- Joined
- Dec 23, 2009
- Messages
- 5,308
- Reaction score
- 5,072
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Thread starter
- #21
Here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. (Warning: contains mild violence, mild language)
It had been only a few hours since Celtic and his party had returned to Delgunner. King Alvin was holding an emergency meeting with the Heroes and King Duskbane in his throne room. When he made sure everyone was gathered he cleared his throat.
“The five Legendary Heroes are all present,” he said. “As you may have come to learn, we have a new problem to deal with. Thanks to a Shadow Sentinel and Avalar we now know that Infinator, or rather Sylph, managed to track down one of the original Demon Generals and set her free from her imprisonment. The Demon General in question is General Bronwen, one of Infinator’s original Generals like Sylph. As we learned she had been sealed away by the first generation of Legendary Heroes, sans the Shroud as we had yet to summon the Shadokor at the time, which would’ve also brought the first Shroud Hero at the time. Anyway, General Bronwen is an evolved Wrath Chaos Maiden, the most powerful variant of the Wrath Iron Maiden family of monsters. These monsters have not been seen since she was sealed away, as she’s their ‘boss’, so to speak, thus when she was banished to a pocket dimension they were as well. Now that she’s free and back with Infinator she has released her fellow Wrath Iron Maidens into the world. This is a serious problem, as not only are Wrath Iron Maidens very powerful for their Level, but more intelligent and cunning, along with having the ability to talk. Avalar managed to collect some data on them when he and his party fought a few, and King Duskbane has gathered what he knows to help.”
King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, we have. It’s fortunate that we Shadokor still retain the knowledge on the Wrath Iron Maiden monster family, as they did originate from the Demon Realm. But like you said, this is a serious matter, as the world will be very underequipped to face these powerful creatures. And the fact that Infinator managed to recover one of his original Generals makes this even worse, as Bronwen is a very skilled tactician, easy one of Infinator’s best during the Great Demon War. She may be a bit cocky but she can back that up with skill and power. It took the first generation of Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes, along with their parties, just to seal her away, much less defeat her, proving her skill and power. The fact that she’s back in his ranks means she can use her tactical knowledge to his advantage, as all she needs it even just a scrap of info on her enemies to calculate a good plan to fight back. Thus, she could probably find a way to give us a great deal of problems even without the Karma Diamonds aiding her side. That’s why this is very serious.”
Ryan asked, “How tough are these Wrath Iron Maidens? They can’t be any tougher than the Demon Generals or Karma Beasts.”
King Duskbane explained, “The Wrath Iron Maiden family possesses great durability, which is what gives them their power. They’re more powerful in the defensive side than a Platinum Golem or even an Iron Scale Demon. This combined with their formidable offenses and access to various spells gives them a lot of options to fight off foes. Along with the fact they have at the very least a basic sense of strategy, alongside decent cunning and higher intelligence makes them dangerous foes for the unprepared. Avalar and his party fought some prior to returning here, and from the data they collected it appears that they may be even stronger now than they were 2500 years ago. Don’t take them lightly or you will die a painful death.”
King Alvin nodded, “Indeed. Fortunately, the Wrath Iron Maidens haven’t swarmed the planet en mass yet. They seem to be slowly trickling from their prisons into the world, which gives us a bit of breathing room to start devising a strategy to deal with both them and Bronwen. While our sources indicate that she’s incubating to help recover her strength, as she’s been in a state of suspended animation for quite some time, thus is very weak right now, she will be able to give Infinator her expertise soon enough. So we need to prepare for her brilliant tactics before she gets the drop on us.”
Eric asked, “What about the Karma Diamonds? Should we still be looking for them?”
“Yes, as they could give us extra advantages. Avalar already found one, and we still have the one in Skye’s womb, so that gives us two so far. But that’s not nearly enough to give us any sort of advantage outside of keeping them out of Infinator’s clutches. We still need to find all the Karma Diamonds again to gain another foothold against Infinator and his Generals. But, more importantly, we need all of you to be in prime condition for the upcoming fights. But I worry that you and your parties could fall victim to the Wrath Iron Maidens, as they’re a new, unknown element in the mix now.”
Celtic then thought of something, “Hold on, I’ve got an idea that might come in handy.”
He reached into his Tek-Pak and pulled something out. He then walked to each of his fellow Heroes and placed something in their hands, revealing them to be a type of charm. They were shaped like shields with a silver chain and a red jewel in the center. The Heroes looked at these with confusion.
“What are these?” Jerry asked.
“They’re Guard Barrier Charms that I made,” Celtic replied. “They produce a barrier around you and your parties that protect you from one damaging attack every few minutes, as the gem that powers it needs to recharge briefly after each use. They’re not much but blocking a single hit could mean the difference between life and death. These are some of the leftover charms I made not too long ago, so I’m giving them to you for good measures. The only condition they have is that the Hero, or at least the leader of the party, has to have them in order to protect the whole party. Otherwise they’ll just protect the holder alone. Like I said, they’re not much but it could be the difference needed to survive a possibly fatal hit.”
Lucas looked it over before saying, “Are you sure they work?”
“Then allow me to demonstrate,” the Shroud Hero growled.
He then transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and slashed at Lucas, much to the Spear Hero’s alarm. The charm activated and produced a barrier around Lucas, along with other barriers forming around his party members, blocking the attack, much to his surprise. Celtic then transformed his hand back to normal, gaining a smug grin.
“See?” he said.
Ryan said, “Well, it’s safe to say they work, seeing how you didn’t filet Lucas just now. Thanks, Celtic, these charms may be of some use to us. They’re not much but if you’d taught me one thing it’s that every advantage counts.”
Eric looked the charm over before asking, “You’re not going to ask for money for this, are you?”
Celtic replied, “Normally, yes, but not this time. The situation is a bit too dire to be asking for the normal price I’d sell them for. Consider them a gift. And, before you ask, I also have one, as even with my defenses I’m not taking any unnecessary rolls of the dice.”
He then moved his left arm to pull back part of the Shroud and pointed to his left hip. Dangling on his belt was the same charm as he had given the other Heroes.
