Ruins of Majesta: Vol. 2.1 Creatures and Cupcakes

by Taj McCoy El

  Grax smiled taking the words as a compliment as it was pretty close to the Spanish he had used around her before.

  Margaret pointed at Grax with a sneer. “Him?”

  "Yup, him. For all his failings, and he has a lot of failings, he’s a pretty good swordsman.”

  Margaret growled.

  “Don’t be that way Mags. You get to fight him.” Mayah clapped Margaret on the shoulder.

  “Oh.” Margaret's sneer turned into a smile. “Then that’s different.”

  “It also means that I get to beat up on you until you catch up to me—which isn’t going to happen!”

  “Margaret just narrowed her eyes back down and hisspered, “Don't fall asleep, cat. Don’t. Fall. Asleep.”

  “Okay, now that we have that settled, weesps?” Mayah motioned to the growing crowd around the gate.

  “Vergie wanna clear us a path?”

  Vergie chuffed and nodded strolling forward to the gate when one of the light runes stuck to her hind foot. And like a cat with something stuck to their foot she tried to shake it off with every step. She finally freaked out beginning to bite her foot trying to remove the rune as she did, she lost her balance and rolled over getting runes stuck all over her.

  Cats covered in styrofoam beads!!! KAAAAAAAWWWAAAAAAAIIIIII!!!!!!

  Vergie cringed and whipped her head back and forth snapping at the runes on her back. A loud mewling hiss of frustration escaped her mouth as she struggled to remove the runes. Riker and Deanna jumped from their wildly thrashing cat-carrier and scrambled towards Mayah. Vergie was making weird poses, and then writhing in spasms approaching a full-on kitty meltdown.

  Okay the runes hurt. Not kawai!!!

  Mayah rushed and leapt up grabbing ahold of Vergie under her frill. The cat struggled even harder.

  “Vergie!!! Calm down! Let us help you.”

  Vergie in her agitated state didn’t hear the words, eyes wide in panic. Mayah pulled herself up onto Vergie's back with her arms wrapped around Vergie’s head. Vergie did not like that.

  The big shadow Summon (S) bolted through the gate, into the midst of the weesps. The weesps attempted to attack her, and she reared up batting one to the ground like a tiger swatting a toddler. Vergie became a whirlwind of shadow kitten keratin using her claws all around her to slap at the weesps like a snarling spitting maniac. She was bucking, writhing and trying to throw Mayah free. Mayah, being surrounded by enemies was of a mind to keep holding on.

  Please don’t toss me to the weesps!!!

  “Fluff!!!”

  Out of the corner of her eye Mayah saw an arrow fly into a weesp, and it keened. Her view quickly changed to stars as Vergie bucked and reared, smashing Mayah’s face into the armored frill.

  She shook it off and clamped down with her legs around Vergie’s neck, and then grabbed Vergie’s frill and gave it a hard twist. The Vergax rolled to the side as if pulled bodily. Mayah’s hands slipped from the frill and the spikes gouged up the underside of her right arm and into her armpit.

  “Shazzit Vergie!!!” She wrestled with the cat attempting to calm it while it battled the weesps and suffered under the runes still stuck to it. Suddenly the runes dimmed, their timer up. Vergie was still behaving as if she was in a storm of wasps. Mayah wrestled her frill pointing her away from the weesps.

  “Go!” She gave Vergie her best giddy-up and the vergax moved out of the crowd back towards the gate leaping over the last line of weesps Vergie tried to bolt but Mayah pulled back on her frill. Vergie skidded to a stop and sat, her head waving back and forth like a cat with a slice of cheese on its face. Mayah slapped her shoulder with her injured hand startling the cat into a standstill. Mayah was about to release her grip on Vergie’s neck when she was startled by a ding.

  DING!!!

  New Ability Learned

  Riding Level 1

  You have learned how to ride a mount. The level of riding will determine the ease and comfort of riding a mount. Saddle sore yet?

  You will be able to ride any animal that can carry your weight. Animals with a disposition of comfortable or lower will need to be broken. Animals with a malevolent disposition will be much harder to break than one with a comfortable disposition.

