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MATURE: Chaos Rising: Age of Heroes (Season 4) Season finale up!

Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains violence, mild gore, mild language)

Into the Depths of Chaos

​

It had been an hour since the Hero faction learned about the opened gateway to the Demon Realm. They were making final preps before heading out to see if they could contain the creatures starting to cross between the two worlds. After they were ready they gathered in the Delgunner throne room again.

“So… what’s the plan?” Lucas asked.

Celtic sighed, “According to the Shadokor, right now we have to try to pick off any monsters and such that cross the gateway before they can become a problem. It’s not much of a plan, to be honest, but until we know how to close it back up, or at least find a way to stem the flow of Demon Realm denizens to a more manageable level, it’s all we got. From what they said, the ShadoKnights that are there have been picking off the various monsters emerging to the best of their ability, but they need us to provide the most firepower. Especially now that you four got your Legendary Gear upgraded with Chaos energy, which will make your attacks more potent against the beasts from that realm.”

“So, in short, we have to act as monster slayers in order to keep the invasive species of monsters from overwhelming the world?” Jerry asked.

Skye replied, “That seems to be the case. Considering Zakota is already dealing with an invasive species, that being the Wrath Iron Maiden family of monsters, we need to keep the monster flow down for a bit until the Shadokor find a more permanent solution. Or at least one that’ll limit the speed of the invading monsters and demons. There isn’t much else we can do until we can get a better grasp on the situation.”

Ryan suggested, “Do you think we could just enter the Demon Realm and seal it off from that side?”

Zuzu shook her head, “No, that wouldn’t work. From what the Shadow Sentinel told us they already tried that but the special energy coating that was used to keep the gateway open is preventing that. Besides, normal people wouldn’t be able to survive in the Demon Realm. It’s just too inhospitable to any species that isn’t a native, and even then it’s pretty cutthroat in there. While I’ve never been in the Demon Realm before, as I was born here on Zakota, I do know that it’s far too dangerous for even Heroes to enter. If the environment doesn’t do you in first the local creatures will.”

Celtic added, “Plus, unfortunately, Purgatory is considered sacred to the Shadokor. So even if surviving the Demon Realm wasn’t an issue it would rub the Shadokor the wrong way that ‘outsiders’ are inside their sacred ground. Which is a fact that Bronwen probably wanted, as Infinator’s faction knows that Purgatory is special to the Shadokor. So what better way to ruffle your enemy’s feathers then by invading their sacred land and running amok. While it’s possible that they’d might make an exception now, given the circumstances, either way, the Shadokor are going to be pretty touchy about it. And if there’s one thing you should’ve learned by now thanks to me it’s that a violated demon is a highly dangerous one. We’ll see when we get there if King Duskbane will make the exception, but don’t get your hopes up.”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, that’s true, Avalar. Purgatory is very special to the Shadokor for many reasons, so having ‘outsiders’ in it could very easily enrage them, even if said ‘outsiders’ are allies. But enough talk, it’s time for action. We should be hearing from a Shadow Sentinel shortly about you lot deploying to Tanitar Valley to try to curb the invasion.”

A female Shadow Sentinel suddenly appeared.

“Like clockwork,” Leon chuckled.

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, stating, “We must hurry and try to limit the damage the opened gateway will cause. Are you all ready to go?”

Celtic nodded, “As ready as we’ll ever be. Let’s get to it.”

“Shadow Warp!”

All the Heroes and their allies vanished in black portals. They reappeared in Tanitar Valley where several ShadoKnights were busy picking off any monsters that tried to cross the gateway.

Gram shivered as they appeared, “Brr! That Shadow Warp still tingles something fierce. It’ll be a while before I get used to that. But time for that later, as we have work to do.”

King Duskbane, who was in his royal armor and wielding a rather sinister-looking sword, approached them. He took a moment to make sure everyone was present before taking a deep breath.

“As you can see, the situation isn’t good,” he said. “Though, fortunately, it hasn’t gotten out of hand yet, as only small clusters of monsters have been emerging from the gateway, but bigger groups will eventually emerge from it. And that’s not counting any breed of demon that might discover the gateway. For now, your mission is to help pick off any monsters that cross between the two worlds. I have men both on this side and on the other side of the gateway trying to limit the monsters while also trying to find a way to seal it. However, because we cannot identify this strange energy that was used to force it to stay open we don’t know how to counter it. Some of my scientists will be arriving soon to see if they can analyze the energy and find out what it is. Hopefully they can decode this strange protective film that the gateway is covered in and find the means of negating it so we can close the gateway. Until then, there isn’t much we can do except limit the chances any invasive monsters breeds can cross between the two worlds.”

Viola said, “I worry that the Demon Generals may attack Delgunner while we’re gone, as they know we’ll be here trying to stem the flow of invasive species.”

King Duskbane replied, “We thought of that, so you Heroes will be doing shifts to ensure that the Demon Generals, or at least the Four Stars Church, don’t ambush Delgunner while the defenses have been thinned. For now, you’ll focus on this gateway and after a bit you’ll return to Delgunner to guard it from any attacks. I’ve got Shadow Sentinels and ShadoKnights stationed around various areas to act as an intelligence network so we can hopefully nip any invasion from an enemy force in the bud. And don’t worry you’ll be given breaks in-between those shifts so you can rest. After all, a good general knows when to rest and feed his troops so they’ll be ready for action.”

Eric gave a sigh of relief, “At least we won’t be working nonstop like machines. But this will be bit of a haul.”

Celtic replied bluntly, “Who ever said that a hero’s work is easy? Besides, look at this way. Considering the reputations of you four are still rather low, fighting off various invasive forces will improve your standing among the people, as they’ll know you’re working yourself ragged to defend them. Considering how many times I’ve overworked my party and myself to get the job done this won’t be anything new for us. Hopefully this’ll show you that you need to work hard in order to actually be worthy of your titles and not rely on levels or flashy techniques alone. Besides, you did promise to do your job correctly and not stray back into old habits in order to regain the world’s trust. But time for that later, we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Ryan sighed, “He’s got a point. We did promise to make amends and become worthy of our titles. We have to do whatever we can in order to not only do our jobs correctly but regain the trust of the people. After all, we caused multiple disasters, with the Chaos Chimera being our apex disaster, so we can’t complain. It won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Suddenly, something emerged from the gateway, revealing it to be a Red Demon. Everyone got into a defensive position as the lumbering beast climbed out of the portal.

“Looks like we have our first demon crossing between the worlds!” Rupert stated.

“Take it out, quickly!” King Duskbane ordered. “Red Demons may not be very smart or tough, but they are durable! Don’t take any chances!”

Zuzu was already channeling energy before stating, “I’ll keep it in one place! Dark Chains!”

Dark energy chains ensnared the Red Demon, preventing it from moving. It roared angrily as it tried to break the chains.

“Ryan, you use Crimson Slash on one of its legs!” Celtic instructed. “Eric, you attack the other leg with Parallax Strike! Like with the Troll family, its stubby legs need to support all that weight, so attacking the legs will limit its movement! Lucas! Jerry! When that happens use Air Strike Javelin and Wind Arrow directly at its head! That’s another weak point! If that doesn’t kill it outright then my party will finish it off! Quickly!”

The other Heroes nodded and began their attack.

“Crimson Slash!” Ryan roared.

He slashed the left leg of the Red Demon with a fiery blade, dealing heavy damage and making the still shackled Red Demon stumble. He quickly retreated back.

“Parallax Strike!” Eric shouted.

He fired the crescent-shaped attack at the right leg, severely damaging it and causing the Red Demon to fall to its knees.

“Eat Air Strike Javelin!” Lucas stated.

He hurled his Spear, now overflowing with energy, right at the Red Demon’s face. The attack slammed into the monstrous demon, dealing great damage and causing its face to become deformed.

Jerry spat, “Have a taste of my Wind Arrow!”

He fired the arrow that had Wind energy swirling around it. The attack pierced through the Red Demon’s skull but it still had some life left in it. It then spewed flames from its mouth.

“Meteor Barrier!” Celtic shouted.

The energy barrier formed around him and his allies. The flames struck the barrier but were unable to pierce it.

“Gram, impale it in the face with your sword!”

Gram nodded and charged in. He jumped, did a flip, and slammed his blade into the skull of the Red Demon. Despite this blow the Red Demon still had some fight left in it as it tried to shake Gram off its head. Gram quickly removed his sword, backflipped a few times and retreated behind the Meteor Barrier.

“Skye, finish it off with your naginata!” Celtic instructed.

“On it!” Skye nodded.

She then charged in at blinding speed, jumped, and gave an aerial pirouette while lashing out her naginata. The blade effortlessly beheaded the Red Demon, finally killing it, ending the fight. Everyone got into a more relaxed pose as they all gained EXP from the Red Demon’s defeat.

“So that’s the power of a Red Demon,” Gram said. “It wasn’t too strong but boy did it tank hits. Even directly piercing its skull and possibly even its brain wasn’t enough to kill it. But with your instructions we were able to defeat it, Sir Celtic.”

Celtic lowered the Meteor Barrier before saying, “Well, I’ve faced Red Demons before back during my training in Purgatory. I even got a Shroud form from one. Plus, when the Shadow Simulator was first build I fought against three of them in the final test simulation, so I know how to kill them. But as you can see fighting demons is tougher than monsters, as demons not only have higher stats, especially HP, but it takes a hell of a lot to take it down even when exploiting weak spots. Normally the best strategy for dealing with a demon is to go for the hearts, as like any other living creature if you strike its hearts then it’s done for. However, Red Demons have all that blubber and rather rubbery skin which makes it harder to go after the hearts, so you need to attack its other weak points instead.”

“We’ve fought Red Demons, too, you know,” Eric protested. “On the Shadow Simulator.”

Viola replied dryly, “And have you beaten those shadow Red Demons?”

The other Heroes went silent, gaining sheepish expressions. Celtic gained an unimpressed look on his face.

“Figures,” he said, completely deadpan. “Looks like those bonus rounds on the Shadow Simulator proved to be a bit too much for you. Well, consider this battle the prologue of what other creatures may emerge from the gateway, as Red Demons are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain in terms of demon hierarchy, alongside Bat Demons. But…” his expression softened, “You four did well. Stopping a beast like a Red Demon isn’t easy, even for higher tiered demons, and you four managed to do a good job in keeping it from causing any real damage. That’s progress. And you managed to work more efficiently as a team this time, too. That’s lightyears better than past battles you’ve been in. Keep that up and you may regain the trust and admiration of the people sooner than expected.”

The other Heroes looked stunned at Celtic’s kind words and praise. But then their faces melted into warm smiles.

“Thank you, Celtic,” Ryan said sincerely. “That means a lot.”

“Yeah, I guess we can work together after all,” Lucas smiled.

“Still, don’t get complacent, as this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the redhead said. “We still have a lot of work to do. However, this show of teamwork and coordination bodes well. Now, I suggest you four absorb that Red Demon into your Gear to not only gain new powers, but to get rid of its corpse. If you thought a rotting dragon corpse was bad, a rotting demon corpse is even worse, as they often have cursed energies in them which can be released when it decays. Unless, of course, the Shadokor want to eat it.”

The other Heroes and Gram’s party went wide-eyed.

“What?!” Jerry sputtered. “Don’t tell me demons are cannibals?!”

“To other species they are, as much as I hate to say that…” Celtic replied grimly. “There aren’t any other food sources in the Demon Realm outside of its residents, so everything preys upon everything. Shadokor are the top link of the food chain the Demon Realm so a Red Demon like this is considered a meal. You can rest assured that I do NOT follow that. I’d rather die than eat another demon. Blegh! The thought alone makes me feel sick. I may embrace my demon heritage nowadays, but I absolutely refuse to engage in demon eating habits. I’ll stick to things like pancakes, smoothies, and burgers, thank you.”

Eric turned to Zuzu, “Don’t tell me you are the same, Zuzu?!”

Zuzu replied nonchalantly, “Yeah. Or rather I was. Though that was because I lived off the survival of the fittest mantra before becoming Celtic’s party member. Nowadays I don’t have to bother with that, as I get gourmet meals without any real work, so I’ve pretty much been weened off of demon meat. Besides, Red Demon is rather chewy and tasteless, like eating leather, which isn’t something I like. I’ll stick to more normal foods now, as they’re much tastier. Especially Celtic’s cooking. So, I suggest you four absorb that Red Demon into your Gear before the ShadoKnights get tempted to eat it.”

The other four Heroes looked horrified at this revelation and quickly ran over to the Red Demon to absorb its corpse into their respective Gear. King Duskbane couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s a shame you won’t indulge in our diet, Avalar,” he said with a smile. “You’d be surprised at how good it can be.”

Celtic gained a sour look, “I’ll pass, thank you. I may have come to accept my demon heritage… but I’ll NEVER accept demon eating habits. I hope to God you didn’t have my Druid mom eat demon meat, as I know that Druids can get a bit picky with meat.”

“No, no, we were willing to cater to Gardenia’s tastes, don’t you worry. She was our Queen for a while, after all, so she did have a say in what mealtime would have. At least she was willing to eat certain monsters like Metal Boar and Cattkill, so that made things easier. But you can rest assured we didn’t serve her demon meat, as Noir made a promise to her that he wouldn’t eat another demon while married to her. And he remained true to that promise up until his death at Sylph’s hands. It’s a shame you never got to know them, as they were good people. But at least they can rest in peace knowing that their son is protecting the world and avenging their deaths as the Shroud Hero.”

Tyroe said, “Hey, I’d hate to interrupt but we’ve got some monsters coming out of the gateway!”

Everyone turned to see a small swarm of monsters emerge from the gateway. They looked like large bees or hornets with vicious mandibles, fast moving wings, and their entire lower body was some sort of hive.

“Those are Hornet Bombers!” a ShadoKnight said. “Be careful, as they can summon a swarm of smaller hornets from their hives to attack! Plus, those smaller hornets have a deadly poison, strong enough to kill a Basilisk Leviathan in minutes!”

The Hornet Bombers started to release swarms of smaller hornets at everyone. Celtic started to channel energy.

“Taunt Pulse!” he shouted.

He released energy pulses that caused both the Hornet Bombers and the smaller hornets to make a beeline for him.

“Iron Body!”

His body turned to iron as the smaller hornets tried in vain to sting him, with the Hornet Bombers summoning more to try to pierce his defense.

“Hit them with Fire!” King Duskbane stated. “That’s their weakness!”

Skye, Wendy, Lucas slammed their palms down on the ground, stating, “Flame Tower!”

Three pillars of fire erupted and barreled toward the Hornet Bombers that were still trying to attack Celtic. They, along with their smaller hornets, and Celtic, were engulfed in the triple Flame Tower, killing the monsters while Celtic remained unharmed. After the attacks waned all that was left of the monsters were charred bodies. Celtic deactivated Iron Body and grabbed one of the dead bodies and had his Shroud absorb it. The other Heroes did the same with their respective Gear, unlocking new powers. King Duskbane summoned a sack and started to place the remaining Hornet Bombers into it.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to eat them,” Lucas gulped.

“No, no, I’m not,” King Duskbane chuckled. “However, Hornet Bomber bodies do have a use. They can be crushed into a fine powder and made into special potions, depending on the breed. These are just the basic version, so they can be used to create a tonic called the Honeycomb Elixir, which is basically a much stronger version of a Soul Soothing Potion, as it not only fully restores MP, but HP and cures all status ailments, effectively making it a cure-all tonic. This is good as my kingdom was running low on Honeycomb Elixirs, so these will help give us some extra resources for later.” After he gathered up the last body he held it out to a ShadoKnight, “Take this back to Shadoria so they can be ground up to become more Honeycomb Elixirs. Then return here to resume our mission.”

The ShadoKnight saluted, “Yessir, I’ll be right back. Shadow Warp!”

He vanished in a black portal, taking the sack with him.

Celtic looked at the gateway before saying, “There has to be some way we can seal it back up before things get out of hand. Maybe the Guardian Spirits at the shrine where Shadokor go to unlock their Assault Mode form have some insight?”

King Duskbane turned to Celtic, eyes wide, “You know, they may just have an idea or two. Good thinking, Avalar. I’ll send someone to ask them.

Celtic shook his head, “No, I’ll go. It was my idea and I’ve got a few other questions to ask them anyway. I just hope my equipment can survive the Demon Realm, as the last time I went in there I had to wear different armor and clothes.”

“Well, you could put up a barrier or something around yourself like Wood Aura or something,” King Duskbane suggested. “That’ll protect your equipment from the hostile environment. I’d rather you stay here, but if you have other questions you want to ask, then I guess we’ll manage without you for a bit.”

Zuzu mustered up the courage before saying, “I’ll go with him. I know I’m an outsider and I know that Purgatory is rather sacred to you, but he might need backup. And, besides, this really isn’t the time to be trying to keep a place sacred when it’s already been violated by the enemy. At least I’m an ally, so that should mean something to you.”

King Duskbane debated it for a moment before replying, “Very well, Miss Zuzu. I grant you permission to enter Purgatory. And, besides, desperate times call for desperate measures. I just hope you two can find the answer to our problem.”

“Thank you,” Zuzu said. “I promise I won’t cause problems in Purgatory.”

Skye’s ears drooped, saying, “So you two will be going into the Demon Realm to ask these Guardian Spirits about a possible solution without us? I wish we could come with you, as I always worry about you entering the Demon Realm.”

Celtic replied, “I need you to stay here and hold down the fort while Zuzu and I see if we can find a solution. I also need you to remain here so you can lead our group into battle if another enemy shows up. We won’t be long. Now… Aqua Hammerhead Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed, becoming the shape and color of an Aqua Hammerhead’s head.

“Bubble Aura!”

He was encased in a watery aura, protecting him. He then turned to Zuzu.

“Shall we get going, Zuzu?”

She nodded, “Yeah, let’s. We have to find at least some solution to this problem, and we have to do it quickly. Let’s go.”

Both walked up to the gateway, took a deep breath, and jumped into it, vanishing into the depths of the Demon Realm.

“Stay safe, you two,” King Duskbane said solemnly. “Because of this portal I wouldn’t be surprised if the local creatures started to invade Purgatory. Keep your guard up and don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Next Chapter: On the Right Track

That's all for today. Tune in next time to see what happens to Celtic and Zuzu.
 
Time for the next chapter in our saga of chaos. (Warning: contains mild violence)

On the Right Track

​

Celtic and Zuzu emerged from the gateway into the heart of Purgatory. They took a look around to get their bearings. They could see various ShadoKnights attacking monsters that were trying to get to the portal to Zakota, though they didn’t notice the duo’s arrival. Zuzu took a moment to get a feel for the area.

“So… this is the Demon Realm,” she observed. “First time I’ve been here, as I’ve spent my whole life on Zakota. The description I’ve heard about it fits the bill, that’s for sure. So, Celtic, where are the Guardian Spirits you mentioned?”

Celtic took a moment to gain his bearings before replying, “They’re at the Shadow Shrine. It’s where all Shadokor go to unlock their Assault Mode forms. Now… if my memory serves me correctly… the Shadow Shrine should be about two miles to the north of us from our current location. It’s perched on a hill.”

Zuzu took a moment to look around before saying, “I think I see it. I see what looks like a large building on a hill just a little ways away from us. Is that it?”

Celtic looked to where she was pointing. He saw a large building sitting on a hill a few miles up from them.

“Yep, that’s it,” he nodded. “Good eyes, Zuzu. Let’s go before any ShadoKnights get uppity about you being here and cause a fuss.”

Zuzu nodded and the duo proceeded toward the large building on the hill. The energies from the Demon Realm tried to eat away at Celtic’s equipment but the Bubble Aura prevented it from harming his armor and clothes. Little did they know that as they traversed the landscape, a pair of strong eyes was watching them from the shadows. After about 45 minutes the duo reached the shrine.

“So, this is the Shadow Shrine?” Zuzu asked.

“Yeah, it is,” Celtic replied. “Can’t forget a place like this, given the Shadokor’s idea of décor. Demonic and dark meets Feng Shui. Come on, let’s go inside and see if the Guardian Spirits have any ideas on how to close the gateway.”

Nodding, the duo entered the shrine. After going a short distance they arrived in a large, empty hall.

A voice hissed, “I sense an outsider in our sacred shrine.”

Three energy spheres appeared before taking the form of three wisp-like spirits, each a different color. They narrowed their eyes as they saw the duo.

“A Succuryn in our shrine?” one said. “You’re bold for coming here.”

A second one said, “And it appears she’s with that Chaos breed who was here unlocking his gargantuan Assault Mode form a few months ago. What brings you back here?”

Celtic stated, “I’m sure you’re aware of the current situation, right?”

The third one replied, “Yes, we’re aware that Sylph has torn open a gateway from Zakota right into the Shadokor sacred territory of Purgatory. If you are asking us to seal it up, we cannot do that, as there is a special energy coating on that gateway that prevents anyone from sealing it up.”

“We’re aware of that,” Celtic replied. “We aren’t here to ask that. We’re here to ask if you have any ideas on what course of action we should take in trying to seal the gateway back up? Since we can’t identify the energy we’re kinda at a loss, so we wanted to know if you had any ideas on a possible way to seal the gateway up again.”

The wisp in the center replied, “We’ve been talking about it, Chaos breed, and we have come to some possible options on how to close the gateway. Since you are carrying them, one strategy would be to use all five Karma Diamonds to make a wish in order to seal the portal back up.”

Zuzu shook her head, “That’s not possible right now, as we only have three. The fourth one is in the hands of the Four Stars Church goon, Robert, while the fifth is in Infinator’s clutches. So that option is out of the question right now.”

The wisp on the left replied, “I see. So that brings us to our second idea. Using Chaos Magnite ore could seal the gateway back up. But I’m sure you’re aware that the current batch of Chaos Magnite ore isn’t mature enough yet, and in order to use Chaos Magnite in any shape or form it needs to be mature, otherwise it’ll just shatter and be wasted.”

Celtic asked, “So, we need the actual ore itself? Not something that’s made of Chaos Magnite like my Shroud or Skye’s naginata?”

“Unfortunately, yes. When Chaos Magnite is forged into a new form, its properties change to better match what it’s been forged into, although it still retains its general nature and abilities. No, you’d need the ore in its raw state in order to remove such a strange energy from the gateway.”

The third wisp then said, “As a result, that option is not feasible, so that brings us to our third idea. Using Shadogon could remove the energy, but the Shadogon needs first to be properly refined into a particular form in order to be used like that. In its raw crystal state it’s highly unstable and very volatile, thus it needs to be handled with care. By refining it into a stable cube it can then be used for various purposes. There are various Shadogon veins littered all about the Demon Realm, but they’re not the easiest to acquire. Not just because they rarely form outside of those veins, but, again, because it being unstable makes it hard to harvest. One needs to exercise caution with it. The Shadokor would know how to harvest Shadogon properly, and since the element is pretty common in this realm it would be the most feasible option, though refining it will take time.”

Celtic scratched his chin, “So this Shadogon can be used to remove the coating and help reseal the gateway? Sounds like a good possibility. What is Shadogon anyway?”

The center wisp said, “Shadogon is a powerful energy crystal. As stated before, when in its raw state it is very unstable and can easily explode if provoked enough. One needs to segment it first before forging it into its stable cube form. Otherwise it runs a very high risk of blowing up. The crystal also has strange properties that: if exposed to it for too long, certain beings will experience a sensation called ‘Shadogon buildup’, which will cause their bodies to overload and eventually self-destruct if they don’t get away from the Shadogon. Shadokor are immune to that phenomenon, possibly because the crystal is made of Shadow energy, which they thrive on. We have yet to decipher why certain beings are affected by it while others aren’t. We don’t know if it’s something like allegiance, attribute, or even allergies, but it varies from being to being.”

Zuzu pondered, “So Shadogon has a weird effect on certain beings but not others? That’s unusual for an energy crystal to only harm specific individuals but not others. I take it you also have a fourth idea?”

The left wisp replied, “Yes, we do have one last idea. The final idea we’ve come up with is simply taking the item used to open the gateway, put its effects in reverse, and use it to seal the gateway. That would mean you’d need the dimensional claw that Sylph first used to tear open the gateway in order to seal it back up.”

Celtic shook his head, “No, can’t really use that one, as the Demon Generals will probably guard it to keep us from taking it. And since we can’t go right at their home base and attack them, despite knowing where it is, means that one is out of the question.” He then thought of something, “Speaking of which… how are the other Demon Generals able to go to and from Infinator’s prison? Only Sylph has the Light attribute, thus she can freely enter and exit the barrier those damn Light Elves made, but somehow Alastor and the others can do the same. Any idea why?”

The center wisp replied, “Sylph spent some time crafting an alternate exit for the Demon Generals to use so they could enter and exit Infinator’s prison freely. She did have 2,500 years between the Great Demon War and now, so she had to spend her time doing something other than being an errand girl for Infinator. Sadly, we don’t know where that alternate exit is, but obviously it’s someplace discreet so Infinator’s enemies can’t just use it to waltz into his prison and finish him off. You’ll have to figure out where it is yourself if you want to strike at the heart of Infinator’s home base. Anyway, that’s all the ideas we’ve come up with in order to seal the gateway up again.”

Zuzu crossed her arms, “Not too many options available to us. It appears our best bet is the Shadogon route, since that’d be the easiest and fastest way to sealing off the gateway. Come on, Celtic, let’s report back to King Duskbane and tell him what we learned. Hopefully his and the rest of our gang haven’t had too many problems while we were gone.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, let’s get going. We achieved what we set out to do, so now let’s head back and report.” He turned to the Guardian Spirits, “Thank you for sharing your insights with us. Now we have at least a few ideas on how to seal up the gateway. Hopefully we can find a way to execute at least one of them.”

The center wisp replied, “Well, since you’re fighting our hated enemy, it’s only fair we share information with you. While we weren’t happy with your Succuryn friend being here, I can understand why King Duskbane let her come along. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and since Sylph has already soiled our sacred ground, I suppose allowing an ally Succuryn to traverse our land isn’t a big deal. Just be careful, as some breeds of monsters and demons may take the opportunity to cross between the two worlds and cause problems.”

“We will, and thank you again,” Celtic said. “Come on, Zuzu, let’s head back to the others and tell them what we’ve learned.”

Nodding, the duo left the shrine and started to make their way back. However, both of them stopped at a certain point.

“You can sense it too, right, Celtic?” Zuzu asked.

He nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been feeling a pair of eyes on us for a little bit. We may have a hostile gearing up to attack us. Be ready, as our unknown ‘friend’ will reveal itself any moment.”

They started to look around, trying to spot the entity that was stalking them. Suddenly, they heard what sounded like a train piston releasing steam. They turned to see something barrel toward them, forcing them to jump out of the way. As the enemy stopped and turned around it gave them the chance they needed to see what they were dealing with.

“It’s a Charge Engine Demon!” Zuzu stated.

The Charge Engine Demon looked like a demonic steam locomotive. It’s large body was an ivory white with a dark red cabin, tall smokestack, base, and spiked cowcatcher, with two large mechanical arms on each side ending in spiked clamps for hands. It had six large wheels, grey pistons on each side that were connected to the wheels, angular box-like eyes with slit pupils, a mouth full of oversized fangs, a yellow headlight on the smokestack that looked almost like a third eye, and embers being released from the top of the smokestack.

“What’s a Charge Engine Demon?” Celtic asked.

“It’s a Machine Mid-Tier demon, possessing four hearts,” Zuzu explained. “They’re reasonably intelligent demons, possessing at least average intelligence, thus they can speak and have a basic sense of rational thought. They are of the Fire element, so that means Water attacks do a lot to them. They are deceptively strong, too, as their attacks, specifically their charge and body blow attacks, can pierce defenses, even something as sturdy as Iron Body and possibly even Titanium Body. They’re also quite durable due to their metal bodies and high HP, as even hitting them with Water attacks won’t take them out quickly. And they’re pretty fast, so one needs to exercise caution when dodging their attacks.”

The Charge Engine Demon growled, “Even with all that info you won’t defeat me. I’m not passing up on an opportunity to wreak havoc in another world, as charging around the Demon Realm has gotten boring. But I know you two and those Shadokor are trying to seal that gateway back up. I won’t let you! I’m gonna go loco locomotive on you two, preventing you from closing my escape route!” He started to glow before shouting, “Flame Charge Tackle!”

He was coated in flames and barreled toward the duo. Celtic and Zuzu quickly dodged the attack before regrouping, causing the Charge Engine Demon to come to a screeching stop, the flames vanishing. The Machine demon somehow managed to jump and flip himself around so he was facing the duo again, much to their surprise.

“Not bad, but let’s see how well you two dance!” His smokestack started to produce more flames before he said, “Volcanic Coal!”

He fired several large flaming coals from his smokestack at the duo.

“Shield Wall!” Celtic stated.

The orbiting shields appeared before gathering into a single shield. The flaming coals slammed into the shield but were unable to damage it, making the mechanical demon growl angrily.

“Fancy trick you’ve got there,” he said. “But let’s see it handle THIS! Break Charge!”

The Charge Engine Demon barreled toward the duo again, the cowcatcher glowing with energy. Realizing what that meant, Celtic and Zuzu quickly dove out of the way, leaving the Shield Wall in place. The Machine demon smashed through the Shield Wall, shattering it to pieces with tremendous ease before coming to a stop, the cowcatcher no longer glowing. The remains of the Shield Wall vanished, allowing the duo to regroup.

“You weren’t kidding, Zuzu,” Celtic said. “He smashed my Shield Wall like it was glass, even after upgrading it with various ores. I’d be willing to bet he could smash through my Wood Tower attack like they were matchsticks.”

Zuzu nodded, “Yeah, you can see why I said that even abilities like Iron Body won’t work on him. We have to derail him in order to keep him from crossing the dimensional border and for us to get out of here.”

The Charge Engine Demon roared, “Not on my watch! Break Charge!”

He barreled toward them again. Zuzu stood her ground, channeled energy into her arms, creating massive Dark energy claws, and lashed them out at the mechanical demon. She locked arms with him and dug her heels in, causing the two to try to outmuscle each other, succeeding in stopping the rampaging demon.

“Hydro Tower!” Celtic stated, slamming his palm down on the ground.

A pillar of water formed and rushed toward the Machine demon, making his eyes go wide. The powerful water attack slammed into him, making him roar as steam billowed off his body. This dousing caused the flames in his smokestack to die down, making Zuzu smirk. She then started to push back with all her might, causing the demonic train to start sliding back despite trying to overpower her. Celtic then started to channel more energy.

“Have a taste of my Draining Rain!” he shouted.

A storm cloud formed above the Charge Engine Demon before pelting him with a heavy and steady downpour. This deluge caused more steam to start coming off his body. It also caused his stats to drop, as evident by how Zuzu was able to push him back even more. She then smirked before displaying tremendous strength by lifting the demonic locomotive into the air and throwing him into a nearby rock wall, severely damaging him. This action, however, did not deter the steam engine demon.

“I won’t let you stop me!” he bellowed. “Flame Charge Tackle!”

He coated himself in flames and charged toward the duo, who stood their ground.

“Zuzu, I’d say it’s time we put our Kaguro Iszu training to the test,” Celtic said with a smirk.

Zuzu returned the smirk, “Yeah, sounds good to me.”

Both took a martial art pose as the Charge Engine Demon continued its destructive path toward them. The duo started to focus their energies before lashing out with a double palm strike. When their palms connected with the mechanical demon a huge force was released, blasting the Charge Engine Demon with intense power, making him scream in agony before being thrown back. He crashed to the ground, now a broken mess, his flames dying out, causing the duo to gain a fair bit of EXP. The two exchanged a high-five.

“Hot moves, Zuzu,” Celtic said.

“Not too shabby yourself, Celtic,” Zuzu purred in response.

Celtic then walked over to the dead Charge Engine Demon, placed one of its clamp claws on the Shroud’s core, causing the whole body to be absorbed, creating a new Shroud power. He took a moment to look it over, grinning as he did.

“Well, that Charge Engine Demon will get his wish to a degree,” he chuckled lightly. “As this new Shroud power is quite potent. Even in its base state it has enough power to easily rival the Dragon Rage Shroud, which is one of my strongest Shroud forms, let alone if I give it any Energy Points or fuse ores and monster parts with it. But now that we stopped a potential problem from crossing the dimensional border, let’s head back.”

Suddenly, a hiss could be heard. They turned to see a large flaming centipede appear. Zuzu rolled her eyes.

“Just when you think we’re in the clear and Scorchapide appears,” she said.

Celtic replied, “I already have a Shroud power from one… but it might make a nice souvenir for the other Heroes. Shall we?”

Zuzu smirked, “Sure, sounds fun.”

Both of their eyes gleamed, making the Scorchapide slowly back up, realizing it was in trouble.

Outside of the portal the remainder of the Hero faction and King Duskbane were getting worried about Celtic and Zuzu.

“They’ve been in there for at least an hour and a half,” Leon said. “I hope everything is okay.”

“They should be back soon, unless they ran into some problems like an enemy,” King Duskbane reassured.

Suddenly, Celtic and Zuzu emerged from the portal, with Zuzu carrying the Scorchapide corpse with her.

“Right on cue,” Gram chuckled.

Celtic lowered the Bubble Aura, stating, “Sorry we’re late, we had a run-in with a Charge Engine Demon that wanted to cross through the gateway to cause trouble, so we had to send him to the scrap heap first. But, hey, we brought the other Heroes a souvenir from the Demon Realm: a Scorchapide. I’ll let you four divide it up for new Gear powers.”

Zuzu tossed the Scorchapide corpse to the other Heroes, who were looking the creature over with interest. Skye quickly ran over to Celtic and tackled him in a hug, making him blush. King Duskbane then walked up to them.

“Did you get any info on how to close off the gateway?” he asked.

“The Guardian Spirits did have a few ideas, but only one is really feasible,” Celtic explained. “Our options are this: get all five Karma Diamonds and use their power to make a wish, use Chaos Magnite ore to override the energy coating, find Shadogon and refine it into a form that can nullify the energy, or steal the dimensional claw that Sylph used to open the gateway in the first place and use it to close the portal up. Of the four, only the Shadogon option is the easiest to access, as, from what I’ve been told, Shadogon grows in veins all over the Demon Realm. And since the Shadokor are skilled in the art of safely mining and refining it that’s the best possible route to take. We learned that while we were at the Shadow Shrine.”

King Duskbane scratched his chin, “I see. The Shadogon route would be the easiest option. I’ll have to check our maps of the Demon Realm to figure out where the various Shadogon veins grow so we can track some down and harvest some. If all we have to do is refine it into a stable cube and use that cube to remove the energy coating then it’s our best bet. Good work you two. Hopefully it’s as easy as that.”

Zuzu snorted, “Knowing our enemies, they’ll figure out a way to wreck that plan. But let’s hope we can pull it off, as that Charge Engine Demon certainly proved that there are opportunistic demons wanting to cross between the worlds to wreak havoc in an unprepared environment. We can’t allow that to happen, as we have enough problems to deal with right now.”

Viola nodded, “Agreed, Zuzu. Let’s hope we can pull a fast one on the Demon Generals and execute the Shadogon idea before they try to stop us.”

Ryan then said, “Yeah, that does sound like the best route to take right now: if this Shadogon is easy enough to find then we stand a chance at using it to our advantage. Oh, and thanks for the Scorchapide, Celtic and Zuzu, as it gave us some sweet abilities.”

Eric said, “Yeah, though too bad you didn’t bring back some of that Charge Engine Demon with you. It sounds like it could give a powerful skill. Maybe next time?”

Celtic merely chuckled, “We’ll see, but I’m not promising anything. But, for now, I’m exhausted, and I can see that dawn is starting to peak over the horizon. Guess that means no rest for the weary. But hopefully everything was okay on this end.”

Lucas replied, “Yeah, nothing much to worry about. Just some more Hornet Bombers and a couple of Creepers coming through the gateway. Nothing big. Though it sounds like you two stopped a nasty piece of work from crossing over while you were at it. What does a Charge Engine Demon look like?”

“Have you played MegaMan Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar before?”

“Yeah…”

“Think ChargeMan from that game, only much more demonic, no train-related dialog, and much, much nastier.”

Lucas took a moment to think before saying, “Oh, yeah, I remember ChargeMan. Wow, so a Charge Engine Demon looks like a demonic version of him, huh? Interesting. I guess demons really do come in all shapes and sizes.”

“Just be thankful that demon didn’t cross over, as he was quite a nasty piece of work,” Celtic said. “And his breed is capable of shattering defenses like soap bubbles. He smashed my Shield Wall with ease like a bowling ball smashing a drinking glass, even after all the upgrades I put into it. While I know my Shield Wall isn’t invincible, the fact that he was able to break it so easily was rather surprising. I almost wonder if he could break through my Scrap Iron Fortress Defense ability, which is probably my most powerful defensive skill, since it can weather even Sylph with ease, and she’s no slouch.”

Jerry whistled before saying, “Then it’s a good thing you nipped him in the bud, as he would’ve most definitely given us trouble.”

Skye nuzzled against Celtic, purring, “I’m just glad you two are okay. You had us worried. And that Charge Engine Demon sounded like a really tough fight. I feel kinda bad that I couldn’t help you two in that fight, as I am the dagger to your cloak.”

Zuzu merely replied, “No worries. Besides, it gave Celtic and I an excuse to try out how much we’ve mastered the Kaguro Iszu style, which is what ultimately sent that Machine demon to the scrap heap. And who knows? I wouldn’t put it past another Charge Engine Demon to try to cross the gateway like this one wanted to, so you still might get a chance to fight one.”

Suddenly, everyone’s stomachs started to growl, making them gain sheepish expressions. Celtic gave a light sigh.

“Guess that means it’s breakfast time,” he said. “And I guess that means I’m doing the cooking. Like I said: no rest for the weary. Fine, let me take out my cooking equipment and get to work. Just don’t drool on me.”

Everyone nodded, eager at the thought of having another one of Celtic’s great meals. Celtic gave a defeated sigh before setting up a campsite, and taking out various ingredients, including a Gold Boar. He began making breakfast for his hungry allies. King Duskbane couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You’ve done us proud, Avalar,” he said silently. “And so did Miss Zuzu. Now we know what possible routes to take. Hopefully we can use the Shadogon idea to stop Infinator’s plan before it causes any more long-term damage to this world. I just hope it’ll be that simple. But at least we know what our options are, all thanks to you two. And you also prevented a potential ally from joining Infinator’s ranks, or at least causing problems for people. With the Heroes now actually fighting as one, we stand a better chance at winning this war and defeating our two main enemies. Let’s just hope this isn’t the calm before the storm.”

Next Chapter: Akuji’s Assault

That's all for today, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Okay, time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)

Akuji’s Assault

​

The Hero faction were still at the open gateway to the Demon Realm. They had a filling meal made by Celtic and felt more energized. They were busy fighting off various monsters that would emerge from the gateway, trying to keep them from getting too far from Tanitar Valley.

Ryan sliced down another Hornet Bomber, stating, “These pests are getting annoying. How come on the opposite side of the gateway the ShadoKnights are letting them pass?”

King Duskbane cut down three Candevils, stating, “They’re probably getting overwhelmed, as the local creatures have become aware of the gateway. As a result, the monsters of the Demon Realm are becoming excited; as it means not only new territories to inhabit, but new prey. The creatures of the Demon Realm are very adaptable and can very easily take over various habitats from other monsters and animals. Plus they’re tougher and smarter than most regular monsters: trying to subdue all of them before they cross the gateway isn’t easy. Even my most experienced ShadoKnights can’t keep it up forever. Fortunately, thanks to Avalar and Miss Zuzu, we now have at least some options on how to seal the gateway back up. Hopefully it’s as easy as just harvesting some Shadogon and refining it into stable cubes. But like Miss Zuzu said, you can bet that the Demon Generals will try to get in our way.”

Zuzu crushed a Zomurai with a Darkness-enhanced claw, stating, “Yeah, they will most definitely try something to keep us from closing the gateway. It’s only a matter of time before they catch onto our plan, so we have to execute it quickly before they get a chance.”

Celtic’s Soulavore Shroud absorbed a bunch of Zomurai before he replied, “Hopefully the Shadokor can find their old maps of the Demon Realm so they can locate one of the Shadogon veins and harvest some, as we can’t do this indefinitely.”

Gram sliced down a Hornet Bomber, adding, “I agree. We need to act fast before the Demon Generals get wind of our plan and try to stop us.”

After an hour of cutting down monsters the Hero faction were taking a rest. It was clear they were exhausted after all their hard work. King Duskbane was also pretty tuckered out but remained vigilant.

He turned to the Heroes and their allies, “You all have done well. I suggest you return to Delgunner for now to get some well-deserved rest, as you’ve been at this for hours. My next batch of ShadoKnights should be arriving soon. They can hold the fort for a bit until you get rested up.”

As soon as he said that a new platoon of ShadoKnights appeared, looking ready for action.

“The Shadokor never seem to miss a cue,” Leon chuckled lightly.

King Duskbane said, “Good, we’re all set. Heroes and allies, return to Delgunner and get some rest. Besides, I have a feeling that the Demon Generals may make a move shortly, so you’d best head back for what rest you can.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, I think we’ve all got a date with our beds for a bit. We’ll leave things in your hands for a while, Uncle Duskbane. Just don’t overwork yourself. Skye, would you mind getting us back to Delgunner?”

Skye smiled, “Sure, leave it to me. If everyone is ready I’ll take us back home.”

Lucas nodded, “Yeah, we’re good to go. We all need a nap, so work your magic, Skye.”

She nodded before stating, “Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished, leaving the ShadoKnights and King Duskbane behind. They reappeared at Delgunner’s front gates, where they were greeted by the stationed knights. The same knight gave Zuzu a flirtatious wave, which she largely ignored, before they returned to the castle. King Alvin greeted them as they entered the castle.

“You all have worked hard,” he said with a smile. “I’m already aware that King Duskbane sent you back to rest. Go and put your feet up for a while, as you certainly deserve it. Hopefully you can get at least an hour’s worth of a nap to recover your strength. Fortunately, we haven’t heard a peep from the Demon Generals nor Robert’s faction since the gateway was opened, so it’ll give you all a chance to recover. If something happens we’ll let you know.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, a power nap sounds good right about now. Everyone here deserves it after their hard work. Come on, gang, let’s go and recharge our batteries for a bit.”

Nodding in agreement, the Heroes and their allies returned to their rooms, took off their armor, climbed into bed, and quickly fell asleep.

About two hours later General Akuji was standing before the energy vent, awaiting Infinator’s orders. The energy vent flared up, revealing Infinator’s eyes, making the Dullahan Demon General bow.

“Akuji, it’s time to begin the next phase of our plan,” Infinator stated. “The Heroes and their allies have been working overtime to stem the flow of monsters and other denizens of the Demon Realm from entering this world. Now’s a golden opportunity to attack, as they’ll be burned out. Bronwen has discovered that they’ve all returned to Delgunner, so we must strike while they’re exhausted. Go and attack Delgunner with your army of Undead monsters. You should exercise caution around that Soulavore Shroud, though, as it has destroyed you once before. Try to stay out of range of it, since it seems to have a certain amount of ground it can cover. Now, go!”

Akuji bowed, “Yes, Master, I will make sure to give those Heroes and their allies a good workout… by working them over.”

He made his way to the exit, jumped onto his skeleton horse, and took off toward Delgunner, an army of Undead monsters following after him. This action didn’t go unnoticed by the Shadow Sentinels stationed nearby.

A knock could be heard at the Shroud Hero party’s guest room door, startling them awake. They all groaned, knowing what it meant.

“Guess it’s time for battle…” Rupert grunted.

Skye yawned, “Yeah, sounds like it. And I was having such a nice dream. But at least we got some rest, so let’s not complain.”

Celtic got up and opened the door, revealing a Shadow Sentinel.

“I apologize for disturbing you and your party, Your Majesty,” the Shadow Sentinel said. “But Akuji and an Undead army have just left Infinator’s prison and is heading here. You’re needed on the front lines right away.”

Celtic nodded, “Okay, just give us a couple of minutes to get ready.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed before vanishing. After a few minutes the Shroud Hero party was ready for battle. They, along with the other Heroes and Gram’s party, had gathered in the throne room.

“Heroes and allies, it’s time for battle,” King Alvin stated. “Fortunately, you all look like you had a good rest, so you should be in better condition for Akuji and his Undead horde. Now, head for Delgunner’s gates and take that Demon General down! And make sure none of the survivors of the Chaos Chimera rampage get caught in the crossfire. Terminate every single monster with extreme prejudice. Now, go!”

Celtic turned to Skye, “Skye, use Warp to get us to the front gates right away.”

She nodded, “On it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s front gates. There were several soldiers and mages already there. They looked relieved to see the Heroes. The Heroes took their position in front of the army, knowing that Akuji would arrive soon.

“Stay frosty, people,” Celtic instructed. “We cannot let a single monster get away or past us.”

Ryan said, “Yeah. And at least we can test out our new Soulavore-based powers, as its effects are extra useful against Undead.”

Eric gave his Axe a swing, “Time to take Akuji out! At least for a bit, anyway, since Infinator can just clone him again.”

“Here they come!” a soldier shouted.

The army could see Akuji and his Undead minions heading their way. Everyone got into a battle-ready pose, determined to not let Akuji do any harm. After a bit Akuji and his Undead army stopped at a certain distance, smiling darkly as he saw the force ready to fight.

“Well, well, well, it appears all the Heroes are back on their feet,” he said. “This should make things interesting. Monster minions, attack!”

The Undead army, consisting of various Skeleton Soldiers, Zomurai, and Ghost Mages, charged in, ready to take down the heroic defense.

“Take them out!” Celtic instructed, switching to his Soulavore Shroud. He closed the front of it before stating, “Undead Eat!”

The Soulavore head emerged and started to inhale like a vacuum. It swallowed up several Ghost Mages, causing Energy Point tanks to start filling up. The other Heroes nodded and transformed their Gear into the new Soulavore-based abilities.

“Undead Eat Stab!” Ryan shouted.

He stabbed a Blood Skeleton Soldier with his new Soulavore attack. It caused the Blood Skeleton Soldier to be absorbed into the Sword, leaving only its sword and shield behind, with Ryan noticing a tank in his stat vision filling up with Energy Points, making him smile.

“Undead Eat Thrust!” Lucas roared.

He slammed his Spear into three Zomurai, impaling them, before their bodies were absorbed by the Spear, leaving their katanas behind, causing Lucas to see a tank in his stat vision gain Energy Points.

“Oh, I love this new ability!” he said. “Now, thanks to Celtic teaching us about Energy Points, we can make our Gear even stronger by absorbing Undead monsters! Sweet! And I even got three drop items, too.”

Jerry loaded up an arrow before stating, “Undead Eat Shot!”

