by Wolfe Locke
She lashed out with [Ice Spear], but she was underpowered after the day they’d had. Her attack only took out three Draugr, and Zander groaned. They weren’t going to be able to beat them back with her at only partial strength. She tried again and again, only to get the same result. It wasn’t enough. She scowled at them, frustrated.
“Zander!” Celeste said, sending a weak bolt of frost at the nearest Draugr. “I don’t think we’re going to win this.”
“Yeah,” Terra shouted. “There are too many undead. And you saw what Dagon did to the Titan. We need to run before it kills us.”
“I can’t!” Zander said, watching Dagon face off against Rocktooth. “We have to stop it. It already took out Meoxia. We all know what’s next on its list.”
“What’s next?” Caroline said, looking baffled.
“We ran into it less than a day from Haven. It was heading in the same direction.”
“Couldn’t that just be a coincidence?” Celeste asked.
“No,” he said, shaking his head firmly. “I don’t think so. Not at all. That thing is heading toward the village. My village. I have to stop it.”
“Zander—” Her vo ice trailed off.
“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to. I know it’s dangerous. We might not all make it out of this fight. Dagon’s more powerful than any enemy I’ve ever faced before. I just know I can’t lie down and let him pass.” Zander hardened his resolve.
“I’m in,” Celeste said. “I’ll help in any way I can. To the death, if I have to.”
Zander grimaced. “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”
“I’ll help, too,” Caroline said. “I can’t let what happened to Meoxia happen to any other town. It’s my duty.”
“I’m with you, Zander,” Terra said, slapping a Draugr away from them with a thorny vine. “I want to see this village I’ve heard so much about.”
“Rocktooth?” Zander asked.
I’m with you, the golem said. Although I’m a little busy now. Fighting to save you and your village, I might add.
Zander glanced over. Dagon had backed Rocktooth up against an old tree and was beating on him with his claws. It looked painful. They had to get him out of that mess.
“All right,” Zander said. “Forget the Draugr horde for now. Let’s all team up to fight Dagon. Together.”
Chapter Twenty-FOUR: The Stone Colossus
Sword in one hand and [Arcane Bolt] charged and ready in the other, he rushed toward the demon with a battle cry. Caroline and Terra sprinted at his side as Celeste floated behind them, trying to keep the horde off their backs. The three of them barreled into Dagon at full speed.
“Get off!” the demon snapped as they pushed him away from Rocktooth. “I’m too busy to deal with you insects right now.”
Thanks, the golem said, sounding exhausted. That was getting tiresome.
Zander hacked at Dagon’s arm wildly with his sword, feeling like an idiot, as the demon tried to shake him off. He was so clearly outmatched in this fight that it was a miracle he hadn’t died already.
“Get him, Zander!” Terra cheered, slapping at Dagon’s legs with her vines. “Take him out!”
The Forest Titan chuckled from the ground as it reattached its left arm to its body. The boy’s doing surprisingly well. I’m impressed.
How long is it going to take you to put yourself back together? Rocktooth snapped. We could really use your help.
You can’t rush this process, the Titan said smugly. It takes time to do things properly.
Well, take a little less time.
To Zander surprise, he actually landed a hit on the demon’s head. Dagon only twitched a little, as if he’d just been bitten by a gnat, but Zander felt a rush of power filling his body. He was leveling up.
Notification: New Ability: Combine
Details: This ability allows the summoner to join two summons into one form and combine their abilities. The combined form is more powerful than either summon alone. Often unlocks new abilities for both.
Hmmm. This new ability might be useful. It was just in time, too. Dagon shook him off easily and turned toward Caroline, snarling. Celeste was having a hard time holding the undead back, too. They kept pouring into the clearing, replacing any creatures that she was able to kill. This was clearly a losing battle, although they were honestly doing better than he’d expected.
“How about it?” Zander said to Rocktooth. “Combine?”
The golem eyed the Forest Titan uneasily. With him?
