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MATURE: Chaos Rising: Dawn of Heroes (Season 2) Season Finale up!

Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. We're introduced to a new character. Will he become an ally to Celtic?

Gram the Gallant


It was the following day since the Fun Box incident. The five Heroes and their parties had gathered in King Alvin’s throne room. They were awaiting their royal stipends for their efforts in the most recent wave. King Alvin was seated at his throne with five servants next to him. He looked over the room before clearing his throat.

“The five Legendary Heroes and their parties are all present and accounted for,” he said. “Then let us begin. I present to you your royal stipends for your efforts against Infinator’s forces. The Sword, Axe, and Bow Heroes will each receive 4,000 silver.”

Three of the servants presented the coin pouches to Ryan, Eric, and Jerry, who eagerly took them.

“Next up, as punishment for recent events, the Spear Hero will be rewarded 1,000 silver.”

Another servant held out a smaller pouch of coins to Lucas, who took them, grumbling.

“Finally, the Shroud Hero will be rewarded 6,500 silver, as it was his party that dealt the killing blow to one of Infinator’s Demon Generals.”

The final servant presented the largest pouch of coins to Celtic, who graciously took them.

Lucas grumbled, “Of course he gets the largest amount.”

King Alvin gave him an icy glare, making the Spear Hero flinch, “You should be thankful that I’m giving you anything at all, Spear Hero! After what you and Wench did yesterday, you’re lucky I didn’t dock you your entire payment. Not only did you violate another Hero out of selfishness and pride, but you also endangered the general public with that stunt. If any monsters get past the city walls it is a major deal, as they can, and will, attack indiscriminately, looking for easy prey. Be very thankful that they only focused on the Shroud Hero, as if any of those clown monsters had harmed a hair on a civilian’s head you’d be in even deeper trouble. So, you have absolutely no room to be critical about who gets the larger stipend, since you could’ve lost your entire paycheck if those Harlikills and Killjoys hurt anyone else! You and Wench are still in hot water right now, so I expect you to behave and not cause any more problems, especially to another Hero. Is that clear!?”

The Spear Hero sighed, “Yes, Your Majesty…”

Ryan turned to Lucas, stating in a cold tone, “You really crossed a line yesterday, Lucas. Eric, Jerry, and I may not like Celtic either, but we would never go that far and exploit his fear to our advantage. Especially me, since it was Celtic who helped me when my fear of drowning was forced out of me. And, just like King Alvin said, letting in those four monsters could’ve caused collateral damage to the area and civilians, something that no Hero should do. It was fortunate that the Harlikills and Killjoys didn’t pull stunts like taking hostages or it could’ve been even worse. So, you don’t have the right to talk about who gets preferred treatment and such since it was your reckless stunt that could’ve endangered innocent lives. You brought that upon yourself, so you’re getting punished for it. Simple as that.”

Eric and Jerry nodded in agreement, giving Lucas and Wench looks of contempt. Wench was muttering to herself, clearly thinking of ways to get revenge. Queen Amelia noticed this.

“I hope for your sake you’re not plotting anything else, Wench,” the Queen growled. “I can see that look on your face and in your eyes. If you try anything else you and a jail cell will be getting very acquainted with each other soon. Considering you spent the rest of yesterday cleaning them as your punishment and did a rather lousy job at it to boot, they’ll look quite familiar to you if that happens. So, don’t try anything or you’ll be sorry.”

Wench turned her head away, grumbling, “Yes…”

King Alvin stated, “You’d better, long ears. Why can’t you take a page from Lady Skye’s book and actually do something that doesn’t cause long-term problems for everyone? Lady Skye is a shining example of what a Light Elf should be, so you can learn a lot from her. Just a suggestion that I highly recommend you take into consideration.”

Skye gained a smug smirk, clearly enjoying the praise and Wench’s frustration. This did not go unnoticed by Wench, who was glaring at the younger Light Elf with hate-filled eyes. While King Alvin and Queen Amelia noticed this attitude they decided to leave it be.

“In any case, good job during the most recent wave, Heroes,” King Alvin said in a more pleasant tone. “With another Demon General down that gives us one more foothold against Infinator. We still have a long way to go, though. And, according to the Shadokor, this most recent wave has struck in the remaining areas where previous dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm once existed. Which means that Infinator will have most likely gathered the needed information to start narrowing down his targets. The Shadokor are checking the various areas where waves have taken place to see if the dimensional walls between Zakota and the Demon Realm have gotten weaker. When they gather that information, King Duskbane will present the information to all of us. This’ll help us try to predict where Infinator will strike next, which will be a much-needed advantage if we want to stop him. Now, with all that taken care of, you are all dismissed. We will have the celebration party for the defeat of another one of Infinator’s Demon Generals tomorrow evening, and I expect everyone to behave this time. You’re free to go.”

Celtic turned to his party, “Let’s go, team. We’ve got some work to do.”

“Right!” his party said in unison.

As he and his party left, Wench eyed them, secretly planning more schemes to use against them.

Meanwhile, in a far away location from Delgunner’s capital, a fierce battle was taking place. A young man wearing impressive armor and two women were bravely facing down a powerful-looking monster. This monster looked similar to a crustacean crossed with a scorpion, having a large armored body, three sets of large pincers, three sets of legs, a large, thick tail ending in a stinger, and a large, armored head with glowing eyes and a mouth full of fangs.

One of the girls stated, “There it is! The legendary beast known as the Desert Destroyer!”

The other girl replied, “It’s huge! Do we really stand a chance?”

The young man stood his ground, “We cannot allow this beast to continue rampaging! It has already killed well over a dozen people with its armor-crushing claws and powerful stinger! We must fell this creature here and now!”

The two girls said in a dreamy tone, “Oh, Sir Gram! So brave and noble!”

Gram raised his sword, which was a very impressive-looking one, having an appearance that seemed like a more stylized and bulkier version of the Legendary Sword with a dragon motif. He started to channel energy into it, his eyes focused on the beast.

“With the power of my divine sword: the Zenithton Blade, I will put an end to you here and now!” he roared.

With one swing of his sword followed by a massive burst of light the battle was over. The entire upper body of the Desert Destroyer had been vaporized, leaving only its legs and stinger, which flopped to the ground. The girls cheered as Gram smiled triumphantly.

“The Desert Destroyer has been slain,” he said proudly. “Never again will this creature terrorize the people of this area.”

“Oh, Sir Gram! You’re the best!” the girls cheered in a dreamy tone.

A week had passed since these events. Celtic and his party had just returned from a job request. By that point, each member of the party had acquired a second Spiria, much to the fury and jealousy of the other Heroes, who still had yet to acquire even one. At the same time Gram and his female party members had arrived at Delgunner.

Gram looked the capital city over, “So, this is Delgunner’s capital. It certainly dwarfs my kingdom’s capital, that’s for sure. I hear that the Legendary Heroes are working for Delgunner. Though, I wonder… why are all five here? Didn’t the world forum decide that they’d be distributed across the top five kingdoms? Why are all five of them here?”

One of the girls said, “Didn’t the Light Elves summon all five of them to their sorry excuse for a kingdom in a bid for more power?”

The other girl nodded, “Yeah, that’s true. But it doesn’t explain why Delgunner has all five now.”

Gram said, “Let’s ask, as it is rather strange that Delgunner now has custody of all five Legendary Heroes instead of distributing them across the five major nations like it was agreed. Besides, we could use a rest and some supplies.”

Suddenly, they noticed Celtic and his party, their eyes widening.

“Hey, isn’t that the Legendary Shroud?” one of the girls asked Gram.

“Yes, it is!” Gram replied. “Talk about perfect timing. I bet he’ll know why all five Heroes are in one place. Hmm?”

He then noticed Skye and the slave crest on her chest, his eyes widening in shock.

“W-What?! The Shroud Hero has a slave as a party member?!” His eyes narrowed, “That cannot be allowed. No noble Hero should have a slave.”

He started to storm up to the party. Zuzu was the first to take notice of him.

“Oh, great,” she said. “Look out, Celtic, as it looks like you’re going to have to deal with another headache-causing warrior today.”

Celtic merely sighed before turning to Gram, “Can I help you?”

“Are you the Shroud Hero?” Gram asked.

“Yes.”

“Then tell me. Why do you have a slave on your team?! A man with your title should not be permitted to keep a slave on your team! Free her at once! I demand you do so!”

Celtic rubbed his eyes in an annoyed fashion, “Before you go about making demands, you should tell me who you are first.”

“Very well. I am Gram Liechien, a proud warrior from the Flugel Kingdom. I have a few questions for you. But before that, why do you have a slave in your party? A Hero shouldn’t be allowed to have a slave on their team, as it is completely wrong! It goes against everything that the Legendary Heroes mean! I demand you free her right here and now. If you don’t, I’ll fight you in a duel to free her. I’ll even wager my divine sword to get my point across.”

Skye placed her hands akimbo, “Hey, Grammy, did it ever occur to you that you’re looking at this situation at face-value and not taking a moment to actually think what the truth is?”

Gram wasn’t listening, stating, “I demand you fight me here and now.”

Celtic, clearly having enough, immediately transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and lunged at him.

“Fine, then take this!” he roared.

Gram just barely dodged the preemptive attack before drawing his sword, surprised that Celtic would fight like that. Celtic transformed his arm into Mag-Bolt.

“Have a taste of my Mag-Bolt!”

Celtic activated the magnetic power of Mag-Bolt. Before Gram could react the magnetic energies snatched his sword from him, eyes widening in response. Celtic then used the sword that was being held by the Mag-Bolt’s energy to slam the flat side down on top of Gram’s head. This attack knocked him out instantly, causing him to crumple to the ground, out cold, much to his female party member’s dismay.

“That’ll teach you to go about making demands like that and shooting your mouth off,” Celtic said acidly. “And there is a reason why helmets exist. Try one of them instead of a circlet for headgear.”

Zuzu couldn’t help but snicker, “Fighting like a true demon. That’s something I like about you.”

While still holding the sword with the Mag-Bolt, Celtic examined it. Leon looked it over as well.

“I could be mistaken, but I think that’s a Zenithton Blade,” he said. “From what I know, it’s said to be just one tier lower than the Legendary Sword itself, just like my Starburst Bow. They say it has tremendous raw power and capabilities similar to the Legendary Sword. In fact, if I’m remembering correctly what I learned back with the Templars, they say that the Zenithton Blade was considered an early design for the Legendary Sword. While, obviously, the Legendary Sword became its own weapon, the Zenithton Blade is considered strong enough to rival it because it was the original design. I’m surprised this guy has one considering how insanely rare they are.”

Viola observed the blade and the knocked-out Gram before stating, “Judging how easily he was beaten once he was disarmed, I’m guessing this guy has been relying on the blade’s raw power and abilities to the point that any actual skill as a warrior has been stunted.”

Rupert rolled his eyes, “Great, we’ve got a Legendary Hero clone. Just what we needed. As if we didn’t have enough issues with the actual Legendary Stooges, now we have a copycat warrior.”

Skye shook her head, “And the nerve of the guy, taking my situation at face-value and making demands of just simply asking about my situation
instead. Really, this whole conflict could’ve been avoided if he didn’t act like Lucas and charge head-long into this fight.”

The cogs in Celtic’s mind started to spin as he looked the situation over. An idea came into his head, gaining a small smirk. The other party members noticed this.

“We know that look,” Tyroe said. “You’ve got a plan for him, don’t you, Cel?”

Celtic replied, “You could say that Tyroe. The question remains if he’ll play his part in my plan correctly or not. Anyway, we’re done here. Let’s go grab some lunch.”

As Celtic placed the Zenithton Blade in his Tek-Pak the two females in Gram’s party stepped up.

“Cheater!” one girl spat. “We won’t accept this!”

“Give back the Zenithton Blade now, we demand it!” the second girl stated.

Skye gave them a look that made them flinch, “You did hear that he wagered it as part of this little ordeal, right? Celtic won, so the Zenithton Blade is now his. Deal with it.”

As the party walked off, the girls spat, “Some ‘Hero’ you are!”

Celtic rolled his eyes as they walked, thinking, “They’ll be singing a different tune once I’m done with that Gram guy. This was just the beginning. I have plans for him.”

A few hours later the party was at their favorite spot by the large fountain in the center of the city, simply taking it easy. However, Gram and his female party members walked up to them, clearly in a huff.

“Shroud Hero!” he stated. “I’ve heard some pretty nasty things about you!”

Celtic, who didn’t even bother to look up from his book, replied, “Let me guess. You talked to Spear Hero? Or maybe Wench? Either way, sounds like those two are spreading propaganda about me again. They never learn.”

“Yes, I spoke to the Spear Hero and he told me a lot of horrible things about you! I demand…” but was cut off by Skye grabbing the front of his breastplate and lifting him up, surprising him with her strength.

“You really need to get your facts straight, Grammy,” she hissed. “And you went to the absolute worse source for information. The Spear Hero, or as we call him Pointy Stick Boy, has a vendetta against Celtic because of the lies that my species created about him! He’s nothing more than a puppet to Wench, my spoiled, rotten, irredeemable, vile sociopathic older sister. You clearly haven’t caught up with the current events, otherwise you’d know that Celtic is the only Hero who has lived up to his title while the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes have been walking disaster zones! Then again, you said you’re from the Flugel Kingdom, so that would explain it, as they are notoriously known for getting the world’s current events late due to how isolated the kingdom is. But I suggest you start playing nice with Celtic, as he’s not only the Shroud Hero, but also the long-lost prince of both Shadoria and Wichwoode, the Shadokor and Druid kingdoms. So, he’s also royalty, thus you should be more respectful toward him.”

Gram’s eyes widened, “T-The Shroud Hero is the prince of both Shadoria and Wichwoode?! How?!”

Viola, who was lounging in her favorite tree, replied, “His father was Noir, the prince of the Shadokor, while his mother was Gardenia, the princess of the Druids, though she was forced to give up the right to the throne upon marrying Noir due to the Druids’ ‘codes’. They were attacked and killed by Sylph when Celtic was just an infant, but due to a botched teleportation spell he got sent to Earth, where he was raised by a human couple before getting dragged back to this world to become the Shroud Hero. The current rulers of Shadoria and Wichwoode, King Duskbane and Queen Rease, confirmed that Celtic is their long-lost nephew: thus is considered part of both royal families. As a result, Celtic gets extra benefits because he’s both the Shroud Hero and a member of two powerful royal families. So, you really need to get your facts straight before you give Celtic grief.”

Gram’s eyes widened even more, turning to Celtic, “I-Is that true?”

Celtic replied in a bored tone, “Yeah, it’s true. It surprised me, too, as I never knew I had royal blood in me. Life’s strange like that.”