“It never hurts to have a little extra insurance when going onto the battlefield with an unknown foe,” he said almost sagely.
King Alvin smiled, “That’s good of you, Avalar. Even if it just blocks one hit that one hit could be the difference between life and death. So, I commend you being so generous to your fellow Heroes and giving them a homemade accessory. And it’s good to know they work well. I thank you for putting the safety of your fellow Heroes into consideration for these upcoming fights.”
Celtic nodded before walking back to his party. The other Heroes continued to look the charms over before pocketing them. King Duskbane then stepped up.
“Now that you all have an extra bit of insurance for the upcoming fights, I suggest you get ready, as we don’t know what we may face soon,” he said. He then turned to King Alvin, “I’ll return to Shadoria to further research both the Wrath Iron Maidens and Bronwen to see if I can find anything extra that might give us an advantage over our new foes. I’ll report back once I find anything of worth. Until then, all of you, be safe. Shadow Warp.”
King Duskbane vanished in a black portal. King Alvin turned to the Heroes.
“Okay then,” he said. “I need you Heroes to start preparing for our new enemies. Don’t take any unnecessary chances. Hopefully that Guard Barrier Charm will give you an extra advantage over Infinator’s forces. You are dismissed for now but be alert for any possible problems or enemies until then.”
Celtic turned to his party, “Come on, team, let’s analyze the data we got from fighting those Wrath Iron Maidens and see if we can find any sort of weakness or flaw that can be exploited.”
The party nodded, “Right!”
One by one the Heroes and their parties left the room to do their own thing. Celtic and his party returned to their guest room to analyze what data they did have. As Celtic pulled up a screen from his Shroud’s menu, showing the various data on the monsters they’ve fought before, he finally found the data on the Wrath Iron Maiden. He and his party started looking over all the stats and data they had, trying to devise a more effective strategy to fight them with.
Meanwhile, in Infinator’s prison, Sylph was tending to one of the fleshy cocoons in the cavern. Inside it was a shadow of a large figure. Then General Akuji walked up to her.
“Mistress Sylph, is that Bronwen?” he asked.
Sylph nodded, “Yes, it is. She’s recovering from her 2500 year suspended animation, as she was in very weak shape when I found her. It’ll be a little bit before she’s back up to speed, but Master Infinator is most pleased to have her back on the team. She’s quite the brilliant strategist and helped us win many battles during the original Great Demon War. And now that she’s released her fellow Wrath Iron Maidens back into an unprepared world, I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Akuji replied, “Having someone with the tactical knowledge she has will be a huge boon for our side. Not saying anything against you, Mistress Sylph, but if Bronwen is as good as you say she is then it’ll give us a much-needed advantage. Shame the Shroud Hero most likely snagged the Karma Diamond before you did, but at least you managed to recover one of our oldest allies.”
Sylph nodded, “Indeed. However, because she was in such sad shape I have stick around here and keep tending to her, along with enhancing her like we did to you and the other Generals. As such, I need you to do me something, Akuji.”
Akuji looked hopeful, “Really? What is it?”
“Alastor and Adelram are of looking for more resources to harvest. I need you to hunt for the Karma Diamonds in my place. We managed to possibly track one down near the village of Shaori, but it’s hard to get a good reading via our tracking device due to the electromagnetic aurora that exists up there. Since I have to tend to Bronwen you’ll have to go in my place. Take the device and see if you can find the Karma Diamond that may have ended up there. And if you have to level Shaori to do it, so be it.”
Akuji saluted, “Yes, ma’am! I’ll get right on it.”
“One more thing,” Sylph added. “Be wary of the Shroud Hero’s Soulavore Shroud, as that could put an end to you in one swoop with its Undead Eat. While we can clone you again, and we do have spares of the detection device, we need that Karma Diamond and try to avoid having anyone obtain the detection device. We don’t want to give our enemies any more advantages then they’ve already gotten.”
Akuji saluted again. The Dullahan Demon General picked up the device, got on his skeleton horse, and road out into the sky, heading toward Shaori Village. This didn’t go unnoticed by the Shadokor.
A short time later Celtic and his party had been gathered up in the throne room again. Ryan and his party were also present, but none of the other Heroes were in the room.
King Alvin stated, “We just got wind that General Akuji has just left his home base and is heading north. Judging by the direction he’s going; he seems to be heading toward Shaori Village. Avalar, you and your party are already familiar with that area, as it was where the Frigid Flame Dragons had taken residence due to a certain incident the other Heroes had caused…” He then gave Ryan a look, making him and his party flinch before saying, “Since the Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes are out on the field, thus are not available, you and the Sword Hero will have to go to that area and try to stop General Akuji from tearing the place apart. We guess he’s after a Karma Diamond. You have to either beat him to the punch in finding the Karma Diamond or take it back from him before he can flee.”
Celtic and Ryan nodded, stating, “On it!”
A male Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “I’ll take you there. The rest will be up to you. Now, if you’re ready, let’s get going.”
Celtic nodded, “We’re ready. Work your shadow magic.”
“Shadow Warp!”
The two parties and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals. They reappeared at Shaori Village, much to the surprise of the people there. Chief Ringo walked up to them.
“Shroud Hero!” he said, surprised. “And I take it this is the Sword Hero, too? What brings you here?”
Celtic explained, “You’re in danger of being attacked by a Demon General. Our sources learned that General Akuji is on his way in this direction. We suspect he’s after one of the Karma Diamonds.”
One of the fishermen sputtered, “The Karma Diamonds are real?! I thought they were just an old fairytale.”
Skye shook her head, “No, we know they’re real, as we had to hunt them down the first time. We even used them to thwart Infinator’s plans to open a dimensional gateway to the Demon Realm before he could do the deed. But, unfortunately, the Karma Diamonds ended up scattering to the wind after we used them. Now we’re in a race to find all five before our enemies do. We’ve, fortunately, gotten ahold of two, but there is a chance that another one landed in this area somewhere. We came here to keep Akuji from tearing the place asunder in his attempt to find it. Have you seen anything unusual lately?”
