Portal Grinding Volume 2 Part 4

Ignis discreetly positioned herself between Slytha and her master, sensing the new threat immediately. Slytha was content with the development, beaming at Ignis and praising her prowess in battle.

“Aren’t you bothered by the loss of life on your side of the conflict?” John questioned Slytha skeptically.

“War and **** will always lead to loss, this is a fact our people have come to terms with long ago,” she answered smoothly.

John contemplated her answer for a few moments as they continued walking back towards the city. The sun was setting on the horizon and, curiously, three moons were rising. One moon was full, one seemed to be in a waning crescent phase, and the other seemed to be in a waxing gibbous phase.

“You sacrificed many warriors to the bloodthirst of your summons, Slytha. Will your people be angry with you?” John continued his questioning.

Slytha seemed to stiffen as she answered in a careful tone, “I speak and enact the will of Shihai; any who oppose me are heretics.”

So that’s how it is, John thought.

Ignis’ flames burned with a pulsing heat, washing over everyone like waves on a beach. Slytha and the Slikopethaki basked in the warmth with content smiles, though Calista and John were much less comfortable.

They reached the crest of the sand dune where Slytha had welcomed John and his summons soon and without much more talk, John deep in thought on how to proceed with his quest.

Maybe it was a typo? A minor miscalculation? An error in the code? It’s not like the Developer has proven themself as infallible; there's been some pretty shitty des-

-10 hp

John flinched as a sharp pain pierced his mind, cutting his thoughts short. Calista was quick to ease his discomfort and bring him back to full health, though he had no easy answer for her questioning eyes.

Right, right, all powerful being who controls my existence. No talking shit.

A soft ding! signaled an incoming pop-up.

Achievement Unlocked!
Good Boy: Immediately recognize punishable behavior after being punished.
+1 pat

John rolled his eyes and dismissed the pop-up.

Fucking… Fuck it. I'll just kill the bitch. I can't do it with who I have here, though; her summons would kill us instantly.

"Master?" Calista's concerned voice steeled his resolve.

John cast Call Summon, and a pillar of sand erupted at his feet. Barely a foot in diameter, it split in two, forming a helix pattern shooting up to John's right shoulder. Elora's summoning circle glowed orange in the sand where the pillar met the ground. The twisting sand formed Elora's tiny figure, filling it out and then pulsing with a green light as it compacted itself progressively tighter. What should have been at least ten times as much sand as was needed to create her tiny form poured into her, making her incredibly dense and noticeably heavy on John's shoulder. Her ruby eyes shone with pride as she saluted him, ready for battle.

"Elora, reporting for duty, Chief."

"I would have really prefered that you and I had a talk about your powers before I threw you into battle, but sometimes these kinds of things can't be helped," John voiced his **** to his newest summon.

"Battle? The battle is over, companion of the Flame. Do you sense a danger that I do not see?" Slytha started searching the horizon for threats, but her new enemies were right in front of her.

Squad Deployed!
Elora Demoted to Level 10!
Aerial Squad Alpha Promoted to Level 1!
Aerial Squad Beta Promoted to Level 1!

John was bombarded with new pop-ups as eight Pebble Pixies formed out of the sand at his feet, four to either side of him. Their uniforms looked like simplified versions of Elora's, and their eyes were sapphires rather than rubies. Thin sapphire wings sprouted from the backs of their uniforms, whirring rapidly, reminiscent of hummingbirds. John felt Elora get noticeably lighter on his shoulder as they flew up to eye level and saluted.

"Aerial Squad Alpha, reporting for duty!"

"Aerial Squad Beta, reporting for duty!"

Their adorably high pitched voices rang out in unison as four by four they introduced themselves. John cast Observe on them.

Level 1 Aerial Squad Pixies, "The Gamer's Air ****"
Tiny Earthen Fae, created by Elora to protect and serve her master. Extremely agile. 1 dmg/s

This is perfect for the situation… hopefully.

John loosened his stance, ready to pounce on Slytha. Elora's green aura flashed, then seemed to melt into John's aura.

"Alright, ladies! Battle formation! Execute combat drill Sierra-Papa-India-November! Go Go Go!" Elora shouted orders in an authoritative staccato and the pixies immediately flew up high.

Layla walked back to her dorm at what she felt was an appropriately casual pace, her bare feet pounding rapidly on the floor as she sped down the stairs.

Elevator's too fucking slow for fuck's sake.

She unlocked the door and threw it open, immediately walking in and slamming it shut, stripping out of her skimpy top and dress hastily on the way to her bedroom. Her breasts swung around annoyingly as she freed them, making it more difficult to restrain them again in a burgundy sports bra. She pulled a pair of cutoff denim shorts over the bikini bottoms and attempted to storm towards the door again, hopping on one foot as she pulled on a pair of socks and stumbling as she tried to lace up a pair of black boots. She fell over, letting out a small oof as she hit the ground. She finished lacing up her boots and jumped to her feet again, the sports bra keeping her chest from being as annoying as it was on the way down the stairs. A Firesmith Martials club letterman jacket pulled her look together; she lifted it off a hook next to the door as she violently exited her dorm.

