[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 137 – Street Brawl

“You think you’re better than us because you’re Iron?!” Gwen roared, crashing into an armored orc.

A bolt of lightning struck the orc’s side, scorching and buckling his heavy plate. Right on the bolt’s heels, an arrow surrounded by swirling water punched a hole into the thick plating.

Aspect Skill: [Thunderbolt]

Aspect Skill: [Drillshot]

Perched up on a nearby rooftop, Thomas and Logan looked at one another, then at their handiwork. They bumped fists and got back to work supporting the rest of the Magi.

“Komachi could do more with Copper than you could with High Iron!” Sylvie screamed, curb stomping some poor soul who got on her bad side.

The Magi were out in force. As usual, they were making a spectacle of things. Crowds of people came to watch the new Coppers take on a group of trained Irons.

It should have been a massacre.

Two Defenders moved side by side into a flanking position. Jacob battered an orc’s face bloody with his shield, then braced for the countering sword strike.

Shrubley’s bushy body rolled around another orc, then bounced into the air, slashing out in a flurry of strikes against the Iron.

A wave of concussive force ripped out of Gwen’s howl, passing harmlessly over Jacob and Shrubley but staggering the Iron orcs out of their fighting stance.

Aspect Skill: [Howl at the Moon]

They foolishly twisted away from their opponents, their ire drawn to the Berserker that was becoming the anchoring center of the battle.

Gwen leapt into the sky, her shadow eclipsing the Battlerager orc in full heavy plate mail that was stuck on his back like an upended turtle. Gravity aspect outlined her large, war painted frame in vibrant purplish red mana.

Aspect Skill: [Falling Meteor]

Crashing down, Gwen’s [Molten Colossal Hammer] landed a direct blow on the Battlerager’s chest. The armor bent inwards, but did not break. The cobbles beneath flattened into a crater as Gravity mana flowed out, then rushed back in, drawing in multiple Iron orcs.

The orcs dug their boots into the cobbles, slowing themselves down and digging deep trenches in the street.

Gwen did not relent. Frozen chains erupted out of her viking armor, ensnaring the orcs and pulling them into a pile on top of the first prone Battlerager.

Aspect Skill: [Fenrir’s Frozen Chains]

This was a rare opportunity. Iron competitors possessed increased resilience against lower ranks, which included the Magi’s strongest fighters at High Copper.

Rank resilience influenced everything from the effectiveness of aspect skills to the physical damage of a punch and everything in between. Afflictions, effects, and damage were all reduced. And that was before factoring in the gulf in power between an Iron and a Copper.

The Irons should have been wiping the floor with the Coppers, no matter how many there were. Instead, it became clear to the most casual observer that if the Magi had been on equal power with the Iron orcs, the orcs would have been wiped out in the first minute.

Naturally, that drew in every eye, every newshog, and every competitor for miles.

It was little wonder that the draw-in power of [Falling Meteor] hadn’t been able to pull the orcs into the crater on its own. It took combining another aspect skill to get it done. Even then, the orcs had to be weakened by the Magi working together.

Jacob and Shrubley charged into the crater, burying the three tangled orcs with a barrage of heavy hitting aspect skills.

Aspect Skill: [Guilty Blade]

Aspect Skill: [Heroic Smite]

Gwen raised her hammer, enhancing its weight many times over with the [Weight of the Stars] combat art. The cooldown for [Falling Meteor] was too long to be quickly used again. Mustering all her considerable strength, boosted even further with [Primal Mantle], the werewolf slammed the hammer into the pile of orcs.

Metal rang out against metal, resounding like a massive bell being struck.

When one use of [Weight of the Stars] wouldn’t do, Gwen used the combat art again. And again.

Of course, being Irons, some of the orcs survived. Two were able to extricate themselves from the onslaught. Wind whipped around the limbs of one orc, and he tackled Jacob out of the crater.

The difference between an Iron and a Copper was staggering, but it was one that the Magi’s superior tactics and skill overcame.

