Ruins of Majesta: Vol. 2.1 Creatures and Cupcakes

by Taj McCoy El

  Type

  Enchanted Short Spear

  Enchantment #1:

  Enchantment #1: Light (W) Creates a marble sized ball of water that casts a pale light 12 feet in any direction Cost 14.25MP per minute

  Enchantment #2:

  Safety (Lt) Does weak Light damage to creatures weak to light damage within 2 feet. Cost .74MP per second

  Grade:

  C

  Material:

  Enchanted wood and Iron

  Weight:

  5.7 lbs.

  Damage:

  17 stabbing/ slashing 8 blunt trauma /15-21 Light damage per second

  Durability:

  22/22

  Duration:

  32 minutes

  Attributes

  The spear will create a lit area 24 feet in diameter. Any creatures weak against light magic in this area will take damage calculated by proximity.

  Mana:

  479/479

  After the first one, she showed it to her teammates.

  “Let me change it up a bit and see if I can get a longer duration.”

  She added three Place (lt) runes on each side of the blade focus.

  That should reduce the mana spent by 10% let’s see what we get?

  She enchanted and examined it.

  “Well, that didn’t help much. We might as well use the first model since we only gain two minutes of usage. The extra few minutes of engraving isn’t worth it in my opinion. But it reminds me I need to updoot my arm and charge”

  She placed the first spear in front of her teammates, and they copied it onto the other spears and added the thread. In all they made ten of the spears and Mayah sat down to enchant them.

  She put two of the spears into her bag and told Margaret to do the same.

  “Grax remember to deactivate the spears when we’re out of combat to save juice. I’ll try and recharge them in between encounters.”

  “Jawohl, mein Flaumigkeit!!!”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “It translates as, ‘Yes, my Fluffiness.’”

  Margaret and Mayah groaned.

  “Hey, the German will keep coming until you get rid of the führer-stache.”

  Mayah groaned again.

  "I keep forgetting about the face stain.” she pulled her kerchief of stamina regen and tied it around her face.

  “Now we should be good for the video footage,” She said from behind her veil.

  “Boooooo!!!!”

  “What now?”

  “Just wanted to boo you, mein Flaumigkeit.”

  Margaret slapped the back of his head.

  “Hey!” Grax squealed

  “Thank you, Margaret.”

  “You’re welcome, dear.”

  “Now let’s go kill some weesps.” Mayah threw a fist into the air

  “Jawohl, Mein Flaumigkeit!!!” Grax pumped his fist in the air.

  Margaret threw her fist in the air and said, “Yes, lets.”

  Mayah just hung her head.

  We really need to work on our battle cry.

  ✽✽✽

  “Halsh! Did you just get a notification?”

  “No lieutenant. Is it something important?”

  Very! but it is of no consequence to you.

  “No. it just startled me from my thoughts.”

  The key… He gripped the table relishing the pain this time. He reveled in turning Caltura against her and further aligning their goals. The pain in his head lessened, and he relaxed.

  With this plan, I can see myself finding her on Caltura’s orders. The same crazy smile that terrified Mayah spread across his face, and he barked out in uncontrollable laughter.

  Halsh subconsciously scooted his chair away. And hung his head to hide from the glares of the other patrons in the webbed horseshoe, of which there were a few.

  ✽✽✽

  “Woot!!!” Mo jumped into the air. “She did it Mephi!”

  He shook the skunk man by the shoulders and spun away to fall on the grass.

  “That really is your sister, isn’t it?”

  Mo shot upright. “What you didn’t believe me?”

  “beep- Only kinda… -boop”

  And why are you using the beep boops again?”

  “Sorry habit,” Ziggs responded.

  “When she meets up with us, we are gonna get laced!!!”

  “Laced?” Mephi eyes stared off into the distance. “Now there’s a term I haven’t heard in a long time.”

