Beneath the Dragoneye Moons

The nice thing about working with Arachne again was access to information and knowledge. The world wasn’t quite such an unknown anymore. Vast swathes of the map I’d flown over were no longer labeled ‘here be dragons’ - except for the parts where there were dragons.

It was good to know who’d survived. It was sobering how many hadn’t. From nearly 100 Sentinels, only a little more than twenty were known to have survived. Arachne thought around four or five more might still be alive, simply continuing to take cover or not make any waves. She wasn’t all-knowing or all-seeing.

Most pertinent, she knew where the active front between the elves and the demons was, and had a few predictions when the next battle would be.

I cast [Greater Invisibility] then stealthily slipped through the air, reveling once again in my ability to fly without being seen at last. No more did I have to use Radiant wings to move around, which burst my invisibility. I could simply will myself to move, and I did. I wasn’t planning on being actively engaged in the fighting, and was still having fun with the ‘witch’ vibes. Broomstick and flowing robes, let’s go!

I was a little disturbed at how strongly I’d latched onto the idea, and how much I wanted to lean into it. As I leveled, my companion bond with Auri went up, and the vanity downside became stronger and more pronounced. It wasn’t actively causing a problem, but it felt like I was going to greater extremes. I was more willing to throw myself into a vibe, more willing to completely commit to the bit. There were upsides and downsides to it.

I wasn’t going to do things by half-measures. I wasn’t going to say ‘eh, good enough’ on a disguise or dressing up for a ball, but perfection was the enemy of good enough. It’d help me fully commit and sink into the needed mindset for my spying. I just didn’t want to do anything by half measures.

Fortunately, when it came to time spent, it was barely anything. I was quick enough, and with my new [Manor] skill, it was literally a thought to do a full swap. Just needed to think about it, and I’d instantly change over entirely from ‘witch’ to ‘Sentinel’ to whatever else I needed in the moment.

I saw the battle far before I arrived. Lumbering titans of stone clashed with behemoths of Wood. Fireballs were shot out of the sky by arrows. Domains of Darkness clashed with roiling Mist. Swords blurred as they flashed against swords. Shockwaves were sent out in a never-ending stream, like the worst [Drummer] vibrating a crowd with bass. Radiance spotlights swept the sky, revealing hidden Classers and shattering wide-spread Mirages that were being cast. The battle ranged from the devastated forest floor up to the sky, gravity merely a suggestion to most combatants. There were a few hundred people in total, levels streaming by in blue boxes as I rapidly checked out various notifications. In a bit of a surprise, I wasn’t the lowest level person here, although that might not be true for much longer. I guess… it wasn’t that much of a surprise? I was continuing to level and grow over the years.

The demons were clearly anchored by their [Demon King], clad entirely in leveled gear, people who’d chosen to turn themselves into an item. The elves scattered when he charged them, choosing not to engage the Classer at all. The arrogant Immortals struck back at range, trying to pick off the followers and the rest of the army. Invisible Classers threw out gouts of Lava, while a camouflaged warrior held a blade of pure Ice, snowflakes scattering in its wake.