by Dylan Keefer
“Oy!” That sounded like Bain.
Valush closed her eyes and breathed out exaggeratedly. Ah, I’ve seen that face before… she was pissed. I look back at the door.
“Who was that?” I ask.
Valush cuts in, “The Lizard, I swear if I could I would kick him into the moon.”
“You can drag him to Norurt, as long as both of you agree on it.” I say.
Valush rolled her head, Alice gets up, “What do you and him have anyway?”
A door is being knocked hard. Like seriously?
“Forget this,” Valush’s body dissipates into nothing, a blurb appears, ‘Valush logged out’.
“Ahh…” Medpack makes a sound, Alice wavered her arms in confusion. I can sigh but I am not entirely sure what to think.
I finally go outside to hear a whole heap of foolishness with Bain stalking off at the end. Well he usually does that.
But it seems the guys are getting jaded with Valush’s suicidal, selfish swashbuckling. Not only did she kill Opa on the Quest but damaged everyone else by accident and had the audacity to say they were weak.
Yup, that sounds like Valush. At least with Joshua, he cannot hurt anyone, but Valush was different. She was a White Mage, area damage was their strong point and their weakness.
White Mages, unlike the other color magic types, rarely targets their ability. So any one in the way can get it, anyways Bain will get over it.
In a way he feared the same problem with Mom but she did not have such a problem. Actually she was a model Blue Mage which was good.
I calmed everyone down and told them to busy themselves with something. Last thing I needed was a lynch mob for Valush’s head. She already had enough enemies. Which makes me wonder if that was why she left Golden Blaze, without me there, I doubt Fiona would tolerate her antics.
I was trying my best to make this group tolerate her as is. We needed Valush, she dealt the most damage per second with Joshua being second to her. Especially for the God challenge ahead I would definitely need her.
Chapter 19
There was some new bar chairs dispensed in the one room, with a sofa. Well at least the floor was not going to be the regular seating arrangement.
But we only had one sofa. Money is still tight so, the floor is not the regular seating but now the backup. So as J Ron and Xavier praise their good luck, me and the others sit on the backup sofa which was really the floor.
Neil gestured to Bain whom frowned, Joshua he grabbed the paper and spied at the numbers in deep contemplation. Then he scratched his head as if he got an infection or something.
“Ok, we been working with each other a while now, I think we can try and challenge for another one, another God.” I said.
I would not blame him, we cannot use luck like last time, no, the rest of the Gods were way stronger, and numbers count if we are to win.
“Now there are five Gods left to go up against, from what we have researched there is a God for each equipment group in the game. Spear, arrow, sword, blade, hammer, axe, chain, staff, armor and circulet, we already have one the weapon representing the arrow.”
“Which means eight more to go…” Bain said to himself.
“We cannot access the entire eight Gods, only five, meaning the last three are probably more powerful than these guys…anyways. We can assume that…but we have our choices looking at all of our abilities and each God’s fighting style I think the God we have the highest chance of beating right now would be, the big old looking Round Rock Dragon we faced in that forsaken black forest.”
Neil, Joshua, and Bain all groan, loudly I might add.
“What got you guys so heated up?” Medpack asked curious.
“That place is more dangerous than that God.” Neil lamented.
I snap my fingers, “not really, it is how that God uses his lair really. You see this thing is an Earth Dragon, you know Earth Dragons love their underground lairs right?”
“It ain’t even underground.” Bain utters.
“We are not going down there, we fight on the land above.”
Xavier chimed in, “Yeah, I fought a smaller one back when I was apart of this group. It literally tried to lure us in there and that was when things got sticky. I mean I was looking at fire coming out of the walls and stuff.”
“Right… same thing here, the forest this thing lives in is warped by magic. So fire is coming out of the branches of trees I kid you not. The Dragon is big and scaly, the scales are unbreakable. The only place not shielded is its eye socket. We can damage it there. It has huge claws but it cannot move them as well, actually this Beast is holed up inside a huge crevasse. It uses its magic to cut us down.”