  “Okay, Hobo wonton Kenobi.” Ziggs groaned

  “Woo-hoo!!!” Mo yelled Ignoring his teammates. He felt like he was flying. That feeling quickly crashed into a mountainside when Bonkers rapped him on the back of the head with steel-like knuckles.

  “What issues moight be plaguing the wee gerbil in yer noggin that makes you think it's okay to give away our position?”

  Mo rubbed his head. “Sorry Bonkers, I just got some really good news.”

  “Well, muffle your joy. We’re getting close, we are. One more squeak and youse moight just foind yourself alone in the forest at noight—alone.” Bonkers reiterated to make sure Mo understood.

  “Sorry.” Mo whispered.

  Bonkers ran back up to the front of the line of knockers trudging through the woods.

  Mo looked at Ziggs and Mephi and did another quiet celebratory dance before falling back in.

  ✽✽✽

  “Well, will you look at that! Our little cybernaut has gotten Majesta’s first worldwide notification.” Ronald said to everyone in the terminal hub. "I didn’t even think there would be a storyline where you could defeat the boss before he escaped.”

  “Wiggins’ team is putting in that work.” Sherriece accented her speech with a snap of fingers. “Maybe I should transfer there after this fiasco.”

  “But then who’s gonna go get coffee?” Ronald asked.

  “Did you just say who’s gonna go get coffee? Is this the year 2043? And aren’t women still underpaid by a margin of 93 cents to every dollar men make? And I have to work harder to make that 93 cents than a man does for doing less work in the same position. And now you want me to go get the coffee?”

  Ronald’s face went beet red in embarrassment. All eyes in the terminal went wide and turned to him. Kyle grimaced and turned away, ashamed to even say he knew him. Carelton stood behind Sherriece and just put his face into his hand

  “Sherriece—” Ronald began. She cut him off with one finger.

  “No jokes for an hour.”

  “Done. Is there anything else?”

  “Yes. Please go take a shower. You look like crap and it’s hurting my eyes. Your hour will start when you get back.”

  “Thanks.” He logged out got up grabbed his coat and started walking towards the door.

  “Oh, and Ronald…” she called.

  “Yeah?” He spun back towards her.

  “Bring me some coffee when you come back?”

  He could only laugh as his own petard lanced through his chest.

  “Today and for the next week. My sincerest apologies.” He bowed and spun on his heels.

  Sherriece nodded to herself in satisfaction and turned back to her computer.

  11.4 Charge of the Light (W) Grenade

  The Royal Death Claws and the rötten materialized in the vuurmlord's bowl and went down the steps and through the short tunnel reaching the bridge.

  “We’re stopping here for a second.”

  “Why?”

  “Vergie,” Mayah said as smoke poured from her hand.

  “Yeah, good call?” Grax agreed.

  Vergie circled Mayah rubbing her head and frill all over Mayah, buffeting her around like black furred storm winds.

  “Hey, girl it’s good to see you too.” Mayah scratched around Vergie's frill and gave her a friendly head butt and looked her in the eyes.

  “It got kinda sketch back there, but I’m alright. Sorry, it took so long for me to call you back.”

  Vergie gave Mayah
a stern look and chuffed.

  “Yes, I know I made a mistake. I’ll do better in the future.”

  Vergie chuffed again and dropped her head and wiggled her rump?

  “Oh, I know what you want, you, big pretty kitty.” Mayah turned to Grax and Margaret. “Anybody have some rations? Like two a piece will do.”

  Grax and Margaret forked over the meals and Vergie eyed the rations hungrily.

  “Eat up, we have a lot of work to do.”

  “Vergie eyed the broken gate across the bridge and waved dismissively with a paw and returned her focus to the rations.

  Mayah grabbed her chin with the rations in one hand and pulled her face to hers. Vergie’s eyes were trying to wrap around her snout to see the rations, and she wasn’t giving Mayah any mind.

  “Hey!” Mayah yelled. Startling the cat who pulled back, but Mayah held on and kept her from moving. This did serve to grab Vergie's attention.

