Chapter 469

Arthur kicked off the ground, leaping upwards  and then formed a secondary step with a cloud beneath his foot as he began to reach the apex of his jump. He pushed, hard and flipped, such that he never touched the bannister. This allowed him to get there faster than the others, get his weapon leveled and aimed at the screaming servant who dashed away. He let them go, knowing that the semi-corporeal servant was no threat, just a figure to add to the atmosphere.

Jan was right behind him, though she leapt to grab hold of the wooden flooring. With a twist of her body, she flipped herself upside down and then twisted her body like a high jump enthusiast, clearing the bannister to land on her tucked feet moments later. The air around her began to brighten as her fire aura came into play, offering her a form of offensive charge.

Not that it was necessary, for the open door of the room below showed the dead body in the tub, the NPC that had flirted with Arthur floating in the dirty water of the tub, soaked through with his blood. No cut throat but a massive spike shoved through the front of his body, holding him up such that he died, slowly.

"Celaka," Arthur cursed, memories of finding another dead body flashing through his mind. He did not have PTSD, he really did not, but this was just a little too similar that he found himself paralyzed for a moment.

"Boss~!" Jan began, only for another cry to erupt from below. 

They turned, only to see Casey snarling below, her own sword raised in a block. She was falling backward as the ones attacking her - two of 'their' companions tried to take her head off, as though they knew she was tasked with killing them. Jan raised a hand to protect her friend, then hesitated.

That hesitation was time enough for one of the others to slip their hatchet pass Casey's guard, strike her leg and draw a line of blood. It would have taken her leg off if not for the armour she wore, but it left her reeling and falling back. 

Moments later, a massive javelin flew through the air and pinned the hatchet-man through the chest, leaving him coughing and struggling around the weapon. Dying, probably, but enraged and filled with Tower energy such that he kept trying to cut the weapon free of his body. 

"There!" Arthur shook himself free, pointing at the javelin wielder who was in the midst of reaching for another weapon. He dashed towards the man, forming a Refined Exploding Energy Dart in hand while sending the one he kept in his Poket Simpanan at the man. The explosion threw his opponent back, though he had managed to block the damage sufficiently that he was still alive.

Dashing along the walkway, the recesses flashing by dozens at a time, Arthur barely noticed as Jan blocked a thrust from the side that nearly caught him in the side. She engaged in battle with another fighter, as he tried to deal with the javelin fighter. Below, Casey was blurring, her body moving faster than ever as her blade licked out, battering aside the halberd wielding fighter below her to lunge with a sudden strike. The tip of her sword glowed as it pierced through armour, punching into the body beneath; a combination of her piercing strike ability and the new ghost strike technique she had learnt from this Tower.

Her opponent fell back, dying; and only the shift in light, the tendrils of a ghost rising from around it gave Arthur an idea of what was truly happening. 

Then, he had no more time to put things together, as the javelin wielder had managed to underhand lob the weapon at him. He caught it with his own spear more by instinct and luck than conscious effort, battering it aside such that the haft only hit him. Knives drawn, his opponent fell on him and it was a scramble as Arthur tried to deal with the other, his own weapon not pointed in the right direction.

Good thing he only had to hold the other off for a moment or two more, even as knives skittered off the chest and abdominal plates of his armor. They hurt, even so, as ghost attacks slipped through the physical to leave burning lines on his soul; but the Refined Energy Dart he sent through his third eye was sufficient to end the fight.

This time, when the hantu that had claimed the body rose up from the body, he was ready. A single Imbued Strike from his weapon was enough to shatter the creature, letting dust to fall.

An idea crossed his mind, as he charged up the Heaven Beating stick and scanned the surroundings, even as he cried out.

"The opponents are possessed! Try not to kill them."

Too late, of course, for some; and that wasn't exactly true for Casey's opponents. Or maybe it was. He was getting a little lost of who was an opponent and who wasn't, and so the next second, he cried out as he retreated to help Jan. "Form up!"

The shouted curses from below told him that Casey might have some trouble with that, being more caught in the open. He would have to drag Jan down with him. 

Just as soon as he dealt with the figure that charged out from the darkness of an alcove, eyes gleaming red, dashing in on all fours as though they were more animal than man.

At the moment, Arthur was really beginning to understand Rick's objection to this Tower.

Damn hantu.