Chapter 14 – Wave of Destruction
"Galen said you weren't adventurers." Reina said after the two groups finished their introductions. "Why are you fighting in the Wave?"
"A few reasons." Molly answered. "The last Wave came close to our home, so we know how dangerous it can be."
"Molly was upset no one was coming to buy from us~." Crescent added with a smile. "She wants to make sure scary~ monsters stay away and business stays good."
"It's for other reasons!" Molly shouted back.
"Well, it's not like I can be picky." Reina said. They didn't really need to give any reason if they were willing to fight. "Three wizards and a fighter should definitely help, given that there's supposed to be a lot of monsters."
"Oh, we're not wizards. We're witches." Molly corrected.
"Really?" Reina looked at the three siblings. Crescent looked a bit like a witch with her dress, but Molly and Galen looked very much like traveling wizards. The staff in Galen's hands added to that, as well as the staves leaning against the table. "I don't know the difference."
"Didn't I tell you about the different magic users? I'm sure I did." Maria said.
"Maria, you told me about a lot of things. I can't remember half of them." Reina pointed out. The days of learning were long, so very long. That, however, seemed to be the wrong thing to say.
Maria came up behind Reina, snaking her arms around her waist and eliciting a squeak out of the shorter girl. "Maybe I need to teach you again~."
"M-Maria!" Reina felt her face flush in an instant. "We're in public!"
Maria brought her face into view. "So it'd be okay if I did this in private~?"
"No!" Reina shouted back. "Is this why you thought this armor was good?!"
The smile on Maria's face grew. "I'm sure I mentioned that to you~."
"Crap! She actually did!" Accepting its high quality or not, willingly getting it or not, Reina still felt like she was tricked somehow.
"You two seem close." Molly noted, eyes looking between the joined women.
Before Reina could retort, Maria spoke. "She holds me close every night when we sleep together~."
"Ara~! How nice~." Crescent held a hand to her face, as if she was looking at something heartwarming.
"D-Don't be misleading! You hold onto me because of one of your spirit contracts!" Reina wanted to dispel whatever it was the oldest witch was thinking.
"Oh~? But I could just sleep with Vyrdrun. You insisted I sleep with you~."
"Stop giving them the wrong idea!" Reina knew she was just falling into Maria's rhythm by reacting, but she couldn't help it. Something about seeing Maria sleeping on Vyrdrun just irked her. There was a word for the emotion, but that just couldn't possibly be it.
"I'm not a tsundere! That's not what this is!"
"I see, I see. I understand completely." Alister stood there, nodding. "You are only like this with your actual party members, not those you join with temporarily. As such, would you consider letting Master Galen join you? He often enjoys being close with people, even if he can't say so out loud."
"Alister!" The boy that shared Reina's height and age was doing his best impression of a bear and tried cowing Alister back, with zero success.
"I don't know you that well, Galen, but I think I've connected with you on a deep level." If he had to put up with this type of teasing from his sisters—and whatever his connection to Alister was—then Reina was certain she'd be fast friends with him.
Loud thumping drew their attention from the conversation. Parting the groups of people was a stone statue as tall as Vyrdrun. Whether or not is was specifically a golem, Reina wasn't sure, but she'd be willing to bet it was.
"That's him, Boss!" One of the men from a few minutes ago yelled. "The one in the red armor!"
"Him?" The boss said, looking Alister over as he approached. Unlike his lightly armored friends, he had the appearance of an alchemist of some sort. Potion bottles were attached to his belt, as well as a bandolier of them over his chest.
"He tried to break my arm!" The man said, pointing at Alister accusingly.
Alister scrunched up his face, his lips disappearing under his mustache. "Perhaps I should have, given the trouble you wish to cause us."
"You have a lot of nerve attacking one of my boys." The alchemist said. While he might have looked old enough to be their parent, none of them had any resemblance with one another. They were likely all part of the same group.
"Go bother someone else." Alister warned, reaching over his back. There sat a large greatsword. That's the only thing it could be called, seeing as it was nearly as long as he was tall.