Xavier nudges “Alright makes it easier for us to go in and slash it, run, slash some more and run.”
Bain says “That would only work on the fanged flying God. We try to go near this one, it spins and kills you instantly. If it digs you get an uppercut and die instantly.”
Everyone lost what content they had at Bain’s words, it was so depressing.
I decide to deal with it, “yeah we have to attack from range and that is through its magic penetration. So really Deabush will be our main point of attack.”
He pointed at himself as if that was surprising but my mom nudges him and Deabush blushes like a little girl. I hear Alvain snickering.
I retain control of the discussion, “Medpack will be second cause that woman can throw a knife far, they will not be in the same place I will explain why later. All mages will have to protect them, so Alvain you stick to Medpack.”
She smiled down at him, ”Take care of me, ok?” Alvain nodded with a bit of redness in his cheeks. “Deabush you will have Mom covering you.
Mom nodded as if she just woke up. Well, she was probably tired anyway. “All the muscles will be moving around them, your job is to prevent those Fire and Earth Elementals he keeps summoning from going near Deabush and Medpack. So try to not get congregated in one spot for more than ten seconds. This Dragon loves to throw fireballs from the top of its dome shell and the less damage the easier their job. Got it?”
Everyone nodded to that, “Behind you guys, Me, Killon and Bain will be destroying the trees. It is from the trees that flames keep streaming from, they just keep growing back after a while, it is annoying.”
Neil snorts, “That is why I hate taking on that thing.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re only mad because you are the first one to die anyways.” Bain retorts.
Joshua laughs out loud as Neil glowers at Bain.
“You do not start laughing. You cannot even swing properly.” I let Joshua know.
“Who needs proper swing I got power!” Joshua exclaims flexing his arms into a bulked up state.
Valush cuts her eyes while Bain rolls his.
“Medpack give these muscle heads Almander’s Shield at first, cast Avast Chaos on yourself and Deabush to ward off effect damage from fire. Conserve your magic other than that let Alvain cover you with Fire Demota and Fire’s Bain. Mom, you, your goal is to protect Deabush. Do not think of anything else or anybody else alright?”
She nodded quickly with a sober face. Knowing how chaotic Blue magic was, it was best for her to just focus on one thing at a time. Her Assassin abilities would be useless here since she was more of an attack based one instead of a ranged one.
“Valush, Joshua, I am going to be casting North Star and Burndideath on you guys I have a special task for you,”
“Yeah?” they said in unison which gets them staring at each other like brother and sister.
“Go all out.”
The two of them smile and Neil swallows hard. The rest of the group has this wide-eyed expression that tells me that was the worse thing I could have told these two warmongers.
Chapter 20
Under the moon like shape, light blue, the sky a vague orange tint. The incomprehensible color scheme crushed my sense of calm. The raspy air, tickled my very skin. There were many sensations in thi
s game if you investigate it. What pained me was the fact that I had a comforted status. Was this battle strategy or just random effects of where I was?
I look up and Killon was moving to my left, his hand on a Paper Bomb. It was nothing more than paper that was magically infused with explosive agents. But it was quite effective as a weapon.
I glower at the map and status blurb. Well at least everyone is…hold on, “Black Wonderful…” Ok, everyone is alive and still fighting.
Where is Bain though? He could not have drifted that far? Well… I will not worry about him that much, he usually pops in to protect me now and then. We were not close to Deabush or Medpack.
They kept moving and I warned them never to stay in one place. The Elementals were slow moving so as long as they kept moving they could avoid most dangers.
What I noticed was the Elementals only get summoned near the last attacker. We were not attacking the Dragon so it did not see us as a threat. The trees were impartial and were an annoyance so we strived to get rid of them.