“But why do you have a slave? A member of two nobilities and a Legendary Hero shouldn’t have one.”

Skye put him down before stating, “Did it ever occur to you that I’m fine with this situation? Let me give you a brief recap of what happened to me. I was the second princess of the Light Elves. Because I kept uprooting my race’s various get-more-power-quick schemes they decided to get rid of me by selling me to slavery. I didn’t go down without a fight, though, but I ultimately ended up a slave. Celtic, fresh off from my species’ betrayal due to their stupid hatred of darkness, purchased me because he learned I was also violated by the Light Elves. Thus, as he put it, ‘misery loves company’. He wasn’t in his right mind at the time because the betrayal was just one part of his issues, as he hates slavery. But once I had been purchased and rebranded, he came to his senses and tried to free me. However, I had learned of what had happened and pledged my allegiance to him willingly. Celtic is a kind master to me, although at this point that’s more of a technicality, as I’m more like a loyal soldier who follows a beloved general. Celtic ultimately saved me and I’m proud to both be his slave and right-hand woman. I will eventually have this slave crest removed, but presently I have my reasons for leaving alone. Do you now understand?”

Gram looked stunned, “Y-You actually don’t mind your current status? Even though it’s wrong?”

“Slavery is wrong, as Celtic agrees with that, but it’s better than rotting away in a cage. Besides, Celtic isn’t the first Legendary Hero to have a slave and won’t be the last, so it’s nothing new at this point. He treats me with dignity and respect despite that status, and I love him for it. I’m more of his slave by choice now and I’m not getting forced into anything I don’t want. Again, I’ll have this status removed eventually, but I’m perfectly fine with it for now. Being Celtic’s slave was pretty much a blessing in disguise, as it allowed me to finally put my treasonous race in their place and pretty much freed me from my horrible past. I owe Celtic my life, and I’ll proudly march into battle for him, especially given the current situation. I’m not blindly loyal, however, as I can see his vices as well as his virtues, but that doesn’t stop me from loving him because of how well he treats me. I’m his second-in-command and right-hand woman despite being a slave and I’m perfectly fine with that. For Celtic’s sake I will eventually have the crest removed, but I have my reasons for leaving it be for the time. Hopefully I’ve educated you about my true status, as taking my situation at face-value is just asking for a whupping. Do you understand now?”

Gram looked stunned but nodded, “Yes… yes I see that I was wrong to charge in without actually taking the time to learn about the truth. My apologies.”

Celtic merely said, “There’s hope for you yet. Apology accepted.”

“But I need to know. Why did the Spear Hero speak so negatively about you? And, for that matter, why does Delgunner have custody of all five Legendary Heroes?”

Leon replied, “The Spear Hero has had a very antagonistic relationship with Celtic since Day 1, mainly due to the lies of the Light Elves. And even to this day, despite the mountain of evidence against Wench, he still believes her to be innocent of her numerous crimes. Not to mention he and Wench recently tried to prey upon Celtic’s fear of clowns by siccing a pair of Harlikills and a pair of Killjoys on him right in the middle of the city purely out of petty spite. Celtic ultimately prevailed and both Lucas and Wench were punished for it by both King Alvin and King Duskbane, especially since it endangered civilians. However, they’re blaming their punishment on Celtic despite the fact they were the aggressors, though it’s nothing new at this point, as they blame him for everything, especially if it’s their fault. Plus, Lucas is an idiot. Even the Sword, Axe, and Bow Heroes, who also cause numerous problems, see him as an idiot and actually took Celtic’s side on this one. This is rare since all five Legendary Heroes have a mutual dislike for each other.”

Tyroe then added, “As for the reason why Delgunner has custody of all five Heroes, well, the other nations want nothing to do with the other four Heroes. The four of them have been causing numerous disasters on their solo missions, are next to useless if not outright liabilities in Infinator’s waves, and are basically an absolute disgrace to their titles and Gear. It says a lot that both us AND Sylph can agree on just how bad the other Heroes are. As a result, the other nations want Delgunner to keep them on a short leash, as they want nothing to do with those four loose cannons. And poor Celtic has had to run around and clean up after them, working himself ragged, and has also had to carry them through Infinator’s waves. The guy must have a spine of titanium, as it should’ve collapsed from all the heavy lifting he’s had to do thanks to those four by now.”

Gram looked alarmed, “The other Heroes are THAT bad?! I’m… I’m at a loss. Why are they that bad?”

Zuzu, who was floating lazily above them, replied, “They see this world as one big game. From what we know, they’ve played numerous games that have a similar setup as this world, called RPGs. As a result, they automatically assume that this world is just another one of their games and not a real world. Celtic has been trying to hammer the truth into their heads since Day 1 but they refuse to listen, especially since they’re furious that the ‘useless’ Shroud Hero is more competent, heroic, and beloved than they are. As someone who has lived long enough to see at least the previous generation of Legendary Heroes, those four are absolute disgraces to their titles and Gear. It’s the one thing that Infinator’s faction and our party can agree on.”

Gram looked horrified, “They’re treating this world like it’s a big game?! I’m… I’m speechless. I’ve heard so many good stories about past Legendary Heroes. The fact that the Shroud is the only competent Hero in the current generation is alarming. Our world won’t survive if they keep that destructive behavior up.” He then got into a hasty bow, “M-My apologies for everything, Sir Shroud Hero! I was wrong to cause a problem for you! Forgive me!”

Celtic merely sighed, “At least you understand the situation now. That’s reassuring, as I don’t need a Lucas 2.0 giving me grief.”

The warrior looked up, “B-By the way… I know I have no right to ask, especially since I wagered it, but will you return my Zenithton Blade to me? I can’t fight without it.”

Celtic put his book down and stood up, “And that’s another problem that the Legendary Stooges have. They are relying on their Legendary Gear’s raw power and default capabilities to carry them, not investing in themselves or learning things like strategy, which is why they’ve been beaten by Infinator’s forces so many times. You’re doing the exact same thing and that’s disappointing. However… you have potential, yet you’re squandering it by relying on your Zenithton Blade’s raw power and capabilities. You need to invest in yourself and become a real warrior, one that the world can respect. While you’ve probably racked up quite the good reputation because of your weapon, as I proved in that fight, once you’ve been disarmed you’re a pushover. That’s unfortunate, as I can see you’ve got almost untapped potential within you.”

Gram looked up, surprised, “Y-You mean I’ve been doing the exact same thing the other Heroes have been doing? T-Then what should I do?”

Celtic smiled inwardly, thinking, “Good, this one is actually listening to what I have to say. My plan may just work.” He then said aloud, “I suggest you go purchase a regular sword from a blacksmith and use that instead. Here’s some words of wisdom that I learned on Earth: The weapon does not make the warrior, but the warrior holding the weapon. If you train yourself to become a better warrior then it won’t matter what weapon you’re wielding, as you, yourself, will be the weapon. A weapon is just a tool, after all. You are the force behind it and the one that guides it. It is you who ultimately wins the battle, not the weapon. By training yourself you will become stronger than any weapon could ever hope to be, with the weapon in question supplementing your power. I know that for a fact I’ve trained myself alongside my party to become a weapon, as the Shroud has restrictions that I had to get around in order to become the warrior that I am today. I still have room for improvement, but, as the old saying goes, ‘Perfection should be seeked, but not obtained’. You’ve got the potential to become a warrior that could put even the other Legendary Heroes to shame, but you need to master the weapon that is yourself first. My suggestion is this. Go to Danial’s Blacksmith, he's just a few buildings down to the east from this fountain. He’s got good quality stuff for equally good prices. I suggest you pick up a Skeleton Soldier sword from him, as he should have at least one or two reforged by now, though his magic iron swords are not too shabby, either.”

Gram asked, “Why a Skeleton Soldier sword?”

“Skeleton Soldier swords are surprisingly high-quality. They’re well-balanced, durable, long-lasting, and quite beefy in the Attack stat department. Considering that Skeleton Soldiers seem to be the bread and butter of Infinator’s monster army means that their swords are not hard to come by, though they need to be reforged first to unlock their full potential. Again, go to Danial’s, as he’s got really good quality for the price. Plus, we go to him, so we know first-hand how good his stuff is. Use that sword instead of the Zenithton Blade so you can train yourself as both a warrior and a person. Another suggestion is to go to the knight’s training area and use the Shadow Simulator. It’s a Shadokor-designed training simulator that allows the user to fight three ‘shadow’ monsters, which possess all the stats, abilities, and techniques as the real deal but cannot legitimately hurt you, effectively giving you all the benefits with none of the risks. I should know, I had a hand in designing it. If you do, the knights there will give you the rundown on it. And don’t worry, it’s free for the public to use, so you won’t have to worry about being barred from using it.”

Gram nodded, standing up, “Okay, so I should go to Danial’s Blacksmith and get a reforged Skeleton Soldier sword and also check out this Shadow Simulator at the knight’s training area. But… what is the fate of my Zenithton Blade?”

“I sold it.”

The warrior looked alarmed, “You SOLD it!? Please tell me your joking!”

“Yeah, I am,” Celtic said with a wry smile, causing Gram to stumble.

“Whew… so, where is it?” he asked.

“I traded it for some rare materials for crafting.”

“You TRADED it!? Please tell me that’s a lie!”

“Yeah, it is,” Celtic said with a bigger wry smile, making Gram stumble again.

“Please stop doing that…” Gram sighed defeatedly. “You’re going to give me a heart attack if you keep that up.”

“Humor me,” the redhead smiled. “I’m part demon, after all, we love to mess with people to get their reactions.”

Zuzu chuckled, “He’s right you know. As I’m a Succuryn, a female-only species of demon, I can certainly confirm that. We demons just love ruffling other people’s feather for our amusement. It’s just part of being a demon.”

Celtic then turned around and said, “Tek-Pak, eject item number 001783.”

A light formed from underneath the Shroud, projecting something, causing Gram’s sword to appear, making his eyes widen.

“My Zenithton Blade!” he cried happily.

Celtic transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and pointed it at Gram to keep him from grabbing the sword, “Not so fast. While I am returning this to you, you need to keep your promise about picking up a different sword and using that from now on. You can still use the Zenithton Blade, but only use it if you’re hopelessly outmatched against
a foe. Effectively, turn the Zenithton Blade into a trump card and not your default weapon. Do that and you’ll become a warrior of the highest caliber, potentially even worthy of a Spiria.”

Gram’s eyes became as wide as saucers, “S-Spiria!? The Spiria have returned!? How? When?”

Skye chuckled, “Boy, you really are behind on the times. The Light Lighthouse was activated recently thanks to Sylph stealing the Light Gem. We’ve managed to plug it back up with a replica while the Druids are working on a perfect copy with anti-evil properties to act as a more permanent solution to keep Sylph from just plucking it as well. Because of the sudden increase in elemental energy the Spiria emerged from a long hibernation and have returned to the world. We were the ones who ‘discovered’ this, although, to be technical, one took a liking to Celtic and hitched a ride without us knowing. We only discovered it because it started snoring, alerting us to its presence. And, as it turns out, we’ve all proven worthy of the Spiria, as we each have two now. As further proof that we’re the superior Hero’s party, the other Heroes haven’t earned a single Spiria, with some of our Spiria having escaped the other Heroes and bonded with us instead, like Zuzu’s first Spiria.”

Gram looked at Celtic, “Is this true?”

Celtic replied, “I’ll show you.” He held out his metal hand and stated, “Gust, Icicle, come forth!”

Two spheres of light formed, orbited around him before landing on the ground, taking the form of Gust and a new Spiria. Icicle had a somewhat lanky body, mostly ice blue in color, with a light purple belly, short legs ending in long feet, a long tail ending in a drill-like shape, small fringes on its back, a head vaguely shaped like a knight’s helmet with a trio of crests, and deep orange eyes. Gram and the girls in his party went slack-jawed at the two Spiria. Celtic bent down and scooped them up, allowing the two Spiria to jump on his shoulders and nuzzle against him.

“These are my two Spiria: Gust and Icicle, a Wind and Ice Spiria, respectively. Gust was my first Spiria and the one that Skye mentioned just a moment ago, the one that we first ‘discovered’, so to speak.”

The girls in Gram’s party gushed, “They’re adorable!”

Gram looked at the Spiria, his eyes sparkling like a child at Christmas, “Those are Spiria. They’re amazing! I never thought I’d see one in my life! They’ve actually returned after 2,500 years. And you’re saying that the other Heroes have proven unworthy of the Spiria but you and your party proved worthy? Wow, I was really wrong about you. And… and you think I could become worthy of one myself?”

“It’s possible. As you are now, I doubt it, but maybe if you train yourself in earnest and become a stronger, better person, a Spiria may come to you. Spiria have high standards, so earning one can be hard, but if you prove worthy of one then you’ve made a friend for life.”

Gram nodded, taking his Zenithton Blade back before standing up, “Then I will abide by your suggestion. If it’ll make me a stronger, better person, possibly even worthy of the legendary Spiria, then I will do as you say.”

Celtic nodded, gaining a smile, “Good. Considering I’ve tried to hammer that lesson into the other Heroes but they won’t listen it’s rather refreshing to see someone actually listening to what I’m trying to teach. Do that and you could become a warrior that can run circles around the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes. And maybe, just maybe a Spiria will come to you. They can sense things on a level that puts even the Druids to shame, so if you work hard and train yourself and you could possibly become worthy of a Spiria. Now, go forth and become a warrior that the Flugel Kingdom can take pride in.”

Gram nodded, “Yes, I will. Thank you. And… again, I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. You have surprisingly high wisdom with equally wise words despite being a rather dark if pragmatic Hero. But if your track record is as solid as you say, then I trust that wisdom. Farewell, noble Shroud Hero. The next time we meet I will be a stronger, better person.”

He held out his hand to Celtic, who gave him a smile and shook it, making the rest of the party smile. Gram and his party headed toward Danial’s shop to follow up on the Shroud Hero’s advice.

Celtic said mentally, “My plan worked perfectly. I was able to mold him into a form that would help him grow out of his bad habits and become a better person. If only the Legendary Stooges could learn from his example. He’s got the potential, that’s for sure, so hopefully he’ll learn to tap into it and become a warrior of the highest caliber. One that even the other Heroes will have to respect. Only time will tell if this diamond in the rough will glow brightly.”

Next Chapter: The Devil’s Maze

And that's all for now. Looks like the Shroud Hero party has a new friend. Will he help them? Tune in next time to find out.
 
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Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. Sorry it took so long, the changing seasons has been giving me migraines, so that's limited my activity. Enouhg talk, on with the show.

The Devil’s Maze


It had been a couple of days since Celtic and his party met Gram. Gram had since left the capital city, returning everything to pretty much normal. Celtic and his party were en route to a village near some old ruins due to a request from the guild. Little did they know they had a group of people following them.

