Alpha Instinct-Chapter 87: "Curtains of Fire"

Kaleb, with a surprising focus for someone who had recently been cowering in fear, extended his hands towards the cave ceiling. "Curtains of fire!" he whispered, almost inaudibly, but with an unexpected intensity.

Evelyn, watching him from the corner of her eye, rolled her eyes, an incredulous smile on her lips. "I can’t believe it... even in this situation, he had to whisper the name of the skill?" she muttered to herself.

Dancing flames appeared in the air, forming an undulating barrier that stretched across a large part of the cave ceiling. It wasn’t an intense, destructive fire, but rather a radiant, controlled heat that quickly made the air above thin and breathing difficult up there.

The Ember Goliaths, in mid-flight, immediately felt the effect. Their lift diminished drastically, and their wings, previously powerful, now beat with difficulty. They lost altitude, forced to descend towards the ground.

"Kaleb, you’re the best mage in the world!" Leonard shouted, his voice filled with relief and genuine admiration, as he drew Smiling and Absolution.

Without wasting time, he ran towards the first Ember Goliath that was approaching the ground, still dazed by the sudden change in the environment.

Leonard activated his ELEV, releasing his energy to the maximum. With a swift and precise movement, he delivered a vertical slash, aiming for the creature’s wings. A deafening metallic clang reverberated through the cave, but the damage was minimal, almost imperceptible. Leonard’s blades, sharp as razors, barely scratched the rocky hide of the Goliath. The reason was obvious: they were made of volcanic stone, almost marble.

Evelyn, who was watching Leonard run towards the first Goliath, noticed imminent danger. Another gargoyle, taking advantage of Leonard’s distraction, was diving towards him, ready to attack.

Without hesitation, Evelyn activated her ELEV and cast Subterfuge Level 2. Her imposing wings of death, black as night, manifested, rustling softly. The cave, plunged in darkness, offered an abundance of shadows.

In the blink of an eye, Evelyn vanished, teleporting from her original position to Leonard’s shadow. From there, she pushed off, activating "Shadow Daggers." A dark, vibrant energy enveloped her daggers, extending beyond the blades, like spectral claws.

With a fluid and deadly movement, she leaped, striking the gargoyle mid-air, driving her energized daggers into the creature’s throat, between the stone plates and its head—a weak point in its natural armor.

Kaleb, observing the scene with a mixture of disbelief and admiration, couldn’t help but speak. "Did Evelyn really just jump onto a gargoyle?" he thought. "That woman has colder blood than the southern glaciers," he said quietly to himself.

Evelyn, beating her black wings forcefully, struggled against the thin air near the cave ceiling. She managed, at the last moment, to glide towards the ground just before releasing the gargoyle. Continue your journey with novelbuddy

The creature, out of control, crashed violently against the ground. The impact generated a deafening roar, raising a dense cloud of dust and debris.

Visibility was drastically reduced. The dust made breathing difficult and irritated the eyes. Nobody could see clearly, but from the violence of the impact, everything indicated that the gargoyle had been taken down.

"It was that, or Leonard would be dead," Evelyn thought, with a mix of relief and concern.

Leonard, still focused on his original target, activated his electric Battle Aura. Blue sparks crackled around him. "If I can’t cut you, I’ll pound you to dust," he thought, with fierce determination.

Twirling his swords, he held them by the blunt side of the blade, preparing for a blunt attack.

With a burst of speed, Leonard advanced towards the gargoyle, which, surprisingly agile for a stone creature, dodged the first attack. Leonard’s blow passed centimeters from the Goliath’s left leg, displacing the air with force.

"Damn, this stone birdie must be rare or higher," he thought.

Leonard rolled on the ground, seeking to regain his balance and prepare a new attack. But, during the roll, the gargoyle’s eyes ignited, becoming red like two incandescent suns. An intense and precise cauterizing ray of light shot from its eyes.

The ray struck Leonard’s leg squarely. He fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. A clean hole, the size of a gold coin, formed in his thigh, the flesh around it instantly cauterized.

The strong smell of burnt flesh mixed with the light smoke emanating from the wound. Leonard, clutching his leg with trembling hands, felt excruciating pain. It was a serious wound.

He tried to stand up, but his leg didn’t respond. "Damn, damn, damn, if it had hit my chest, I wouldn’t even feel the pain..." Leo thought.

Evelyn, still lost in the dust cloud, heard Leonard’s cry, muffled by Silverin’s sobs and crying. Helplessness washed over her. She could do nothing at that moment, unable to see through the dense curtain of dust.

The gargoyle, Leonard’s target, slowly walked towards him, who was fallen and defenseless. The monster’s eyes lit up again, intensifying the red glow. A high-pitched whistle, like that of a stoked fire, grew in intensity, accompanying the increase in luminescence.

Suddenly, a flash cut through the air, followed by a deafening thunderclap, inside the cave.

Mikaela, propelled by divine fury, leaped between Leonard and the gargoyle, brandishing Kalendor above her head. "Pay for your sins, demonic creature!" she shouted, her voice vibrating with power. The sacred sword shone intensely, as if it were a fragment of the sun itself.

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With a cataclysmic crash, Kalendor struck the gargoyle’s head. At the exact moment of impact, the creature released its eye attack. A sphere of incandescent fire exploded, throwing Mikaela far away.

She fell heavily to the ground, unconscious.

Xavier, who had managed to locate the spot where Evelyn landed with the first Goliath, took advantage of the opportunity. Focusing all his ELEV, he fired with "Sharpshot." The bolt whizzed through the dust cloud, opening a clear path in its wake, such was the force of the shot.

The gargoyle, which was still agonizing but alive, was struck squarely in the head. The sound of cracking rock echoed, and the bolt embedded itself deep in its skull, silencing it instantly.

The last remaining gargoyle, seeing the opportunity, advanced on Xavier, who was unprotected and surprised.

With a swift and brutal swipe of its claws, the creature opened a deep gash in the crossbowman’s chest, throwing him far away, along with his weapon. Xavier fell heavily, blood spurting from the wound.

Silverin, seeing the scene before her eyes, cut one of her wrists and cried out.