Chief Ringo replied, “Come to think of it, we did see what looked like a green shooting star crash not far from here. We didn’t check it out as that area is overrun with monsters like Basilisk Leviathans, Splash Krik-Its, Rok-Ko Roads, and Ice Tankors. We’re not strong enough to face monsters like that, but since they never bother us we just leave them alone in return. If you want to get there, just go north from the village, past the farmlands, and through the valley that runs in-between the mountains. Be careful, as it’s quite dangerous.”
Celtic nodded, “Okay, thanks for the tip.” He turned to the Shadow Sentinel, “You remain here and keep watch for Akuji. If he attacks this village while we’re gone fetch us and bring us back here ASAP.”
The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
He then turned to Ryan, “Okay, let’s get going. We need to find that Karma Diamond before Akuji shows up.”
Zuzu looked up in the sky, stating, “Too late for that. I see him and an army of undead minions coming this way. Look!”
They all looked in the direction Zuzu was pointing at. They saw General Akuji riding his skeleton horse in the sky, being followed by many Undead-type monsters. He was heading in the direction of the area where the Karma Diamond was located.
“Dammit!” the redhead hissed. “Okay, new plan. The Shadow Sentinel will Shadow Warp us to that area right now so we don’t have to hike there. We have to either cut Akuji off or take him down before he can find the Karma Diamond. Let’s move out!”
The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Allow me, Your Majesty. Shadow Warp!”
Both parties and the Shadow Sentinel vanished from Shaori. They reappeared in the area that Chief Ringo mentioned. They noticed not only the aforementioned monsters, but also General Akuji and his undead army. They were tearing through the other monsters like they were tissue paper.
“Move out!” Celtic instructed. “We have to cut him off before he finds the Karma Diamond and beats a quick retreat!”
Nodding, both parties charged in, weapons raised, ready to take on the threat. Akuji noticed this presence as he and his army turned to face them.
“Well, well, well, the Shroud and Sword Hero parties are here,” he said. “Minions, keep them occupied. I’ve got more important things to attend to. Attack!”
The Undead monsters charged the two Hero parties, allowing Akuji to move on while they were distracted.
Ryan cut down one of the Cursed Skulls, saying, “We need to thin this horde quickly or that headless henchman will get the Karma Diamond!”
Celtic nodded, “Yeah, and I know just how to do it! Soulavore Shroud!”
The Shroud transformed into the Soulavore Shroud. This action caused the undead army to hesitate, as if knowing what that meant.
“Undead Eat!” Celtic roared.
He closed the front of his Shroud, allowing the two halves of the Soulavore head to connect. This caused its eyes to glow and emerge from the Shroud a bit. It opened its mouth and began to suck in energy like a black hole. The Undead monsters started to convert into energy spheres and got swallowed up by it, much to Ryan’s surprise. This action caused the other Undead monsters to try to retreat, only to get dragged back in by the vacuum of the Soulavore’s mouth. Ryan and his party took the opportunity to strike down the Undead monsters that were trying to escape while Celtic’s Shroud absorbed the rest. After a few minutes the last monster in Akuji’s army had been slayed. In Celtic’s stat vision he saw several energy tanks get filled up from the consumed monsters, along with notifications of item drops being added to his inventory.
“Those item drops will have to wait,” he said. “We need to catch up to Akuji!”
Ryan and his party had already charged ahead, following the path the Demon General had taken. Celtic and his party followed suit. Both parties ignored the other monsters in the area, as they knew that they didn’t have enough time to deal with them. Not long after they reached a lake and standing over the water was Akuji and his horse. In his left hand was the green Karma Diamond, making him quite smug as he saw the two Heroes approach. As they did Skye clutched her lower region as the Karma Diamond in her womb reacted to the one in the Demon General’s hands, causing it to glow, though this went unnoticed by Akuji.
“You’re too late, Shroud Hero and Sword Hero,” he mocked. “I already got the Karma Diamond. You may have dealt with my minions but now that I’ve gotten what I came here for, I can say goodbye to you!”
He pulled out a Teleport Crystal from a pouch on his saddle. But before he could use it Ryan transformed his Sword into a new form.
“Oh, no you don’t!” he stated. “Chain Catcher!”
He swung his Sword downward, releasing a storm of energy chains that ensnared Akuji, preventing him from moving. Rupert then started to channel energy.
“Snatch Steal!” the Beastman shouted.
A ghostly claw emerged from his hand and struck Akuji before retracting back to Rupert. He revealed that he had snatched both the Karma Diamond and the Teleport Crystal, much to Akuji’s alarm.
“Meteor Slash!” Ryan shouted.
He fired the Holy energy air slash at Akuji, this time slicing off one of his arms, causing it to land in the lake, much to Akuji’s shock.
“N-No way!?” he sputtered. “How is that attack so much more powerful now!? Before it couldn’t even dent me!”
Ryan stated, “Simple, I learned about the true power of the Legendary Gear and learned how to strengthen my Sword and its powers even more. Plus my Chain Sword from earlier weakened your defenses. Now, you and the rest of Infinator’s faction won’t make a mockery of me anymore!”
Celtic gained a diabolical grin, “And now, it’s time to put you in your place, Akuji! Undead Eat!”
He closed the Shroud around him again, causing the Soulavore head to emerge from the Shroud. It opened its mouth and started to suck in energy. Akuji and his horse tried to resist, but the chains they were shackled in prevented them from doing so.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” the Demon General wailed.
He and his horse could no longer resist the suction force and were converted into energy spheres and swallowed up by the Soulavore Shroud, causing the jaws of the Soulavore head to close. The “eyes” of the Soulavore gleamed as it gave what sounded like a burp, with Celtic noticing that he had gained a huge amount of Energy Points from Akuji and his horse. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Celtic gave a content sigh before saying, “Great work, everyone. We managed to not only get the Karma Diamond but we also shut down Akuji again. That’ll rub Infinator the wrong way.”
The martial artist woman Ryan’s party members picked something up, “Hey, what’s this?”
Everyone gathered around to see the device she was holding.
“What’s this gizmo?” Tyroe asked.