Celtic looked over the paper that he and his party had been given, “Okay, we should be seeing the village of Wind Valley soon. According to this guild request we have to retrieve an artifact from the nearby ruins, though we need to check in with the village leader first. Seems pretty straight-forward, though I have a feeling that it’ll be a bit more complicated than it sounds.”

Skye placed her hands behind her head, “At least we got the jump on this request before someone like Lucas did. Especially since the last time he was tasked to retrieve an item he brought back the wrong item and unleashed a colony of Bat Demons on the poor village. Seems that the guild has picked up on the other ‘Heroes’ constant screwups and are becoming more and more selective about who takes a job request. Since we’re the ones doing the request we can at least rest assured that it won’t go awry.”

Viola, who was in front with her map, replied, “While that is true, we should still be cautious. The other Heroes will, most likely, not take kindly to the fact that we’ve become far more trustworthy than them. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them is tailing after us in hopes of getting the artifact first to one-up us.”

Rupert gave a heavy sigh, “The fact that I can definitely see that happening is rather depressing, to be honest. Especially if it’s Lucas since he’s still blaming Cel for that Fun Box incident and all the trouble he got into because of it. Just what you’d expect from a petty bully.”

Zuzu shrugged, “What can you do about it? He’s nothing more than a puppet and meat shield for that long-eared wretch. She’s clearly the one in control, stroking his ego and using him as a pawn for her games just to enjoy the drama and chaos that it causes unfold. Really, I’ve seen a lot of vile stuff over my nearly 400-year lifespan, but boy, does she take the cake. And ate it, too. Even I have to admit that a rogue wild demon like myself has proven more trustworthy and noble than her says a lot about just how vile she is. It’s like she doesn’t know when to quit.”

Skye turned to her, “Unfortunately, that is Wench’s main issue. Or one of them, anyway. She’ll stop at nothing to get the last laugh, no matter how low she has to go, and any attempts to correct her behavior only results in her escalating the severity of her crimes. It’s times like this I’m surprised King Alvin hasn’t just grabbed her and executed her, as she’s becoming too much of a safety hazard. Compared to her, someone like you is practically a saint, Zuzu. At least you’ve never caused any long-term issues despite being, as you put it, ‘morally grey’. For someone who is ‘morally grey’ you sure do good work for the planet.”

Zuzu gained a blush and turned her head away, trying to hide it, making the rest of the party chuckle.

Viola then said, “Anyway, we should be seeing Wind Valley village very shortly. I already see windmills so that means we’re very close.”

It wasn’t long before the party arrived at Wind Valley. It was a nice-sized village with many windmills. They were escorted by a villager to meet with the village leader about the task. However, a group of people was lurking behind them, eager at the thought of stealing the Shroud Hero’s job.

The village leader smiled, “Welcome, Shroud Hero and friends. I’m the one who sent the request for your help. You see, there are some old ruins not far from here that hold an ancient relic that we need right now. However, the ruins are full of monsters, specifically undead monsters. As such, we can’t go after the item ourselves. The relic in question is called the Goddess’ Tear and we need it to purify our water supply, as due to Infinator’s waves the water quality around here has dropped harshly. Now…”

Suddenly, everyone heard a crack, making them all jump. Skye’s sharp ears directed her to a window where they saw Lucas and his party spying on them. Being discovered caused Lucas and his party to run off, clearly wanting to get the Goddess’ Tear first.

“That rat Lucas!” Tyroe hissed. “He’s trying to upstage us as revenge for the fact that we’re more beloved that he is!”

The village leader stated, “Well, fortunately for you, he won’t succeed. You see, the Goddess’ Tear is in a secret passageway. We have a map that’ll lead you to it. The ruins are not as straight-forward as they seem, as the hidden passageway weaves in a different direction. But, in order to prevent the Spear Hero from finding the Goddess’ Tear first, take this map and follow him to the ruins.”

The village leader handed over a map to the Shroud Hero party.

“Thank you,” Celtic said. “Let’s go, team, we’ve got work to do. And we have to do it before Lucas does.”

It wasn’t long before the Shroud Hero’s party had arrived at the ruins. They were about two miles outside of the village. They looked very worn and creepy. Viola then noticed a piece of paper on the ground and picked it up.

“Looks like Pointy Stick Boy was here,” she said, holding out the paper.

On it was a juvenile drawing of Lucas and Wench making mocking faces. Celtic and the rest of his party rolled their eyes.

“Sheesh, talk about immature,” Leon sighed. “Considering he’s the oldest of the Heroes, I’m surprised Lucas is really that childish. I mean, I knew he had a very child-like outlook about being a Hero, but really, the guy is just sad. Besides, I just remembered something that’ll make things easier for us.”

“What’s that?” Skye asked.

“Well, remember when the village leader said that these ruins have a lot of undead in them? Well, the fact of the matter is undead monsters are attracted to evil auras. And since Wench emanates quite the evil aura herself, she and her party are going to effectively be undead magnets, as the undead monsters will come to them in droves because of her aura. This means they’ll end up distracting the monsters while we go get the Goddess’ Tear virtually unopposed.”

Zuzu nodded, “Yeah, that’s a good point. Undead love evil energies and auras, so that vile Wench will end up attracting them like moths to a flame.”

Rupert couldn’t help but snicker, “Heheh, that’s just perfect. So, in short, we’ll let Pointy Stick Boy keep the monsters busy while we get what we’ve been assigned to retrieve without any real opposition. I call that a sweet deal.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, so let’s capitalize on that and get going before Pointy Stick Boy gets tangled up with us.”

Nodding, the party entered the ruins. Celtic held out his metal hand, flattened his palm, and released a light from the center of his palm, much to everyone’s surprise.

“You have a built-in lamp in your hand?” Tyroe asked.

“Technically, it’s called a flashlight on Earth, as things like oil lamps have gone the way of the dodo bird,” Celtic said. “But yes, I do. The bulb had burnt out prior to coming here, so I had to replace it, hence why I haven’t used it until now. But this should make our journey into these ruins easier. Now, come, let’s get a move on and find that Goddess’ Tear.”

The party ventured into the ruins, guided by Celtic’s flashlight. It wasn’t long before they came to the spot the map had marked. Celtic looked the map over before holding his light up at the wall.

“This is the spot,” he said. “Now, there should be some sort of hidden switch to move this wall.”

“Found it,” Zuzu said, pressing a hidden button.

The wall opened up, revealing a hidden passageway. Nodding, the party ventured in further. They occasionally ran into various monsters in the hidden passage, but they were minor annoyances at best. They eventually came to a treasure chest nestled in a shallow alcove.

“Hmm…” the redhead pondered. “A treasure chest just lying here? Seems a bit too convenient.”

Zuzu sniffed the area before saying, “Yeah, I can smell it. It’s a type of Dungeon Mimic. Let’s test it.” She grabbed a dead monster body that they had just killed, “This Gremlin that we just killed should prove what kind of Mimic we’re dealing with.”

She tossed the dead Gremlin at the chest. This caused a large set of jaws to emerge from underneath the chest, snapping up the Gremlin and viciously chewing the already doomed monster before the jaws sank below the ground, spitting up the chest again, followed by a low burp.

“Good call on that, Zuzu,” Leon said. “That was a Jaw Trap Mimic. Looks like we just gave it a small snack, as those things are virtually bottomless pits. Now we know to avoid it.”

Skye gained a devilish thought, “Oh, wouldn’t it be great if another Jaw Trap Mimic snapped up my vile sister and ultimately got rid of her for us? That would be a huge help to the world.”

Celtic replied dryly, “She’d probably give it food poisoning because she’s so rotten. I’d feel pretty bad for that Mimic if it did happen, even though, truthfully, I wouldn’t mind something offing her. But time for that later, let’s keep going.”

The party resumed their search. On occasion, they could hear the cries of Lucas and his party as they were ambushed by something, making them snicker darkly. Eventually, however, they came to a dead end.

Celtic looked the map over, “Hmm… this map says this is the last room in the secret area, but I’m not seeing any Goddess’ Tear.”

Leon stepped up, “Hold on, Cel, I sense something. I sense… a pair of auras… a pair of suffering auras that seek freedom. I can sense it coming from… over to the wall on the left.”

He walked over to the wall and touched it. This caused a section of the wall to vanish, startling everyone. What followed surprised them even further.

“So, you have come looking for the Goddess’ Tear?” a male voice floated out.

A female voice followed, “We’d be happy to give it to you… but we have a small request first.”

The party looked inside the room to see a pair of liches, one male and one female, sitting on a pair of old thrones. Everyone got defensive but the male lich started to chuckle.

“Fear not, brave ones, for we are not bad liches,” he said. “My name is Koda, and this is my wife Elaine. You see, I created this dungeon long ago as a hiding place for me and my beloved wife. Long ago, at least 100 years ago, though I’ve lost count, I was a sorcerer who defended a small kingdom from an enemy. I was granted a wish as a reward, so I wished to marry Elaine, the princess of the realm. The king, her father, was going to marry her off anyway, so I decided to claim her first. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with the king, but Elaine and I eloped and fled, taking refuge here. However… at one point we got hit with a curse that turned us both into liches. We guess it was her father’s men that did that as punishment for our relationship. We’ve been waiting in this dungeon for years, hoping we’d rot away, but we were recently awaked by an evil aura. Though, come to think of it, none of you are emitting said aura. Why? Are there other adventurers in this dungeon?”

Skye replied, “You were probably sensing my sister’s aura. Wench, formerly known as Veronica, is a vile, evil scumbag who is pretty much on-par with Infinator in terms of evil energies. She’s with the other ‘Hero’ that is trying to steal our job and find the Goddess’ Tear first. However, they don’t know of the hidden passageway, but we do, as the village leader gave us this map that showed the hidden route. So, you were probably awakened by Wench’s aura, though she’s also probably attracting a bunch of undead monsters to the Spear Hero. But it makes our job easier, as he and his harem will keep the monsters busy while we do what we were assigned to do.”

Leon stepped up, “You said you had a request in exchange for the Goddess’ Tear. What would this request be?”

Elaine replied, “We would be most grateful if you could purify us and allow us to ascend to the afterlife. I can see that you’re a Templar Knight. Please, will you grant us our final wish, so we can be together in the afterlife? In exchange, you can have the Goddess’ Tear and any of the other treasures we have collected. They are all over there in those chests to your right.”

Everyone turned to see several chests off to the side. They all looked at each other before nodding.

“Very well,” Leon said. “I’ll help grant you your wish and purify you so you can be at peace together. Give me a few minutes to set things up.”

He took out a piece of chalk and started to draw symbols on the ground. After a few minutes he created what looked like a sacred circle full of holy symbols.

“There, the sacred purification circle is complete,” he said. “Please, when you are ready, step into the center and I’ll begin the purification process that’ll allow your tortured souls to ascend to the heavens in peace.”

“Thank you so much,” Koda said sincerely. “Now we can finally rest. You have our eternal gratitude, noble Shroud Hero and friends.”

The two liches walked into the center of the sacred circle and knelt down. Leon then started to channel holy energies which caused the sacred circle to light up.

“May my divine powers purify your tortured souls and ascend to the heavens where the Gods await you,” he stated. “May your souls finally be at peace and take your place among the stars. Heaven’s Gate!”

He released a large amount of holy energy that lit up the room, causing the sacred circle to start releasing sparkling pulses. Koda and Elaine held hands one last time as their bodies started to vanish.

“Thank you, we will never forget what you have done for us,” the two liches said in unison.

After a few more seconds their bodies vanished in a flurry of sparkles. Shortly afterward the sacred circle’s light died down, Leon lowering his hand.

“It’s done,” he said gently. “Their souls have left the mortal realm and have now ascended to the afterlife where they can be at peace.”

Celtic placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder, “Well done, Leon. That was quite the impressive display. You did those two a huge favor and now they can be together in the afterlife, no longer tortured by their undead forms in the mortal realm. You claim to have not been a model Templar Knight, but from what I’ve seen you are probably the best thing that ever came out of the Four Stars Church. You said Abbot Joseph was like a father to you before he was killed by Sylph, right? Well, I think he’d be quite proud of you for how far you have come. You’re certainly a shining example of what a Templar Knight can really be.”

Leon smiled, “Thanks, Cel, that means a lot to me. I may have resorted to gambling, drinking, and hustling the rubes in order to cope with the bullying I received, but it appears that I ended up a better Templar Knight than anyone thought regardless, myself included. Now, enough of this. Let’s collect the treasures from those chests and return to the village.”

Nodding, the party opened up all the chests, revealing various treasures and items, including the Goddess’ Tear and what looked like a Playboy Bunny Girl outfit, much to Celtic’s embarrassment and Skye’s delight. After collecting everything the party retraced their steps and returned to the main hall of the dungeon. However, just as they did, an exhausted Lucas and his party suddenly appeared. Lucas noticed the hidden passageway before his eyes narrowed.

“Celtic, you sewer rat!” he spat. “You KNEW about a hidden passageway!? That means you’ve got the Goddess’ Tear in that damn Tek-Pak of yours! So while me and my party were being chased by undead YOU had it easy and managed to get the prize?! Well, I won’t let that happen! Give me that Tek-Pak!”

Lucas tried wrestling the Tek-Pak off Celtic, who was trying to push him back. Suddenly, they all heard a collection of roars, stopping the fight instantly. They all turned to see a whole army of undead monsters charging them.

“Not again!” one of Lucas’ party members wailed.

“Why have they been chasing us this whole time!?” another cried.

Leon replied matter-of-factly, “It’s because they’re attracted to evil auras. And Wench is giving off said aura. Observe.”

He held out his hand and channeled energy into it, causing Wench’s aura to form around her. It was a purplish black color with a lot of evil energy in it. This caused the undead monsters to become even more excited and charged faster, much to the Spear Hero’s party’s alarm.

While this was happening, Celtic had been channeling energy before stating in an almost casual tone, “Cloak.”

This caused Celtic and his party to vanish like phantoms, leaving Lucas and his party behind, much to their alarm.

“Celtic! Get back here!” Lucas demanded. “Get back here, you dirty rat and deal with these undead monsters! I demand it! Celtic! CELTIC!!!”

One of Lucas’ party members whimpered, “I suggest you stop calling the Shroud Hero and just start running, as those undead monsters are nearly on top of us.”

Lucas bit his lip before stating, “Retreat!”

He and his party quickly ran, hoping to outrun the undead monsters as they made a beeline for the entrance to the ruins. Eventually they made it outside and noticed that the undead monsters weren’t following them, all growling menacingly from the ruins.