He fired an arrow at a Ghost Mage, striking it. This hit caused the arrow to summon a vortex that swallowed up the Ghost Mage. Jerry then noticed the tank in his stat vision gain Energy Points, making him smirk.

“That’ll come in handy later,” he grinned. “Plus, getting a new item drop is always a nice bonus.”

Eric raised his Axe up, stating, “Undead Eat Slam!”

He slammed his Axe down upon a Skeleton Soldier, slicing it in two. This action caused the Skeleton Soldier to be consumed by the Axe, leaving only its sword and shield behind, with Eric noticing the tank in his stat vision filling with Energy Points.

“Yeah, that’s the way!” he smirked. “More Energy Points means more power for my abilities! Can’t go wrong with that.”

Gram cut down a Flame Ghost Mage, stating, “Don’t get cocky, we still have plenty more enemies to defeat! Keep the pressure up!”

The mages fired a large spell combo, taking out swaths of enemies, greatly reducing the number of monsters in the battle. This action allowed the soldiers and knights to fight the remaining monsters more easily. The monster army was quickly being thinned, with the Heroes in particular using their Soulavore-based weaponry to cut through the Undead monsters like a hot knife through butter. Akuji started to become unnerved as he observed this.

“This is bad,” he said to himself. “The other Heroes now have Soulavore-based abilities. Which means they can now counter most of our forces. I have to take them out quickly before they can do the same to me.” He summoned his massive claymore, charged energy into it, and stated, “Have a taste of this! Darkness Wave!”

He fired a massive Dark energy wave from his claymore at the Heroes and their allies. Celtic saw this move and jumped in front of it.

“Soul Energy Syphoning!” he shouted.

The Soulavore head emerged and started to inhale energy again. This response caused the Darkness Wave to be consumed by the Soulavore Shroud, restoring Celtic’s MP in the process, much to Akuji’s horror. This distraction allowed Zuzu to quickly get behind him and punch him with a Darkness-enhanced fist, knocking him off his horse and causing him to plummet to the ground, crashing in a heap, just barely keeping ahold of his head. Leon then started to channel energy.

“Heaven’s Gate!” he shouted.

A sacred circle appeared and blasted Akuji and his horse with intense Holy energies. This spell caused the skeleton horse to be destroyed, leaving Akuji with no escape route, along with severely damaging him. He staggered to stand, clearly at his wit’s end. By this point the rest of his Undead army had been slain, thereby allowing the Heroes and their allies to focus their attention on him, making him sweat as they started to advance. He held his claymore in front of them.

“Don’t you come a step closer!” he stated. “Or I’ll cut you down where you stand!”

“Sounds like someone is getting nervous,” Viola said with a grin.

Celtic transformed his arm into Mag-Bolt, “Let’s see if he can stand up to our power. Mag-Bolt activate!”

He released the powerful magnetic energies. The magnetic energy cause Akuji’s head to fly out of his hands and latch onto the Mag-Bolt, making his eyes widen in horror and his body frozen now. Celtic then turned to the other Heroes.

“I’ll let you four divide up his body between yourselves,” he said with a dark grin. “I’ll handle his head.”

The other Heroes gained matching dark smirks, readied their Soulavore-based weapons, and took aim at Akuji’s defenseless body.

“Undead Eat Stab!” Ryan stated.

“Undead Eat Thrust!” Lucas shouted.

“Undead Eat Slam!” Eric yelled.

“Undead Eat Shot!” Jerry roared.

They all struck various parts of Akuji’s body, causing it to be absorbed into their Legendary Gear. This absorption also had the effect of giving Lucas, Eric, and Jerry Dullahan-based powers. Celtic removed Akuji’s head from the Mag-Bolt and grinned.

“It’s been real, Akuji,” he said darkly. “Give my regards to Infinator. Undead Eat!”

He tossed Akuji’s head up into the air, then summoned the Soulavore head from his Shroud, causing it to suck in energy.

“NOOOOOOOO!” Akuji yelled in despair.

His head was absorbed by the Soulavore Shroud, putting an end to him, with Celtic gaining some more Energy Points. This meant the battle was over. Everyone cheered in joy, happy to have taken down a Demon General. Celtic then turned to the army.

“Well fought, everyone,” he said sincerely. “But we’re not done yet. We need to clean up the remains of the monsters. Also, collect anything that might be valuable, like the Zomurais’ katanas and the Skeleton Soldiers’ swords and shields. They’ll not only fetch good prices, but they can be reforged to become weapons for us to use.”

Everyone nodded and started to gather up what was left of the monster bodies and weapons. After about 20 minutes the task was done, making everyone sigh in relief. Ryan also spent some time Stat Copying the various swords from the monsters, trying to bolster his stats more. After everything was said and done the Heroes and their allies returned to the city to rest, all of them getting praised by the civilians for defeating the Demon General and his army. The Heroes returned to the castle and entered the throne room, where the Delgunner royal family was waiting.

King Alvin smiled, “You all have done well. I am most pleased. For your efforts you will be rewarded. For now, go and get some more rest, as I’m certain you must be tuckered out from that battle. I will have your rewards ready in a little bit. That includes you, Sir Gram, as you’ve been playing a valuable role in recent events.”

Gram bowed, “Thank you, Your Majesty, I appreciate it.”

Celtic said, “Okay, everyone, let’s get a bit more shut-eye before we get called into action again, as we deserve it. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before our enemies make their next move, so we’d best get what rest we can while we can.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and returned to their rooms to relax, eager at the thought of both a reward and some well-deserved sleep.

Next Chapter: The Unholy Knight’s Wrath

That's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)

The Unholy Knight’s Wrath

​

In a secret location Robert was looking out the window of what passed as his office. On his face was a look of displeasure and in his hand was the Karma Diamond.

“So, Infinator has torn open a gateway to the Demon Realm that not even those damn Shadokor can seal back up?” he said to himself. “Useless demons, just like nature intended. But that means we could have invasive monsters and demons entering our land. We cannot allow that: we’re already infested with those hellspawns. And on top of that my Templar Knight failed to get the Master Karma Diamond from the ruins of the original Seraph Abbey, having failed to locate the key. From what my sources have told me, the damn Shroud Devil got it first. Now, he has one of the most powerful gemstones in existence in his slimy metal claw. He cannot be allowed to live. That also goes for my traitorous half-brother, Leon. He’ll regret the day he became the Shroud Devil’s party member, just you wait.”

Wench walked in, saying, “Sir Robert, we’ve gotten word that the Shroud Devil defeated Akuji again.”

Robert cursed under this breath, “Dammit! That makes the third time the Shroud Devil has taken down that Dullahan Demon General. But it also means Infinator will just clone him again and start the process all over.”

Wench replied, “Do you have a plan on how to stop that Shroud Devil, Sir Robert? I’m getting pretty tired of him always getting his way. He cannot be allowed to keep plaguing our world with his accursed existence. So, do you have any ideas on how to deal with him?”

Robert gained a scowl, “Unfortunately, no. Normally I’d use a monster army summoned by various items like Skull Bells, but that tactic has failed me numerous times. Plus, his girlfriend now has access to Illusion magic and the Shadow Mana Dagger, which nearly got me captured last time if it wasn’t for the Teleport Crystal I had on-hand. As much as I’d like to attack him head-on for all the times he’s humiliated me, that strategy hasn’t worked once. He’s too resourceful and resilient, just like a cockroach. No, we need to take a different approach if we’re to take him out for good.”

Wench then gained a devious grin, “I have an idea, Sir Robert. I happen to know what he’s afraid of. And, thanks to our unit, we’ve managed to get ahold of something very useful.” She then called out, “Bring the items in!”

About six Templar Knights walked in, all of them carrying Fun Boxes. Robert quirked an eyebrow as he saw this.

“Fun Boxes?” he asked quizzically. It then dawned on him, “Wait a minute… Fun Boxes summon two pairs of monsters that take form to the target’s fear. And you say you know his fear? I see where this is going. In order to humiliate him and finally remove him from the equation, we need to prey upon his weakness. And what is his fear, Wench?”

She smirked, “Clowns, my dear Sir Robert. And thanks to the Demon Realm back during the Great Demon War we have access to the perfect family of monsters to prey upon that.”

Robert gained a wide smirk, “Yes, that’s a great idea. And how fitting it will be to prey upon that damn Shroud Devil’s weakness in order to finally take him out. But how do you know this, Wench?”

Wench replied, “Simple. I used a Fun Box on him a while back and the monsters took the form of two Harlikills and two Killjoys. His expression was priceless. Sadly, he figured out a way to beat them, but it still confirmed his fear of clowns. Here’s my suggestion: we lure him and his gang of misfits to a quiet location, trap him in a Lightning Cage, and force him to fight his greatest fear by using all six Fun Boxes to summon an entire army of demon clowns. Since there are six Fun Boxes and each Fun Box can summon four monsters, that’s 22 clowns to pound him into a paste!”

One Templar Knight said, “Umm… that’s 24 clowns, Wench.”

Wench went silent before saying, “Yes, that’s right, my mistake. I was just so excited at the thought that I said the wrong number, as I meant 24, that’s all. But the point still stands. It’ll be an army of his greatest fear against one pathetic Shroud Devil. He won’t survive long against what he fears the most, finally relieving our world from his hateful existence.”

Robert replied, “I like it, Wench. But we have to keep his little posse from getting in the way, as they will most assuredly try to stop us from exploiting his fear.”

Wench simply said, “Just trap them in another Lightning Cage. I know it traps the user as well but if we can keep them busy we can trap the Shroud Devil in an entire circus of pain and suffering that he won’t be able to escape from… outside of death, that is.”

Robert smiled, “Very well then. This plan sounds good to me. It’s time to put an end to the Shroud Devil once and for all, finally ridding the world of him.”

At the time the Heroes and their allies were in the royal dining hall, stuffing their faces with the high-quality food. They had rested up enough and were feeling good after their victory over Akuji. The Delgunner royal family merely smiled at the Heroes and company, pleased to see them enjoying themselves. All apart from Celtic, however, who was eating his food quietly. Skye couldn’t help but giggle at his broody attitude.

“Same ol’ Celtic,” she said with a smile. “Come on, loverboy, lighten up. We defeated another Demon General, that’s enough reason to be happy. I know we still have to close the dimensional gateway to the Demon Realm, but we’ve got a plan on how to do that. It’s just a matter of time. So, try to relax a bit, Cel, as you deserve to have a little fun, too.”

Celtic, in true form, replied in a rather moody tone, “That’s still a big problem to deal with. Plus, we only gained a temporary advantage by defeating Akuji, as Infinator will just clone him again and the process will start all over. We need to stop the cloning process completely otherwise we’ll be stuck in the same cycle of attrition until Infinator is destroyed for good. It’s hardly time for fun and celebration. Plus, we still have Robert to deal with, it’s only a short matter of time he’ll make his next move. And I’ve got a feeling it’ll be a big one.”

Zuzu stated, “He’s right. I’ve got a gut feeling that Robert is about to make his next move on us. We can’t get too comfortable right now otherwise he’ll hit us while we’re vulnerable. We’ve got enough on our plate right now dealing with the gateway to the Demon Realm. We don’t need him dogpiling his schemes on top of that. No, Celtic’s right, we can’t get too complacent or Robert will get the drop on us.”

Leon gave a sigh after taking a sip of wine, “Sadly, I agree. Robert will most assuredly strike very soon. Now that he’s probably aware of the gateway to the Demon Realm he’ll want to take out his racist anger on us for failing to keep it sealed. So I expect a challenge of some sort from him very soon, as he won’t take us being victorious over a Demon General AND an open gateway to the Demon Realm well.”

Just then a knight ran in, stating, “My apologies for my sudden arrival, Your Majesties, but we just got an important message!”

King Alvin turned to the knight, “Let me see this message.”

The knight handed the letter over. King Alvin took one look at it and gained a scowl, which everyone noticed.

“Damn him!” King Alvin growled as he read the letter. “This is a challenge from Robert to the Shroud Hero. He wants to meet up at Seraph Abbey in order to claim the Karma Diamonds and take Prince Avalar’s life. That Four Stars Church swine thinks he can topple the Shroud Hero in a duel to the death. I’d be willing to bet that slut Wench is also involved somehow. We cannot allow this.”

Leon gave a heavy sigh, “Right on cue. We were just talking about him. How does that keep happening?”

Eric snarled, “We’ll get him good this time.”

Lucas nodded, “Yeah, and that prostitute of an elf, Wench, too. My Spear and her shriveled-up heart are about to get acquainted with each other. I’ll show her what she gets for turning us Heroes into her pawns!”

Gram replied, “Hold on. Don’t get too revved up, as it’s obviously a trap. That Four Stars Church goon Robert won’t go into something without some form of backup or a means of keeping Sir Celtic separated from the rest of the party.”

King Alvin said, “Sir Gram is correct. This is an obvious trap in order to find a way to remove Prince Avalar from the equation. Even so, it is an opportunity to capture Robert and his traitorous Four Stars Church goons. The Shroud Hero party cannot go into this without some form of backup. Contact King Duskbane and have him send some Shadow Sentinels under the guise of Cloak to go along with Prince Avalar and his party just in case Robert tries something. For extra firepower the other Heroes and Sir Gram’s party will go with them. While it is a trap, we also can’t pass up on this chance to capture Robert before he becomes too much of a problem, as he’s already been a thorn in our side for a while now. According to this, Robert is challenging him to a fight as sunset, so that gives us a few hours to prepare. Quickly, get in contact with King Duskbane or Queen Wuya so we can have Shadow Sentinels waiting in the shadows before Robert and his goons get to Seraph Abbey.”

The knight saluted, “Yessir, right away!”

The knight ran out of the room in order to contact the Shadoria royal family for support. Celtic could only sigh.

“I’m getting really sick of this,” he grumbled. “Hopefully this’ll put an end to Robert and Wench once and for all, but I’m not getting my hopes up.”

Hours later everything was set. Celtic, his party, the other Heroes, and Gram’s party were all present at Seraph Abbey. There were Shadow Sentinels hiding in the cover of Cloak so Robert and his Templar Knights wouldn’t be able to detect them. It was almost sunset, meaning it was almost time for the fight to begin. Everyone waited patiently for Robert to arrive. As the sun started its descent over the horizon Robert, Wench, and several Templar Knights appeared. Robert grinned as he saw the Hero faction glare at him.

“So, you came after all, Shroud Devil,” he said. “Well, you’ll be wishing you hadn’t. I’ve got something special planned for you. Your little band of misfits and the failure Heroes won’t be getting involved. At least they’ll have a front row seat to your demise. Men, surround the other Heroes and their allies!”

The Templar Knights quickly got into position, surrounding the other Heroes and their allies. One then started to channel energy.

“Lightning Cage!” he said.

A cage of lightning appeared, trapping everyone inside it. Wench then started to channel energy as well.

“Time to take your medicine, Shroud Devil!” she cackled. “Lightning Cage!”

She, Celtic, and Robert were all trapped inside another prison of lightning. Celtic narrowed his eyes.

“You think cutting me off from my friends and allies will make me easier prey, do you?” he growled. “You’ll find out the hard way that won’t work.”

Robert sneered, “Not if we kill them first with some monsters. Men, take out your Skull Bells and ring the toll of the Shroud Devil’s friends’ deaths!”

The Templar Knights took out some Skull Bells and rang them. This caused several monsters to appear inside the Lightning Cage with the rest of the group. The monsters consisted of Skeleton Soldiers, Iron Hobbles, Feral Gremlins, Wailing Skulls, and Shadows. The other Heroes and their allies drew their weapons and prepared for battle. Robert then summoned six Fun Boxes, making Celtic’s eyes go wide.

“As for you, Shroud Devil, I’ve got something extra special for you. Take this!”

He kicked each Fun Box at Celtic, causing all of them to explode with pink smoke in front of him. When the smoke cleared he was staring down an army of clown monsters. Most were Harlikills and Killjoys, but there were a few new ones. One breed looked like a demonic acrobat, with blue skin, strong arms and legs, form-fitting armor, glowing red eyes with slit pupils, grey hair in a bun, and a mouth full of fangs. The second new breed looked like a ringmaster, wearing a nice yet demonic suit, a top hat that had a fang-filled mouth on the top, glowing purple eyes with slit pupils, a mask, and a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Harlikills, Killjoys, Acrosadists, and Ringmonsters!” Skye exclaimed. “He just summoned the whole family of Demon Clown monsters!”

Wench cackled, “That’s right, Skye! Now you get a front row seat to the circus of death for the Shroud Devil!”

Although shaken, Celtic steeled his nerves and glared at the Demon Clown family of monsters.

“I may be afraid, but that won’t stop me from putting an end to you!” he stated. “It’s time for the curtain to fall… right on YOU!”

The clown monsters began their attack, while Celtic transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and lashed back. At the time the other Heroes and their allies were fighting off the summoned monsters by the other Templar Knights. They quickly tore through the horde, with the Heroes using their Soulavore-based abilities on the Undead monsters to great effect. Despite fighting, Skye couldn’t help but be concerned for Celtic as he fought off several monster clowns. When the first batch of monsters were defeated the Templar Knight rang the Skull Bells again, summoning more monsters, this time Flame Ghost Mages, Creepers, Grim Gremlins, Whispering Skulls, and even a Troll. Robert and Wench watched from their side of the battlefield as Celtic fought off the monster clowns, though it was obvious their numbers were starting to get to him.

Wench cackled, “It’s only a matter of time before the Shroud Devil begs us for mercy!”

Robert sneered, “Indeed, Wench, and I’m looking forward to that.”

Celtic then gained an idea, his face twisting into a diabolic grin, much to the duo’s surprise.

“Is that so?” he said smoothly. “Well, allow me to derail your plans! Charge Engine Demon Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed, changing shape completely. It now looked like the upper half of a steam locomotive, mostly dark red in color, complete with a cabin, a cowcatcher surrounding the Shroud’s core, and a raised collar that was shaped like half a smokestack. This new Shroud confused the wicked duo.

“Time to get on the right track!” Celtic grinned. “Crazy Locomotive!”

The Shroud glowed before summing something. To Robert’s and Wench’s horror, it summoned a Charge Engine Demon. This summoning also caused the remaining monster clowns to back up as the large demon appeared.

“I’m gonna railroad you two into oblivion! Attack!”

The Charge Engine Demon started to glow before it charged ahead. It effortlessly ran down the various clown monsters, killing them all instantly as it continued its destructive path toward Robert and Wench. The two quickly ran out of the way as the demonic train plowed through the Lightning Cage, destroying it instantly, before coming to a stop just in front of Seraph Abbey. It then started to glow.

Robert’s eyes went wide, “No! You’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do!”

Celtic raised his left hand, grinning darkly, “Looks like you’re capable of intelligent thought after all, Robert. When this loco locomotive is done with its charge, it likes to go out with a bang!”

He snapped his fingers, causing the Charge Engine Demon to glow brightly and suddenly explode in a massive fireball. The explosion ripped Seraph Abbey apart, incinerating everything the flames touched, much to the horror of both Robert and his Templar Knights. After the blast ended and the smoke cleared revealing the remains of Seraph Abbey. The abbey had been mostly destroyed, with only a small portion of it left. The rest was nothing more than a smoldering crater with some stray flames burning on any remaining debris. Robert and his Templar Knights could only look in disbelief and horror at the ruins of their once prized abbey. However, this distraction allowed the other Heroes and their allies to not only wipe out the remaining monsters, but attack the Templar Knights, knocking them out and stealing the Skull Bells from them. This action caused the Lightning Cage to vanish in the process, freeing the other allies from their prison.

Robert’s eyes were now full of rage, “HOW DARE YOU, SHROUD DEVIL!!! You destroyed our precious abbey!”

Celtic replied with a sneer, “Consider that payback for summoning clown monsters on me. There is a general rule of thumb when it comes to dealing with me. Violate me in any shape or form and I’ll return the favor with interest. It may not happen right away, but it will happen. And, besides, that’ll send a message to you and your allies. Keep on causing us trouble and THAT’S what’ll happen to you! Now, Shadow Sentinels, emerge!”

Over two dozen Shadow Sentinels appeared, much to Robert’s and Wench’s horror.

“This isn’t over, Shroud Devil!” Robert spat. “Teleport!”

He, Wench, and several Templar Knights vanished. However, about half of them had been captured by the Shadow Sentinels, who quickly took them away via Shadow Warp. Celtic took a few calming breaths before falling to one knee, clearly shaken.

“Celtic!” Skye exclaimed.

The group ran over to him to check on him, clearly worried about him.

“Cel, you okay, buddy?” Rupert asked.

Celtic took a few deep breaths before saying, “Yeah… yeah I will be, just give me a few moments to steady my nerves.” After a few more calming breaths he stood back up, “Okay, I’m fine now. I’m a bit shaken but not stirred, so I’ll survive. Looks like that Charge Engine Demon Zuzu and I faced earlier not only got his wish to cause damage in this world but came in handy for our battle. And at least that last attack sent a powerful message to the Four Stars Church that we’re not going to let them get away with anything. What I did to their precious abbey is what we’ll do to them if they try another stunt like this.”

Gram nodded, “Indeed. That’s one message they won’t forget, especially since it strikes them in their very hearts. But I never knew you were afraid of clowns. You faced an entire circus of them and managed to keep yourself together despite being bombarded on all sides by your greatest fear. That’s commendable, Sir Celtic, and rather inspirational.”

Viola explained, “It’s not the first time he’s had to do that, although it was only four monsters last time. You see, Wench bought a Fun Box from a traveling merchant that she and Lucas used to prey upon Celtic’s fear as a means of humiliating him. Celtic proved that his fear wouldn’t stop him by defeating the pair of Harlikills and pair of Killjoys by himself. It’s no surprise that Wench tried this tactic a second time, with an entire caravan of them in hopes of overwhelming him this time. But, once again, Celtic stood his ground and didn’t let them have that luxury.”

Gram narrowed his eyes at Lucas, “You and Wench teamed up to prey upon Sir Celtic’s fear, Lucas? That’s low.”

Lucas replied hastily, “Hey, hey, hey, take it easy, Gram. I realize now that was wrong and I’m sorry about it, especially since Celtic came to my rescue after Wench betrayed me and even helped me bond with a Spiria. Wench corrupted me by using my weakness for women and took advantage of my trust back then, even after her trial. After she betrayed me I realized what Celtic and his party had been saying about her was true and I wanted to make amends for my past actions against him. So you can rest assured that I’m not the same person I was back then and I’m sorry for it.”

Celtic replied in a tired tone, “Lucas is correct, and I’m willing to forgive him since he has been taking steps to prevent stuff like that from happening again. Plus, the fact that a Spiria willingly bonded with him is proof of his resolve, since before Spiria fled from him. So while I’ll never forget his actions against me, I’m willing to forgive him for it. Anyway… at least we managed to capture some of Robert’s Templar Knights, so the battle wasn’t a total waste of time. Capturing Robert and Wench would’ve been more ideal, as both of them are slippery as greased eels but I’ll take what I can get. Now, before we head back, let’s collect a few samples from those monsters, as they might provide something useful. And, yes, you other Heroes can take samples from the Demon Clown monsters. Seeing how both the Harlikill and Killjoy gave my Shroud two very potent powers, it makes me wonder what the Acrosadist and Ringmonster will give. And if my Shroud could get such powerful skills from them then I can only imagine what the other Legendary Gear will obtain. And it might be wise to have our Gear absorb the semi-used Skull Bells, too, and see what those provide.”

Nodding, the Heroes collected samples from the monsters and each took a Skull Bell, unlocking new powers. They also collected to sell anything of value from the monster corpses. After everything was said and done they returned to Delgunner for respite.

Meanwhile, back at their home base, Robert punched the wall in fury.

“Damn that Shroud Devil!” he roared. “He not only beat us but had the gall to destroy Seraph Abbey AND capture some of my men! He’s gonna get it good! Mark my words, Shroud Devil, your heinous actions won’t go unpunished! That I promise!”

Next Chapter: Demon Reaper

That's all for today. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains violence, mild language)

Demon Reaper

​

It was the night after the Heroes and their allies fought off the Four Stars Church faction. Everyone were sound asleep in their beds, trying to get as much rest as possible: they knew that they still had work to do when morning would come. Little did they know that they’d have to deal with a problem sooner than expected.

At the gateway to the Demon Realm the current platoon of ShadoKnights were fighting off the monsters that were attempting to cross between the two worlds. A pair of sinister eyes watched from the shadows as the various Shadokor tried to keep the invading forces from getting too far.

“So, what I heard is true,” the mysterious figure sneered, grinning darkly. “There is a gateway to Zakota now open that not even the Shadokor can seal up. This is a golden opportunity to have some fun. Kehehehehe…”

The figure slowly crept toward the gateway, trying to keep the Shadokor from spotting him. However, as he got to the gateway, a ShadoKnight noticed him.

“Stop that Eraser Reaper Demon!” he shouted.

“Damn, spotted,” the Eraser Reaper Demon muttered. “But let’s see if they can stop me when I do THIS!”

He suddenly vanished like a phantom, alarming the ShadoKnights that were trying to capture him. They tried to detect him with their powers but he had already crossed between the two worlds and scampered off into the night. However, unknown to him a Shadow Sentinel managed to detect him and toss a self-cloaking tracking device onto him, which immediately vanished, preventing the Eraser Reaper Demon from knowing about it. The Shadow Sentinel then vanished and returned to Shadoria to report the situation.

About 30 minutes later there was a knock at the Shroud Hero party’s guest room door, startling them awake. They all groaned, knowing it was something bad. Celtic got up, yawned, stretched, and walked over to the door, revealing a ShadoKnight.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess,” the redhead sighed. “We have a problem.”

The ShadoKnight replied, “Sadly, yes, Your Majesty. A renegade Eraser Reaper Demon managed to get past our guard and escaped into Zakota.”

Tyroe quirked an eyebrow, “Eraser Reaper Demon? What’s that?”

Zuzu yawned before explaining, “It’s a rather ghastly Mid-Tier demon, which has four hearts. They are of the Dark element, thus are weak to Light and Holy. They hunt down monsters and other beings so it can reap their souls and transform their bodies into zombified minions. They’re nasty pieces of work and they enjoy killing and reaping souls a bit too much. They also have the ability to temporarily become invisible, not unlike Illusion magic, but the effect only lasts for a few minutes before it wears off. That said, they can still be detected, as it doesn’t hide their auras, nor does it prevent them from taking damage, as they’re still solid. I take it that’s how it got away from you ShadoKnights, right?”

The ShadoKnight bowed his head in shame, “Yes, sadly that’s the case. However, a Shadow Sentinel managed to find him and placed a self-cloaking tracking device on him, so we know where he is and where he’s going. He’s heading toward the northern area, not far from Shaori, where you and the Sword Hero defeated Akuji and recovered one of the Karma Diamonds. Your mission is to find him and eliminate him before he causes any problems.”

Celtic gave a defeated sigh, “So much for getting a full night’s rest. Very well, just give us a bit to get ready. I assume you’ll be informing the other Heroes and such about this, right?”

The ShadoKnight nodded, “Yes, I will. But please hurry, as Eraser Reaper Demons are very problematic. Meet the other Heroes in the throne room to get the necessary instructions on how to find and defeat this renegade demon. I’ll go get the other Heroes and Sir Gram.”

The ShadoKnight bowed before scampering off to inform the other Heroes and Gram’s group. Sighing defeatedly, the Shroud Hero party got into their equipment and made their way to the throne room. A rather ruffled King Alvin was already there, clearly still shaking off the effects of his slumber. A few minutes later the other Heroes and Gram’s party arrived.

King Alvin stifled a yawn before saying, “Heroes and allies, as you’re aware, we have a renegade demon on the loose. Your mission is to destroy him before he causes any casualties to our people.”

The ShadoKnight from earlier stepped up and handed Celtic a tracking device.

“Here, Your Majesty, this device will track the Eraser Reaper Demon, allowing you to go after him,” he said.

Celtic took a moment to look at where the Eraser Reaper Demon was before placing the device in his Tek-Pak.

The ShadoKnight then said, “Unfortunately, you’ll have to get yourself to that location, as we cannot spare any Shadokor to escort you right now due to this breach in our defenses. I’m sorry.”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “I kinda figured that was the case. At least it means I can give my Shadow Warp some extra training. So, I guess on that note, let’s begin. Are you all ready?”

The other Heroes and Gram’s party nodded.

“Okay then, here goes nothing. Shadow Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished in black portals, leaving Delgunner behind. They reappeared in a craggy area. Ryan took a moment to observe the area.

“This is where Celtic and I fought Akuji’s Undead minions before taking him out and getting the Karma Diamond,” he said.

Lucas turned to Celtic, “Are we near where this Eraser Reaper Demon is?”

Celtic took out the tracking device and looked it over before saying, “We’re just a bit south from him. It appears he’s near where Ryan and I fought Akuji. I wonder why he went there? Anyway, we need to hurry, as I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already reaped a few monster souls by now.”

Skye looked ahead, stating, “You’d be right, as I see a zombified Ice Tankor coming our way!”

They all looked ahead to see an Ice Tankor approach them. However, its movements were stiff and janky, its eyes were blank, and it looked like it had some sort of growth forming all over its body. Everyone got into a defensive position.

“Time to scrap it!” Eric stated. “Blaster Axe!”

His Axe transformed before he slammed it on the ground. This blow caused multiple explosions to erupt underneath the zombified Ice Tankor, destroying its legs. However, it kept on moving forward, now crawling, as if it didn’t feel the attack. It aimed its mortar cannon at them and fired a blast of icy energy. Everyone dodged the attack before regrouping. Ryan transformed his Sword.

“This should take it out!” he said. “Firestorm Slash!”

He swung his Sword, causing a large firestorm to appear and engulf the Ice Tankor. However, after the attack waned, the Ice Tankor was still crawling toward them, albeit extremely damaged, much to Ryan’s shock.

Celtic turned to Leon, “Leon! Try blasting it with Holy magic!”

Leon nodded and started to channel energy before stating, “Heaven’s Gate!”

The sacred circle formed underneath the Ice Tankor, ravaging it with Holy energies, causing it to disintegrate, ending the battle. However, everyone noticed that they weren’t gaining any EXP.

Jerry scratched his head, “That’s strange. We didn’t gain any EXP from that battle. Why?”

Zuzu replied, “Because the Ice Tankor wasn’t even alive. Because its soul was reaped, leaving an empty shell, it no longer produces any EXP when destroyed. Meaning that any fights with the victims of the Eraser Reaper Demon won’t yield any benefits. That includes item drops. And don’t try to absorb any part of the Eraser Reaper Demon’s victims into your Legendary Gear, as it won’t provide anything. It could even corrupt the Legendary Gear, so don’t take that chance.”

Isabella asked, “So, basically, whenever an Eraser Reaper Demon gets ahold of a victim, said victim is basically an empty shell that we have to destroy for no benefit?”

“Pretty much, but we have to dispose of any victims of an Eraser Reaper Demon,” Zuzu replied. “If they’re left alone, they can spread their ‘curse’ onto other creatures, effectively making them plague-spreading monsters. So any victim of the Eraser Reaper Demon must be eliminated to prevent them from causing additional problems. It may not give us anything of worth, but it will keep the damage down to a minimum.”

Celtic nodded, “Good point, Zuzu. Now, let’s hurry and find our ‘friend’ before he creates any more zombified monsters.”

Nodding, the group pressed onward. Along the way they encountered more zombified monsters, eliminating them. It wasn’t long before they found the Eraser Reaper Demon.

The Eraser Reaper Demon was tall and lanky, with a body that was mostly made of ghostly energy. The only solid parts of his were its head, torso, lower arms, hips, and feet. His torso was made from a rather sinister set of armor, dark purple in color, with a glowing eyeball on the center, and chains hanging off of it. His lower arms were encased in similar armor, with a long chain connecting both together. His hips were constructed similar to his torso, consisting of hip guards with eyeballs on them, and more chains. His feet were built like pendulum blades, being dark blue with grey bottoms, along with chains connecting both at the ankles. His head was sinister and menacing, consisting of a red mask-like face, large square teeth, a spiked helmet with two large devil horns, glowing green eyes with slit pupils, and flaming energy for hair. His weapon-of-choice was a sinister-looking scythe, consisting of a dark purple handle that ended in a ball and chain, a red, serrated blade with an eyeball where the blade connected with the handle, and what looked like a purple Thunder Eye-shaped ornament on top.

“So… you’re the troublemaking group that’s destroying my minions?” he said. “Well, I’ll put an end to all of you so I can keep having my fun! Kehehehehe!”

Everyone got into a defensive position, ready for battle. The Eraser Reaper Demon gave his scythe a swing, cackling like a madman.

“Let’s see you try to deal with this! Misty Demon!”

He summoned three portals that caused ghostly energy to emerge and take the shape of shadowy monsters. They charged toward the group like bullets. Upon contact with anyone, the shadowy monsters would vanish, but they’d deal damage to the target, however the Deluxe Guard Barrier Charms did block the first batch of attacks before waning. Celtic got in front of everyone.

“I’ll keep those things busy!” he said. “Shield Wall!”

He summoned the Lizartaur shields. However, instead of placing them in front of the group, he threw them toward the portals where the Misty Demon attacks were coming from. The shields clustered together into three groups and blocked the portals, preventing the ghostly energy from being released, making the Eraser Reaper Demon annoyed.

“Clever trick, kid,” he growled. “But that’s not the only attack I have. Have a taste of this! Killer Beam!”

He fired a beam from the eye on his torso similar to the Thunder Eye’s attack right at Celtic.

“Iron Body!” Celtic stated.

His body turned to iron. When the beam connected with his transformed state it did no damage. This block allowed the others to prepare some attacks.

“Sacred Arrow!” Leon shouted.

“Light Beam!” Skye yelled.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric yelled.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry shouted.

The various attacks barreled toward the Eraser Reaper Demon, striking him, making him scream in pain as his body was ravaged by the attacks. He, however, managed to get back onto his feet, now livid.

“You’re asking for it!” he spat. He raised his scythe up before shouting, “Reaper Slash!”

He launched a Dark energy air slash at the Heroes. Leon loaded up another arrow.

“Not happening!” he stated. “Shooting Star Arrow!”

He fired the attack at the air slash. The two attacks collided and canceled each other out, annoying the renegade demon. Gram then charged in.

“Flame Slash!” the Flugel Kingdom knight shouted.

He slashed the demon across the chest, making him screech in pain, before quickly retreating back to the group. Isabella was channeling energy.

“Celestial Blast!” she shouted.

She fired a blast of Holy energy at the Eraser Reaper Demon, hitting him hard, making him livid. Skye started to channel energy while he was recovering from the last attack.

“Magic Sword!” she shouted.

A sword made from pure magical energy formed above her, took aim, and launched itself at the demon. It pierced through his torso, making him scream in pain and fall to one knee before it vanished. He looked at Skye with hate-filled eyes.

“You little worm!” he hissed. “That attack pierced one of my hearts!” He raised his scythe up, “I’ll take great pleasure in reaping your soul!”

He charged in at blinding speed toward Skye, ready to strike her with his scythe. At the last second Celtic got in-between them and raised up his Reflector Shield arm attachment. The scythe struck the shield, causing an instant counterattack in the form of an aerial shockwave to smack into the renegade demon’s face, making him stumble back as he clutched his wounded face.

Celtic’s eyes narrowed, “You won’t be reaping my fiancée, you vile fiend!” He then transformed his arm into Gatling, “Here, have a taste of this!”

He opened fire on the Eraser Reaper Demon, pelting his face with energy bullets, making the demon stumble back as he tried to block the attack. This attack gave everyone a chance to launch another attack.

“Bamboo Spears!” Rupert shouted.

“Stone Spears!” Tyroe yelled.

“Have a taste of my Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola shouted.

“Let’s see if you can handle my Nightmare Blast!” Zuzu spat.

The various attacks pummeled the Eraser Reaper Demon, causing him to fall to his knees, clearly at his wit’s end. Celtic turned to Leon.

“Leon, finish him off, my friend,” he said.

Leon nodded and started to channel energy.

“Divine Heaven’s Gate!” he shouted.

The powerful sacred circle appeared and fired off its massive Holy energies, ravaging the demon, making him scream in agony before his ghostly body vanished, leaving behind his armored parts and scythe, allowing everyone to gain a fair bit of EXP. Celtic also gave a gesture for the Shield Wall shields to vanish. Viola eyed the discarded scythe, scuttled over, and picked it up, giving her a chance to get a feel for it.

“I take it you want to keep that scythe for yourself, Viola?” Skye asked with a smile.

“Yes, I do,” the Arachne replied. “My old Crimson Edge Scythe is getting a bit worn, so I need to replace it soon. This scythe has a nice feel to it, a solid weight, and it looks pretty powerful. However, to be safe, I’ll have Danial reforge it to ensure that there aren’t any negative effects in it, since he’s pretty good at that.”

Lucas then said, “Okay, it’s time for us Heroes to divide up the Eraser Reaper Demon’s armor between us so we can gain a new power. I suggest we do Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who gets what.”

The other Heroes nodded while Celtic rolled his eyes but he walked over to them anyway to perform the game, much to everyone else’s confusion. After the five of them started the first round, Celtic choose Scissors while the other Heroes choose Paper.

“Guess that means I get first pick,” Celtic said simply. “I’ll take his torso.”

Eric pouted, “I wanted that.”

Jerry asked, “How’d you win so easily, Celtic?”

Celtic walked over to the torso armor, saying, “Well, I’ve never lost at Rock-Paper-Scissors before, so it’s no surprise I won the first round. Now… let’s see what I get.”

He absorbed the torso armor into his Shroud, unlocking a new form. He took a moment to look it over before stepping back. The other Heroes continued their game of Rock-Paper-Scissors before everything was finally decided. Lucas took the head, Ryan took the hips, Eric took the lower arms, and Jerry took the pendulum blade feet. After they all absorbed their respective chunks of the Eraser Reaper Demon Celtic turned to Skye.

“Skye, would you mind getting us back to Delgunner. I think we all deserve some more rest.”

She nodded, “On it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished from the area before reappearing at Delgunner’s front gates. They made their way back to the castle to report their success.

King Alvin smiled, “Excellent work all of you. You managed to keep a renegade demon from becoming a massive problem. Good work. Now, all of you head for bed, as you deserve to relax after that fight.

Nodding, the Heroes and their allies returned to their rooms to rest. Viola placed the new scythe she wanted to use in Celtic’s Tek-Pak before going to bed. Celtic took a few minutes to think about what had happened.

“We need to hurry and find some Shadogon before any more renegade demons cross over and cause trouble,” he said silently. “We managed to nip this one in the bud and kept the damage to a minimum, but more will follow. We need to be ready for anything. Hopefully we can use the Shadogon to seal up the gateway and keep our enemies from gaining more allies and resources. Time will tell.”

Next Chapter: Brewing Up Trouble

That's all for today, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes will face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language)

Brewing Up Trouble

​

It had been a couple of days since the Hero faction had defeated the Eraser Reaper Demon. They had been jumping back and forth between Delgunner and the gateway to the Demon Realm in order to keep the invasive monsters down to a minimum. At the present time the Hero faction were in Delgunner, where Viola was awaiting the final verdict on the Eraser Reaper Demon’s scythe.

Danial walked out of the back of his shop carrying the scythe, stating, “It was smart of you to bring this to me first, Viola. There was a negative effect in this Hell Reaper Scythe when equipped. However, I’ve managed to remove it, so it’s safe now. It should be a very nice upgrade to your old Crimson Edge Scythe.”

He handed it over, allowing Viola to get a feel for it. She took a moment to check it out before smiling.

“Great work, as always, Danial,” she said with a smile. “This’ll do nicely. And why let a rare weapon go to waste, right?”

Danial chuckled, “I’m glad you like it. Now, I’ll take your old Crimson Edge Scythe, as I may be able to get it back up to speed for someone else.” He then took out his abacus and did a quick calculation, “Okay, the reforging of the Hell Reaper Scythe, the trade-in value for the Crimson Edge Scythe, and the price of the Saint’s Ashes needed to purify the negative effect comes to five gold and 350 silver.”

Celtic nodded and handed over the payment, which Danial gladly took.

Skye said in a chipper tone, “Thanks again, Danial. You did a good job on that scythe. It should serve Viola well.”

Danial gave a hearty laugh, “No problem. I’ve never worked with a weapon from the Demon Realm before so it was good practice for me. If you need anything else or you’ve obtained another weapon from the Demon Realm, don’t hesitate to show me. I’ll work my magic on it.”

Viola equipped it to her back, saying, “You can count on that. Hopefully we’ll gain another treasure like this Hell Reaper Scythe for you to play with soon.”

Celtic nodded, “Indeed. Anyway, let’s head back to the castle, gang, as I’m certain our enemies will be making their next move soon. So we’d best be ready for it.”

The Shroud Hero party nodded and made their way back to the castle, where the other Heroes and Gram’s group were waiting. They started to discuss possible plans that their enemies might try while still awaiting for the Shadokor to find some Shadogon.

Meanwhile, in a small village in Delgunner’s territory, the people were bustling about, doing their own thing and enjoying the sunshine. However, they were greeted by an unwelcoming sight.

Robert, Wench, and several Templar Knights appeared at the front of the village. Knowing whom they were dealing with, the villagers got defensive.

“Get lost, Four Stars Church crony!” one man said. “We don’t want your kind around here!”

A woman added, “Yeah, you lot are always causing problems! Get out of here!”

Robert kept his cool, stating smugly, “Or what? You’ll call the fake Heroes and the Shroud Devil to stop us? Sorry to say but they won’t be coming to your aid. Not after we’re done with you. You either pledge your allegiance to the noble Church of the Four Stars and hand over all your resources or…”

“Or?” a man growled threateningly.

“Or I’ll take everything from you. And I know just how to do it. Men, keep them busy for a moment. I’ll show them what I mean.”

Several Templar Knights restrained the villagers, allowing Robert to march into the center of the village. He gained an evil smirk.

“I know what this village’s prime source of income is… your various forms of alcohol. You’re a brewery village who depends heavily on your water supply to craft your borderline legendary meads, beers, and wines. But… what were to happen to you if… I took that away from you?” He drew his rapier, started to channel intense energy into it, “Observe!”

He slammed the rapier’s blade deep into the ground so only the hilt and about two inches of the blade remained outside. This had an immediate effect on the village. To the villagers’ collective horror, the river nearby instantly dried up and all the wells in the village were drained, leaving them with absolutely no water.

Robert’s face twisted into a sneer, “I’ll give you 24 hours to make up your mind. Pledge your allegiance to the Church of the Four Stars and hand over everything of value and I’ll return your precious water supply. But refuse and I’ll make sure this village’s livelihood crumbles away into nothingness. After all, water is the source of all life. Now, with your water supply gone, what will you do? Men, we’re out of here. Teleport!”

Robert, Wench, and the Templar Knights vanished, leaving the villagers alone. One burly man walked up to the rapier.

“I won’t let a skinny Four Stars Church goon and his stupid rapier stop our village!” he said.

He grabbed the hilt of the blade and attempted to pull it out. However, it suddenly released a powerful shock that threw the man back, burning his hand in the process. A nun from the local church examined the rapier, gaining a hateful scowl.

“That damn Four Stars Church thug!” she spat. “He not only placed a large amount of mana into this rapier, but it also has a curse on it that prevents anyone from pulling it out.”

A villager walked up to the priest, asking, “Can you remove the curse?”

The priest scanned the rapier with magic before gaining a disappointed look.

“Unfortunately, no, I cannot,” he said glumly. “This curse is more potent than anything I can remove. We’d need a holy man with immense powers to remove it. And even then I doubt it’ll be easy to remove the rapier, as the extra mana energy Robert put into it has locked in both it and our water supply. We’re going to have to call up the Heroes for help, as they might be the only ones who can remove it. Especially since I’ve heard that the Shroud Hero party has a very powerful Templar Knight in their ranks, one who is said to have immense holy energies. We must contact King Alvin at once. Get the crystal ball from our Church of the Five Stars vault, as we need the Heroes’ help right away, before that goon, Robert, returns.”

Roughly 30 minutes later King Alvin had summoned all the Heroes and Gram’s party to the throne room. When he confirmed that they were all there he cleared his throat.

“Heroes and allies, that blasted thug, Robert, has struck again,” he said. “He marched right into the village of Malt Himbeergeist and cut off their water supply with a magic-enhanced rapier. He’s trying to force them to join his cause in exchange for releasing their livelihoods from his curse.”

Ryan asked, “What’s so special about this Malt Himbeergeist?”

Skye explained, “It’s one of the biggest hotspots for alcohol brewery. Their meads, wines, and beer are almost legendary and they ship it all over the world. They may be a small village but their craftsmanship of alcoholic drinks is unrivaled. As a result, the village is actually quite wealthy despite its more modest appearance. Robert is most likely trying to take their funds and any other resources away in order to bolster the Four Stars Church’s revival. He knows that their stock of drinks is important to many, many taverns across the globe. Thus cutting them off from their water supply will cause a massive ripple effect that’ll prevent taverns from getting their valuable shipments and be forced to increase prices to compensate. You’d be surprised how important Malt Himbeergeist is to many bars, taverns, and restaurants across the world.”

Viola then added, “While there are other breweries out there, they pale in comparison to Malt Himbeergeist, who has become a household name due to their excellent craftsmanship of dozens of different types of alcoholic beverages. By hurting a linchpin in the economy it’ll hurt every other economy that depends on them. Plus there is the fact that he cut them off from their water supply, which not only prevents them from making their booze, but also means the villagers and their cattle won’t have any water to drink.”

King Alvin nodded, “Lady Skye and Miss Viola is correct. Malt Himbeergeist is a central linchpin for various places across the world. If they’re shut down then the economies of the places they ship their goods to will also suffer. Basically, Robert is blackmailing not just them but any other economy that depends on Malt Himbeergeist for support. He’s trying to force their hand to join his wretched cause in exchange for allowing them to keep their livelihoods afloat. As a result, they’ve specially requested the Heroes to come to their aid, as they know that Robert is fighting against you. Your mission is this: go to Malt Himbeergeist and uproot Robert’s latest scheme before it causes too much damage or he forces their hand.”

The Heroes and their allies nodded, “We’re on it.”

Queen Amelia said, “Unfortunately, the Shadokor can’t spare any Shadow Sentinels right now due to the time that Eraser Reaper Demon breached their guard. So you’ll have to depend on Prince Avalar’s own Shadow Warp spell to get you there. Good luck, as many places are depending on you to prevent their economies from crumbling.”

Celtic took a deep breath before saying, “Guess it’s time for me to work my Shadow magic. If everyone is ready to go let’s get this mission underway.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, eager at the thought of stopping Robert’s latest plan.

“Shadow Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished from the throne room in black portals. They reappeared just outside of a village, taking a moment to get their bearings.

“Good work, Cel, you got us to Malt Himbeergeist,” Rupert said. “You’re getting better at Shadow Warp each time you use it.”

