“If I defeat this Flaudia...maybe I’ll become a goddess,” she said.
“What?! Angel!” I shouted. That came out of left field. Who could have expected an angel to try and usurp the very goddess she served? Well, given the presence of Fallen Angels, maybe it’s not uncommon for angels to turn on their masters. My curiosity aside, my Skill had definitely made things more complicated. We were meant to defeat the goddess in this quest, not create a new one. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious where that plotline would go, but this wasn’t the time!
“You’ve been a goddess for a long time, Flaudia. Don’t you think it’s time you pass the baton to some young and pretty angel like me? Then you could serve me, Sharon. What an honor that would be for you,” Angel said, tone smug.
I hated to break it to Angel, but she wasn’t an improvement on Flaudia by any means. “And while we were talking, Flaudia readied herself to attack again!”
“Oh, fine. Since I am an angel of your summoning now... Angelic Shields!” Angel raised her hands before her and used a defensive Skill that generated a line of shields, each decorated with an adorable pair of angel wings. Angel’s pride in her appearance wasn’t unfounded—even her Skill was cute. Flaudia raised her staff and shot a bolt of lightning—which was easily deflected by the row of shields.
“What? You’re super strong, Angel!” I said.
“I know. You can always remind me, though,” Angel replied, beaming with pride. “I am the one who deserves to be a goddess!” she exclaimed, swinging a divine halberd. All she had to do was gently wave her weapon in the air for a gust of wind and a powerful blow to send Flaudia flying and crashing into the wall at the far end of the clearing.
“How strong is Angel?” Kent asked, all recovered now.
“That won’t stop her,” Angel said. “Even though I am super cute, strong, and powerful, I’m only Flaudia’s servant. My attacks alone won’t defeat Goddess Flaudia.” That was why she needed us, she explained.
Despite her aggressive attitude, Angel’s Skills were more focused on support. Her attack, or several of them, would not be enough to defeat a boss. But...Angel was summoned by my Skill, I realized. She may become stronger as I gain levels and improve my equipment.
I put distance between myself and Flaudia, scanning the entire battlefield. Our damage from Flaudia had been healed. Thanks to Angel’s defenses, we now had room to breathe. We had to seize our chance and attack Flaudia all at once.
“Mio, cover me! Smiting Light, Smiting Light, Smiting Light...” I went on tripling everyone’s Attack for the coming barrage.
Meanwhile, Mio took care of our usual protective buffs. “Regeneration, Mana Rations, Goddess’s Protection!”
Then, Angel fluttered her wings and floated into the air. “Fine. If this will help me become a goddess... Angel’s Blessing!” When she used her Skill, something shimmering rained down from the sky. It must have been a buff because I felt a new strength course through me.
“All right, let’s do this! Taunt! Steadfast Leader!”
Seeing that Kent had secured Flaudia’s attention, everyone fired off their Skills.
“Hero’s Strike!”
“Dragon Lance!”
“Purrtion Throw!”
“Merciless Retribution!”
“Dark Whispers.”
“Icy Rose!”
“True Strike!”
“Weave and Shimmer, My Blades a Thousand!”
Their Skills combined into a whirlwind of light. When playing the game, the visual effects from Skills had sometimes overloaded the screen—I’d never expected to experience that in real life. Without even realizing it, I was holding my breath. Still, it didn’t mean we’d defeated Flaudia. I jumped back into support mode, assisting everyone’s attacks. “Smiting Light, Rainbow Rejuvenation, Holy Maiden’s Boon...” Flaudia would be attacking again soon, so I couldn’t let our defenses or healing slip through the cracks either. Mio and Leroy couldn’t cover it all on their own. But we’re close... We have to be!
Panting, Frey chucked a potion bottle aside. “One more time, Sharon!” she shouted.
“Smiting Light!” I’d used the Skill without even thinking.
“This should be it!” Frey said.
“Frey, do you mean—”
“My Hero’s Intuition tells me so! Now is the time to use this Skill!” Frey leaped into the air, the sword in her hand glowing red, its light reflected in her eyes. “Take this! Sword Sharpened by Bravery!”
“How could...mere humans...?!”
While Flaudia’s dying scream reverberated around us, I sprinted across the room. Stretching out my hands, I just managed to catch Frey before she collapsed to the floor. “Heal Absolutely, Holy Maiden’s Boon, Moonlight, Starlight! Frey, hold on! Can you hear me?!”
With ragged breaths, Frey answered me. “I thought...I was going to die...” Then, she passed out, despite the effects of my Skills.
“Frey!” I cried, trying—and failing—to stand up with her in my arms.
Rudith ran over and scooped her from my embrace. “Lottie, what’s going on?!”
Everyone else was running over too, Frey’s name on their frantically moving lips.
“The Skill Frey used... It’s like she spent all of her strength for it, save for a sliver of HP. Did you see how powerful it was?” In the game, I supposed, it would have spent all her mana and all but 1 HP. Thank goodness the Skill didn’t demand Frey’s entire life.
“That was something else,” Rudith said. “Is she...knocked out?”
“Yes. I’ve healed her, and she doesn’t look sick. It’s like her body is sleeping so she can recover,” I said.
“Got it. I’m glad she’ll be all right,” Rudith said, and the rest of the party echoed his relief.
“What is that?!” Tarte yelped.
I turned to follow her gaze. Where Flaudia had stood, there were only particles of light. Just as I thought they were going to dissipate like any other defeated monster, the light particles rearranged themselves into the shape of a staff. The staff shone with a mystical aura and was wrapped in multiple layers of fabric. A glimmering white jewel shone atop it and its handle was made of crystal, shining with layered blue and green light. Apparently, it wasn’t a dropped item but a guaranteed reward for defeating Flaudia.
“It’s made from light? Ameowzing...” Tarte breathed dreamily—the others seemed to share her sentiment.
“Goddess Flaudia’s...staff.” I slowly approached the staff and reached for it.
Just before my hand touched it, a voice said, “Wait!” Angel was suddenly right beside me. “If I take that staff, it may make me a goddess...!”
Right. She wants to be a goddess. Seeing the anticipation in her eyes, I couldn’t tell Angel no. Besides, it was thanks to her that we’d made it through this fight. But I wanted that staff because I’d never seen it, even in the game.
Angel seemed to pay no mind to my opinions. “A worthy staff for me,” she declared, reaching her hand for it...but she couldn’t touch it. “What?! What is this supposed to mean?!” Angel reached again and again for the staff, but her hand passed through it as though it were a hologram or something.
“Hmm... Looks like you weren’t worthy of the staff,” Rudith said.
Angel’s cheeks reddened in outrage, and she turned her back upon the staff. “Fine. That’s just Flaudia’s staff. There’s a better one out there somewhere, meant for me.”
“How does this work?” Rudith asked as he reached for the staff and watched his hand pass through it. “I can’t grab it either. Maybe it has to be Lottie.”
“This is a dungeon built for the Holy Maiden. I think the staff is meant for Meowster.”
All eyes shifted to me.
“I-In that case...” Tentatively, I touched the staff. I could feel it against my fingertips, and my hand didn’t pass through it. “This staff is...” I picked it up in my hand—it was as light as a feather. The handle was bronze colored, old and worn. The embedded crystals and jewels, along with the adornments of wings and ribbons, gave it a mystical feel.