“Why aren’t they chasing us anymore?” Lucas asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

One of his party members stated, “Undead hate sunlight as it weakens them dramatically. Since it’s sunny out, they won’t follow us and risk getting hurt from the sunlight.”

Wench and Lucas gained large grins and started to mock the undead monsters, making faces and taunting them, enraging the undead creatures.

Another party member sputtered, “D-Don’t give them a reason to come out!”

Lucas smirked, “Relax, we’re safe. It’s nice and…” but was cut off when it suddenly went dark.

Every member of his party looked up to see a large amount of overcast having suddenly covered the sun, blanketing the area in darkness. All of them gained terrified expressions, with Wench’s ears drooping, as they looked back at the undead monsters, all who had evil smirks on their faces and immediately charged again.

“Run!!!”

Lucas and his party bolted from the spot with the undead monsters hot on their heels. At the time, Celtic and his party had returned to the village and presented the Goddess’ Tear to the village leader.

“Thank you, noble Shroud Hero,” he said. “Now, with the Goddess’ Tear, we can finally purify our water supply. I take it everything went well in those ruins?”

Viola replied, “Yeah, and thanks to that moronic Spear Hero he kept most of the undead monsters busy while we accomplished our task. Leon also purified a pair of liches who were guarding the Goddess’ Tear, though they were actually pretty pleasant people, as they were once humans that got cursed. So, we helped send them off to the afterlife and they gave us the Goddess’ Tear as thanks.”

The village leader looked surprised, “I was not aware that there were a pair of liches in that dungeon. And you say they were actually pretty friendly and just merely wanted to be purified? It appears that us requesting for you to retrieve the Goddess’ Tear was the right choice, as your Templar Knight friend must’ve been the one to help those poor souls move on.”

Tyroe nodded, “Yeah, Leon was pretty much the star today, not that any of us are complaining. He did those two a huge service by helping them move on into the afterlife. All they wanted was to live in peace together after eloping from another kingdom but they were cursed for their efforts, so Leon helped give them the proper sendoff they needed so they could be together in the afterlife.”

Leon gained a blush, “Please, gang, you’re making me blush. I didn’t do that much, I just helped those two souls find peace, that’s all.”

Zuzu gave a rough smile, “Still, what you did was very touching. You allowed those two souls to finally end their suffering and find peace. You’re a much better Templar Knight that your evil half-brother Robert is, as he would’ve just vaporized them like any other monsters. You gave them a proper, peaceful sendoff. That takes a good heart to do, especially since, from what I’ve heard, Templar Knights tend to see demons and undead as the unholiest of the unholy and thus feel they need to be eradicated at all costs. The fact that you looked past that and helped give those two a peaceful sendoff shows that you’re a much better Templar Knight than most others.”

Leon’s blush got brighter, “I appreciate what you’re saying, but I think you guys are overplaying my qualities a bit.”

Skye then noticed something, her ears twitching, “Uh-oh… we’ve got trouble.”

Everyone looked to see Lucas and his party still being chased by the undead monsters, heading straight for the village.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Celtic choked. “That moron is leading those undead monsters right to this village!”

“We have to intercept them before they can get in the village itself and cause untold amounts of death and chaos!” Viola stated.

Leon was already channeling holy energy, “Leave this to me! Heaven’s Gate!”

He fired off the spell, causing a larger sacred circle to form underneath the undead monsters. The powerful holy energies ravaged the horde of monsters, making them screech in agony as they were vaporized. When the last one was killed, Lucas and his party flopped to the ground, exhausted and relieved.

Lucas then turned to Celtic angrily, “Why did you abandon us like that!? Some ‘Hero’ you are!”

Celtic replied rather casually, “I had other business to attend to, like my assigned task. Besides, it’s not my fault that one of your party members is catnip to undead monsters. You’re the one who added her to your ranks, after all, so I’m not to blame for your actions. But you could’ve cause some serious problems for this village by leading those undead monsters back here. King Alvin will be most displeased with you, and I’m not just talking about trying to steal my party’s job. It’s not my fault that you and the other Legendary Stooges are such screwups because you can’t see that this world is real and not another one of your stupid RPGs. There’s a reason why I’m considered more trustworthy than you, Ryan, Eric, and Jerry, because I don’t do anything that causes long-term problems. Bah, why am I wasting oxygen on you? You never listen anyway.” He turned to his party, “Team, let’s head back to Delgunner and report to both the guild and King Alvin. I know King Alvin will be most displeased with this little event. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

Skye nodded, “Gladly, Cel.” She then turned to the village leader, “We’ll leave the water purification to you, as we have to report this unheroic behavior to His Majesty.”

The village leader nodded, “Yes, of course. We know what we need to do in order to purify our water supply, so you’re free to go and report this disgusting behavior to His Majesty, King Alvin. This certainly showed just how far the Spear Hero will go to upstage the Shroud Hero. And I thought all those stories of the Spear Hero antagonizing the Shroud Hero were rather exaggerated. Turns out they’re the truth. So, please, take care of what needs to be done, we’ll handle the water purification process.”

Skye nodded, “Thank you. Okay, team, time to head back. Warp!”

Celtic and his party vanished, leaving an exhausted Spear Hero party and the village of Wind Valley behind. They reappeared at Delgunner’s gates, where the guards greeted them.

“Sir Shroud Hero!” one said. “The Spear Hero snuck out after…” but was cut off.

“We know already,” Celtic stated. “It ended up turning the quest into a race, though, fortunately, my party was the one given the map for the quest while Lucas and his party didn’t know about it. Lucas and his party spent most of their time getting chased by undead monsters while we completed the task that we were assigned to do. Lucas and his party also almost led a bunch of undead monsters back to the village, as the monsters were attracted to Wench’s evil aura. Don’t worry, Leon took care of them, so the village is unharmed. We need to report back to both the guild and King Alvin about the Spear Hero’s latest scheme against me. So, let us complete those tasks and be on our way.”

The guards saluted and allowed the Shroud Hero’s party to pass through the gates. As they did, Viola looked at Leon.

“What Leon did today was very noble and kind of him,” she said silently. “It was almost beautiful at how kindly he treated those two liches and helped them move on into the afterlife after they had spent at least 100 years in that horrid state. He claims he wasn’t a model Templar Knight, but it appears he took the lessons he learned more to heart than he realized. And even went beyond. I admit I’m rather impressed…” Her six eyes widened, “W-Wait… am… am I developing a crush on Leon? D-Do I have feelings for him? …Maybe I do. I’m… I’m not sure what to think about that… I guess time will tell if this’ll work out or not.”

Next Chapter: Conspiracy of the Fallen Knight

And that's all for now folks. Looks like Leon was the star of the show today and Viola is starting to get the hots for Leon (can't blame her, as he's quite the hunk). And it appears Skye's got a new outfit to play with. How will all that turn out? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. Let's see what our heroes get dragged into this time.

Conspiracy of the Fallen Knight


It had been a few days since Celtic and his party retrieved the Goddess’ Tear. Lucas had gotten another earful from King Alvin for his scheme against Celtic and was put under temporary house arrest in the castle to keep him in one place so he wouldn’t cause any more trouble for the time. It wasn’t long however before a new problem would arise.

Celtic and his party were in their respective guest room in the castle, merely relaxing and idly chatting among themselves. Suddenly, a knock at their door could be heard.

Skye opened the door up, revealing a maid, “Yes? Can we help you?”

“Begging your pardon,” the maid said. “But His Majesty, King Alvin, requests the Shroud Hero’s party in the throne room. Apparently there is a problem with another kingdom and they need help.”

Tyroe quirked an eyebrow, “Wait? Another kingdom is requesting our help? That’s not something we get often. Tell King Alvin we’ll be there shortly.”

The maid bowed, “Yes, I will do so. Please, don’t keep him waiting.”

She then left, leaving the rest of the party alone.

Celtic got out of his chair, “Well, gang, it looks like we’ll be expanding our horizons today, as it appears we’ll be going to another kingdom. Let’s go see what King Alvin needs.”

Nodding, the party gathered up their stuff and made their way to the throne room. There they saw King Alvin and his family along with a Shadow Sentinel, all who appeared to be waiting for them.

King Alvin said, “Prince Avalar and company, good, you’re here. Now, onto the nitty-gritty of why I requested your presence. One of our ally kingdoms, specifically the Gorgodos Kingdom, has requested some help. At one of their key port towns, where they do most of their overseas trading, there has been a giant monster called a Squidadon attacking their trade routes. Thing is, there has been this mysterious man who has been fighting and defeating the Squidadon, but it either keeps coming back or there is more than one. This has made the Gorgodos Kingdom suspicious, as this ‘knight’ who has been fighting off the Squidadon claims to have beaten it but it somehow continues attacking. And he’s been heavily charging the port town for his services. People are starting to wonder if he’s in league with the Squidadon somehow, but they cannot confirm it. What’s more, the mayor of the port town, Don Ricardo, recently found out his son can no longer talk for some reason but cannot figure out why. Because of all this, His Majesty, King O’Connell, has sent a request to me to ask if he could borrow you and your party to try to sort this out. He’s willing to pay handsomely if you do, as the constant attacks have caused a lot of his kingdom’s economy to start suffering. This Shadow Sentinel will take you to the port town to begin your investigation. Will you go?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we will. It does sound rather fishy… er… pun not intended, that this mysterious ‘knight’ claims to kill the beast but it keeps coming back for more. Being in league with the beast is a possibility, though I’ve never really heard of anyone here being able to communicate or instruct a monster like that before. But, yes, we’ll go and see if we can solve this.”

King Alvin smiled, “Thank you, Avalar, this will be a huge help to Gorgodos Kingdom, as they rely heavily on their ports and trade routes to keep the kingdom afloat. And it’ll help further keep our relationship with them stable. You must leave right away and try to solve this before it gets any worse.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Please, allow me to escort you to the designated location. I won’t leave after I’ve transported you there, however, as I was instructed to stay and take you to Gorgodos Kingdom’s capital once the task is complete so His Majesty, King O’Connell can reward you for your help. Are you ready to go, Your Majesty?”

Celtic turned to the party, who all nodded, before stating, “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be. Work your shadow magic if you please.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded and began charging up energy before stating, “Shadow Warp!”

This caused Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel to vanish in black portals, leaving King Alvin behind.

“Godspeed to you, Shroud Hero,” he said. “And please, don’t fail.”

Within seconds the party had arrived at the port town. They all looked around to see the place was bustling with people, with what appeared to be people similar to Viola scuttling around, but instead of giant spider lower bodies they had giant scorpion bodies. They seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting and hauling of crates and goods.

“Who are those people?” Celtic asked. “The ones that look like scorpion versions of Viola.”

Skye replied, “Those are members of the Ogre Scorpion Clan. They’re relatives to the Arachne, obviously. Ogre Scorpions can be considered the ‘brawn’ to the Arachne ‘brains’, so to speak, though that doesn’t mean they’re unintelligent. Ogre Scorpions absolutely love manual labor, as it not only helps them show off their strength, but they have a LOT of energy that they need to burn off during the day, as they get restless if they don’t have anything to do. And a restless Ogre Scorpion is not a good thing, as when they get restless, they get aggressive. So, it’s no surprise that members of their clan are working here, as all those crates and other forms of manual labor to load and unload ships is a great way to burn off their excess energy. They’re also big worshipers of the Shroud, as it was because of the first Shroud Hero that the Ogre Scorpions were actually accepted by the public and became a vital cog in the work force of places like this. So, if they start worshiping you, Cel, don’t be surprised.”

“O-kay…” the redhead said. “Anyway, we should first find the mayor of this town and see about his son. Maybe his son knows something that he shouldn’t know and that’s why he’s been silenced. It’s a good enough place to start.”

The Shadow Sentinel said, “Mayor Don Ricardo’s home is the large manor over to the southeast, near the lighthouse. I will await you here, albeit in the shadows as I’ve been instructed to not draw attention to myself. When you have completed the task, return here and I’ll take you to King O’Connell’s castle for the next part. Be safe, sire, as evil forces are afoot.”

With one last bow the Shadow Sentinel vanished like a phantom, leaving the party alone.

Leon stated, “Okay, let’s find Mayor Don Ricardo and see what we can gather from him.”

Nodding, the party made their way to Don Ricardo’s home. As they passed, several Ogre Scorpions eagerly greeted Celtic, going into bows and warmly shaking his hands, making him a bit uncomfortable. Eventually they reached the large manor near the lighthouse. There was a sign above the door.

“This appears to be the place,” Viola said. “Let’s see what Don Ricardo can tell us.”

Celtic knocked on the door knocker. They waited for a few moments before a man opened the door. He was a rather muscular man yet had a strong air of class to him, dressed in a nice suit with neatly groomed brown hair and grey eyes. His eyes widened as he saw the party.

“Can it be?” he exclaimed. “The Shroud Hero has come to help us? Our request did make it through. Oh, praise the Gods. I am Don Ricardo, mayor of this bustling port town. Since you are here I take it you’re aware of our situation, correct?”

Rupert nodded, “Yes, that some noble ‘knight’ has been ‘defeating’ a Squidadon that has been harassing your trade routes, only for said Squidadon to attack again, thus repeating the cycle. Can you give us more information about this man?”

“I can, yes, but I have a small request first. Can you please look at my son? He suddenly lost his voice and he seems like he’s got something important to say but cannot say it. I fear some beast may have cursed him or something like that. Please, he’s my only son, and I cannot stand to see him like this. Can you help?”

Celtic replied, “Sure, we’ll see what we can do. Call him over and let’s have a look.”

Don Ricardo nodded before calling, “Norberto, please come over here. We may have finally found the people who can help you.”

A young boy, no older than eight, quickly scampered over. He looked like a smaller, younger version of his father, along with being a bit lankier. He was startled by the Shroud Hero’s party, clearly nervous.

Skye knelt down to his level, “Now, now, there’s no need to be afraid of us, Norberto. We’re here to help solve this little problem that your town has been dealing with lately. Now, let’s take a look at you.”

Leon knelt down and placed a hand on Norberto’s throat, “Let’s see… hmm… I see the problem. The poor kid’s been cursed. The thing about this curse, however, is that it’s not a run-of-the-mill curse.”

“How so?” Zuzu asked.

“Well, most curses run off the Dark element, but this curse actually runs off the Light element, meaning it’s a different breed of curse. That said, it still functions pretty much identically to a more standard Dark-attributed curse. Also… it feels very familiar to me. This curse… I’m beginning to think I know who’s behind all this. But first things first, let’s cure him and get the info straight from the horse’s mouth. Now, Norberto, I’m about to cast a spell on you to lift that curse. You’ll feel a rather… unpleasant feeling as I expel the cursed energies from your throat, but you’re going to have to grin and bear it, as it’s the only way to cure you. Now…” he started to channel energies before stating, “Curse Breaker!”

