The Lone Healer-Chapter 170: Heartless Enterprises, Part Six

Level 67

MP: 1300/1300 (+300)

EXP: 50/670

AP: 3690

IP: 70

WST: 92300

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Endurance: 50

Speed: 40

Precision: 38

Strength: 15

Arcane: 100

With the oxygen lifted off the warbot’s body, Neve was ready to proceed to the boss, where the marker suggested she could find the final items necessary for the Floor Quest.

"You told me this Floor would be harder, but it seems we’re still just too strong a pair," Erin said with a smile.

"Don’t let your guard down," Neve replied to that optimistic sentiment.

"Of course, I won’t. But, I can’t help but wonder if maybe we’ve got nothing to be truly afraid of. Maybe we could take a day off or two to relax in that case."

If this brief conversation had taken place a month ago, Neve may have prayed to whatever powers were available for forgiveness due to Erin’s clear attempts at trying to jinx this. Now, however, she couldn’t care less.

"Mhm, we’re probably going to win every single fight and get through all of this without any trouble. You’re right."

"Ah, reckless positivity. The spice of life."

"Neve?" Andromeda called out through the earpiece.

"Yeah?"

"The final item is right beside the Galactech building," Andromeda stated. "I will try to help you like I did with this one."

"Alright, thanks." Neve took a second and then asked, "do you know what we can expect?"

"I..."

Andromeda went silent for a moment. Neve raised a brow, though she couldn’t see her. It certainly did sound like she had some knowledge of the boss fight to come. Eventually, she responded:

"If I am not mistaken, your enemy will be a model similar to mine." Neve was shocked, but Andromeda kept going before she could ask anything. "That means you can expect rockets and laser weapons, like the warbot used, but coupled with a far more agile body. I would advise that you avoid staying still like you did in the last fight. Try to keep moving, or you may end up with an energy blade in your neck."

"Uh, thanks, but..." Neve’s curiosity wasn’t allowing her to just blow by that admission. "A model like you? You, uhm... Want to elaborate?"

"Not at the moment, no."

With that, the earpiece turned off.

Neve sighed. With nothing else to get here, she told Erin:

"Okay, let’s keep moving."

At this point, though it was still constant, the rain had become little more than a drizzle. The lights on the tall buildings had begun to turn off altogether, and Neve wondered if what little life was still left in this place was getting closer and closer to fading away, just as Neve herself got closer to fighting the boss.

Arriving at the fight’s marker, next to the Galactech building, Neve found a long, narrow road leading out of this city and into a vast wasteland.

Piles of corpses, both robotic and organic, littered the floor, all reaching toward that dim, grey expanse.

A single body stood before the neck of that opening, perhaps having been the sole person responsible for stopping these people from leaving.

"Hm... You two certainly aren’t from this place," a robotic, but feminine voice uttered. An android just like Andromeda, carrying what looked like two submachine guns, walked forward. Showcasing a humanoid body made of black metal, she laid a pair of red eyes on them as she held her weapons by her waist. Her wrists were clearly carrying blades meant to pop out at some point, but were still being "sheathed" inside of her arms. "I take it you have no interest in leaving, either. That must mean... You’re here for me, aren’t you?" She asked.

Neve stopped to consider the answer she should give.

The 6th Floor had revealed to her that doing what the Floor Quest said she needed to do did not necessarily mean she would receive the promised reward. That meant that, at times, there were likely some hidden clear conditions that she needed to meet.

In the case of the 6th Floor, that clear condition was probably to leave Lam’s father alive. Here, Neve tried to think about what it could be.

[... I need more information.]

"And, who are you, exactly?" Neve asked.

Erin threw a look her way that very clearly meant, "why are you even asking? Let’s just fight." But, Neve didn’t want to miss out on the reward this time, so she tried to talk to this android anyway.

"Does that matter?" She countered. "No. What matters is what I want. And, what I want is for those fiends at Galactech to meet their end the same way everyone else in this world did. And, I take it that what you want is for them to escape," the android said with a somewhat condescending tone. "To allow them to get away without having to repent for their sins."

[Sins?]

"Our goals are at odds, traveler," the android replied. "It’s probably best if we just get right down to it."

Without giving Neve the opportunity to say anything else, her level finally appeared.

Level 77

MP: 400/400

And, the android ran forward.

She did so at a speed that made it look like she just teleported next to Neve as opposed to having run to her position.

Erin, however, was there to take the rain of lasers that followed.

A burst of fire poured out from the android’s guns. Neve shielded Erin and herself using {Flash Shielding}, of course, but Erin likely would have taken every shot if she hadn’t.

MP: 1275/1300

"Hm?" The android tilted her head. She seemed confused at the fact that Erin was able to react to her in time. Maybe she wasn’t used to that.

The android leaped into the air, perhaps trying to get around the shield by shooting from above. Erin, however, wasn’t going to allow that.

With Neve shielding her, Erin stretched her body and clawed the android out of the air, sending her crashing back to the ground.

MP: 1250/1300

She looked unharmed, of course. At level 77, even if she was a Speed and Precision-focused enemy, she probably still had many points in Endurance.

"Hmph."

Firing at them once more, Neve shielded Erin again, reducing her mana to 1225, before the android then tossed a grenade their way.

MP: 350/400

It exploded, dealing no damage, but leaving a cloud of smoke where it had been.

"Erin, get behind me!" Neve yelled as she guessed as to what their opponent could be going for.

Indeed, this time, Andromeda attacked with a laser knife instead of her guns, appearing behind the pair. Erin caught her by the arm and then slammed her tail into the android’s midsection, launching her away.

This time, Erin’s attack left a dent in the android’s body, but still did not really hurt the enemy.

Still, the android looked down at herself and then back at the pair with annoyance.

"Hm. You two work well together," she muttered. "Fine. I’ll take you seriously."

Tossing the submachine laser guns aside, the android brought out a rocket launcher and took several quick steps back.

As she fired at them, Neve blocked the incoming missile with {Flash Shielding}, bringing her MP down to 1200, but she noticed something troubling.

The shield she produced nearly broke from just one missile.

[Shit. Even with the Angel Set, that attack is too strong to shield away consistently.]

The android loaded another missile. Neve told Erin:

"I can’t shield too many of those. It’s time to get on the offensive." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Understood," Erin replied before using {The Lamia’s Hunt} to engage the android.

Noticing this, the android tossed its rocket launcher aside and brought out both of the laser blades from her arms.

She and Erin began to duel, then. Now that she had a small amount of time, Neve cast {Field of Brilliance} and {Sacred Ground} back to back, under Erin.

MP: 1075/1300

Something happened that she hadn’t expected, though.

As the android and Erin fought each other, both throwing out strikes faster than Neve could keep track of, the android managed to get the better of Erin.

She swept her claws away with one laser blade and then dragged the other up Erin’s left arm, cutting it off.

Neve’s eyes widened. Erin disappeared, as her minute ran out.

Neve resummoned her.

MP: 775/1300

As soon as Erin reappeared, she said:

"This enemy is skilled. Very skilled. I can’t take her down alone."

Admittedly, Neve had expected this to some extent. It was the 8th Floor. It would have been weird if the boss here was at Erin’s skill level.

"We’ll do it together," Neve said. "We just need to find-"

Up ahead, the android they were facing straightened up, getting out of her fighting position.

"You..."

She wasn’t looking at Neve or Erin, though.

Confused, the two of them turned around, finding someone walking into the boss arena.

"Hello, sister," Andromeda whispered, holding her sniper rifle up. "It’s been a while."