Celtic then realized something, stating, “This must be how Sylph and her fellow Generals can track things down like the Karma Diamonds. Rupert, place the Karma Diamond near it.”
Rupert nodded and held the Karma Diamond near the device. The device started to ping and showed a dot on a radar-like screen, showing where the Karma Diamond was from its perspective.
“So… this is how the Demon Generals plan to track down the Karma Diamonds,” Viola said. “Akuji must’ve been carrying it before he got gulped by the Soulavore Shroud. This might be important to hang on to.”
Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Let’s take it back to Uncle Duskbane for his advice. Maybe he can use it to learn more about what Infinator has or if it has any other functions.”
Ryan hesitated as he stood near the lake rim. He was eyeing the location where Akuji’s arm sunk into the water, clearly wanting to retrieve it but his fear of water prevented him from going after it. Celtic noticed this.
“I see what you want, Ryan. Give me a moment. I’ll fish it out. Mag-Bolt.”
He transformed his arm into the Mag-Bolt and activated it. This caused the sunken arm to emerge from the water and attach itself to the giant magnet. He then took it off and handed it to Ryan.
“Here you go, Ryan, one Dullahan arm for your Sword. You deserve it for your efforts. Hopefully it gives you something good.”
Ryan nodded, “Thanks, Celtic. That saves me the trouble of potentially drowning just to recover it. Now, let’s see what I get.”
He absorbed the arm into his Sword’s core, creating a new form called the “Dullahan Sword”. He took a moment to look its effects over before putting the Sword back on his back.
“Got anything good?” Rupert asked.
Ryan nodded, “Yes, the Dullahan Sword has a useful ability. Will make fighting my enemies even easier. Plus, it’s extra potent on Undead, according to its data. I also want to collect some samples from the Cursed Skulls and Gold Skeleton Soldiers we fought earlier for new powers.”
Celtic nodded, “Yes, let’s do that. And we might as well take a few samples from the monsters Akuji killed, since it’s essentially free power ups. Then we’ll head back to Shaori to ensure no one got in the crossfire and finally return back to Delgunner. Rupert, I’ll take that Karma Diamond now. And let me have that tracking device, too, so I can give it to Uncle Duskbane for his analysis.”
Rupert graciously handed over the green Karma Diamond to Celtic, followed by the martial artist giving him the tracking device, both of which he put in his Tek-Pak. The two parties retraced their steps to where the battle took place and found a few monster corpses, with Celtic and Ryan taking some samples for their Gear, unlocking new powers. The Shadow Sentinel then appeared.
“Were you successful?” he asked.
Leon nodded, “Yes, we took down Akuji and got the Karma Diamond from him. Let’s head back to Shaori just to ensure no one got hurt and then we’ll head back to Delgunner.”
The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Good. King Alvin and King Duskbane will be most pleased. Allow me. Shadow Warp.”
Both parties vanished and reappeared in Shaori Village. Chief Ringo walked up to them.
“Did everything go okay?” he asked.
Celtic nodded, “Yes, we managed to defeat General Akuji and got the third Karma Diamond. That still leaves two, but at least we completed our mission. We came back to check on you to ensure you didn’t get caught in the crossfire.”
Chief Ringo beamed, “Rest assured, not a single hair on any of our heads was harmed. It appears Akuji didn’t care enough to attack us and instead focused on the Karma Diamond. So, no need to worry, as my people and I are unharmed.”
Skye sighed in relief, “Whew, that’s good news.”
Chief Ringo then said, “I have a small gift for you all. Even though that Demon General didn’t attack us, you still came to our aid just in case. For that, we gathered up a small gift for you.”
He gave a whistle and one of his men rolled up a cart full of seafood and dried meats. Tyroe instantly began to drool as he saw this.
Celtic gained a crooked smile, “Seafood and dried meats, what a surprise. But we appreciate it.”
The assassin-like party member asked, “We can have some, too, right Celtic?”
The redhead nodded, “Yes, you most certainly can, as having you lot on-hand gave us an extra advantage over Akuji and his undead minions. I’ll put this in my Tek-Pak for now and we’ll divide it up back in Delgunner. Viola will use her preservation spell to keep it fresh until you need it. Sound good?”
Ryan and his party nodded in agreement. Celtic then scanned and digitized all the food before turning to the Shadow Sentinel.
“Shadow Warp!” the Shadow Sentinel stated.
They all vanished in black portals. They reappeared in King Alvin’s throne room, where both his family and King Duskbane were waiting for them.
“Avalar!” King Duskbane stated.
“Were you and the Sword Hero successful?” King Alvin asked.
Celtic nodded, “Yes, we were. We not only got the Karma Diamond but we took down General Akuji to boot. That makes three in our possession, and Infinator is down one General.”
King Alvin looked quite happy, “Excellent! Good work! And how was Ryan’s performance?”
“As good as gold, if not better.”
“Splendid, most splendid. Music to my ears. The fact you both took down a Demon General AND got the Karma Diamond is worthy of a reward. I will prepare one immediately. Go and take a break until it’s ready. I’ll call you then.”
Celtic turned to King Duskbane, “Also, Uncle Duskbane, we found this device with Akuji. It seems to be a tracking device, as he was using it to find the Karma Diamonds. I’ll give it to you for your analysis. Maybe we can learn something useful from it.”
He handed the device over, allowing King Duskbane to take a look at it.
“Yes, this might be useful,” he said. “I’ll take it back to Shadoria for analysis. Good work both of you, as you did an excellent job in taking down Akuji. I’ll take my leave now. Shadow Warp.”
King Duskbane vanished in a black portal. Celtic turned to Ryan and his party.
“Ryan, you and your party come back to my party’s guest room so we can divide up the goodies Chief Ringo gave us. Viola will then use the preservation spell she knows to keep it from going bad.”
Ryan nodded, “Yeah. Especially since some of that stuff looked good.”
As the two parties left the throne room, ready to divide up the bounty of food they got, they felt satisfied at both defeating Akuji and getting the Karma Diamond back.
Next Chapter: Robert’s Revenge
That's all for today, folks. What does Bronwen's return mean for both the Heroes and Infinator's faction? We shall see.