Celtic gained a crooked smile, “It helps that Shadow Warp is the safest of all teleportation magic. But enough of that, let’s get in there and see what we can do.”

The Hero faction entered the village. All the villagers had gathered in the center of the village, having tied ropes to the rapier and were trying in vain to pull it out. The nun was the first one to notice the Heroes.

“Oh, thank the Gods!” she exclaimed. “You got here quickly. Everyone, the Heroes have arrived!”

The villagers instantly dropped what they were doing to usher the Hero faction into the center of the village. The village elder walked up to them.

“Noble Heroes and allies, I’m certain you’re aware of the situation?” he said. “That blasted Four Stars Church goon, Robert, has sealed off our water supply. Not only will it cut us off from our livelihoods, but it’ll deny our people, livestock, and crops water. He said he’ll return our water supply in exchange for pledging our allegiance to that cultish Four Stars Church, along with handing over anything of value to him. Please, you must uproot his plan before our village suffers.”

Leon stepped up, “That’s why we’re here. It’s just like my damn half-brother to do something like this. He acts all tough when he’s picking on someone who can’t fight back like a small village. But when put into action against a foe that can put him in his place he’ll quickly turn tail. Now, let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

Leon walked over to the rapier and started to focus his energies, scanning the magically empowered rapier with his own powers. After a moment he opened his eyes.

“The curse he put on the rapier is nasty but doable,” he said. “Celtic, I’ll need your help on this one. We both need to cast Curse Breaker on it in order to lift it, as it’ll take more than just one dose of it to remove that negative energy. And before you ask, we need to cast the spell together, as only casting it in segments will cause the energies to regroup and start the cycle over again.”

Celtic nodded, “Right, so we have to double-team in order to lift it, otherwise it’ll just regenerate. Let’s do it.”

Both warriors stood opposite of each other, focused their attention on the rapier, and started to channel energy.

“Curse Breaker!” both stated at the same time.

They fired their spells at the rapier, striking it with intense purifying energies. Everyone could see the cursed energy erupting from the hilt of the rapier, taking the form of a ghastly skull before it vanished. Leon then scanned the rapier with his powers again.

“Okay, good, we removed the cursed energies from it,” he said. “But removing the blade itself will be the next challenge. I can sense the mana energy Robert has put into it, which is what’s cutting you off from your water. That energy is holding the blade in place.”

Jerry suggested, “Maybe Tyroe should use his power over Earth to force it out from underneath?”

Leon turned to him, “It might work. Tyroe, give it a shot.”

Tyroe thumped his chest, “I’m on it.”

He placed both hands on the ground and started to channel energy into them. However, a sudden burst of energy from the ground erupted under his hands, making him jump back in alarm. His hands now had burns on them and were smoking a bit. Viola quickly scuttled up to him to examine the damage.

“Ouch, that’s nasty!” she said. “Let me treat that first before we move on.” She started to channel energy before stating, “Heal!”

Tyroe’s hands were bathed in healing light, causing the damage to be repaired. She then rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a bottle of ointment. She placed a sizable drop in each of the Naga’s hands.

“Tyroe, rub your hands together to spread that ointment around. That’ll soothe the pain and heal the burning sensation.”

Tyroe nodded and rubbed his hands together, spreading the ointment all over his palms. As he did he gained a more relaxed expression. After a minute of this his hands were fully healed.

Eric asked, “What exactly happened, big guy?”

The Naga turned to him, “When I tried to use my Earth manipulation powers on the ground, the mana energy from the rapier caused a feedback effect that not only repelled my magical energies but force-fed my hands its energies. That’s what hurt me. Looks like using Earth magic is out of the question, as it’ll just force it back into me, or anyone else, and cause a blowback effect.”

Leon gained a grim expression, “I was afraid of that, but I had to be sure. It’s obvious that Robert wanted to prevent us, the Shroud Hero party, from being able to remove the rapier, so he took our powers into consideration.” Then an idea dawned upon him, “Hold on. That gives me an idea. If the Shroud Hero party can’t remove the rapier, then why not let Ryan try to remove it. He is the Sword Hero, after all, and the Sword Hero is said to have the power to command various types of swords. That might be the ticket. For good measures, Gram should assist, as he’s also a swordsman, along with being extra muscle. Give it a whirl you two.”

Ryan and Gram exchanged nods, walked over to the rapier, grabbed the hilt, and started to focus.

“On the count of three we’ll pull,” Gram instructed.

“Right,” Ryan nodded.

They both said, “One… two… three!”

They began pulling the rapier with all their might. To everyone’s joy, the rapier was slowly emerging from the ground inch by inch. The two swordsmen took a moment to rest before pulling again, causing the rapier to continue its path out of the ground. With one final mighty pull the duo managed to remove the rapier from the ground, causing both of them to fall back from the force. This action had an immediate effect. The ground started to shake violently, then water from the wells erupted like geysers while the river quickly filled up. After a moment of this everything quieted down, with the water levels all returning to normal. The village burst into cheers.

“They did it!” the nun cried. “They saved our village!”

Ryan and Gram gained sheepish expressions as the villagers sang their praises. Gram’s harem then tackled him and started to kiss him all over his head, making him blush brightly. The villagers then surrounded the Hero faction and began shaking their hands and patting their backs.

“Let’s celebrate!” a man cheered.

Everyone agreed and immediately started planning a celebration party. Within the hour tables of food had been put out and drinks of all kinds littered about. Everyone held up their glass or mugs.

“To the Heroes!” the village elder stated.

Everyone cheered in response before tucking into the quickly prepared feast. The villagers continued to thank and praise the Heroes and Gram’s group for saving their village. Skye picked up Robert’s rapier, eyeing it with contempt.

“What should we do with this?” she asked.

Zuzu noticed something and gained a smirk, stating, “Let me have it. I’ll put it where it belongs.”

Skye handed the rapier over to Zuzu. She then took aim and threw the rapier like a javelin into a large pile of fresh manure until only the tip of the hilt could be seen. The villagers cheered in response before continuing on with the feast. Everyone was enjoying themselves except for Celtic. He merely sat off to the side, eating his food in peace, with a mug of mead next to him, his standard broody expression on his face. He was eyeing the mead, unsure of what to do with it. Skye eventually wandered over to him.

“Come on, Cel, don’t be so broody,” she said with a smile. “Have some fun, as you deserve it, too.”

Celtic merely replied, “I’m not one for celebrations or parties, you should know that by now. Although the free food is nice.” He then eyed the mug of mead he had been given, “And what am I to do with this? I don’t drink alcohol.”

Skye giggled, “Coming from the guy who can eat Leecha Berries like peanuts. The mead is good. I had some myself, but only a goblet’s worth, as elves get tipsy very easily. You should relax and try it at least this once, as like I said earlier, this village is famous for it. You might not get another chance like this. So give it a whirl, loverboy.”

Celtic sighed and reluctantly picked up the mug. He hesitated before taking a sip, his eyes widening as he did. Skye noticed this and smiled.

“See? It’s good, isn’t it?”

He replied, “Not bad, but still not my thing. Though I can say I do see why their mead is so famous. Still not interested in booze, but I guess I’ll be polite and drink this mug’s worth, since it is their pride and joy. And one doesn’t want to insult an artist’s craft, especially one so famous. But, then again, even Beethoven had his critics. Whatever.”

Skye couldn’t help but giggle at Celtic’s broody attitude but said nothing more. The party continued for well over an hour before all the food and drinks had been consumed. However, during the party, no one noticed one of Robert’s Templar Knights fishing the rapier out of the manure pile and retreating with it. By the time the party had ended everyone were pretty tuckered out. The villagers surrounded the Heroes and their allies one last time, bowing gratefully.

“Thank you, Heroes and allies, you have saved us from that tyrant Robert,” the village elder said sincerely. “Hopefully that’ll send a message to him and his goon squad that you will put him in his place once and for all.”

Lucas, who was a bit tipsy, replied, “Oh, don’t worry about that. Celtic already sent them a very powerful message not too long ago… by blowing up most of Seraph Abbey. Robert and his goons didn’t take that well at all. But we’ll be glad to pass on your ‘message’ to Robert’s faction that we’ll stop him every step of the way.”

The village priest smiled, “Do so. Give that Four Stars Church goon what for, as we won’t bow down to his tyranny and terror. But you still have our thanks.”

The village elder added, “Hopefully that’ll be the last of Robert in this area, at least for now since you Heroes managed to ruin his plans. May the wind be at your backs and bring ruin to the Four Stars Church.”

Eric smiled, “Oh, no worries, we’ll be glad to.”

Celtic then said, “If he picks on you again, just let King Alvin know and we’ll deal with him. Anyway, we’re done here. Let’s head back to the castle and rest on our laurels. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

Skye smiled, “On it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished from the village, appearing at Delgunner’s front gates before making their way to the castle to report their success.

Meanwhile, the Templar Knight entered Robert’s office, carrying the manure-covered rapier. Robert gave him an odd look while Wench crinkled her nose at the smell.

“What exactly happened to my Holy Silver Rapier?” Robert asked in a reluctant tone.

The Templar Knight replied, “The Hero faction managed to uproot our plan to force Malt Himbeergeist to our cause. The Shroud Devil and the traitor Leon managed to remove the curse together while the Sword Hero and that Flugel Kingdom knight friend of theirs removed the rapier from the ground. And to add insult to injury, that damn Succuryn threw your rapier into a pile of fresh manure.”

Wench gave him a look, “And you didn’t think to clean it when you brought it back!? Idiot!”

Robert gave an annoyed sigh, “Damn those fake Heroes and the Shroud Devil. They ruined another one of my plans. Now their reputation will become even better. And worst of all we can’t make good on our threat to Malt Himbeergeist. King Alvin is now aware of what we tried to do; thus he’ll try to keep us from going back and forcing their hands again. That damn Shroud Devil has become a massive problem. I’ll have to think of another plan. And for the love of the Gods, clean my damn rapier, you idiot! Don’t bring it back until it at least smells better or I’ll toss you to the Shroud Devil’s hateful jaws!”

The Templar Knight hastily replied, “Yes, Sir Robert! Right away!”

He quickly darted out of the room to clean the rapier. Robert sat down in his chair, rubbing his eyes in a headache-like fashion. Wench sat down on his desk in a rather saucy pose.

“Guess it’s back to the drawing board, huh, Sir Robert,” she said.

“Yes, but I’ll get them yet,” he replied. “At least they can’t touch us where we have set up our home base, so we can plan without needing those damn demons knocking down our door. We’ll find a way to restore the Church of the Four Stars back to its rightful and noble glory. Whatever it takes.”

Next Chapter: Akuji’s Last Ride

That's all for today, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)

Akuji’s Last Ride

​

Inside Infinator’s prison Sylph was standing next to a fleshy cocoon. Inside was a figure that was incubating. She did some final checks before stepping back, smiling.

“Akuji’s cloning process is nearly complete,” she said. “Master Infinator will be most pleased. Then we can send him out on another mission.”

A voice then said, “Unfortunately, it’ll be his last mission.”

Sylph turned to see Bronwen float over to her.

The Succulite quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean, Bronwen?”

Bronwen replied, “I mean that I’ve discovered a massive flaw in the cloning process. It appears the more times one of our units is cloned, the more damage it does to the user’s mind. At first it’s rather subtle, but by the third time the user will have gone incurably insane. And if cloned a fourth time, then they’ll become nothing more than an empty shell. I’ve already informed Master Infinator about this flaw and he’s a bit upset. Thus, once Akuji is ready to deploy, Master Infinator will send him on his last mission, as he’ll be too insane for anything else.”

Sylph looked alarmed, “Are you saying that we’re going to lose a Demon General permanently?! Can’t you find a way to reverse it!?”

The veteran Demon General shook her head, “No, sadly, not even I can find a cure. As a result, Master Infinator is sending Akuji on a suicide mission. It’ll end him once and for all but it’ll prevent our enemies from gaining a very valuable resource that could cause us problems.”

Sylph looked at the fleshy cocoon, a depressed look on her face, “So, this’ll be Akuji’s final ride, huh? It’s a shame that we’ll have to dispose of him like this, but if it prevents our enemies from gaining a foothold against us, then I guess it’s all for the cause. What resource are we trying to keep our enemies from getting?”

Bronwen replied, “Shadogon. According to my research, Shadogon can reverse the effects of the Karma Diamond’s energy that is coating the gateway to the Demon Realm. That’ll allow the Shadokor to seal it back up again. I realized this a little while ago and I’ve been studying maps of the Demon Realm to see where the Shadogon veins are. The Shadokor have probably already come to the same conclusion and are doing the same thing. We need to destroy the central vein of Shadogon to prevent them from using it to seal up our hard work. I’ve also already told Master Infinator about this, hence why he’s sending Akuji on one last suicide mission. The detonation of the Shadogon will take Akuji with it, but it’ll be a worthwhile sacrifice if it prevents our enemies from getting any footholds against us.”

Sylph gave a heavy sigh, “I see. It’s a shame to waste one of our Generals on such a mission, but it’s necessary if it’ll keep those blasted Shadokor and Heroes from ruining our plans. Fine, once Akuji is back up and running I’ll prepare him for his final ride. Thank you for telling me all this, Bronwen, as it means we can’t clone our Generals indefinitely, thus we’ll need to resort to other methods in keeping the enemy pinned.”

Bronwen nodded, “Yes, sadly that’s the case. I’ll begin preparations for Akuji’s final mission. When he’s ready to go we will send him out one last time.”

Meanwhile, King Duskbane had gathered everyone up in King Alvin’s meeting room. In front of him was a map. When he made sure everyone was present he cleared his throat.

“Heroes and allies, we have good news to report,” he said. “It took a bit, but we found one of the maps we had that shows where a Shadogon vein runs. And not just any Shadogon vein, this one is the granddaddy of them all. It’s the largest vein of Shadogon in the Demon Realm, stretching over 1,000 miles in the Demon Realm. The beauty of this particular vein is that there are various spots in it where the Shadogon has sprouted from the underground vein and started forming on the surface. This’ll make collecting the needed Shadogon easier. Sadly, it’s not in Purgatory. The tip of one part of the vein is just outside of the Shadokor territory in the Demon Realm, and unlike our territory, areas like that are much, much more dangerous. As a result, it’ll be too dangerous to send just a few Shadokor into that area to harvest the Shadogon.”

Lucas quirked an eyebrow, “So… does that mean we’re going as well?”

“Yes and no,” King Duskbane replied. “Avalar and Miss Zuzu will, as they’ll have an easier time traversing the land and acting as protection. The rest of you will remain at the gateway to the Demon Realm to keep enemies from going in or out. I will also be going with them, along with one of my strongest platoons of ShadoKnights. This way it’ll ensure that we’ll have ample amounts of protection when traversing the areas outside of the Shadokor territory. Also, as an extra precaution, we’ll be giving you a communication device so you can relay any information back and forth between the groups. It takes the form of a headpiece with a microphone similar to what people on Earth use, as evident by Avalar’s memories, so it should be easy to operate. It’s powerful enough that it can transmit a signal even into the deepest depths of the Demon Realm. That way, if the party outside of the Demon Realm spots one of Infinator’s Demon Generals and he or she gets past you, you can relay that information to us and we can prepare for it.”

He took out two headphones with microphones attached to them. He gave one to Celtic.

“Avalar, you’ll be in charge of this communicator since you’re familiar with this type of device. The rest of you can decide on who will operate the opposite end.”

Ryan took the device, “I’ll do it. I’ve used headpieces like this lots of times with my MMOs, so I know how to use them very well.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, that’ll work. Hopefully we can get some Shadogon before the Demon Generals make their move, as I wouldn’t be surprised if Bronwen figured out that Shadogon can throw a wrench in her plans. We’ll keep each other posted on any events that may transpire. I just hope that the Shadogon doesn’t disrupt the signal, as from what I’ve been told it gives off a certain energy similar to radiation that can cause problems in certain individuals.”

King Duskbane nodded, “It won’t, don’t worry. We’ve tested it before and these devices are free of any interference, so it will be fine. Now, we must deploy at once so we can hurry to the closest part of the Shadogon vein before our enemies make their move.”

Everyone nodded, stating, “Right!”

About 20 minutes later the Hero faction were at the gateway to the Demon Realm. Celtic and Ryan both had their respective headpieces on with the microphone raised at the moment. King Duskbane and a large platoon of ShadoKnights were also present.

King Duskbane turned to the group, “Okay, let’s begin the operation. Ryan, keep us posted on anything that might cause problems as soon as possible. That way we can prepare to weather that storm.”

Ryan nodded, “Leave it to me.”

Skye said in a worried tone, “Just be careful, all of you. If what you’re saying is true, then the area outside of the Shadokor territory is even more dangerous than Purgatory itself.”

Zuzu nodded, “We will. Just keep those Demon Generals at bay if they try something, as we’d rather not have to deal with them if possible.”

Celtic nodded, “We’ll keep you posted on any events or whatnot. Now, just to be safe… Bubble Aura!”

The Shroud glowed before summoning the Water aura around Celtic. With a final nod the army of Shadokor jumped into the portal and vanished. They reappeared in the heart of Purgatory, where some other ShadoKnights were busy dealing with small batches of monsters. King Duskbane took out the map before turning to everyone.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” he said. “We’ll use Shadow Warp to get us to the edge of our territory near where the Shadogon vein is. Hopefully we can find some Shadogon crystals that are growing outside to simplify things, but if not we’ll just have to start mining. If so, be careful, as Shadogon can be very easily provoked into exploding. Now, let’s get going before the Demon Generals make any attempt to stop us. Shadow Warp!”

The whole group vanished in black portals, traveling to a different location in the Demon Realm. They eventually reappeared in an unknown location. Celtic and Zuzu took a moment to get a feel for the area.

“Sheesh, we’re just at the edge of the Shadokor territory but I can see why we need a whole army to traverse this area,” Celtic said. “This place looks like a nuclear-ravaged warzone. We’ve got our work cut out for us. So, where’s the Shadogon vein, Uncle Duskbane?”

King Duskbane took a look at the map before saying, “It’s about three miles north from here. Keep your head down, though, as once we leave our territory the other denizens of the Demon Realm will probably try to attack us. While only the brave and more intelligent demons will venture into ours, as seen by the Charge Engine Demon and Eraser Reaper Demon, the rest of the Demon Realm is basically a lawless domain where it’s kill or be killed. Keep your wits about you and don’t take anything for granted.”

Everyone nodded and started to make their way across the treacherous terrain in hopes of finding the Shadogon vein.

Outside of the Demon Realm gateway the other Heroes and their allies were awaiting any information from the Shadokor unit. Skye in particular seemed on-edge as she waited for any new news. Viola noticed this agitation and placed a clawed hand on her shoulder.

“Easy, Skye,” she said. “Celtic and the others will be fine. Even if they’re heading to very dangerous territory, as long as they stick together and watch each other’s backs they’ll be fine. So, try to relax. At least nothing has happened yet, so that’s always good news. As they say, ‘no news is good news’.”

Skye sighed, “I know, I know. And with Zuzu acting as backup I know she’ll give Celtic and King Duskbane the extra muscle needed to defeat their foes. I hope nothing bad comes their way, as losing any of them would be a big blow to our side.”

Suddenly, they all heard what sounded like deranged laughter, getting their attention. They instantly prepared for battle. Suddenly, Akuji and an army of Undead monsters appeared. Akuji had a crazed, deranged look on his face: cackling like a madman, making everyone tense.

“What happened to Akuji?!” Eric asked. “He sounds like he’s gone completely insane!”

Akuji laughed, “I’m here on behalf of Master Infinator! You are after Shadogon and I’ve been sent to stop you! Bwahahaha! You won’t succeed in your quest! Bwahahaha! Minions, attack!”

The army of Undead monsters charged in, consisting of Blood Skeleton Soldiers, Red Zomurai, and Wailing Skulls. The Heroes and their allies began fighting them off, with Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry switching to their Soulavore-based abilities to better fight the enemies. Akuji started to cackle like a madman before making his way toward the portal.

Jerry loaded up an arrow, “Oh, no you don’t! Undead Eat Shot!”

He fired the arrow directly at Akuji. However, a Wailing Skull purposely got in front of the attack, shielding Akuji despite being killed in the process. This act allowed Akuji to enter the portal, much to everyone’s alarm.

“Ryan, quickly, contact Celtic!” Rupert stated. “He needs to know that Akuji is on his way after them!”

Ryan nodded, lowered the microphone, pressed a switch, and activated the headpiece.

“Celtic!” he said. “Do you read me? It’s Ryan!”

Celtic replied from his end, “I hear you, Ryan! I take it something is on its way?”

“Yes. Akuji is on his way to stop you from harvesting Shadogon! He managed to get past us by keeping us busy with an Undead monster swarm! But, the thing is, Akuji sounds like he’s lost his marbles. It’s like he’s gone completely insane. Be alert, as he might be even more dangerous now that he’s somehow gone bonkers!”

“Roger that, Ryan. We’ll be on the lookout for him. We’re almost at the Shadogon vein so hopefully we can harvest some crystals before he gets here. Keep me posted on anything else.”

Ryan nodded, “I will, but hurry.”

In the Demon Realm Celtic deactivated the headpiece and turned to the rest of the group.

“We’ve got trouble,” he said. “Akuji is on his way to stop us. But it appears he’s somehow gone insane. We need to be alert for his arrival, as that skeleton horse of his can move pretty quickly.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Right. Fortunately, we’re nearly at the Shadogon vein.”

A ShadoKnight then said, “I can see some Shadogon crystals!”

Everyone turned to see a cluster of crystals about 100 meters away. Coming in various shapes and sizes, the Shadogon crystals were beautiful light purple crystals with glowing energy inside of them.

“Right, let’s get over there and begin harvesting some of those exposed Shadogon crystals!” King Duskbane instructed. “Quickly, before our unwelcomed guest arrives.”

The group quickly charged ahead in order to get to the Shadogon crystals before Akuji showed up. As soon as they got to the crystals, however, they could hear the neigh of a horse. They all turned to see Akuji and his horse charging toward them, laughing psychotically.

“What’s happened to him?” one ShadoKnight asked.

Zuzu spat, “Who cares?! We need to stop him here and now before he ruins our mission!”

Celtic transformed his Shroud into the Soulavore Shroud, stating, “This’ll do the trick! Undead Eat!”

The Soulavore head emerged from the Shroud and began inhaling energy like a vacuum. Akuji was caught in the flow but, to everyone’s shock, he jumped off his skeleton horse and hurled it at Celtic. This feint caused the horse to be devoured by the Soulavore Shroud but it allowed Akuji to jump over everyone and make it to the Shadogon crystals. He drew his claymore and started to cackle.

“That trick won’t work on me again, Chaos breed!” he laughed in a deranged tone. “Time to stop you and your plan dead in its tracks! Bwahahaha!”

Zuzu rocketed toward him and hit him with a massive Dark energy punch. But to her horror Akuji recovered instantly and swatted her aside with the claymore, sending her crashing to the ground near the Shadogon crystals. Everyone drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

“Bwahahaha! Eat this! Darkness Wave!”

He fired multiple Dark energy waves at the group, forcing them to keep moving to avoid being struck. Celtic tried to get in range of him again with the Soulavore Shroud but Akuji kept targeting him with his attacks, forcing the redhead to remain on the defensive while trying to find an opening. King Duskbane charged in and clashed swords with Akuji, but to his horror the Demon General kicked him into Celtic, causing both of them to crash in a heap.

“Your Majesties!” the ShadoKnights called out in shock.

King Duskbane grunted, “We’re okay, don’t worry, but look out!”

Akuji fired more Darkness Wave attacks at everyone, forcing the group to keep dodging the attacks. However, after a few minutes of this Akuji’s body started to crackle with energy. His movements became erratic and what looked like energy waves were washing over him.

“Akuji is experiencing Shadogon buildup!” King Duskbane stated. “Now’s our chance!”

Akuji, who was struggling to stand, managed to scream, “FOR MASTER INFINATOR!!!”

He then pointed his claymore at the exposed Shadogon crystals and fired a beam of dark energy at them. The crystals immediately began to react, sparking dangerously, gaining an increasingly loud humming noise, and causing the ground to shake. Everyone went wide-eyed as they saw this.

“Everyone, retreat!” King Duskbane called out. “The Shadogon is about to blow! Shadow Warp!”

He and his allies quickly vanished in black portals, leavin Akuji to fall to the ground as his body started to succumb to the Shadogon buildup. However, he gained one last deranged smile before the Shadogon erupted in a massive energy blast that tore the ground apart, disintegrating the Demon General in the process.

Outside of the gateway the other Heroes and their allies had finished off the Undead army. Ryan reactivated the headpiece.

“Celtic, do you read me?” he called into it. “What happened? Did you stop Akuji?”

At first there was no response, making everyone worried. However, suddenly, several black portals appeared before them, depositing Celtic, Zuzu, and the Shadokor, all of them panting.

“Celtic!” Skye cried out.

She tackled the redhead as soon as he dropped the Bubble Aura, knocking him over in the process. Everyone quickly ran over to the group.

“What happened?!” Gram asked. “Did you get any Shadogon?”

King Duskbane punched the ground in frustration, “No, dammit, we were so close! Akuji caught up to us and managed to destroy the exposed Shadogon crystals we had found! It probably took out the entire vein as well since they were growing from it! The resulting explosion obviously killed him in the process, as he was experiencing Shadogon buildup, but he willingly sacrificed himself to keep us from getting any Shadogon! Dammit to hell!”

Leon gained a grim expression, “On top of that, Infinator can just clone him again, meaning that his sacrifice won’t stick.”

A voice floated down, saying, “Not quite, Templar. That was Akuji’s last mission. He’s gone for good now, but it was worth it.”

Everyone turned to see Sylph floating above them. They all gained hateful expressions, making her smirk.

“What do you mean by that?” Tyroe growled.

Sylph replied, “Bronwen discovered a critical flaw in the cloning process. The more times the user is cloned, the more damage it does to their mind and sanity. At first it’s subtle, but by the third cloning the user will now be completely insane. And if we were to clone Akuji a fourth time, he’d be nothing but a mindless empty shell. When Master Infinator learned of this he decided to send Akuji on one last suicide mission. Even he knows that, despite Akuji retaining his loyalty, he’s gone too insane to be of any use anymore. So, we sent him after you to destroy the Shadogon you were after even though it sacrificed him in the process. Master Infinator deemed this a worthwhile trade-off as while it means we’ve lost a Demon General for good, it kept you lot from achieving your mission. And by the time you locate another Shadogon vein it’ll allow our side enough time to proceed with our plans.”

Ryan spat, “So you willingly threw away a loyal General for good just so we’d get our progress reset to Square 1!? That’s low!”

Sylph replied in a calm tone, “Yeah, so what? Being a Demon General is a cutthroat job. If you’re usefulness runs out, then you’re disposed of. We’ve done it before to past Generals so this is nothing new to us. That’s just part of the job description. So, the fact that Akuji outlived his usefulness by becoming insane meant that Master Infinator was willing to dispose of him in a suicide mission just to rob your side of an advantage. We’re not going to bother cloning him again as he’ll just be a mindless drone at best, which isn’t useful to Master Infinator. So, you can take solace in the fact that our side is now down one Demon General permanently but…” her face twisted into a sneer, “…you lost your best bet in stopping our plans. Just thought I’d tell you about this. Bye-bye, Legendary Zeroes! Teleport!”

She vanished from the area. Everyone had become enraged at what had just transpired.

“I don’t believe it,” Gram growled. “Infinator was willing to completely dispose of one of his loyal Generals just to gain an advantage against us? That… that vile, horrendous fiend!”

King Duskbane snarled, “That’s just like him. That’s why we Shadokor have spent centuries trying to eradicate him, as every life, even the lives of his Generals, are nothing more than expendable pawns at best to him. Even for the cutthroat nature of demons that’s just horrible. Even his own species of demon are nothing more than tools for him to use and discard when they’ve outlived their usefulness. I’d be willing to bet even Sylph and Bronwen, who are obviously his most trusted Generals, are just as disposable as Akuji was. But she’s right, we took the bigger loss in this fight. It’ll take too long to find another Shadogon vein before Infinator moves onto his next phase.”

Zuzu mustered up her courage before saying, “Actually, King Duskbane, we haven’t lost this round.”

Everyone turned to her, surprised and confused. She then reached back into her long, unkempt mane of hair and pulled out a Shadogon crystal about the size of Tyroe’s hammerhead. Everyone went wide-eyed in response.

“Zuzu… how did you get that?!” Celtic sputtered.

“When Akuji knocked me back during the battle I landed near the exposed Shadogon. This event caused a chunk of the crystal to break off. I quickly hid it in my hair since, after all, I’m a nudist, I don’t have pockets or anything, so where else would I put it. But maybe this chunk of Shadogon will be enough to continue our plans.”

She held it out to King Duskbane who gingerly took it. He looked at Zuzu with wide eyes, looked at the Shadogon crystal chunk, then broke into a smile.

“Miss Zuzu…” he said softly. “You just single-handedly salvaged the entire mission. Your quick thinking managed to scrape a win for us out of the jaws of defeat. That means Infinator is the loser of this round, as he lost a General but we still got our Shadogon. I could kiss you.”

Zuzu hastily backed up, her hands in front of her, sputtering, “N-No need for that! I’m not that kind of girl! Besides, you don’t want to upset your wife, now do you?”

The demon king chuckled, “That’s true. But, seriously, Miss Zuzu, you completely salvaged the entire mission. Words cannot express my gratitude.”

Lucas looked at the Shadogon crystal before asking, “Will it be enough, King Duskbane? It’s not a particularly large crystal, so I worry it might come short of what we need it for.”

King Duskbane examined the crystal before replying, “It’ll be cutting it very close, but it’ll be just enough to serve our needs. We can get at most two stable cubes out of this, which is the absolute minimum in order to move ahead with our plans, so that leaves very little room for error. But it should be just enough to move our plans forward.” He then whistled, causing a female Shadow Sentinel to appear, stating, “Take this Shadogon crystal back to Shadoria immediately! We need our best crafter to refine this crystal into cubes right away. Tell him that there is virtually no room for error, so he has to get it right on the first try. Quickly, before Infinator’s faction gets wind that we still achieved our objective!”

The Shadow Sentinel took the crystal, replying, “At once, Your Majesty.”

The Shadow Sentinel then vanished like a phantom, taking the Shadogon with her.

Skye smiled, “Way to go, Zuzu! You single-handedly saved the entire mission!”

Eric clapped his hands, “You really came through for us, Zuzu.”

Jerry nodded, “I’ll say. Looks like Celtic was right in adding you to his ranks, as you proved to be an invaluable asset to us.”

Clearly embarrassed by the praise, Zuzu turned away defiantly, trying to hide her blush. This act only made everyone chuckle lightly.

King Duskbane became serious, “We must capitalize on Miss Zuzu’s actions ASAP. Hopefully my best crafter can refine the crystal into stable cubes so we can give Infinator a rude awakening. The job isn’t done yet, but thanks to Miss Zuzu and her quick thinking, we’re one step closer to achieving it. And we finally know that Infinator’s cloning process has a serious flaw that not even Bronwen can fix, so that means we just have to keep killing the Demon Generals until he has no choice but to dispose of them. We’ve still got work to do, but we’ve managed to gain a few footholds against our enemies. Let’s keep it up!”

Next Chapter: The Imperfect Storm

That's all for today, folks. Looks like our Heroes have lost one of their enemies for good. But will it be enough to turn the tide? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)

The Imperfect Storm

​

Inside Infinator’s prison the remaining Demon Generals were waiting by the energy vent for their master. The vent flared up, summoning Infinator’s four eyes, making all of them go into a bow.

“My Demon Generals, we must strike now while the iron is hot,” Infinator stated. “By sacrificing Akuji we were able to keep the damn Hero faction from recovering any Shadogon. We must act now and infiltrate the Demon Realm so we can gather resources and new allies while the enemy is scrambling to find a new plan.”

“At once, Master Infinator,” the Demon Generals stated in unison.

Infinator turned to Bronwen, “Bronwen, you will remain here, as I have another task for you. Give Sylph, Alastor, and Adelram the Teleport Crystals you found so they can make quick retreats if those damn Heroes and their allies get in the way.”

Bronwen bowed, “Yes, Master Infinator, I will do so.”

“Good. The rest of you will go into the Demon Realm and gather as many materials as possible. Also, try to recruit any renegade demons or entities that you can find, as the loss of Akuji means we’re somewhat shorthanded on soldiers to lead our monster minions into battle. Once Bronwen has given you the Teleport Crystals you will make your way to the Demon Realm post-haste and steal whatever you can. Don’t come back empty-handed or I may just sacrifice one of you in a suicide mission like I did Akuji. Is that clear?”

The other three Demon Generals nodded, “Yes, Master Infinator, we won’t fail.”

“Good. Now, Bronwen, fetch those Teleport Crystals and let’s get the next phase of my plan going. We cannot waste any time while the enemy is still recouping from the loss of the main Shadogon vein. Go!”

Meanwhile, the Heroes and their allies were resting after another mission of slaying monsters that tried to cross from the Demon Realm to Zakota. It was clear they were exhausted after another marathon of battling monsters as they sat in one of the larger rooms in the castle.

“I hope the Shadokor get those Shadogon cubes ready soon…” Eric panted. “I’m exhausted.”

Celtic grunted, “Now you know how my party and I felt when it came to dealing with your messes. That aside, this might be a good time to pull out one of my Shroud forms that I got from the Infinity Mountain Hot Spring Resort, as they have various relaxation effects.”

Lucas looked eager, “Do so!”

“Fine. Soothing Shroud.”

The Shroud transformed, becoming light blue with wave patterns. It then released energy pulses from it, creating an effect similar to a spa that wafted all around the room. Everyone gained more relaxed expressions at this soothing energy, feeling the calmness.

“Ah, yeah, that’s the ticket…” Jerry sighed happily.

Gram smiled contently, “This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this Shroud’s power but I’m not complaining, as it does the job. While I’m a bit jealous that Sir Celtic and his party got to go to Infinity Mountain Hot Spring Resort, the fact that he managed to bring the effects of the resort back with him is something I appreciate.”

Skye gave a content sigh, “Yeah. Leon’s the one to thank, it was he who brought the idea up. As long as Celtic has his Shroud we’ll never really be too far away from that resort’s soothing effects. But let’s not get too complacent. We still have work to do.”

A knight ran in, “Sorry to both—” However, he stopped the moment he felt the soothing effects of the Shroud, gaining a content smile, “Ahh… that’s so refreshing.”

Celtic gave him an annoyed look, “Hey, focus! Business before pleasure. I take it something happened?”

It took the knight a moment to process Celtic’s statement before replying sheepishly, “Sorry. I was asked to tell you that about six herds worth of each version of Shadow Bison monsters managed to cross the gateway from the Demon Realm and got away from the ShadoKnights.”

Ryan quirked an eyebrow, “Shadow Bison? What are they?”

Celtic explained, “They’re one of the more universal food sources in the Demon Realm, as they’re a breed of edible monster like Metal Boars and Battle Oxen. They’re a lot tougher than Metal Boars and Battle Oxen, but from what I’ve heard they’re said to have very sweet and tasty meat. Their item drops are also food-related, such as Greasy Roasts and Monster Milk, furthering the food-related theme they have. From what I’ve read up on, there are four types of Shadow Bison: Red Shadow Bison, Blue Shadow Bison, Gold Shadow Bison, and the basic Shadow Bison. The fact that so many herds of them got past the ShadoKnights is bad, as not only are they fairly strong for their Levels, but they reproduce four times a year, once per season, so they’ll effectively quadruple in numbers quickly. However, given how many crossed the gateway it’ll be impossible to hunt all of them down before they inevitably breed and increase their numbers, so it looks like Zakota will now have a new invasive species in their ranks.”

Viola looked concerned, “What happened to the ShadoKnights that were stationed there? Did they get hurt?”

The knight replied, “The ones on the opposite side of the gateway got run over. Don’t worry, as their injuries aren’t life-threatening, but they did have to be sent back to Shadoria for treatment. That means the defenses at the gateway have been thinned, so you lot are needed back at the gateway again.”

Suddenly another knight ran in, stating, “We’ve got—” But the moment he felt the soothing effects of the Soothing Shroud he gained a relaxed expression. “Ahh… that feels good.”

Celtic gained another annoyed look, “Hey, hey, hey, no sleeping on the job! Focus, man! I take it we have even more problems to deal with?”

The knight regained his focus, stating sheepishly, “Sorry. Anyway, yes, we’ve got problems. Sylph, Adelram, and Alastor just crossed the gateway into the Demon Realm. We don’t know what they’re after but it can’t be good.”

Leon groaned, “Just great. They certainly picked a good time to cross through the gateway, as the ShadoKnight defenses were just thinned due to Shadow Bison. Looks like it’s back to the grindstone, people, as we’ve got Demon Generals to deal with.”

Isabelle said in a concerned tone, “But only Celtic and Zuzu are allowed to cross between the gateway. We’re not allowed to follow, which means it’ll be just the two of them against three Demon Generals.”

The knight replied, “Not necessarily. King Duskbane has given you all permission to cross into the Demon Realm to hunt down the three Demon Generals. You’ll need protective auras in order to survive the hostile environment but he knows that you all are needed to stop those three Demon Generals before they make off with resources and/or new allies. He also told me to inform you that the crafting of the Shadogon cubes is nearly finished. They should be ready by this evening, which’ll allow the Shadokor to close up the gateway and end this conundrum.”

Celtic deactivated the Soothing Shroud, stating, “Well, at least we don’t have to worry much more about the gateway, thanks to Zuzu’s quick thinking. Come on, everyone, let’s get armed and prepare to enter the Demon Realm.”

Groaning defeatedly, everyone gathered up their stuff in order to prepare for the worst. When everyone was ready Celtic started to channel energy.

“Let’s do this. Shadow Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished in black portals. They reappeared at the gateway to the Demon Realm.

Gram shivered, “Brr! That Shadow Warp still tingles something fierce. But that aside, are we going to use your Bubble Aura to protect us, Sir Celtic?”

Celtic shook his head, “No, as that only protects me. I’ll be using a different Shroud’s power, one that’ll provide more universal coverage. Now… Electric Bubble Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again, this time becoming similar to Leaf Bubble Shroud, only with lightning bolt symbols inside the bubbles against a grey background.

“Lighting Aura!”

Everyone was encased in electrified auras that were crackling with energy. The group took a moment to examine these barriers.

“Sweet, these’ll do nicely,” Eric said. “But I wonder why this one in particular? You also have the Leaf Bubble Shroud with its Wood Aura, so why this one over the Wood Aura?”

Celtic replied, “In the Demon Realm, the most common attributes that the local beasts and demons possess are Dark, Light, and Fire. The Wood Aura is weak to Fire, as a single Fire attack will pop it, which could easily put you into a dangerous position. Nature-attributed enemies are fairly rare in the Demon Realm, so the Lightning Aura will be more useful. Plus, thanks to the passive effect of my Power Core Shroud the auras are boosted in durability and power by 15%. This way we’ll be better protected from the local enemies, including the Demon Generals. Now, if only we knew how to track them.”

A voice then said, “Rest assured, my dear nephew, as we’ve got that covered.”

Everyone turned to see King Duskbane and a platoon of ShadoKnights walk up to them.

“King Duskbane!” Skye said.

Rupert asked, “You have a way of tracking the Demon Generals, Your Majesty?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Indeed my fine, furry friend. Take this.”

He handed over a familiar-looking tracking device.

Ryan looked it over, saying, “Isn’t this the same tracking device that Celtic and I got off of Akuji when we recovered the third Karma Diamond?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Very preceptive of you, Ryan. Yes, this is indeed the same tracking device. We Shadokor have studied it extensively and figured out its secrets. We’ve since modified it to track the Demon Generals and any other enemy we so desire. You’ll need this in order to find that trio of Demon Generals before they cause any problems. I’ll leave this to you lot. Normally I’d go with you but thanks to those Shadow Bison and their variants I have to stay back here to keep our defenses up until the Shadogon cubes are ready. So you’ll have to go by yourselves. But as long as you’re protected by those auras you should be fine. Just watch your backs, as the Demon Realm is a very visitor unfriendly place, so don’t take any unnecessary chances. Report back once everything is said and done. Now go!”

Celtic took the device before saying, “Okay, let’s get the ball rolling. Time to take the plunge, everyone, and watch where you step, as there are acid swamps a-plenty.”

Nodding, everyone took a deep breath and jumped into the gateway, vanishing from view. They soon reappeared inside the Demon Realm. The Heroes and their allies took a moment to regain their bearings.

“So… this is the Demon Realm?” Wendy said. “Certainly lives up to its reputation of being a hostile environment.”

Celtic replied, “Believe me, it gets worse outside of the Shadokor territory. In fact, we’re probably in the safest part of the Demon Realm, as only the bravest and boldest of demons enter this area. Any place outside of the Shadokor territory looks like a nuclear-ravaged wasteland, so let’s hope our targets are within this territory. Now…” He looked the tracking device over before saying, “According to this… our closest target is to the southwest of us. We’d better get going, but be on the alert for any hostile entities, as this realm is loaded with them.”

Nodding, the group started to make their way to the southwest in hopes of finding and stopping the Demon Generals. Along the way they ran into several Blood Moon Bats, Gold Skeleton Soldiers, and Candevils that were prowling the land. They soon ran into a new monster. This one looked like a floating skeleton composed of only the ribcage up: glowing red eyes, wearing a loose cloak that was open, and wielding a sinister scythe. Everyone got defensive as they saw this new monster.

“Be careful,” Celtic said. “That’s a Grim Wreaker, a type of Undead monster. While our auras will protect us, I’ve heard that these goons are pretty nasty. Our best bet is Holy and Light magic, along with our Soulavore-based abilities. And here it comes!”

The Grim Wreaker charged in, scythe held high, before lashing it out at Leon. Celtic instinctively got in front of Leon, raised up the Reflector Shield arm attachment and blocked the attack, sending an instant counterattack in the form of an aerial shockwave that smacked the Grim Wreaker in the face. This block allowed Leon to start challenging energy safely.

“Eat this, bone boy!” he said. “Celestial Blast!”

He fired the powerful Holy attack, striking the Undead monster, making it roar in agony as it was ravaged by the attack. The other four Heroes primed their weapons for an attack.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan shouted.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roar.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric yelled.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry stated.

The four Meteor attacks collided with the Grim Wreaker, causing its body to completely break apart, allowing everyone to gain some EXP as it was felled. The five Heroes each took a sample from the slain monster to unlock new powers. Celtic also put the monster’s scythe into his Tek-Pak. Nodding, the group continued their trek. It wasn’t long before they spotted their first target. Alastor was talking to a breed of demon, holding a sack of materials he had harvested. He then noticed the Hero faction, his eyes widening.

“What’s this?” he said, surprised. “All of you managed to enter the Demon Realm? I’m surprised that the Shadokor king would allow that. But I don’t have time to play with you all now. I’m in the process of recruiting this handsome demon to Master Infinator’s cause, so butt out.”

The group looked the new demon over. Its body was completely composed of bluish crystals, with glowing yellow eyes, three fingered hands ending in sharp points, two sets of “wings”, and ski-shaped feet. Everyone got into a battle-ready pose.

“We’re not going to let you recruit anyone to Infinator’s cause, Shade Wing scum!” Lucas snapped. “Prepare to be skewered!”

The crystal demon turned to Alastor, saying, “These pests are giving Infinator problems? He clearly needs all the help he can get. Count me in.”

Alastor smirked, “Excellent. Master Infinator will be most pleased.” He turned to the Hero faction, “Looks like my job here is done. Normally I’d try to find other demons to recruit to our cause, but this Prism Demon will do nicely. Plus I already harvested enough materials for Master Infinator so it’s time to head back. Later, Legendary Zeroes!” He took out the Teleport Crystal, “Teleport Crystal activate!”

Just moments before the Hero faction could launch an attack Alastor and the Prism Demon vanished, taking the sack of items with them. Everyone grimaced as they saw their targets get away.

“Dammit!” Zuzu cursed. “That means Infinator now has a new recruit and got a bag of Demon Realm materials! We have to find Sylph and/or Adelram before they can pull a runner, too!”

Celtic checked the tracking device before saying, “We’re in luck, as the device says our next closest target is only a mile away to the west of us. Be ready to strike the moment we get within range of them so they can’t escape.”

Nodding, everyone quickly charged toward the west, hoping to stop the next Demon General. They soon spotted Adelram talking to another demon, a sack full of materials strapped to his back. This one looked robotic, with a bulky pale purple body, a gold Viking helmet-like head with silver horns, glowing yellow eyes, large arms ending in equally large hands, and long, thick legs ending in disc-like feet. What looked like an orbiting ring on its back had orbs with the colors red, green, blue, yellow, brown, light purple, and white. The Hero faction quickly prepared to attack while Adelram was busy talking with the demon.

“Let’s fry that bird!” Lucas stated.

Celtic had transformed his Shroud into the Charge Engine Demon Shroud, “Yes, let’s derail Infinator’s plans! Crazy Locomotive!”

The Shroud glowed, summoning a Charge Engine Demon, while the others drew their weapons and prepared to attack the still unsuspecting Adelram and the unknown demon. Celtic gave the signal to launch their attack.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric yelled.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry shouted.

“Dark Meteors!” Zuzu stated.

“Napalm!” Skye roared.

The attacks barreled toward Adelram and the mysterious demon. By the time the two noticed the group the attacks were already upon them, pummeling them with power. Celtic then gave the signal to send the Charge Engine Demon forward, the Machine demon rocketing toward the duo. The unknown demon turned to face the attack coming its way.

“Pirikiri piri ki kiri piki!” it stated in an unknown language.

This statement caused the orbiting ring on its back to rotate until the white orb was on top. The demon then changed color, now becoming a pure white, before it fired a massive series of tornados at the Heroes and their allies. The Charge Engine Demon didn’t stop, continuing its destructive path. The tornados did force the Heroes and their allies to cancel their next attacks to defend themselves, with the Lightning Auras and Deluxe Guard Barrier Charms blocking the attacks. The Charge Engine Demon barreled toward Adelram and the unknown demon, causing the duo to hastily dodge the attack. However, the Charge Engine Demon came to a screeching stop in between them and started to glow. Celtic snapped his left fingers, causing the Charge Engine Demon to explode in a massive fireball, knocking Adelram and the unknown demon back, severely damaging them. The two shook their heads to clear them before glaring at the Hero faction.

“I can’t believe that the Shadokor allowed you all in here,” Adelram stated. “I won’t let you lot disrupt Master Infinator’s plans. This Elemental Demon and I were just ironing out the details of our deal and you lot had to come in and give us grief.” He turned to the Elemental Demon, “What do you say? Will you join our cause and help us crush these termites? It’ll give you the ability to freely rampage in another world, too.”