"You want to try it?" The alchemist taunted. "You want to fight my golem? Those witches won't be able to help you!"
"Now, now, there's no need to fight~." Crescent let out coolly, making soothing motions with her hands. "It was all just a misunderstanding."
"Stuff it, hag!" The alchemist bellowed.
"Hag…" Crescent's eye twitched, though she didn't lose her smile.
Reina could actually feel the air get colder.
"Oh boy…" Molly placed her hand against her head, shaking it.
"You and your ugly sisters think you can do whatever you want just because you're a bit well known?" He continued his insults, earning a tick mark from Molly.
"I knew I still looked like a girl…" Galen muttered. Reina wanted to appreciate the growing similarities she was finding with him, but the situation looked like it was going to turn ugly.
"Miss Reina." Crescent's voice made her snap to attention.
"Y-Yes?" She cautiously asked, still stuck in Maria's embrace.
"Can I assume you'll be accepting our help in fighting the Wave tomorrow?" Crescent asked sweetly.
"Yes." Reina gave a quick, direct answer.
"Then would it be acceptable for me to ask Vyrdrun for a favor?"
Reina turned to look at the Gromnar, who in turn looked at the oldest witch.
Crescent's smile—despite not changing shape—felt much colder. "Please deal with that golem in the way most suited to you."
"Very well." Vyrdrun said without hesitation. Reina would have passed it off as fear of offering refusal, but something felt off about it.
"You think a short Gromnar is enough to match my golem?" The alchemist laughed. "Fine. I'll play along."
Vyrdrun took a few steps forward, though his new lance was noticeably not in his hands. The golem lumbered forward, bringing forth a large hammer from behind its back.
"Should we really be letting this happen?" Reina asked.
"It'll be over before the guards show up anyway." Maria said with a smirk. "Just watch." It was hard to do much else while being held.
"Attack!" The alchemist yelled, urging his golem forward.
The heavy hammer was raised above its head as it charged. Vyrdrun stayed where he was, lowering his stance. The thumping on the ground grew louder in the short time it took for the golem to reach him.
With a heavy swing, the hammer slammed into the ground. Vyrdrun had deftly jumped to the side, avoiding it entirely. As the golem started to heave the weapon back again, Vyrdrun closed the distance between them. He reached out and placed his hand against the golem's chest.
Then, nothing.
Vyrdrun stood still, same as the golem.
"What are you waiting for? Kill him!" The alchemist yelled.
Vyrdrun straightened out. The golem remained frozen in place, until Vyrdrun pushed against it. The giant stone warrior fell back and slammed into the ground, breaking into a dozen pieces.
Silence reigned in front of the guildhall.
"Huh. I guess Vyrdrun can dispel golems, too. If shamans can do that, I can really see why people—"
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO!?" The alchemist screeched, interrupting Reina's thoughts. "Do you have ANY idea how much that cost to make!?"
"A lot." Maria whispered to Reina. "I'd say weeks to months of earning XP. Not to mention the cost of all the reagents."
"You mean making golems uses XP?" Reina asked her.
"Oh yes~." Maria smirked. "The stronger and more magic immune, the more XP it takes."
"Wow. That would explain why they're so expensive, and why I don't see more of them. I'd feel bad, but he was being a dick, so…" Reina just couldn't muster up any sympathy for the alchemist's loss.
The alchemist continued to yell ferociously until Alister stepped forward. "You should leave, little man."
Looking like a mouse staring up at a dragon, the alchemist bit his lip before turning on his heels and running, his two friends quickly joining him. "You'll regret this!"
"And a classic villain line, too." Reina noted.
"Hmph. Foul magic." Vyrdrun grunted, crossing his arms.
Reina wanted to ask what he meant, but she had some idea about it already. Magic wasn't permanent, or even long lasting without concentration. Some could be extended indefinitely with a focus of some kind, like rings or amulets or staves—much like what Maria and the three witches had. But that didn't mean it was permanent, or was even meant to be permanent. A construct like a golem that moved under its own power could be seen as twisted, especially to someone like Vyrdrun.