“Do you see any other summons here?” Zander asked.
Celeste? We make a good team.
“She’s not a summon." Zander corrected. "She’s a frost spirit. They’re different. You know that.”
It was worth a try. Rocks and trees don’t really mix. Plus, he’s still missing a leg.
I’m working on it. The Titan reached down and attached the leg to his trunk, then slowly got to his feet. You really want to combine us? I’m not sure that’ll work out so well.
“We don’t have time to debate this!” Zander snapped as Dagon narrowly missed ripping off Terra’s head. “Yes or no?”
The two summons looked peeved, and Rocktooth scowled. Fine.
“Let me try to figure out how to do this, then.” He raised an arm and called his power forward. Nothing happened.
The Forest Titan laughed. Try both arms.
“And drop my sword?” Zander shouted back.
We don’t have time to debate this. Rocktooth interjected.
“I got it,” Caroline said, taking the sword from him. “I’ve always wanted to use one of these.”
She looked fierce and impressive with a sword in one hand and her spear in the other. Two creatures had slipped through Celeste’s blockade, and she stabbed them both at once—one with each weapon. Terra applauded enthusiastically. Zander wondered when she’d gotten so supportive.
“Okay,” he said, stretching both arms out toward his summons. “Here we go.”
This time it worked. Green light shot out of his hands and enveloped both of them. Rocktooth grumbled as he rose into the air and floated toward the Titan.
Get this over with. Let's go.
With a crash, the two summons came together, and the green light expanded to cover them both as they combined into one creature. The undead stopped fighting to watch, mesmerized, as the light flickered over their rotting faces. Caroline and Terra took advantage of their momentary distraction to slaughter as many Draugr as they could.
“Unexpected development,” Dagon said as he watched Rocktooth and the Forest Titan transform. “But ultimately, still ineffective. I’m stronger than whatever you’ve got.”
The process completed, and the new combined summon dropped to the ground with a thud. Its eyes glowed green.
Notification: New Summon: Stone Colossus
Details: Formed from the union of a Stone Golem and a Forest Titan, Stone Colossus packs a powerful punch. It draws energy from the earth and plants around it to supercharge its attacks, and it has faster-than-normal healing abilities.
The Stone Colossus was taller than either Rocktooth or the Forest Titan, and it looked like an awkward mash up of both. Its body was made of stone, but it was covered in vines, moss, and flowering plants, just as the Titan had been. Two heads emerged from its shoulders: one Rocktooth’s and one belonging to the Titan.
This is terrible, Rocktooth said, and the Forest Titan nodded vehemently.
I’m not enjoying myself either. I don’t like being made of stone.
It’s unpleasant having all these plants all over me. It feels like I’m covered in dirt. You have so many dangly parts.
“Okay,” Zander said, feeling a little guilty. “Noted. Let’s take out Dagon, guys, and then you can separate again.”
Can’t happen soon enough, the Titan complained.
Dagon laughed. “Your summons don’t even like each other, Summoner. They can’t work together. How do you expect to defeat me with
this pathetic display?”
We like each other, Rocktooth protested, sounding hurt.
We can work together, the Titan said resolutely.
“Do it then!” Terra shouted. “Don’t just talk about it. Kick this ugly demon’s butt!”
The Stone Colossus roared and charged at Dagon, wrapping its thick arms around his body and slamming him into a tree. He shrieked, snapping at them with his pig-like mouth, and tried to wriggle free, but the combined summon was too strong. Both Rocktooth and the Forest Titan glared at the demon, eyes bulging with effort as they pinned him down.
“Yeah!” Caroline said, as a swipe of her weapon took a Draugr's head off. “Go Rocktooth!”
“Go Forest Titan!” Terra said, throwing two undead into a tree with a well timed vine whip.
“You might be a summoner yet, Zander!” Celeste said, and he beamed with pride.
The fight was far from over, though. Dagon wriggled free from the Colossus’ clutches and counterattacked, beating at Rocktooth’s head with his claws.