By the time Medpack and Deabush came through, the trees were but fledgling little sprouts as they take time to grow back. We should with patience, work and we might be able to beat this blasted Dragon.
Uta was making quick work of the trees. I jumped over a few growing sprouts, I swipe at one with my rod ripping it out of the ground.
This should be good enough. Though, was that not a neat group of trees fully grown. Further beyond that, a man was running towards the center of the desolate arid land.
Joshua, he seemed quite merry. There sat within a large hole was the Dragon in his shell, the topmost scales lapped up unto one another. But in large segments, between each was the inside layer which shone a purple glow. It was really crystal growing from within this Beast.
With the tail showing this crystal like a bristle pike at the end, I could only imagine what being hit with that could do to me as damage. After all its skin was black and rugged, nothing could pierce it and that alone made him intimidating.
Honestly Valush and Joshua were attacking nothing more than a steel wall. But I wanted for them to draw off the Elementals.
I remember one time we stood together in a group, this blasted Dragon summoned a horde of Elementals that killed us off in less than a minute. It was humiliating. That was not happening again.
I step closer to Uta. He was about to take out another bomb. ”Hey, take out those trees over there.”
Uta looked where I was pointing. His face flexed rudely, with a blank stare he said, “don’t need to…”
Was that light?
The ground shakes as sparkles of light blinded me, I flutter my eyes madly as the trees alight and break apart into ashes.
From around the bushes I see Bain emerge.
“And here I was starting to think you are lazing around.”
He ogled me hard for that statement.
“I dealt with everything on the west side, Joshua and Valush are following after the guys taking out any Elementals. Also there is a message from Neil, we are too slow.”
I groan with a daring scowl to my brow.
“He is lucky he is surviving…Black Wonderful…yeah he is lucky to say that.”
“I agree, now then…” He kept his eyes in motion towards Killon, who rose flapping his wings rapidly.
“This is taking too long…” Bain said to me with dreary eyes.
“How long has it been?” I ask with shrug.
“Almost one hour?” Uta said twisting his head as if unsure.
“Well, the guys are moving closer, we should too.”
I frown, “I just hope not too close.”
Regardless we rounded some rocks that led down to a steep incline. We could see the guys slowly hitting away at the Dragon’s life. A good number of Elementals were around.
They ran around randomly but once you were in their range they attack with ranged projectiles if not their bodies. I was slyly stepping in behind Bain as two fire and one earth Elementals stepped up to engage.
Uta threw the bomb, shattering one tree and damaging the earth Elemental. It tipped and collapsed over. One fire Elemental tried to stretch towards us, Bain poses and waves his hand, a stream of water surges out blocking the fire Elemental.
I lose my balance as the earth shivers. A blast of light is emitted briefly from the hole, another jolt has me trying to maintain my balance.
I hear a low brooding wail. Killon gestured, “The hell was that, I don’t see any…”
By the time I try to figure where that came from my shoulders drop, Bain blasts a stream of water quenching the fire elemental rising a smoke of steam. A big immense ball of scaly skin rose of the hole. The Dragon was now airborne and crying like a child, as drops of rocks dispensed from its eyes.
Me and Killon cannot move, we just stare.
Neil connected to me, “Celina, you seeing this?”
Of course I was, I have eyes.
“Celina, what do we do?” Neil asked.
Bain looked up and staggered slightly backward at the sight. This thing was lifting off…this was not good.
Xavier’s voice, “hey Celina you never mentioned this, the hell we suppose to do now?!”
I nudge Killon out of his stupor. I connect with everyone, “Xavier we never came this far, so…oh yeah, that means it is almost dead. The God is almost dead. Alright guys all we have to do now is push forward and deal with this.”
“How, it’s flying!”
That was true, wait… it was opening now? The scale that was at the front below its eye opened from an upward angle. Revealing a series of bug like arms, no, they looked metallic, even gave off that sheen.