  Swiping it away Mayah turned back to Grax and Margaret fighting the weesps. Margaret was using her sword and a short spear. She was swinging them together into the weesps, and she was looking ragged and winded. Grax dancing around Margaret defending her from the questing mouths and stabbing anything within reach.

  Mayah looked down into Vergie’s eyes. “You okay girl?”

  Vergie chuffed and nodded.

  “Let’s rip some shadows apart.”

  With her legs clamped down Mayah brought out two short spears and Vergie bounced into the backs of the weesps. They scattered under claw and spear giving Grax and Margaret some breathing room. Mayah cast the rune for Surge (S) directly at Margaret’s feet. A wave of shadows tumbled the first few weesps and pushed the others back like driftwood being tumbled in the breakers, the dark wave picking them up and carrying them backward.

  “Mags dolls!!!” Mayah yelled and could see Margaret wince at her own lack of common sense.

  “Those shadow wave Grenades would’ve been nice to have don’t you think?” Grax shouted over the wails and stabbed the downed weesps as fast as he could.

  Margaret was using sloppy overhand swings and doing a fair bit of damage. Her vuurm were belching oily fire onto the weesps with much success. Her sword though was hitting the flagstones sending loud clangs and sparks.

  “Would you accept that when I died it slipped my mind?” Mayah stabbed an approaching weesp. And Grax skewered it and twisted it back into the shadow realm.

  “Don’t have much choice in the matter, do I?” He ducked a mouth and hit it with both spears and tore them outward increasing his damage. The weesps were starting to encircle them again.

  “Mags when we break free get ahead of us and switch to your bow. we’ll kite them out into a line.” Mayah nudged Vergie's frill forward and the vergax dashed forward bowling three weesps to the ground and everyone except the four vuurms broke free of the circle. Grax and Margaret slashing the downed weesps.

  Mayah cast Mint (Lf) and a ten-foot patch of mint grew up on the ground. The weesps following their prey walked straight through the plants unhindered. That was until an arrow slammed into a weesp and the Light (W) forced it to become tangible. The Mint (Lf) grabbed onto the weesp and slowed it down to half speed. The strong smell of mint wafted across the square making Vergie sneeze.

  A vuurm was engulfed by a weesp head first. The weesp instantly smoked as a ball of fire consumed the weesp from the inside. The smoking vapor wasn’t substantial enough to keep the vuurm suspended and the half-crushed vuurm slapped wetly to the ground.

  This made Margaret heave. As it tried to limply crawl after another weesp Margaret could tell that most of the bones in its front half were shattered. A bone poked through its side and the juice of life, congealed, and putrefied as it was, came out with it. This made Margaret heave again. She directed it to spit fire at any weesps near it.

  Margaret turned her attention from vuurm the boneless and shot arrow after arrow slowing the weesps, the arrows doing damage over time and the Mint (Lf) slowing their procession. A few weesps made it through and followed the paladins. The vuurm harried their rear and flanks. Mayah dismounted and ran forward with Grax to take them down. She pulled out a club light, activated it, and shoved the handle down the back of her collar. The light floated like a beacon above her head. She swung Happiness with a Crushing Blow, and then switched to Whack-A-Vole. Ending the first three weesps. Grax slipped between two weesps and slashed at them from the back. Switching targets between the two he kept them off balance. Mayah swooped in as they turned to face Grax and delivered blows to the back of the weesps, and they dropped like stones and disappeared like mist.

  Mayah and Grax backpedaled towards Vergie and Margaret. The weesps were forced to come
after them. They were easy pickings one at a time and even three at a time when the timer for Mint (Lf) ended. The trio was slightly winded after their skirmish.

  Mayah went to Vergie and gave her a hug.

  “You were stuck down here for a whole night? You poor thing.”

  Vergie nuzzled her. Mayah stroked her fur forgetting everything else for a moment.

  “Now stay away from the Light (W) runes,” she admonished Vergie. “Or, don’t go crazy and I’ll help you. Deal?”

  Vergie nodded.

  Mayah turned to her friends. Grax was looking a bit put out.

  “You know those shadow wave things would have been kind of helpful?”