The Elemental Demon replied, “Piki piri ki ka piki pirikira.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Adelram turned to the Hero faction who were preparing another assault, “Looks like my job here is done. Elemental Demon, give them a taste of your power while I get us out of here.”

The Elemental Demon nodded, “Pirikira kiri ka ki piki ka!”

The ring on its back rotated again, this time stopping on the red orb. This shift caused the Elemental Demon to become a fire red color. It raised its arms up and a maelstrom of meteors rained down upon the Hero faction. The Lightning Auras managed to weather the attack but this allowed Adelram to fish out the Teleport Crystal from his sack.

“Later, you Legendary Zeroes!” he laughed. “Teleport Crystal activate!”

Both Adelram and the Elemental Demon vanished, which caused the meteor attack to end. Once everyone had regained their bearings they cursed in frustration.

“Dammit!” Eric snapped. “That’s the second time they did that!”

Ryan growled, “True, but at least we got in a few licks this time, so they didn’t escape unscathed.”

Gram then noticed something, “We did more than that. Look! Some of Adelram’s bounty got left behind.”

Everyone looked to where he was pointing. There were a few items strewn about the ground where Adelram had been knocked back. Celtic walked over and examined the items.

“Hmm… looks like Adelram lost some Dark Matter, Blood Moon Gems, a couple of Recovery Candles, and even some Dark Honeycombs,” he observed. “Good, that means he didn’t go back with everything he wanted. He still got away with most of what he wanted, including a new ally, but we still managed to retake some of his bounty. It’s not ideal but I’ll take what I can get. Let’s take this stuff back with us.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Celtic scanned and digitized the lost items into his Tek-Pak. He then took out the tracking device and looked it over.

“Okay, by process of elimination, all that’s left is Sylph. And she’s nearby, just south of us by about a mile and a half. Still, she must’ve heard the Charge Engine Demon I summoned explode, so she might either pull a runner right away or will await us to arrive. Let’s get going before she bails on us as well.”

The group nodded before heading in the direction where Sylph was. When they arrived they noticed she was waiting for them, carrying a large sack, along with another strange demon. This one looked like a wizard, consisting of a blue armored “robe” that was made of overlapping plates, long “sleeves” with spiked shoulders ending in giant red orbs for hands, armored brown legs ending in pointed feet, a stiff, medium length beard that covered most of the demon’s face, glowing green eyes with slit pupils, a large, stiff blue wizard hat with a gem on the front, and two long spikes that looked like long, stiff eyebrows protruding from the rim of the wizard hat. Sylph’s eyes narrowed as she saw the group.

“So, you’re causing problems for us again, huh?” she huffed. “I heard that explosion and figured it must’ve been the Chaos breed Shroud Hero, though I wasn’t expecting everyone else to be here as well. Duskbane must be desperate to keep the Shadokor territory free of intruders if he was willing to let all the Heroes come after us. But you’re too late. I’ve already recruited this Magician Demon to Master Infinator’s cause, as he’s eager to test his skills against opponents like you. Would you mind giving them a demonstration of your power?”

The Magician Demon replied, “I need no urging. I’ll show you that my power will help you in your purging.” He pointed both scepter orb hands at the party, “Have a taste of my Magic Fire!”

He fired bluish purple flames from each scepter at the Hero faction. Celtic got in front of everyone.

“Rook Defense!” he shouted.

Two giant Rooks appeared in front of him. The Magic Fire struck the Rooks but was unable to damage them, causing the flames to disperse around the Hero faction.

“You weren’t kidding; he sure is resilient. His defenses are quite brilliant.”

Sylph growled, “Yes, and that’s unfortunate to say the least. Master Infinator wants his interference ceased. Gah! Now you’ve got me doing it! We’re outta here! Teleport!”

Before anyone could react Sylph and the Magician Demon vanished, making them all sigh defeatedly.

“Great, just great…” Skye grumbled. “All three Demon Generals got away with not only most of their bounties but also three new recruits. This is just the pits.”

Celtic gave a wave of his hand, causing the Rooks to vanish, before saying, “It is what it is, unfortunately. Let’s get out of here and report back. Uncle Duskbane won’t be happy about this. Shadow Warp.”

The group of disgruntled Heroes and allies vanished in black portals. They reappeared outside of the gateway, startling King Duskbane. He noticed their expressions and sighed heavily.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess,” he said. “The Demon Generals succeeded in their plans, right?”

Leon replied, “Mostly. We managed to take back some of the items they had gotten but they escaped with the bulk of it. Plus, they managed to recruit a Magician Demon, a Prism Demon, and an Elemental Demon to their cause. So Infinator lost one General but gained three.”

King Duskbane gave a heavy sigh, “I was worried about that. Looks like we now have three new threats to deal with. Still, the fact that all of you made it out of the Demon Realm unscathed is worthy of praise, as even residents have trouble in that realm, much less beings like humans. Still, on the bright side, I just received word that the Shadogon cubes are ready and will be here shortly so we can finally plug up this gateway.”

Suddenly, a Shadokor scientist appeared, carrying a device that had two Shadogon cubes inside it. He presented it to King Duskbane.

“Here you go, Your Majesty,” he said. “Everything is ready. You may proceed as planned.”

King Duskbane took the device, smiling, “Good work. And perfect timing, too. And it’s fortunate that on the other side all the ShadoKnights have already left to rest, so we can fire this bad boy off without a hitch. Now, let’s do this!”

He activated the device, causing the Shadogon cubes to start glowing. He pointed it at the gateway and fired a beam of energy at it. This energy beam struck the coating around the gateway, causing it to crackle before shattering and dispersing. King Duskbane gave the device back to the Shadokor scientist and then started to channel a large amount of energy. He fired it from his palms at the gateway. This event caused the gateway to quickly close up, completely vanishing. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“There, it’s done. The gateway is closed and we now have the means of overriding that energy if Sylph tries to open it again. That’s at least one positive outcome from today.” He turned to the Heroes and their allies, “You all have done well. Now with the gateway closed your workload will be lightened. Head back to Delgunner so you can get some well-deserved rest. After my men and I do some final checks of the area to ensure that everything is set I will follow.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, I think we could all use a date with our beds. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

Skye smiled, “Gladly, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s front gates. They made their way back to the castle to report what had happened, knowing that their enemies had just gotten stronger.

Next Chapter: Histories of the Heroes

That's all for today, folks. Looks like the bad guys win today. What does this mean for the future? Tune in to find out.
 
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Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, male nudity)

Histories of the Heroes

​

It was the following night after the gateway to the Demon Realm had been closed up. Inside Infinator’s prison were the three new demons alongside the Demon Generals, awaiting Infinator. The energy vent flared up, showing Infinator’s eyes, causing the group to go into a bow.

Infinator stated, “So, these are the new recruits? A Prism Demon, an Elemental Demon, and a Magician Demon? Good choices, I’m most pleased. However, there is the problem that the damn Shadokor succeeded in removing the Karma Diamond energy that Bronwen installed into the dimensional claw, thus closing the gateway. I’m not sure how but they somehow got ahold of Shadogon, which means Akuji’s mission ended in failure. I hope these three will do better than he did.”

Sylph bowed, “Rest assured, Master, they will more than fill his shoes. The fact that they were able to put the Heroes and their allies on the defensive despite them wielding some sort of protective auras means these three will do the job well.”

“Good to hear, Sylph. That does inspire confidence. And I have your new names ready for you. The Prism Demon will be known as Caym. The Elemental Demon will be called Seth. And the Magician Demon will be named Kalaraja. Those will be your names as my new Demon Generals. I expect great things from you three, so don’t disappoint me like Akuji did.”

The three new Demon Generals bowed, with Caym and Kalaraja stating, “Your wish is our command, Master Infinator.”

“Now, then, Sylph, I expect you to show them the ropes on being proper Demon Generals, as you are my right-hand woman. Make sure these three are ready to kill those Heroes and their allies before they cause us any more problems.”

Sylph bowed, “I will, Master Infinator, you can count on it. Caym, Seth, Kalaraja, it’s time to get you briefed on your new roles and your mission as one of our Demon Generals. Let’s get going.”

Meanwhile, at the time, the Heroes and their allies were sleeping peacefully in their beds. They were more at ease now that the gateway to the Demon Realm had been closed off, along with having the needed Shadogon to repeat the process if the Demon Generals tried to open it up again. Even the usually edgy Celtic was sleeping soundly in his bed, feeling a little better now that things were a bit more normal. Everyone were eager to get a full night’s rest for once.

Morning broke soon afterward. The Heroes and their allies felt rested and energized after the good night’s rest. They were enjoying their breakfast, chatting and speculating about what the three new Demon Generals will bring to Infinator’s ranks. Celtic ate in silence, still trying to figure out some of the questions that swarmed in his head. Skye noticed this and gave a small giggle.

“Still trying to figure out some of the unanswered questions you have, loverboy?” she purred. “Don’t stress out over it. We’ll find the answers soon enough. At least we can finally get a bit of R&R now that the gateway to the Demon Realm has been closed. Sure, we need to stay alert for those three new Demon Generals but we’ll deal with them in time. Hopefully they won’t live up to Infinator’s expectations and get quickly offed either by us or in a suicide mission, since we now know that the cloning process has a major flaw that not even Bronwen can fix. So, try to relax, Cel, as we’re in a better position now. Sure, we’ve got three new enemies, but we managed to cut Infinator off from the Demon Realm again so he can’t keep using it to harvest resources and/or minions. It could be worse, right?”

Celtic replied, “Don’t say that. It usually tempts fate into proving us wrong. While I agree that with the gateway getting closed up is a plus, as it prevents unwanted invaders from crossing over, we still have three new Demon Generals to worry about. Infinator lost one ally but gained three within the span of a few days, which never bodes well. While I do hope that they won’t be any more effective than most of the Demon Generals are, sans Sylph and Bronwen, I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks now that Infinator’s ranks have been bolstered. We still need to be cautious and not let the enemy get the drop on us.”

Suddenly, a servant walked in, stating, “Pardon my arrival, Your Majesty, but I’m here to inform you that your request has been completed.”

King Alvin looked pleased, “Really? Great! Is everything ready?”

“Yes, it is ready to be used at any time, sire.”

The Delgunner royal family looked excited at the thought, confusing everyone else.

“Um… excuse me?” Viola asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, but what is it that you had requested be done, Your Majesty?”

King Alvin replied, “Oh, of course, I never told you. I had an empty room in the castle remodeled to now contain a medicinal hot tub. It’s not quite the same quality as Infinity Mountain Hot Spring Resort, but I heard from Queen Wuya that this man-made hot spring is the next best thing. Upon her suggestion, along with some help from the Druids to enhance the water with healing powers, I requested that an unused room would be remodeled into a spa. I’ve been looking forward to this, as my back has been bad lately, so I wanted a means of tending to it while relaxing at the same time. After all, my usual back therapy is a bit rough, so I wanted to have a second method of healing it, one that’s a bit easier on the body. Ooh, I’m going to try it after breakfast, as I’ve been really looking forward to this.”

Queen Amelia giggled, “So have I. Queen Wuya regularly goes into her medicinal hot tub not only to relax but it does wonders for her complexion. Considering she’ll be around for roughly 800 years, that’s a lot of time soaking in that hot tub to keep herself looking so young.”

Skye smiled, “Well, we hope you’ll enjoy it, especially if it’ll help with your back, Your Majesty.”

King Alvin nodded, “Indeed, and I can’t wait to feel its effects.”

Later that day Celtic was researching in the library. Next to him were various books that seemed to describe various creatures. As he studied, trying to absorb as much information as possible, he heard a content sigh. He turned to see King Alvin walk toward him, looking quite refreshed.

“I take it the hot tub was to your liking, Your Majesty?” the redhead asked.

King Alvin smiled, “Yes, indeed. It certainly work its magic on my back. I haven’t felt this good in at least five years. Hmm?” He noticed the various books next to the Shroud Hero, “I see you’re researching the denizens of the Demon Realm, Prince Avalar. Trying to figure out the ins and outs of Infinator’s newest Generals, huh?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes. Knowledge is power, after all. And since we’re dealing with new threats I figured it would be wise to try to learn as much as I can while I can. Uncle Duskbane gave me these books upon request so I can try to see what powers those new Demon Generals have and how to fight them. Even Skye doesn’t know what powers and abilities a Prism Demon, an Elemental Demon, and a Magician Demon have, and she’s usually my go-to source on anything I don’t know. So I want to learn what I can when I can in order to better prepare for our new threat.”

King Alvin smiled, “This is one reason why you’re the most beloved and efficient Hero, Avalar. You take the time to study and try to learn as much as possible in order to better prepare for our enemies. Small wonder you and your party are always the ones who are the most effective against both Infinator and the Four Stars Church. But you should also take some time to rest and relax, too, otherwise you’ll eventually crash.” He then gained an idea, “Avalar, I have a proposal for you. Why don’t you take some time to relax in the new medicinal hot tub? I’m willing to open it up to you and the others if it helps improve our situation. Besides, I’m aware that both the Shadokor and Druid medics have pointed out that you need to unwind whenever you can to burn off excess stress. I’ve heard from them that your stress levels are through the roof. Why don’t you take a little time to rest and relax in the hot tub? It might do you some good.”

Celtic pondered for a moment before replying, “You know… I may take you up on that, Your Majesty. It’s not just the Shadokor and Druid medics that have been telling me to reduce my stress levels, but also Uncle Duskbane and Aunt Rease. Maybe a nice soak would be in order. Fine, you’ve convinced me. Let me put all these books away and I may just jump in that hot tub. It’s been a while since I’ve been in one. If memory serves not since that cruise I took after I had the robotic arm installed.”

King Alvin chuckled, “That’s the spirit, Avalar. It’ll do you a world of good. Now, I have to get going and return to my duties, but you won’t be disappointed in the quality of the hot tub.”

About 10 minutes later Celtic was soaking in the hot tub. Clad only in a towel and his Shroud he gave a content sigh as the healing waters soothed his tired and stressed frame.

“Ahh… yeah, this definitely hits the spot…” he said in a relaxed tone. “I needed this. I can study a bit more afterward, but right now I need to unwind a bit. I must thank King Alvin for allowing me access to the hot tub, especially since it was created mainly for his family. This was a good idea, and I’ve got the tub to myself.”

Suddenly, he heard the door open behind the divider that provided privacy, hearing four familiar voices. He gave a defeated sigh.

“So much for that… Looks like Ryan and the others are going to join me. Normally I’d be against it but I’ve only just gotten in myself so I don’t want to vacate just yet. Maybe I’d better stay and try to build a stronger bond with them. They may have finally accepted me as the leader and come to respect me but we haven’t really just sat down and had a heart-to-heart. We’ll see…”

The screen divider that separated the changing area with the hot tub was pulled back, revealing the other four Heroes. Clad only in towels with their respective Legendary Gear clung to their backs, they looked at the hot tub with eager eyes.

“Oh, hey, Celtic,” Jerry said. “How’s the water?”

Celtic replied, “Feels great. Not as good as the hot spring at Infinity Mountain but it gets high marks from me. I take it King Alvin gave you four permission to use it too, huh?”

Lucas nodded, “Yep, and we’re taking full advantage of it. Now, here we come.”

The other four Heroes climbed up the small set of stairs and sat down in the hot tub at different points in it. They all gained dreamy expressions as they felt the warm water soak their bodies.

“Ahh… this is the life…” Eric sighed happily. “We deserve this after all that hard work. I’m glad King Alvin let us use the hot tub, as it feels great.”

Ryan nodded, “I’ll say, especially since it was installed specifically for his family and to help heal his bad back. That was very generous of him to give us permission to use it.”

They all gave contented sighs as they sank lower into the water. After a brief moment of soaking Jerry turned to Celtic.

“Hey, Celtic… what’s your story, exactly?” he asked. “Why are you the way you are? Did something happen to you growing up that turned you into your current state? I wonder because I doubt you’ve been this raging hybrid all your life.”

Celtic said silently, “So, they want to hear my story… fine, I’ll tell them.” He said aloud, “That’s true, I wasn’t always like this. But I owe my current personality to my scummy adoptive aunts and uncles.”

Eric quirked an eyebrow, “They’re responsible for the way you are? How?”

“I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours.”

The other Heroes exchanged looks before nodding in agreement.

Celtic replied, “Fine, I guess I’ll go first. As you know, my birth parents were murdered by Sylph and I got sent to Earth via a botched teleportation spell. My soon-to-be adoptive parents found me… in the gutter among garbage. You can bet that didn’t do my psyche any favors when that first sunk in, as it made me initially feel like I had been thrown away. Although learning that my parents had been murdered and I ended up there by chance relieved those feelings from my system. Anyway, my soon-to-be adoptive parents decided to take me in, giving me my current name of Celtic, as dad has Irish background. They were planning on adopting anyway, as mom was born without ovaries, so they took me in instead of the child they were initially looking at. In the long-run I probably saved that kid from a miserable existence. Oh, don’t get me wrong, my adoptive parents treated me well… it was my aunts and uncles that were another story.”

“Why?” Ryan asked.

“They had this stupid mentality that blood determines family and that an adopted child isn’t truly family. That’s a load of slag, as there are many adopted kids out there who are completely accepted by their new families, blood be damned. But for some reason they had this ridiculous idea that only blood matters and nothing more. Especially my mom’s sisters: Leena and Reena, or as I call them Hag 1 and Hag 2, who have actually tried to get me killed every now and then. Despite that I managed to maintain a fairly upbeat attitude… until that fateful day where everything just went to pot.”

“What happened?” Lucas asked.

“My parents and I were invited to a barbeque. However… it was at this barbeque that my life took a very sharp turn. My aunts and uncles seemed to make it their goal to utterly ruin my life… and they succeeded. That day I finally snapped at the abuse I was enduring and everything went to hell in a handbasket. I don’t remember the details too well, as everything that happened between me snapping and the car ride home is a bit hazy. But I can assume that I awoke my hybrid blood for the first time and released a hate-filled, rage-induced Chaos energy blast that destroyed the backyard, injured everyone present, and even destroyed part of my relatives’ house before blacking out. After that my parents and I cut ties with my aunts and uncles and I no longer refer to them by any sort of title, even moving to the Adirondack Park in upstate New York just to put some distance between us and them. It was also the day that my personality took a full 180 and turned me into the miserable, hate-filled misanthrope that I am today. Having my arm severed and getting the robotic implant after an act of heroism only made things worse. Turns out that because of my demon heritage I would’ve regenerated my arm eventually, even though my blood was dormant, but I had the robotic arm installed before that could take place. For bonus irony points… this arm is my own design. It took some time to get used to having a robotic arm but I eventually got the hang of it. And that’s pretty much my story. Grim, right?”

The other Heroes looked shocked and horrified as they heard the tale. It took them a moment to recover before saying something.

“Wow… just wow…” Ryan said, flabbergasted. “Well it’s no wonder you turned out the way you did. The people who you were supposed to call ‘family’ made it their mission to ruin your life. And it looks like they succeeded, but not before you gave them a taste of retribution for all that abuse.”

Celtic sighed, “Yeah, it’s also the reason why it took me so long to consider my biological relatives like Duskbane family, as I have a very jaded view on family. Even after they did nothing but show me kindness and affection it still took me a very long time to lower that barrier and accept them. Not until the Calamadon Demon incident, and even then I admit I still feel somewhat awkward around them. But, as you can see, that’s how I went from a fairly normal personality to a hate-filled hybrid. It’s gotten to the point that the more I hate the more powerful I become at the cost of other emotions feeling alien to me. That’s the power, and price, of hatred.”

Lucas shook his head, “Jeez, that’s just evil. And you said that this Leena and Reena actually tried to kill you every now and then. That’s just vile.”

“Indeed. Now that I’ve done my story time, it’s your turn.”

Ryan said, “I’ll go next. I’m from Maine. As you already know, I’m a hardcore gamer. I spend most of my time playing MMOs. Despite me being aloof and distant I still had friends and loving family. Then, one day, when I was coming home from school, I had the worst possible luck and got tangled up in a well-known serial killer case. The serial killer was about to kill my best friend when I intervened. I don’t remember much else, but I do know I saved my best friend’s life and that the criminal was caught. However, I remember a terrible pain. Next thing I know I’m here in Zakota. I’m guessing that by saving my friend’s life mine was taken instead, but it appears becoming the Sword Hero gave me a second chance at life. Boy… that does make me feel ungrateful for how I acted while here, dismissing the lives of the people as nameless NPCs, even my party. The Chaos Chimera gave me the brutal wake-up call that I needed… at a heavy cost. Considering that Zakota pretty much brought me back to life I really shouldn’t have been the way I was.”

Lucas turned to Ryan, “Wait… you died before coming here? Strange coincidence, as I died before coming here, too.”

Celtic quirked an eyebrow, “Oh? How so?”

Lucas gained a sheepish expression, “Well, as you know, I figure myself as a ladies’ man. I was quite the player, having multiple girls on the go at once. It comes naturally for a resident of the bikini-filled California. However… like with Wench I was largely oblivious to their true nature. That is… until I ended up attracting the wrong girl, or rather girls. You see, there were three girls I was dating: Ruby, Julia, and Samantha. Unfortunately, it turned out they were yanderes, as once they found out about each other they were pretty much willing to kill the others to have sole claim of me. I tried to intervene and mediate the situation but all three snapped and started stabbing me repeatedly, coming up with this idea that they’d follow me to the afterlife. I’m guessing the sheer amount of blood loss ended me. Next thing I know I’m here in Zakota as the Spear Hero.”

Celtic’s eye twitched, “You were killed by three psycho girls and yet you STILL tried to live the dream by having a harem? Didn’t your past life teach you not to do that? Especially since you were oblivious to Wench’s true nature, who played you as her disposable pawn.”

Lucas gained a sheepish expression, “Yeah… I kinda realize that now. The Chaos Chimera incident gave me the cold slap of reality I needed. I realize now that I didn’t learn a thing and was still trying to play out my fantasies… only to be disposed of the moment things went south. So, yeah, let’s just say I’m not going to do that ever again. I’m done with harems, as my bad judgment of their true natures got me in serious trouble twice. I’m now going to choose only one girl for a meaningful relationship and make sure to not fall into that trap again.”

Eric shook his head, sighing, “You really set yourself up for that one, Lucas.”

Celtic turned to Eric, “And what’s your story Eric?”

Eric replied, “I was born into poverty in the Florida Keys. My parents worked very hard to make ends meet. I was even given special permission to work a part-time job in order to keep us afloat despite I’m only 16. My parents and I yearned for wealth as we lived hand-to-mouth every day. One day, I managed to get a big bonus on my paycheck from my boss and I had just deposited it into my parents’ account. However, on the way back, I didn’t notice an open manhole and I fell down it. I guess I plummeted to my death. When I woke up I was here in Zakota in order to become the new Axe Hero. Because of my history of poverty I craved any form of wealth, which made me do reckless things, hence why I was probably the greediest of us and always looking for some treasure. Boy, did that backfire on me, as my party abandoned me during the Chaos Chimera incident, stating they were fed up with my greed and desires for treasure. Talk about a wake-up call.”

Celtic replied, “I know the feeling of tight funds. While my family isn’t in poverty, most of our funds go to helping mom with her chronic condition, as even with insurance she requires constant care. My dad has a cushy job at Sci-Tech Laboratories and I work two part-time jobs, a freelance job, and am an inventor on the side. Despite that, our funds mostly goes to her health care. It’s one reason why I won’t go to college, as it’s too expensive for my family to afford, especially since student loans are a recipe for disaster. I’m kinda hoping that with my newfound Druid healing powers and knowledge on medicine I can cure mom’s condition so she can finally be at ease, but, obviously, I can’t go back to Earth until our enemies have been snuffed out. But I do know how it feels to be working overtime just to make ends meet… especially here, as that’s all I’ve been doing since coming to this rock.”

Eric looked surprised, “You work that much in order to help your family, too? Boy, it makes me seem lazy if you effectively worked four jobs before coming here. And, obviously, your workload didn’t lessen in the slightest, especially thanks to Sludge and his traitorous family, sans the gorgeous, boobalicious Skye, putting you on the run.”

A nerve in Celtic’s temple twitched, growling, “Please don’t talk about Skye like that. Yes, she’s quite gifted, to put it simply, but a little respect for her goes a long way. She may be rather shameless, but I don’t like people talking about her that way. She is my fiancée, after all, so give her respect or she might punt you in the crotch like she did Lucas.”

Eric instinctively covered his crotch as he heard this, “Sorry! Please don’t tell her I said that!”

“We’ll see… Anyway, what’s your story, Jerry?”

Jerry replied, “Well, growing up in Wisconsin I was bullied a lot because of my short, somewhat feminine build. As a result I desired praise and attention, along with developing a thirst for justice to punish the people who relentlessly picked on me. Even after reporting them to the school I was going to nothing changed. The principle and other teachers pretty much swept it under the rug, leaving me at the bullies’ mercy. That only made my desire to see justice delivered even more prominent. Then, one day, as I was coming home from school after another day of getting pushed around, I walked past a new construction site. I don’t know exactly what happened but something hard and fast slammed into my head and everything went dark. When I awoke I was here in Zakota. I’m guessing I was hit with flying debris and it may have killed me instantly but I’m not sure. Because I became the Bow Hero it allowed me to feel special, like I mattered for once, and it’s safe to say it went straight to my head. My desire for praise and thirst for justice only fed my ego more as I now had the power to back me up instead of feeling helpless like I did before. Considering I’ve killed people on a whim in the name of justice… I can see that I really let my newfound status corrupt me. Having people like Marvin certainly didn’t help matters, either, as I now know he was using me for his own gains. But that’s my story.”

Celtic took a moment to ponder before saying, “So… all four of you were killed before coming here. Then that explains a lot about why you were selected to be the next gen Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes.”

Ryan quirked an eyebrow, “What do you mean, Celtic?”

“Well, to put it simply, because the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow were copied by the ancient people of Zakota by using Orichalcum instead of Chaos Magnite like the original builds, it caused the summoning ritual to gain a major flaw. You see, while Orichalcum is powerful and magical, it pales in comparison to Chaos Magnite. Due to that, the summoning ritual for the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow has a 50/50 chance to summon its first choice candidate. Because the fact that the chance is basically a coin toss, from what the history books say, pretty much every first candidate for the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow doesn’t get summoned, instead getting the back-up candidate. Consequently, the back-up candidate is often selected from those who recently lost their lives, which increases the odds of summoning them successfully. In short, you four are the back-up candidates for your Gear as you were selected upon your deaths instead of the first-choice candidates that the summoning ritual would’ve picked. I avoided this because the Shroud’s Chaos Magnite build grants it a perfect summoning ritual rate. Also, each Legendary Gear picks certain people with a certain character trait that corresponds with the Gear.”

“And that would be?” Lucas asked.

“Well, from what I’ve read up on, the Sword Hero pursues strength, the Spear Hero is loyal to his allies, the Axe Hero seeks glory, and the Bow Hero has a strong sense of justice. Considering you four fit those descriptions it makes sense why you were ultimately selected to be Heroes of your respective Gear.”

“And what about the Shroud?” Eric asked.

“The Shroud seeks pragmatism and unity, and you can’t get more pragmatic than a demon. Though I also suspect my Druid heritage had a hand in my summoning. Before you ask, I’ll explain it to you. Druids are top-rate healers and supporters. They’re known for unparalleled healing and buffing powers, making their allies untouchable. However, this comes at a bad trade-off… they can’t fight for their lives. Druids may use wands and staffs, but they can’t hit the broad side of a barn with them. Druids can’t fight. They cannot be on the frontlines of battle, instead needing to be in the back to support their allies: otherwise they’d be destroyed. Druids can’t even learn offensive Holy and Light magic, which is their natural elements, only defense and healing magic. They can’t learn any other elemental magic outside of certain support spells like Soothe. Druids suffer from a case of crippling overspecification. They can buff and heal their allies to ludicrous degrees, making them untouchable, but they can’t hit even an Orange Ballooner if their lives depended on it. The Shroud tends to focus more on supporting its allies, and it’s probably at least one reason why I was chosen by the Shroud.”

Jerry quirked an eyebrow, saying, “Then how come you can fight and use offensive magic?”

Celtic replied, “Simple: my demon blood provides the offensive punch. My mixed heritage gives me some unique pros and cons. My demon blood grants me the ability to fight and use offensive spells, while my Druid blood gives me the power to make my allies untouchable. However, in turn, my Shadokor blood gives me some pretty noticeable personality flaws while my Druid blood prevents me from learning offensive Light and Holy magic. That said, from what Uncle Duskbane has posed, for a demon, I actually have quite a bit of self-restraint. As you’ve seen with me, when a demon is violated, they will seek revenge, no matter what. However, other demons will pursue it to the point of obsession. My Druid blood restrains that, so I, instead, wait for an opening to enact my revenge. I can, and will, get my revenge if violated, but it doesn’t always happen right away. Despite that, according to Uncle Duskbane, my wrath is considered very abnormal for demons, possibly due to my Chaos breed nature. But that’s a story for another time, as I think it’s time for me to get back to work. At least something good came out of this bath… we now know where each of us comes from and why we’re the way we are. Hopefully this means we’ve come to some kind of an understanding. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more studying to do.”

As Celtic stood up the other Heroes noticed that he was wearing a larger towel around his waist, making them curious.

“Hey, Celtic, why are you wearing such a large towel like that?” Eric asked. “A smaller one would’ve sufficed.”

Celtic gained a blush, replying, “Well… as I said to Lucas a while back, being half-demon has advantages; we’re built better. Let’s just say that Skye will be a very happy woman when it comes to any action in the sheets with me, as mortifying as it is to say that. To put it lightly… I’m… gifted. Now, I’m outta here before this conversation gets any more awkward.”

Still blushing, Celtic hastily climbed out of the hot tub and walked past the divider to get dried off and changed. The other four Heroes gained jealous expressions.

“Great…” Jerry said. “Not only does he have the babes with the biggest boobs in his party but he’s also got the most packed cargo. Life’s just not fair.”

“I heard that!” Celtic called back. “And don’t talk about my party like that!”

Ryan, although clearly jealous, replied, “Still… at least having this little heart-to-heart with each other did iron out some of our issues and left us with a better understanding of our vices and personalities. Still, Celtic has had it really rough. I’ve only heard of such abusive aunts and uncles in story books such as Harry Potter and the like. To think Celtic had to endure all that certainly explains why he’s such a miserable person. Looks like we really should’ve been more respectful toward him instead of dismissing him as the one with the ‘loser weapon’ as we originally though, considering we probably made him even worse.”

Lucas nodded, “Yeah, especially since he went out of his way to rescue us and help us bond with a Spiria after everything we did. It’s only because of him that we’ve been given one last chance to make amends and become real Heroes. Boy, we really had the wrong idea of him and probably made his already hellish life even worse.”

Eric nodded, “You said it. At least he’s willing to do whatever he has to in order to make this world prosper, so we have to follow his lead if we want any hopes of having our own happy ending. Especially after we were all killed in some form or another prior to coming here. We were given a second chance at life and we did so by wrecking other lives. The fact that Zakota was willing to give us one last chance after all of our legendary blunders speaks volumes. We have to do things right this time.”

The four other Heroes nodded in agreement, seemingly determined to turn things around and become true heroes.

Next Chapter: Weathering the Weather

That's it for now, folks. Hopefully this social bathing helped strengthen the Heroes' bond. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
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Time for the next chapter in Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, mild violence)

Weathering the Weather

​

It was the following night after the Heroes told their backstories to each other. Everyone were sleeping in their beds peacefully, enjoying the fact that they could finally rest more readily with the gateway to the Demon Realm closed for now. However, all was not peaceful in the world.

Inside Infinator’s prison the new Demon Generals were preparing for when Infinator would send them out on their first mission. Sylph had given them the rundown on their purpose and what to expect from their enemies. Bronwen had given the new trio of demons a review of the current situation and some of their faction’s more common tactics. Everything seemed to be set.

Caym asked, “Looks like we’re ready to go. So, when do we party?”

Sylph replied, “Soon, but only one of you will be deployed at a time. This way we can gauge your strength against our enemies. Plus, we need to wait for Master Infinator to make the final decision on what mission needs to be done. Most likely it’ll be testing your power against the Hero faction one-by-one, as you’ve got big shoes to fill in place of Akuji. Plus, thanks to Bronwen discovering a flaw in the cloning process, we need to ensure that you lot don’t get killed on the battlefield. Otherwise that flaw will make it harder keeping our ranks in tip-top condition.”

Seth asked, “Piki pika kiri ka pi ki piki ka ki?”

Alastor replied, “It’s a long story. And even though it would be wise to attack the Heroes while they’re resting, Master Infinator has other plans that he wants to execute first. Our time will come when we steamroll Delgunner’s capital city, but for now we must wait for Master Infinator’s command.”

Bronwen added, “Not to mention we still have the Four Stars Church faction that’s managed to crop up recently, making this war a three-way battle. They’ll be a nuisance, especially since they hold a Karma Diamond, but the Heroes take priority, as they’re the stronger and more problematic faction. Considering they defeated the Chaos Chimera, which even the legendary Shadow Prince couldn’t do, we need to take them out first. And it appears that the Chaos breed Shroud Hero managed to whip those dodo brained Heroes into shape, thus making them more efficient compared to the walking disaster zones they were prior. As much as I’d like to attack them while they sleep and get rid of them we need a more strategic approach when dealing with them. Let’s just wait until Master Infinator gives us the order and I’ll start mapping out a strategy.”

Suddenly the energy vent flared up, revealing Infinator’s eyes. His Demon Generals quickly got into a bow.

“It is time to put you three new Generals to the test,” Infinator stated. “Tomorrow Sylph and Seth will be deployed to Delgunner to attack those Heroes at their home base. Sylph, you will remain on the sidelines and out-of-reach so you can monitor Seth’s abilities and powers against the Heroes, as well as being on deck to use Teleport in case those Heroes manage to get the upper hand and attempt to kill Seth. This will be both a test of Seth’s capabilities as well as the Heroes. You two won’t go alone, obviously, as Bronwen will give you the Monster Generator she’s developed to summon an army of monsters to assist you. After all, we need to see just how well the Heroes will fare against both a new Demon General and an army of monsters to properly gauge their strength. If things take a turn for the worse Sylph will eject both herself and Seth with Teleport, make sure you stay out of reach of any disabling abilities. You will be deployed tomorrow morning. Make sure you’re ready to go when dawn breaks: I want to give those Heroes a rude awakening.”

Sylph bowed, “Yes, Master Infinator.”

Seth bowed, “Piri ka ki ka piki pika.”

Adelram asked, “Master Infinator, about the Four Stars Church faction that’s managed to sprout recently? They do possess one of the Karma Diamonds. So what should we do about them?”

Infinator replied, “Unfortunately, they picked their home base well, as it’s in a place where our faction cannot go. We’ll deal with them in time, Adelram, but the Heroes take priority right now.”

Bronwen nodded, “I figured as much. I’ll get to work on our strategy and what type of monsters to use for the attack that best correspond with Seth’s abilities. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

Infinator said, “Good, Bronwen. Now, Seth, I expect good results. Don’t disappoint me.”

Seth replied, “Piki piri ka ki piki ka kiri.”

“I’m glad you understand. I’ll await the results of your field test.”

It was the following morning. The Heroes and their allies had just awoken and were starting to make their way to breakfast. However, as soon as they got to the dining hall, a Shadow Sentinel appeared.

“Apologies for my sudden arrival, but our sources have learned that Sylph and the Elemental Demon have just left Infinator’s base and are heading this way. You’re needed at the front gates right away.”

“But… we haven’t even had breakfast yet…” Lucas groaned.

Celtic replied, “It’ll have to wait, Lucas, as we’ve got business to attend to. And don’t whine. Besides, we’re facing a new Demon General, which means we know little to nothing about his abilities. I may have studied up on Elemental Demons but studying only gets you so far. Plus there are the survivors of the Chaos Chimera rampage to be concerned about, as they could get in the crossfire. As a Hero you need to make sacrifices in order to do your job. I know that all too well…”

He touched his robotic arm, gaining a rather scornful expression, before he turned to Skye.

“Skye, use Warp to get us to the front gates right away,” he instructed.

Skye nodded, “You got it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at the front gates. There were already several soldiers and mages stationed there, awaiting their new enemy, relieved to see the Heroes. The Heroes and their allies took their positions in the front of the army, ready to battle despite their hunger. It wasn’t long before they saw their targets. Sylph and the new Demon General were flying towards them before stopping at a certain point. Everyone drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

Sylph huffed, “Looks like their intelligence network is still as sharp as ever, even with their Spy-Bugs no longer being used. But no matter.” She then stated in a strong voice, “Heroes, meet our newest Demon General: Seth the Elemental Demon! It’s time to see if you can weather the storm that is our newest ally! Seth, work your magic.”

Seth replied, “Piki ka ki pikira ra ki!”

The Elemental Demon landed on the ground, ready for battle. Sylph then took out the Monster Generator, gaining a smirk.

“And just to keep things interesting, he’s going to have his own army assisting him. Monster Generator, activate! Summon Fan Tanks, Red Volcores, Icegoons, Volt Hammerheads, and Wood Soldiers!”

She activated the device, summoning one of the swirling vortexes. Out emerged several monsters. Alongside the Fan Tanks there were four new types of monsters. The Red Volcores looked just like their green counterparts, only had red flaming energy for limbs. The Icegoons looked like wyverns, blue with a light blue underbelly, large wings, thick legs ending in sharp four-toed talons, a long tail, and equally long neck, a triangular-shaped head with white horns, yellow eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The Volt Hammerheads were grey and green floating stone heads with long yellow and grey rock “hair”, a short base similar to a neck, glowing blue eyes, and had an electrified protective aura around them. While the Wood Soldiers looked identical to the Heat Soldiers, only having more camouflage-like colors of green and brown, white eyes, and a fan on their left arms similar to Celtic’s cyber fan forms.

Sylph said with a smirk, “Let’s see how you mongrels do as a pack! Seth, show them why they should fear Master Infinator and his Demon Generals!”

Seth punched his palm, stating, “Ka ki piki ka pi!”

Eric asked, “Does anyone understand what he’s saying?”

Zuzu replied, “He said, ‘Leave it to me!’ Don’t ask how I know what he says. Demons of all types can understand each other even if they have their own ‘languages’, though Celtic might struggle a bit due to being only half demon. But time for that later, as the army of monsters is approaching!”

Seth gave a gesture with his hand, sending in the monster army. The Fan Tanks remained in their current spots but began summoning whirlwinds from their turbines. The Icegoons flew up, opened their mouths, and began spewing icy energy at the Hero faction that combined with the Fan Tank’s tornadoes, creating icy twisters. Celtic got in front of everyone.

“Meteor Barrier!” he shouted.

The wall of light formed, shielding everyone from the combo attack. The Red Volcores took this opportunity to attack as well, opening their mouths and releasing flaming energy that took the form of Flame Towers. The Wood Soldiers also activated their fans and fired off Nature-laced twisters toward the Hero faction. However, the Meteor Barrier held strong against this barrage of elemental attacks. The Volt Hammerheads then flew up to the barrier and launched their heads like battering rams at the defensive ability. Their hard headbutts caused cracks to start forming in the barrier, much to everyone’s alarm. Rupert began charging energy.

“We have to take those Volt Hammerheads out of the picture fast!” he stated. “This’ll help! Gaia Force!”

He cast his spell, which caused powerful nature energy to surge around them. Then giant roots emerged from the ground and started to lash out at various enemies, most of which were the Volt Hammerheads. This powerful spell tore the Volt Hammerheads and Fan Tanks to shreds, leaving broken bodies behind, while the remaining monsters either managed to avoid the attack or didn’t get as badly damaged.

Seth stated, “Piki kiri ka ki!”

The ring on his back rotated around until it stopped on the brown orb. His color then changed to a mud brown. He raised his hands up and summoned sharp floating rocks. He then gave the gesture and fired them like missiles at the damaged Meteor Barrier.

“Shield Wall!” Celtic shouted.

The Shield Wall ability appeared before clustering together to create a wall made of shields. Celtic positioned it just behind the Meteor Barrier. The rocks hammered away at the Meteor Barrier, causing more cracks to form before ultimately shattering it. The remaining rocks stated to pound away at the Shield Wall but the shields held firm, only getting minor dents in them until the attack waned. The remaining monsters began to move forward, ready to attack now that the Meteor Barrier was down.

“Attack now!” Celtic instructed.

The other Heroes nodded and primed their weapons.

“Flame Sword Assault!” Ryan yelled.

“Mountain Storm!” Lucas roared.

“Blaster Axe!” Eric shouted.

“Firestorm Arrow!” Jerry stated.

The quadlet launched their attacks, creating a maelstrom of elements that bombarded their enemies. This devastating combo killed the Red Volcores and severely damaged everything else, with the Wood Soldiers being on their last legs. Gram and several knights charged in; weapons held high, ready to take the Wood Soldiers out before they could recover.

“Flame Slash!” Gram shouted.

His sword was coated in fire as he bisected one of the Wood Soldiers with it. Several other knights followed his lead and managed to destroy the remaining Wood Soldiers.

Seth stated, “Kira ki ka piki pika!”

The ring on his back rotated again, this time stopping on the yellow orb. This action caused his body to become yellow, alarming Gram and the knights, who were quickly retreating. Seth raised his arms up, causing lightning to rain down randomly on the battlefield. As soon as Gram and the knights had gotten behind Celtic he sprang into action.

“Meteor Barrier!” he shouted.

The Meteor Barrier formed again, shielding the Hero faction from the barrage of lightning. The Icegoons took this reassembly as an opening and began to fire icicles like missiles from their mouths at the Meteor Barrier, causing cracks to form again.

Leon loaded up an energy arrow, “We have to take those Icegoons out of the picture quickly! This’ll clip their wings. Arrow Storm!”

“Arrow Rain!” several archers stated.

They fired their arrows into the sky, causing them to vanish. Then a barrage of arrows rained down upon the battlefield, striking everything in range. Sylph had to fly higher and further back in order to avoid the attack while Seth and the Icegoons were hammered by it, grounding the Icegoons in the process. This made Seth angry.

Seth stated, “Piki pika kira ki ka!”

The ring on his back rotated again, now stopping on the green orb. This caused him to turn forest green. He raised his arms up and summoned several fast-moving Wood Towers that shattered the weakened Meteor Barrier, forcing everyone to scatter as the attack charged through them. The Icegoons, despite being grounded, took advantage of this evasion and started to fire more icicles at the now scattered Hero faction. Celtic quickly took note of this and gave a gestured to command the Shield Wall’s shields to disperse, scatter, and block as much of the attacks as possible. While the Shield Wall’s shields managed to block a majority of the icicle attack, some did get through and struck the various targets, injuring them. Skye and Tyroe exchanged nods before channeling energy.

“Let’s see you take this!” Skye stated. “Lava Wave!”

“Mud Wave!” Tyroe shouted.

The two attacks combined into a massive torrent of Fire and Earth energy. The attack washed over the Icegoons, finally killing them, before striking Seth, who gave a pained roar as the attack did heavy damage to him.

Celtic’s eyes gleamed, “I see now. Whenever Seth takes on a different element he gains that element’s weaknesses alongside its strengths. Everyone, when Seth changes to a different element attack him with that element’s weakness!”

Seth stated, “Kiri ka ki piki ki pika ka!”

The ring rotated again, this time landing on the white orb, causing him to become pure white. He then fired several rapid-fire tornadoes at the Hero faction, forcing them to scatter again to avoid the assault. This tactic prevented the Hero faction from launching a counterattack.

Zuzu shouted, “Eat this! Dark Chains!”

Dark energy chains ensnared Seth, preventing him from moving.

Celtic stated, “Charge Engine Demon Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again into the Charge Engine Demon Shroud.

“Crazy Locomotive!”

The Shroud glowed before summoning the Charge Engine Demon. Celtic gave the command and the Charge Engine Demon rocketed toward Seth. The Elemental Demon fired more tornadoes at the Charge Engine Demon but the demonic train just plowed through them. It rammed Seth, knocking him over, before it started to glow. Celtic snapped his fingers, giving the command for it to blow up. As the Charge Engine Demon began to explode, Sylph sprang into action.

“Teleport!” she shouted.

The Charge Engine Demon detonated in a massive fireball, temporarily blinding everyone with it. When the smoke cleared everyone saw that Sylph and Seth had vanished, making the Hero faction sigh defeatedly.

“Sylph managed to barely get herself and Seth out of trouble, as that explosion could’ve ended both of them, or at least severely injured them,” Zuzu stated. “That means they’ll live to terrorize us another day.”

Celtic gave a sigh, “We’ll worry about that when they come back for Round 2. For now, we have work to do. Viola, Leon, go around and heal the injured, as those Icegoons’ icicle breath attack hurt some of our allies. Also, have some of the unhurt soldiers check up on the survivors of the Chaos Chimera incident to make sure that none of the attacks from Seth or his monster minions got through to them. The rest of us will clean up these monster corpses and collect anything of worth.”

Gram then said, “You help Miss Viola and Sir Leon, Wendy, as you do have some healing magic at your disposal.”

Wendy nodded and joined Viola and Leon in healing the injured soldiers. Everyone else went to work on their assigned tasks, checking up on the survivors and cleaning up the monster corpses, with the Heroes taking the opportunity to absorb some of them for new Gear powers. After about 35 minutes the tasks were completed. Sighing in relief the Hero faction returned to the capital city, getting praised by the civilians for their courage and hard work in defending the city from Infinator’s faction. The Heroes and their allies returned to the castle to report what had happened to King Alvin.

Meanwhile, in the Four Stars Church’s home base, Robert was looking out of his office window, holding the Karma Diamond. Wench then walked in.

“Sorry to bother you, Sir Robert, but there is new news to report,” she said. “For starters, the damn Shadokor finally managed to seal up the gateway to the Demon Realm, thereby preventing Infinator from using it anymore. However, apparently some monsters from the Demon Realm, specifically ones called Shadow Bison, managed to cross and are now an invasive species.”

Robert huffed, “So, we have a new breed of invasive monsters in our world? Dammit, just what we didn’t need, as this world already has enough invasive creatures, particularly the demons themselves.”

Wench replied, “It gets worse. Our intelligence network has found out that Infinator purposely and permanently sacrificed Akuji in an attempt to stop the Heroes from sealing the gateway. While, obviously, that failed as the Shadokor did eventually reseal the gateway, from what we’ve learned Infinator has added three new Demon Generals to his ranks recruited from the Demon Realm by Sylph, Adelram, and Alastor. That means there are three new Demon Generals out there. And, according to some very recent news, one of them attacked the Heroes with an army of monsters. While the attack failed it showed that these new Demon Generals are pretty powerful, as they were even able to penetrate the Shroud Demon’s defenses.”