Akuji Rides Again
It had been only a few hours since Celtic and his party had returned to Delgunner. King Alvin was holding an emergency meeting with the Heroes and King Duskbane in his throne room. When he made sure everyone was gathered he cleared his throat.
“The five Legendary Heroes are all present,” he said. “As you may have come to learn, we have a new problem to deal with. Thanks to a Shadow Sentinel and Avalar we now know that Infinator, or rather Sylph, managed to track down one of the original Demon Generals and set her free from her imprisonment. The Demon General in question is General Bronwen, one of Infinator’s original Generals like Sylph. As we learned she had been sealed away by the first generation of Legendary Heroes, sans the Shroud as we had yet to summon the Shadokor at the time, which would’ve also brought the first Shroud Hero at the time. Anyway, General Bronwen is an evolved Wrath Chaos Maiden, the most powerful variant of the Wrath Iron Maiden family of monsters. These monsters have not been seen since she was sealed away, as she’s their ‘boss’, so to speak, thus when she was banished to a pocket dimension they were as well. Now that she’s free and back with Infinator she has released her fellow Wrath Iron Maidens into the world. This is a serious problem, as not only are Wrath Iron Maidens very powerful for their Level, but more intelligent and cunning, along with having the ability to talk. Avalar managed to collect some data on them when he and his party fought a few, and King Duskbane has gathered what he knows to help.”
King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, we have. It’s fortunate that we Shadokor still retain the knowledge on the Wrath Iron Maiden monster family, as they did originate from the Demon Realm. But like you said, this is a serious matter, as the world will be very underequipped to face these powerful creatures. And the fact that Infinator managed to recover one of his original Generals makes this even worse, as Bronwen is a very skilled tactician, easy one of Infinator’s best during the Great Demon War. She may be a bit cocky but she can back that up with skill and power. It took the first generation of Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes, along with their parties, just to seal her away, much less defeat her, proving her skill and power. The fact that she’s back in his ranks means she can use her tactical knowledge to his advantage, as all she needs it even just a scrap of info on her enemies to calculate a good plan to fight back. Thus, she could probably find a way to give us a great deal of problems even without the Karma Diamonds aiding her side. That’s why this is very serious.”
Ryan asked, “How tough are these Wrath Iron Maidens? They can’t be any tougher than the Demon Generals or Karma Beasts.”
King Duskbane explained, “The Wrath Iron Maiden family possesses great durability, which is what gives them their power. They’re more powerful in the defensive side than a Platinum Golem or even an Iron Scale Demon. This combined with their formidable offenses and access to various spells gives them a lot of options to fight off foes. Along with the fact they have at the very least a basic sense of strategy, alongside decent cunning and higher intelligence makes them dangerous foes for the unprepared. Avalar and his party fought some prior to returning here, and from the data they collected it appears that they may be even stronger now than they were 2500 years ago. Don’t take them lightly or you will die a painful death.”
King Alvin nodded, “Indeed. Fortunately, the Wrath Iron Maidens haven’t swarmed the planet en mass yet. They seem to be slowly trickling from their prisons into the world, which gives us a bit of breathing room to start devising a strategy to deal with both them and Bronwen. While our sources indicate that she’s incubating to help recover her strength, as she’s been in a state of suspended animation for quite some time, thus is very weak right now, she will be able to give Infinator her expertise soon enough. So we need to prepare for her brilliant tactics before she gets the drop on us.”
Eric asked, “What about the Karma Diamonds? Should we still be looking for them?”
“Yes, as they could give us extra advantages. Avalar already found one, and we still have the one in Skye’s womb, so that gives us two so far. But that’s not nearly enough to give us any sort of advantage outside of keeping them out of Infinator’s clutches. We still need to find all the Karma Diamonds again to gain another foothold against Infinator and his Generals. But, more importantly, we need all of you to be in prime condition for the upcoming fights. But I worry that you and your parties could fall victim to the Wrath Iron Maidens, as they’re a new, unknown element in the mix now.”
Celtic then thought of something, “Hold on, I’ve got an idea that might come in handy.”
He reached into his Tek-Pak and pulled something out. He then walked to each of his fellow Heroes and placed something in their hands, revealing them to be a type of charm. They were shaped like shields with a silver chain and a red jewel in the center. The Heroes looked at these with confusion.
“What are these?” Jerry asked.
“They’re Guard Barrier Charms that I made,” Celtic replied. “They produce a barrier around you and your parties that protect you from one damaging attack every few minutes, as the gem that powers it needs to recharge briefly after each use. They’re not much but blocking a single hit could mean the difference between life and death. These are some of the leftover charms I made not too long ago, so I’m giving them to you for good measures. The only condition they have is that the Hero, or at least the leader of the party, has to have them in order to protect the whole party. Otherwise they’ll just protect the holder alone. Like I said, they’re not much but it could be the difference needed to survive a possibly fatal hit.”
Lucas looked it over before saying, “Are you sure they work?”
“Then allow me to demonstrate,” the Shroud Hero growled.
He then transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and slashed at Lucas, much to the Spear Hero’s alarm. The charm activated and produced a barrier around Lucas, along with other barriers forming around his party members, blocking the attack, much to his surprise. Celtic then transformed his hand back to normal, gaining a smug grin.
“See?” he said.
Ryan said, “Well, it’s safe to say they work, seeing how you didn’t filet Lucas just now. Thanks, Celtic, these charms may be of some use to us. They’re not much but if you’d taught me one thing it’s that every advantage counts.”
Eric looked the charm over before asking, “You’re not going to ask for money for this, are you?”
Celtic replied, “Normally, yes, but not this time. The situation is a bit too dire to be asking for the normal price I’d sell them for. Consider them a gift. And, before you ask, I also have one, as even with my defenses I’m not taking any unnecessary rolls of the dice.”
He then moved his left arm to pull back part of the Shroud and pointed to his left hip. Dangling on his belt was the same charm as he had given the other Heroes.
“It never hurts to have a little extra insurance when going onto the battlefield with an unknown foe,” he said almost sagely.
