. I thought about how our location looked to mortal eyes. There would be nothing visible to Brigitte except what the [Fireball] and the [Fairy Light] lit. The space beyond, both above us and down the two corridors, receded into pitch black in her vision. Brigitte had asked a valid question, but I pointed at the ‘outrider’. “Diur gave us …
Chapter 257 – Dive
. After a moment to steel myself, I fortified my body, nose-dived and dropped my wings. It would probably have been better if I’d had more than the smattering of experience in Grandmother’s pond. Especially since, at that time, I had been still an absolute beginner at [Naiad’s Breath] (the name my grandmother gave to the skill of underwater breathing.) …
Chapter 256 – Preparation
. Once we set down on the ‘island’ — or rather, one of the strips of land against the cavern wall that Diurhimath was calling an ‘island’– I delivered Brigitte back to the ground. “I’m getting really sick of getting carried this way,” she groused. We were standing on a hummock rising behind the grasses and rushes along the shore. …
Chapter 255 – Spirit Craft and Wizardry
. Brigitte and I both immediately bristled at Diurhimath’s sudden declaration. The last thing either one of us wanted to do after working so hard to get here was to turn around and leave. I was trying to come up with a reasoned response, so Brigitte retorted first. “We aren’t leaving until when we’ve got what we came for!” He …
Chapter 254 – Diurhimath
. I had to stabilize my sense after the depressing discovery of the mud-choked passage shook my control, but before I could look for the next entrance, I noticed something approaching me. Extending the vampire sense into the distance requires concentration, but while it’s active, I see the close range area surrounding me constantly. Close in, my fairy sense is …
Chapter 253 – Shadow Exploration
. I used the same gentle, mostly muscle-power flight I used before. Whether an archfiend was coming or not, I believed it would be best to keep my Wind mana signature as low as I could. The boost to my wing lift from mana is almost invisible to fairy sight, because I’m merely transferring air pressure from the top surface …
Chapter 252 – Another Reunion
. Jurmat looked at Brigitte, then me, then calmly sheathed his sword and held his empty hands out. Then he dematerialized his wings and turned 360, which I suppose was intended to show he wasn’t hiding anything. For this encounter, he had dressed in fairly typical adventurer’s gear, jack and leather kilt, with heavy socks similar to what I had …
Chapter 251 – Forest Fight
. The abrupt motions of the demons must have set off the alraune’s defensive instincts. She let out a cry somewhat like a woman’s scream, but with the overtones of a big cat’s snarl as she reared back with her arms spread, hands curling into claws. Her tendrils sprang up from the ground in a warding posture. While the wraiths …
Chapter 250 – Alraune
. It was a patrol of wraiths and hags on foot. That was fortunate in one way; we had time to react. But it was unfortunate in another; they would be inspecting the ground as they walked it. They were coming long enough after we put out the fire that I didn’t think they had spotted the smoke, but if …
Chapter 249 – Resting and Rethinking
. After I finished the exchange with Dilorè, I asked Lucy, who still seemed to be worried about demons, “Can you protect yourself if you have enough Healing mana, Lucy?” She seemed to be struggling a little to understand, so I handed it off to Durandal. “Old man, can you explain what I’m asking to her?” Absolutely, My Lady, he …