Robert growled, “So Infinator lost one General but gained three? Damn him and his faction of hellspawns. Now we’ve got even more players in this wargame. This cannot be allowed. But I wonder why Akuji is gone for good? Can’t Infinator just clone him again?”

“From what our sources have told me, it appears that Bronwen discovered a flaw in the cloning process, one that not even she can fix. This means that the Demon Generals cannot be cloned indefinitely, as the more times they’re cloned, the more damage it does to their minds. Apparently, after being cloned three times, Akuji went insane. Thus Infinator sent him on a suicide mission to both rob the Shadokor of a valuable resource and rid him of a minion who had outlived his usefulness. So if the Demon Generals are killed enough times then that does mean they’ll eventually become useless to Infinator due to the repeated mental damage done to them by the cloning process. That does inspire confidence, as it means those damn Demon Generals cannot just keep coming back for more every time they’re defeated.”

Robert gained a grin, “Good, that’s music to my ears. At least we now know that Infinator’s army can’t just keep getting cloned all the time without some form of repercussion. As I’ve been devising a new plan to pay the Shroud Devil back for destroying Seraph Abbey; keep me posted on anything new.”

Wench nodded, “I will, Sir Robert.”

Next Chapter: Battle of War and Hate

That's all for today, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, mild violence)

Battle of War and Hate

​

It was later that day after the battle with the new Demon General Seth. The Heroes and their allies were resting and recuperating after the hard battle with the Elemental Demon. In their guest room the Shroud Hero party were discussing strategies and any information they may know or have learned about their new foes. Celtic was also going through his various Shroud forms, upgrading some every so often.

He said silently, “Seth and those monsters really gave us a workout. The fact that he was able to pierce a couple of my defensive abilities was definitely something I wasn’t expecting. However, I gained several new Shrouds in the process: the Red Volcore Shroud, the Volt Hammerhead Shroud, the Icegoon Shroud, the Wood Soldier Shroud, and even one of the Shroud’s natural forms, the Elemental Shift Shroud. This one is rather interesting. If I play my cards right with this one it could grant us a unique type of strategy to befuddle our enemies. It’ll require a bit of clever planning, but if done right it could really throw a wrench in the works.”

Skye turned to him, “Hey, Cel, got anything good from those new monsters we faced?”

He nodded, “Yeah, a few interesting ones, including a natural ability of the Shroud that got unlocked in the process. This gives us some new options for creative tactics. I’m also spending the time trying to upgrade some of my Shroud powers with new items and materials I acquired recently, not just from today’s battle. I want to prepare as many abilities and powers as possible before we face either the other Demon Generals or Robert, as the latter is still lurking out there.”

Rupert asked, “By the way, have we located that Four Stars Church crony yet? I know Queen Rease was going to use the Master Karma Diamond to track him but it’s been a while since then. I wonder if she’s having trouble finding him.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Leon walked over and opened it up, revealing Queen Rease and some Druids.

“Speak of the devil, we were just taking about you, Your Majesty,” Leon said.

Queen Rease nodded, “Yes, I just happened to catch Mr. Rupert’s question. To answer it, yes, we did finally locate Robert. However, he picked his home base well, as it prevents us from going after him.”

Zuzu, who was lazily floating above them, asked, “How so?”

The Druid queen replied, “Robert and his goon squad set their home base in Starmist Valley, the same location where the Chaos Chimera once slept. As you know, the unusual energies there repel monsters and demons. However, Robert has taken it a step further and erected a strange barrier that protects the valley. This barrier has the power to repel any and all outside attempts to enter the valley. That same barrier also hampered our attempts to locate him via the Master Karma Diamond, which is why it took a while before we finally locked onto his Karma Diamond. He’s also found a way to allow him and his allies easy teleportation access in and out of that barrier, as otherwise it’ll disrupt teleportation magic. As a result we cannot chase after him, as the barrier repel even Druids like me.”

Viola sighed, “Great. We now know where that Four Stars Church goon is hiding but he took extra precautions to ensure we can’t just bust his front door down. Figures he’d pull something like that. Guess the only option we have is to wait for him to emerge out of his hidey-hole so we can attempt to stop him.”

Queen Rease nodded, “That’s sadly true. However, King Duskbane came up with a rather clever idea. The barrier repels any living creature, but it doesn’t repel his people’s Spy-Bugs, as they’re not alive. Therefore he’s taken the liberty of preparing some of the self-cloaking Spy-Bugs to infiltrate Robert’s base so we can at the very least spy on him and learn his plans. If those Spy-Bugs can do more than that, such as steal his Karma Diamond, then that’ll make it even better. But, at least for now, King Duskbane does have a plan that’ll allow us to gather some intel on those Four Stars Church rogues. Which brings me to one reason why I’m here. Avalar…” she turned to Celtic, “You take back the Master Karma Diamond. It’ll be safer with you, especially since we Druids can’t fight for our lives. Plus, your strange robotic backpack contains three of the Karma Diamonds, which means the Master Karma Diamond will be in better, more protective hands than in mine. Since we now know where Robert is we don’t need the Master Karma Diamond to track him anymore, so you’d better take it for good measure.”

She held out the Master Karma Diamond toward Celtic. The redhead walked over and took the large gemstone, taking a moment to look it over before placing it into his Tek-Pak.

“Thank you, Aunt Rease,” he said. “I’ll make sure it stays safe.”

Queen Rease smiled, “I’m so happy you’re finally calling me by that title, my nephew. I know you’ve had it rough, so trusting aunts and uncles is a difficult process for you, but I’m glad you’ve finally accepted your blood relatives as family. Now, with that said and done, I need to talk to King Alvin about a few things. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.”

She gave a polite bow before she and her fellow Druids walked away toward the throne room to talk with the Delgunner royal family. Celtic gently closed the door.

Leon growled, “So, Robert has placed his home base in Starmist Valley. Figures he’d pick a place like that due to his fanatical hatred of demons. Hopefully King Duskbane’s Spy-Bugs can give us the scoop on his plans, as it’s only a matter of time before he starts his endgame mission.”

Tyroe nodded, “Agreed, pal. We need to find out what he’s got cooked up before he can execute it. That way we can get the drop on him, just like a patient hunter waiting for his prey. Hopefully we can get some dirt on his plans and strategies with King Duskbane’s Spy-Bugs, as well as see just how many followers he now has.”

Skye nodded, “Indeed, Tyroe, and hopefully we can use that information to crush any attempt he’ll make at defeating our faction. If we can finally stop the Four Stars Church for good then that’ll allow us to focus our efforts on our main, and true, enemy: Infinator, as three new Generals in his ranks means he’s an even bigger threat.”

Zuzu added, “Not to mention Seth certainly proved his mettle against us. He even managed to penetrate some of Celtic’s defenses. Granted, I know that moves like Meteor Barrier aren’t some of Celtic’s stronger abilities, but that’s still quite the show of strength from Infinator’s newest recruit. If Seth is that powerful it makes one wonder just how strong the Prism Demon and Magician Demon will be.”

Celtic replied, “I wouldn’t put it past Infinator to enhance them in some form or another, especially after he gets Sylph’s ‘reports’ on the three new Demon Generals’ performances against us. Seeing how he was able to enhance Alastor, Adelram, and Akuji after their initial defeats, it would be safe to assume that he’ll do the same to Seth and the other two. We have to be ready for that, as Seth proved to be a rather difficult opponent on his own merits.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, that’s true. But we can’t ignore Robert, either, as he’s proven to be a thorn in our side for a while now. It’s a royal pain in the chassis that we have to split our attention between both Infinator and Robert but, unfortunately, that’s exactly what we have to do. Hopefully King Duskbane’s Spy-Bugs can help us learn what we need to stop him and finally take him out before he starts a full-scale rebellion.”

Leon sighed, “Given this is my half-brother we’re talking about, a full-scale rebellion sounds right up his alley. We need to learn what he’s up to post haste so we can shut him down for good.”

Meanwhile, at Starmist Valley, Robert was going over his latest plan to attack the Hero faction. He reviewed his notes and calculations repeatedly, making sure he had everything ironed out. After a little bit he gave a sinister smirk.

“Good, everything checks out,” he said. “This time I’ll get those fake Heroes and the Shroud Devil. They won’t know what hit them.”

Wench walked in and sat on his desk in a rather saucy pose, asking, “So, you’ve finished your plans, Sir Robert? Should we start preparing our men for the attack?”

Robert nodded, “Yes, everything is all set. It’ll take until morning to get everything ready for our attack but that’ll make our victory even more delicious. Now, go gather up our troops and have them wait for me in the courtyard of this fine base. I’ll be down there shortly to go over the battleplan with them.”

Wench nodded, “At once, Sir Robert.”

As she walked out of the room Robert looked his plans over once more, grinning.

“This time Shroud Devil I’ll make sure you suffer,” he said. “And that goes for you too, Leon, my traitorous half-brother. You’ll regret the day you joined the Shroud Devil’s party, just you wait.”

After reviewing everything one more time he gathered up his notes and plans and walked outside to relay his strategy to his followers.

It was the following day. The Heroes and their allies had just had a very filling breakfast and felt really good. Suddenly, a Shadow Sentinel appeared before them.

“Pardon my sudden arrival, but we’ve just got wind that Robert’s faction is on the move, as they’ve left the safety of Starmist Valley. From what our sources indicate he is making his way toward the Druid capital of Wichwoode. We fear he may attack the Druids, possibly even hold Queen Rease hostage, as the Druids are defenseless without outside support. King Duskbane and his men are already heading there but you Heroes and your allies are needed on the frontlines.”

Celtic nodded, “We’re on it. I won’t let him harm a hair on Aunt Rease’s head. Take us to Wichwoode ASAP.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “At once, sire. If you’re ready to go I’ll work my magic.”

Celtic turned to his allies who all nodded, turning back to the Shadow Sentinel, saying, “Let’s rock.”

“Shadow Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished in black portals. They soon reappeared in front of the front gates of Wichwoode. King Duskbane and his ShadoKnights were already there, while the Druids were watching with worried expressions from the shelter of their city walls.

King Duskbane turned to the Heroes, stating, “Good, you all are here. It’s just as you’ve heard. Robert is planning to attack the Druids in an attempt to force your hand, as he knows you’re related to Queen Rease. Although Queen Rease and I may bicker at times, she’s still family, and I won’t allow that scumbag Robert harm her! The Druids are just about ready to erect their defensive barrier that’ll prevent Robert from simply teleporting into the city. But the barrier won’t prevent a direct attack or infiltration, so that’s why we’re here. Be ready, as Robert never goes into battle without monsters summoned via items such as Skull Bells, so we’ll have more than just him and his followers to deal with.”

Celtic gained a grin, “Well, thanks to our last encounter with him, we have a means of turning that tactic against him. All because he used a particular monster against me when we squared off at Seraph Abbey.”

Lucas looked confused, “What do you mean, Celtic?”

“I’m referring to a certain well-dressed Lesser Demon he used against me. One that commands other monsters.”

The other Heroes took a moment to think before it dawned on them, gaining dark grins.

“Oh, I see what you mean, Celtic,” Jerry said. “That’s a brilliant idea. That’ll turn the tables against Robert.”

Ryan nodded, “Indeed. He’ll regret trying to prey upon Celtic’s fear when we turn his own tactic against him. A fine and fitting strategy.”

Just then a barrier was erected over Wichwoode’s capital city, shielding the Druids from outside magic.

King Duskbane nodded, “Okay, that barrier should keep the Druids safe from Robert’s Teleport spell and other such magic, but it won’t protect them from a frontal assault, as the barrier isn’t strong enough to block a direct confrontation. This means we’ll have to keep that Four Stars Church crony and his followers from getting past us. But it sounds like you already have a plan to turn any possible monster-summoning tactics against him, so that’ll make things easier.”

A ShadoKnight then said, “I see Robert and his followers!”

Everyone turned to see Robert, Wench, Jerry’s old party, and several Templar Knights come into range. The Heroes got in the front of their army, ready to battle. Robert’s face twisted into a sneer.

“So, you came to defend your aunt, Shroud Devil?” he purred. “Well, that’s good, as it means she’ll have a front-row seat to her nephew’s death! Men, take out your Skull Bells!”

Several Templar Knights pulled out Skull Bells. Robert gave them the signal, allowing the Templar Knights to ring the bells’ haunting tone. Several types of Undead and Lesser Demon monsters appeared from portals. Robert then pulled out a Tankor Controller and activated it. This activation caused three Dark Tankors to emerge from more portals.

Robert smirked, “Time to say goodbye, Shroud Devil! Monsters, attack!”

The monsters began their charge. However, to Robert’s surprise, the Heroes were all grinning darkly.

“We’re about to turn your plan on its head, Robert,” Celtic said darkly. “And it’s all because you tried to prey upon my fear of clowns, so you set yourself up for this one! Heroes, you know what to do! Ringmonster Shroud!”

Celtic’s Shroud transformed, now looking like the tuxedo of a Ringmonster, with a raised collar that looked like half of the Ringmonster’s top hat. The other Heroes followed suit, transforming their Gear into Ringmonster-related forms.

“Monster Command!” they all shouted.

Their respective Legendary Gear activated and released a wave of energy. This energy wave struck all the approaching monsters, causing them to stop dead in their tracks, much to the shock of Robert and his troops.

“Attack Robert and his men!” the five Heroes stated in unison.

The army of monsters turned around and charged straight at Robert and his faction, much to their alarm. Robert tried to regain control of the Dark Tankors with the Tankor Controller but the Ringmonster-based Gear forms had overridden the controls. The monsters began their attack, forcing Robert and his followers to draw their weapons and fight back. As the Four Stars Church faction frantically tried to fight off their own beasts, the Hero faction, Shadokor, and Druids couldn’t help but feel a dark sense of satisfaction at the sight.

“Karma is delicious,” Skye giggled darkly.

Gram chuckled, “I have to hand it to you, Sir Celtic. This was brilliant. Robert will now think twice about using monster armies against you Heroes since you all got Ringmonster-based Gear forms from his previous attempt to take you down.”

Celtic chuckled sinisterly, “Yes, that’s irony for you. But we’re not out of the woods yet, as Monster Control only works for five minutes. While they’ll probably get through most of the monsters by then, we may have to reactivate the effect for the stronger ones like the Dark Tankors and any other monsters they might try to summon. But at least we’re getting quite the show for a bit. And since Legendary Gear effects can’t get negated unless commanded by their wielders it means we’re free to turn Robert’s favorite tactic against him as much as we want. Though I doubt he’ll fall for it a second time if he somehow manages to get away from us today. Speaking of which, the timer in my stat vision is showing that the Monster Control effect is about to wear off, so get ready, everyone. It’s time to end Robert’s little faction once and for all.”

Robert could see that the Hero faction was about to attack, so he started to channel energy.

“I won’t let you make a monkey out of me, Shroud Devil!” he roared. “Sacred Cannon!”

He fired a powerful beam of Holy energy toward the Heroes and the monsters. The beam destroyed the remaining monsters as it barreled toward the Hero faction.

“Rook Defense!” Celtic shouted. “Meteor Barrier!”

Two giant Rooks appeared and positioned themselves in front of everyone, followed by the Meteor Barrier forming behind the Rooks and spreading out across the front of Wichwoode. The Sacred Cannon struck the giant chess pieces but were unable to damage them, causing the attack to disperse around them only to get negated by the Meteor Barrier. This defense forced Robert to end his attack, much to his fury.

“You not only have the nerve to turn my monsters against me but you’re still capable of blocking my most powerful spell?!” he spat. “I hate you so much, Shroud Devil! All you do is ruin all my hard work in restoring the correct religion this world should truly worship! The Shroud is nothing more than an evil, demon-based item that needs to be erased! And you’re as vile and evil as they come!”

Wench chimed in, “He’s right, Shroud Devil! You do nothing but blight this world with your very existence! I won’t stand for it! Whatever it takes I’ll make sure you and Skye suffer horribly at my hands! Just you wait!”

Celtic replied acidly, “You keep saying stuff like that yet you are never able to back up your talk with action. Especially you, Wench, as you’re always hiding behind someone in order to avoid repercussions for your crimes. But once that protection is gone nothing will save you from your former vengeful victims. You act all tough, thinking you can kick down a supposedly weak, defenseless opponent, but when your plans inevitably backfire you cower and cry for mercy that you don’t deserve. Robert, Wench, you two are nothing more than spineless, cowardly insects. You can talk the talk but you can’t walk the walk. You think you’re all tough and mighty but you have repeatedly failed to do any sort of significant damage in your ‘mission’ to get the last laugh. You’re nothing more than traitorous cowards who run and hide like the slimly, contemptuous sewer rats you are whenever your ‘brilliant’ plans fail miserably because you fail to put various elements into your calculations. Face it: you’re worthless, spineless, traitorous worms who only deserve one thing: death. You deserve to be punished for your crimes, as both you and your precious Four Stars Church are nothing more than cultish bullies who pick on those who you think are weak only to find out the hard way that they won’t let you kick them around. You’re nothing more than petty, cowardly bullies who will get their comeuppance for your crimes… starting NOW! Attack!”

The Hero faction charged ahead, weapons raised, ready to strike Robert and his goons down. Robert and his Templars fired multiple Holy spells at the Hero faction, only for Celtic, who was in the front, to deflect all of them with ease. The Four Stars Church faction was beginning to panic.

“This isn’t over, Shroud Devil!” Robert roared. “Teleport!”

He and his army vanished just moments before the Heroes and their allies could strike them.

“Dammit!” Eric spat. “They got away again! They really are cowardly sewer rats, just like Celtic said they are.”

Lucas slammed his spearhead against the ground where Wench was previously standing, causing rock chunks to go flying, stating, “I’ll say. This is getting ridiculous. We need to keep them from running away all the time like the spineless cretins they are.”

Leon said calmly, “We’ll get them yet. They won’t take this humiliating defeat lying down, not with their egos, that’s for sure. I expect them to pull out all the stops the next time we fight them. In fact, as a gambler I’m willing to bet the next battle will be a full-on revolution. A do-or-die battle for them, using everything they have left to get their way.”

Gram sheathed his sword, stating, “I’d be willing to bet on that, too, Sir Leon. But when they do that, we’ll be ready for them. Hopefully King Duskbane’s Spy-Bugs will give us the insight we need to create a countermeasure to Robert’s plans if a revolution is in the works.”

King Duskbane replied, “Don’t you worry, Sir Gram, my Spy-Bugs are ready to be deployed. We just had to put their deployment on hold due to Robert’s faction attempting to attack the Druids. Now with that threat averted we can get back to our original plans. That way we’ll get the info we seek and find a way to uproot the treasonous Four Stars Church once and for all.”

Celtic gave a wave of his hand, causing the giant Rooks to vanish, stating, “Good, as it’ll be about time that those cultish bullies get what’s coming to them. I’ve also got a few ideas cooked up for how to finalize the deed once the Four Stars Church falls to ensure that they’re gone for good.”

King Duskbane quirked his eyebrow, “Oh? Like what?”

The redhead’s eyes gleamed, “We’ll extinguish their souls by using the very creature they despise: demons. If you catch my drift, Uncle Duskbane.”

It dawned on King Duskbane, making him smile darkly, “Brilliant idea, Avalar. I’ll make sure our pets are nice and hungry when that day comes. But, for now, let’s get you all back to Delgunner to report to King Alvin about what happened. I’ll remain here with my ShadoKnights to ensure that the Druids are none worse for the wear before return to Shadoria.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes. Give my regards to Aunt Rease. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

Skye smiled, “On it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished, heading back to Delgunner to report to King Alvin about what had transpired, knowing that a big battle would soon be upon them.

Next Chapter: Magic Mayhem

That's all for today. Looks like the Four Stars Church is planning something big. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence)

Magic Mayhem

​

Inside Infinator’s prison the Demon Generals were awaiting his next order. Seth looked a bit sheepish after his performance against the Hero faction and was worried about what Infinator would say. Soon the energy vent flared up, revealing Infinator’s eyes, causing the Demon Generals to go into a bow.

“It’s time for the next test,” Infinator stated. “While Seth’s battle with the Heroes got cut a bit short it did allow me to see what he’s capable of. I will tell you my final judgment later, after Kalaraja and Caym get their licks in against the Heroes. And speaking of which, it’s time for Kalaraja to be deployed so I can see what he is capable of. Bronwen, begin preparations with the Monster Generator to see what monsters would go best with Kalaraja.”

Kalaraja replied, “There is no need for that. I’ll show you that I have plenty of abilities in my hat. For you see, my species of demon has some neat tricks. One of which is that we can summon monsters on our own as one of our schticks. The monsters we can summon have no limit. Be it Zakota or the Demon Realm this ability is wicked. So the Monster Generator is not needed. As my own powers will crush those Heroes and leave them defeated.”

Infinator’s eyes widened, “Your kind possess that sort of ability? And you can also summon monsters from the Demon Realm, too? Well, well, well, it appears I’m a bit out-of-touch with the denizens of the Demon Realm, as I was not aware of that. That will provide a most useful advantage over our foes, as we won’t have to solely rely on the Monster Generator Bronwen developed to acquire monster minions to further overwhelm our foes. The battle hasn’t even started and already I’m quite impressed with you, Kalaraja.”

Bronwen then gained an idea, “Hey, I just thought of something. Since Kalaraja can summon monsters from the Demon Realm AND Zakota, I think we should modify the Monster Generator so it can mimic his powers. That way, even if Kalaraja isn’t on the battlefield we’ll still have the ability to summon monsters that those Heroes won’t know much about, giving them something to worry about.”

Infinator chuckled, “Bronwen, my girl, that’s brilliant. You always have the best ideas. I approve of that plan. But first I need to see Kalaraja’s skill on the battlefield, then we’ll proceed with your idea. That way Sylph and I can take the necessary notes on his powers and abilities to determine his rank and role in our faction. But still that’s a great idea. In any case, Kalaraja and Sylph will head on out tomorrow to begin their attack. Sylph, just like last time, stay out of range of the enemy’s attacks and be ready to use Teleport if things go south. We can’t risk losing our newest Demon Generals right away so be ready for action the moment Kalaraja is at risk of dying.”

Sylph bowed, “I will, Master Infinator. You can count on me.”

It was the following day. The Heroes and their allies were busy discussing plans and strategies, trying to figure out what possible tactics to use against Infinator’s newest Demon Generals. Celtic had taken out the books King Duskbane had given him and was studying their contents, with Skye and Gram assisting him. It wouldn’t be long before they’d get their answers.

A female Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “Sorry to interrupt your studying but our sources have indicated that Sylph and the Magician Demon have just left Infinator’s prison and are heading here. We expect them very shortly, so it’s time for battle.”

Celtic nodded, “Right, we were wondering when they’d make their next move. Looks like we’ll have to hit the books later, as we’ve got people to protect.”

Gram nodded, “Indeed, Sir Celtic. It’s our duty to protect the commonfolk from harm, so we’d best get into position right away.”

Ryan added, “And knowing that Infinator’s Generals never go into battle alone, I wonder if we should use our Ringmonster-based forms again to take control of any monsters they may summon.”

Skye replied, “That’s a good idea, Ryan. We’d better try that tactic and see if it works on monsters summoned by that Monster Generator thing. It’s worth a shot.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, good call, Ryan. Although I harbor some doubts it’s still worth a try. You never know until you try. Now, enough small-talk, it’s time for action. Skye, use Warp to get us to the front gates right away so our allies don’t get ambushed before we get there.”

“You got it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s front gates. There were several soldiers, mages, and archers ready for battle. They were relieved to see the Heroes arrive. The Heroes took their position in front of the army and waited for their targets to arrive. Within minutes Sylph and Kalaraja soon appeared.

Sylph huffed, “Their intelligence network certainly leaves nothing to be desired, as they always seem to be ready for battle the moment we’re deployed. No matter.” She then said in a strong voice, “Listen up, ‘Heroes’, as you’ve got a new foe to fight: Kalaraja the Magician Demon! Let’s see if you can handle his magic mayhem! Kalaraja, teach them how to twist.”

Kalaraja nodded, “You can leave it to me. I’ll make those Heroes and their allies flee.” He floated down to the ground before stating, “Monster minions, hear my call. I summon you to battle to make my enemies fall!”

Several monsters appeared from portals, many of which were unknown to the Heroes and their allies. They ranged from demonic-looking partly melted candles to giant jellyfish-like creatures with large brains to small monster egg-like beasts to sheet ghost-like monsters wearing what looked like black Japanese umbrella hats. However, the Heroes were undeterred at these new monsters.

Lucas laughed, “That won’t work on us this time! Let’s show him what we can do!”

The Heroes transformed their Gear into the Ringmonster-based powers before eyeing the monster army.

“Monster Command!” they all said.

Their gear fired off waves of energy at Kalaraja’s monster horde. However, to their horror, the energy waves didn’t do anything to the monsters. This revelation was followed by a notice in their respective stat visions that said “Failure”, much to their alarm. Kalaraja chuckled.

“That was a clever idea you had, Heroes, in trying to take command of my army. But my magic over them protects them from any blarney. Now… attack!”

The monsters charged in, ready for battle. This forced the Heroes to transform their Gear into different forms in order to prepare for the horde.

“I can’t believe that tactic failed when it worked so well against Robert!” Jerry spat.

“Well, now we know that the Ringmonster-base forms won’t work against Kalaraja at the very least,” Celtic said. “Now… Meteor Barrier!”

He erected the barrier of Holy energy. The monsters stopped just in front of it before launching their attacks. The semi-melted candles summoned clusters of Flame Towers that, to the Hero faction’s horror, were able to appear within the Meteor Barrier, forcing various soldiers and knights to dodge the attack. The sheet ghost-like monsters inhaled before blowing out chunks of ice at the Meteor Barrier, causing small cracks to form in it. The giant jellyfish-like monsters started to generate electrical energy in their large brains before firing it at the Meteor Barrier, though the defense held strong against this attack. The small monster egg-like creatures started to tackle the barrier, trying to crack it, but they did negligible damage to it.

“Attack now!” Celtic instructed.

The Hero faction began their counterattack. The egg monsters were easily dealt with, leaving behind cracked eggshells and splattered yokes upon defeat. The jellyfish-like monsters lashed out their long tentacles at the various knights, each laced with electrical energy. Rupert began charging energy.

“We have to ground those jellyfish things!” he said. “This’ll short circuit them! Wood Tower!”

Several Wood Towers emerged from the ground, stabbing and impaling the jellyfish monsters, making them screech in pain if not outright killing them. The candle-like monsters then roared and summoned more Flame Tower clusters, striking several individuals, though the damage wasn’t life-threatening. Celtic started to channel energy.

“I’ll douse their fires!” he said. “Draining Rain!”

He summoned the storm clouds that started a heavy downpour on the candle-like monsters, making them screech in pain as their flames were snuffed out for the time. This deluge also caused their stats to decrease as evident by their bodies crackling. This gave the Heroes an opening, allowing them to lash out with their respective Gear at these monsters, tearing them apart before they could recover. As he watched his monster minions get defeated, Kalaraja was undeterred.

“They think they’ll soon be in the clear,” he said. “But they’ll soon learn they’ve got more to fear.” He raised his arms up, stating, “Monsters, hear my call. I summon you to make my enemies’ defenses fall!”

He summoned more unknown monsters. Ranging from Roomba-like machines with a mallet attached to their backs to giant wasp-like insects to zombie alligators to mage-like creatures wearing robes and holding a scepter. He gave the signal for them to attack, sending the monsters into battle. The wasps and zombie alligators started to ram the Meteor Barrier, causing more cracks to form. The mage-like creatures suddenly collapsed into piles, holding their scepters out, which caused meteors to rain down upon the barrier, causing even more cracks to form. The Roomba-like monsters then swung their mallets underneath them, each releasing what looked like a fast-moving air hockey puck. To the Hero faction’s horror, these air hockey pucks smashed through the Meteor Barrier, destroying it instantly, before knocking several people off their feet. The destruction of the Meteor Barrier was exactly the moment Kalaraja was waiting for.

“Now their defenses have been dropped. My next attack won’t be stopped!” He held out both scepter arms and stated, “Magic Fire!”

He fired a stream of bluish purple flames toward the Hero faction. Celtic saw this and immediately sprang into action.

“Shield Wall!” he shouted.

The shields appeared before he gave them the command to cluster into a single large shield. He then positioned it in front of the Magic Fire. The magical flames struck the giant shield but were unable to pierce it, much to Kalaraja’s annoyance, forcing him to end his attack. However, his eyes gleamed and he raised up one arm.

“My pet Ricochet, I command you to attack! Smash those shields with your Air Puck’s solid thwack!”

The Roomba-like monsters positioned themselves so that they were aligned with the Shield Wall defense. They slammed their mallets down underneath them again, releasing more air hockey pucks. To Celtic’s shock the air hockey pucks effortlessly shattered the Shield Wall’s shields, causing them to break apart before vanishing. The air hockey pucks continued their path toward the Heroes and their allies. Celtic quickly jumped in front of them, taking the brunt of the attack, causing his armor to gain cracks.

Viola’s six eyes went wide, “Those monsters completely shattered the Shield Wall like it was glass! And they even damaged his armor!”

Zuzu snarled, “Those monsters are called Ricochets. I’ve heard about them. Their special Air Puck attack allows them to shatter most defenses like soap bubbles. We’ve gotta take them out before they break through anymore of Celtic’s defensive abilities.”

Tyroe started to channel energy, “I’ll flatten them! Rock Cube!”

He summoned a rock that looked like a Rubik’s cube before hurling it at the Ricochets. The Rock Cube slammed into them, crushing several of them, causing their bodies to fall apart, but there were still a few left. Zuzu zipped forward, channeling energy into her fists.

“I’ll deal with the rest!” she said. “Dark Strike rapid-fire!”

She started to pummel the remaining Ricochets with Darkness-enhanced punches. It took a few moments but she eventually caused the remaining Ricochets to break apart, killing them. Kalaraja gained an annoyed look.

“I can see why Mistress Sylph doesn’t like you,” he said. “Your powerful punches are only rivaled by few. Let’s see if you’re as tough as your punches display. My magic will send you away!” He raised his scepter arms up again before stating, “Meteor Shower!”

Powerful meteors rained down upon the battlefield, striking everything within range. Zuzu quickly dodged the attacks before retreating behind Celtic.

“Rook Defense!” the Shroud Hero shouted.

Two giant Rooks appeared and positioned themselves in front of the attackers. The meteors struck the Rooks but were unable to damage them, thereby shielding the Hero faction from the attack. This defense gave the Hero faction the chance they needed to counterattack.

“Burning Light Slash!” Ryan shouted.

He released a massive slash from his transformed Sword that shredded several monsters to bits, leaving only the stronger ones still standing. Lucas, Eric, and Jerry gained devious smirks as they transformed their Gear into similar forms.

“Burning Light Thrust!” Lucas shouted.

“Burning Light Slam!” Eric roared.

“Burning Light Shot!” Jerry stated.

The three attacks combined into a storm of Light energy that tore through the monster horde like tissue paper, even striking Kalaraja, forcing him to erect a shield in front of him for defense. Skye then gained an idea.

“I’ve got an idea on how to stop his attacks,” she said. “Quick Hiding!”

She then vanished from view, startling Kalaraja.

“She disappeared?!” he sputtered. “That’s weird. Is she done fighting? Where are you hiding?!”

Skye slinked under the cover of Quick Hiding until she was directly behind Kalaraja. She grabbed her Shadow Mana Dagger and prepared to strike. However, the moment she activated the dagger Kalaraja detected it and quickly spun around, swinging his arm at her. He struck her left arm, sending her sprawling to the ground, knocking her out of Quick Hiding spell.

“You play games well: you almost scored. No one’s every gotten that close before. But I intend to snuff you out like a light. I’ll erase you and your Illusion magic from this fight!” He transformed one of his arms into a sword. “Magic Saber!”

Celtic, who was clearly alarmed at Skye being in danger, shouted, “Shadow Warp!”

Skye vanished in a black portal just seconds before Kalaraja could hit her, causing chunks of earth and rock to go flying when his Magic Saber struck where she was previously. Skye then reappeared behind Celtic, making both him and her sigh in relief.

“Whew… nice save, Cel,” she said.

Leon asked, “How did you know you could use Shadow Warp as an evasion tactic, Cel?”

Celtic replied truthfully, “I didn’t. I just cast it in hopes of it saving Skye. It was just luck that it worked as an evasion tactic. But time for that later, as we still have a Demon General to defeat.”

Kalaraja turned to the Hero faction, “You lot are resilient, I’ll give you credit where it’s due. And you’ll protect each other through and through. But in the end you won’t succeed. I’ll make sure that you all secede. Magic Fire!”

He fired the bluish purple flames at the Hero faction again. They were all getting pretty tuckered out, but Celtic remained steadfast.

“Let’s see you stop this defense!” he stated. “Mirror Shroud! Mirror Force Reflector!”

The Shroud transformed into the Mirror Shroud. When the Magic Fire was about to strike Celtic a reflective barrier formed, causing the attack to be deflected right back at Kalaraja, much to his alarm.

“Oh no, it’s coming back!” he sputtered. “Even I can’t survive this attack!”

The Magic Fire struck him, engulfing the Magician Demon in flames, making him flail his arms in a panic.

“Time for us to bail!” Sylph stated.

“Yes, Mistress Sylph, as you say! But be warned, Shroud Hero, I’ll be back again someday!”

“Teleport!” Sylph said.

Both she and Kalaraja vanished, causing the flames around him to die out, leaving behind dozens of monster corpses. Everyone gained a sigh of relief as the battle ended, many falling to their knees in exhaustion.

“Boy… he was tough…” Lucas panted.

“Yeah, not to mention he used monsters we’ve never seen before, so that gave us an extra challenge,” Ryan sighed.

Zuzu replied, “Those monsters all originate from the Demon Realm, at least to my knowledge. That means he can summon monsters that we know little to nothing about. The fact he can summon monsters on his own is also something to worry about, as it means he can just call forth an entire horde of beasts without the need for Bronwen’s Monster Generator, thus giving Infinator more options.”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “We’ve got our work cut out for us. Speaking of work, it calls. Viola, Leon, you two go around and patch up anyone who was injured, as several of those attacks got through my defenses. Some of the unhurt knights should go check up on the Chaos Chimera survivors to ensure that they didn’t get struck by stray fire. The rest of us will clean up these monster corpses, collecting anything of worth, along with the Heroes taking samples for new Gear powers.”

Gram said, “You help out with your healing magic, too, Wendy.”

Nodding, everyone went to work in their assigned tasks, with the Heroes absorbing some of the monster corpses for new powers and abilities. After a good 45 minutes the task was complete. Skye then eyed Celtic’s damaged armor.

“What are you going to do about your armor, Cel?” she asked. “I know Danial installed an auto-repair function but those Air Pucks did a real number to your equipment. It might take a while for it to be fully repaired on its own.”

Celtic replied, “Actually, I was thinking of having Danial upgrade my Chaos Magic Armor, as I have new materials I want him to use in it. So it works out, as it means I can get stronger equipment while also repairing it. On that note, let’s get going so he can get to work on it. With the battle done we can take a chance to rest so let’s take advantage of that before our enemies strike again.”

Nodding in agreement everyone returned to Delgunner’s capital city to rest. The people were praising and cheering for their success against another new Demon General. The Hero faction knew that they still had a lot of work ahead of them.

Next Chapter: Build, Customize, Accessorize

That's it for today. Tune in next time for a more filler-ish chapter but it does grant some useful character development.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising.

Build, Customize, Accessorize

​

It was the following day after the Heroes and their allies fended off Kalaraja’s attack. The day was peaceful so everyone was taking full advantage of it to either rest or take care of anything that needed doing. Celtic and Skye were together as they roamed the capital city. Celtic was holding what looked like a shopping list, reading it over. He wasn’t wearing any armor, only the clothes he wore underneath it, indicating that his equipment was getting repaired.

“Okay, we’ve managed to purchase most everything we needed,” he said. “We still need a few things, such as a few food items and some special medicinal berries for Viola’s and my tonics, but those are easy enough to get, as there’s a farmer’s market going on in the next street over.”

Skye asked, “Hey, Cel, what materials did you give Danial in order to upgrade your Chaos Magic Armor?”

“I gave him some Crimzonite, a few Oracle Crystals, a pouch of Gem Marbles, and some more Dark Matter. He said my newly upgraded armor will be ready in a couple of days. Hopefully I get it back before our enemies make their next move. Now, let’s go to that farmer’s market and see if we can pick up the last items on our list. Hopefully the others are having good luck in getting their ends of the shopping lists.”

Nodding, the duo walked over to the next street. There were dozens of stands, each loaded with different types of fruits, vegetables, and other produce. The engaged couple took their time examining the quality of these various foods, purchasing anything they needed. After about 30 minutes of patrolling the stands they had gathered up a satisfying amount of food items.

Celtic checked off the items on his list, stating, “Okay, that’s the last of them. Looks like everything is set. This should hold us off for a while. Now, let’s get back to the castle.”

A voice then said, “Oh, Sir Celtic!”

The duo turned to see Gram run up to them.

“Oh, hey Gram,” Skye said cheerfully. “Something up?”

Gram replied, “I was wondering if I could purchase one of Sir Celtic’s homemade accessories. You see, today is May’s 19th birthday and I want to get her something special. I figured a magical accessory would be up her alley, especially since she loves jewelry, but I wanted to get her one that’s more unique compared to the more commonplace ones. So, I decided that I’d get one from you. I hope you don’t mind.”

Celtic shook his head, “Not at all. I do have several dozen accessories that I’ve made so I’m fine with that. Let’s find a table or something so I can set up the boxes of accessories I’ve made. That way you’ll have the ability to see all of my creations.”

Gram bowed, “Thank you, Sir Celtic, I appreciate it.”

After a bit of searching the trio found an unoccupied picnic table. Celtic sat down on one side and took out five fair sized chests from his Tek-Pak, much to Gram’s surprise. He then pressed a button on each one, causing the chests to open up and unfold into several sections, revealing the dozens of accessories he had made.

Gram’s jaw dropped, “You’ve made all these accessories?! That’s amazing. I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

Celtic chuckled, “Well, I have to do something to pass the time during my downtime. Besides, I like to work with my hands. And making and selling accessories tends to fetch a tidy profit. So, with that out of the way, feel free to browse my ‘shop’, if you will.”

Gram sat down on the opposite side of the picnic table to examine all the different accessories Celtic had presented to him.

Skye asked, “Now, just so I know who you’re talking about. May is the newest member of your party, that mage girl, right?”

Gram nodded, “Yes. I recruited her not long after I started my self-improvement training. She’s a powerful mage, though I think you outstrip her in offensive magic, Lady Skye, especially since you know seven out of the nine basic elements, not including sub-categories like Illusion. She knows four different elements of magic: Water, Wind, Fire, and Earth, along with a handful of buffing spells like Might and Mind Boost. I want to find something that can compliment her abilities as a mage. Do you have any recommendations?”

Celtic took a moment to think before replying, “Yeah, I suggest something that can help her regenerate MP. If she uses a lot of magic then that means she’ll be eating up a lot of her MP. With that in mind I suggest something like the Magic Seed Ring or the Magic Crystal Bracelet, both of which can also boost her spells’ power by certain amounts: 10% and 30%, respectively. Both items can be found in the furthest chest to my right.”

He pointed to one of the open chests. Gram took a moment to pluck out the two accessories. One was a ring with a gold band, a silver frame, and had a clear crystal on it with what looked like a seed inside it. The second was a bracelet that was made from a bluish clear-colored crystal with four white marbles at different compass points on the bracelet. He took a moment to examine these accessories.

“These are both top quality, Sir Celtic,” the Flugel knight said. “Given the fact that she’s our most potent spellcaster, I’m leaning more toward the Magic Crystal Bracelet. How much is it?”

Celtic replied, “I’ll be giving you the friend’s discount price of… free.”

Gram’s eyes widened, “W-Wait. You’re going to let me have this accessory… for free? Really?”

The redhead nodded, “Yes, at least this time. You’ve been a valuable friend and even more valuable of an ally, Gram. We may have gotten off on the wrong foot at first but after that misunderstanding was ironed out you became a steadfast, loyal ally. So take that Magic Crystal Bracelet with my regards.”

Gram’s face melted into a smile, saying, “Thank you, Sir Celtic. That’s extremely generous of you. May will love this, I know it. Thank you very much.”

He placed the Magic Seed Ring back in the chest, took the Magic Crystal Bracelet, stood up, and gave a polite bow in thanks. He then dashed off to give the accessory to his party member.

Skye smiled warmly, “That was good of you, Cel. It’s obvious Gram appreciated your generosity, and I know May will love it. You don’t often do things like that so it’s always nice to see you give out a gift like that.”

Celtic gave a small smile, “Yeah, well, I meant everything I said. And Gram has been a very valuable ally to us so I felt he should be rewarded for it. Now, with that done, we can—” but was cut off by another voice.

“Oh, hey, are you selling accessories?” a voice asked.

The duo turned to see a trio of adventurers, two men and one woman, stop in front of them.

“Are these accessories for sale?” the woman, who looked like a mage, asked.

“Technically I wasn’t selling them at the moment, but if you’re in the market I’ll let you browse my wares,” the redhead replied.

One of the male adventurers, who looked like a swordsman, smiled, “Cool, thanks! Let’s check out what he’s got, gang.”

The trio of adventurers put their backpacks down and started to look over the different handmade accessories. They marveled at the different types of accessories and their qualities.

“I’ve never seen accessories like these before,” the swordsman said.

Skye giggled, “That’s because they’re all Celtic’s own ideas and designs. You won’t find accessories like these anywhere else, as only the Legendary Shroud Hero makes these custom treasures.”

The second male adventurer, who was wielding a spear, replied, “Wait, you’re the Shroud Hero? And you make accessories? Interesting. I didn’t know you were a craftsman on the side. These accessories look pretty powerful and useful.”

The female mage picked up a Magic Seed Ring, saying, “I like this ring. What is it?”

Celtic replied, “It’s a Magic Seed Ring. It not only provides continuous MP restoration when you have less than max MP, roughly 10% per minute, but it also boosts the power of your spells by 10%. It’s also a very affordable accessory for what it does. Does it tickle your fancy?”

The female mage nodded, “Yeah, it sure does. If it helps increase my mana regeneration and boost the power of my spells then I most definitely want it. How much?”

“Give me a second to pull out my pricing book.”

Celtic took out a notebook from his Tek-Pak. He opened it up and started to flip through the pages, scanning each page as he did. He eventually came to a stop on one particular page.

“Here we go. It costs five silver and 25 copper.”

The female mage’s eyes widened, “That’s quite reasonable! I’ve heard of similar items that cost much more. I’ll take it!”

She reached into some pouches on her belt and extracted five silver coins and 25 copper ones. She gave them to Celtic who graciously put them away. She then eagerly placed the ring on one of her fingers. The ring started to glow as she did.

“Why is it glowing?” she asked.

“That means it’s taking effect,” Celtic said simply. “You must not be a maximum MP so the Magic Seed Ring activated to restore your MP. When you’re MP is full the ring will stop glowing.”

After a few minutes the ring stopped glowing, making the mage smile.

“Thanks so much!” she said. “I can feel my mana energy at full now. This’ll be very helpful in battle.”

The spear-wielding adventurer picked up an item. It looked like a shark tooth made into a dangling earring with a small green gem in the center of it.

He asked, “What’s this accessory?”

Celtic replied, “That’s a Shark Tooth Earring. When used it casts Guard Crush on one target of your choice. It can do so an unlimited number of times but it requires a recharge in between uses. And before you ask, that recharge time is roughly a one to two minutes, give or take a few seconds.”

“Sweet. I’ve been looking for a new earring ever since that crow made off with my old one. And it can cast Guard Crush an unlimited number of times? Does it require any MP to use?”

The Shroud Hero shook his head, “No, it’s powered by its own energies. Meaning you can use it to cast Guard Crush as often as you want without it taking a single MP from your reserves.”

The spear-wielding adventurer smiled, “Sweet. I’ll take it. How much?”

Celtic flipped through his pricing notebook before saying, “That’ll come to two silver and 20 copper.”

“Deal!”

The spear-wielding adventurer took out two silver coins and 20 copper coins, handing them over to Celtic. The Shroud Hero put the coins away in his Tek-Pak. The spear-wielding adventurer placed the Shark Tooth Earring on his left ear.

“Nice! I can’t wait to try this bad boy out. Say, how do you activate it?”

Celtic replied, “Just say, ‘Shark Tooth Earring, activate Guard Crush’, and boom, that’s all there is to it. That also goes for any other spell-casting accessory in my wares. Simple, easy, but effective.”

“Cool, I like that way of thinking,” the spear-wielding adventurer said. “And I like how stylish this accessory is. Thanks!”

The swordsman then picked up an accessory from the chests. It looked like a silver charm with a crystal sphere at the end, with what looked like a Balloon Core inside it, attached to a silver chain.

“What’s this item?” he asked.

“That’s a Balloon Bubble Charm,” Celtic replied. “Like the name states, it’s powered by a Balloon Core, thus it has a similar effect. However, it’s far more powerful as it erects a 100 HP barrier around the wielder instead of just a 10 HP one, and if the barrier breaks it’ll regenerate within a few minutes. Plus, unlike a Balloon Core on its own, it’s reusable, so you can cast the barrier ability as often as needed. It can also summon a barrier around other party members, but you need to cast that effect individually. Plus, like most of my accessories that have similar functions, it requires a brief recharge period in between uses.”

The swordsman looked the charm over before saying, “I like that. How much is it?”

Celtic looked through his pricing notebook before saying, “That one comes to 12 silver and 15 copper.”

“That’s actually pretty reasonable for such a useful item. I’ll take it.”

The swordsman paid Celtic 12 silver coins and 15 copper coins, which he put away in his Tek-Pak. The swordsman then clipped the charm onto his belt.

The female mage smiled, “Thanks again for the accessories. Let’s go, boys.”

The trio of adventurers walked away, clearly happy at their new purchases. Skye smiled at Celtic.

“Well, looks like you made some good sales, loverboy,” she said. “Hopefully those accessories will be to their liking.”

A familiar voice then said, “Looks like you’re selling accessories.”

The duo turned to see the rest of their party walk up to them.

Celtic shrugged, “I wasn’t planning on selling any today but when Gram asked to buy one as a gift for one of his party members it just kinda snowballed a bit when a few others noticed. I’m not complaining, as I made a few extra coins in the process, which is always good.”

Viola giggled, “You’re not one to pass up making some extra money. In any case, we got everything we were assigned to get, so let’s pack it away and get going.”

Just before they could put all their purchased goods away another voice said, “Ooh! An accessory merchant! Let’s check out his wares.”

Everyone turned to see a party of four adventurers, consisting of three men and one woman, walk up.