King Alvin smiled, “That’s good of you, Avalar. Even if it just blocks one hit that one hit could be the difference between life and death. So, I commend you being so generous to your fellow Heroes and giving them a homemade accessory. And it’s good to know they work well. I thank you for putting the safety of your fellow Heroes into consideration for these upcoming fights.”
Celtic nodded before walking back to his party. The other Heroes continued to look the charms over before pocketing them. King Duskbane then stepped up.
“Now that you all have an extra bit of insurance for the upcoming fights, I suggest you get ready, as we don’t know what we may face soon,” he said. He then turned to King Alvin, “I’ll return to Shadoria to further research both the Wrath Iron Maidens and Bronwen to see if I can find anything extra that might give us an advantage over our new foes. I’ll report back once I find anything of worth. Until then, all of you, be safe. Shadow Warp.”
King Duskbane vanished in a black portal. King Alvin turned to the Heroes.
“Okay then,” he said. “I need you Heroes to start preparing for our new enemies. Don’t take any unnecessary chances. Hopefully that Guard Barrier Charm will give you an extra advantage over Infinator’s forces. You are dismissed for now but be alert for any possible problems or enemies until then.”
Celtic turned to his party, “Come on, team, let’s analyze the data we got from fighting those Wrath Iron Maidens and see if we can find any sort of weakness or flaw that can be exploited.”
The party nodded, “Right!”
One by one the Heroes and their parties left the room to do their own thing. Celtic and his party returned to their guest room to analyze what data they did have. As Celtic pulled up a screen from his Shroud’s menu, showing the various data on the monsters they’ve fought before, he finally found the data on the Wrath Iron Maiden. He and his party started looking over all the stats and data they had, trying to devise a more effective strategy to fight them with.
Meanwhile, in Infinator’s prison, Sylph was tending to one of the fleshy cocoons in the cavern. Inside it was a shadow of a large figure. Then General Akuji walked up to her.
“Mistress Sylph, is that Bronwen?” he asked.
Sylph nodded, “Yes, it is. She’s recovering from her 2500 year suspended animation, as she was in very weak shape when I found her. It’ll be a little bit before she’s back up to speed, but Master Infinator is most pleased to have her back on the team. She’s quite the brilliant strategist and helped us win many battles during the original Great Demon War. And now that she’s released her fellow Wrath Iron Maidens back into an unprepared world, I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Akuji replied, “Having someone with the tactical knowledge she has will be a huge boon for our side. Not saying anything against you, Mistress Sylph, but if Bronwen is as good as you say she is then it’ll give us a much-needed advantage. Shame the Shroud Hero most likely snagged the Karma Diamond before you did, but at least you managed to recover one of our oldest allies.”
Sylph nodded, “Indeed. However, because she was in such sad shape I have stick around here and keep tending to her, along with enhancing her like we did to you and the other Generals. As such, I need you to do me something, Akuji.”
Akuji looked hopeful, “Really? What is it?”
“Alastor and Adelram are of looking for more resources to harvest. I need you to hunt for the Karma Diamonds in my place. We managed to possibly track one down near the village of Shaori, but it’s hard to get a good reading via our tracking device due to the electromagnetic aurora that exists up there. Since I have to tend to Bronwen you’ll have to go in my place. Take the device and see if you can find the Karma Diamond that may have ended up there. And if you have to level Shaori to do it, so be it.”
Akuji saluted, “Yes, ma’am! I’ll get right on it.”
“One more thing,” Sylph added. “Be wary of the Shroud Hero’s Soulavore Shroud, as that could put an end to you in one swoop with its Undead Eat. While we can clone you again, and we do have spares of the detection device, we need that Karma Diamond and try to avoid having anyone obtain the detection device. We don’t want to give our enemies any more advantages then they’ve already gotten.”
Akuji saluted again. The Dullahan Demon General picked up the device, got on his skeleton horse, and road out into the sky, heading toward Shaori Village. This didn’t go unnoticed by the Shadokor.
A short time later Celtic and his party had been gathered up in the throne room again. Ryan and his party were also present, but none of the other Heroes were in the room.
King Alvin stated, “We just got wind that General Akuji has just left his home base and is heading north. Judging by the direction he’s going; he seems to be heading toward Shaori Village. Avalar, you and your party are already familiar with that area, as it was where the Frigid Flame Dragons had taken residence due to a certain incident the other Heroes had caused…” He then gave Ryan a look, making him and his party flinch before saying, “Since the Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes are out on the field, thus are not available, you and the Sword Hero will have to go to that area and try to stop General Akuji from tearing the place apart. We guess he’s after a Karma Diamond. You have to either beat him to the punch in finding the Karma Diamond or take it back from him before he can flee.”
Celtic and Ryan nodded, stating, “On it!”
A male Shadow Sentinel appeared, stating, “I’ll take you there. The rest will be up to you. Now, if you’re ready, let’s get going.”
Celtic nodded, “We’re ready. Work your shadow magic.”
“Shadow Warp!”
The two parties and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals. They reappeared at Shaori Village, much to the surprise of the people there. Chief Ringo walked up to them.
“Shroud Hero!” he said, surprised. “And I take it this is the Sword Hero, too? What brings you here?”
Celtic explained, “You’re in danger of being attacked by a Demon General. Our sources learned that General Akuji is on his way in this direction. We suspect he’s after one of the Karma Diamonds.”
One of the fishermen sputtered, “The Karma Diamonds are real?! I thought they were just an old fairytale.”
Skye shook her head, “No, we know they’re real, as we had to hunt them down the first time. We even used them to thwart Infinator’s plans to open a dimensional gateway to the Demon Realm before he could do the deed. But, unfortunately, the Karma Diamonds ended up scattering to the wind after we used them. Now we’re in a race to find all five before our enemies do. We’ve, fortunately, gotten ahold of two, but there is a chance that another one landed in this area somewhere. We came here to keep Akuji from tearing the place asunder in his attempt to find it. Have you seen anything unusual lately?”