Amelie sat in the living room on the couch, her finger poised to skip the song on her mp3 player. She stayed like that, frozen in shock for what felt like years.

What kind of monster did they pair me up with?

Ignis pounced on one of the banshees, the two of them tumbling down the sand dune in a flurry of blows. The banshee that Ignis attacked started shrieking halfway down the slope. Slytha shrieked in fear as John dual cast Fireball, aiming one at the remaining banshee and the other at Slytha. He released them.

Glancing Hit! Elemental Resistance! 50 dmg (Slytha)

Fireball is supposed to do 200! Quarter damage?

The Banshee dodged his attack easily and shot towards him, her voice joining her sister's shrieking. The pixies dove in front of her, peppering her with a blur of attacks that intercepted her charge. Her wailing became warbled in what John assumed was confusion and frustration as she swiped at the air with no success. Slytha took off towards the city, stumbling down the sand dune in her panic. John pursued her, managing to cut off her escape by casting Flames in an arc and knocking her over, spraying sand as she dove forward headfirst.

Resisted! 25 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
Resisted! 25 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
Resisted! 25 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
****!(B1)
Crit! 2 dmg(B2)

Ignis howled in victory as she bounded back up the sand dune, the banshee she had been fighting reduced to a lump of charcoal with a feminine figure. The pixies started flying in circles around the second banshee, whirling so fast they started spraying sand outwards. They took turns swooping in to swipe at their enemy with fingertips sharpened into claws. John circled around Slytha, casting Sparks. She writhed and spasmed on the ground until Ignis crested the sand dune and pounced on her, ending her life.

10 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
10 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
10 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
10 dmg(Slytha)
1 dmg(B2)
1 dmg(B2)
****!(Slytha)

The second banshee stopped wailing when Ignis killed Slytha, slumping to the ground. The pixies stopped their **** and formed ranks in the air when their enemy fell. They saluted, hovering in two rows and four columns at John's eye level.

"Immediate threats eliminated, stand by for emergency support, execute disengaged drill Echo-Sierra-Charlie-Oscar-Romeo-Tango," Elora’s commanding tone rang out again.

The pixies split off in pairs: one pair orbiting Ignis’ head, one pair orbiting Calista’s head, one pair orbiting John’s head, and the final pair circling high above the entire group. Ignis hopped and yipped at the pixies, playfully snapping her jaws at them knowing they could easily evade her. Calista gazed curiously at her miniature satellites, her eyes following one or the other as they entered and exited her field of vision. John grinned at his escort and watched their determined expressions fly by.

“Right, so that should take care of our quest. Ignis?” John broke the short silence.

The fox quirked her head at her summoner questioningly in response.

“Take us home.”

Layla stopped her mad dash in the middle of the alley that separated her dorm building from the one next door. The fire escape was out of reach, too high to reach from the ground. All the way at the end of the alley, the fire escape had a landing on each floor that stretched from the end of the building to the last window in the row. Each floor had a door at the end of the building that provided fire escape access, but each dorm at the end of the halls had direct access through their windows.

What a fucky design choice, Layla grumbled mentally.

The dumpster that students were expected to throw their trash into was at the mouth of the alley, allowing for ease of access for both students and waste collection trucks. It was also out of reach to climb onto and use as a boost to get up to the fire escape.

Of course the fucky design choice that would have helped me out here wasn’t made.

She grew more agitated and kicked a pile of discarded cardboard boxes. The motion made a clicking sound come from her jacket pocket, similar to dice being shaken before a roll. She reached in and pulled out the pair of Aura Crystals from Enchantment class. Hers was still clear and empty, but his was full of mana. Recalling the lesson, she picked up a medium sized box and flattened it. She set his crystal on the center of the box and stomped on it, infusing the improvised platform with magic. There was a woosh of energy, then Layla found herself a couple feet above the building. The cardboard hovered for a few seconds, then started to arc downwards. Layla didn’t have time to scream before she hit the fire escape, angling her descent towards the sudden re-emergence of John’s aura on pure instinct.

Dungeon Quest Complete!

Rewards:

+2000 Bonus Exp.
+$1000

Optional Objective Rewards:

Optional Objectives Failed

“Ah fuck, her banshee shits ruined my optional objectives,” John grumbled as they stepped over the threshold and back into his dorm. Elora chuckled from her perch on his shoulder, the group’s mood more relaxed now that the barrier was behind them. “Ignis, I have to send you back to the temple now, okay?”

She whined quietly as John rubbed the flames on the side of her head and cast Dismiss Summon. She disappeared in a soft flash of orange light. Calista and the rest of the pixies entered his dorm behind John, spreading out into the space.

“At ease!” Elora called out, and the pixies swarmed together from their posts around their allies. They formed a giggly flock and started flying around the coffee table, circling faster and faster until a gust was formed and then immediately switching directions and starting again. John watched them for a few minutes, slightly entranced by the strange movements, before walking out into the hallway that bisected his dorm.

Whump

John snapped his head to the left, a noise having come from right outside his window. He readied a Fireball in his right hand as he crept down the hallway.