  “We have a lot of new toys we’re bringing in with us. Like this.” She pulled a Light (W) sheet and activated it. Holding it away from Vergie.

  Vergie's nose rankled, and she pulled her head back. Mayah deactivated the sheet and put it away and Vergie settled.

  “So, now that you understand WE are more dangerous. I need you to be focused and let us know when we’re hurting you. Okay?”

  Vergie chuffed and nodded her head rapidly.

  “Good girl. You hungry?”

  Vergie chuffed and nodded vigorously

  “Then here you go.”

  Mayah placed the rations down and Vergie pounced.

  “We should eat, too. This could be a real slog.”

  “Why do you sound like an old army sergeant, Dear?

  “Sorry, I’m channeling grandpa Ugo. when I was young, well younger, I used to spend a lot of time with him. When he lived with us…” Mayah paused and took a breath remembering his frail body at the end. “Well, he taught me how to streamline operations in a no-nonsense manner. Since he was a Marine, he showed me the best way he knew how.

  “Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance he always used to say. My mother hated when he said it to me. It made so much sense though. Ya know?

  “Well, to make a long story short. When the pressure is on, I tend to default to military chain of command. I’ll usually pick up lead unless someone outranks me—don’t say a thing Grax.” She pointed at the cat without turning to look at him. Grax’s mouth shut slowly.

  “And that’s why I get bossy when it’s go-time.”

  “Your grandfather sounds like an amazing man,” Margaret told her.

  “Yeah, he was.” Mayah sniffed.

  “Well, hopefully he can meet up with my abuelita, and they can call down some miracles for us. With her tenacity and his prep hopefully, we’ll get something good.”

  “That would be awesome Grax.” Mayah fist bumped the cat.

  “Let’s get my grandparents involved too.” Margaret dapped both of them and gave her gear one last check.

  “The weesps are here.” Mayah turned her attention to Shadow’s Sheer Shine City. The shadows were beginning to lengthen in the afternoon light. Soon the city would be cast in mostly shadow of its night cycle. When that happened weesps would be everywhere.

  “They’re coming out of that hole in the battlements and there’s still light in the square. Riker, Deanna, you stay with Vergie, okay?” She lovingly patted the rötten as she got them situated in Vergie’s chest sling. “Now let’s go test out some toys.

  “Right on!” Grax yelled.

  Vergie rushed past him making him stumble to the side mid-yell. She then turned and gave him her chuffing laugh and loped forward.

  “Oh, it’s on, cat!” he sprinted to catch up and embroil himself in their feline challenge.

  “Cats, am I right, dear?”

  “You are so right Margaret. Now stop dragging your feet we’ve got shadows to chase.”

  “If needs must…” Margaret drawled drolly.

  “You’re getting better at the whole snark thing.”

  “Why thank you. I do try.”

  The ladies caught up to Grax and company in no time. Even while in the shadows of the gate Grax’s light spears were having the desired effect. Weesps were falling on the points of the blades as he swung them around to keep the weesps at a distance. They wailed and keened loudly at their unsuccessful battles. Vergie sat there watching him and chuffing loudly.

  “Mags get one.”

  Margaret drew her bow and took aim. The glowing tip of the arrow lodged into the weesp’s body where it attempted to pull the arrow free with that keening wail. Its skin stretched, with the viscosity of the surface turning to that of hot tar but the arrow couldn’t be removed. It tried to morph free of it and the shaft of the arrow drooped towards the ground. The arrowhead was covered in a ball of the sticky, black pitch of the weesp’s body as well. A thin line stretched off the weesp as the arrow and bolus of sticky weesp pain was dragged across the bridge’s flagstones, fletchings flapping around. The weesp wailed again and the line of itself was drawn tight as the weesp tried to crawl away from the pain. The tension became so tight that the arrow was flung back into the body’s central mass. This made the weesp wail again but even louder.

  Could deal more damage but it’s working.

  “Okay my turn.”

  “Go get’em, princess," Grax yelled.