Chief Ringo replied, “Come to think of it, we did see what looked like a green shooting star crash not far from here. We didn’t check it out as that area is overrun with monsters like Basilisk Leviathans, Splash Krik-Its, Rok-Ko Roads, and Ice Tankors. We’re not strong enough to face monsters like that, but since they never bother us we just leave them alone in return. If you want to get there, just go north from the village, past the farmlands, and through the valley that runs in-between the mountains. Be careful, as it’s quite dangerous.”
Celtic nodded, “Okay, thanks for the tip.” He turned to the Shadow Sentinel, “You remain here and keep watch for Akuji. If he attacks this village while we’re gone fetch us and bring us back here ASAP.”
The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
He then turned to Ryan, “Okay, let’s get going. We need to find that Karma Diamond before Akuji shows up.”
Zuzu looked up in the sky, stating, “Too late for that. I see him and an army of undead minions coming this way. Look!”
They all looked in the direction Zuzu was pointing at. They saw General Akuji riding his skeleton horse in the sky, being followed by many Undead-type monsters. He was heading in the direction of the area where the Karma Diamond was located.
“Dammit!” the redhead hissed. “Okay, new plan. The Shadow Sentinel will Shadow Warp us to that area right now so we don’t have to hike there. We have to either cut Akuji off or take him down before he can find the Karma Diamond. Let’s move out!”
The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Allow me, Your Majesty. Shadow Warp!”
Both parties and the Shadow Sentinel vanished from Shaori. They reappeared in the area that Chief Ringo mentioned. They noticed not only the aforementioned monsters, but also General Akuji and his undead army. They were tearing through the other monsters like they were tissue paper.
“Move out!” Celtic instructed. “We have to cut him off before he finds the Karma Diamond and beats a quick retreat!”
Nodding, both parties charged in, weapons raised, ready to take on the threat. Akuji noticed this presence as he and his army turned to face them.
“Well, well, well, the Shroud and Sword Hero parties are here,” he said. “Minions, keep them occupied. I’ve got more important things to attend to. Attack!”
The Undead monsters charged the two Hero parties, allowing Akuji to move on while they were distracted.
Ryan cut down one of the Cursed Skulls, saying, “We need to thin this horde quickly or that headless henchman will get the Karma Diamond!”
Celtic nodded, “Yeah, and I know just how to do it! Soulavore Shroud!”
The Shroud transformed into the Soulavore Shroud. This action caused the undead army to hesitate, as if knowing what that meant.
“Undead Eat!” Celtic roared.
He closed the front of his Shroud, allowing the two halves of the Soulavore head to connect. This caused its eyes to glow and emerge from the Shroud a bit. It opened its mouth and began to suck in energy like a black hole. The Undead monsters started to convert into energy spheres and got swallowed up by it, much to Ryan’s surprise. This action caused the other Undead monsters to try to retreat, only to get dragged back in by the vacuum of the Soulavore’s mouth. Ryan and his party took the opportunity to strike down the Undead monsters that were trying to escape while Celtic’s Shroud absorbed the rest. After a few minutes the last monster in Akuji’s army had been slayed. In Celtic’s stat vision he saw several energy tanks get filled up from the consumed monsters, along with notifications of item drops being added to his inventory.
“Those item drops will have to wait,” he said. “We need to catch up to Akuji!”
Ryan and his party had already charged ahead, following the path the Demon General had taken. Celtic and his party followed suit. Both parties ignored the other monsters in the area, as they knew that they didn’t have enough time to deal with them. Not long after they reached a lake and standing over the water was Akuji and his horse. In his left hand was the green Karma Diamond, making him quite smug as he saw the two Heroes approach. As they did Skye clutched her lower region as the Karma Diamond in her womb reacted to the one in the Demon General’s hands, causing it to glow, though this went unnoticed by Akuji.
“You’re too late, Shroud Hero and Sword Hero,” he mocked. “I already got the Karma Diamond. You may have dealt with my minions but now that I’ve gotten what I came here for, I can say goodbye to you!”
He pulled out a Teleport Crystal from a pouch on his saddle. But before he could use it Ryan transformed his Sword into a new form.
“Oh, no you don’t!” he stated. “Chain Catcher!”
He swung his Sword downward, releasing a storm of energy chains that ensnared Akuji, preventing him from moving. Rupert then started to channel energy.
“Snatch Steal!” the Beastman shouted.
A ghostly claw emerged from his hand and struck Akuji before retracting back to Rupert. He revealed that he had snatched both the Karma Diamond and the Teleport Crystal, much to Akuji’s alarm.
“Meteor Slash!” Ryan shouted.
He fired the Holy energy air slash at Akuji, this time slicing off one of his arms, causing it to land in the lake, much to Akuji’s shock.
“N-No way!?” he sputtered. “How is that attack so much more powerful now!? Before it couldn’t even dent me!”
Ryan stated, “Simple, I learned about the true power of the Legendary Gear and learned how to strengthen my Sword and its powers even more. Plus my Chain Sword from earlier weakened your defenses. Now, you and the rest of Infinator’s faction won’t make a mockery of me anymore!”
Celtic gained a diabolical grin, “And now, it’s time to put you in your place, Akuji! Undead Eat!”
He closed the Shroud around him again, causing the Soulavore head to emerge from the Shroud. It opened its mouth and started to suck in energy. Akuji and his horse tried to resist, but the chains they were shackled in prevented them from doing so.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” the Demon General wailed.
He and his horse could no longer resist the suction force and were converted into energy spheres and swallowed up by the Soulavore Shroud, causing the jaws of the Soulavore head to close. The “eyes” of the Soulavore gleamed as it gave what sounded like a burp, with Celtic noticing that he had gained a huge amount of Energy Points from Akuji and his horse. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Celtic gave a content sigh before saying, “Great work, everyone. We managed to not only get the Karma Diamond but we also shut down Akuji again. That’ll rub Infinator the wrong way.”
The martial artist woman Ryan’s party members picked something up, “Hey, what’s this?”
Everyone gathered around to see the device she was holding.
“What’s this gizmo?” Tyroe asked.