He cast a spell on the young boy. This caused Norberto to clutch his throat before opening his mouth, allowing an evil-feeling Light energy to escape it before evaporating. The boy stumbled to his knees, much to his father’s alarm, but after a few moments he managed to stand back up.

Leon gave a crooked grin, “Sorry, kid, but I warned you it wouldn’t be pleasant. Now… try to speak.”

Norberto hesitated before opening his mouth and saying, “I… I can talk?! I can talk!”

His father embraced the boy happily, tears coming out of his eyes, “My son, you’re okay now! I was so worried about you!” He managed to regain his composure before stating, “Now, son, seeing how you were cursed, does that mean you know who’s behind it?”

The boy nodded, “Yes. The ‘knight’ that has been helping us… he’s been talking to the monster. He seems to be able to control it using some sort of whistle or flute. When I saw him give it a command, I gave a small scream of surprise and he spotted me. He hit me with a spell to silence me so I couldn’t tell anyone.”

“As we thought,” Skye stated. “This so-called ‘knight’ is actually in cahoots with the Squidadon. He’s been pretending to defeat it so he can milk this town for his ‘heroics’ and then commands it to attack the town again so he can just repeat the process.”

Leon knelt down to Norberto, “Tell me, kid. Can you describe this ‘knight’ to us? Besides, I have a suspicion I know who it is, but I want to be sure.”

Norberto nodded, “Yes, I can. He looked very similar to you, only older with shorter, darker hair. He was wearing a blue outfit similar to yours, only more decorated and flashy, and was wielding a rapier.”

Leon gave a scowl, “I knew it. It’s my half-brother Robert. He’s behind all this. I knew I recognized that curse energies, as they’re the same ones he uses. He even tried using them on me once only for it to not work for some reason. Abbot Joseph theorized that my holy properties were higher than Robert though, hence why the curse didn’t work on me. But it’s no surprise it would work on a little kid. But I knew it was him. Looks like he’s scurried his way out of the shadows since the Four Stars Church’s fall and is now causing trouble.”

Celtic scratched his chin, “He’s clearly fled Delgunner’s territory in hopes of escaping capture by Delgunner and Shadoria and is now lurking around other kingdoms. My guess is he’s trying to create situations that he can take advantage of and build up resources so he can either revive the Four Stars Church or use said resources for other means, like a revolt or something. Which would explain why he’s been milking this place, as it would be loaded with money and useful items for him to harvest for whatever deeds he has planned. And thanks to Norberto, we have an actual eyewitness of him communicating with the Squidadon so he can use it to create a money-making scheme to build up resources and maybe even help give the Four Stars Church new footholds in different kingdoms. I had a feeling he’d come back and give us grief after he fled the battlefield last time we saw him. He wants revenge on us, Delgunner, and its allies for shutting down the Four Stars Church after High Priest Ebenezer’s failed coup. Now, all we have to do is find him and keep him from getting away again. But thanks to his Teleport spell, he can bail at any given moment, thereby keeping him out of our grip. We have to act fast.”

Suddenly, a voice shouted, “The Squidadon is back!”

Another shouted, “The knight is going to confront it at the docks!”

Celtic gained a dark grin, “And I think we may have just found our chance to expose him. Quickly, everyone, to the docks!”

At to docks a massive squid-like monster roared, ready to attack, while a neatly groomed man in blue Templar Knight clothes and wielding a rapier stood his ground.

“You keep coming back?” he stated. “How many times do I have to teach you a lesson?”

His eyes widened when a snide voice said, “That depends on how many times it takes US to teach YOU a lesson… Robert.”

He turned to see Celtic and his party standing before him, making his already wide eyes go even wider.

“Shroud Devil?!” Robert sputtered. “Why are you here?!”

This remark angered the Ogre Scorpions, making them stomp their legs in a fury.

“Did you just call him the ‘Shroud Devil’, you cur?!” one spat.

“You have some nerve to call the noble Shroud Hero that!” another roared.

“Nobody calls the Shroud Hero THAT in front of us!” a third howled in fury.

Celtic gained a dark grin, “I was specially dispatched to find out what’s been going on here. And, thanks to the little boy, Norberto, that you cursed did we find out it was you who’s been manipulating everything in order to milk this town for all its worth. Though Leon did suspect it was you prior to us getting the truth from the boy you cursed, as he recognized the type of curse you used on the kid. You could really learn a thing or two from Leon, as he’s a real Templar Knight, not a petty knock-off like yourself.”

This remark enraged Robert, “You DARE call ME a ‘knock-off’!? You have some nerve, Shroud Devil. But you cannot prove it was me who did anything wrong.”

Celtic transformed his arm into Mag-Bolt, “Allow me to prove you wrong. Mag-Bolt, snatch the item I seek!”

He activated the Mag-Bolt, which caused an unknown item to fly out of Robert’s Templar uniform and latch itself onto the magnet. Skye then took it and gained a grin.

“Well, look at this,” she said slyly. “A Monster Tamer Flute. And considering it was on your person, that means you’ve been using it to tame monsters to do your bidding so you can milk an area for all its worth and build up resources for your nefarious deeds. And if you want more proof that you’re the villain of this story, I’m sure Don Ricardo and his son, Norberto, can further clarify the situation. Isn’t that right, Don Ricardo?”

Don Ricardo and his son stepped up. Norberto, although nervous, swallowed his fear and stood his ground.

“That’s the man who cursed me!” he stated. “I saw him using that flute on the Squidadon and he cursed my voice to keep me silent! He’s commanding the beast and using it to attack our trading routes so he can squeeze every last coin out of us for his ‘heroics’! I even heard him say that to the Squidadon before I was caught!”

Everyone in the town gained hateful eyes, glaring at Robert, who was starting to sweat at the sudden increase in hostility.

Skye then grinned, “Now, watch this, ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to prove that he’s been in command of that Squidadon this whole time.”

She slammed the flute on her knee, breaking it in two. This caused what looked like a controlling aura around the Squidadon to suddenly break, freeing it from its effects, much to Robert’s horror.

“You vile Light Elf!” he roared. “And you accursed Shroud Devil! You’ve ruined everything! But now that you’ve freed the Squidadon, you’ve just doomed this town!”

As he said that, the Squidadon started to roar and flail its tentacles around, smashing everything in reach.

Robert gave a diabolical laugh, “You haven’t won yet, Shroud Devil! If you can survive this then we’ll meet again! Teleport!”

Robert then vanished from the area, leaving the port town at the mercy of the Squidadon. Celtic suddenly gained an idea.

“Zuzu!” he instructed. “Land a huge punch directly in-between its eyes!”

Confused, Zuzu nodded and complied. She quickly flew up into the air and enlarged one of her fists with dark energy and punched the Squidadon squarely in-between the eyes. This had an immediate effect, stunning the creature, stopping it for the moment.

“Yes!” Celtic stated. “This beast has the same weak point as normal squids do. Skye! Stab the Squidadon in the very same spot with your naginata! Hurry, while it’s still stunned!”

Skye nodded, ran down the docks at blinding speed, jumped, did a front flip and slammed her naginata’s blade into the same spot Zuzu punched. This also had an immediate effect, causing the Squidadon to roar in pain before going completely limp, dead. Skye cautiously pulled her naginata’s blade out of the beast’s body, wiped it clean, put it away, and allowed Zuzu to grab her and carry her back to the rest of the party. Everyone was stunned at how easily the Squidadon went down.

Rupert turned to Celtic, “Cel… how did you know how to kill the Squidadon so easily?”

Celtic turned to him, “Remember when we were heading to the Myria Archipelago for training? I mentioned I went on numerous boat excursions with my dad. Some of those were to go squid fishing. I learned that cephalopods like octopi and squid have a huge bundle of nerves in-between their eyes. Striking that spot stuns them while impaling it kills it. My dad may not be a very good cook, but he loved fried calamari, and was actually good at making it, so we’d go fishing for fresh squid every now and then back when we lived near the ocean. And it appears that monster versions of cephalopods also possess the same exact weakness. Granted, I wasn’t sure if that’d apply or not, but when Zuzu’s punch stunned it and it responded just like a regular squid would allowed me to find a way to kill it easily.”

Tyroe licked his lips, “Mmm… I’d love to try some fried calamari. Sounds tasty. Maybe you can make some sometime?”

The redhead rolled his eyes, “We’ll see, as I don’t have access to a deep frier right now. And speaking of calamari, let me grab a sample of this beast for my Shroud and see what I get out of it. Could be interesting.”

He walked over to the docks, grabbed one of the tentacles that was resting on a post, tore off a chunk and fed it to the Shroud’s gem. This caused a new Shroud form called the “Squidadon Shroud” to be created. Celtic read the Shroud’s power over before returning to the party.

“Now, we need to deal with the body of this beast, as it won’t sink in this shallow water. Zuzu, think you can drag it out into deeper water and punch it so it’ll sink?”

Zuzu nodded, “Sure, give me a minute. Give the sharks something to snack on.”

She flew behind the dead Squidadon, enlarged her arms and hands with dark energy, grabbed the beast’s corpse, and dragged it out further into the ocean nearby. After getting to a desirable spot, she then punched the beast repeatedly to force it to sink. It eventually did, sinking below the surface and into the depths of the ocean. Satisfied, Zuzu quickly returned to her party.

“There, squid breath has sunk to the bottom of the ocean,” she reported. “It’ll give the sharks and other aquatic predators something to snack on, possibly even keeping them away from the port so fishermen can fish in peace.”

The town then erupted into cheers.

“Let’s hear it for the Shroud Hero!” some cheered.

“He’s a real Hero!” others stated.

Don Ricardo walked up, “Thank you, noble Shroud Hero and friends. Because of you Robert’s deception has been exposed. It’s a shame he got away because the freed Squidadon’s rampage distracted everyone. But I know with a Hero of your caliber will keep him from causing any more problems. Now… I know we need to reward you… but…”

Celtic raised up a hand, “You can forget it, I’m not going to ask for anything. Normally I would, but Robert has done enough damage to your purses as it is. Besides, King O’Connell promised a reward for us if we took care of the problem anyway, so you’re off the hook.

Don Ricardo sighed in relief, “Thank you, Sir Shroud Hero. At least now our trade routes will be free again, allowing us to rebound from Robert’s schemes and fill our pockets once again. You have our eternal gratitude. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by. I’ll be sure to let the local business give you discounts on their goods. Especially the bakery, as they have exquisite cream pies and cakes.”

Skye’s eyes lit up, “Cream pies and cakes? Sign me up!”

Celtic stated, “Sorry, Skye, but it’ll have to wait until another day, as we have to report to King O’Connell about what happened. Then we need to go home and rest after all this. So, it’s time for us to leave and talk to King O’Connell. But if we’re ever in the area again, we could stop by for a slice of cake as a small treat, because I doubt this is the last time we’ll be in this kingdom.”

Skye’s ears drooped, “Okay, Cel. Besides, you’re right, we need to let King O’Connell know about this. Maybe it’ll help the other kingdoms become more aware of Robert’s schemes and plots. And I’m sure King Alvin will want to know this, too, as it could very well impact future events. So, let’s find the Shadow Sentinel and go get the rest of this job done.”

Don Ricardo bowed again, “Thank you, noble Shroud Hero and friends. You have saved us from a terrible cycle that that fiend Robert had trapped us in. Now, we can work on rebuilding our economy and getting the trade routes back to normal. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

With a final nod, Celtic and his party left the docks and found the Shadow Sentinel. Knowing that the task was done, the Shadow Sentinel teleported the Shroud Hero party away to report and get reward by King O’Connell. However, they all knew that this was just the start of something big.

Next Chapter: Desert Disaster

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see what the Shroud Hero and company face next.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising, fresh from the proofreading and editing table. (Warning: contains violence)

Desert Disaster


It had been a week since Celtic and his party went to Gorgodos Kingdom and exposed Robert’s schemes. Celtic had since relayed the news about Robert to King Alvin, who had since spread the word to their other allies to warn them about the fallen Templar Knight’s underhanded plans. The other Heroes were also not happy that Celtic and his party got selected to go to another kingdom upon request and not them, especially Lucas, who was now freed from his house arrest punishment, though their complaints were quickly shot down by King Alvin and King O’Connell.

Celtic and his party were at their favorite spot by the fountain in the center of the city. They had all let out their Spiria to play while the Shroud Hero’s party took it easy. Skye’s Water Spiria, Torrent, along with Viola’s Water Spiria, Geyser, were playing in the fountain, happily splashing about and swimming in the clean fountain. Celtic’s Wind Spiria, Gust, was playing a game of tag in the air with Zuzu’s Lightning Spiria, Jolt, Rupert’s Lightning Spiria, Blitz, and Tyroe’s Wind Spiria, Breeze, the four of them zipping around, trying to catch one another. The rest of the Spiria were playing with a ball that Celtic bought them, happily bouncing and tossing the ball back and forth between them. The party couldn’t help but chuckle at the playful antics of their Spiria.

“I just love watching our Spiria play!” Skye giggled. “They’re just like a bunch of little kids, and it’s adorable. I’m glad we were proven worthy of the Spiria and people like Lucas weren’t, as having these cuties on our team is the best.”

The Spiria all responded warmly to Skye’s words, wagging their tails, hopping up and down happily, saying something in their native tongue that made the party chuckle. Just then a familiar voice could be heard.

“You all have collected quite the batch of Spiria. Seeing them all play together is quite the sight.”

Everyone looked up to see Gram and his party, now with an extra female in the ranks, approach them, eyes widening as they did.

“Gram?” Leon said, surprised.

“Hey, it’s been a while,” Gram said cheerfully. “I’ve heard the news about that Four Stars Church goon Robert causing trouble in other areas. It’s good to know that you stopped him from hurting that port town any further, but I also know he got away. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. Celtic…” he turn to the redhead before bowing, “I cannot thank you enough for your words of wisdom. You were 100% correct, I was stunting my growth as a warrior by relying solely on the Zenithton Blade’s raw power and abilities. Since I’ve taken up using a Skeleton Soldier Sword as my main weapon my skills have improved dramatically. I can now fight far better than I ever could before. And it’s all because you taught me that important lesson. So, thank you.”

Celtic gave a small smile, “I’m glad someone outside of my party finally listened to what I had to say. And I can see it in you. You’ve gotten much stronger since the last time we met. Come to think of it… I can also sense a particular energy coming off of you. You… Have you bonded with a Spiria?”

Gram puffed up his chest proudly, “Yep, and I owe that to you, too. You were right, as when I improved myself as both a warrior and a person a Spiria appeared before me and bonded with me just a few days ago. It’s an Earth Spiria named Slate. Here, let me show you.” He held out his hand and stated, “Slate, come forth!”