Any orcs that tried to get out of the crater were immediately corralled back inside. Arrows streaked and exploded into the crater, along with bolts of lightning and a tiny flaring sun that boiled the air and cracked the cobbles with its heat.

These Iron orcs hadn’t been able to figure out how to exclude the powers of their aspect skills from affecting one another. The Magi, on the other hand, were well practiced in shaping magic and wielding aspect skills around allies.

The once-favored Iron orcs struggled to get out of the crater. More often than not, their explosive aspect skills hurt their fellow more than one of the Magi.

Flashes of light went off as the newshogs wasted no time in chronicling this new shift in power among the competitors. The orcs had been one of the winning teams from another Convocation trial, and by the time the crowds had gathered, they were on their last legs.

Mel and Charlie pressed through the crowd and didn’t waste a moment joining in on the chaos. Mel, more than anybody, wanted that extra experience and BP.

Killing one Iron had felt like a massive jump in power. Wiping up his friends? That was just icing on the cake.

Before long, the other Magi realized that not only were the Irons dead, but that Mel and Charlie were fighting side by side with them.

Experience and loot notifications rolled in. The Magi were not ones for half measures. They eliminated the threat fully and took their due rewards.

Runes of power flowed into all the Magi.

Despite not being there for the majority of the battle, Mel still gained a substantial amount of experience.

You defeat (5) [Orc Battleragers (Iron Rank)].

You gain extra runes of Divine, Mist, Blood, Serpent, and Omen aspect experience for slaying higher rank opponents.

You gain extra Battle Points for slaying higher rank opponents.

Your [Crown of Glory] Divine aspect skill advances to [Copper Rank (Grade 3)].

Your [Avatar of Askara] Serpent aspect skill advances to [Copper Rank (Grade 6)].

Your [Omen Mark] Omen aspect skill advances to [Copper Rank (Grade 8)].

(1) [Orcish Sawsword] has been stored in your inventory.

(1) [Poison Edge Knife] has been stored in your inventory.

(1) [Heavy Red Fluted Armor Set] has been stored in your inventory.

(210) [Iron Rune Coins] have been stored in your inventory.

Mel was glad for her new bone ring storage. Otherwise, she would have dropped all that loot to the ground. The last thing she wanted was for the gawkers and competitors to see exactly what she earned from the fight.

Keeping the mystery under lock and key was an advantage she wasn’t willing to give up. Especially when the Magi’s strength had just been on full display, ruining her main ace in the hole.

Now the Magi would be known as “that group of Coppers that took down a full party of Irons” which would make it much harder for anybody to underestimate them.

The rush of power that flowed through Mel’s veins prompted her to look at her status. She felt on the cusp of something greater.

[Mel Harper]

Race: Human

Standing: Vagrant (G-League) [1st Echelon]

Class: Witchblade

Rank: High Copper

Next Rank: Iron (98%)

[==Attributes==]

Strength [Divine Aspect]: Copper (Grade 6)

Agility [Mist Aspect]: Copper (Grade 11)

Vigor [Blood Aspect]: Copper (Grade 8)

Sense [Serpent Aspect]: Copper (Grade 8)

Arcane [Omen Aspect]: Copper (Grade 7)

[==Aspects==]

[Divine Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 6)

        • [Tempest Heart] (Grade 6)

        • [Crown of Glory] (Grade 3)

[Mist Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 11)

        • [Hidden Mist] (Grade 11)

        • [Condensate] (Grade 6)

[Blood Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 8)

        • [Sanguine Coat] (Grade 8)

        • [Blood Magic] (Grade 5)

[Serpent Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 8)

        • [Gaze of the Serpent] (Grade 9)

        • [Avatar of Askara] (Grade 6)

[Omen Aspect] (Copper Rank) (Grade 7)

        • [Omen Mark] (Grade 8)

        • [Bane of Tartarus] (Grade 7)

So close, Mel thought. Maybe I should pick fights with Irons more often?

For some reason, she didn’t think that simply hitting 100% would be as easy as gathering more and more runes of experience.