Not this again, Rocktooth said with a morose air.
It was like the clash of the giants. Dagon and the Stone Colossus battled back and forth across the forest clearing while the others tried to fend off the horde and keep them from interfering. They seemed almost evenly matched, and both Rocktooth and the Titan were panting with effort as they tried to take Dagon down.
He’s too strong for us, Rocktooth said. Zander, I don’t think we can beat him.
Speak for yourself, the Titan snapped. We’re doing fine. If we just work harder—
Dagon roared and lifted them into the air with his powerful front legs. “The golem’s correct. You were foolish to think you could defeat me. I’ll kill you first, before I eat the rest.”
He slammed the Colossus into the ground, and one of its arms snapped off. Celeste shrieked, horrified, but Rocktooth shook his head at her.
We’re fine. Faster-than-normal healing abilities, remember?
He snapped a stony fist, and the arm regenerated instantly. Still, Dagon was on top of them, clawing at the Colossus’ chest.
Your breath smells awful, the Titan said primly. Take some hygiene notes, demon.
They were doing better than they had been, but it was still clearly a losing battle. Rocktooth and the Titan could hold Dagon off for a while, but they couldn’t defeat him. Zander cast around for another idea, trying to think if there was anything else they could do.
“How do we beat this thing?” he said. “Anyone?”
“Do you have any other summons? Besides the bird.” Terra said. “Bring them out? Combine them? I don’t know.”
“There are no other summons. This is it.” Zander replied.
“What kind of summoner are you, then?” Terra complained.
“An aspiring one. I’m not there yet.” Zander admitted feeling quilty.
“Be nice,” Celeste said, glaring at Terra. “We all have dreams. We all have something we’re working on, even if we’re not there yet.”
The nymph shrugged. “I don’t. I was born fully formed. I’ve always been as powerful as I am today.”
“Don’t you want to be an adventurer and see more of the world? Isn’t that something you’re trying to do?”
“Hm,” Terra said thoughtfully. “That’s a fair point.”
Can’t hold out much longer, Rocktooth said, throwing Dagon back across the clearing with a roar. We’re going to need some help soon. Any and all ideas welcome.
Oh, this is fun, the Titan said. When’s the last time you were in a fight like this?
It’s only fun for you because you don’t actually care about the outcome. You’re only coming with us to test Zander’s abilities.
True, true. You make a fair point, golem.
“Maybe if we all attack at once?” Zander said, floundering. “The Stone Colossus from the front, and us from behind?”
“Tried that already,” Terra said. “It didn’t work.”
“We need something new,” Celeste added.
“Wait,” Caroline said. “Wait…hear me out.”
They turned to look at her.
“I’ve got a crazy idea,” she went on.
Zander nodded. “Okay.”
“It might not work.” The cat girl cautioned.
“Got it. Still worth hearing" Was Zander's reply.
“And it’s sort of weird.” She admitted.
“Caroline, can you just tell us what it is?” Terra snapped. “Let us be the judge of whether it’ll work or not.”
“Okay. Remember when you mentioned frost vines? Terra, I think it was you. What if you actually tried to do that?”
Terra and Celeste looked at each other. “Like, combine?” Celeste said.
The nymph made a face. “I like my own body, thanks. Don’t need another one.”
“Not combine bodies,” Caroline said. “Not necessarily. Combine attacks. Like, shoot them at the demon simultaneously and see if they turn into one thing.”
They both scowled, and the Catgirl flinched. “It was just a thought,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to do it or anything.”
“It’s the best idea we have,” Zander said. “I think you two should try it. See if you can work together.”
They looked at each other, uncertainty passed over their faces. Meanwhile, Rocktooth and the Forest Titan roared with pain as Dagon threw them to the ground again.
“Okay,” Celeste said. “Let’s do it.”
“Sure,” Terra said. “It was my idea.”