Celtic then realized something, stating, “This must be how Sylph and her fellow Generals can track things down like the Karma Diamonds. Rupert, place the Karma Diamond near it.”
Rupert nodded and held the Karma Diamond near the device. The device started to ping and showed a dot on a radar-like screen, showing where the Karma Diamond was from its perspective.
“So… this is how the Demon Generals plan to track down the Karma Diamonds,” Viola said. “Akuji must’ve been carrying it before he got gulped by the Soulavore Shroud. This might be important to hang on to.”
Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Let’s take it back to Uncle Duskbane for his advice. Maybe he can use it to learn more about what Infinator has or if it has any other functions.”
Ryan hesitated as he stood near the lake rim. He was eyeing the location where Akuji’s arm sunk into the water, clearly wanting to retrieve it but his fear of water prevented him from going after it. Celtic noticed this.
“I see what you want, Ryan. Give me a moment. I’ll fish it out. Mag-Bolt.”
He transformed his arm into the Mag-Bolt and activated it. This caused the sunken arm to emerge from the water and attach itself to the giant magnet. He then took it off and handed it to Ryan.
“Here you go, Ryan, one Dullahan arm for your Sword. You deserve it for your efforts. Hopefully it gives you something good.”
Ryan nodded, “Thanks, Celtic. That saves me the trouble of potentially drowning just to recover it. Now, let’s see what I get.”
He absorbed the arm into his Sword’s core, creating a new form called the “Dullahan Sword”. He took a moment to look its effects over before putting the Sword back on his back.
“Got anything good?” Rupert asked.
Ryan nodded, “Yes, the Dullahan Sword has a useful ability. Will make fighting my enemies even easier. Plus, it’s extra potent on Undead, according to its data. I also want to collect some samples from the Cursed Skulls and Gold Skeleton Soldiers we fought earlier for new powers.”
Celtic nodded, “Yes, let’s do that. And we might as well take a few samples from the monsters Akuji killed, since it’s essentially free power ups. Then we’ll head back to Shaori to ensure no one got in the crossfire and finally return back to Delgunner. Rupert, I’ll take that Karma Diamond now. And let me have that tracking device, too, so I can give it to Uncle Duskbane for his analysis.”
Rupert graciously handed over the green Karma Diamond to Celtic, followed by the martial artist giving him the tracking device, both of which he put in his Tek-Pak. The two parties retraced their steps to where the battle took place and found a few monster corpses, with Celtic and Ryan taking some samples for their Gear, unlocking new powers. The Shadow Sentinel then appeared.
“Were you successful?” he asked.
Leon nodded, “Yes, we took down Akuji and got the Karma Diamond from him. Let’s head back to Shaori just to ensure no one got hurt and then we’ll head back to Delgunner.”
The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Good. King Alvin and King Duskbane will be most pleased. Allow me. Shadow Warp.”
Both parties vanished and reappeared in Shaori Village. Chief Ringo walked up to them.
“Did everything go okay?” he asked.
Celtic nodded, “Yes, we managed to defeat General Akuji and got the third Karma Diamond. That still leaves two, but at least we completed our mission. We came back to check on you to ensure you didn’t get caught in the crossfire.”
Chief Ringo beamed, “Rest assured, not a single hair on any of our heads was harmed. It appears Akuji didn’t care enough to attack us and instead focused on the Karma Diamond. So, no need to worry, as my people and I are unharmed.”
Skye sighed in relief, “Whew, that’s good news.”
Chief Ringo then said, “I have a small gift for you all. Even though that Demon General didn’t attack us, you still came to our aid just in case. For that, we gathered up a small gift for you.”
He gave a whistle and one of his men rolled up a cart full of seafood and dried meats. Tyroe instantly began to drool as he saw this.
Celtic gained a crooked smile, “Seafood and dried meats, what a surprise. But we appreciate it.”
The assassin-like party member asked, “We can have some, too, right Celtic?”
The redhead nodded, “Yes, you most certainly can, as having you lot on-hand gave us an extra advantage over Akuji and his undead minions. I’ll put this in my Tek-Pak for now and we’ll divide it up back in Delgunner. Viola will use her preservation spell to keep it fresh until you need it. Sound good?”
Ryan and his party nodded in agreement. Celtic then scanned and digitized all the food before turning to the Shadow Sentinel.
“Shadow Warp!” the Shadow Sentinel stated.
They all vanished in black portals. They reappeared in King Alvin’s throne room, where both his family and King Duskbane were waiting for them.
“Avalar!” King Duskbane stated.
“Were you and the Sword Hero successful?” King Alvin asked.
Celtic nodded, “Yes, we were. We not only got the Karma Diamond but we took down General Akuji to boot. That makes three in our possession, and Infinator is down one General.”
King Alvin looked quite happy, “Excellent! Good work! And how was Ryan’s performance?”
“As good as gold, if not better.”
“Splendid, most splendid. Music to my ears. The fact you both took down a Demon General AND got the Karma Diamond is worthy of a reward. I will prepare one immediately. Go and take a break until it’s ready. I’ll call you then.”
Celtic turned to King Duskbane, “Also, Uncle Duskbane, we found this device with Akuji. It seems to be a tracking device, as he was using it to find the Karma Diamonds. I’ll give it to you for your analysis. Maybe we can learn something useful from it.”
He handed the device over, allowing King Duskbane to take a look at it.
“Yes, this might be useful,” he said. “I’ll take it back to Shadoria for analysis. Good work both of you, as you did an excellent job in taking down Akuji. I’ll take my leave now. Shadow Warp.”
King Duskbane vanished in a black portal. Celtic turned to Ryan and his party.
“Ryan, you and your party come back to my party’s guest room so we can divide up the goodies Chief Ringo gave us. Viola will then use the preservation spell she knows to keep it from going bad.”
Ryan nodded, “Yeah. Especially since some of that stuff looked good.”
As the two parties left the throne room, ready to divide up the bounty of food they got, they felt satisfied at both defeating Akuji and getting the Karma Diamond back.
Next Chapter: Robert’s Revenge
That's all for today, folks. What does Bronwen's return mean for both the Heroes and Infinator's faction? We shall see.
