Aria, Celestina and Randolph entered the vault. Aria glanced at the huge pile of gemstones, gold, pearls and coins. Weapons, artefacts and armors were arranged in shelves one after the other. There were descriptions about the items just below them to explain. Aria, curious, ran all around the vault, glancing at everything with eyes that held stars in them like a child getting a candy.
She read the descriptions with interest and concentration. After deliberating for a while (talking to her personalities), she decide to take an artefact, an orb that reduced magicia consumption and increases the tier of the mage craft by one level while calmly floating on her palm. It was an artefact suitable for her as well as a common item, invaluable to her, ordinary to him.
Just as she was about to take it, a strong oppressive force tried to pin her in place. A sharp slash headed her direction from nowhere trying to attack her. Aria, who now possessed Perfect Soma, was able to dodge the attack, in a hair's breadth though.
Grabbing a bow lying nearby, she nocked three arrows made of light and fired them at a dark corner. ~~roar~~ with an agonising roar came several slashes/blades of wind that tried to kill her. Aria jumped and grabbed a chandelier before hanging upside down from it. Jumping from one chandelier to another to avoid the blades, Aria shot arrow after arrow raising cries from the assailant.
Fed up, she created a huge javelin made of light and threw it with all the force she could muster towards the assailant. With a screech that put even the most annoying sound to shame, the assailant was killed. Once it was subdued, the darkness that concealed it was gone, revealing it to be a skeleton of a wolf like beast with glowing red eye sockets that were becoming dull.
Black mist shrouded it concealing its presence. Aria, being sensitive to dark attribute, could locate it, but only the general direction. Randolph had entirely failed to detect it while Celestina only had a vague clue which was a feat in itself as she was not a light mage.
Aria glared at the skeleton before condensing light in her palm to form an orb size of a pebble before throwing it at the beast. " Purgation. " she muttered while doing so. ~~Kraaaaa…..~~ with a squeal equivalent to a thousand iron nails scratching over a glass surface that almost shattered the trio's eardrums, the beast gave its final roar and died, for real this time.
Golden flames burst into existence on the skeleton startling Aria. The flames greedily devoured the black mist and the bones until they were reduced to vapours that dispersed. " Aria, what was that? " " Sis, wasn't it visible? " " All we could see was only black mist forming a vague shape at the corner. Nothing else. " " Eh!? weren't you able to see the skeleton? " " Skeleton?!?! " x2
Arai was surprised that even Celestina couldn't see the skeleton. She was then dumbfounded when they told her that she suddenly jumped up to the chandelier and shot arrows for no apparent reason. THEY COULDN'T SEE THE BLADES THAT ATTACKED ME AS WELL!? (SARCONY) INTERESTING!! (CHEEKY) WEIRD!! (COLD) SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS, INVISIBILITY IS A VERY DANGEROUS SKILL, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS INVOLUNTARY AND DOESN'T CONSUME ENERGY. HAD ANY AMOUNT OF MAGICIA BEEN MOBILISED, CELESTINA SIS WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY DETECTED ITS TRACES. (CHEEKY)
" This is ridiculous. How can such a beast trespass several levels of security and hide here? Aria, can you please travel throughout the treasure vault and eliminate such beasts if any? " " As you wish, your majesty. " " Randolph, you better stay behind. I will go along with her. " " But... " " I am ordering you as your teacher. " " ....yes, teach. " He sat where he was while the duo proceeded.
Aria, fortunately, did not find such beasts anymore until the end of the Treasure vault that was as big as the city itself underground. At the end, there was a golden staff with an emerald embedded on one end. It gave off a strong aura but was oddly hung with chains from each of the three walls around it. The chains had magicia absorbing and restricting properties.
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" Aria, this is the wand that was used by the mage who was called the Hand of god. It is said that her resentment at the fact that this world thought of her as a threat rather than savior was transferred to her wand upon her death. Hence, it has been imprisoned to prevent the disaster that might occur. "
" Sis, I feel some affinity from the wand. I want it. Can I take it? please..." " Aria, what if the resentment attacks you instead. I can't risk it. " " Sis, I can handle it. " " Are you sure? " " I am " " Remember, you are well off without it. The orb is more than enough. Why don't you reconsider the choice of accepting it? " " No sis, I am confident. Please let me take it. "
Celestina and Aria discussed and pondered the issue for over an hour before Celestina agreed on the condition that Aria accepts two powerful blessings from her. Aria happliy accepted. The moment the staff was freed from its restraints, it flew over to Aria and floated around her like a mini satellite. A mental connection formed between Aria and the staff. In that instant,
WHO DARES POSSESS MY STAFF!! I SHALL DESTROY THEM.... a loud, disembodied voice invaded Sarcony's mindspace and tried to attack her but the infant in the orb gave off iridiscent glow and destroyed the disembodied resentment. ~~AAAHHHH~~ Aria was now free to use the wand.
Accesories: The 'Orb of miracles' [Rare grade support item], The 'Staff of Seraphim' [Legendary grade amplification item], The 'Dwarven earrings' [Extraordinary grade Concealment item] [invisible]
(Grade of Artefacts: Common