She shot a vine into the air as an experiment, and Celeste fired an [Ice Bolt] at it. It hit. The vine was now enchanted with frost. Its entire surface was covered with ice.
“All right!” Caroline said. “See? This was a great idea.”
Zander wasn’t so sure. He was still skeptical that the two could work together. But whatever gave them a potential edge against Dagon was worth a shot. He couldn’t let the grand demon destroy his home.
“Go for it, you two!” he said. “Caroline, let’s handle the undead.”
The cat shivered. “There are so many!”
“Yeah, but all we have to do is keep them away from the real fight. We don’t have to kill them all. If we can destroy Dagon, all these Draugr will vanish.”
They stood back to back, putting themselves between the creatures and the battle that raged on. Both of them were already exhausted, but they knew the worst part of the struggle was only beginning—and that the odds were very much against them. They’d have to fight harder than they’d ever fought before to have any hope of winning.
Meanwhile, Celeste and Terra teamed up. Together, they shot a frost-encrusted vine at the grand demon, and it wrapped itself around his leg. Terra’s previous vine attacks had done very little to harm him—he’d just shaken them off, breaking the vines easily. This one was different. He tried to pull away, but the combined vine held fast, trapping him in place as the Stone Colossus approached.
Thanks, Rocktooth said. Took you two long enough.
“We aim to please,” Celeste said with a wink. “But it takes a while to achieve perfection.”
This is perfection? He’s still destroying us.
“Not for long, he won’t be,” Terra said, shooting another vine at the demon’s other leg. Celeste charged it with her power, and it, too, hit home, trapping Dagon where he stood.
“Clobber him!” Celeste said excitedly. “Clobber him!”
Rocktooth and the Forest Titan did as she said, pounding Dagon’s head with their stone-and-moss fists. The demon howled with fury and tried to pull free from Terra’s vines, but they held. Stuck, he resorted to lashing out with his claws, hitting the Colossus as hard as he could.
Watch—Rocktooth said, but he was too late. Dagon struck the Titan square in the forehead and knocked it unconscious. The Colossus’ second head lolled sideways on its shoulders, useless—but Rocktooth was still awake, and still able to fight.
Thanks for leaving me to
go it alone, he snapped, but, good sport that he was, continued to attack Dagon with all the power that he mustered.
“I have a great idea!” Terra said. “The demon’s trapped. Let’s attack it from behind while Rocktooth tries to get it from the front!”
She shot vine after vine at Dagon, and Celeste charged each one of them with frost. Dagon roared as they struck his back, and Terra snickered.
“Finally,” she said. “Getting a taste of his own medicine! Take that, demon!”
He ripped free from the restraints they’d placed on him and turned on them, snarling. Celeste and Terra scattered, leaving Rocktooth to face the demon head-on. They regrouped behind him and continued attacking, pleased with the new technique they’d learned. Zander and Caroline kept beating off the undead, and slowly, in spite of their fatigue, they were gaining ground. It almost boggled the mind, but somehow, despite the overwhelming odds against them, the tide of battle was beginning to turn. Dagon was slowing down. They were winning.
Chapter Twenty-FIVE: The False Celeste
Dagon, being a grand demon, didn’t play fair. It made sense: a demon didn’t get to “grand” status without learning a few tricks along the way. And, like most demons, he hated losing.
When he realized that brute strength wasn’t working, that he was slowly being beaten back, he changed his tactics. Terra had just unleashed a maelstrom of vines to pummel the demon’s head when she realized her attack was hitting empty air.
“Where’d he go?” she said, peering into the darkness. The undead were still milling around, but they seemed to have lost their sense of purpose. Rocktooth stared after her, using his more powerful eyes to look into the night.
Don’t see him. Titan?
The Forest Titan stirred, still groggy from being knocked unconscious. Nope. Nothing.
I sense him, though. He’s not gone. Dagon’s still out there somewhere.
“Celeste!” Zander said. “Since you can fly—can you zip around through the woods and see if you can get eyes on him?”
“Zip around?” she said.
