groaning to itself from having two of its arms ripped off and slammed into the trees. Gripping my Knight's Broadsword tight, I raise it up high and swing down, cleaving the blade down through its head, ending its life instantly as its blood sprays out around its now dead body.
[Pillar Guardian Vanquished!]
[Perk Acquired: Camouflage]
[Camouflage: The ability to blend oneself into the current surroundings, making it more difficult to be seen by sight]
Before I can truly understand whats happening with the sudden screens, a sudden pressure appears over me from behind.
"Ah, Madam Hundred Knight. The Pillar!" Arlechinno says.
Turning around, I see what he means. Standing easily three times the size of the caterpillar, it looms over the two of us with a foreboding sense of pressure wafting from it.
"Heh! Good job Hundred Knight!" My master's voice suddenly speaks up from in my head. It seems she can speak to me once more.
"It seems that caterpillar was the guardian of this Pillar, and only by killing it were we able to see it. Well, what are you waiting for Hundred Knight? Break it open and release all that wonderful swamp mud!" She commands with excitement.
Nodding my head to her order, I ready my blade and dash forward. Swinging the sword behind me, I tense my entire body and swing with all my might, slicing straight through the pillar in a single strike.
Fwooosh!
The moment my sword slices through it, the top part of it explodes and massive amounts of swamp mud rain down upon us from above. Each drop of mud landing on me sends a rush of tingling mana through my body.
Blip.
"Hehehe~! Amazing! Such wonderful swamp muck! It feels so good~!!"
Turning my head, I see my master having teleported herself over to us. Her head tilted back and enjoying the swamp mud raining down on us from the broken pillar.
"This is it... This is just what I need!" She says to herself.
[Pillars of Temperance Destroyed: 1/30]
[For destroying a Pillar of Temperance in accordance to the World Quest, you get a random reward from the Shop of Reality!]
[Skill Acquired: Brick Break]
[Brick Break: Novice Rank: A swift chopping strike with the user's hand that can break through any magical barrier]
As I look over the sudden screen appearing, I hear my master doing the same.
"Hohoh~ so for breaking the pillars we get additional rewards eh? Even better~." She says with a slight chuckle.
"Lia... how could you?"
Shivers break out over my body at the sudden voice. Dashing swiftly towards my master, I seek to put myself between her and the voice, swinging my sword in the direction of said voice.
But instead, out of seemingly nowhere, vines and roots suddenly appear and wrap around me, holding me in place and preventing me from taking any actions to get out of it.
"Hundred Knight!" My master yells out. "Tsk, damnit! Malia, you bitch!"
Standing off to the side is a woman dressed in a black dress and witchs hat adorned with leaves and flowers, and wielding a large wooden staff. She looks at us for a brief moment, taking in the sight of us, and the dead caterpillar and broken Pillar.
"Lia, do you have any idea what you've done?" She asks. "These Pillars, they're supposed to stay intact and sealed. By breaking them, you're causing more problems for the rest of us witches."
"Tsk! You think I care? And my names not Lia! Its Metallia!" Metallia angrily barks back. "And what do I care if you other witches have to do more work? Serves you bitches right for ignoring me, the Great Swamp Witch Metallia!"
Malia merely sighs in return at my masters words. Waving her staff, a massive and thick tree suddenly grows from the ground in front of us. Sporting a face on the side facing us, it shows an elderly person as it speaks.
"In accordance to the ancient pact, I, the elder tree of the forest, have come to assist Forest Witch Malia." A deep and foreboding voice echoes out around the area.
"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice Lia..." Malia says solemnly, raising her staff up high. "I hope you're prepared..."