by Virlyce
Tina closed her eyes and rested her cheek on her right hand. She shuddered as she recalled the look in Tafel’s eyes when she had told her a reaper was a strong as Vur.
“What are you thinking of, Tina?” Delphina asked.
Tina’s eyes opened. “That time she asked us to fight against that reaper alone,” Tina said. “How old was she? Thirteen?”
“Yeah,” Ruji said and nodded. “She lost so badly that I thought she was going to give up being an adventurer at that very moment. I know I would’ve.”
“But she decided to stop grouping up with us because she’d get more experience solo,” Tina said. “And now she’s going to challenge a reaper again, three years later.”
“You think Stacy is enough to keep her safe?” Delphina asked.
Tina nodded. “Tafel would notice if we all decided to follow her,” she said as she pulled a clear crystal ball out of her bag, “and Stacy did promise to project the fight to us.”
***
Tafel took in a deep breath and exhaled while opening her eyes. She was standing in front of a rusted metal door. A blue, form-fitting robe made of spider silk was draped over her, and an orange zweihander with black runes pulsating along the surface of the blade was strapped to her back. Her horns throbbed with a dim silver glow in time with the runes on her sword. She stepped forward and pushed open the door. Behind it, there was a circular arena bathed in a purple light. In the center of the arena, there was a single sapling with an apple growing from it. Purple barnacles grew along the walls and spectator areas. Different sections of the arena were in various states of decay.
Tafel drew her sword and closed her eyes. Her horns shone with a dark-green light as she swung the zweihander horizontally. The silence in the arena was broken by a shriek as a blade of wind severed the sapling and left a meter deep gouge in the wall across from her. The floor around the sapling cracked and trembled. Two sickle-shaped blades erupted from the yellow dirt in front of the sapling, and the tiles around the plant bulged as a large praying mantis head appeared. The broken sapling was attached to its forehead like a horn. The reaper let out a shrill cry that made Tafel wince.
The rest of the praying mantis broke through the floor, and it rubbed its scythes together as it eyed the demon standing across from it. Tafel’s horns glowed with a silver light as she raised her hand. Two runes, both resembling clock faces, appeared underneath Tafel and the reaper. The clock underneath Tafel spun clockwise while the clock underneath the reaper spun counterclockwise.
The reaper lunged forward, its two scythes snapping downwards towards Tafel. Tafel grimaced and dashed towards the scythes, twisting her body to avoid them. The reaper’s movements were sluggish as if it were fighting underwater, but Tafel’s speed had increased. She ran to one of the reaper’s legs and swung her sword at its knee joint. An explosion of fire blasted out of the blade once it made contact with the reaper. It flapped its wings and retreated backwards, seemingly unharmed. Multiple wind blades crashed against the same joint before the reaper managed to defend itself with its scythes.
The clock underneath the reaper’s body flickered as the minute hand made a full rotation. The reaper rubbed its scythes together and stared at Tafel, wary and waiting. Tafel raised her zweihander and stood unmoving as her horns glowed silver. A faint ring of light appeared beneath both her and the reaper, but a sonic boom resounded as the reaper’s body blurred and reappeared in front of Tafel. One scythe pierced through her abdomen, sinking halfway into the floor behind her. The reaper tilted its head as Tafel’s body disappeared. A loud crack echoed through the arena as an explosion assaulted its knee, causing it to wobble and fall to the floor.
Tafel grabbed the now-severed leg of the reaper and disappeared, reappearing into the doorway she came from. She slammed the door shut and disappeared again, reappearing a few meters away from the entrance. Cold sweat ran down her back as she shivered. Her breathing was ragged as she sat down, pulling a mana potion out of a bag she left in the corner.
“Isn’t this cheating? The dragon boy would be able to follow you out of that room,” a voice said from behind her.
Tafel whipped her head around and held her sword in front of her body. She relaxed and let out a sigh. “Hi, Stacy. Did the rest of them come?” she asked as she lowered the sword. A clanging sound echoed through the hall as the reaper smashed its claw against the door, piercing it.