She might not have fully understood how his magic worked, but she knew enough from what he'd told her already.
"Really, now." Crescent sighed. "I'm only 20."
"You know, I could have just told them I was the Spirit Forger." Reina offered. "That might have gotten them to back off."
Crescent shook her head. "I didn't want to presume to use your status. Anyway," She moved in her seat slightly before standing. No, that wasn't correct. Her feet barely touched the ground before she started to float in the air. Her body moved up until she reached Alister, where she nimbly rested on his large shoulder. "I suppose we should help find you more volunteers."
Reina blinked at what she just saw. There were a hundred and one thoughts running through her head. She couldn't find the words, but Maria thankfully had them ready.
"I want to fly, too!" The wizard cried out. "Where'd you learn to do that? I found a spirit to give me spell like that, but I couldn't accept the restriction."
"Ara~. Well, I'd be happy to tell you, but you might not like this one either. Of course, I have someone to help me with that." Crescent ran her fingers through Alister's hair. All he did in response was twirl his moustache proudly.
"Oh my~! Well, now that I'm traveling with Boss here, I might consider what it is." Maria slid her hand across Reina's stomach, going up ever so slightly.
"Would you let go already!" Reina practically shrieked at the movement. "I was wrong before. This is nothing like how an older sister would act!"
~Forging Legends~
At the end of the day, none of the other adventures wanted to join with Reina. Even with the offer of receiving some of her item drops, no one volunteered. While she might have partially attributed it to her lackluster skills at public speaking, the reason was far simpler. None of them wanted to fight a horde of monsters.
That wasn't to say they wouldn't if they needed to. They came to the capital in case the Wave happened nearby and they could join in. The idea of teleporting right into the thick of it was too daunting. Reina shared the sentiment, but she didn't have as much choice in the matter.
All that meant was they only had Alister and the witch siblings, plus the knights the king promised them. From the impressions Reina got about the last Wave, this should be an okay amount. She knew about the horde of monsters they'd be fighting, but there was also a boss monster that needed to be defeated before the Wave could end.
She met with the knight commander before settling in for the night in the castle, curtesy of the king. The Wave boss would be for Reina's group to deal with, which included the only four volunteers. The knights would focus on protecting any villages and towns nearby. That seemed like as good a plan as any to Reina.
The only other thing of note was a quick trip to the only church in the city, that of the Azure Star. Since she already had the amulet, Reina was only able to get one weapon form from there, similar to the one in the town before.
Lesser Azure Star Idol
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: Forge "Healing Aura"
Equip Effect: minor magic resistance
From what she could gather, the Forge ability didn't actually heal the people around her, but it increased healing and regeneration, and it didn't consume SP or MP. If she had that unlocked and used the Azure Star Amulet, the effect would be even stronger. She'd already unlocked the best bonuses she got from the miscellaneous items and monsters she'd absorbed, so new ones from the Wave monsters would be welcome.
Despite the impending fighting looming over her, Reina felt the night pass by quickly. Breakfast was prepared for the three of them, which the king also attended. He took a seat next to Reina, with Maria and Vyrdrun across from them, though the Gromnar used two chairs.
"You know," King Tarik whispered to her, "I'd much rather join you than sit in my castle. It's been too long since I've had a proper fight. Unfortunately, I'm sure my advisors would pitch a fit over it."
Reina smiled at that. "I believe you." Based on how he'd spoken the day before, he very much seemed to be a warrior king. And, of course, she was sure the loudest of the opposing voices would be that advisor from yesterday.
The king returned with a toothy smile of his own, earning a slight cough from the advisor in question. "Well, I'm sure you will do quite well without me. Nearby adventurers and knights were able to quell the last Wave without too much difficulty."
That was reassuring to hear.
