Taking Geiger Ruins meant longer travel and more uncertainty, whereas Veiled Coast was at least safe when Dokibell passed by.
“By the way, when exactly did Dokibell visit the Veiled Coast?” asked Brofen.
“Two weeks ago,” Sennefer deadpanned.
“...”
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. “Two weeks... Whoever went there should be gone by now. I don’t think a powerful monster or some demon would suddenly go to the Veiled Coast and see it as home.”
“It’s probably a demon living in level 3,” Vifet added. “By going to the Veiled Coast, it should be heading to the Demon Monastery at the other side of the Veiled Sea.”
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 Dokibell’s 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 wasn’t exactly going at full speed because Dokibell always believed that “rest is king”.
Still, the creature wouldn’t 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 Palace—a monster enchantress constantly covered in an icy aura, standing in the middle of their way.
Her face couldn’t be seen in the gloomy distance. However, her white, messy hair rampaging in the wind somewhat reminded people of Sennefer.
“What’s the plan?” Dokibell talked to the team using its gruff voice. “That thing looks wicked. Maybe we should pick somewhere safe and wait until she goes away?”
“Keep going.” Sennefer ordered. “Kill her if she gets in the way.”
“But... you see, she’s not doing anything to us yet.”
“Yet. So what? You think that thing’s friendly? Just go.”
Dokibell didn’t 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.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go that way.” Dokibell was still trying to bargain with Sennefer. “But you’ll help me deal with that thing, kay?”
Sennefer clenched her teeth as she ran out of patience. “One more unnecessary word and I’ll make you go swimming in the Veiled Sea!”
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 Dokibell’s casual aura with a more aggressive one.
Angor tried to inspect the snow enchantress when he still had time for it. The monster’s 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.
“Yiiiaaarw!”
The ice attack sank inside her body and didn’t 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 monster’s body was vaporized. But soon, it reappeared inside a puff of white air.
“Yee he hee ha haaaw!”
Along with the monster’s 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 didn’t 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 Angor’s 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 couldn’t 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.
“Watch it!” Madelyne hurried to Angor’s side. But she wasn’t fast enough—the monster’s sharp nail was only a few inches away from Angor’s heart.
Everyone flinched as they expected to see blood. But what they had in mind didn’t happen. As soon as the monster’s claw reached Angor’s spot, Angor’s body teleported to the other side of the chapel.
What welcomed the monster’s attack was a wall of flame instead. The flame attack was too weak compared to the monster’s icy power. With a simple claw swipe, she extinguished it.
“Wait, how did he pull that off?” Brofen wondered.
He wasn’t 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 wouldn’t 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 couldn’t tell what exactly Angor used to get out of there.
“Soul ejection, sequence of gravity, a fire-based cantrip, and then return to his body?”
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 wasn’t 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 Angor’s own strength.
“Or is there another way to cast elementalist cantrips when in his soul form? Hmm...”
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 Angor’s 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.
“... You’re not hurt, Angor?”
“I’m fine, ma’am. Thank you.”
Madelyne nodded and stopped talking, much to the disappointment of others. But nobody would actually push for an answer right now.
“See that? You don’t need me,” said Dokibell.
“Using an ice attack against a snow enchantress. Hitting an elemental body with a claw?” Sennefer scoffed. “If only your brain looked as big as your head...”
“Come oooon. This is my first time seeing an elemental monster.”
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.