Viviana checked her status during her brief rest, moving her arm a little. In her last fight her arm was cut off due to poor positioning. She had wrapped it up with blue grass bandages, allowing regeneration to take hold.

  She put a couple points into VIT for the increased regeneration speed. It also improved her overall toughness, but it felt like a waste. For one, it was widely regarded that VIT wasn’t worth it when fights could end in a single lethal blow– milliseconds, not even seconds. For another, all her abilities scaled off of DEX and WIL.

  As they rested Viviana opened her status window.

  [Welcome, Viviana Adler-Stern.]

  [Soulbound Lightning]

  [Level 2]

  [Experience: 200/200]

  [Unallocated points: 2]

  [VIG=2; MIN=5; END=4; STR=2; DEX=4; WIL=2]

  [Equipped Skills]

  [Lightning Trap] [Dash]

  [Equipped Items]

  [Available Skills]

  She looked at her experience. Two hundred out of two hundred. Now, I just need a system recognized feat to level up. If all things go as planned, I could get it during the ambush.

  With determination she quickly checked over her gear. Her grapples were fine despite the abuse they’ve gone through. Her sword and sheath were functional. She had [Scareye] clipped to her belt securely but in reach in case she needed its effect.

  Everything personal was in order, so she looked over her team. Lucian was once again being bandaged by someone from Fortuna’s team. Viviana observed his mannerisms, trying to figure out what he thought of it. Was he blushing?

  Soon enough everyone was ready to move. So they did, flying through the corridors of the dungeon at a blistering pace. Fortuna’s scout and Bena were now rapidly firing their scout skills, pinging their presences around to try and detect upcoming monsters. At the pace they were moving, it was hard to truly search every corner around them, but Bena assured them that the way ahead was clear.

  Bena and Thomas weren't used to this speed. Despite the presence of anti-gravity and grappling technically not involving any physical input, the strain movement put on the core and stabilizing muscles made grappling continuously a workout.

  They were soulbound, so they would manage. Viviana broke formation to move next to Bena. “You okay?”

  Bena nodded. Her mannerisms indicated to Viviana that she was feeling queasy. Viviana assumed that if Bena said she was okay, she would be okay. There was no time to rest even if she wasn’t.

  “I see them,” Bena said. “At this pace, two minutes to contact.”

  “Have they detected us?”

  “Nope!” Bena said, with a little less enthusiasm than normal. She was tired and nauseous. Despite the short rest her fatigue added up. “Once Fortuna’s scout sees them, that's when they will as well. By then it’ll be too late.”

  Viviana nodded as her grapples clung to another wall, grav-anchors pulling her along in a straight line. “How many?”

  “Six, just like Fortuna promised. No more, no less. Doesn’t seem like a trap.”

  Perfect. Actually… no, this isn’t ideal. Viviana expected the worst. A trap for them, or someone waiting in ambush. If that happened, an out-numbered fight would be enough for the system to grant her a feat (in theory), which would level her up.

  If I won it. Whatever the case, Viviana was glad to have the mission run this smoothly, after her mistake earlier. Viviana rubbed her arm. It still hurt and moved a little slower than she would have liked. The soulbound regeneration was good, but it took time for all the kinks to be sorted out. Phantom pain.

  She would make it up to her arm in the following fight. Speaking of which…

  “Enemies spotted ahead!” shouted Fortuna’s scout. “They’ve realized we’re here!”

  Fortuna flipped backwards mid air, shouting back at the following Landsknecht members. “You ready?!”

  Viviana simply nodded. Time to hunt.

  The corridors gradually opened up into a larger space, getting wider and wider until the grapples could barely reach the sides of the walls. There was zero-gravity, but there was air, meaning there was air resistance. Even so, with the speeds that they were moving, the members shot forwards like cannonballs.

  They flew into a large atrium, where gravity suddenly worked again. Viviana felt it take hold as she plunged downwards, firing her grapples into the ceiling (there’s a ceiling now!) to stop her fall.

  Viviana spotted the six enemies taking a rough defensive stance, two of them firing grapples to meet them at the half way point. They’re trying to take advantage of the change in gravity– they’ll be able to move in all directions while grounded, but we’re in the air! We’re moving directly at them at a speed we can’t control!

  But with all this horizontal momentum… I’ve got to use it.

  Viviana’s grapples attached to the ceiling, conserving her momentum, swinging her forward. As she moved she slammed her legs into the floating platform below her, activating [flash step] to move even faster. She pushed past the rest of her squad, then the members of Fortuna’s squad, cutting through the air like an arrow.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  She blurred past the first two enemies moving to intercept. Her eyes scanned their formation. Four enemies faced her.

  Pick one at random, gauge reactions, find the weak link.

  Always feint the initial strike.

  Her blade struck true. Blood pooled as her blade pierced through power armor, motors and servos and batteries, and then dove into flesh and bone. Shocked faces appeared all around her as she moved past them, her momentum carrying her behind them and deep into their line.

  [You have slain a level 5 soulbound.]

  [+7 exp] [stored]

  And then it was chaos. Fortuna’s squad impacted the defensive line, still reeling from Viviana’s attack, but they weren’t a top ranked squad for nothing. They were holding. Their leader shouted commands. “Lancers, form up! Lance two, with me!”

  Black armor clinked as the lancers fired grapples and boostpacks, bounding towards their enemies even faster than Viviana’s flash step. To her horror, Lancer two and their leader were focused on her. And they were fast.

  Power armor didn’t protect against system based weapons. It provided no resistance to system based attacks. However, armor manufacturers simply just decided to pack them with motors and batteries and boosters to make their users faster– so much so that the armor wasn’t a defensive tool, but an offensive one.