“Pardon us,” one adventurer who looked like a bandit said. “But are you selling magical accessories? Mind if we take a look?”

Celtic gave a light chuckle, “Sure, why not? Take a look at my custom, unique creations. You won’t find these accessories anywhere else, so you might as well check them out while you can.”

The quadlet of adventurers quickly took a look at all of Celtic’s wares. After a few minutes they each selected a different accessory to buy.

Celtic said, “Okay, that’s one Beast Eye Ring, one Glimmer Moss Choker, one pair of Hibiscus Earrings, and one Magic Seed Ring. In total that comes to 30 silver and 93 coper. Or if you want to round it up to 31 silver I’ll give you seven copper back.”

The adventurers took a moment to discuss it before the rather scruffy yet still handsome swordsman replied, “You have a deal.”

He paid Celtic 31 silver coins to which Celtic gave him seven copper coins in return. The party of adventurers thanked the Shroud Hero before leaving, looking ecstatic at their new accessories.

Leon chuckled, “You are a natural businessman, Celtic, as you made a tidy profit today.”

“Well, I gotta feed us somehow,” the redhead merely chuckled.

Just then a familiar voice said, “I see you’re more than just the Shroud Hero, Prince Celtic. You’re also an accessory maker and merchant. At least it explains where your party got such nice stuff.”

The party turned to see Sludge, Jade, and Wimp walk up to them. Skye’s eyes narrowed as the trio of disgraced Light Elf royals became level with the group.

“Whattya want?” she hissed.

Sludge put up his hands defensively, “Easy, easy, Skye, we’re not here to pick a fight or anything. We’re just here to talk.”

“Talk?” Rupert quirked an eyebrow. “About what?”

Jade replied, “For starters, we’re very impressed that you managed to whip those four idiot Heroes into shape. I heard the whole story both from Sylph’s reports and from others after you rescued me. To think that those four were such walking disaster areas. They certainly didn’t measure up to Heroes of the past. Especially since the past Heroes wouldn’t be stupid enough to release the Chaos Chimera just to prove a point. They proved something, all right, but not what they wanted. You had quite the uphill battle in getting those four to actually start taking their jobs seriously, but you succeeded. That’s rather commendable, as those four would pretty much double down and try to deflect any blame onto you instead of taking responsibility for their actions. It speaks volumes about your abilities that you managed to get them to stop causing easily avoided disasters and start becoming actual Heroes that are worthy of respect. That was not easy.”

Leon replied, “Yeah, it was no walk in the roses, let me tell you. But after much turmoil and chaos for once we finally got them under one flag. But I take it that’s not all you’re here to talk about?”

Sludge shook his head, “No, we have more to discuss. We’re aware that Wench has aligned herself with that Four Stars Church goon Robert. It’s become very clear to us that she’s an irredeemable monster that doesn’t deserve any mercy. She’s nothing but a shameless traitor at this point. Tell me, do you have any plans on stopping the Four Stars Church from reviving?”

Skye crossed her arms, “We’ve got a few ideas cooked up. And King Duskbane has come up with a pretty clever idea for us to learn Robert’s plans so we can counter them. Unfortunately, we can’t get anywhere near his home base, as it’s in Starmist Valley, with the added bonus of Robert erecting a special barrier that repels any outside attempts to get in. But I wonder why you’re so interested in our plans, Sludge? Especially since you’re a worshiper of the Four Stars Church.”

Sludge held out his hands defensively again, “Woah, easy, Skye. We’re not up to anything, I promise. We’re not going to aid the enemy. We’re done with the Four Stars Church, especially after they tried that coup on all the world leaders. We just want to know if there are any plans in stopping them before they cause any more damage. But it’s obvious you still don’t trust us, Skye. What will it take for us to regain your trust?”

She replied, “All I’m going to say is that we have some plans brewing, but we need more info first. And yes, I still don’t trust you, Sludge. Not after everything you did. While I can see you’re working hard at reforming like you promised that still isn’t enough to convince me to accept you again.” She then gained an idea, smirking, “But I may know of a way for you to regain my trust and possibly earn the title of ‘father’ once again.”

Sludge looked hopeful, “Really? Please, tell me, Skye!”

She gained a devious smirk, “Well, since Celtic and I are engaged, if you and mother give him and me your blessings to get married, then I may consider it. We’ll get married whether you give us your blessings or not, but it might earn you a spot at our wedding as well as regain the title of ‘father’ you so cherish.”

Sludge looked surprised at this information, “Y-You and the Shroud Hero are engaged? How? When?”

Zuzu replied, “They’ve been engaged for a little while now, roughly before the Chaos Chimera incident. It’s an interesting story how the two of them became fiancées but they are an engaged couple nevertheless.”

The three Light Elves were stunned at this news, looking back and forth between Celtic and Skye.

Skye smirked, “So, what’s it gonna be?”

Jade replied, “Skye, Prince Celtic, I hereby give you my blessings to get married. Seeing how Prince Celtic has taken such good care of you, Skye, I see no reason in objecting to it.”

Tyroe asked, “Just like that, huh?”

She nodded, “Yes. I did swear that if I ever got out of Infinator’s clutches alive I’d do anything and everything I could to support the Shroud Hero. If giving him my blessings will do just that, then so be it.”

Everyone turned to Sludge, who was clearly struggling at the thought. However, after a moment of mentally debating it, he took a deep breath and turned to the duo.

“Skye, Prince Celtic, I hereby give you my blessings to get married,” he said.

Everyone was stunned that those words escaped Sludge’s mouth. Skye then closed her eyes, seemingly savoring the thought, before opening them and looking at Sludge.

“Thank you… father,” she said in a gentle tone.

Sludge’s eyes went wide, “S-Skye! You’re accepting me as your father again? Really?”

She replied, “Yes, at least for now. If you keep your promise on reforming for the better, accept the Shroud as a real hero, and join us in condemning Wench, then I suppose I can accept you as my father again. But make no mistake. If you slide back into old habits or cause problems for Celtic, then you’re back to where you started with me post-betrayal. So make sure you toe the line from now on and I won’t push the issue.”

Sludge looked like he was ready to cry, “Skye, I’ve waited so long to regain your trust. Every day after I sold you to slavery I lived in regret. I knew I had earned your hatred and you were more than willing to team up with the Shroud Hero in order to get your revenge against our people… and me. But hearing you call me ‘father’ again after everything I did means the world to me. I promise I’ll do things right this time, especially if it means I won’t lose you a second time. Thank you, Skye.”

“Yeah, well, just make sure you do things right this time, as I won’t forgive you a second time if you cause us problems again. Just stay on your current path and I won’t press the issue… father.”

The three Light Elves all bowed, “Thank you so much. We promise to do whatever we have to in order to redeem ourselves.”

Celtic, who had just put away his chests of accessories, said, “We’re counting on that, so don’t muck this up. Come on, team, let’s get some lunch. Afterward we’ll see if there’s any new news to report.”

The Shroud Hero party nodded and started to head toward the restaurant section of the city. The three disgraced Light Elf royals felt great relief knowing they finally earned back Skye’s trust; determined to become better people.

Next Chapter: Refracting Reflections

That's it for now. A bit of a filler chapter but it does offer some character development for the Light Elves. But what will our Heroes face next? Tune in to find out.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)

Refracting Reflections

​

It had been a few days since Kalaraja’s attack on the Heroes. Inside Infinator’s prison the Demon Generals were awaiting their next orders. Kalaraja had since recovered from getting hit by his own Magic Fire, feeling a little depressed that he failed to defeat the Heroes. Eventually the energy vent flared up, showing Infinator’s eyes, causing the Demon Generals to go into a bow.

“It’s time for the final test,” the great demon stated. “Caym and Sylph will proceed to Delgunner’s capital and attack the Heroes. This battle will give me all the information I need on the power and abilities of my three newest Demon Generals. That’ll help me determine where you belong in my ranks. So far Seth and Kalaraja have proven their skills against the Heroes and I’m quite pleased. However, I won’t give my final verdict until I see Caym in action. Caym, are you ready to fight?”

Caym bowed, “Yes, Master Infinator. I’m ready to deploy at any time.”

“Good. Bronwen, are the modifications to the Monster Generator complete yet?”

Bronwen sighed, “Not quite, Master, as I’m still ironing out a few problems. It still works, don’t get me wrong, but I have yet to finish the modifications to it that’ll allow us to summon Demon Realm monsters, as they’re taking longer than expected. We can still use the Monster Generator like normal, but it isn’t ready to summon Demon Realm denizens just yet. Until then, the only way we can summon Demon Realm monsters is through Kalaraja’s powers. It’ll be ready soon, Master Infinator, it’ll just take a bit more time to complete.”

Infinator replied, “Very well, Bronwen. At least we can still use it like normally so we’re not without our monster armies. Make sure you get those modifications complete soon, as I want to have the ability to summon monsters from the Demon Realm alongside our usual minions. In the meantime, like before, Sylph will remain on standby in case things get hairy, so makes sure to pull out of the fight the moment Caym is in danger of being destroyed.”

Sylph nodded, “No worries, Master, I’m prepared to do what is needed in order to protect our allies.”

“Good. I’m counting on that, Sylph. You and Caym will begin your attack as soon as Bronwen maps out what monsters will work alongside your abilities. When that’s done it’s time to give the Heroes yet another knock on their front doors.”

It was the following morning. The Hero faction had just enjoyed a nice breakfast. Celtic was now donning his newly upgraded armor. Its general appearance was largely the same but everyone could see and feel the strong aura it emitted.

“Sheesh, that Danial guy does good work, as your armor looks like it could take on Infinator himself,” Eric said.

Celtic replied, “Let’s hope so. This Chaos Magic Armor +2, or as I prefer to call it Chaos Magic Armor Beta, is substantially stronger than it’s original form, and that version was already pretty good. It also now has the ability to survive even in the Demon Realm without fear of things like miasmas and powerful energies that flow around the realm from harming it. That’s largely thanks to the extra Dark Matter and Crimzonite that was installed into it. Plus the auto-repair feature has been boosted. Danial calls it his best work to date and I can believe it.”

Jerry said, “I’ll say. Maybe we should start asking Danial for armor upgrades, seeing how his work is pretty solid.”

Lucas asked, “How much did it cost?”

Skye replied, “Because Celtic provided the materials Danial gave us a discount. It came to 12 gold and 180 silver, which is a fair price for such a powerful upgrade on an already made-to-order item. If you four ever do decide on going to him for new equipment you won’t be disappointed.”

A female Shadow Sentinel then appeared, stating, “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve just got word that Sylph and that Prism Demon are heading this way. We’re willing to be this is the final test that Infinator needs to determine if those three new demons are worthy of being his Generals. Regardless, you’re needed on the frontline right away.”

Ryan replied, “So, we face off against the final new Demon General. Let’s shatter him like the chunk of crystal he is.”

Gram nodded, “Agreed. Let’s get going.”

Celtic turned to Skye, “You know the drill, Skye. Use Warp to get us to the front gates pronto.”

Skye nodded, “You got it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s front gates. Like before there were several soldiers, mages, and archers ready for battle, all of whom looked relieved to see the Heroes. The Heroes took their position in the front of the army, ready to face their newest foe. It wasn’t long before the two Demon Generals came into view.

Sylph huffed, “Again they’re ready to fight us. Whatever their intelligence network is they use is pretty good, as we never get here before those Heroes are prepared to fight. Whatever.” She then said in a strong voice, “You know the drill ‘Heroes’. Meet another one of our newest Demon Generals: Caym the Prism Demon. Let’s see if you can break his diamond-hard body before he breaks you to pieces. Caym, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Caym nodded, “Leave it to me, Mistress Sylph.”

As Caym lowered himself to the ground Sylph pulled out the Monster Generator, smirking.

“And, just like always, Caym won’t be fighting alone,” she said. “Oh, and don’t bother trying to take control of these monsters like you tried to with Kalaraja. Bronwen already modified the Monster Generator to repel those strange energies on any monster it summons, so don’t waste your MP on it. Now… Monster Generator, activate! I summon Mud Jellyfish, Rok-Ko Roads, Fire Hammerheads, and Bronze Craggy!”

She activated the device, causing another portal to open up. Out emerged new monsters. Mud Jellyfish looked like their normal version only their glass-like bodies were mud brown with yellow eyes. Rok-Ko Roads were large steel grey boulders with psychotic smirks on their faces. Fire Hammerheads looked just like their Aqua and Volt counterparts, only having green and red bodies, red and yellow “hair”, glowing green eyes, and flaming auras around them. The Bronze Craggy monsters were large bronze-colored golems made of rocks of various sizes, white eyes with tiny pupils, and an underbite mouth with blocky teeth.

Caym stated, “Time to see if you mongrels are as tough as everyone says you are! Monster minions, attack!”

The Mud Jellyfish and Fire Hammerheads started to make their way toward the Heroes and their allies by floating. The Rok-Ko Roads slowly rolled forward while the Bronze Craggy monsters remained rooted to where they landed upon summoning. Celtic got in front of everyone.

“While I know this won’t block the Fire Hammerheads’ attacks for long, it’ll at least keep us safe from the more energy and elemental based attacks,” he said. “Meteor Barrier!”

The barrier of Holy energy was erected and firmly surrounded the Hero faction. The Mud Jellyfish started to charge up energy before launching Mud Wave attacks. These attacks slammed into the Meteor Barrier but were unable to penetrate it, merely washing over it. The Fire Hammerheads moved into position and launched their heads as battering rams against Meteor Barrier, causing cracks to form.

Leon started to charge energy, “I’ll make sure these monsters are washed-up! Torrent Wave!”

He launched a massive tidal wave that swamped the battlefield. The attack effortlessly knocked the Fire Hammerheads and Rok-Ko Roads back, disabling the protective auras of the former and killing some of the latter. The Mud Jellyfish and Bronze Craggy monsters managed to weather the attack better. One of the Bronze Craggy monsters suddenly raised its fist up before hurling it like a missile at the Meteor Barrier. This flying rock punch managed to easily smash the Meteor Barrier to bits, granting the monsters the opening they wanted, as they immediately charged forward. Caym also started to charge energy in his torso now that the barrier was down.

“Have a taste of this, you losers!” he said. “Refractor Beam!”

He fired what looked like beam of refracted light directly at the Heroes. Celtic stood his ground.

“I have more than one trick up my sleeve!” he stated. “Rook Defense and Shield Wall!”

Two giant Rooks appeared and positioned themselves in front of everyone, followed by the floating shields of Shield Wall, which congregated into one large shield. The beam of refracted light struck the Rooks but was unable to damage them, causing the attack to fizzle out. The Fire Hammerheads launched their heads as battering rams again, this time trying to break past the Shield Wall only to be blocked by them, although they did leave some dents in the shields. The Rok-Ko Roads rolled past the defenses and up to the band of warriors before starting to glow.

“They’re about to use Kamikaze!” Viola stated.

“I’ll get them!” Tyroe said. “Rock Tomb!”

He encased all the Rok-Ko Roads inside a prison of rock. The Rok-Ko Roads detonated inside the Rock Tombs, causing them to release light from the cracks followed by smoke. The Rock Tombs crumbled away, revealing the destroyed remains of the Rok-Ko Roads, making everyone sigh in relief. However, this brief moment of relaxation allowed the Bronze Craggy monsters to throw their fists again unopposed. The fists slammed into various spots, mostly the Rooks but also the Shield Wall. The Rooks remained strong and undamaged but the Shield Wall gained significant cracks in its shields, surprising everyone.

Rupert said, “We need to take those Bronze Craggy monsters out before they break out defenses! The problem is they cut all damage they take in half upon contact. The only exception are defense-piercing attacks and abilities, as those will kill them instantly.”

Celtic got an idea and turned to the other Heroes, “You four, you did acquire a skill from the Volt Hammerheads, right?”

Lucas nodded, “Yeah, what are—”

It then dawned upon the Heroes, making them smirk.

“I see what you’re getting at, Celtic,” Jerry grinned.

Celtic nodded, “Good, so let them have it! There are four of you and, coincidentally, four Bronze Craggy monsters. You know what you need to do.”

The quadlet of Heroes nodded before transforming their Gear into new forms.

“Elec Aura Bash!” all four said in unison.

Their respective Legendary Gear fired off a fast-moving Volt Hammerhead that flew past the remaining monsters toward the four Bronze Craggy monsters. These Volt Hammerhead attacks slammed into the four rock monsters, instantly shattering them to bits, followed by the four Heroes gaining electric auras around themselves. This display of power stunned Sylph and Caym. However, Caym regained his composure.

“That was pretty impressive, but you’re still no match for me!” he said. He started to channel energy into his torso before stating, “Let’s see if your auras can block THIS! Prism Panic!”

Everyone braced themselves for the attack. However, to their surprise, Caym fired the attack upward. When it reached a certain point it blew up, creating an energy field that incased everyone. The released energy then solidified into a prism-like state. Everyone looked around warily at this new battlefield. Then, without warning, the prism-like structures fired energy beams from all directions, striking random locations and targets. Even the summoned monsters weren’t safe from this Area-of-Effect attack, as they too were struck by the energy beams, trying to avoid them in their panic. These beams were also able to bypass Celtic’s defensive abilities, since they struck from all angles, forcing everyone to hastily dodge the attacks. Even Sylph had to be alert and not get struck by these energy beams, as she was also inside the prism-like structure. Celtic then gained an idea.

“This’ll stop him!” he said as he started channeling energy. “Shadow Negation!”

He fired the clump of Shadow energy at the top of the prism-like prison. When the Shadow energy struck it, it caused the energy beams to cease immediately, followed by the crystalline structure to shatter, ending the threat of the attack, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew… quick thinking there, Celtic,” Zuzu sighed. “That’ll keep that ability out of our hair for a bit.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, not to mention Shadow Negation knocks the ability out-of-commission until the end of the battle, so we won’t have to see that crazy skill for the rest of the fight.”

Sylph said silently, “For once I’m glad that damn Chaos breed stopped one of our General’s attacks. What was Caym thinking trapping me inside that energy as well? I had a few close shaves from those refracted light beam attacks. Next time I’ll be sure to get as far back as possible before he fires that Prism Panic attack again so I don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

Caym’s eyes narrowed, “You dare stop my beautiful display of power? You go too far, son of the Shadokor. My monster minions and I are still in this! Go, attack him and his army while they are weakened!”

The surviving Fire Hammerheads and Mud Jellyfish started to make their way over toward the Hero faction. The Mud Jellyfish started to channel energy, ready to deploy their Mud Wave attack again.

Skye stated, “Not happening! Eat this! Arctic Blast!”

May, who was a blonde-haired girl in Gram’s party, added, “I’ll help! Icicle Missiles!”

Skye’s spell launched a powerful blizzard of snow and ice that ravaged the remaining Fire Hammerheads and Mud Jellyfish, followed by May’s storm of icicles raining down, tearing the monsters to bits. These attacks also managed to strike Caym and forced Sylph to fly higher to avoid the barrage of icy magic. Caym was now furious at the Hero faction.

“You’ll pay for that!” he spat. He started to generate more energy in his torso, “Light Eruption!”

He launched his attack, causing powerful beams of light to rain down upon the Hero faction. Celtic quickly positioned the damaged but still functional Shield Wall shields into position. The Shield Wall managed to take the attack, negating it, but were destroyed in the process. Caym started to channel even more energy into his torso.

“Oh, you’re gonna get it good, Shroud Hero,” he hissed. “Refractor Beam!”

He fired his attack directly at Celtic, who narrowed his eyes.

“Let’s see if you can handle your own power,” the redhead snarled. “Mirror Shroud! Mirror Force Reflector!”

The Shroud transformed into its Mirror Shroud form. When the beam of light was about to hit Celtic a wall of energy appeared and reflected the attack right back at Caym. The Prism Demon stood his ground.

“That won’t stop me!” he stated.

He took the attack, absorbing it into his body before firing it back at Celtic again. The redhead gritted his teeth.

“Mirror Force Reflector!” he stated.

The wall of energy absorbed the attack before firing it right back at Caym. Skye then noticed Celtic’s expression and realized what he wanted. She immediately started charging up energy. Zuzu quickly put the pieces together and started to channel energy herself.

“I’m all over it, loverboy!” Skye stated. “Magic Sphere!”

“I’ll help!” Zuzu said. “Antimatter Blast!”

Both females fired a ball of condensed Dark energy that flew alongside the reflected attack. The three attacks combined into one, becoming a beam of Light and Dark energies. Caym became alarmed as he saw this fusion.

“Oh no!” he sputtered. “I can reflect Light energy but not Dark energy! If that attack lands I’m done for!”

The combo attack struck the Prism Demon, making him flail in pain as the two energy ravaged his body. Sylph sprang into action.

“You win the battle today, Heroes!” she stated. “But the war is far from over! Teleport!”

She and Caym vanished in a flash of light, ending the battle. Everyone sighed in relief, with some falling to their knees in exhaustion. Ryan and the other Heroes lowered their electric auras that they had gained from their Elec Aura Bash skill, taking a moment to catch their breath.

Eric turned to Skye, “Hey, Skye, how did you know what Celtic was thinking? About mixing a Dark attack with the reflected energy?”

The Light Elf replied, “I told you before, Eric, I’ve come to know Celtic so well that I can understand what he’s thinking from just his facial and body language. So when I saw his expression I realized what I had to do. Fortunately, Zuzu picked up on the plan, too, so she joined in. At least we now know that a Prism Demon can reflect Light energy but not Dark energy. That’s useful knowledge for later.”

Celtic nodded, “Indeed. But time for that later, we have work to do. You all know the drill. Viola, Leon, you two heal anyone who got roughed up by those attacks. Any unhurt soldiers will go check on the Chaos Chimera survivors to ensure that no stray attacks got through to them. The rest of us will clean up this mess, with the Heroes taking any samples of the monsters for new Gear powers. And collect anything of worth from the monster corpses while we’re at it.”

Gram turned to Wendy, “Just like always, you help Miss Viola and Sir Leon with the healing, too, Wendy.”

Everyone nodded and split up to do their assigned tasks. After a good 35 minutes the job was done. Relieved to have sent the Demon Generals packing again, the Heroes and their allies returned to the capital city to report back to King Alvin and rest. They all felt a degree of confidence and pride that they were able to stand up and defeat Infinator’s newest Generals, proving their strength to the forces of evil.

Next Chapter: The Seven Sins Versus the Seven Sinners

That's all for today, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language, as suggestive themes)

The Seven Sins Versus the Seven Sinners

​

It had been a few days since Sylph and Caym had attacked. The Shadokor and Druids were hard at work, seemingly modifying one of the castle towers with a large crystal, with King Duskbane overseeing the work. The construction of this special section in the castle tower confused most everyone, as no one knew why this construction was taking place.

Lucas asked, “Hey, Celtic, any idea why the Shadokor and Druids are working on that strange crystal in one of the towers?”

Celtic shook his head, “No, sorry, I don’t. But I’m betting it’s to help the capital. Considering that our enemies have been trying to bust down our front doors lately, maybe that crystal will produce a barrier that’ll protect the city. Just a guess.”

Ryan nodded, “Yeah, that does sound like the most plausible explanation. Seeing how every Demon General since they were first getting cloned AND the Four Stars Church have been trying to storm the capital it does make sense that King Alvin would want to increase security.”

A voice then said, “That’s pretty much the gist of it, although this is a bit different.”

Everyone turned to see Prince Karl walk up to them.

“Oh, Your Majesty,” Leon said.

Viola asked, “So this construction is to help protect the capital from enemy attacks?”

Karl replied, “Yes and no. As you may know, the Druids have a special barrier that repels outside magic, including teleportation magic, but it doesn’t prevent direct attacks. Father, King Duskbane, and Queen Rease are all working together to create a similar barrier to protect the kingdom. Seeing how enemies like Sylph and Robert know Teleport, along with having used Teleport Crystals, means they could very easily appear in the heart of the city and begin their attacks. The fact that they haven’t done so yet is somewhat surprising. But in any case, Delgunner will soon have a barrier like that in order to protect it. After all, our enemies know that all five of the Heroes are stationed here, thus this kingdom is a massive target. Not to mention Delgunner is the most powerful kingdom in the world, so toppling it would be a massive show of force and could easily cause other nations to panic. As a result, by combining the Shadokor’s technology and the Druids mystical arts we’ll soon have a protective forcefield around the capital that’ll keep us safe.”

Jerry scratched his chin, “So, in short, Delgunner will be protected from magical abilities like teleportation in order to prevent our enemies from just suddenly appearing inside our city walls. But will it protect the city from other attacks?”

“In a similar vein to the Druid’s defensive barrier, it won’t prevent our enemies from just marching in through the front gates, but it will shield us from any and all attacks from the outside,” Karl explained. “The barrier will protect us from all attacks from the outside, but because of the nature of the barrier it won’t prevent people, both friend and foe, from just going in the front gates. That’s because the barrier will be erected 24/7 to ensure our enemies can’t just pop into our city walls via magic. It means the only way in and out is the front gates. However, to ensure that our enemy factions can’t just waltz in via that opening, the Shadokor are building a special energy forcefield that’ll block off the entrance when our enemies make their moves. In short, the main barrier will shield us from all outside attacks and magic while leaving the front gates open, followed by a second forcefield that’ll protect said front gates from direct invasions.”

Celtic pondered for a moment before saying, “So, in simpler terms, the main barrier will keep the enemy from getting in except through the front gates while the second shield being built at said gates will block the only way in and out. A double defensive tactic to ensure that allies can freely come and go while our enemies can’t. Not a bad strategy. It’s not foolproof, but it should do the job for the most part. That does bring up a possible problem we have to keep an eye out for.”

Rupert asked, “And what’s that?”

“Saboteurs. They may try to disguise themselves as knights or merchants so they can enter the city undetected and then use their disguises to sabotage the defenses.”

Zuzu nodded, “Aye, that’s a good point. While Infinator’s faction won’t be able to perform such a task, at least not easily, I can see Robert sending in a Templar Knight under the guise of a Delgunner knight so he can infiltrate the city and shut down the defenses, allowing his faction to attack freely. That’s something to keep in mind.”

Karl nodded, “Yes, excellent point. I’ll make sure Father is aware of that possibility. He’s probably already aware of it being a possible situation, but it never hurts to reinforce the idea for good measure. And I, too, can see Robert pulling that exact maneuver in order to make his final rebellion more effective. Good thinking.”

Just then everyone heard a loud humming noise, followed by a massive barrier forming from the castle tower and encasing the city.

“Looks like the barrier is in place,” Eric observed.

Skye then asked, “Since the barrier blocks teleportation magic from the outside, does it also block it from the inside?”

Karl shook his head, “No, it doesn’t, so you can freely using spells like Warp and Shadow Warp to exit the city if need be. However, you’ll have to go through the front gates upon return. This is to ensure that in case an enemy does get through that we can evacuate any civilians and personnel quickly. The main goal is to keep the enemy out of our city walls, thereby allowing us to plan and retaliate safely. But as Prince Avalar and Miss Zuzu pointed out, it won’t stop possible saboteurs from walking in under a disguise, so we have to remain diligent about stopping such threats. At least with the two defensive barriers in place it’ll prevent our people from getting in the crossfire and allow the Heroes to prioritize stopping the enemy instead of worrying about civilians. It’s not perfect but it will act as a form of defense and deterrent to keep our enemies from just dropping in unexpectedly and force them to approach us directly instead.”

Celtic looked up at the barrier through the window, “It’s a good start, I will say that. If it forces our enemies to come at us directly it will be useful. However, don’t rule out any other tactics our foes may try, as anything could happen. They’ll most likely try anything to get around our defenses and hit us right in the heart of our home base, so be prepared for the worst.”

Meanwhile, in Starmist Valley, a Templar Knight had just finished reporting back to Robert with the latest news.

“So, the Heroes have created a double defense against us?” Robert mused. “I won’t deny that’s a smart move on their part. It means we can only attack them from the front, which they’ll be prepared for. We need to find a way inside so we can shut those defenses down. We also need a way to lure out the Heroes and have them come to us so we can finish them off for good. Especially the Shroud Devil. But even Kei wasn’t enough to topple him. We need a new pawn or pawns to use in our game of chess that’ll match those fiends move-for-move.”

Wench, who was sitting on the desk in a rather saucy position, stated, “I might have an idea, Sir Robert. Have you ever heard of the Nightmare Seven?”

Robert turned to her, “The Nightmare Seven? That infamous group of seven rogue warriors that rampage across the Dark Continent Nyx? The very same continent where Infinator’s prison is if memory serves. Are you suggesting that we recruit them to take on the Shroud Devil party?”

Wench replied, “Recruiting them might be tricky, but considering the fact that those seven rogues relish the idea of defeating impossible-to-beat foes might be a way of tempting them to our side. Considering the Shroud Devil’s track record is near impeccable might be enough of a lure for the Nightmare Seven to go after him and his party. Plus, there are seven of them and seven in the Shroud Devil’s party, himself included, which means it would be an even playing field. And since the Nightmare Seven don’t bother with monster minions would prevent them from falling into the trap that we fell into last time. It might be worth a shot, though we’ll need a good enough reward in order to sway them onto our side.”

Robert pondered for a moment, looking at the Karma Diamond in his hand, before gaining a devious smirk.

“I think I know what prize would be good enough for them,” he said darkly. “And desperate times call for desperate measures. Now, we just need to find them and make our offer.”

What neither of them knew was that a self-cloaking Spy-Bug was sitting on the office’s wall, recording everything that Robert and Wench were plotting.

It was the following day. Robert, Wench, and several Templar Knights were waiting at a certain location. They were on a different continent, having gotten there via Teleport. The land was dark and foreboding, with what looked like bones of various creatures and people scattered about. Robert and his faction were wearing cloaks to hide their identity, not knowing that another self-cloaking Spy-Bug was latched onto one of the cloaks. Soon, they saw something come into view. What looked like a group of seven people started to approach them. The Templar Knights got defensive but Robert gave them a signal to stand down. Eventually the group of seven became level with Robert’s group. They were a very rough-looking group, consisting of six men and one woman, along with one of the men looking like a patchwork cyborg. One of them, a strong yet athletic-looking male wearing sinister blue and black armor over a rather rough-looking tunic and pants, bare feet partly bandaged in gauze tape, red hair, piercing green eyes, and a surprisingly handsome face, was wielding a massive halberd that was bigger than he was.

“So, pretty boy,” the leader scoffed. “You have quite the guts requesting an audience with me, Maleagant, and the Nightmare Seven. Tell me… why? Only the foolish dare strike a deal with us. You do realize that I could easily kill all of you right here and now for wasting our time. So, tell me, what exactly you want?”

Robert steeled his nerves before saying, “I am in the market for the most elite of warriors to take down a very troubling group of pests. Your reputation is legendary, thus I figured you’d be the best possible candidates. If you can rid us of our problem then I will reward you handsomely… along with giving you some payment in advance to sweeten the deal. Are you interested?”

The only woman in the group replied, “Oh? And what are these ‘troubling group of pests’ you speak of, Templar. You should know that dealing with us is a risky business, especially if the ‘targets’ you’re asking us to deal with are not worth our time.”

Robert replied, “Oh, this group is very much worth your time. Ever hear of the Legendary Heroes?”

The cyborg-like man replied, “The Legendary Heroes? You’re asking us to go after those clowns?”

“Not quite. The Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes are not the ones I want dealt with. If you deal with them as well then that would be stellar, but they’re not my main targets. I’m referring to the Shroud De—I mean Shroud Hero party.”

Maleagant quirked an eyebrow, “The Shroud Hero party? The only competent Hero out of all of them? He’s the one you want eliminated? Interesting proposal. His status and reputation are higher than even his title suggests, along with his misfit group. So, you want us to kill him and his party? Maybe for once we’ll have a worthy opponent. But what’s in it for us?”

Robert replied, “Kill the Shroud Hero party, and any allies he has if so desired, and I’ll reward you with four of the five Karma Diamonds, the Master Karma Diamond, and Delgunner’s capital is yours to do as you please. After all, they depend on the Shroud Hero a bit too heavily, so by eliminating him and his party will leave the capital vulnerable to invasion. After the Shroud Hero party is dealt with you can freely take over Delgunner’s capital and do what you want with it.”

The woman asked, “Aren’t the Karma Diamonds just a musty old legend?”

Robert presented his Karma Diamond, making the Nightmare Seven’s eyes go wide.

“Not quite,” he said. “This is one of the Karma Diamonds. The Heroes managed to track down and kill all five Karma Beasts and recovered the Karma Diamonds. They then used their magic to effectively reset Infinator’s progress before the Karma Diamonds scattered to the wind. From what I know the Heroes have three Karma Diamonds and the Master Karma Diamond, while I have one, and Infinator holds the last one. This Karma Diamond, along with all the ones the Heroes possess, will be but part of your payment for dealing with them. And we’ve prepared some payment in advance to ensure that you’ll be willing to tackle the Shroud Hero party.”

He then gestured to one of his Templar Knights. The Templar Knight revealed a large sack and placed it in front of the Nightmare Seven. Maleagant opened the sack, revealing several treasures and items. This made the malevolent group smirk.

“Lots of interesting stuff here, Maleagant,” the female said. “We’ve got Teleport Crystals, various Elemental Gems, Star Pieces, some Ivory Dice, a few Magic Crystals, and some Skull Bells. And this is just the first part of our payment. What do you say, Maleagant?”

Maleagant gained a smirk, “I think it’s an adequate start, Melantha. Fine, we accept your proposal. But be warned that if you try to skip out on paying us you’ll pay with your lives.”

Robert nodded, “But of course. Also, before I forget, the Shroud Hero is holding onto the Karma Diamonds and Master Karma Diamond inside his special metal backpack. You cannot destroy that or the Karma Diamonds will be lost. So once he’s dealt with bring it back to me and I’ll safely remove the prizes from it to give to you as part of your payment. I’ll leave the rest to you. Once he and his faction have been eliminated you will get the rest of your reward.”

“Very well, then, but just make sure you keep your end of the deal or we’ll mount your heads on plaques. Nightmare Seven, let us begin preparations to eliminate the Shroud Hero party.”

Nodding, the Nightmare Seven took the sack of treasures and left to begin preparations for their first attack. Wench smirked as she saw the fiendish warriors leave.

“Looks like it worked, Sir Robert,” she said in a hushed voice. “The Shroud Devil and his accursed party won’t know what hit them.”

Robert nodded, “Indeed. Now, let us leave this wasteland and return to base. We’ll leave the rest to the Nightmare Seven. Teleport.”

Robert’s faction vanished from the area, leaving the Nightmare Seven behind to plan their strategy.

It was later that day. King Alvin had gathered all the Heroes and their allies into the throne room. King Duskbane was also present at the meeting. After confirming that everyone was accounted for King Alvin cleared his throat.

“Heroes and allies, we have news regarding Robert’s latest scheme,” he said. “It would appear that Robert is desperate enough in his goal to eliminate our faction that he’s hired the Nightmare Seven to do the job.”

Gram looked alarmed, “The Nightmare Seven!? Robert actually got THEM on his side!?”

Lucas looked confused, “What the deal with this Nightmare Seven?”

Skye explained, “The Nightmare Seven are a band of infamous Level 100 warriors who fight and kill anything and anyone that crosses their paths. Their reputation is legendary, as no force has been strong enough to stop them. They run rampant on the Dark Continent Nyx, butchering anything and anyone they please, searching for treasures and worthy foes. The members of the group are: Melantha, Lance, Galvin, Helbram, Jude, Slader, and their leader Maleagant. They have killed dozens of villages and towns and have even leveled a kingdom or two, all for fun. They live up to their title of Nightmare Seven, as even the problematic continent of Nyx fears them.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Lady Skye is correct. The Nightmare Seven are a major problem. It is fortunate that we got Delgunner’s defenses up and running when we did, as if they attacked us before then this capital could be easily leveled. Even us Shadokor know to avoid dealing with the Nightmare Seven if possible. This is all so Robert can eliminate the Shroud Hero party and anyone else if need be for constantly ruining his plans. As a result we need to exercise caution when dealing with the Nightmare Seven, as they’re not your average bandits or rogues. It’ll take everything you’ve got to force them to retreat, much less kill them. Don’t take anything about them for granted, as they’re not ones to underestimate unless you want to die a painful, agonizing death. They fear nothing and will slaughter everything and anything. Take no chances with them, as they’re a massive threat to this continent and its people.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we cannot allow them to roam freely. I assume you’ve alerted our allies about the Nightmare Seven coming soon?”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, Prince Avalar, we have already informed the other kingdoms about the Nightmare Seven being recruited by Robert and that they’ll soon be upon us. They’re preparing for their arrival as we speak, so they won’t get caught off-guard. It was fortunate that King Duskbane planted multiple Spy-Bugs inside Robert’s base, as this allowed us to get the info about the Nightmare Seven before they could make a move. At least we’re aware that they’re coming and are taking the necessary steps to repel them, although the various nobles do express concern about stopping them. We can only hope we have the power to defeat and kill those seven fiends.”

Suddenly they all heard blasts from outside. A knight ran into the throne room in a panic.

“Y-Your Majesties!” he sputtered. “The Nightmare Seven have begun attacking the barrier from the outside!”

“Well that didn’t take too long…” Celtic grumbled. “Looks like it’s time for us to do our jobs and take down those rogues before they cause any lasting damage. Or before they go after the Chaos Chimera survivors. Skye, use Warp to get us outside pronto!”

Skye nodded, “You got it, loverboy. Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished before reappearing at the front gates, just before the double barrier. Their sudden arrival caused the attacks to stop, allowing the two factions to get a good look at each other.

Maleagant placed his halberd on his shoulder, “So, this is the Hero faction that I’ve heard so much about? I can sense it. The Shroud Hero party is giving off a powerful vibe, one that rivals our own power. The others… not so much. Dispatching the other Heroes won’t take long, but the Shroud Hero party definitely will be more fun.”

Melantha eyed Skye with interest, “Mmm… that Light Elf is quite the babe. I’m actually a bit jealous of her massive melons and near-perfect body. Though the Arachne and Succuryn aren’t too shabby themselves. But the Light Elf is the one I want. She’ll be lots of fun to have my way with before I eventually kill her. But I want to keep her around for a while before then so I can get my fill from her.”

Skye’s ears drooped a bit in disgust, clearly not liking what she was hearing from the only female member of the Nightmare Seven. Celtic noticed this reaction.

“Guess Melantha is a lesbian,” he said silently. “While I know Skye doesn’t mind someone else’s sexuality, as she sees it as their right to choose, it’s clear she doesn’t like it when it’s directed toward her. Given the fact she sees me as her one and only lover it makes sense why she doesn’t want anyone else making moves on her, gender be damned.” He then said aloud, “Let’s send these goons packing! Battle Formation: Gamma 13!”

The Shroud Hero party, the other Heroes, and Gram’s group all took a set battle formation, surprising the Nightmare Seven.

Maleagant smirked, “Well, well, the Shroud Hero actually uses set battle formations? He’s coordinated. That’ll make this battle more interesting. Let’s see if they can stand up to our might. Nightmare Seven, let’s show them our power!”

“Yessir!” the rest of the group stated, all taking their own battle formation and drawing their weapons.

The two factions charged at each other. However, just moments before the Nightmare Seven could strike the Hero faction Celtic sprang into action.

“Meteor Barrier!” he shouted.

The Meteor Barrier formed in front of his group, causing the Nightmare Seven to run head-long into it, stunning them upon impact. This quick maneuver gave the Hero faction the opening they wanted, allowing them to launch a barrage of attacks at the Nightmare Seven, injuring them. The Nightmare Seven soon came to their senses.

“Oof…” a member of the Nightmare Seven, who was wearing red and black armor with a bandana over his balding head, stated. “That was actually rather impressive, as much as I’d hate to admit it.”

Maleagant replied, “Agreed, Helbram. Using a defensive tactic to stun us so his side can get an opening to attack was pretty smart. But let’s see if he can follow it up! Galvin, give me some backup firepower!”

He swung his halberd at the Meteor Barrier, striking it, causing cracks to form. Galvin, the cyborg-like member, pointed his shoulder-mounted cannon and began firing it at the barrier, causing more cracks to form. However, as they tried to attack the barrier, Tyroe was channeling energy.

“Eat this!” the Earth Naga stated. “Quake!”

A massive earthquake erupted underneath the Nightmare Seven, damaging them and knocking them off balance. Celtic quickly lowered the Meteor Barrier to avoid it taking any more damage while also giving the other Heroes a gesture to attack.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas shouted.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric roared.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry yelled.

The four Meteor attacks barreled toward the off-balance Nightmare Seven before striking them, knocking them back. This attack made them pretty angry.

“Looks like we’ll have to deal with you four first,” Maleagant growled. “Slader, Lance, deal with them.”

Slader, who was the largest of the Nightmare Seven, cracked his knuckles, stating, “Once I’m done devouring you four you’ll be nothing but bones!”

Lance, who was the most repulsive-looking member, sneered, “And my poisons will melt what’s left of you away.”

The other four Heroes stood their ground, stating, “Let’s see you try!”

The two Nightmare Seven members charged toward the other Heroes. Slader reared back his armored hand and took a swing at them. They managed to dodge the attack by jumping and doing a roll.

“Machine Gun Thrust!” Lucas stated.

He started to rapidly strike Slader with his Spear in a flurry of thrusts, forcing Slader to shield himself. Ryan started to channel energy.

“Eat this!” he stated. “Shadowalk!”

He vanished in a quick burst of shadows before reappearing and slashing Slader, making the Nightmare Seven member howl in pain before Ryan vanished in shadows again and returned to his original position. Lance started to channel energy.

“Not bad, but let’s see you handle this!” he hissed. “Acid Mist!”

He started to fire an acidic mist from his hands directly at the other Heroes. The four of them quickly dodged the attack. This parry allowed Gram to charge in.

“Have a taste of my Miracle Slash!” he stated, his sword glowing.

He slashed Lance with the shining blade, leaving a sizable gash on his target’s side, making Lance scream in pain.

“That was impressive,” Lance hissed. “But can you hit what you can’t see? Miasma!”

He released a massive burst of poisonous miasma into the area, engulfing the other Heroes and Gram’s group. The four Heroes and Gram’s group started to cough as they inhaled the miasma, becoming poisoned by its effects and feeling their bodies weaken. Slader charged in and swung his massive arms wildly, striking the Heroes and Gram while they were blinded by the Miasma spell. His powerful swing knocked them into the city walls, rendering all of them unconscious, much to the alarm of Gram’s harem. Slader then started to lick his lips.

“Dinner time,” he sneered.

However, before he could do anything, Tyroe swung his Colossus Hammer at him, striking him in the chest and sending him flying. He then swatted Lance with his tail, sending the poison master skyward before both crashed behind the rest of their group in a heap, out cold. The rest of the Nightmare Seven were stunned at this display of strength, unintentionally giving the Shroud Hero party an opening. Skye launched a powerful roundhouse kick at Melantha, striking her in the ribs and sending her flying. She crashed onto the ground, dazed and stunned. Rupert then lashed out with his claw weapons at Maleagant, forcing the Nightmare Seven leader to dodge the attack. Leon quickly loaded up an energy arrow and fired it directly into Galvin’s shoulder cannon. The arrow exploded inside it, badly damaging the cannon and making Galvin roar in pain. Zuzu zipped around quickly before delivering a massive uppercut into Helbram’s stomach, sending him into the air before crashing down. Viola then made swift motions with her hands, encasing everyone except Maleagant in her silk. Maleagant was shocked at how powerful the Shroud Hero party was.

“I never thought I’d say this…” he said. “Nightmare Seven… Retreat!” He pulled out a Teleport Crystal, “Know this, Shroud Hero, we will be back! You will pay for what you’ve done to my Nightmare Seven! Teleport Crystal, activate!”

The Teleport Crystal glowed before causing all the Nightmare Seven members to vanish. The Shroud Hero party took a moment to catch their breath.

“They certainly lived up to their reputation…” Rupert panted.

Celtic nodded, “Indeed, but time for that later, we need to treat Gram and the other Heroes. Leon, Viola, you handle the Heroes. I’ll deal with Gram.”

Nodding, the three healers walked over to the poisoned and unconscious allies. Gram’s harem were desperately trying to awaken him.

Celtic said, “Easy, girls, leave him to me.” He started to channel energy before stating, “Purify.”

Gram was bathed in sparkles that cleansed his body of the poison, causing his face to relax a bit. Celtic then pulled out a tonic from his Tek-Pak. He popped the cork off, placed a drop on his left pointer finger, and gently rubbed it underneath Gram’s nostrils. Within seconds Gram’s eyes snapped open, quickly trying to wipe the stuff off.

“Woo!” he sputtered. “That stuff is strong! What is it?!”

Celtic chuckled lightly, “It’s a tonic Viola taught me to make. It’s made of crushed Healing Herbs, pureed Freckled Figs, powered Fuka Berries, and the crushed seeds of a Bronze Bell Pepper. It’s basically this world’s version of smelling salts, as it’s designed to awaken a knocked out or unconscious person. Just apply a small amount underneath the nostrils and it’ll take it from there.”

Gram continued to rub his nose in an attempt to wipe it off, “Sheesh, that stuff packs a punch. I’m gonna be smelling that stuff for a while. But I am grateful that you revived me. And seeing how I’m not poisoned anymore I’m guessing you healed that as well. Thank you.”

Celtic nodded, putting the cork back on the tonic’s bottle, “Anytime, Gram.”

Suddenly, the other four Heroes shouted, “Woah! That stinks!”

Everyone turned to see the other four Heroes jump up in alarm and try to wipe the same tonic off their faces, with Viola holding the bottle. She and Leon couldn’t help but chuckle at the other Heroes’ frantic attempts to wipe the paste-like tonic away. After a minute of wiping their faces the other Heroes gained depressed expressions.

“Dammit, we got knocked out of the fight again…” Lucas sighed.

“King Alvin won’t be pleased with this…” Eric said in a depressed tone.

Celtic walked up to them, “Not necessarily, you four. You managed to hold your own against the Nightmare Seven, which is no small feat. Sure, you did get knocked out, but the fact that you actually managed to deal some good damage to them to the point they realized you needed to be removed from the fight quickly is a testament of how far you have come.”

Skye nodded, “Cel’s right, you guys. We’re the first group to fight the Nightmare Seven and come out alive. After all, many have faced that group, and all have perished. The fact that even they realized you would be problematic enough to warrant the need to knock you out of the fight as quickly as possible is proof that you four have come a long way since your previous battles. Unlike back when you first faced opponents like Sylph and Alastor, who you did absolutely no meaningful damage to whatsoever, this time you actually took the Nightmare Seven by surprise with how strong you’ve become. They clearly underestimated you and paid a price for it, thereby allowing us to gain the upper hand. Sure, our party did most of the work but the fact that you did fairly substantial damage to them before getting knocked out was something they weren’t expecting. I’m certain King Alvin will let it go this time, as facing the Nightmare Seven is no easy feat.”