After a pleasant breakfast, they went out to the guildhall, where the adventurers were preparing for a potentially nearby Wave. Reina greeted the commander and saw nearly three dozen knights with him.
The witches and Alister were nearby, Crescent sitting atop his shoulder while Molly and Galen chatted. The man himself now had a helmet on to match his armor. Even without having a level above 30, those three witches had a variety of spells available to them, though most were common between them. With Alister and Vyrdrun, enemies would have a hard time interrupting their spellcasting.
Speaking of the giant, he had stepped off to the side with Maria. When Reina approached the pair, Vyrdrun reached out and took Maria's hat from her head. Reina supposed he was going to pat her head again, much like when they first—
Kiss.
That wasn't a head pat. That wasn't a head pat at all. Vyrdrun leaned over and kissed Maria on her forehead, placing her hat back on her head soon after. From the look on her face, Maria wasn't expecting that either.
She turned to look at Reina and their eyes locked. The blush on her face matched Reina's, though likely far lighter given how warm her face felt. Grinning slightly, Maria pulled her hat down to cover her face before walking past.
"Don't be jealous, Boss. I'm sure he'll give you one too if you ask." Maria whispered before continuing over to her fellow spellcasters. It didn't sound as flirtatious as she's been, so it really was a surprise for her.
Reina just stood there, the heat on her face intensifying. She looked up at Vyrdrun, seeing his eyes on her.
"Do you need a kiss as well?" He asked as if offering a piece of food.
"No!" Reina was quick to answer.
"I didn't think so." Vyrdrun nodded. "You seemed strange about physical contact before, so I didn't want to add to what Maria already does."
That was the strangest explanation for a kiss Reina had ever heard. Then again, Vyrdrun was pretty strange to her. She knew there was a perfectly sensible reason—for Vyrdrun—as to why he kissed Maria on her forehead. The blush on the wizard's face was probably just…something unrelated. Probably, she was just caught off guard. There was absolutely nothing romantic about it at all. Period.
"So, uh…" She needed to break the tension, even if it was clearly one-sided. "Will you be okay going into former imperial lands? Since I'll need to travel there to register to the other hourglasses and all?"
He gave her a nod. "With you by my side, I think it'll be fine."
As flattered as she was, that statement did nothing to alter her mood. He must have meant that in a practical sense. He'd be traveling with a hero after all, and she'd make sure anyone who had a problem with him knew that. Certainly, he didn't mean it as what it could easily be interpreted as.
"Come on, Reina, focus! You have a battle to fight in soon." She chastised herself. Thinking about it, that kiss was probably to help calm Maria down for the Wave. That must have been it. She held herself together well, but Vyrdrun was good at reading people. Better than Reina, in any case. Probably.
"Maybe I should have accepted that kiss…"
That traitorous thought aside, the timer for the Wave continued counting down. Before long, there was only a minute left. No other preparations needed to be made. Everyone had a couple healing potions Reina made, plus a few MP potions for Maria and the witches.
She had her best weapon form out and upgraded.
Thunderstruck Doll Totem
(abilities unlocked) Equip Bonus: attack 5, agility 5, Forge "Charge"
Equip Effect: Static Field
Monstrous Spider Tokens (106): 52 spirit attack
Gacha Bonus: +10% spirit attack
They were as ready as they were going to get.
00:00
The sound of shattering glass echoed around them as the scenery changed. A rolling field greeted them as her vision cleared. Up above, swirling pools filled the red sky, along with what could only be describe as cracks in reality. Just like she heard earlier, things were already dropping from high above to the ground.
"There, a town!" The commander called out, pointing a fair distance away. He gave Reina a nod before raising his sword. "Men, the Spirit Forger will defeat the Wave! Protect your countrymen!"
"Yes Sir!" The knights called out.
As the knights took off, Reina looked to see what these monsters were. One smashed into the ground about a dozen feet away from her.
"Forge Spirit!" She called out her skill and placed it in front of her.