Stacy shook her head. “Nope, just me,” she said and pointed an orb at Tafel. “You’re being recorded though. Say hello.”
Tafel rolled her eyes before drinking another mana potion. She readied her sword, and her body disappeared again. Stacy shrugged and tiptoed to the door, peering through the crack left behind by the reaper.
A few minutes later, Tafel reappeared with another one of the reaper’s legs. She sat down and pulled out another potion. “This is definitely cheating,” Stacy said and pouted. “Time mages have it so easy with their teleportation.”
Tafel stuck her tongue out at Stacy before disappearing again. Even less time passed before she came back with another leg. “Eventually, I’ll be able to beat it without having to retreat for mana potions,” she said. “But for now, this’ll have to do.”
***
“Ah, I think I traveled too far south,” a fairy said to herself as she crossed her arms and flew through the air. “There’s just too much good fruit to eat past the dragon’s roost.” She sighed as drool leaked from her mouth. Movement beneath her caught her eye.
“What kind of creature is this?” the fairy asked. She hovered above a blue, four-legged creature and tilted her head. The creature had blue wings, pointed teeth, and the body of a boar, but its eyes were reptilian. Blue tufts of down sprouted from its legs: above its hooves but below its knees.
The fairy shrugged and flew in front of the creature while waving her arm. Black tendrils swirled out of her body and enveloped the feathered boar. It squealed as it ran around, trying to escape the smoke before finally collapsing in front of the fairy. The fairy grinned and landed on top of its head.
“Don’t worry, little piggy,” she said as she rubbed its ears. “The queen will take good care of yo—eh?”
The piglet shuddered and flung the fairy off its head. It dashed forward and grabbed the fairy with its needle-like teeth. It shook its head and rattled the fairy around until she stopped moving. The feathered boar snorted and trotted north towards the dragon’s roost, still carrying the fairy in its mouth.
***
“Stella’s really gone too far,” Lindyss said as she narrowed her eyes at the fairy’s corpse. The feathered boar had returned home with prey after a day of exploring. “Coming this far south? She must be looking for a fight.”
A high-pitched squeal interrupted her train of thought. Vur was holding the blue boar upside-down by its tail as it flapped its wings and struggled. He poked it with his finger and received a bite in return. “What is it?” Vur asked as he sucked on his bleeding finger.
Prika laughed. “It’s your grandchild,” she said and grinned. “Just wait till you meet your daughter-in-law. You’d be surprised.”
Vur tilted his head and placed the piglet on the ground. It hissed at him before hiding behind Prika’s leg. “Does it have a name?”
“Nope. Snuffles can’t speak,” Prika said as she nudged the piglet with her snout. “Neither can your daughter-in-law. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you named her.”
“Floofykins,” Vur said without hesitation and pointed at the piglet. It squealed and rapidly shook its head back and forth.
“Floofykins?” Lindyss asked as she raised her eyebrow. “You’re going to name her Floofykins? She’s the offspring of a phoenix and a dragon-imprinted boar and you want to name her Floofykins. Can’t you think of something a little bit more awe-inspiring?”
Vur’s body blurred and he reappeared behind the piglet. He lifted her up with one hand. “But she’s so fluffy,” he said and pointed at the bits of down on her legs. “
See? I like Floofykins.”
Tears formed in the corners of the piglet’s eyes as she whimpered. Lindyss sighed. “Sorry, Floofykins,” she said. “He’s being stubborn.”
Vur whirled the crying piglet around to face him. “Do you really hate it that much?”
She nodded and sniffled. Vur sighed. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll think of something better.” He hummed. “Maybe if I add a title…. How about … Little Miss? Yes, Little Miss Floofykins sounds nice.”
The piglet spat a white fireball into his face.
Vur nodded. “It’s settled then,” he said as he wiped the flames off his eyebrows and smiled. “Henceforth, your name will be The Awe-Inspiring White Flame, Little Miss Floofykins.”
Lindyss shook her head and looked at Prika.
Prika shrugged. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “I kinda like it.”