The other Heroes looked hopeful at these words.

“Do you really think King Alvin will let us off the hook this time?” Ryan asked.

A voice then said, “He’s already aware of the results and feels that you did well this time, thus doesn’t feel the need to lecture you.”

Everyone turned to see King Duskbane approach them.

“Oh, Your Majesty,” Leon said. “I take it you had Shadow Sentinels watching the fight and they reported the results to King Alvin?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Right on the head, Sir Leon. King Alvin is just grateful that you all survived a fight against the Nightmare Seven, so he’s willing to be reasonable as long as you all came out of it alive. The fact that you all did enough damage to them that even Maleagant felt the need to retreat is more than worthy of praise, as they never run away from a fight. So, don’t worry about King Alvin blowing a gasket on you, as he’s just grateful that you survived the fight, much less forced the Nightmare Seven to retreat. You can rest on your laurels and take pride in the fact that you’re the first ones to fight the Nightmare Seven and win. Now, let’s get you all back into the city so you can rest.

Nodding, the Hero faction entered Delgunner’s capital city, feeling pride and relief at their victory. The civilians praising them for repelling the legendary Nightmare Seven. But they knew that the fight had just begun.

Next Chapter: Gluttony for Battle

That's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see if our Heroes can stop the Nightmare Seven.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains violence, light gore, mild language, and suggestive themes)

Gluttony for Battle

​

It was the following day after the Nightmare Seven made their first attack on the Hero faction. The Heroes were currently mapping out possible plans and locations where the Nightmare Seven would strike next, as they knew the rogue warriors wouldn’t take this loss lying down.

Celtic turned to the group after jotting down some notes, “Okay, I think we’ve got some pretty solid plans right now. They’re not foolproof, but they will limit the damage the Nightmare Seven can do. Too bad King Alvin couldn’t help us with this, as he’s a known strategic genius, but he’s got more important tasks to work on. Now, we just need to know where the Nightmare Seven are and where they’ll strike next.”

Skye replied, “They probably retreated back to Nyx, at least for now, so we can’t pursue them. And it’s probably better we don’t, as Nyx is a dangerous place. Not only because of the Nightmare Seven, but it’s also the location where Infinator was sealed away: thus his energies tends to attract and enhance several monsters nearby. Nyx is probably Zakota’s version of the Demon Realm, albeit it’s just one continent compared to an entire realm, but it's still a very dangerous location. Shame we can’t bug the Nightmare Seven with a self-cloaking Spy-Bug so we’d know when and where they’ll strike next, but they’d probably be too smart for that.”

Ryan asked, “Why is this Dark Continent of Nyx so dangerous? What’s it like?”

Viola turned to him, “Nyx is a very hostile wasteland with very few settlements. It was ravaged after the Great Demon War and became a breeding ground for various strong monsters and nasty bandits. The Nightmare Seven are but one example of a malicious group that was formed on that continent. As a result of both the Great Demon War and Infinator getting sealed away there, the landscape became basically a nightmarish badland filled with some of the most dangerous monsters on the planet. And since the Nightmare Seven leveled several settlements, even a kingdom or two, it’s likely that anyone who survived their assaults was either killed by the monsters or fled to other continents. So the landscape is probably in even worse shape now. Only the hardiest of people can survive Nyx, as it’s basically a no-man’s land now, and even then survival on that continent is a daily task. Trust us, it’s not a place you want to go. Even the Demon Realm could be considered more hospitable than Nyx.”

“Yeesh, that definitely sounds like no picnic,” Jerry said. “And it’s because of the Great Demon War that Nyx turned out the way it did? No wonder you all call it ‘the Dark Continent’, as it sounds like everyone’s worst nightmare.”

Gram nodded, “Yes, sadly, that’s true. Considering the Nightmare Seven pretty much turned it into their own domain by overthrowing the only few kingdoms that exist on that deadly wasteland, it’s safe to say you don’t want to mess around on Nyx. However, it’s possible that we may have to eventually take our battles to Infinator’s front door to finish him off. Thus we may have to travel to Nyx in order to do so.”

Eric shivered, “That doesn’t sound pleasant. But it’s our jobs as Heroes to ensure that slime like Infinator, the Four Stars Church, and the Nightmare Seven are stomped out for good. Hopefully by defeating the Nightmare Seven we can demoralize the Four Stars Church faction, as Robert was willing to use the Nightmare Seven as a last-ditch strategy, at least according to what the Spy-Bugs recorded.”

Leon replied, “While the Nightmare Seven aren’t Robert’s last strategy, as he’ll still stage a massive rebellion when the time comes, they are a desperate attempt to get rid of us. All of Robert’s plans up to this point have failed miserably, thus it’ll start taking a toll on his psyche, which means he’ll become even more dangerous. But, just like you said, defeating the Nightmare Seven will probably demoralize his faction, as the Nightmare Seven’s reputation is legendary. The fact we were able to repel them and even force them to retreat yesterday is a real testament of our power and skill. That alone won’t sit well with Robert. We just need keep at it and we’ll eventually eliminate our enemies.”

Rupert nodded, “Indeed, Leon, and that’s why we need to be ready to take out the Nightmare Seven. The fact that us all were able to repel them yesterday is a testament of our skill. That alone was considered an impossible feat, as the Nightmare Seven never run from battle, but we succeeded in the task. They won’t take this defeat lying down, that’s for sure, not with their egos. As long as we remain diligent and not let the Nightmare Seven, or any foe, intimidate us, then we will prevail in time.”

Just then a male Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “Pardon my sudden arrival, but the Nightmare Seven are on the move. They have been located near the outskirts of the village of Shaori. We don’t know why they’re there but we can assume it’s because Shaori is a small village, thus would be considered easy prey, along with the fact it is a vital part of Gorgodos Kingdom’s trade routes. You are requested to mobilize right away in order to protect the village.”

Celtic nodded, “Okay, looks like it’s time to rescue Chief Ringo and his Viking-like villagers from the Nightmare Seven. If everyone is ready to go I’ll get us there.”

Everyone nodded, stating, “We’re good.”

“Fine. Here we go. Shadow Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished in black portals. They reappeared in Shaori Village, much to the surprise and relief of the villagers. Chief Ringo ran up to them.

“Oh, thank the Gods you lot are here!” he said. “We got wind from our sentries that the legendary Nightmare Seven are heading this way from the southwest. I never thought the Nightmare Seven would ever come to our land. Do you know why?”

Skye replied, “We’ll explain more later, but the short answer is that one of our enemies recruited them in a desperate bid to kill us. Leave them to us, as we managed to make them retreat from battle just yesterday, so we already know their strength and how to beat them.”

Celtic then stated, “Make sure none of your people get in the crossfire. We’ll try to keep the Nightmare Seven from entering the village so they won’t kill anyone. Now, with that, let’s move out, Heroes!”

Everyone nodded and quickly made their way to the southwest. It wasn’t long before they spotted the Nightmare Seven, who were just at the rim of the village’s boarder. Both faction’s eyes narrowed as they saw each other.

Maleagant growled, “So, you ‘Heroes’ are here to save the day? Not happening. You’ll pay for what you did to us yesterday. No one makes a monkey out of the Nightmare Seven. It’s time we paid you back for that. Nightmare Seven, begin the attack!”

The Nightmare Seven charged in, weapons held high, ready to crush the Hero faction. Celtic gained an idea.

“Not if we cage you goons first!” he stated. “Bone Prison!”

Several spherical cages made from bones formed around each of the Nightmare Seven, trapping them inside, much to their surprise. However, Slader opened his mouth and bit down on his Bone Prison. To the Hero faction’s surprise, he managed to quickly bite through the bones that locked him up and forced his way out of the Bone Prison, shattering the remains in the process.

He laughed, “You think a feeble cage of bones like that would stop me? I’ve eaten things with stronger bones than that! Be it humans, monsters, and even demons, I’ve eaten them all! Yes, once I’m done with you, I’ll devour the flesh off of your bones, leaving nothing behind! You are about to become Hero sandwiches!”

Tyroe gained a disgusted look, “You’ve eaten people as well as monsters? You disgusting fiend! How could you cannibalize your own kind!? What kind of human would do such a despicable thing!?”

Slader huffed, “That’s rich, coming from a Naga. You’ve probably devoured people yourself. You have no right to call me out. Besides, what’s the difference? Eating meat is part of nature, so why shouldn’t I eat the meat of anything I want? You Nagas aren’t any different, devouring any prey you want. What gives you the right to lecture me? I’m surprised: you haven’t eaten your so-called ‘friends’, and why they are willing to trust a man-eater like you.”

Tyroe was now livid, giving off a dangerous aura around him and clutching his warhammer tightly.

“You DARE compare me to you?!” the Earth Naga hissed dangerously. “I’ve never eaten a person in my entire life! I could never end a person’s life for such a reason! No matter how hungry I would be, I would never sink to those levels! It’s the very reason why I’m an outcast among my fellow Nagas. While, yes, Nagas will prey upon people as well as other food sources, they do it for survival. You, on the other hand, clearly do so for pleasure! And I would NEVER betray the best friends I could ever have, no matter my hunger! Comparing you to me is like comparing Mind Apples to Dusk Oranges! We’re nothing alike, so don’t you DARE try to pull that card on me, you disgusting swine!”

Slader roared, “Then maybe I SHOULD EAT YOU!!!”

He charged toward the Earth Naga. Tyroe gave his warhammer a powerful swing, forcing Slader to dodge. However, this gave the Earth Naga an opening and he swatted the Nightmare Seven member with his tail. Both glared at each other with hateful expressions.

Lucas asked timidly, “S-Should we stop them?”

Zuzu replied bluntly, “And get in the middle of that? Nooooo way. Rather, we need to find an opening before getting involved. Tyroe may be one of the nicest guys you can meet, but it’s clear Slader hit a nerve on him. No, we’d best wait a bit until we can jump in. At least the other Nightmare Seven members can’t get out of their cages just yet, so we have some time to work with.”

Slader charged Tyroe again, armored fists raised up. Tyroe leapt into the air, did a flip, and slammed his tail down upon the largest Nightmare Seven member, flattening him. However, he then howled in pain, revealing that Slader had took the opportunity to bite the Earth Naga’s tail. Now furious, Tyroe started to slam his tail on the ground repeatedly, trying to pry off Slader while simultaneously injuring him, but the Nightmare Seven member held on strong. Tyroe furiously started to flail his tail around wildly, bashing it against the ground, causing the earth to shake with each strike.

Celtic gritted his teeth, “I think I know of a way to get Slader off Tyroe’s tail. I’m not going to like it in the slightest, but it has to be done.”

Steeling his nerves he charged in. When Tyroe slammed the now badly injured Slader on the ground near Celtic the Shroud Hero jumped onto the Nightmare Seven member’s back. He gained a repulsed look before opening his mouth and biting down on Slader’s neck. Slader screamed in pain, finally letting go of Tyroe, causing both to crash to the side. But Celtic wasn’t finished yet. To everyone’s horror they could see a purplish gunk leaking out of his fangs and into the bite wounds, making Slader’s eyes widen. He roughly grabbed Celtic and managed to pry the Shroud Hero off before throwing him against a large boulder. Celtic managed to shake the impact off but gained a satisfied look.

“Too late, you brute,” he sneered. “I’ve already injected you with my fatal venom. As a Shadokor I naturally have poison glands in my gums, so I can either inject it through a bite or combine it with my saliva to create an adhesive poisonous acid. You’re just minutes away from death, as Shadokor poison only has one cure and I have no intention of purifying you.”

Slader could feel the fast-acting venom start to go through his system. He gained a hateful expression as he stomped over toward Celtic.

“You little worm!” he snarled. “Your venom may kill me, but I intend to take you down with me!”

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Slader quickly turned around only to see a furious Tyroe swing his warhammer at his head with such force it cleanly decapitated him, crushing his skull in the process. The rest of the Nightmare Seven went wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the sight of Tyroe killing Slader. Tyroe then turned his attention to the other Nightmare Seven, his eyes showing hatred, and slowly started to slither toward them, making the remaining murderous warriors go pale.

“Melantha, get us out of here!” Helbram sputtered.

“R-R-Right!” Melantha choked. “W-Warp!”

The remaining Nightmare Seven vanished, leaving behind their Bone Prisons. Tyroe stopped and started to take some calming breaths, trying to come down from his anger. Celtic stood up and dusted himself off.

“We’re not quite done yet,” he said. “Zuzu, grab Slader’s skull and we’ll burn his remains with Wrath Fire. Leon, you then cast your exorcism spell to make sure Slader is gone for good. Normally we should use a Soulavore but your exorcism spell will work just as well.”

Nodding, Zuzu reached over and grabbed Slader’s crushed head and tossed it next to his decapitated body. Both she and Celtic then slammed their palms down on the ground.

“Wrath Fire!” both shouted.

Slader’s remains were engulfed in the cursed flames of Wrath Fire. It didn’t take long before his body was burned away to nothing, leaving a scorched section where it once was. Leon began charging energy.

“This’ll take care of what’s left of Slader,” he said. “Exorcism Eraser!”

He launched his spell, causing a sacred circle to form in the scorched area, followed by it releasing a pillar of light. Not long after the group could see Slader’s soul appear inside the sacred circle. His soul screamed in agony before it shattered to nothingness, causing the spell to end.

“There, it’s done,” the Templar Knight said. “Slader’s soul has been erased. Not to mention the sacred circle purified the area where Celtic and Zuzu used Wrath Fire, so any grass and vegetation that was affected by it can now regrow. It might take a little bit but it’ll be back to normal soon enough.”

Viola then scuttled over to Tyroe and looked at his tail, wincing a bit, “Yeesh, that’s a nasty bite mark, big guy. Let me take care of that.” She started to channel energy before saying, “Restore.”

The wound was engulfed in sparkles, causing it to rapidly heal and close up. When the effect ended it looked like Tyroe was never bitten. Viola then took out some gauze bandages from her backpack.

“Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to cover up where the wound was with this special Druid-crafted bandages. It’ll ensure that there will be no lasting damage, along with preventing any scars from possibly forming, and cleanse it of any other problems. It’s probably not necessary, but it never hurts.”

Tyroe nodded, “I’m all for that, Viola. Do what you think is necessary, as you’re the medical expert of the group.”

The Arachne nodded and started to wrap the section of Tyroe’s tail in the special bandages. After about a minute she was finished, placing the rest of the bandages in her backpack.

“There, it’s done,” she said. “Keep that stuff on for a full day just to be sure, but you’ll make a full recovery regardless.”

Ryan said, “I’ve never seen Tyroe that angry before. He can be pretty frightening when angered.”

Rupert nodded, “Yeah. Tyroe is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, but it’s obvious that Slader hit a sore spot on him. Like Slader said, Nagas do prey upon people, which is why they’re feared, though they don’t do it often. Tyroe has never eaten a person in his life, thus he was outcasted from his fellow Nagas as a result. But that’s one of the things that makes Tyroe great. He has too much heart, thus he’ll respond to such acts of terror and tyranny accordingly. He rarely gets angry, as he’s very much a gentle giant, but as you saw today, when he does get angry, watch out.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, but the fact that Slader tried to pull a not-so-different stunt on Tyroe clearly set him off. Tyroe takes great pride in not eating people, and he would never do such a deed even if he was desperate for food. Hell, even demons may cannibalize each other, but that’s for survival. But Slader clearly eats whomever and whatever he wanted for his sick pleasure. That’s where the two are very different. It’s safe to say that Tyroe’s insecurity about his species’ eating habits does affect him, but that’s why we’re happy to have him as part of the team. He’s a great guy and would never sink to such levels like Slader did for any reason. But hopefully this display of aggression has shown the Nightmare Seven, and any of our other enemies, that even someone as nice and gentle as Tyroe is one to fear if pushed hard enough.”

Tyroe bowed gratefully, “I thank all of you for your kind words. What Slader did is something I’d never do, no matter how hungry I’d be. I appreciate the fact that all of you still support me even after what had just happened. I admit my Naga heritage has its pros and cons, and there is a stereotype surrounding my species that doesn’t help matters, but I’m grateful you don’t judge me because of that.”

Celtic replied, “But of course, Tyroe. You’re one of us. And you’re proving that Nagas can be good people, too, especially under the right circumstances. There’s a reason why past Shroud Heroes tried to promote peace and equality for all species, as each and every one of us can offer something different and unique. And that’s one reason why we’re happy to have you as one of us.”

Tyroe bowed again, “Thank you, that means so much to me. It makes me so happy to know I have good friends who don’t discriminate against me. I may not be the smartest but I at least understand the difference between right and wrong. So, thank you for everything.”

Celtic nodded, “Sure, Tyroe. Now, let’s get back to Shaori Village to let them know we chased off the Nightmare Seven… or should I say Nightmare Six now. First, let me get rid of the now-empty Bone Prisons and we’ll head back. Also, remind me to wash my mouth out and brush my teeth a good five or six times when we get back, as that goon tasted terrible. He tasted like a combo of jet fuel, burning tires, and Betty’s broccoli casserole. Blegh!”

With a wave of his hand the remaining Bone Prisons vanished. The Hero faction then retraced their steps back to the heart of Shaori Village. The seagoing men and women cheered as the Hero faction approached.

Chief Ringo stepped up, “Well done, Heroes and friends! We’re aware you not only repelled the Nightmare Seven but even killed Slader. That is no small feat. We are very grateful for your help. As such, we have prepared a reward for you.”

He then gave a whistle, which caused two burly men to walk up, pushing large carts full of various foods. Celtic gained a crooked smile.

“Various meats and seafood,” he said. “What a surprise. Still, it is appreciated.”

Skye took a moment to examine the goods before saying, “This batch is not one to take lightly, Cel. We’ve got some pretty rare and interesting goodies here. Stuff like Black Lamb Shanks, Cherry Loaches, Iceberg Salmon, Silver Monster Milk, Deepwater Barracuda, Lyra Hen Eggs, Icefield Duck Breasts, Black Fin Tunas, Starbolt Roasts, Emerald Lobsters, Scruffy Urchins, and even a few Divine Barandy and Tundra Snakeheads. The latter two are extremely rare and have some very, very potent effects.”

Jerry asked, “What’s so special about Divine Barandy and Tundra Snakeheads?”

Zuzu replied, “Well, for starters, both offer some good stat boosts, along with other effects like curing status ailments and increasing resistance to status effects. But the biggest takeaway is the fact that both increase your maximum lifespan. Divine Barandy increase your lifespan by a full six months while Tundra Snakeheads increase your lifespan by two full years. They’re incredibly rare and many people covet them, along with other similar food items like Stardust Prime Roasts and Dark Water Whalefish, for those properties. I’m surprised you were able to find such rare delicacies, Ringo.”

Chief Ringo gave a hearty laugh, “We managed to find a location near some of the ice-covered waterways where Tundra Snakeheads spawn. It was purely by chance, but thanks to that we now know where to look for them. We must’ve caught a good five to six dozen Tundra Snakeheads, at the very least, as we know that Tundra Snakeheads spawn twice a year: late summer and early winter. So, with that knowledge, we can fish for Tundra Snakeheads during those timeframes, just after they spawn. King O’Connell will be very eager to hear that we found a location where Tundra Snakeheads gather, as they’re worth quite a lot of coin. As for the Divine Barandy, we’ve known a while now where they tend to gather for, but they’re pretty picky eaters, so getting the right bait and/or lures wasn’t easy. But we have learned what bait and lures they like so we can fish for them more readily as well. Take these with our regards, as protecting our village from the legendary Nightmare Seven is something we cannot thank you for enough.”

Celtic looked the items over, musing, “So stuff like Tundra Snakeheads increase your lifespan? That’s rather interesting.”

Skye smiled, “Considering you sacrificed part of your lifespan to save me from the abyss of death means that these rare treats could give you a few extra years to make up for the ones you lost.”

He turned to her, “Skye, you know full well that I consider that sacrifice well worth it. I need you to be my main pillar of support, as without you I would’ve most definitely crossed the point of no return early on. It was the least I could do for everything you’ve done for me. Especially since you’re willing to love me, warts and all. Anyway, still if these foods are considered that valuable, then we accept your offer, Chief Ringo.”

Gram asked, “You are going to share those goodies with us, right, Sir Celtic?”

The redhead nodded, “Of course, Gram, no need to worry about that. You deserve your fair share of any treats. Hopefully I can find a few recipes for these new items so we can all enjoy a nice, rare treat. Let me just put them away for now and we’ll take it from there.”

He took off his Tek-Pak, scanned and digitized the two carts full of various foods, before strapping it back on.

“Okay, with everything said and done it’s time to report back. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

The Light Elf smiled, “You got it, loverboy. See you around, Chief Ringo. Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished from the village, leaving the happy and relieved villagers of Shaori behind. They reappeared at Delgunner’s front gates. The two knights stationed there lowered the barrier between the two gateposts, allowing them to enter, with the same guard giving Zuzu another flirtatious wave, which she ignored.

Meanwhile, back on Nyx, Maleagant was fuming at the loss of one of their teammates.

“Damn that Hero group!” he spat. “Damn them to hell! How dare they kill off Slader! They’ll pay dearly for that! Mark my words, Shroud Hero, you and your little band will pay!”

Next Chapter: Toxic Sloth

That's it for today. Looks like it's become a battle of good vs evil counterparts. What will this bring to the table? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, violence)

Toxic Sloth

​

It had been a couple of days since the Hero faction killed Slader and saved Shaori Village. King Alvin was most pleased with the Heroes and their allies for killing one of the Nightmare Seven, sending their enemies a strong message in the process and strengthening the confidence of the ally nations. However, they all knew it was a matter of time before the remaining Nightmare Seven would make their next move.

Meanwhile, in a rundown castle on Nyx, the Nightmare Seven were planning out their next move. Maleagant was still fuming at the loss of Slader, muttering under his breath as he and the remaining Nightmare Seven members plotted.

Lance gave a loud yawn, “I’m tired of planning. Let’s just terrorize a village or something and let those ‘Heroes’ come to us. That way we won’t have to map out any strategies.”

Helbram gave him an annoyed look, “Look, just because you’re too lazy to make plans doesn’t mean we should just go gung-ho on the Hero faction. The fact that they could kill Slader, one of our own, is cause for alarm, as very few can actually hurt our team, much less actually kill someone. They’re not normal enemies; they’re much smarter and stronger than they appear. Hell, even those other Heroes and that knight with his harem were deceptively stronger than they appeared. No, we need to plan out a strategy that’ll give us the edge over them.”

Maleagant nodded, “Helbram is right. We underestimated them and paid a price for it. We need to get down a better strategy if we want to kill them and avenge Slader. While he was the weakest of us, that doesn’t excuse the fact that he was still killed by an Earth Naga with a lower Level than him. No, we need to get a solid battle strategy down before we charge into things again, as they’re not normal enemies like the losers we’ve faced before.”

Lance yawned again, “Whatever, I still think we should simply terrorize a village to draw them out; and kill them when they decide to be ‘the good guys’ and rescue the village.”

Galvin huffed, “Normally that would work, but not this time. They’re not dumb like past goons who have challenged us. I can see why that pretty boy Templar wanted them eliminated, as they’re a lot tougher and smarter than they appear.”

Melantha asked, “By the way, Galvin, how’s your repairs going?”

“Fine. Jude has nearly finished fixing my cannon. That damn Templar Knight’s arrow did a number to it. But it’ll be operational very soon. When it is, I’m going to return the favor to that white-haired pretty boy archer.”

Maleagant stated, “Enough talk, let’s continue our plans.”

Eventually night had fallen. The remaining Nightmare Seven were asleep. However, one started to stir. Lance got out of bed and gave a yawn.

“All that stupid planning did us no good,” he muttered. “I’m going to prove that simply attacking a village will do the job. Now… where is that sack with the Teleport Crystals.”

He snuck out of his room and entered a larger part of the rundown castle. After a bit of searching he found the sack that Robert and his faction had given them. He rummaged through it before extracting a Teleport Crystal.

“Yeah, this’ll do. My poisons will deal with those pests. Sorry, Maleagant, but I’ll show you that overly complex plans won’t win battles. Now… what should be my target?” He took a moment to think before gaining a smirk, “Ah, I know where to strike. There’s a small fort-like area near Delgunner’s walls. I think there were some people there. Since it’s right at their front door it’ll be a good opportunity to show the power of us Nightmare Seven. Teleport Crystal, activate!”

The Teleport Crystal glowed before Lance vanished from the room. However, he actions did not go unnoticed.

A Shadow Sentinel appeared in the Shroud Hero party guest room and gently shook Celtic awake.

“What’s going on…?” the redhead asked groggily.

“Forgive me, sire,” the Shadow Sentinel said in a bow. “But one of the Nightmare Seven is going to attack the Chaos Chimera survivors. Lance, who is an expert on poisons and Poison magic, is planning to use his deadly toxins to harm the Chaos Chimera survivors in a bid to kill our faction. You need to get prepared right away.”

Celtic regained his focus before nodding, “Right, we’re on it. Inform everyone else about the situation. We’ll go on ahead to meet this Lance there.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “At once, sire.”

The Shadow Sentinel vanished like a phantom. Celtic quickly got into his armor and awoke his party. While they were a bit unhappy about getting their slumber disturbed they understood why. After quickly getting ready Celtic gave Skye a nod.

“I’m on it,” she said. “Warp!”

The Shroud Hero party vanished before reappearing outside of the city. As soon as they did, the emergency bell from within the watchtower that guarded over the Chaos Chimera survivors started to ring. They could also see what looked like purple smog forming from the area. The seven warriors quickly ran over to the fortified campsite and opened the gate. Poisonous miasma filled the area, and they could hear Lance laughing. Celtic transformed his arm into Tornado.

“I’ll blow that stuff away!” he stated. “Tornado!”

He fired the powerful tornado from the cyber fan, causing it to swallow up all the miasma and blow it out of the survivor’s camp. When the smog cleared they saw Lance smirking, along with many survivors, and Delgunner knights coughing, now poisoned by the miasma.

“I knew you’d come quickly if I caused a disturbance,” Lance smirked. “I told Maleagant that this was the way to go. But all he wanted to do was plan out battle strategies. If I take you out here and now that’ll prove that mapping out useless plans is inferior to quick and easy attacks. Just like how it’s supposed to be. Let’s see if you mongrels can handle my poisons!” He started to channel energy before stating, “Ooze Cannon!”

He fired a stream of poisonous gunk like a firehose toward the Shroud Hero party. They all quickly dodged the attack before each party member took a defensive pose.

“Your reflexes leave nothing to be desired,” Lance huffed. “But considering my Miasma spell has poisoned all these people, it’s put them on a timer. Can you defeat me before they die from poisoning?”

Viola started to channel energy, “Oh, we’re prepared for that, you slime. Try this on for size! Holy Restoration!”

She cast a powerful spell that struck each and every person in the area except Lance. The powerful healing energies cleansed the poison from everyone’s systems, along with healing them completely, much to Lance’s shock.

“How does a magically challenged creature like an Arachne know Holy Restoration!?” the poison master of the Nightmare Seven sputtered.

Viola tightened her grip on her scythe, “I happen to be very gifted in the art of healing magic and medicine, which is extremely unusual for an Arachne like me. It’s a very rare gift for an Arachne to possess any sort of magic, but it does happen. While I’d much rather spend my time lounging in one of my spider silk hammocks in a shady tree, I know when work calls I have to answer. And I won’t let you hurt these people. They’ve already suffered enough thanks to the Chaos Chimera, thus they don’t need anything else threatening them. I’ll make sure you pay for trying to poison to death these good people in an attempt to draw us out!”

Lance drew several bottles filled with poison, stating, “If you attack me I’ll toss these bottles of highly potent poison at these survivors, which will kill them in minutes. So don’t try it.”

Celtic and Rupert exchanged a grin, much to Lance’s confusion.

“Not if we get those away from you first!” Rupert stated. “Snatch Steal!”

Two ghostly hands emerged from Rupert’s open palms, reached over toward Lance, and retreated back upon stealing something. It was revealed to be the Teleport Crystal and several bottles of poison.

Celtic transformed his arm into Mag-Bolt, “And I’ll get the rest! Mag-Bolt, activate!”

The powerful magnet released its energies, causing the poison bottles from all over Lance’s person, including the ones in his hands, to be magnetized and latch onto the Mag-Bolt. This also caused his backpack to open up and any remaining poison bottles to become stuck to the Mag-Bolt. Lance’s eyes went wide in shock.

Viola then made quick motions with her pedipalp legs, which caused Lance to be lassoed in silk. She then used her pedipalp legs along with sharply turning her body to hurl Lance out of the survivors’ camp, thus removing the threat of harming the displaced civilians. This action allowed the Shroud Hero party to go outside and block the way in the enclosure, with the knights stationed there closing the gates to ensure that Lance couldn’t get back in. Lance managed to melt the Arachne silk with Acid Mist, freeing himself from Viola’s entrapment before standing back up.

“I’m not licked yet, Shroud Hero party,” he hissed. “I can still complete my mission and kill you all right here and now!” He started to channel energy before stating, “Gunk Shot!”

He fired a massive blob of toxic gunk at the Shroud Hero party. Celtic was already channeling energy.

“Not if I can help it!” he stated. “Wood Tower!”

He slammed his normal hand on the ground, causing the giant wooden pillars to form. However, instead of attacking Lance, they instead created a barrier that blocked the Gunk Shot, causing it to splatter against the wooden pillars. The poisonous gunk quickly ate away at the Wood Towers but it still allowed the unopposed Shroud Hero party to counterattack. Zuzu flew into the air and quickly rocketed toward Lance, giving him a powerful uppercut. Viola then made more motions with her pedipalp legs to lasso Lance again before using them to slam him on the ground repeatedly. By this point the other Heroes and Gram’s party had arrived, looking a bit ruffled from their disturbed slumber but ready for battle. Viola hurled Lance into the air, allowing the other Heroes to take aim at him.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan shouted.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric yelled.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry stated.

The four Meteor attacks slammed into the airborne Nightmare Seven member, severely hurting him. Viola then crouched down on her spider legs before giving a massive jump, much to everyone’s surprise, became level with Lance and raising her scythe up.

“Time to end this!” she spat. “This’ll teach you the cost of indulging in the Sin of Sloth and not taking strategy meetings seriously!”

She slashed him with her Hell Reaper Scythe, cutting him cleanly in two, making his eyes widen. This deadly slash also caused his soul to appear, allowing Viola to slash at it with her scythe again, bisecting Lance’s soul, which shattered to nothingness. She then landed gracefully on the ground despite her large size while Lance’s two halves splattered upon impact.

Celtic stated, “Zuzu, let’s burn his remains like we did Slader. While Viola already reaped his soul thanks to the secondary effect of her Hell Reaper Scythe, we need to remove the rest of him as a precaution.”

Zuzu nodded and the two demons gathered up his remains before slamming their palms down on the ground.

“Wrath Fire!” both demons stated.

Lance’s remains were quickly burned away by the cursed flames until there was nothing left. Leon then summoned Holy energy to purify the scorched area and ensure that the negative energies wouldn’t cause any lasting damage. Viola, clearly angry, was breathing heavily, taking a few minutes to calm down.

“You okay, Viola?” Skye asked, concerned.

The Arachne nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine, or I will be, anyway. I’m starting to see a pattern when it comes to us dealing with the Nightmare Seven. It seems that every member of their group can almost be considered an evil counterpart to ours. I mean, both Slader and Tyroe are gluttons, and we know that Tyroe represents Gluttony in our little Seven Deadly Sin-themed party. That means that Slader may also represent Gluttony. And just now with me and Lance, we both seem to represent Sloth: I prefer to lounge about when given the chance and he didn’t take his strategy meetings with Maleagant seriously, thinking a quick and easy plan of attacking innocents would do the job. It almost seems like we’re facing an enemy team that also embodies the Seven Deadly Sins, thus making them both counterparts yet foils to us. Of course I could be overthinking this.”

Celtic shook his head, “No, you’re absolutely right, Viola. I noticed that, too, back when Tyroe and Slader squared off. Glad to see I’m not the only one who considered that as a possibility. It would appear that the Nightmare Seven are basically an evil version of our group. Granted, we’re not traditionally ‘heroic’, as we’re closer to anti-heroes at best, but nevertheless it still seems to be playing out that way. Slader represents Gluttony and Lance represents Sloth, which means the remaining Nightmare Seven members must also represent a different sin. So, if that is the case, then we’re dealing with an enemy that’s both a counterpart while also being a foil of sorts to us. I’m not surprised you also pieced that together, as you’re quite the intelligent Arachne who tends to think outside the box. But, in any case, we’ve defeated another Nightmare Seven member. That’ll rub them the wrong way, that’s for sure. It’s also proving that they’re not as invincible as they thought they were. Our Levels may be lower than theirs but we’ve not only matched them move-for-move but have killed two of them.”

Zuzu nodded, “Aye, that’s true. I started to notice that pattern as well. This does bode well for us, as it means we have the power to topple the Nightmare Seven. While I figure that Maleagant will be the toughest nut to crack, given the fact that he’s their leader, our past two victories will most definitely shake them to their core. Boosting morale to our allies, as well as simply surviving a battle with the Nightmare Seven was considered impossible. We’ve not only done exactly that, but we’ve outright killed and erased two of them from the equation entirely. But we can’t get complacent, as for all we know Slader and Lance could’ve been the weaker members. But, nevertheless, it does inspire confidence that the Nightmare Seven can be permanently defeated.”

Leon gently touched Viola’s clawed hand, smiling, “You did very well today, Viola. You not only ended a Nightmare Seven member but you prevented all those innocent people from getting poisoned to death. It’s times like this I’m proud to call you my girlfriend.”

Viola’s six eyes widened and her entire face gained a massive stain. She turned her head away, trying to hide her blush, clearly flustered by Leon’s statement. Everyone else chuckled lightly at her response. After a moment of recovery she took a deep breath and turned to the gang.

“We’re not completely done yet, gang,” she said. “While my Holy Restoration spell saved all the civilians and knights, we should still check on them to ensure that they’ll be okay.”

Celtic nodded, “Good call, Viola. We should probably have the current set of knights swapped out for the next batch now instead of later. That way the knights that were previously poisoned can rest. Gram, do you think you and your group can go fetch the next batch of knights and tell them to start their shift early due to this attack?”

Gram nodded, “You got it, Sir Celtic. Come on, girls, let’s go find the knights and get them over here now.”

The three women nodded, “Yes, Sir Gram!”

Celtic turned to the other Heroes, “You four also help us with ensuring that the Chaos Chimera survivors are okay. Once the next shift of knights arrive we can head back to bed.”

The other four Heroes nodded, “We’re on it.”

The two groups split up. Gram’s group headed back into the capital to fetch the next batch of knights while the Heroes entered the fortified campsite and started to treat the survivors and knights, ensuring that they were okay. After about 10 minutes Gram returned with the next platoon of knights, allowing the current set to return to the capital to rest. After ensuring that every survivor was tended to, the Hero faction returned to the castle for a rest.

Meanwhile, back at the rundown castle on Nyx, Helbram walked over to a rather livid Maleagant.

“Well?” Maleagant huffed. “What did you find out, Helbram?”

Helbram gave a heavy sigh, “Lance failed spectacularly. His ‘strategy’ to lure out the Heroes by attacking that large campsite of Chaos Chimera survivors bellied up pretty badly. And it turns out that Arachne knows powerful healing magic, thus rendering his entire ‘poison everyone’ tactic null and void. Considering that Arachne are normally magically challenged, it speaks volumes at both her power and how such as weak ‘strategy’ like Lance’s could fail so miserably. He really shouldn’t have slacked off during the strategy meeting we performed and he paid the price for it. Now what?”

Maleagant growled, “Normally I’d be infuriated at that someone actually killed one of our own, but I’m actually more furious at Lance for disobeying our plan in favor of such a pitiful quick and easy strategy. That certainly blew up in his face. Now we’re down by two and the defeat of both Slader and Lance will inspire confidence in the Heroes and their allies that we can be defeated just as easily. I won’t stand for it! We need to map out a new plan now that we’ve lost Lance and his poisons. Damn those Heroes, they’re really mucking up our reputation and making our group seem weak. They’ll pay for that along with killing Slader and Lance. Helbram, do you have any ideas?”

Helbram replied, “I’ve got a few ideas cooked up, but I want to iron out some details first before telling them to you. It shouldn’t take too long, as there’s only a few minor wrinkles in my plans at the time. I’ll inform you and the rest of the gang when everything is set.”

Maleagant nodded, “Do so, Helbram. I’m counting on you to avenge our comrades.”

Next Chapter: Targeting Envy

That's it for now. Looks like the Hero faction is gaining quite a bit of ground against the Nightmare Seven. Will they be able to overcome the murderous group of warriors? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, violence)

Targeting Envy

​

It had been a couple of days since Lance was defeated and killed. Hope was starting to spread across the nations upon learning that two of the Nightmare Seven had been killed by the Shroud Hero party. At the same time, however, the nations were tightening security all over their territories, as they didn’t want to take any chances of the Nightmare Seven infiltrating their settlements.

The Hero faction was discussing possible targets where the remaining Nightmare Seven could strike. They were all in King Alvin’s map room with a large map of the continent laid out in front of them. King Alvin was also present, helping deduce where the Nightmare Seven would strike next.

“Okay, from what you all have told me, the Nightmare Seven have attacked the following locations: Shaori Village, the Chaos Chimera survivor campsite, and our front doors here in Delgunner,” King Alvin said. “Knowing the Nightmare Seven’s past history, they tend to attack areas with large populations of people, such as cities and large towns. This is so they can get the most out of their bloodlust and craving for carnage, among other reasons. Seeing how they targeted Shaori Village means they might try to attack a place that has strong connections to world leaders and/or have access to valuable treasures and materials. Considering that the Nightmare Seven have attacked places like that in the past it makes sense why they’d go after Shaori Village.”

Leon said, “ As a gambler I’m willing to bet that Gorgodos Kingdom might be the next target. They are, after all, the largest economically minded kingdom in the world. And because Shaori Village is part of Gorgodos’ trade routes it makes sense. With that in mind, it makes me wonder if they might try to attack Edinberg, as it’s one of Gorgodos Kingdom’s biggest cities and economical hotspots. As a result it would have access to a bevy of treasures and materials, along with a large population of people for the Nightmare Seven to slaughter. While it is better guarded than Shaori Village, the fact that merchants and travelers come and go from it routinely means it’s a prime choice for the Nightmare Seven to attack.”

Viola nodded, “Yeah, that’s true. But they may also go after Port Habenburg, the port town where Robert scammed the locals with his ‘heroics’ against the Squidadon that he was controlling. They’re also another big economical hotspot, and a lot less guarded compared to Edinberg, so it would make attacking the area easier, especially since they’re down two members. Plus, as one of Gorgodos’ biggest port towns that has connections to many sea-based trade routes, it would also have its fair share of valuables and money. After all, that’s why Robert attacked it in the first place.”

Lucas scratched his chin, “I kinda wonder why the Nightmare Seven would care about valuables and money? It’s not like they would spend it, being criminals and whatnot.”

Zuzu rolled her eyes, “Duh, Lucas! They don’t spend it. They just like to wallow in it. Anything they steal from towns, villages, and cities are just trophies to them to show the world that they’re invincible. It’s not about using it to get anything they want, it’s just a show of their power. Trophies are trophies, no matter what it is, and they like to rub it in the faces of their victims that no one can stand up to them. Until now, that is. But, yeah, they’re not going to spend a coin on anything. They can just steal anything they want and pretty much get away with it, as anyone who faced them prior to us all perished.”

Gram nodded, “Miss Zuzu is right. They don’t care about spending their ill-gotten gains, they just want to use it as trophies in order to strike fear into any possible attempts to stop them. The fact that two of their members were killed by our faction is inspiring hope in our allies that the Nightmare Seven can be dealt with once and for all. We still have quite the battle ahead of us, but since we’ve managed to take out Slader and Lance does bode well for us.”

Lucas gave a sigh, “Right, I should’ve figured that. Sorry.”

King Alvin replied, “It matters not, Lucas. More importantly, we need to figure out where those goons will strike next. And I’m certain that the deaths of Slader and Lance will have reached Robert’s ears by now, too, which will most likely not sit well with him. After all, he ‘hired’ the Nightmare Seven in a desperate bid to stop you Heroes. If he gets wind that we’ve killed two of them it will definitely shake him to his core.”

Suddenly a female Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “Forgive my unannounced arrival, but we’ve just gotten wind that the remaining Nightmare Seven are on the move. Judging by the energies of the Teleport Crystals they’re using; they’re heading toward Port Habenburg. The Heroes are needed right away.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, we figured they might attack Port Habenburg. Looks like we have work to do. If everyone is ready I’ll get us there.”

Everyone quickly gathered up their stuff before stating, “Let’s do it!”

Celtic nodded, “Shadow Warp!”

The Heroes and their allies vanished in black portals, leaving King Alvin and the Shadow Sentinel behind.

“Godspeed to you, Heroes,” King Alvin said. “You must not fail.”

The Hero faction reappeared in the heart of Port Habenburg. People were running in fear as the remaining members of the Nightmare Seven attacked the port town. They soon stopped as they saw the Hero faction, narrowing their eyes as they did.

“So, you ‘Heroes’ have arrived, huh?” Maleagant growled. “We’ll avenge Slader and Lance by killing all of you today. Then nothing will stop us!”

Galvin stepped up, “I want the pretty boy archer all for myself. That damn energy arrow of his did a number to my cannon. It took Jude days to repair it. I want to pay him back for that!”

Maleagant nodded, “Be my guest, Galvin.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed as Galvin gestured him to separate from the rest of the group. The Templar Knight did so with great reluctance until both were in a position to fight one on one. The rest of the Hero faction and the Nightmare Seven charged at each other, eager to fight, while Galvin and Leon glared at each other.

“I’ll show you what happens when you mess with me, pretty boy!” Galvin stated.

He lowered his shoulder-mounted cannon and started to fire it at Leon. The Templar Knight dodged the attack and began firing energy arrows at the cyborg Nightmare Seven member. Galvin gained a hateful expression as Leon continued to dodge his attacks before returning fire.

“You have no idea how I feel, pretty boy!” he spat. “How it feels to be an outsider because of something you can’t control!”

Leon skidded to a stop before saying, “Actually… I do. I do know how it feels to be ostracized for reasons outside of your control.”

Galvin’s eyes widened, “What? That’s impossible! You’re a pretty boy Templar, while I’m a patchwork machine man. You have no idea what that feels like! How envious I am of others who could live normal lives!”

Leon replied, “You’d be surprised, mech boy. I know how it feels to be envious of others because they were treated better than you. My half-brother, the very man who ‘hired’ you and your group, made me feel that way. When I first joined the Four Stars Church Templars I was kicked around like a ball by my half-brother. He blamed me for everything, all because our father was a philanderer who had a fling with another woman, resulting in Robert’s birth. But both she and he were thrown out when my mother had me, resulting in him blaming me for the fact that because I was born I ruined his life. So he made sure to make my life hell when I joined the Templars out of desperation due to losing everything at one point, with only Abbot Joseph shielding me from the worst of it. And it didn’t stop with just Robert. As he was the golden boy of the abbey, the other Templar Knights joined in on the game of follow-the-leader and constantly pushed me down into the dirt. I resorted to drinking, gambling, and womanizing to cope with the bullying. The only reason they kept me around was because I was the best archer in the entire Four Stars Church Templar army. But when Sylph killed Abbot Joseph I lost my only defense against Robert’s full wrath, which he took complete advantage of and tried to kill me. If it wasn’t for Celtic and the others rescuing me I wouldn’t be here today. So I know how it feels to be an outsider, how much the power of Envy hurts. But there is a key difference between you and me.”

Galvin quirked an eyebrow, “Oh? And what’s that, pretty boy?”

“No matter how bad things got, I kept to my morals and fought for what’s right. While the Four Stars Church and its members sank lower and lower in their acts of villainy, I kept my soul intact and made use of my talents to do what a true Templar Knight should do: help the people in need. Unlike you, who sought revenge against the world for ostracizing you, I didn’t follow that path and, with the help of the best friends I could ask for, I became something more. Much more. I take pride in the fact that I’m part of the Shroud Hero party, as the Four Stars Church demonizes the Shroud in their hypocritical ways, while I kept an open mind about it. And I’m glad I did, as joining Celtic’s group turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. So while I know how ugly and painful Envy can be, I didn’t do what you did: travel down the path of tyranny, terror, and evil. And that’s why I’ll prevail over the likes of you! Sacred Arrow!”

He summoned another arrow, channeled Holy energy into it, and fired it directly at Galvin’s cannon. The arrow entered the cannon before detonating, destroying the cannon, making Galvin howl in pain.

“Vulcan Arrow!”

He fired another arrow, which caused several more arrows to form behind it, pummeling Galvin with a barrage of attacks. Galvin’s eyes narrowed angrily.

“You little worm,” he growled. “I’ll tear you limb from limb, pretty boy!”

He started to stomp over toward Leon, his metal claws ready to rip the Templar Knight apart. Leon remained calm while summoning up another energy arrow.

“You’ll find out the hard way that I won’t be intimidated by the likes of you,” he said calmly. “If there is one thing Celtic taught me it’s how to be brave in even the most dire situations. And I’ll show you that right now! Celestial Arrow!”

He fired another Holy energy arrow at Galvin. This one slammed into the cyborg’s right shoulder before detonating, tearing his arm off, making Galvin scream in pain. Leon summoned another arrow.

“A technique so nice I’m gonna use it twice! Celestial Arrow!”

He fired another Holy arrow at Galvin, this time aiming for his legs. The arrow struck Galvin in the left kneecap before exploding, ripping his lower leg apart, causing Galvin to crumple to the ground. The robotic Nightmare Seven member tried to get back up but was struggling immensely. Leon loaded up one more arrow.

“It’s time to end this, Galvin,” he growled. “Supreme Sacred Arrow!”

He channeled a huge amount of Holy energy into this arrow, causing it to grow to a massive size, easily as large and thick as his own arm. He took aim and fired it at Galvin. The arrow flew toward the Nightmare Seven member, who could only look on in horror, before the giant Holy energy arrow pierced right through his body and out the other end, leaving a huge hole in his torso. This was the final strike, as Galvin’s eyes rolled up in their sockets as he crumpled to the ground, dead. The remaining Nightmare Seven were horrified as they saw another one of their own perish at the hands of the Hero faction.

“Dammit to hell!” Maleagant roared. “I’ll make sure you all pay for this! Melantha, get us out of here!”

Melantha, who had just received a kick in the stomach from Skye, replied, “O-On it, boss. Warp!”

The remaining Nightmare Seven vanished, leaving destruction in their wake. The citizens of Port Habenburg slowly emerged from their hiding places, checking to see if it was over, before coming out in droves and cheering.