The inclusion of Flaming Fists made the already strange-looking spirit even stranger. The front-most legs on its spider base were converted into human-looking arms which ended in the aforementioned Forge ability. The rest of it looked similar to before, but the imagery was too weird.
The fallen monster rose from the ground, its head swaying slightly as it faced her. It looked like a person, except its skin was rotting. The eyes were empty, save for a pair of small, glowing red dots.
"Okay, so they're zombies. That's not so—"
"GRAAAH!" The zombie roared before sprinting, making a beeline right for Reina.
With a mental command, the forged spirit lurched forward, delivering a swift pair of punches from its enflamed hands. The zombie recoiled at the strikes, falling back against the ground. XP appeared in Reina's vision.
"Weird as it looks, the fists work. At least they doesn't use any additional SP, or even MP." Reina mused. "Okay, so maybe the zombies are more like ghouls or wights, or maybe wraiths, depending on the source."
A few more landed a little further away, giving her the chance to view them with her appraisal ability.
Interdimensional Corpse Chaser
That didn't lessen her list of potential undead archetypes, but they'd do with what they had.
"Hey now, don't go having all the fun~." Crescent said as she floated in the air.
"Indeed!" Alister dashed forward, greatsword in hand. With a single mighty swing, he cleaved through two of the monsters before slamming his fist into a third that tried to lunge at him during his backswing.
More and more of these corpse chasers fell from the sky farther away.
"Fire Bolt!" Galen launched a small ball of fire at an approaching zombie, killing it.
"Don't be too eager, Little Brother." Molly said, stepping forward. "Let them group up more. Like this. Fireball!"
Four corpse chasers that were running for the group found themselves quickly aflame from the spell, dropping to the ground and burning.
Vyrdrun came up next in front of the witches, brandishing his lance. A pair of corpse chasers ran to him, snarling viciously. With a swing, Vyrdrun cut deep into one and knocked the second to the ground. It tried to get up, but the broken arm on it made that difficult. Vyrdrun skewered it before if fully stood.
"From the numbers I see, this battle may be long, but not difficult." Vyrdrun stated, readying his lance for the approaching monsters.
That seemed to be the case. Reina looked to the sky as her forged spirit dealt with any other corpse chasers that got close. Monsters continued to fall, but she noticed more were coming from the cracks than the swirling pools. Off in the distance, where the crack was larger, she saw even more monsters falling.
"If I had to take a guess, we need to go that way!" Reina shouted over the undead yells.
Seeing their objective, the group started to make their way over.
The monsters continued to come at them, most from a single direction, but they didn't get too close to the spellcasters.
Vyrdrun and Alister stood at the front of the group, easily piercing and cutting any undead that got too close. Reina kept her spirit a little closer, just in case any got past the pair and for the ones coming from the sides. She herself stayed in the back, fending off those that came from behind.
A Fire Bolt here and there took care of the ones that didn't want to group up while Fireball was used for the ones that did. After a few minutes of walking and intermittent jogging, Reina noted that Maria wasn't using her Twin Fireball, just a regular one. Using that metamagic effect—as Reina had taken to calling it—used more MP than casting the same spell twice in succession, so it was mostly used when time was constrained. Or, of course, when she wanted to show off.
There was another thing Reina made of note of after another few minutes.
"This is…really easy." She said her thought aloud.
From what she heard, the monsters had done some serious damage in the last Wave. That wasn't to say they couldn't do the same here if left alone, but she thought they'd be more dangerous, even after what the king said to her. Her forged spirit could take them out with a single punch using its Flaming Fists, or even just from biting normally without using Spider Bite. With a bit less stats as her spirit, even she could dispatch these corpse chasers with a single strike of her Thunderstruck Doll Totem.
These undead, while plentiful, weren't durable at all.
Other undead joined the battle, but not to a great effect.
"Up above!" Reina yelled, pointing up.
"Fire Bolt!" The three witches and Maria launched their spells into the air at the new enemies.