***
A man was standing on top of a blue dragon’s head in a courtyard. He wore silver armor adorned with the crest of the human royal family, a pair of lions crossing arms. A black kite shield was strapped to his back, and an orange longsword hung from his waist.
“Prince Rudolph,” a man said as he stood at the entrance to the courtyard with his head lowered. “The king is seeking an audience with you.”
Rudolph nodded and jumped off of Johann’s head, slowing in midair before landing on the ground without a sound. “Very well, you’re dismissed,” he said to the sentry who saluted and ran off. “Stay here, Johann.” The dragon growled in reply and lowered its belly onto the ground.
A few moments later, Rudolph approached the mahogany doors leading to the throne room. “Prince Rudolph,” the two sentries said and stepped away while bowing. Rudolph ignored them as he pushed the doors open and walked inside. His father was talking to a man, the pope, who was wearing white robes and a golden tiara.
“Prince Rudolph greets the pope,” Rudolph said as he knelt on one knee.
“Rise, rise,” the pope said and waved his arm. “No need for formalities when it’s just us.”
“Rudolph,” the king said as he rose from his throne. “I’ll get straight to the point. The sacred spirits have decided to give us their blessing to counter the threat of the fairy queen. Too many of our people have gone missing in recent years and the spirits are displeased.”
Rudolph’s heart beat faster in his chest. “You wish for me to inherit the spirits’ will?” he asked as he lowered his head.
“Not quite,” the pope answered in place of the king. “The spirits wish to have a full party.”
The king nodded. “The spirits will watch over an organized tournament and decide on who to bless. Don’t disappoint me.” The king narrowed his eyes at Rudolph.
Rudolph trembled and crossed his arm over his chest. “I won’t, Father.”
“Good,” the king said. “The deciding tournament will take place three months from now. I wanted to warn you before you decided to go on an adventure and disappear for another year. Of course, I’ll let everyone else know only a week in advance. Use this time to prepare yourself well.” He nodded. “You may leave.”
“Thank you, Father,” Rudolph said and bowed before leaving. He clenched his fists. Just you wait, Michelle.
***
Vur sighed as he gazed at the patch of land underneath him. He stood on the branch of a tree that had lost its leaves. The vegetation around him was withered and gray, and there were a few areas where sand was forming. Images of Yella’s smiling face appeared in his head as he sat down and hunched over, clasping his hands together. Stella’s face superimposed itself over Yella’s face and Vur shook his head. He sighed again and stared up at the clouds in the sky.
What are you going to do when you find them?
Vur glanced at the metal chain hanging from his neck. Attached to the other end was the pink lightning elemental. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to kill Stella for what she did to Lindyss. But the other part of me knows that Yella loved Stella and she wouldn’t want me to hurt her. She gave her life for me.”
The lightning elemental buzzed. Couldn’t you say it was Stella’s fault that Yella died? If she didn’t curse Lindyss, then you wouldn’t have gone berserk.
Vur shook his head and pointed his finger to the sky. “You could blame anyone that way,” he said as his finger zigzagged downwards. “It’s Stella’s fault for cursing Lindyss. It’s my fault for not being able to control the dragon inside of me. It’s the demons’ fault for using the parasites. It’s Tafel’s fault for running in front of me. It’s Auntie’s fault for betraying the fairy queen so many years ago. I’m sure Stella is just as, if not more, devastated by Yella’s death.”
You didn’t think that way when you first woke up, the lightning elemental noted.
Vur nodded. “Aunt Leila helped me to work through my feelings,” he said and clenched his hand. “Nothing is black and white. There’s always more.”
“Message for Vur!” A skeleton head popped out of a knot in the tree Vur was sitting on. Vur stiffened before he exhaled and relaxed. The skeleton tilted its head. “Why am I in a tree?”
Vur shrugged and helped free the skeleton.
“Thank you,” the skeleton said as it dusted flecks of wood off its body. It coughed and cleared its throat. “Our unholy mistress wishes for you to infiltrate the human kingdom. Rumor has it that the humans are holding a competition and the winner gets some sort of blessing. The majority of the positions in the competition are already filled by promising students, but a preliminary competition will be held for the general public to fill in the remaining slots.”
