Alpha Instinct-Chapter 75: "Black Smoke and Burning Steel"

Leonard, eager to get going, was determined to leave. "Let’s go. We don’t have time for this," he told the group firmly.

Mikaela, however, ran up to him and firmly grasped his hand with both of hers. She pulled him close, looking into his eyes with an almost desperate intensity. "Please, Leonard..." she pleaded, "...we need to help them..."

Leonard, initially resistant, looked at Mikaela impatiently. "Mikaela..." he began, in a protesting tone, but then his eyes met hers. He hesitated, softening at the plea in her gaze. "Aaaahhhh... Alright, alright," he relented, with a sigh. "But if it takes more than two days, I’m heading out on my own."

"Thank you, Leonard! You’re the best!" Mikaela said, relieved and enthusiastic.

"And where are we going, exactly?" Leonard asked, already regretting his decision a little.

Mikaela replied, with a tone that mixed urgency and mystery, "To Armeria’s dungeon."

Leonard stared at her, confused. "What do you mean, dungeon?"

Evelyn, seeing Leonard’s confusion, explained, "It’s a common phenomenon. Every relatively large city ends up spawning a nearby dungeon, a place where monsters congregate."

Leonard frowned. "And does that have anything to do with the Leirions’ drive to exterminate?" he asked, trying to connect the dots.

"More or less," Evelyn replied, with a nod. "Dungeons act as a kind of... balancing force, let’s say. A way to concentrate the Leirion threat in relatively contained areas, near population centers with a strong Neumond presence."

Having decided on their new, temporary course, they returned to the Cat’s Alley Inn and rented a large room, enough to accommodate the four of them, prioritizing safety over comfort.

The sun was already rising in Armeria when the group got up, saddling their horses.

"I’m gonna miss the breakfast here," Kaleb grumbled, with a dramatic sigh. "Actually, I’m gonna miss any decent place to eat."

Evelyn, surprisingly, smiled and agreed with Kaleb, "Gotta admit, the food here was actually pretty good. A welcome break from trail rations."

They mounted their horses and set off towards the dungeon. According to the information they’d gathered, the entrance was about two hours away, a cave almost hidden on a high slope, amidst a huge stone cliff face.

As they approached the location, Mikaela frowned, her face paling. "The air here... it’s heavy. Thick with death and decay," she said, with a shiver.

Evelyn, without dismounting, activated her Eagle Vision. Her eyes, normally brown, glowed with a golden light, allowing her to see through the morning mist and the distance. She scanned the cave entrance, her sharp gaze taking in every detail.

"The entrance is guarded," she announced in a low, tense voice. "Two Black Knights. Big. Strong. Must be undead Neumonds, like the ones in the city."

Leonard nodded, serious. "We need a plan. We can’t just charge in."

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"I could try to blow ’em up," Kaleb suggested, but his voice lacked its usual confidence.

"Too risky," Evelyn disagreed. "Might alert others... or worse, cause a cave-in. We need something more... subtle."

"I could use Phantom Steps to get close," Leonard began.

"And risk getting sliced in half by a giant Black Knight before you even get near?" Mikaela interrupted, concerned. "No way."

A moment of silence followed, while they assessed the situation.

"I’ve got an idea," Evelyn said, finally, with a sly grin. "Leonard, you’re going to be the bait. Use your fluidity to draw their attention, but don’t engage directly. Keep ’em busy. Mikaela, you stick with Kaleb, keep him safe. As soon as I give the signal, Kaleb, hit one of them with one of your heavy-hitter fire spells, but aim for the legs. Take one down; the other one gets easier."

"And you?" Leonard asked.

"I’ll handle the rest," Evelyn replied, with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

The plan was risky, but it was the best they had. Leonard took a deep breath, steeling himself.

"Right," he said. "Let’s do this."

He spurred his horse, leaving the cover of the trees and charging towards the cave entrance. The two Black Knights, imposing figures in their dark, corroded armor, immediately turned towards him, metal creaking ominously.

Leonard stopped at a safe distance, sizing up his foes. They were bigger than he’d imagined, mounted on skeletal horses that snorted black smoke from their nostrils. The knights’ swords, long and rusted, looked bloodthirsty.

He needed to buy time.

With a yell, Leonard charged, drawing his swords. He activated his ELEV and used "Blade Flux". His body moving with blurring speed, he narrowly dodged the first knight’s attack. The sword whistled past his head, the air displaced by its force.

The other Black Knight charged at him, swinging his sword with brutal strength. Leonard used Phantom Steps, disappearing in a bluish blur and reappearing behind the enemy, but he didn’t attack, just taunted. The goal was to divert the knights’ attention away from his friends.

Evelyn, taking advantage of the distraction Leonard created, activated her ELEV and subterfuge. She ran silently through the shadows, circling the combat area. Her objective: to flank the Black Knights. Her movements were precise and fluid, almost imperceptible in the dim light of the forest.

Meanwhile, Leonard continued his deadly dance with the undead. He dodged, spun, and blocked blows with both swords, using "Blade Flux" to avoid the knights’ powerful attacks. He was buying time for Evelyn and Kaleb.

One of the knights, frustrated with Leonard’s agility, let out a guttural roar and swung with all his might. Leonard, anticipating the movement with temporal cognition, used Phantom Steps to evade, disappearing in a blue blur and reappearing behind the enemy. But this time, he didn’t just dodge. He counterattacked, swiftly, aiming for a specific point: the joint of the knight’s knee armor.

Smiling’s blade found a chink in the armor, piercing deep. The Black Knight staggered, letting out a death rattle—a harsh, inhuman sound.

Evelyn, who had already reached her position, saw the opening. It was time.

"KALEB! NOW!" she shouted, at the top of her lungs.

Kaleb, who had been concentrating, gathering energy in his staff, heard the signal. He raised his staff and unleashed a new fire spell. A smaller, more elegant version of Vulcan.

"Solar Complex!" Kaleb yelled.

A spiral of flames erupted from Kaleb’s staff, cutting through the air like an incandescent beam, and struck the leg of the Black Knight that Leonard had wounded.

"Does he really have to shout the name of his spells every single time?" Mikaela quipped with a smile.

The fire engulfed the knight’s leg, melting the armor’s metal and burning the putrid flesh beneath. The Black Knight let out a horrendous shriek, a demonic sound. It fell to its knees, unable to support itself.

Evelyn, without wasting a moment, seized the opportunity to finish it off. With a precise leap, she used "Shadow Blade" and plunged her two daggers into the base of the knight’s skull, where the armor offered no protection.

A morbid silence followed. The Black Knight, once imposing, now lay inert on the ground, a heap of burnt flesh and twisted metal.

But the battle wasn’t over. The other Black Knight, witnessing his companion’s fall, let out a roar of fury and charged at the group, his ferocity redoubled.

"Mikaela, look out!" Leonard shouted, perceiving the imminent danger.