Otherwise, there would be a lot more Irons out there. Maybe she needed a certain amount of aspect skills, or enough aspect skills at a high enough grade.

Before Mel could ponder her advancement for much longer, Gwen rushed her and Charlie, scooping them both up in her strong arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Urk!” Mel grunted as she was swept off her feet.

“Otenreng, please, no–” Charlie began desperately.

The werewolf hugged them both fiercely.

The Magi formed a ring around the group, keeping the newshogs and anybody who thought they could get a scoop far away. Nobody wanted to mess with a bunch of Coppers who had just taken down a team of Irons.

Mel, from her vantage point up in Gwen’s arms, could see several competitors glaring covetously. For some, this display of power would engender even more hatred and hunger to take them down.

Others would be cowed by the display, putting off plans to fight them or to ambush them until they were sure that their group was stronger than the Magi.

Mel patted Gwen’s crimson red locks and wriggled out of her grasp. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”

Put back on the ground, Charlie placed a hand on her chest, catching her breath.

Hal sheathed a ridiculously long sword and came up to them. “What happened? How did you get into a fight with a group of Irons?”

Mel looked him up and down. “Ease up there xxSephirothxx. Your edge is showing.”

The look Hal leveled her was almost right. There was too much seriousness in his brown eyes for her, though. Her Hal had a sense of humor, even when she was poking fun at him.

Gwen stepped closer to Charlie with a threatening air. “Didn’t do this on purpose, did you?”

Hal turned his attention to Charlie, figuring he’d get a better answer from his aunt.

“No,” Mel said to both of them. “Not really, anyway. We were just…meeting the neighbors. Except the neighbor really sucked and needed to get kicked in the teeth. It’s a whole…thing. We came across that Iron entirely by accident.”

Hal looked around. “Which one? We only saw those five by the time we arrived. There is a limit of six to a party. Where was the sixth?”

Charlie motioned at the undead orc beside her. “He now serves us in death,” she said with smug satisfaction.

Everybody looked at the obvious orc skeleton. “Oh.”

Mel motioned to the pit. “Might as well grab the whole set, Charlie.”

“Oh, I would love nothing more.” She actually began to cackle wickedly.

Mel grumbled under her breath. “You don’t cackle better than me.”

“Please don’t do that, Aunt Charlie,” Hal said, putting a hand to his face.

Somewhere nearby, Komachi began mimicking her cackle. She even wriggled her little paws like she was steepling them with evil intention.

“Aww, that’s too cute,” Gwen said, thoroughly enamored by Komachi.

Charlie looked at her nephew. “Oh please, dude. You should be used to this by now.”

He rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately. You know how impressionable Komachi is though.”

Sylvie showed up, bloodied and battered, but beaming with pride. She wore Komachi on her head like a hat. “Did you see how that orc’s eyes crossed when I crushed his bongles with my wand?”

Camilla looked at Sylvie. “That is not a wand.”

Sylvie lifted up what Mel could only describe as a baseball bat made out of knotted wood and bark. “It’s made of wood, is long, and I cast magic with it.”

Mel chuckled. “What do you cast with it, [Smash Face]?”

“I do, in fact!” Sylvie said proudly.

Gwen rubbed Sylvie’s head, messing up her hair. “Never change, spicecake.”

The younger Magi grumbled like an irate cat approaching the end of its patience.

Despite what Charlie said about turning the orcs into undead minions, she cornered Sylvie immediately like a mother hen, healing with [Lifeweave].

“Well,” Mel said, looking around at the faces of the gathered Magi. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag now. We might as well give our new premises a tour since we’re all here–hold up. Teddy!” Mel pushed aside her friends and weaved through the groups of onlookers. “Teddy! I know you see me! Don’t run! Don’t you run! I know you did this!”

Mel returned a few moments later with an oily man with eyes that darted back and forth like a cornered rat. “Friends, meet Teddy. Teddy, meet your worst nightmare. Come, let’s have a chat.”