A sphere of light emerged from his hand and floated down to the ground, revealing another Spiria. Slate was rather stocky and wide, brown in color with a desert gold belly, shot legs ending in paddle-like feet, a long tail ending in an ankylosaurus-like tip, soft quills on its back, a rather flat warrior helmet-shaped head with square fins, and pale blue eyes. The Spiria in Celtic’s group all stopped what they were doing and hopped over to greet their fellow Spiria, happily exchanging tail shakes with Slate, which the new Earth Spiria gladly returned. This made the girls in Gram’s group gush.

“How adorable!!!” they all cried happily.

Celtic gave a small chuckle, “So, it looks like my advice really did you a lot of favors, huh, Gram? I’m glad to see that. And you have quite the fine Spiria there. What type of ability does it have?”

Gram replied, “Slate has an offensive based one. It enhances my next attack by coating it in rock and doubles the damage it will deal. When it’s used with my sword and newly mastered skills I can do some hefty damage, even able to crush the armored skill of a Basilisk Leviathan and kill it in one shot. I try not to summon its power too often, as I want to stay true to your lesson, but it certainly helps against more difficult foes. By the way… you mentioned to me last time that the other Heroes were… for the lack of a better word: terrible. As I traveled around to hone my skills I went to some of the places the other Heroes have been. While I never doubted you, I was beyond shocked at just how bad the other Heroes are. They’ve caused as much trouble as Infinator has, all because they treat the world like a big game. I can see why you talk so negatively about them, especially since you’re the one who’s had to clean up after them so regularly. It’s really made me worried about Zakota’s future if left in their hands. I wish I could help knock some sense into them, as if this keeps up it could cause more long-term damage on top of the Infinator crisis, something we DON’T need.”

Skye sighed, “Yeah, and they’re probably going to get worse now that they know that Celtic has become so beloved that other kingdoms have been requesting his aid. They were not happy when they learned of that, though King Alvin shut their complaints down. It does make me worry what they might pull to prove that they’re better Heroes than Celtic. We can only hope they don’t do something incredibly stupid that’ll lead to a disaster.”

Suddenly, a female Shadow Sentinel appeared before them, making Gram and his party jump in alarm. This also caused the Spiria to be badly spooked, causing them to turn into energy spheres and fusing with their respective masters in a hurry. The Shadow Sentinel gained a sheepish expression.

“My… apologies…” the Shadow Sentinel said. “I didn’t mean to scare the Spiria like that.”

Gram protested, “They’re not the only ones getting spooked! Where’d you come from?!”

Celtic could only sigh as he picked up the ball the Spiria were playing with, “Don’t worry about it, Gram. It’s just the way of the Shadow Sentinels. You get used to it after a bit. But I take it there’s a problem?”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Yes, sire, there is a problem. King Alvin received a request from the Krystal Sands Kingdom. They’re having some problems with a certain monster and they need your help slaying it. The monster in question is called the Desert Destroyer.”

Gram looked stunned, “B-But my party and I slayed the Desert Destroyer!”

The Shadow Sentinel turned to him, “Yes, indeed you did. The original’s corpse, or what’s left of it, is still where you left it. However, it was recently discovered that a second Desert Destroyer has appeared and it causing havoc. They suspect it might actually be the first one’s mate taking revenge for its death. So, Prince Avalar was requested by King Felix to slay it before it caused any more trouble.”

Celtic asked, “What is a Desert Destroyer?”

“That’s just a moniker. It’s actually a creature called a Scorponox, a type of monstrous scorpion creature known for their incredibly strong power and defensive capabilities. Their pincers can tear through steel like wet paper and they tend to be the top of the food chain in whatever area they make their own. Your task is simple: slay the Scorponox and free the area of its terror. King Felix wishes for your help ASAP. Are you ready to go?”

Gram then said, “Please, take me and my party with you. Not only do I know where the first Desert Destroyer was, but I feel partly responsible for not knowing about the second one and any damage it may have caused. Please, allow me to accompany you, Sir Celtic, as I feel at least partly responsible for this second Desert Destroyer’s rampage.”

Celtic took a moment to ponder before replying, “Fine, you can come. It would be for the best, as you know more about the situation than I do, having dealt with the first Scorponox. And if you know where it dwells it’ll make finding it easier. I just hope King Felix won’t mind you tagging along, but it would be helpful to my party and me.” He then turned to his now-ready party, “Okay, team, we’ve got more work to do. If you’re ready to go let’s begin this desert operation.”

The rest of the party nodded, “Right!”

Celtic turned to the Shadow Sentinel, “We’re ready as we’ll ever be. Please take us to the Krystal Sands Kingdom.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “At once, Your Majesty. Shadow Warp.”

Celtic, Gram, their respective parties, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals. Moments later they reappeared in the center of a large city. Gram and his party shivered as they reappeared.

“Brr!” the warrior said. “That Shadow Warp tingles something fierce. How do you tolerate it?”

Celtic shrugged, “Meh, you get used to it. Now, I take it we have to meet up with King Felix first, right?”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “That is correct, Your Majesty. That way he can tell you what you need to know about the Scorponox. He is awaiting your arrival, so don’t keep him waiting. His palace is the large building in the back of the city. I will return when you’ve completed your task to take you back to Delgunner. Good luck, sire.”

The Shadow Sentinel vanished like a phantom, leaving the two parties behind. Nodding, the two groups made their way to the palace. The guards graciously let them in, knowing who they were, and guided them to the throne room. There was a royal family sitting in thrones consisting of a king, a queen, and a teenage prince. The king looked elated to see Celtic.

“Ah, the Shroud Hero has come!” he said eagerly. “Excellent! My request to King Alvin got through fine, it appears. And it appears that you have Sir Gram accompanying you as well. A bit unexpected but I welcome it. I am King Felix. As you are aware, we’re dealing with a nasty piece of work that is terrorizing the Heavenly Sands area of this desert kingdom. Sir Gram dealt with the first Desert Destroyer, but it appears it has a mate. We also worry that it might have a brood of eggs as well. Your task is simple: slay the Desert Destroyer and any eggs it might have. When you have succeeded in your task, report back to me so I can reward you for your efforts.”

Gram got into a bow, “Please, Your Majesty, forgive me for not dealing with the second Desert Destroyer when I was here last.”

King Felix smiled, “There is no need to apologize, Sir Gram, as none of us knew about the second Scorponox. As such, no one holds any ill will toward you, as no one knew that the first Desert Destroyer had a mate. It is obvious that you came along with the Shroud Hero to make amends for your mistake, even though you didn’t make any mistake to begin with. I welcome that. Your family would be so proud of you, Sir Gram. But time for that later. You and the Shroud Hero need to find the second Desert Destroyer and slay it before it causes any more damage.”

Celtic turned to Gram, “Gram, think you can lead the way to the Heavenly Sands so we can deal with this Scorponox?”

Gram turned to him, “I can. I’ll use my Teleport skill to get us there in a flash, as the Heavenly Sands are a fair distance to the northeast from here. That way we won’t have to cross the large desert that leads to that location, saving our energy for the battle.”

Rupert nodded, “Sounds good to me. Let’s make tracks while we still have daylight and squash the Scorponox.”

Gram nodded before stating, “Teleport!”

The two parties vanished, leaving the throne room, and reappeared in a section of the desert outside. It was a wide section with a sharp cliff leading to the ocean below it. In the area they could see the remains of the first Scorponox that Gram had killed previously.

Viola looked around, “So, it’s safe to say our friend the Desert Destroyer is around here somewhere, right?”

Gram nodded, “That is correct. This section of the desert is called the Heavenly Sands, though it’s far from heavenly due to the Scorponoxes terrorizing it. They tend to lurk in the sand to ambush prey, so we need to be careful.”

Celtic then got an idea, “Not if we flush it out first. Tyroe, can you use your properties as an Earth user to see where the Scorponox is hiding?”

Tyroe bumped his chest, “Leave it to me, Cel.” He then flattened his body on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused. He opened them up shortly afterward, stating, “I can sense the Scorponox. See that sand dune over there, it’s hiding underneath it. I can flush it out and force it into the open so we can get the drop on it. Should I do that, Cel?”

Celtic nodded, “Do so. Everyone, get into a battle-ready state, as we want to keep the Scorponox from getting any openings.”

Everyone nodded and got into a battle-ready stance. Tyroe then jumped up into the air, displaying a surprisingly high amount of spryness for his size, did a few flips before slamming his tail down on the ground, releasing a massive tremor. This caused the sand to shift, forcing the Scorponox out of its hiding place. It roared angrily at the two parties, lashing out at them, clearly trying to protect something behind it.

Celtic instructed, “Team, Battle Formation: Beta 6!”

His party took a set battle formation, much to Gram’s surprise, though he and his party decided to mimic the pose. The Scorponox roared as it got into its own battle-ready position.

“Begin the attack! Skye, hit that thing with some Ice magic! Follow that up with Rupert using Bamboo Spears and Tyroe’s Quake to keep it from getting a solid footing!”

Skye nodded, channeling energy before stating, “Icicle Missiles!”

Several icicles rained down upon the Scorponox, striking it hard, making it roar in pain. As it did, Rupert and Tyroe were channeling magical energy.

“Bamboo Spears!” Rupert stated

“Quake!” Tyroe roared.

The bamboo spears struck the Scorponox from underneath, causing it to lose its balance and stumble. The Quake spell followed it up, knocking the Scorponox flat onto its belly, dazing it.

Celtic turned to Gram, “Gram! Do any of your party members know Ice magic?”

Gram nodded, “Yes, Izabelle does!”

“Tell her to use any Ice spell she knows, as it appears that thing is weak to Ice!”

Gram nodded, “Izabelle, you heard the man, cast an Ice spell on it!”

Izabelle, who was the pink-haired girl in his group, nodded, started to channel energy before stating, “Iceblast!”

A prison of ice formed around the Scorponox from underneath, trapping it briefly, making it roar in pain before the ice shattered, further damaging it. The Scorponox was now furious as it managed to get back on its feet. It reared back its stinger tail and took aim at Gram’s party. It then lashed out at them.

Celtic got in front of Gram, stating, “Iron Body!”

His body became iron. As the stinger lashed out, Celtic grabbed it while in his transformed state, preventing it from hitting Gram or his party members, though it still damaged Celtic’s armor.

“Cel! Are you okay!?” Skye called out, worried.

“I’ll be fine, Skye!” the redhead stated while he continued to hold the stinger. “Skye, slice off this thing’s stinger with your naginata while I hold it still!”

Nodding, Skye rushed over, did a front flip and slammed her naginata’s blade down. The powerful and sharp blade effortlessly sliced through the Scorponox’s armored tail, severing the stinger from its body, making the beast roar in agony.

Celtic deactivated his Iron Body before stating, “Viola! Zuzu! Tie that thing up so it can’t lash out with its claws for a bit!”

Both females nodded. With some quick motions of her hands, Viola encased the Scorponox in her silk while Zuzu started to channel energy.

“Dark Chains!” the Succuryn stated.

Chains made from dark energies ensnared the Scorponox, further preventing it from moving, much to its fury.

Celtic called out, “Leon! Hit it with your Arrow Storm attack!”

Leon nodded, loaded up an energy arrow and pointed it into the sky.

“Arrow Storm!” he stated.

He fired the arrow into the sky. It then vanished, followed by a glimmer of light, and suddenly a huge barrage of arrows came raining down upon the Scorponox. The arrows struck it with a vengeance, making it roar as it struggled to stay upright. Celtic then got another idea.

“Time to put this beast on a timer!” he stated. “Cobra Hydra Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into the Cobra Hydra Shroud. Celtic ran over to the Scorponox’s tail and snapped his left fingers. This caused the three cobra heads to emerge from the Shroud, much to Gram’s surprise.

“Bite the Scorponox’s exposed flesh in its tail!” he instructed to the cobras.

The three cobra heads lashed out and bit the Scorponox in the exposed flesh, injecting their fatal toxin into it. The Scorponox roared in agony, its eyes widening in horror as the potent poison started to take effect. It started to struggle harder against the silk and Dark Chains holding it down, but its movements were quickly starting to weaken from the poison. The cobras retracted back into the Shroud, knowing that their task was complete.

Celtic then instructed, “Tyroe, coat your tail in earth and rock and slam it down upon the Scorponox’s neck! We need to expose the neck so we can deal the killing blow!”

Tyroe nodded before stating, “Earth Coat!”

His tail was encased in rock and earth. He then sprung up into the air, did a few flips, and slammed his tail down upon the Scorponox’s hunchback neck. This caused the Scorponox to crash into the ground, dazed and weak, the armor plating around its neck and back shattering, exposing the flesh underneath.

Celtic turned to Gram, “Okay, Gram, you get the honor of dealing the killing blow! Call forth your Spiria’s power and slice the beast’s head off!”

Gram nodded before stating, “Slate, I need your power! Grant me the power of Stone Cutter!”

Slate emerged from Gram before empowering him, causing the Skeleton Soldier Sword he was using to be encased in sharp rock, effectively doubling its length and size before fusing with Gram to rest. Gram charged in; blade held high before slamming down upon the Scorponox’s neck. It easily sliced through the exposed flesh, beheading the creature in one shot. This caused the Scorponox to finally succumb to its injuries, flopping to the ground, dead. Everyone waited a moment to be sure but the beast did not get back up, ending the battle. Gram wiped his brow, his female party members all running up to him and praising him, while Celtic and his party merely chuckled.

“The job’s not done yet,” Celtic stated. “First things first, we must dispose of the body, as we don’t want it rotting and causing the repeat of Ryan’s sin with the dragon. Zuzu, think you can haul that beast’s body over the ledge and into the ocean?”

Zuzu nodded, “Sure, give me a minute.”

She flew above the body of the beast, enlarged her arms and hands with dark energy, effortlessly grabbed and threw the Scorponox’s body into the ocean below, where it sunk beneath the waves, leaving only its head and stinger.

“Now, we need to find the nest,” Celtic stated.

Leon said, “It was guarding the area where that sand dune is. As a gambler, I’d be willing to bet it’s hiding its eggs either in the sand dune or behind it.”

Celtic turned to Tyroe, “Tyroe, think you can check for us with your Earth properties?”

Tyroe nodded, “No sweat, pal. Leave it to me.”

He flattened his body down again and focused. He opened his eyes and looked toward the sand dune.

“Leon’s right. I can sense a shallow cave behind that sand dune. I bet the eggs are back there. Shall I move the sand dune to expose it?”

Celtic nodded, “Do so.”