Even now I could see fragments falling, those eyes were not normal. It took a few seconds but the rest of the scales opened out at angles revealing the inner body of crystals.
I gawk at the sight unable to believe it but this was not a Dragon.
“Dude it’s a city.” J Ron shouted.
“City, you sure?” Bain asked.
“Man I see the roofs and…wait, there is some things…oh my, Dragons, real Dragons!”
“Scatter!” Shouts Neil.
What I thought was a big Earth Dragon in a crystallized shell was really a city in a shell, the crystal was growing under it, growing intermittingly among the limping metal arms. The topside had rows of sections of buildings, they looked quite colorful from here. There was no particular color scheme at all.
From red, to yellow to bright blue, I just could not see any dull color.
I jump into a run, they were converging, a swarm of them. Earth Dragons in a variety of black or brown hues, they had metallic like scales and long wings that made them look like Gliders. As they get closer my fear worsens, I was right in my assumptions. These were adult Dragons, not one of them was a teenager or infant.
Curse our luck, one adult Dragon was only slightly weaker than Valush, but I was seeing tons of them.
“Party status, Black Wonderful, guys do not stay in one place and let them corner you. I need someone to cover me strictly so I can cast Seraph, Deabush!”
“Yeah!” He replied.
I squeeze my eyes in frustration as three of them circle us. Bain waved his hand releasing a rapid fire of small fireballs. They disperse, the screech startles me, I freeze.
I can’t focus, “Status…”
“Celina…!” I hear Bain’s voice but I throw it from my mind.
I was suffering from Scatter. It should not last long. Killon drew out a wire, attaching a knife, he threw it on one tree. It wiggled in pain but Killon shot up as Bain tried to ward off the Dragon with a beam of light.
With a wave of his hand, he shouted, “Traimer!” Shooting a mass of black smoke from his palm into the two Dragons, one of them frantically flapped its wings. It rose upward screaming loudly until it dropped head first into the earth.
The second one was crawling, frantically whipping its wings around.
A claw was near me, it was h
alf as tall than me, I looked up and immediately stiffen at the sight when its huge eyes catch mine. It felt like it literally devoured me.
Bain shoots a flash fire at the ones coming at us, but the Dragon is not fazed and decides to open its mouth releasing a stream of vicious gas that rips through the earth kicking up a tornado of dust.
Earth Dragons do not spit fire, they spit acid. It was poisonous and the damage was not to be trifled with.
Party status showed Bain’s life slipping away fast but I cannot cast. I drew a potion out of my bag.
“Celina move!”
I turn, I see a rush of dust, I jump and quickly plant my foot into another jump, swerving around the Dragon’s nasty breath.
“Bain!” I call.
His life is almost zero, I drink the potion, and throw the glass hitting the Dragon, I see Killon shoot pass with the wire in tow.
“Black Wonderful!”
Four more Dragons, to my right, I hate this spell, but I have no choice.
“Multiply,” I jump back leaving four versions of myself being crushed within a chorus of Dragon breath. Corner of my eye I see Bain grabbing the wire pulling the Dragon to the ground, the rest of the wire line slumps and twines around the convulsing Dragon.
Another Dragon creeps up behind me,
“Bain!”
Bain whips his head around, made a gesture and rushed forward grabbing unto that Dragon’s neck with his bare hands. It lifted, twisted, and threw him. Bain normalizes midair, just as it blasts acid at him.
“Black Wonderful!”
In his state he could barely handle them. That is when I notice this neat network of wires, I stop near one.
“Do not touch it.” I hear in my head.
“Killon?”
“That wire is razor sharp, if you touch it with your actual skin, it will cut you.”
Killon was airborne with a clump of wires in hand. I go under the netting itself. Checking Party status, I see everyone is on the edge of no tomorrow.
“Black Wonderful!”
Two more Dragons swarm around me but hesitate as the wire netting over my head had them snipping at it to get free. They blast but I dodge easily.