  Mayah with a wand in both hands approached the line of shadowy creatures that had become larger with each keening wail. A black pseudopod extended towards her like a snake. Black teeth forming on the end of the tentacle opened wide. She placed the tip of one wand into its path and channeled her mana into it.

  The ululating whine that came from the weesp startled her as the mouth was grabbed and sucked through the rift. The weesp thrashed to get away from the rift and Mayah pulled back to separate it from its comrades. Like a ponytail trapped in a car door, the weesp had no choice but to follow.

  Another tentacle shot out and Mayah blocked this one with the wand as well causing the weesp to whine louder and become even more ensnared. Mayah rushed towards it and the tentacles were hungrily swallowed by the runiverse. She waved the wand around close to the weesp causing more and more of its essence to be drawn into the wand.

  This is like blowing bubbles in reverse.

  She quickly reached a tipping point and the weesp disappeared with a pop. she stopped her mana and a black token dropped to the ground.

  Black? Oh well, we’ll find out later.

  Ding!!!

  Your party has defeated:

  Skaduweesp

  Level: 9

  XP: +23

  985XP till next level

  “Well, that sucks.”

  “What, dear?”

  “At my level, these weesps barely give me any XP.

  “Serves you right for dropping my levels in our duel,” Grax yelled. “Me on the other hand, I’m doing fabulous!!!!” He dodged a mouthed-pseudopod strike and stabbed it with his short spear and pinned it to the ground. Using the shaft as a balance he jumped up and kicked the weesp in the part of its body that would have been the head on anything else. With another spear he stabbed another weesp that approached him and pulled back to stab the first weesp again. It faded into a viscous smoke and disappeared.

  “Margaret?” Mayah asked thoughtfully. “What was it that Grax was jinxed with?”

  “Hmmm…” Margaret tapped her chin. "I believe it was explosions.”

  “Ahh, you are too right.”

  Grax who was busily grinding while everyone stood out of weesps reach behind him, heard these words and grimaced. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mayah reach into her bag, and he grumbled, “This isn’t going to be good.”

  “INCOMING!!!!!” Mayah yelled.

  Grax turned to run left along the line of weesps for three steps, and then angled back towards Mayah at a full sprint. The look on his face was disgruntled, to say the least. He slowed when he heard the boom and tu
rned to survey the carnage.

  Weesps were being showered with tiny pieces of paper that glowed with a faint light. They wailed and keened at the gate of the bridge trying to dodge the lights stuck to their skin.

  “We got six minutes. Let’s hurt em bad!” Mayah proclaimed. She switched out her wand with happiness and ran into the mass of weesps.

  “You heard the lady, XP FOR EVERYONE!!! Grax roared crazily as he pulled his katanas and dove in.

  Margaret pulled her sword and followed suit.

  There was much slashing and slamming as Mayah activated Whack-A-Vole. The weesps were being crushed with her gigantic hammer. Using runic soul she cast Twain (E) and spun a second hammer into being. An old negro song escaping from her throat.

  “Jane Henry was a weesp slaying girl, lord, lord—Jane Henry was a weesp slaying giiiiiiiiiirrrrrrl!”

  Grax had gone silent and was practicing his sword strikes with a graceful economy of motion. Weesps were separated into bits that only moved due to the momentum of their falls and gravity pulling bits to bounce off the ground. Icy rime coating the slashes.

  Margaret hacked at the weesps like a possessed gardener clearing her grounds of thick vine-like weeds. It was not so much an art as a flailing bumbling dance, but in the end, it was still effective.

  The trio was panting softly, and through the now cleared gate, they could see the weesps in the square, gathering on the other side of the remaining sliver of light. There were about twenty of them there now attracted by the sounds of their fallen, falling in battle.

  Grax panted, “Respect my genius ladies”

  Mayah pretended to not hear him. “No disrespect Mags but you really need more practice with your sword. Whenever we finish, you get to train with El demonio gato negro de la destrucción!”