Vur frowned. “I haven’t found the fairies yet.”
“Give me a second as I talk to our mistress,” the skeleton said and froze in place. A few moments passed. “Alright, she says that if you win the competition, the reward will help you locate the fairies. Oh, she also wants you to shave your head, change your name, wear a mask, and pretend to be a black mage with a monk sub-class until you receive the prize for winning.”
“How long do I have to get there?”
“Four days. You better start running,” the skeleton said. “The mistress doesn’t want you to be associated with dragons or the undead or even falling from the sky because of Exzenter.”
Vur’s eye twitched. “I guess I should get going then,” he muttered. “The prize better be worth it.”
“Wait a moment,” the skeleton said and pointed at itself with its thumb. “I’ll help you shave your head. I’m the best skeleton around for undead haircare and manicures.”
Vur’s head tilted. “But…”
“No butts. Only heads,” the skeleton said as it pulled a knife out of its pelvic bone. “Ready?”
***
Tafel leaned against a dilapidated wall and exhaled. Her sword lay on the ground next to her, covered in green blood. Across from her was the mangled corpse of a praying mantis.
“That’s pretty amazing.”
Tafel grabbed her sword and faced the entranceway where the voice came from. She released the sword and closed her eyes when she identified the speaker.
“After three months of fighting reapers, you were able to kill one without retreating,” Stacy said as she handed Tafel a flagon of water. “How many does this make? Seventeen?”
“Eighteen,” Tafel said as she opened her eyes and grabbed the flagon. She gazed at the reaper’s unmoving body and sighed. “You know … I almost forgot why I wanted to get stronger. Well, not really, but after all these fights … Vur just became a side goal. I haven’t seen him in ten years after all. What I feel now is a desire to conquer this continent. Be the best, do what no one else has done. Do you know what I mean?” Tafel made eye contact with Stacy.
Stacy shrugged. “I just do this to support my family,” she said. “Drinks from the Fountain of Youth are expensive. I’m not a battle maniac like you and Chad. Just give me a warm fireplace and a nice book to read and I’ll be satisfied.”
“Battle maniac, huh?” T
afel asked as she grinned and glanced at her blood-soaked sword. She handed the flagon back to Stacy and stood up while stretching her arms out wide.
“Do you want me to get Lucy to transport this one back too?” Stacy asked Tafel as she motioned at the corpse with her head.
Tafel shook her head and smiled. “I’ll teleport it to town with us. I think it’s time I head back to Zuer.”
“Oh? What are your plans?” Stacy asked as she helped bundle up the reaper’s corpse.
“Nothing much,” Tafel said. “I’ll probably just say hi to Vur, maybe fight him. Visit my mom and Dustin. Eat something that’s not related to insects, crabs, or worms. Sleep in a real bed. Take a hot shower. Seize the throne. Read a good book. You know, the usual.”
Stacy scratched her head. “Err, I’m pretty sure one of those is not like the others.”
Tafel nodded. “Yeah, maybe, it’s best if I save fighting Vur for later,” she said as her horns glowed silver and a ring of white light surrounded the two women standing on the corpse.
“No, no,” Stacy said as she shook her head. “I was talking about seizing the throne.”
Tafel grinned. “Did I say that? You must’ve misheard,” she said and winked. A pillar of light rose from the circle into the sky, and the demons vanished along with the corpse.
31
“We’re about a day away from the capital, young miss.”
“Haaa, still so far?” a girl wearing a white dress asked as she exhaled. She had shoulder-length, blonde hair. She was in a caravan with three other people: two men wearing armor sat in the driver’s seat while a boy her age sat beside her. His hair was the same color as hers, and he was wearing a gray suit.
“We’re already going as fast as we can,” the boy next to her said. “Have some patience.”
The girl pouted. “If Grandpa would just let us ride the rocs, we would’ve been there already,” she said as she leaned back and stretched her feet forward.