Using his power over Earth, Tyroe managed to effortlessly move the sand dune, exposing the shallow cave. Inside were a clutch of five eggs. Tyroe slithered into the cave and dragged the nest out. Skye walked over to the eggs, placed one near her ear and gave it a tap.

“Hmm… these eggs are about two weeks away from hatching,” she stated. “We need to scramble them before they can hatch. I suggest that, for good measures, we toss the eggs after destroying them into the ocean as well. That way we can be certain that the baby Scorponoxes are dead, as Scorponoxes can’t swim.”

Celtic turned to Tyroe, “Tyroe, think you can smash these eggs sunny side up?”

The Naga nodded, “No problem. Too bad I can’t eat them, as I love eggs, but it would be better to dispose of these instead of making an omelet out of them. Give me some space.”

Skye placed the egg back and everyone stepped back. Tyroe raised up both his morning stars and slammed them down upon the eggs, instantly splattering them. He then put his morning stars back, grabbed the nest and now dead baby Scorponoxes and hurled it over the edge of the cliff into the ocean below. The nest and the smashed eggs sank below the waves, finally putting an end to the Scorponox problem. Celtic then walked over to the stinger and had his Shroud absorb it, creating a new Shroud form called the “Scorponox Shroud”. He looked the effects over before turning to his party.

“Let’s bring the head back as proof of our victory,” he stated. “Viola, would you be so kind to encase it in silk so it’ll be easier to transport?”

Viola nodded, “No problem, Celtic. Leave it to me.”

With some quick motions of her hands she encased the Scorponox’s head in silk. Skye looked at Celtic’s armor with a worried look.

“What are we going to do about your armor, Cel?” she asked. “Even with Iron Body that stinger did a lot of damage to your armor.”

The redhead replied, “I was thinking of getting it upgraded anyway, so I’ll just take it to Danial’s and have him take care of it. I’ve got some new materials I wanted to add into it, so this gives me an even better excuse to get it done. I just hope he can get it done before the next Infinator attack. But, either way, let’s return to the Krystal Sands Kingdom and report our success. Tyroe, think you can carry that beast’s head for us?”

The Naga nodded, “Yep, leave it to me.”

He slithered over to the silk-enchased Scorponox head and easily hoisted it up. Celtic turned to Gram who nodded in reply.

“Teleport!” the warrior stated.

The two parties vanished from the area and reappeared in the center of the city. Everyone noticed the warriors return and the silk-encased Scorponox head and immediately started to praise the warriors. It wasn’t long before King Felix arrived to greet the brave fighters.

“Well done!” he said. “You have slayed the beast and squashed the eggs it was guarding! And you even brought back its head as proof. Words cannot express my gratitude. Hmm?” he then noticed Celtic’s damaged armor, “Sir Shroud Hero, it looks like the beast did some hefty damage to your armor.”

Celtic waved it off, “It’s no big deal, I was wanting to upgrade it anyway, so now I have an even better excuse to get it done. I just hope I can have it ready before Infinator’s next attack, though I do have the Moonshadow Gear as a backup.”

King Felix scratched his chin before getting an idea, “I might be able to help.”

He called over one of his knights and whispered something in his ear, confusing Celtic.

The knight replied, “At once, Your Highness.”

The knight then scampered off, allowing King Felix to turn to Celtic.

“I’ve got an idea that may help, at least for now,” he said. “Come to the palace in 10 minutes for your rewards, as I’ve got something special planned for you. But at least now my people can rest easy knowing that those blasted Scorponoxes have been dealt with. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

A short time later Celtic, Gram, and their respective parties were at the palace. They were standing before King Felix and his family in the throne room, awaiting their reward.

King Felix cleared his throat before stating, “Sir Shroud Hero and Sir Gram. You and your parties did a fantastic job in eliminating the Scorponoxes for us. Here is your reward of 300 gold apiece.”

Two servants held out pouches of coins which Celtic and Gram graciously took.

“And for you, Sir Shroud Hero, I have one last gift.”

Another person, this time a knight, walked up to him, presenting a set of special armor.

“This is our Royal Desert Knight armor. It’s the same armor that both the royal family and the knights use, albeit we selected the best version of it for you. This should serve you well as a replacement gear until you get your regular gear repaired. Take it with our regards.”

Celtic took the armor and placed it in his Tek-Pak, nodding in thanks.

A Shadow Sentinel sudden appeared, stating, “It appears the task is complete. I am here to take you back to Delgunner so you can report to King Alvin about your success. If you are ready to leave I can take you back to Delgunner.”

Celtic and Gram exchanged nods before the former stated, “Yes, we’re ready to go.”

King Felix stated, “If you are ever in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by. And if I ever need your help again, you can bet I’ll contact King Alvin to request you. Take care and thank you for your brave efforts.”

The Shadow Sentinel then stated, “Shadow Warp!”

This caused Celtic, Gram, their respective parties, and the Shadow Sentinel to vanish in black portals, leaving the Krystal Sands Kingdom behind. They reappeared in the center of Delgunner’s capital.

Gram shivered again, “Brr! That Shadow Warp still tingles something fierce. It’ll be a while before I get used to that.” He then turned to Celtic, “Sir Celtic, thank you again for allowing me to come along. I feel a great deal of relief knowing that I didn’t screw up as badly as the other Heroes did with the Scorponox, especially since you helped me rectify that. Your ability to lead your party is amazing. I come from a long family of knights but I’ve never seen such masterful display of teamwork and coordination. You have tactical skill that could rival any General. I have one small request. Will you allow me and my party to accompany you in the next Infinator attack? I want to play my part in this fight, especially since I have lost a lot of faith in the other Heroes. As such, I want to help any way I can to ensure our world’s survival. Will you allow that?”

Celtic nodded, “Sure, it’ll certainly make things easier. You should probably stay here in the capital until then, as I don’t know exactly when the next wave will be, but I know it’s soon. My party and I will begin the preparations needed to ensure that everyone survives the next wave. I’ll also get this Shadow Striker Armor upgraded, though I hope it’ll be ready by then. But at least King Felix was gracious enough to give me another set of armor to use in the meantime, as the Moonshadow Gear is generally best used against beings of Light like Infinator himself. But, until then, remain here in the capital so I can track you down when the time comes. Every able bodied person can help tip the scales in our favor when it comes to dealing with Infinator’s waves. So, thank you for volunteering for this, as facing Infinator’s waves won’t be easy.”

Gram bowed, “Thank you, Sir Celtic. I’ll help any way I can to ensure that Zakota and its people stay safe.”

Skye smiled, “Having you on-board will definitely help. Now, let’s report to King Alvin about our success and then go and get Celtic’s Shadow Striker Armor repaired and upgraded. We need to start preparations for the next wave pronto.”

With a final nod the parties split up for the time, ready to begin preparations for the next wave.

Next Chapter: Dangers of the Dullahan

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what happens to our Heroes.
 
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Okay, here's the next chapter in Chaos Rising. Time for the next wave! Will Celtic and his team prevail?

Dangers of the Dullahan


It had been a few days since Celtic, Gram, and their respective parties had defeated the second Desert Destroyer. Celtic and his party were making preparations for the next wave, as the Infinity Hourglass showed that they only had a few days left. Celtic was now donning the Royal Desert Knight armor as his Shadow Striker Armor was still getting repaired and upgraded with the extra materials he provided Danial with. The Royal Desert Knight armor was largely a chainmail outfit with a diamond-shaped breastplate, round shoulder plates, armored gauntlets, armored pants, armored calf-high boots, and a desert gold and white long tunic with a red scarf. Celtic had modified it slightly by removing most of the right sleeve and the right gauntlet so he could allow his robotic arm freedom to function. Ike and his crew also volunteered to help in the next wave, as they knew things were going to get tougher now that Infinator had started narrowing down his attack targets.

A few days later it was time. It was the day of the next Infinator attack. Upon request King Alvin loaned Celtic the same horse and cart so they could carry supplies to the battlefield easier. Ike and Gram were getting to know one another as Celtic and his party made the final checks.

Viola looked everything over, “Okay, along with all the potions and medical supplies we stocked up on, Danial was even generous enough to give us some leftover weapons as backups. The fact that King Alvin allowed us to borrow this horse and cart again is a huge help, as it’ll make transporting everything easier.”

Gram looked everything over, “I gotta say you really do good work. You stocked up on so much in such a short time. It’s a shame you couldn’t get your Shadow Striker Armor upgraded in time, though, but at least the Royal Desert Knight armor will do for a replacement.”

Skye then said, “That’s probably why Danial gave us some leftover weapons on the house, even though Celtic provided him with new materials to upgrade the Shadow Striker Armor he wasn’t able to finish the upgrades in time. What were the materials you provided him with again, Cel?”

Celtic replied, “I gave him a chunk of Platinum Ore, a chunk of Dark Matter Ore, and a Clear Gem. The Platinum Ore is to upgrade the base of the armor, the Dark Matter Ore is to give it the ability to create a Dark energy forcefield to lessen damage, and the Clear Gem is to enhance the magical resistance of the armor. With all that it should make the Shadow Striker Armor far more powerful and resistant than before. Now, there is one last thing to do…” He started to work away on the status screen of the Shroud before stating, “Okay, now Gram, Ike, and the rest of you will be teleported along with us to the battlefield. I hope you’re ready to go, as things are going to get ugly out there.”

Ike saluted, “We’re ready, Sir Shroud Hero.”

Gram nodded, “As are we. Let’s show Infinator’s forces just what we’re made of.”

Everyone exchanged nods as the timer ticked down. Before long the timer reached zero, causing them to teleport to the battlefield, the next wave beginning. They looked around and realized they were in familiar territory.

“Is this… Panamon?” Celtic observed.

“Yes, it is,” Leon confirmed. “This was where we fought General Alastor, the Shade Wing Demon General. Looks like this place is one of the locations where the dimensional wall between Zakota and the Demon Realm are weak. Guess that means it’s one of Infinator’s targets to see if he can weaken the walls even further.”

Celtic turned to the parties, “Okay, here’s the deal. We have to first evacuate the villagers to a safer location while keeping the enemy from getting into the village. Knowing the other Heroes they’ll charge in and try to find the ‘boss’, only to completely fail in doing anything to it. After we’ve evacuated the villagers we’ll have to split up. My party will go and see if we can stop the boss, as the other Heroes will most likely have not done anything of worth by then while the rest of you keep the village safe from the monsters.”

Everyone nodded, “Right!”

A voice shouted, “Here they come!”

Everyone turned to see an army of undead monsters approach. Celtic turned to the group.

“Okay, same as before! Skye, Ike, you and your group evacuate the villagers! The mages will stay here with me, Leon, and Gram’s group in order to keep the monsters from getting into the village! Move out!”

Nodding, the parties split up, with Celtic, Leon, the mages, and Gram’s group standing in front of the village while Skye, Ike, and the rest of the group shuttled the villagers to safety. The other Heroes charged ahead, as they saw something up further, plowing through the undead hordes as they did, leaving the rest to Celtic and the others. As the undead monsters began their attack, Celtic, Gram, and Gram’s party began attacking the monsters while Leon and the mages picked off swaths of them with long-ranged attacks. After a while Skye, Ike, and the rest of the group joined up.

“Cel!” Skye stated. “We’ve succeeded in the evacuations. The villagers were quite happy to see us again. Now, let’s us fight!”

Celtic nodded, “Right. Battle Formation: Epsilon 3!”

Celtic and his party took a set battle formation which both Gram’s and Ike’s group mimicked. More undead monsters charged in but they were effortlessly getting slaughtered by the group’s combined forces. Slowly but surely the hordes of monsters thinned before the last one was slain for the time. Celtic looked at his status screen and noticed the timer, giving a heavy sigh.

“Like clockwork…” he grumbled. “We’ve been at this for more than two hours and those nitwits STILL haven’t beaten the boss yet, or maybe even flushed it out. Guess it’s up to us again. Gram! Ike!”

The two warriors ran up to Celtic.

“You called, Sir Shroud Hero?” Ike asked.

“It’s just like it always is. I’ll leave defending the village from any more monsters to you two and your parties, as the other Heroes are taking too long in their task. If this keeps up more monsters will spawn, so my party needs to get over to wherever they are and find out why they’re taking so long.”

Gram nodded, “Leave it to us, Sir Celtic! I can really now see why those other Heroes are such problems. Leave defending the village to Ike and me.”

Ike nodded, “Yes, we’ll take care of things here. You go and help the other Heroes before things get worse.”

Celtic nodded, “Good, just what I wanted to hear. Team, we’re going after the other Heroes, just like always! Let’s move, before any more monsters spawn!”

Nodding, the group split up, with Gram’s and Ike’s group staying behind while Celtic’s party charged ahead to find the other Heroes. It wasn’t long before they found them. They were fighting off an endless wave of undead monsters, as every time one was killed another took its place. Standing above all of them was an armored dullahan, sitting on a skeleton horse, holding his head in one hand, laughing at the other Heroes’ futile efforts to cut down his army.

“Well, at least this time the head honcho didn’t bother to hide and let those knuckleheads fight off illusions or decoy monsters,” Zuzu stated dryly.

The dullahan laughed, “You little cockroaches are so amusing. I, General Akuji, laugh at your pathetic attempts to beat my undead soldiers. Too bad you don’t have a priest or Templar or something like that on you teams.”

Celtic gained a dark grin, “Yeah, but we do. Leon, why don’t you show them how it’s done?”

Leon nodded, “Leave it to me, Cel.” He started to channel holy energy before stating, “Divine Heaven’s Gate!”

A massive sacred circle formed underneath the other Heroes, their parties, the undead soldiers, and the Demon General, much to the latter’s surprise. It then released a massive amount of holy energy, effortlessly annihilating the undead soldiers, dealing heavy damage to the Demon General, destroying his horse, and left the other Heroes and their parties unharmed, though Wench felt a stinging sensation. This attack got everyone’s attention.

“What!?” General Akuji sputtered. “So, the Shroud Hero has joined the fray? I take it you defended the village from my undead army already, huh? And it appears you also have a Templar Knight in your ranks. Then I’m not surprised you could get so much done so quickly. Mistress Sylph was correct about you. She mentioned that you were the Hero to be cautious about and, as always, she was right. Good, at least you’ll give me a more worthwhile fight compared to those cockroaches that call themselves ‘Heroes’.”

Lucas spat, “We’re not cockroaches! We’ll show you that we’re lightyears better than Celtic!”

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric spat.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry yelled.

They fired their four Meteor attacks at the Demon General, striking him, engulfing him in smoke. However, when the smoke cleared he was unharmed, much to their alarm.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” General Akuji huffed. “I’ve seen Gremlins pack a bigger bite than you four. Even with my weakness to Holy energy those four attacks barely dented my Hit Points, unlike that Templar Knight’s attack. Now THAT hurt. Mistress Sylph told me about you four and, once again, she was right. You four are a complete waste of my time but I might as well smack you upside the head to teach you not to mess with powers you cannot compare with.” He then summoned a massive claymore sword that was longer than he was tall, stating, “Here, have a taste of my power!”