  "I know.”

  “What about all the proper prior planning?”

  "I forgot about them because I haven’t used them in combat enough. So many of these runes have applications that I don’t fully understand so it makes it hard to figure out how to use them. Now that I know….” she raised her hands and shrugged.

  Also, I forgot. Can’t let that happen again.

  “When we get back, I want to see your runes. That wasn’t piss poor, but we could be doing a bit better.”

  "I would like to see your runes too, dear.”

  “So, are we doing team builds?” Mayah whined in frustration.

  “Team builds?” the necromancer asked.

  “We get to talk about the way each of our avatars is progressing. It also means that we are gonna be together for a while.” Grax filled in the not-so-noobish noob.

  Margaret turned away and surveyed the dark streets gagging when she saw boneless still trying to ambulate. She quickly dropped the doll and turned to her team. "I don’t know if we should do that.” Her chin lifted. “But we do need to finish this dungeon.”

  “Truer words.” Mayah sighed happily at being off the hook, for now.

  Grax pointed a finger at Mayah. “This isn’t finished, princess.”

  “Neither is this.” she pointed at the city. Get your priorities, cat.”

  “Piss poor performance.” He shrugged and attempted to walk off. He was pulled back by Margaret snatching him by the scruff.

  “No more of that young man,” she scolded Grax. He struggled to be released but Margaret gave him a quick shake and a grandmotherly stare. “For the time being, we are here to support Fluff. So, all this whining is unbecoming—and irritating. If it keeps up, you may find that you respawn in your sleep.”

  “You wouldn’t?” Grax hissed.

  "I don’t make threats young man. I make promises. So, find a constructive way to talk to her or keep it to yourself.”

  Mayah chuckled. “It’s okay, Mags. I need a reality check every now and again. But if you want to snatch him for any reason I won’t object.”

  “Double teamed again.” Grax twisted free of Margaret leaving her with a few light scratches on her hand. “And if I find out you killed me in my sleep, we’re going to have real problems, Mags. and I don’t make threats either.”

  “Bring it, flea bait,” Margaret sneered.

  “Whatever.”

  Their argument was interrupted as Riker and Deanna ran across the square and stopped in front of Mayah chittering loudly. They motioned behind them further into the city. There, groups of weesps were beginning to enter the square from down the main avenue.

  “That way?” Margaret asked.

  “Definitely that way.”

  “Make a few of those surge and mint grenades. Vergie, Mags and I will take care of these guys,” Grax recommended.

  “Not a half bad idea, flea bro.” Mayah clapped a hand on his back.

  So, Margaret Vergie, and Grax beelined for the incoming weesps while Mayah double checked her runebook to verify that Surge (S) had a Mana cost of 145MP. With charge level three I can up these to 150% effectiveness for, she paused and did a quick calculation, for around 218mp. Don’t wanna bottom out so let's do three for just over half my mana.

  She pulled out some paper and ink and drew ten Surge (S) runes on the page as quickly as she could. She stood up scooping everything into her bag and took a gander at her teammates who with Vergie’s help were kiting the weesps through a Light (W) field, the big cat slapping weesps into the runes. She quickly began tearing the sheet only taking enough time to make sure she didn’t mess up the ink. With three runes in hand, she began batch charging the runes. She thought Grenade at the end of the enchantment, then folded them and tied them to three stones with some thread.

  She put the rötten on her shoulders and ran towards the battle and threw the rune-stone at the back side of the weesps.

  “Incoming,” She yelled.

  The Surge (S) went off pushing the weesps into the light field adding more keening to the air. Vergie circled the zone of runes and knocked the weesps back into it when they tried to escape.

  “Glad you could make it,” Grax chuckled.

  “Me too.” Margaret spun off an attack and fell back pulling her bow.

  Mayah just started up her flame enchantment on Happiness and began clobbering the weesps. Before the Light (W) runes dissipated the weesps were done.

  Okay, gang. Let’s move forward before the next wave.” she put Riker and Deanna into Vergie’s chest pouch. “You two stay there.” They nodded and pulled most of their heads into the pouch.