  It was remarkably effective. Viviana was instantly on the back foot, moving fluidly to block and deflect attacks two on one. She was much better at this than before, having fought many out numbered battles at the academy while on missions or attacking random people, but never one where she was so out geared and out levelled. Not since the Adler-Stern manor.

  Assuming these guys are at least level 5, combined, they have five times my level. It seemed hopeless, but Viviana knew that she had to live as long as possible. Attacking me two-on-one means leaving the rest of their team in a three versus seven. They won’t stand a chance.

  So she kept on fighting defensively, trying to find an opening to fire her grapples and get away. Although grappling was fast, the principle of grappling was simple; they needed time to fly to an object before they could start pulling. If Viviana fired her grapples at the wrong time, her enemies would simply cut the line, leaving her out of options.

  This cannot continue. Viviana was running out of mana, having to force out a [flash step] every so often to dodge fatal blows. The two in front of her were moving like machines, methodically and precisely limiting her movement and trying to circle into a blind spot, attacking and defending but never yielding aggression.

  They were strong. Viviana could feel it. But even so…

  One of her combatants whirled, a sword swinging around to strike an opponent behind them. An opponent who was not there. Bena?!

  Bena dodged the blade by miraculously being too short for it to connect. Her small frame granted her a free attack on the lancer. Bena’s blade ripped through them, but Viviana didn’t get a system notification. It didn’t matter. While her opponents were distracted Viviana fired her grapple, zipping up to the ceiling just in time before her line could get cut. Bena got out as well.

  “What’s the point of formations if you’re gonna break them immediately?!” Bena exclaimed, blood on her face. Not her own.

  Viviana nodded, ignoring her outburst. “The fight is favorable. We move to standard doctrine for outnumbering the enemy.” If you outnumber the enemy, wear them down. Hit and retreat. Don’t let them lock you down in a one versus one.

  It was what she tried to do, but she didn’t expect two lancers to attack her at the same time, especially since they were dealing with all the others.

  Bena sighed. Wordlessly the two of them plunged back down from the ceiling, rejoining the fight. Fortuna’s squad took the front, fighting a retreating battle, while the Landsknecht moved like wolves, prowling the edge of the battle and slipping in attacks when they could.

  So this is what it’s like to fight with numbers on your side.

  This will be wrapped up in a minute.

  Then the world shifted, and their perfect battle was turned upside down.

  Viviana’s eyes widened. The dungeon was changing.

  The ever shifting walls of the dungeon decided to deconstruct the massive platform with gravity, reforming it into the walls and ceiling and floor. Gravity was then pointing in all six directions at once as people flailed about, trying to regain their bearings.

  Viviana slammed into a wall, which was now the floor, because gravity was pointing in that direction. Everyone was split up now, completely ruining the numbers advantage.

  Members of Fortuna’s squad cried out as the lancers recovered before they did. Fortuna’s squad was strong, but compared to the lancers, they didn’t stand a chance. They were being cut down.

  Just our luck. I need to get back into the fight! Viviana fired her grapples at the wall, which was the floor for the people standing on it, and watched as her grapples completely missed. She misjudged the gravity completely. She cursed. This is too confusing!

  She withdrew her grapples and simply opted to jump, empowering it with [flash step]. She fell onto the enemy, pinning them onto the wall (which was now the ground), stabbing them relentlessly until the system notification popped up.

  [You have slain a level six soulbound.]

  [+3 exp] [stored] [shared]

  “You alright, Lucian?”

  Lucian just finished a fight, drawing his sword out from the body of a Lancer. He was covered in blood and a dozen different cuts, but he was alright. He spoke, voice raspy and weary. “We’ve got to help the others.”

  “The mission continues. Can you grapple?” Viviana asked, looking at Lucian’s injuries. Grappling was taxing, and doing so while wounded opened the injuries up.

  Even so he nodded. Okay, good enough. Wait, actually? “Don’t move.”

  Viviana placed a hand on the ground, placing a [lightning trap]. Then, she fired her grapples, rapidly adjusting to the change in gravity. Looks like the gravity direction is normal to the plane. Like we’re in a big cube with a bunch of holes in it, and we’re getting sucked to the closest wall.

  I can use this. Viviana flew to the closest lancer, activating [flash step] to move even faster, this time leading with her foot instead of her blade. She watched as the heavy armor slammed into another side of the cube.

  I can think of it this way: If you’re too close to the wall, the wall’s gravity will pull you towards it.

  Viviana tested her theory by kicking another lancer. As she predicted, after they stumbled a bit, gravity took hold and pulled them towards the wall, right into the place where she pre-placed her [lightning trap].

  Lucian was waiting there, just as she instructed him to. Free experience for him.

  [You have slain a level five soulbound.]

  [+4 exp] [stored] [shared]

  Viviana looked around the battlefield. Fortuna had killed the other lancer Viviana had punted. Bena and Thomas were isolated on the ceiling together, clearly not having adapted to the gravity change yet. Two of Fortuna’s squad were dead. Three lancers left, on another wall, one of them fighting a surviving member of Fortuna’s squad. The one that was bandaging Lucian’s arm.

  “Lancer three, we’re retreating! We’ve got to stall for backup! Lancer two, do you have the item?”

  “I’ve got it, sir!” the lancer.

  “Then we’re out of here!”

  “He’s… he’s got my gem!” Fortuna shouted, as the three lancers jumped into a hole in the cube, exiting the strange gravity and back into the zero g of the dungeon surroundings. “After them!”

  Viviana didn’t need to be told twice. They’ve got backup coming! I can level up!

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