Interdimensional Corpse Wings
They looked like giant undead birds, though 'giant' was relative. They were a bit smaller than Reina, though the wings added to their size. One of the birds made it past the spells on its clumsy wings. When it was nearly above them, it dove down, keeping its wings to its sides.
"Scatter!" Reina called out, jumping to the side.
The bird impacted on the ground, missing all of its magic-using targets. When it stood, its neck was broken and dangling. It hobbled forward, but Reina slammed her totem into it, giving it a light shock and smashing its chest in, killing it.
They at least posed some difficultly.
"One of you focus on the sky. Everyone else keep ready on the ground." Reina gave out the command.
The flyers weren't nearly as numerous as the ground undead, and they died just as easily.
A few corpse chasers got attacks in on Vyrdrun and Alister, but Maria was easily able to heal them when they stepped back within arm's reach. It was even easier to keep the forged spirit healed and fresh thanks to healing on Reina passing onto it. Reina was able to have it sweep all along their path, taking hits and burning undead, throwing out a skewering bite here and there.
She and Vyrdrun were right in their assessment. This battle wasn't difficult. It was tedious. Reina didn't want to think that way, but it was true. The corpse chasers charged at the closest thing they could, no real plan of action at all. The same was true for the corpse wings, who could bunch up even less than their ground counterparts. Most of the insects from that forest were more dangerous if for no other reason than having at least some semblance of tactics.
If anything, the fighting gave Reina a chance to observe her temporarily extended party. Specifically, it was Crescent that got her attention. All throughout the fighting, she remained floating in the air.
She knew some accessories could be used to maintain spells for a time without concentration, but she thought it still consume MP. If it did, it was either a much smaller amount, or Crescent had an abundance of MP to spare. Maybe Reina could ask her about it more, as well as how a witch was different from a wizard, if for no other reason than to avoid another long lecture from Maria. Being able to use Cutting Edge with her Caskalt Athame without needing to maintain focus would make it a much more viable spell.
It was also a chance to see how her armor functioned. The first important thing was that the effects seemed to transfer to her forged spirit, which took a number of slams from undead arms. The second was how the 'dispersion' effect actually worked.
Either she misunderstood what Baric meant or he just didn't explain it well. Most of the attacks on her forged spirit hardly damaged it, but equal wounds appeared on the monsters, as far as she could tell. They were still getting zapped by the Static Field, after all. Granted, she was using her MP to increase the effect, doubling it to 10% instead of 5%. From that, she assumed they were basically receiving back 10% of their own attack, rather than 10% of the damage they ended up dealing after defense.
All in all, it was a nice little discovery.
They continued on for another 20 minutes or so, Reina occasionally bringing in her forged spirit to conserve and regain SP. Eventually, the group came up to what Reina assumed was the boss. It was a reasonable assumption, given that she hadn't seen anything else that looked like it since the Wave started.
Interdimensional Flaming Brute
The name said it all. Standing before them was a giant flaming undead. It was taller than Vyrdrun by a couple feet and nearly three times as wide as him. Every inch of the thing was covered in fire; its wide face, its meaty hands, its grotesque legs. If it had any parts to show, Reina might have been uncomfortable with the fact it was nude.
She gave a look to the spellcasters. "Do any of you know any water spells?"
All four of them looked in every direction but hers.
Crescent laughed nervously as she floated there. "Ah, no…"
Molly scratched the back of her head. "I never really liked them, so…"
Galen held his staff close to him. "I-I've been meaning to make it usable for combat…"
Maria smiled sheepishly. "The restriction was too annoying for traveling…"
Reina just continued looking at them. "I swear…"
Part of her could understand it. Fire was flashy and fun. Ice could be good, but water itself was boring. Not that she ever made any characters in her game that used water magic either, but this was real life with real magic. Surely one of them could see a more practical use for it.
Galen likely did, just not for fighting.
"That's fine! You three just stay back and watch." Alister said proudly, twirling around his greatsword almost like it was a showpiece. "I needed something strong to fight."