“Our Heroes!” they cried.

“You saved us from the Nightmare Seven!” others stated.

Celtic replied, “Yes, but we’re not done yet. Zuzu, help me burn Galvin’s remains. Then Leon can use his exorcism spell to ensure Galvin is gone for good.”

Zuzu nodded and the two demons walked over to Galvin’s destroyed remains.

“Wrath Fire!” both stated.

The slammed their palms on the ground, causing the cursed flames to erupt underneath Galvin’s body. The black flames managed to devour the cyborg Nightmare Seven member’s body, even the robotic parts, before leaving a scorched section behind. Leon started to channel energy.

“Leave the clean up to me,” he said. “Exorcism Eraser!”

He fired the spell, causing a sacred circle to form, which emitted a pillar of light. Galvin’s soul appeared within the light, screaming in pain before it shattered to nothingness, causing the spell’s effect to end and the sacred circle vanishing.

“There, it’s done,” Leon said. “Galvin is no more: body, mind, and soul. I can’t help but feel bad for him, as he was also an outsider like I was, but he threw his lot in with the worst kind of people and killed hundreds of innocent lives out of bloodlust and revenge. I guess I shouldn’t feel sorry for him because of that, but I can’t help but feel a tad upset about it.”

Celtic place a hand on Leon’s shoulder, “That’s why you’re a good person, Leon. You’re willing to feel sympathy for someone who also suffered unjustified abuse, just like you did. It’s clear as day you’re the best thing that ever came out of the Four Stars Church. You should be proud of yourself, as you not only soloed and vanquished a Nightmare Seven member, but you proved why you’re better than Galvin was. While I won’t deny that I tend to seek and fight for revenge, thus it’ll probably sound ironic coming from me, but I will say I’m pleased to see you didn’t follow Galvin’s path when you were heavily mistreated by the Four Stars Church. That’s why you’re strong, and why you’re a better person than people like Galvin or Robert. People can learn a lot from you, Leon, so don’t ever lose what makes you great.”

Leon smiled warmly, “Thank you, Celtic, I really appreciate that. I always yearned to find my place in this world, and because of you and the others I finally found it. Part of me wants revenge against Robert for all the crimes he’s committed. I know that’s not the right path to follow, as that’s the very same path Robert has taken. I will make sure he’s brought to justice, no matter what he pulls. As long as I have you, Skye, Rupert, Viola, Tyroe, Zuzu, and all our other friends, guiding me.”

Skye smiled, “That’s what we’re here for, Leon. As long as our group sticks together we can achieve anything. We’ve managed to do so against each and every foe we’ve faced, be it the Demon Generals, the Four Stars Church, and even the Nightmare Seven. Each one of us has a role to play, and we will succeed in our mission to rid Zakota of vile scum like Infinator and the Four Stars Church.”

Mayor Don Ricardo then stepped up, “We thank you for saving us from the Nightmare Seven, noble Shroud Hero party and friends. We cannot express our gratitude enough. First you rid us of that scheming backstabber Robert, now you’ve successfully repelled the Nightmare Seven, even killing one of them. Our port town is very much in your debt. I’ve heard from King O’Connell that it was Robert himself who recruited the Nightmare Seven to do his dirty work. That vile fiend of a Templar Knight. Is there any limit to how low he’ll go in order to achieve his goals?”

Leon sighed, “Unfortunately, no. I know my half-brother well. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, no matter how many lives he has to ruin. Considering I was on the brunt of that for many years I know it all too well. But even he must realize that each Nightmare Seven member we defeat means we’re that much closer to uprooting him once and for all. He must be feeling the pressure that his final plan- -before he utilizes a full-scale rebellion- -is falling apart before his very eyes. He was counting on the Nightmare Seven to win, but we’ve killed three of their members already, proving that the Nightmare Seven aren’t invincible like everyone thought. That’ll take a toll on his psyche, for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if he will soon lose his mind at all these failures, as I know he goes completely ax-crazy when he doesn’t get his way. When that day comes it won’t be pretty.”

Mayor Don Ricardo nodded, “Indeed, but we can rest easy knowing that the Heroes are on the case. Now… I know that the Shroud Hero only does work for rewards, as he does have mouths to feed. Will rewarding you with some of our goods and services be enough? We need the money to repair the damage the Nightmare Seven caused.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, that’s fine. I was actually going to suggest something like that for the very same reason you mentioned. And I know Skye is eager to try out your bakeries.”

Skye giggled, “You know me too well, loverboy.”

Mayor Don Ricardo smiled, “Thank you, noble Heroes and friends. We will prepare some of our goods right away. In the meantime, please, go and enjoy our various commodities, as you deserve it.”

Nodding, the Hero faction decided to explore the town and check out all the good stuff it had to offer. Viola gently embraced Leon from behind, smiling at him.

“You’re a good man, Leon,” she said warmly. “Times like this that remind me why I fell in love with you. Despite your hardships you persevered, even when dealing with your vile half-brother and his follow-the-leader Templars. Just like Celtic said, you’re clearly the best thing to ever come out of the Four Stars Church. You make us proud, Leon. Now, let’s go and have a treat together.”

Leon smiled, “Sure, Viola, sounds good to me.”

The two walked off, hand-in-hand, eager to try out some of the baked goods the town had to offer. The Hero faction felt proud knowing that they had ended another member of the Nightmare Seven. But they knew it was only a matter of time before the remaining members pulled out all the stops to get their revenge.

Next Chapter: Root of Greed

That's it for now. Tune in next time to see the next battle of the Sins.
 
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, violence)

Root of Greed

​

It had been a couple of days since the Hero faction killed Galvin of the Nightmare Seven. The various nations were becoming more and more hopeful that the Nightmare Seven could finally be eliminated once and for all, thus ending their reign of terror. News of the defeats of Slader, Lance, and Galvin had also reached Robert’s ears, much to his horror. As a result of their successes against the Nightmare Seven the Heroes and their allies were becoming more and more beloved.

The Heroes and their allies had gathered in King Alvin’s map room again, trying to figure out where the remaining Nightmare Seven would strike next. King Alvin was also present, jotting down any notes and ideas that the Heroes came up with.

“Okay, so far the Nightmare Seven have attacked Delgunner’s capital city itself, Shaori Village, the Chaos Chimera survivor campsite, and Port Habenburg,” King Alvin said. “Two of those locations were in Delgunner’s territory and two in Gorgodos’ territory. And in three of those battles three Nightmare Seven members were killed by members of the Shroud Hero party. Prince Avalar’s and Viola’s theory about each Nightmare Seven member being effectively ‘evil counterparts’ to the Shroud Hero party makes a lot of sense. Especially since, according to what King Duskbane told me back around the Chaos Chimera incident, the three members of the Nightmare Seven who were killed by a member of the Shroud Hero party have their respective ‘sin’ aligned with each other. And those sins were Gluttony, Sloth, and Envy. This knowledge means that the remaining sins among the Nightmare Seven are Wrath, Lust, Greed, and Pride. This pattern may help us identify a possible target and/or plan the Nightmare Seven will go for next.”

Celtic pondered, “Since we’re dealing with Wrath, Lust, Greed, and Pride, along with the Nightmare Seven’s previous history, they might target a location where there is a fair bit of wealth. Seeing how they targeted both Shaori Village and Port Habenburg, important trade routes, which have access to wealth and resources, they might try to go after another such location. Plus, given the fact that their numbers have been thinned, they may try to attack a place that isn’t very heavily guarded so it’ll be easier to run rampant with less resistance.”

Gram scratched his chin before saying, “You know, I think I have an idea of where they might strike next. There is a Beastman settlement called Fieldclaw that is one of the Flugel Kingdom’s bigger trade routes and partners. If memory serves, Fieldclaw is run by a Beastman noble family that trades various goods, crops, and hunted creatures like Cattkill and Prickleback Boars, thus they’re pretty wealthy. Plus we have a former Beastman noble among us that might be an extra incentive for them to attack, as the del Luxin family, Sir Rupert’s family, once had ties to such locations before a corrupt noble attacked their village. Of course, Sir Rupert knows the story full well, as he was captured and enslaved by that very noble before Sir Celtic and Lady Skye rescued him.”

Rupert’s ears drooped, saying, “Don’t remind me. I’m still worried to death about my parents and siblings, as I hope they were fortunate enough to escape safely. I stayed behind to ensure that my people would get to safety but I cannot help but worry if they’re okay or not.”

Tyroe placed a hand on Rupert’s shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry about it, pal. I’m sure your family got to safety. For all we know they could be the Beastman noble family that’s governing Fieldclaw. And even if they aren’t, I’m sure they’re safe and sound. So chin up, buddy.”

Rupert nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. I have to stay positive and hope that they found a good place to call their own domain. Thanks, I needed that.”

“No problem.”

Suddenly, a female Shadow Sentinel appeared, startling everyone.

“Is there trouble?” Skye asked.

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “At the moment, no, as the Nightmare Seven haven’t left their home base yet. They seem to be busy mapping out a battle plan, at least according to the information we’ve gathered, so they haven’t gone out to terrorize any settlement yet. I’ve actually come on behalf of King Duskbane, as he has a gift for Sir Rupert.”

Rupert’s eyes perked up, “A gift for me? What’s the occasion? Not that I’m complaining but I’m curious to know.”

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “King Duskbane managed to get ahold of a rare item that he wants you to have, Sir Rupert. It’ll help you in the fights ahead.”

She took out what looked like a set of clothes from under her cloak. It consisted of a lightly armored black vest, a dark blue tunic, dark brown pants with armored kneecaps, and sturdy boots.

Viola’s six eyes went wide, “Isn’t that a Burglar’s Garb?! A very rare piece of equipment that not only boosts the user’s defenses, but also Speed and Evasion? Along with the fact that it makes the skill Snatch Steal even more effective? How did King Duskbane get ahold of that?”

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “He managed to get it from a traveling merchant that was from Shadoria Kingdom’s bigger trading towns. He figured it would be a good gift for Sir Rupert, especially since he knows that one of the ‘sins’ of the Nightmare Seven you’re still facing is Greed. Thus, he wanted to give Sir Rupert both an edge in battle and boost his thievery skills.”

Rupert smiled as he took the Burglar’s Garb, “Thank you. This is a very rare treat for me. Tell King Duskbane I’m very grateful for his generosity.”

Celtic nodded, “Indeed. And keep us posted on any information on the Nightmare Seven.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Of course. I will take my leave now.”

She then vanished like a phantom, leaving everyone behind.

King Alvin smiled, “That was good of King Duskbane to give Sir Rupert a nice gift. It’ll certainly help in future battles. Now, let’s get back to work.”

Meanwhile, in the rundown castle on Nyx, the remaining Nightmare Seven were mapping out various plans. Maleagant was still fuming at the loss of three of his members, muttering under his breath as he and his surviving members continued their strategy meet.

Helbram stated, “Okay, with the loss of Slader, Lance, and Galvin, we’ve lost some serious firepower, especially in Galvin’s case. Thus, we no longer have the same level of raw power to tackle bigger targets. I suggest we take a more stealthy approach to our next target. While those ‘Heroes’ will most assuredly try to stop us, this time Jude and I managed to cook up an idea that’ll make it much harder for those ‘Heroes’ to succeed. Jude, I’ll let you take things from here.”

Jude, who looked like a rough bandit with a scarred face, nodded, stating, “Helbram and I managed to concoct a cursed plant seed that we are going to place inside a particular settlement. This plant is a demon plant, one that’ll spread like wildfire in our target, along with creating lesser plant monsters. You may recall an incident a while back where the Spear moron took a cursed alchemy seed from some ruins and placed it in a famine-ravaged village, where it became a monstrous plant demon that nearly strangled the life out of the village. We plan to repeat that idea, only this time it’ll be immune to herbicide, thus it can’t be taken out as easily as the last one was. I’ll be carrying the ‘cure’ for the cursed plant on my person just in case the plant monsters get out of our control. They should obey us without a problem, but we wanted to have a fallback plan, just in case.”

Melantha replied, “That’s a decently good idea, but why this particular settlement? What’s so special about it?”

Jude replied, “It’s one of the Flugel Kingdom’s bigger trade route allies, so it’ll have lots of treasures for us to ‘acquire’. Not to mention Helbram discovered something interesting about the noble family that runs it. One that we can use to our advantage against the Shroud Hero party.”

Maleagant quirked an eyebrow, “Oh? Who is this noble family and why would they have ties to the Shroud Hero party?”

Helbram chuckled darkly, “Turns out that one of the Shroud Hero party members is actually connected to this noble family. He just doesn’t realize it yet. That way we can hold his family hostage and force their hands into our favor.”

Melantha smirked, “I get it. You want to target this party member’s family in order to allow us to play the hostage card and finally uproot those pesky Heroes. I like it.”

Maleagant nodded, “Indeed. I love pulling the holding a relative hostage card. And I take it once we’ve dealt with the Heroes we can freely kill that family?”

Jude grinned darkly, “But of course, boss. That is our way of doing things, after all, so we should always stick to our core principles.”

“Good. And where is this target?”

Helbram smirked, “Fieldclaw, a town of Beastmen. I think you can figure out the rest.”

Maleagant smirked, “Oh, I see what you’re getting at. Good. When do we begin the attack?”

“Tomorrow, as Jude and I need to make some final adjustments to the demon seed to ensure it’ll go on the rampage in the exact way we want.”

“Excellent. Let the carnage begin. I can’t believe our most deadly weapon will be a flower. But, as they say, every rose has its thorns.”

It was the following day. The Hero faction were back in the map room, laying out plans. Rupert was now donning his new Burglar’s Garb outfit, with the outfit modified slightly for his tail. However, it wasn’t long before they’d find out what the Nightmare Seven was planning.

A male Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “Pardon my unannounced arrival, but our sources have detected that the Nightmare Seven are attacking a settlement. The Heroes are needed right away.”

King Alvin’s eyes narrowed, asking, “Where have they struck?”

“Fieldclaw, Your Majesty. They’ve made a connection that our faction just learned of. It turns out that the Beastman noble family has a connection to the Heroes. To be precise… it is Sir Rupert. The Beastman noble family that runs Fieldclaw is none other than the del Luxin family.”

Rupert’s eyes went wide, “M-My family is in charge of Fieldclaw?! How? When?”

“The previous noble of that town was killed by an invasive species of monster from Infinator’s waves. He died protecting his people. However, before he did, he placed the del Luxin family as his second-in-command in case something bad happened. They’ve only been in charge for a short time but the Beastmen in that town have prospered immensely, becoming one of Flugel Kingdom’s bigger trading partners. I was also informed to give you these.”

He took out five bottles of liquid from under his cloak.

“They’re herbicide, as the Nightmare Seven are using a tactic identical to that cursed alchemy seed incident that the Spear Hero caused a while back. They created a demon seed that creates demon plants to rip the town apart. Using the Enhance Potion Shroud combined with the herbicide should do the trick, but the remaining Nightmare Seven members are overseeing the attack. You’re needed right away.”

Celtic took the five bottles of herbicide, placed them in his Tek-Pak, and turned to the group.

“Okay, team, we’ve got work to do,” he said. “We’ve got Beastmen to save, including Rupert’s family, so let’s give the Nightmare Seven hell.”

Everyone gathered up their stuff, stating, “Let’s rock!”

“Shadow Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished in black portals, leaving King Alvin and the Shadow Sentinel behind.

“Good luck, Heroes,” King Alvin said. “May the Gods bless you with victory over the evil Nightmare Seven.”

The Hero faction arrived just outside of Fieldclaw. They could see the massive vines and various plant monsters terrorizing the town, with several types of Beastmen fleeing for safety. The Beastmen then noticed the Hero faction and ran up to them.

“Oh, the Heroes are here!” a mole-like Beastman said, relieved.

“Please, you have to stop the Nightmare Seven from destroying our town!” a dog-like Beastman pleaded.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Leon said.

Ryan nodded, “Yes, leave the Nightmare Seven to us. We’ll uproot those goons.”

Celtic stated, “Keep your wits about you, team, as we don’t know what kind of plant monsters we’re dealing with.”

Gram nodded, “Agreed, Sir Celtic. Let’s hurry, though, as the infrastructure of the town will be destroyed if we don’t stop the Nightmare Seven.”

Nodding in agreement, the Hero faction charged in. Inside the town were several vicious-looking plant monsters. They would spit poison or acid at the Heroes, trying to kill them. Ryan, Skye, Gram, and Eric quickly cut down these foes while Celtic shielded them from the acid or poison with Shield Wall. It wasn’t long before they found the main enemy. A massive tree had grown in the center of the town. It had a single large flower with a rotating eyeball inside it and a fang-filled mouth, along with tentacles squirming around the flower’s base. In its vines were several Beastmen who were unable to escape. Rupert quickly scanned the captured Beastmen to see if he knew anyone.

“Do you recognize any of those Beastmen, Rupert?” Viola asked.

He nodded, “Yes, they’re from my old village; but not my family. I just hope they’re still okay.”

A voice chuckled, “At the moment they are, pussycat, but unless you surrender they won’t be much longer.”

Everyone turned to see the remaining Nightmare Seven members standing on a rooftop. They had sacks of items next to them. The Heroes and their allies glared hatefully at the Nightmare Seven.

“Where is the del Luxin family!?” Skye demanded.

Jude replied, “They’re trapped inside their mansion, but the vines and plant monsters are slowly creeping their way inside. It’s only a matter of time before they’re flushed out of their hiding spot and into our clutches. So, you have a choice: surrender and they’ll be spared, or fight and watch them die.”

Zuzu huffed, “Yeah, right, like we’re gonna believe you’ll spare their lives if we surrender. That’s an empty promise, to say the least.”

Maleagant smirked, “Well, you’ve got us there, Succuryn. No, we’re not going to spare anyone who has been unfortunate enough to get caught in our creation’s grip. But we don’t plan on letting you leave with your lives, either. So, enough talk, let’s get to the good part of us slaughtering you lot!”

The Heroes took a battle-ready pose while the remaining Nightmare Seven members jumped down from the roof to attack.

Skye stated, “Cel, we’ll handle them! You go and use the herbicide that we got alongside your Enhance Potion Shroud to kill that root brute before it does any more damage to the town.”

Celtic nodded, transformed his Shroud into the Enhance Potion Shroud, and quickly ran toward the demon tree. It lashed its vines out at Celtic but they were unable to even slow him down. He got right up to it, popped open one of the herbicide bottles, and poured the liquid onto the tree monster, the Shroud glowing as he did. However, to his surprise, the herbicide did nothing to the plant monster, leaving it completely intact.

Jude laughed, “Nice try, Shroud Hero, but herbicide won’t work on this beastie of a plant. Helbram and I made sure of that. While we didn’t consider your Enhance Potion Shroud, it’s obvious that even that wasn’t good enough to make the herbicide powerful enough to kill it. No, only we know the means of killing it, and we’re not going to give it to you.”

Rupert’s eyes gleamed, saying, “Well, then, maybe we should just simply take it from you! Snatch Steal!”

A ghostly hand emerged from Rupert’s outstretched palm that reached into Jude before retracting back. Rupert opened his fist to reveal a bottle of liquid, much to the Nightmare Seven member’s shock.

“You managed to steal the needed potion to kill the demon plant?!” Jude sputtered. He regained his composure, “Smart thinking, but you’re dealing with a master thief. I’ll just take it back from you with my own Snatch Steal! Snatch Steal!”

A ghostly hand emerged from Jude’s hand as it reached toward Rupert. However, the moment the hand got to Rupert’s body it was deflected, forcing it back to Jude, much to his alarm.

“W-What?! How?! How could you reflect my Snatch Steal?!”

The Beastman grinned, “Simple. I’m wearing the Burglar’s Garb, which not only enhances my ability to use Snatch Steal but prevents the enemy from using the same trick on me. In short, I can use Snatch Steal freely while you can’t touch me with the same technique.” He then tossed the bottle toward Celtic, “Cel, you handle that! Leave Jude to me!”

Celtic caught the bottle, smirking, “Give him hell, my fine, feline friend. Show him that when it comes to skill on both the battlefield and thievery you can’t be beat.”

Maleagant started to race toward Celtic, “Oh, no you don’t! I won’t let you destroy another one of our plans.”

However, he was stopped short by Ryan and Gram standing in his way, making him mad.

“Get out of the way, you insects!”

Ryan stated, “You’re gonna have to move us in order to get to Celtic!”

Gram nodded, “Indeed. I’ll make you pay for hurting one of my kingdom’s allies! En garde!”

Maleagant raised his halberd, growling, “You’re gonna regret getting in my way.”

Ryan and Gram charged in, with Maleagant rushing in as well. The three clashed swords, both sides being equal in force before jumping back. This distraction gave Celtic the opportunity he needed to walk back up to the demon plant, uncorked the bottle, and pour the liquid onto the plant, the Enhance Potion Shroud glowing as he did. This time the demon plant responded to the potion immediately. The eye bulged, the pupil contracted, and veins appeared. It roared in agony as the combination of the potion and Celtic’s Shroud powers ravaged it. The remaining Nightmare Seven could only watch in despair as the demon plant quickly withered and died. It then started to break apart and collapse, tearing itself to bits before crashing to the ground, dead.

“My creation!” Jude wailed.

Suddenly, Rupert stated, “Hey, eyes over here!”

Jude turned only to see Rupert rush right past him, his claw weapons raised before coming to a screeching stop behind the Nightmare Seven member. Everyone halted what they were doing and waited for anything to happen. Jude’s eyes widened in horror before his upper half slid off his lower body, revealing that Rupert had cleaved him in two, before collapsing onto the ground, dead.

Maleagant roared in frustration, “You damn Heroes! You’ll pay for this! Melantha, get us out of here! The mission is a bust!”

Melantha, who just received a kick in the face from Skye, replied in a slightly dazed tone, “Y-Yes, boss… on it… Warp…”

The remaining Nightmare Seven members vanished, leaving behind the wreckage of the demon plant and the sacks of treasures they had gathered. Everyone relaxed as the battle ended.

Celtic walked up to Jude’s body, “We’re not done yet. Zuzu, you know the drill. Leon, you follow it up.”

Zuzu and Leon nodded. Zuzu walked over to Celtic’s side as they looked Jude’s dead body over.

“Wrath Fire!” both demons stated.

The slammed their palms down on the ground, causing the cursed black flames to appear. It didn’t take long before Jude’s body was burned away to nothing. Leon then stepped up.

“I’ve got this last part,” he said. “Exorcism Eraser!”

A sacred circle formed where Jude’s body once was, followed by a pillar of light. Shortly afterward Jude’s soul appeared, screaming in pain before shattering into nothingness, causing the spell to end.

Celtic then noticed that the demon plant had dozens of seeds in its branches, stating, “Those seeds may cause more problems. Let’s gather them up.” He then turned to Rupert, “Except you, Rupert. You go and check on your family to ensure they’re okay. We can handle things here, so go.”

Rupert nodded, “Thanks, pal, I appreciate it. I’ll be back as soon as I find them.”

He dashed off toward the largest mansion in the town. Meanwhile, the rest of the faction started to gather up the seeds, with Celtic using his Mag-Bolt to magnetize several at a time, placing them in large baskets.

Rupert tore the vines off the door of the mansion and pushed it open, stating, “Ma! Pa! Tommy! Kristy! Are you in here? It’s me, Rupert!”

At first there was no response, making Rupert nervous. However, he soon heard the soft sound of footsteps, his hopes increasing. After a minute of waiting a face poked out from behind a wall.

“Son?” the face said. “Is that really you?”

Rupert gained a smile, “Pa, it’s me. My friends and I came here to save you and the other Beastmen. It’s safe to come out now, as we’ve driven out the Nightmare Seven, or what’s left of their group, anyway.”

The Beastman emerged from the shadows, revealing himself to be an almost older version of Rupert, only his fur was starting to go a bit pale. He walked over to Rupert, his eyes starting to gain water.

“Son… it is you,” he said tearfully. “You’ve been alive this whole time. We thought we lost you when you were captured by that racist noble.” He then called back, “Jessie, kids, it’s safe to come out! And Rupert’s back!”

Three more Beastmen emerged from the shadows, one being an adult woman, another being a young teenage son, and the last being a 10-year old daughter. Their eyes widened as they saw Rupert.

“Rupie…” the mother Beastman said. “You’re… you’re alive.”

“Big brother?” the two younger Beastmen asked gingerly. “Is that really you?”

Rupert smiled, “Yes, it’s me. I’ve been worried sick about you all, but I’m glad to see you all escaped that vile noble and found safe haven where he wouldn’t be able to get you.”

Jessie ran over and tearfully hugged Rupert, followed by Tommy and Kristy doing the same. The Beastman family warmly embraced each other, clearly happy to see each other again.

“Oh, Rupie!” Jessie cried. “We’ve been so worried about you! How did you escape that vile noble? Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing?”

Rupert smiled tearfully, “I managed to free myself from that Arthur guy and escape, though not without injury. However, not long after I ran into none other than the Shroud Hero and his only party member. They nursed me back to health and I joined their ranks out of gratitude. I’ve been fighting against Infinator, the Four Stars Church, and now the Nightmare Seven to bring peace to this world. My wonderful friends are all here in this town, helping clean up the mess that the remaining Nightmare Seven members have caused. They said I could see if you were okay instead of helping clean up, as I only just learned today that you all had come here after the attack on our village and became the new lords after the previous one gave his life to protect everyone.”

The four Beastmen wend wide-eyed, clearly shocked at the news.

“Y-You’re working with the Legendary Shroud Hero?!” Rupert’s father asked. “You’re one of his party members?! No way! That’s amazing, Rupert!”

Jessie nodded, “Indeed, Samuel. Looks like the Gods gave you their blessings, allowing you to escape and become a member of the Shroud Hero party. Oh, Rupert, you make me so proud. You’ve become quite the man.”

Tommy asked, “Hey, big brother? Can we meet the Shroud Hero?”

Rupert nodded, “Sure. Hopefully he and the others are done collecting that demon tree’s seeds. But I’ll gladly introduce you to him. Follow me.”

He led his family out of the mansion and back to the town square. There they saw the Heroes and their allies having finished gathering up the seeds from the demon tree. Celtic seemed to be modifying them, as he was donning the Bio Orchid Shroud, while the rest of the group were talking and helping the various Beastmen. Zuzu was the first to notice the del Luxin family.

“Hey, Celtic, Rupert’s back,” she said. “And it appears his family is none worse for the wear.”

Celtic turned to see the del Luxin family approach him, giving a small smile, “Oh, hello. I’m glad to see you lot are all okay. Seeing how the Nightmare Seven purposely targeted this location because of your being Rupert’s family made him quite worried about your safety. Hopefully you’re not too rattled from these events.”

Samuel shook his head, “No, no, we’re okay, nothing more than a few scratches. But… are you really the Shroud Hero? The very Hero that allowed Rupert to join your ranks?”

“Yes, I am. Rupert was my second party member when we first met. He had just escaped that Arthur guy’s grip before Skye and I found him. We nursed him back to health and he’s since been a valuable member of the party. Thanks to him we managed to kill another member of the Nightmare Seven, forcing them to flee empty-handed. Though that doesn’t mean their attack was for naught, as this town has a lot of rebuilding to do.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Shroud Hero,” Jessie said eagerly. “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking care of Rupert. He’s strong, but it’s obvious he’s become much stronger under your guidance. We cannot thank you enough. But… I need to know… what are you doing?”

Celtic turned to the demon tree seeds, stating, “These seeds came from that monstrous creation that Jude and Helbram made. They could very well cause more problems in the long-run, so we gathered them up to ensure they won’t do any more damage. I’m modifying them with some of my Shroud powers to turn them into something more useful. After all, disposing of them would be too dangerous, so I’m instead trying to turn them into plants that can be usable without becoming monsters. I’ve done it before. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve modified cursed plant seeds. I’m almost finished, just give me a minute to make the final adjustments and turn these seeds into something that can benefit people instead of hurting them.”

He continued to modify the seed in his hand using the Shroud. This, in turn, caused the seeds in the baskets to start changing. Eventually, he was finished, with the seeds now having a shape similar to a pale brown, closed tulip bulb.

“Okay, that should do it. Now these seeds will produce a new type of fruit, one that Zakota has never seen before.”

Rupert asked, “What kind of fruit, pal?”

“From the data that the modified seed is telling me, it’ll be a magic-enhancing dragon fruit. A Mana Dragon Fruit if you will. And seeing how, from what my studies have told me, dragon fruit doesn’t exist on this world, it’ll be a new type of crop for the people of Zakota to use.”

“That’s brilliant!” Samuel said, eyes wide. “Would you be willing to give us some? It would make for a good export when it comes to our trading partners.”

Skye walked up, giggled, “You need to know that Celtic doesn’t do things for free. Because of his cynical mindset, he’ll only do work for rewards. So you’re gonna have to strike up a deal with him if you want some of these new Mana Dragon Fruit seeds.”

Jessie turned to Rupert, “Is that true, Rupie?”

Rupert chuckled lightly, “Yeah, sadly it’s true. Cel never does things for free. He does have seven mouths and 12 stomachs to feed, after all, so he needs to keep us afloat. And that’s before factoring in the other Heroes and Gram’s party now. But he’s negotiable, and he never extorts people for his services, so you don’t have to worry about getting your coffers drained.”

Samuel pondered for a moment before saying, “If that’s true, then how about an exchange? We give you some of our tradable food goods in exchange for a basket of that Mana Dragon Fruit seeds? Normally we’d give you money but we need it to repair our town. Is that okay with you?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, that works. I take goods and information as well as money. And I wasn’t going to ask for money anyway. At least not this time, as just as you said, you need it to repair your town. So, let’s work out a deal for a basket of Mana Dragon Fruit seeds.”

After about 10 minutes a deal was made between Celtic and Samuel del Luxin. The rest of the Beastmen looked at the seeds with interest as the two leaders discussed the deal.

“Okay, in exchange for one large basket of Mana Dragon Fruit seeds you’ll give us five pounds of Crimson Turkey Bacon, five pounds of Ground Cattkill, five pounds of Jungle Yams, four containers of Mountain Wheat Pasta, six cloves of Pink Garlic, seven heads of Shadow Lettuce, some Frostbite Rabbits, and several bags of various fruit and vegetable seeds. That works very well, especially since it’ll keep this pack of warriors well-fed.”

Samuel nodded, “You have a deal, Sir Shroud Hero. Thank you.”

Both leaders exchanged a handshake before exchanging the goods. Celtic put all the stuff he had received, along with the remaining baskets of Mana Dragon Fruit seeds, into his Tek-Pak. He then turned to Rupert.

“Rupert, I hate to say it, but it’s time to go,” he said gently.

Rupert nodded, “I know, pal, and I’m ready.” He turned to his family, “Pa, Ma, Tommy, Kristy, I’m off. I still have work to do as a member of the Shroud Hero party. But at least we all know that we’re alive and well.”

Jessie sniffled, “You will return to us one day, won’t you, Rupert?”

“I will. Especially now that I know you’re all alive and safe. But, until then, I need to keep fighting our enemies to ensure that we can all live peaceful lives. At least I know where you live now, so I can always come back to visit whenever I need to. Just stay safe.”

Tommy sniffled, “Come back safely, big brother.”

Kristy whimpered, “Don’t die on us, big brother.”

Rupert gently patted their heads, “I won’t. Not when I’m part of an award-winning team. I’ll be back one day, so hold down the fort until then.”

The del Luxin family exchanged one last group hug before Rupert turned to Celtic, giving him a nod.

“I promise I’ll return Rupert to you alive,” Celtic said. “Now, Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

Skye nodded, “On it, loverboy. See you all again someday. Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished, leaving the Beastmen behind.

Samuel gained a large smile, “It’s good to know that our son is contributing to our world’s safety as a member of the Shroud Hero party. He makes me so proud. So we need to do the same. Everyone, let’s get rid of these accursed vines and get our town back up to speed. Especially now that we have a new item to use as part of our trading services.”

The Beastmen nodded and began working on clearing the withered vines and destroyed remains of the demon tree. They all felt good knowing that one of their own was working alongside the Legendary Heroes, fighting for their futures.

Next Chapter: Flames of Pride

That's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see the next battle of Sins.
 
Last edited:
Time for the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild language, violence, gore)

Flames of Pride

​

It had been a couple of days since the Hero faction saved Fieldclaw and the Beastmen from the Nightmare Seven. The nobles and world leaders were singing their praises, clearly elated to know that the Nightmare Seven had been whittled down to just three members. This feat meant that the eradication of the Nightmare Seven was within reach. Several merchants had also come to learn of the Mana Dragon Fruit seeds that Celtic had created from the remains of the demon plant the Nightmare Seven concocted as part of their plans, wanting to strike deals for some of these new fruit seeds with the Shroud Hero.

Celtic and Skye were out in the city. The duo were in the middle of a sale with some adventurers for some of Celtic’s handcrafted accessories. There was also a merchant waiting in line to make a business deal for some of the Mana Dragon Fruit seeds.

Celtic closed up his pricing book, stating, “Okay, that’s one Raindrop Ring, one Beast Eye Ring, one Dawn Balloon Charm, and one Phoenix Charm. In total that comes to 37 silver and 66 copper.”

The leader of the group, who was a good-looking male swordsman, replied, “You have a deal.”

He paid Celtic the total amount, which the redhead graciously took, before he and his three other party members took their new accessories.

One of them, who was a male archer, said in a flirtatious voice to Skye, “I’ll be seeing you around, baby. Maybe next time I can treat you to something nice.”

Skye placed her palm in his face and pushed him back, saying in an annoyed tone, “Back off, I’m already quite happily engaged. I’m off the market, so don’t bother.”

The third adventurer, who was a male martial artist, said, “Give it up, Joe. Stop hitting on every good-looking girl you see. Besides, if she’s engaged, you don’t want to get her fiancé mad. Whomever he may be.”

Celtic replied bluntly, “You’re looking at her fiancé.”

Joe suddenly went pale as he heard this info before stating hastily, “M-My apologies, Sir Shroud Hero! I’ll back off right away!”

“Good. Now, please keep the line moving, as someone else wants to do business with me.”

The swordsman said, “Come on, team, let’s go. We got ourselves some nice accessories, so let’s get going and finish the rest of our errands.”

The adventurers moved on, allowing the merchant to step up, saying, “Sir Shroud Hero, I’ve heard that you acquired a brand new type of fruit plant seeds. I’m in the market to purchase some of them.”

Celtic replied, “Very well then. I sell them at 100 silver per pound, as these are the first of their kind. How much do you want?”

The merchant replied smoothly, “Maybe I can offer you a trade to get them at a discount? How does a chunk of Gold Ore sound in exchange for a whole basket of them?”

Celtic’s pupils became slits, startling the merchant, growling, “Don’t you dare try that on me. It’s a flat 100 silver a pound, no exceptions, no discounts, no trades. You either take it or leave it. Simple as that. Besides, I’ve got more than enough Gold Ore stashed away in both my Tek-Pak and the Shroud’s inventory, so I have no need for more. You either pay the 100 silver per pound price or you walk away empty-handed. That’s the only offer available for the Mana Dragon Fruit seeds, no exceptions. Got it?”

The merchant gulped as he felt the intense aura around Celtic, replying meekly, “G-Got it. I-I’ll take a pound.”

“Fine, one pound of Mana Dragon Fruit seeds for 100 silver.”

The merchant paid Celtic 100 silver coins, which the redhead took, before measuring out a pound of Mana Dragon Fruit seeds and handing them over to the merchant.

Skye placed her hands akimbo, stating, “There. Was that so difficult? Hopefully you learned not to try to pull the wool over Celtic’s eyes. My future hubby has a demon’s temper: you don’t want to get him mad by trying to con him. And you really don’t want to try it anyway, as he is the prince of both Shadoria and Wichwoode, thus getting on his bad side will result on getting both the Shadokor and Druids on your case. And if there’s one thing we’ve come to know, it’s that King Duskbane takes no prisoners if he feels his nephew is violated. Keep that in mind for next time.”

The merchant nodded, “Y-Yes, ma’am! I-I’ll be off now. T-Thank you!”

The merchant quickly scampered off to avoid the potential wrath of the Shadokor, making Skye giggle.

“Seriously, is paying 100 silver per pound that big of a deal for a unique type of fruit seed?” she said, shaking her head. “Some merchants think they can get away with attempting to cheat you only to learn the hard way you’re not one to provoke. Besides that, we made some good profits today. Though I am surprised we haven’t heard much from the remaining Nightmare Seven members. Maleagant must be furious that four of his teammates are now dead with their souls extinguished. It’s rather surprising that they haven’t made another move yet. Not that I’m complaining but I’d rather they make their move soon so we can get rid of them once and for all.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed, Skye. Plus the fact that Infinator’s been awfully quiet concerns me as well. Is he just letting us fight the Nightmare Seven so he can continue his plans unopposed? Or is he going to make his next move soon and dogpile on top of the Nightmare Seven problem?”

A familiar voice then said, “At the moment, Infinator is planning something big, thus he’s not making any moves out in the open until he gathers what he needs.”

The duo turned to see King Duskbane approach them.

“Oh, Your Majesty!” Skye stated. “So Infinator is planning something big, huh? How do you know if you can’t use Spy-Bugs on him anymore?”

King Duskbane replied, “We have other usable methods to get the dirt on our enemies. I won’t reveal what they are so we can keep Infinator in the dark about it, but let’s just say he and his Demon Generals are planning something big for Nyx. We don’t know exactly what they’re going to do to the Dark Continent, but we know it’s something major.”

Celtic pondered for a moment before saying, “So, Infinator wants to use Nyx for something to further his nefarious plans? I almost dread what it might be. It could even be something to do with the Demon Realm.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yeah, that’s a pretty good theory, my dear nephew. We suspect it might have a connection to the Demon Realm as well, but we don’t know for sure just yet. All we know is that Bronwen is cooking up a massive plan for Infinator to execute, one that’ll affect the entire Dark Continent. As a result, they’re lying low until the plan is in motion, so right now we only have to worry about the Nightmare Seven and the Four Stars Church. But you’d better keep the thought of Infinator on the back burners of your minds in case he starts making his next move. We don’t know exactly what it is, but it’ll be a doozy, that’s for sure.”

Skye gained a worried expression, “That’s not good. We need to find out what Infinator is planning and try to nip it in the bud before it turns Nyx into an absolute nightmare of a land. Well, more than it is now, anyway.”

Suddenly, the rest of the party, the other Heroes, and Gram’s group ran up to them.

“Sorry to interrupt but we’ve got another Nightmare Seven sighting!” Jerry stated.

Celtic quickly packed up his stuff, asking, “Where?”

Eric replied, “They’re attacking the Hibiscus Canal that leads into one of Shadoria’s bigger trade ports. They’ve somehow set the entire canal on fire and closed it off, trapping Port Atmos in the literal river of flames.”

King Duskbane nodded, “You all get going. I’ll head back to Shadoria and have my men get ready to assist Port Atmos and keep them from going up in smoke. See you shortly. Shadow Warp!”

King Duskbane vanished in a black portal.

Celtic nodded, “Right. If we’re ready to go then let’s begin the next mission.”

The others nodded, “Let’s do it!”

“Shadow Warp!”

The Heroes and allies vanished in black portals. They reappeared in the heart of a large port town. They could see the entire canal was on fire, with people scrambling to get out of the way of the flames. The three remaining Nightmare Seven members were standing on top of a building overseeing the panic. They then noticed the Hero faction, jumped down from their perch, and got ready for battle.

“So, you came,” Maleagant growled. “Time to finally get revenge for our fallen comrades. Helbram, you know what to do.”

Helbram nodded, “I’m on it.” He then pulled out a trigger, “All I have to do is push this trigger and this entire port town will go up in flames. Let’s see you try to get it away from me.”

Zuzu quickly rocketed toward Helbram. Before he could react she punched him, knocking the trigger out of his hand. She then caught it and crushed it in her hands, smirking as Helbram’s shocked face.

“That was easy enough,” she taunted. “You think you’re so smart, baldylocks, but that was a very dumb move. You shouldn’t just announce your plan like that, especially when it’s not a foolproof one. Man, you’re dumb.”

Helbram’s eyes flared, “Did you just call me ‘dumb’!? And ‘baldylocks’!? Ooh, I’m gonna enjoy blasting you to bits, Succuryn.” He took out a small cannon and pointed it at her, “Eat this!”

He fired a shot at her, forcing Zuzu to dodge the attack. He kept attacking her with his cannon, not caring where the blasts landed. Zuzu zipped around, dodging the attacks before she quickly rocketed toward him and gave him a heavy uppercut, knocking him into the air. Landing near the river of flames, his cannon sunk below the burning waterway. He glared at Zuzu angrily.

“That was my second favorite cannon!” he spat. “Let’s see you dodge this!” He started to channel energy, “Meteor Storm!”

Meteors started to rain down from the sky, striking randomly. Zuzu dodged the attacks before she started to channel energy.

“Two can play at that game, baldylocks!” she sneered. “Moonshadow Cannon!”

She fired a powerful beam of Dark energy toward Helbram. He dodged the attack, smirking.

“You missed, demon nudist!” he sneered.

Zuzu grinned, “Who said anything about me attacking you?”

It then dawned on Helbram. He looked to where Zuzu had fired her attack and saw the Moonshadow Cannon destroy the blockade that was trapping the flames, causing the trapped waterway to quickly rush out, taking the flames with it. This move had an immediate effect: causing the river of fire to lessen dramatically, with the flames slowly dying out as the waterway channeled it out to sea. He glared hatefully at the Succuryn.

“You deliberately knocked me near the canal so you could get a clean shot at the blockade I made to flood the ignited oils out to sea!?” he growled. “How dare you ruin my perfect plan! You vile nudist wench! You ruined everything!”

Zuzu smirked, “Aww, poor baby. Looks like you’re capable of some form of intelligent thought after all. Now… to end this!”

Before Helbram could react Zuzu bolted toward him, raised up her arm, and slammed it into his chest, her hand coming out the other side, with his beating heart inside her grip. Helbram’s eyes widened in horror before he slumped down over her arm, his heart giving its last beat. As they saw this brutal display, Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry all flinched badly.

“That looks like something straight out of Mortal Kombat…” Eric grimaced.

Ryan turned to him, quirking an eyebrow, “Aren’t you a little young to be playing Mortal Kombat, Eric? It is a ‘Mature’ rated game series, meaning you need to be at least 18 to play it, and you said you’re only 16.”

Jerry gained a wry smile, “Sneaking in some underaged gaming at a friend’s house, perhaps, Eric?”

Eric sputtered, “I-I’ve never played Mortal Kombat! I’ve only heard of it! I mean, who hasn’t heard of Mortal Kombat? Honest!”

The other three Heroes didn’t believe him, judging by their wry smiles, making the Axe Hero more flustered. Celtic rolled his eyes at this gaming conversation in the middle of a battle while still having the focus needed to deflect Melantha’s Fireball spell from Viola. Meanwhile, Zuzu removed her arm from Helbram’s body, causing it to crumple to the ground, before tossing his heart into the waterway.

“There,” she huffed. “A little snack for the Shipwreck Sailfish and Sunny Black Mackerel.”

At the same time Maleagant and Melantha had been knocked back by the Hero faction, allowing them to clearly see the death of Helbram.

“Dammit to hell!” Maleagant roared. “You’ll pay for this! Melantha, get us out of here!”

Melantha nodded, “R-Right, boss! Warp!”

The two remaining Nightmare Seven members vanished, leaving behind a lot of destruction in their wake. Celtic and Leon ran over to Zuzu, who was washing her arm in the canal.

“I know, I know,” she said. “Time to burn the corpse and exorcise the soul. Let’s do it.”

Celtic nodded and the two demons stood around Helbram’s corpse.

“Wrath Fire!” both stated.

They slammed their palms down, casing the cursed black flames to consume Helbram’s body. Before long there was nothing left except a scorched section. Leon stepped up.

“I’ll handle the last step,” he said. “Exorcism Eraser!”

He launched the spell, causing the sacred circle to appear. Not long after Helbram’s soul appeared, screaming, before shattering into nothing, causing the spell to end. Celtic looked out at the canal, which still had a lot of burning oil in it.

“Lucas, Eric, get over here and help Leon and me wash out the rest of this flaming oil!” he instructed.

Lucas and Eric nodded and quickly scampered over. The three Heroes and Leon started to channel energy.

“Hydro Tower!” Lucas shouted.

“Torrent Wave!” both Leon and Eric stated.

“Draining Rain!” Celtic commanded.

The quadlet of Water spells washed over and into the canal, causing the flaming oil to burn out and wash out to sea. After a moment the canal looked clean and pristine as if the attack never happened. The civilians slowly emerged from their hiding spots to ensure the battle was over before erupting into cheers.

“Our Heroes!” they cried happily. “You saved us from the Nightmare Seven!”

Celtic then stated, “The job isn’t quite done yet. Let me put out the fires that those three caused.” He started to channel energy before saying, “Draining Rain!”

A rainstorm formed over the entire town, creating a steady downpour of rain. The rain doused the flames that were left in the town before the spell terminated, leaving only smoke behind. Just then King Duskbane and his ShadoKnights appeared. He looked around before chuckling.

“Too late for the action again,” he sighed with a smile. “At least this time it didn’t result in a death of a loved one or ally. Good work, everyone, you did a fine job in repelling the Nightmare Seven.”

Tyroe nodded, “Yeah, and Zuzu managed to kill Helbram. Looks like her Sin of Pride beat his. So that only leaves Maleagant and Melantha.”

Gram nodded, “Indeed, but they are the strongest of the Nightmare Seven. They won’t go down easy. But, in any case, the fact that we’ve whittled their numbers down to just two is very promising. It’s only a matter of time before they make their last stand. And I bet it’ll be a doozy. They may even try to use monsters summoned by things like Skull Bells to even the odds even though they don’t believe in such tactics normally. But, given how far we’ve pushed them, they may resort to such a maneuver. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures. Who know what they’ll pull out of their hats next?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Excellent point, Sir Gram. They may even force us to come after them on Nyx so they can gain a homefield advantage, seeing how Nyx is a no-man’s land. We’ll just have to wait and see. Anyway, good work, everyone. My ShadoKnights and I will handle the cleanup. You all head back to Delgunner to rest and report to King Alvin. He’ll be most pleased to hear that only two Nightmare Seven members remain.”

Celtic nodded, “Right. Let’s go, team. Skye, if you’d please?”

The Light Elf smiled, “You got it, loverboy. See you later, King Duskbane. Warp!”

The Hero faction vanished, leaving behind the wrecked Port Atmos and the Shadokor soldiers, who quickly went to work on getting the place up and running again. Hopes were high now that the Nightmare Seven were down to just two members, but they knew they’d be the toughest to deal with.

Next Chapter: Dark Lust

That's all for today. Zuzu really brutalized Helbram. But what will happen next? Tune in to find out.
 
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