  As they walked forward everyone grabbed the arrows and handed them to Margaret deactivating them. Mayah charged her two light spears.

  “Grax give me your spears and take these. They’re fresh. Also, a Surge (S) stone for everyone.” she handed them out.

  “Awesome! You are the best leader ever,” Grax sniggered.

  “Hush it, cat. Stay focused,” Mayah urged.

  From the veil ahead of them another group of about twenty weesps approached.

  “We’ll stop them in the middle of one of these blocks. Vergie you keep knocking them back into the area of the Light (W) runes okay. Mags you send the vuurm out to meet and heat them. You stay on the bow and pepper them. You can start as soon as they are within range. And Grax…”

  “Yeah, yeah, do what I do.” He rolled his eyes sarcastically.

  “Good kitty.”

  When the weesps were about two blocks away Margaret nocked an Arrow and let it fly. Three weesps popped into being and began flaming the weesps, beginning the keening symphony of weesp pain. She fired a light arrow and It fell short of the first weesps and skidded across the pavement and struck a weesp in the foot and it joined the chorus of weesp screams.

  “Need more target practice Mags?” Grax teased

  “Yes, little boy.” Margaret knocked another arrow. “I’m just waiting until you fall asleep so you can’t dodge.” She let the arrow fly this time it slammed into the shoulder of a weesp.

  “See I’m getting better,” she said to Mayah ignoring Grax.

  "I didn’t doubt you at all, Mags,” Mayah told her.

  Margaret glowed under the praise.

  “Well, at least not since the imps.” Mayah giggled

  Margaret's shoulders slumped. "I hate teenagers.”’

  “I’m not a teenager so she must be talking to you Grax,” Mayah laughed even louder.

  “I’m going to take out this frustration on the weesps.” Margaret took out an arrow looked at it and said, "I may need some recharging after this.” Then she nocked and fired again.

  “Okay, here they come. Let’s wait for them here.” Mayah waited as Margaret began hitting her targets with more accuracy now that the weesps were less than a block away.

  “Bombs away!” Mayah shouted, lobbing a Light (W) grenade.

  The arc was perfect and it exploded over the heads of the weesps showering them with tiny paper lights. Any weesps that weren’t singing before were now. The howling sound filled the air in front of them and Mayah and Grax dove in.

  They dispatched all the weesps except the ones that Margaret had shot. By the time the runes went out. The stragglers fell victim to Vergie and a glowing Grax as Mayah re
charged the arrows and handed them back to Margaret.

  The team moved forward. And Mayah noticed a group of 25 or so weesps come out of the veil. Another group of twenty came out a few seconds later. The first group split and turned both directions at the first intersection. The second group came straight at them.

  Mayah pulled out the Surge (S) runes. “Looks like they’re trying to flank us and take us out with numbers.” She charged another three runes and tied them to stones.

  “Did you make any of the mint runes?” Grax asked.

  “No.” Mayah winced.

  “How come you never listen to me?”

  “BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS FLARFING TALKING!!!!” Mayah roared in exasperation.

  “… Geez no need to be so testy.”

  “Testy He says. Do you know how much work it is to make all of these things? I have to split my attention between your mouth and all the things I have to enchant and engrave. You only do a small portion of the work, get all the benefits, and then complain about it.” Mayah glared at the cat.

  “Have you even unlocked the engraving skill tree yet?” she inquired.

  Grax looking abashed answered humbly, “No…”

  “And here we get to the crux of the matter. If it’s not hitting stuff for damage you fall way behind Mags and I in skill. You always leave right when we need you the most.” Mayah paused for a second. “Can you at least see why I’m upset?

  Grax looked away and mumbled, “Yes…”

  “Then please fix it!”

  Grax grumbled incomprehensibly under his breath.

  “Little help, please?” Margaret begged. “They’re getting closer.”

  “This isn’t over, cat!” Mayah said pointedly with a pointed finger added to drive the point home. Mayah returned her attention to the weesps sliding down the street towards them.

  “Let’s stop them just this side of the intersection. That will make it harder for them to flank us.”

  Grax nodded sullenly. “This was supposed to be fun.”