"I don't think I can remove its flames, but that shouldn't be a problem for me." Vyrdrun held his lance forward.
"Then it's just us three." Reina deactivated the Flaming Fists ability. Now it just looked like a pair of arms were dangling out the front of its main body. Outside of her Forge abilities, Reina only had the Web skill. She was sure it would burn up in an instant, but that was fine. Her forged spirit would be enough, and she herself could attack if needed.
The flaming corpse started to lumber forward.
"What do you suggest, Lady Reina?" Alister asked.
"I'll send my spirit to attack the front. Vyrdrun will harass it from one side and give you openings on the other."
"Excellent!" Alister gripped his large blade with both hands.
"Agreed." Vyrdrun nodded.
"We'll support you with magic!" Molly called out. "Buff: Attack Up!"
"Buff: Agility Up!"
"Buff: Defense Up!"
"I can do at least this much. Fire Resistance!"
Galen and Crescent added their spells as well, with Maria supplying Fire Resistance. All three combatants glowed with the enchantment. Reina could see both her stats and those of her forged spirit rise. The three of them got into position, the massive corpse slowly approaching.
"Go!" Reina called, sending her spirit forward. The segmented body extended, the head of which snapping at the undead giant and delivering a Spider Bite to its head. The poison likely wouldn't effect it, but it was still a damaging skill.
The brute grabbed hold of the spirit, burning it slightly as it tried pulling it off. The Static Field damaged the corpse slightly, along with Reina's armor effect. Still, the spirit persisted, the numerous legs on its segments piercing the undead's chest to keep hold.
Vyrdrun stepped in from the side, shoving his lance into the undead's shoulder and keeping it from moving its arm properly. Alister went on the other side and slashed at it with his sword, inflicting a wound on its side.
The hulking zombie staggered and swung its free arm around, trying to hit the red swordsman, but he was more than able to avoid the blow. It was much slower than the corpse chasers that led up to it. That led Reina to think about the monsters from her game.
The corpse chasers didn't seem to have any other effect from their attacks, so they were likely just fast zombies. They didn't have any particular resilience to damage either, if her using her blunt totem was any indication. This one, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind Vyrdrun's lance all that much, but it clearly didn't like the damage from Alister's sword.
Potential stat differences aside, it might have the same damage resistances as zombies from her game. That being, damage resistance against weapons that didn't deal slashing damage. The corpse chasers gave up defense for speed.
That was food for thought for later. Right now, the giant zombie continued to try and swing at Alister. Vyrdrun was able to keep it in place with his lance, which kept him safely out of range from the boss. Seeing where the striking area of the boss was, Alister moved closer to Vyrdrun's side and continued hacking at it with his sword from behind.
When the boss tried to turn, Vyrdrun kept it in place. When it decided to try approaching him, he stepped back with it. If nothing else, the Wave boss had some thoughts on how to fight.
A squelching sound overcame the noise of slashing and burning flesh. The forged spirit, still attached to the zombie's head, finally crushed it in its mouth. True to its name—from a magical perspective—the boss continued to swing its arm around.
"Enough of that!" Alister called, bringing his sword up high and slashing down, severing the flailing limb from its host.
"Whoa…" Reina watched the boss jerk from side to side, trying to free itself from the onslaught. She really didn't think the boss would be this easy.
As much of a flag as that thought was, the boss began to slow down. With Alister hacking away at it, Reina's forged spirit tearing apart its burning chest, and Vyrdrun keeping it from doing much else, the boss fell to the ground. The sky above them lost the swirls as the cracks began to close. Soon enough, it returned to its normal blue color.
The XP bonus was hefty, enough for Reina to gain another level from the Wave. She sat at a cozy level 35. The Wave was highly rewarding, and that wasn't even counting what she would gain from absorbing all those monsters, let alone the actual reward from the king.
"We did it!" Maria came up from behind and squeezed Reina around her stomach, lifting her in the air with a spin.
"Hey—" Reina was about to chastise her, but thought against it. "Oh fine. This isn't so bad."
"Hmph!" Alister yanked his sword free from the boss's back and sat it against his shoulder. "I expected a greater challenge."
Reina had to agree with him, to an extent. To normal level 1 people, these monsters would no doubt be a big threat. To them, they were nothing. Of course, the last Wave could have been different. If there were less monsters but they were stronger, she could see how adventurers wouldn't do as well.
Then again, it wasn't like this current party was normal. A hero, a Gromnar, four spellcasters, and a man who was a giant in all but race. Even without being particularly high level, they were quite the force to be reckoned with.
Crescent giggled as she floated over and sat on Alister's broad shoulder. "Oh you had fun~."
"Haha!" Alister thumped his armored chest. "I can't deny that!"
"So, now what?" Molly asked the group.
"Well, there's a lot of dead monsters back there to absorb." Reina pointed over Maria's shoulder, which was still pressed against hers. Not to mention what else Reina felt against her back. "I'll get plenty of drops from them for you. Plus, I still see a lot of undead roaming around. We should clear them out as well."
"Sounds good!" Maria said, giving Reina another squeeze. "Let's get…going…"
Reina looked over her shoulder at her. "Something wrong?"
Maria moved one of her arms from her and pointed upward. Reina followed along and noticed something in the sky far off. It was getting closer. Much closer. Whatever it was, it was fast.
"What is that?" Galen asked as he looked up as well.
When the shape was nearly above them, it suddenly began to plummet. Not 10 feet from the ground, a large pair of feathered wings beat, stopping its decent.
It landed on the ground softly, allowing them to see what—or rather, who—it was. This man…wasn't a human. At least, he wasn't completely. The large wings weren't the only oddity about him. His forearms were covered in fur, as well as his legs up just past his knees, which bent strangely. His feet were large paws, also bent at the heels like a dog or wolf. The rest of his body was covered in a tattered black robe, torn and frayed at the ends.
"Well now, what do I find here?" He grinned wolfishly, compounded by the fact that half his jaw looked like it might be a wolf's. Bits of fur trailed up half his face, combining into his matted gray hair. His eyes were bloodshot, one a dark brown and the other gleamed…gold.
"Are you lost, friend?" Alister asked as Crescent floated off his shoulder. There was no friendliness in his tone, especially with his sword moved in front of him. Maria let go of Reina, picking up her staff where she dropped it.
"Oh-ho, no." The man said, raising one of his razor sharp claws. "I'm right where I should be."
"You sure about that?" Alister had the right idea, bringing his sword up in a fighting stance. Vyrdrun joined him, the tip of his lance pointed at the man.
"Heh, heh, heh." The man laughed darkly as he leaned forward. "Jaunt!"
He disappeared. In the same moment, he reappeared in the air next to Alister. Before the red swordsman could pivot his blade, the man thrust his claw forward, sinking it into Alister's exposed neck.
"Alister!" Galen cried out.
Vyrdrun quickly swiped his lance around Alister, slamming into the man. A fur-covered arm was brought up to block it, though he was still knocked to the side. He landed deftly on the ground, wings splayed to his sides.
Alister dropped to his knee, gasping for air. The blood poor in, making his breaths wet.
"Lesser creatures should know their place! Heh, heh, heh." The man stood proudly, arms out to his sides as well. "Bow before the great Demon Lord Karth!"
Author's Notes:
The Wave wasn't too bad. Which, of course, means something else needs to show up and ruin the moment. Reina's had it too good for too long. (In the world, since she spent over a week traveling with nothing bad happening.)
To Omnitrickery, there isn't really a way to group the stories on FF, but a few on AO3 have the Many Worlds Project tag on them. You could just search those words in FF and narrow it by Shield Hero category and you'll find them. Also, I think you're confusing what the Rage Shield could do. It's more of a last resort thing to keep heroes fighting instead of giving up/killing themselves. Same with Blood Sacrifice, consuming much of his HP and gaining a curse that reduced stats to deliver a single powerful attack.