He swung the massive sword, releasing a huge shockwave that tore through the battlefield. The shockwave slammed into the other Heroes and their parties, knocking them out instantly, while Celtic’s group bunched together and endured the attack via the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense, much to General Akuji’s interest.

“Mistress Sylph told me about that powerful defensive Shroud form. It endured my attack like it was nothing, coming out without even a scratch. Very impressive. At least you’ll be a more worthy opponent for me to face, Shroud Hero.”

Celtic lowered the barrier, allowing his party to fan out, getting into a battle-ready pose.

“Okay, team, let’s show this headless hobo what we’re made of!” he stated.

“Right!” everyone said in unison.

Rupert and Tyroe were already channeling magical energy.

“Bamboo Spears!” Rupert stated.

“Stone Spears!” Tyroe added.

The dullahan was struck from underneath by the Bamboo Spears, causing him to stumble, followed by the sharp stones slamming into him, making him growl.

“Not bad, not bad at all,” he growled. “You are certainly a much more worthy group of adversaries. Let’s see how well you handle this! Dark Meteors!”

Several Dark-attributed meteors rained down toward them, but Celtic was ready.

“Shadow Negation!” the redhead stated.

He fired a Shadow energy blast at the meteors. When the two attacks collided it caused the Dark Meteors to be completely negated, much to General Akuji’s surprise.

“Clever, quite clever,” he said. “So, you are part Shadokor, as only they would have access to Shadow Negation. This’ll make things even more interesting.”

As he was talking, Skye and Leon were channeling magical energy.

“Light Beam!” both stated in unison.

Their two beams of Light fused together and struck the dullahan hard, making him yell in pain as his body was ravaged by the Light energies. Zuzu quickly darted in while he was distracted and got in front of him.

“Here!” she stated. “Have a taste of my Close Combat Combo!”

She started to whale upon the Demon General, quickly zipping around to avoid getting hit while she built up her attack’s power. The dullahan tried to stop her, but she was too quick for him. Before long she had built up enough power, raised up one of her hands, enlarged it with Dark energy, and slammed it down upon the Demon General, flattening him into the dirt.

“…Ow…” General Akuji grunted.

Zuzu quickly flew back to her party, stating, “He’s in a weakened state. If we can separate his head from his person it’ll cause his body to stop moving, creating a big, stationary target for us to beat up on, as he needs to hold his head in order to keep moving.”

Celtic nodded, “Leave that to me. Mag-Bolt!” His arm transformed into Mag-Bolt, “Time to show off my magnetic personality!”

He activated the Mag-Bolt, causing the intense magnetic energies to start tugging at General Akuji’s head. Before he could react, his head flew out of his hand’s grip and attached itself to the Mag-Bolt. Celtic gained a diabolical grin, his fangs bared, eyes glowing like headlights, his pupils becoming slits, much to the Demon General’s fear.

“Heheheh,” he grinned. “Time to get a head of the competition.” He turned to his party, “I’ll leave beating up on his body to you while I’ll keep his head busy. Try to get his sword, as that’ll make a nice souvenir. As well as part of him for my Shroud to absorb.”

The rest of the party nodded, gaining almost evil grins as they looked at the now defenseless body. General Akuji’s eyes widened in fear as Celtic pulled his head off the Mag-Bolt and gained an even more diabolical look. To his horror, Celtic tossed his head up and started to juggle it with his feet like a soccer ball.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! I’m NOT a ball! Ow!” he complained.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t matter right now, as you’re about to meet your end, so you might as well have a ball until then,” the redhead said with a sneer.

As Celtic did this, the rest of his party started to pummel the defenseless body, striking it from every direction. Viola used her scythe to slice off the arm holding onto his sword and dragged both away with her silk, keeping it underneath one of her legs so it wouldn’t get lost. After a few minutes of this General Akuji was on his last legs. As Celtic carefully balanced the Demon General’s head on his foot he turned to Leon.

“Leon, you give him a proper sendoff, if you please.”

Leon nodded, “You got it!”

It was around this point that the other Heroes and their parties were starting to come to their senses. They managed to regain their bearings just as Leon had finished channeling Holy energy.

“Heaven’s Gate!” the Templar Knight stated.

Celtic juggled the Demon General’s head with his feet once more before saying, “Looks like it’s tough to get a head in the villain business! Happy trails!”

He then kicked General Akuji’s head into the same Holy energy that his body was getting ravaged by, screaming in pain as his head and body disintegrated to nothingness. This caused the wave to end, returning everything to normal. Celtic then walked over to the dullahan’s severed hand and had his Shroud’s core absorb it, creating the “Dullahan Shroud” from it. He then scanned and digitized the sword into his Tek-Pak.

“Hey!” Jerry protested. “Who says you get the sword!?”

Celtic gave him a cold look, “Um… maybe because it was MY party and I who defeated the Demon General? You lot got your rears handed to you in one shot. Again! It was my party that did all the work while you were taking a nap, just like always. Enough of this.” He turned to his party, “Same as always, team. Viola, Leon, you two go check on Gram, Ike, their groups, and the villagers, to make sure that no one was too badly hurt or killed. Rupert, Tyroe, Zuzu, go around and collect anything of value from the fallen monsters. I think I saw a few new breeds today so try to find them and collect samples from them, as well as anything else of use like weapons and shields. Skye and I will check to see if there are any more monsters roaming around so they won’t become invasive species. We’ll meet up in front of the village. Move out!”

Everyone nodded and started their assigned tasks, leaving the other Heroes and their parties to fume. After about 20 minutes they had all gathered up in front of the village along with Ike, Gram, their respective groups, and the horse and cart. They were relaying their reports to Celtic.

Celtic nodded, “Okay, good, we managed to keep the casualty count down to zero again. That’s something we need to keep up. While the injuries were bad, with things like broken bones, I’ll take that over innocent lives lost. And we’ve collected some good stuff from the monsters, including new stuff for my Shroud to absorb. Excellent work, everyone.”

Suddenly a voice roared, “CELTIC!!!”

Everyone turned to see Lucas charging up to them. Skye gained a dark grin.

“Guess it’s that time again, huh?” she chuckled darkly.

She quickly bolted toward Lucas. Realizing what that meant, Lucas came to a stop and tried running away but Skye was too fast for him. She got in front of him and punted him in the crotch, sending him flying several meters into the air before crashing in a fetal position, clutching his damage loins in pain. Gram flinched badly at that display, covering his own crotch instinctively.

“Does she always do that?!” he sputtered to Celtic.

“Only to Lucas, though she might extend it to others who annoy her,” the redhead explained. “So, be sure to stay in her good books or that will be you.”

“Duly noted!” Gram replied.

Skye rejoined her group, “Okay, team that’s all for today. Shall I take us back to Delgunner?”

Celtic nodded, “If you’d please, Skye.”

She then placed two fingers on her lips and blew a mocking kiss at the other Heroes, “Catch you losers later. Warp!”

This caused Celtic’s group to vanish, leaving the other Heroes behind, much to their fury. They all reappeared in front of Delgunner’s gates, greeted by the knight standing there.

“Sir Shroud Hero and company, I take it you defeated the boss of the wave?” one asked.

“Yes, we did,” Celtic replied. “It was a dullahan Demon General, but we took care of him. And, once again, the other Heroes were completely useless. King Alvin won’t be pleased with yet another lackluster performance from them. But the task is complete and we now know one of the locations where the dimensional walls between Zakota and the Demon Realm are the weakest. We need to report to King Alvin about our success and about that discovery.”

The knights nodded, “Please, go right in. And good work once again.”

As they entered the capital, Gram said, “Thank you again for allowing me and my party to help. I feel better knowing that I was able to contribute to the cause, especially since the other Heroes are continuing to disappoint me. I’m really getting worried about our future if it’s left in their hands. If you ever need me to help with something, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Celtic nodded, “Thanks, Gram, that means a lot. Hopefully the other Heroes will get their act together soon, though I worry what it might take to get there. But, for now, let’s go to King Alvin and give our report.”

Nodding, the group made their way to the castle to report to King Alvin about their victory.

Next Chapter: The Heart of a Hybrid

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what our Heroes face.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising, fresh from the editing desk. (Warning: contains violence)

The Heart of a Hybrid


It had been a few days since the last wave and the defeat of General Akuji. The Heroes had been given their royal stipend and had a celebration party for their efforts. Gram and his party were also invited as they played a large role during the wave, thus King Alvin felt they deserved a reward for braving the dangers and protecting the people. Things were, at the moment, quiet.

Celtic and his party were at their usual spot in the city, by the fountain in the center of the capital. Celtic was donning his recently repaired and upgraded armor, which now had a fresh look to it due to the new materials added into it. While the clothes underneath it were the same, the breastplate was now diamond-shaped and was a darker shade of silver, almost a similar shade to the Shroud, with a large, transparent diamond-cut gem in the center of it, sleek platinum-colored shoulder plates with a black ring, armored platinum-colored thighs with gold trimming, black boots with armored toes and heels, and a black fingerless gauntlet with platinum trim on his left arm.

Skye observed the new outfit, “I gotta say, Danial does good work. This new Chaos Magic Armor certainly looks good on you. And it’s pretty high quality due to you giving him chunks of Platinum and Dark Matter Ore and a Clear Gem. Plus, he managed to upgrade the auto-repair function, calling it his best work, and I can believe it. This armor looks like it can block even the fiercest of attacks. Combined with your absurd defenses, you’re pretty much untouchable.”

Celtic replied, “Let’s hope so, as we still have juggernaut opponents out there like Sylph. And considering that the Legendary Stooges failed to do any sort of meaningful work in the last wave, I’m getting awfully tired of our team needing to carry them all the time. You’d think that, after this many failures, they’d put two and two together and actually try to improve and become actual Heroes instead of embarrassments to their Gear. But no, they continue to think that Levels and powerful techniques are all they need instead of training and investing themselves in this world’s nature. I’d bet the past Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes are turning in their graves in shame that their ‘successors’ are so terrible and tarnishing their legacy.”

Zuzu, who was lazily floating above them, replied, “Considering I’ve been alive long enough to actually see the previous generation of Legendary Heroes, I can wholeheartedly agree with you. They truly lived up to their titles as Heroes, taking each and every threat seriously, taking the time to learn and decode this world’s inner workings, and banding together in times of crisis like a well-oiled machine. The current generation, barring you, are absolute disgraces. The fact that you five actually are rather antagonistic to each other is also unusual, as past Legendary Heroes have gotten along swimmingly, or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I know at least the previous generation got along pretty easily from my experience, only really bickering when discussing the best method to dealing with war criminals, and that was very rare. Really, only you, Celtic, have lived up to your title in every shape and form. The others haven’t come close to that and haven’t done one thing right since coming here. It’s no wonder other kingdoms want nothing to do with those loose cannons and prefer to request you for help, as you’re the only one who hasn’t caused a catastrophe since your summoning.”

Leon nodded, “Yeah, you can say that again, Zuzu. I always knew the Church of the Four Stars’ teachings were wrong to demonize the Shroud and Celtic certainly proved why the Shroud is just as important as the other Heroes. The Shroud may be our only hope right now, as the other four are nothing more than walking disaster areas. I just hope they get their act together soon before they cause a massive disaster of epic proportions.”

Suddenly, a male Shadow Sentinel appeared, startling everyone.

“My apologies for my sudden arrival, sire,” he said. “But there is a problem that needs tending to.”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “What is it this time? It better not be another blunder by the Legendary Stooges.”

The Shadow Sentinel shook his head, “Fortunately, that is not the case. A village near the Delgunner/Shadoria border was recently attacked by a mysterious enemy. While there were no casualties, the village took a beating before the mysterious enemy snatched an artifact from the shrine in the center of the village. We’ve managed to track down where the enemy has hidden themselves so I can take you directly there. Your mission is simple: retrieve the artifact from the mysterious attacker and return it to the village.”

The redhead stood up, “Very well, then. We’d better get going before the enemy makes off with the artifact. Team, we’re moving out.”

Everyone nodded, collected all their stuff and stood in front of the Shadow Sentinel. Celtic gave him the signal, making the demonic ninja nod.

“Shadow Warp!”

They all vanished in black portals before reappearing in an isolated location. There was a cave nearby and a lot of trees and grassy areas.

Rupert stated, “Let me guess. Our enemy is in that cave, correct?”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Correct. Now you…” but was cut off as they heard something coming from the cave.

A familiar voice floated out of the cave, “Well, well, well, looks like my little gambit worked. I knew causing a ruckus and stealing a useless item would draw out the Shroud Hero. Just what I’d expect from a true hero.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped when the voice revealed itself to be Sylph. In her left claw was the artifact, which was a stone statue. She then carelessly tossed it at the Shadow Sentinel, who caught it.

“There, you can take back that item, as I don’t need it anymore,” Sylph stated. “It served its purpose, which was to lure the Shroud Hero out into an isolated location. Now… I can finally rectify my mistake from 20 years ago. Hmm?” She then noticed Zuzu, “Zuzu? You’re now part of the Shroud Hero’s party? Wait… considering you had been spying on me and Master Infinator… Don’t tell me you’ve relayed valuable information to Shroud Hero?!”

Zuzu nodded, her eyes narrowing, “Yeah, I did exactly that. Letting me live was a big mistake, as I learned a lot while spying on you in my attempt to isolate you. I’ve since relayed it to not just Celtic, but also the higher-ups like King Duskbane and King Alvin. Now we’re aware of what your main goal is: to tear open another gateway to the Demon Realm in places where the dimensional walls between Zakota and the Demon Realm are weak. That way you can speed up Infinator’s revival and gather much more powerful allies and resources for your army. Looks like your attempt to crush my pride by sparing me after my defeat ended up backfiring. Not your usual standards, Sylph.”

The Succulite gained a snarl, “Then I’ll rectify that mistake today as well. And just so you know… I’m not alone.”

She snapped her fingers, causing several minions of different species to appear.

“Today I will erase all of you from the equation, leaving four increasingly lackluster ‘Heroes’ for my Master to wipe out with ease. The world is too dependent on you, Shroud Hero, so by eliminating you I’ll have robbed the world of its most valuable player. Prepare to die!”

As she was talking the Shadow Sentinel vanished, clearly going to report to King Duskbane about Sylph’s gambit. Sylph didn’t care as she snapped her fingers, siccing the various minions on Celtic’s party. Sylph then tried to charge at Celtic only to be forced into the air by Zuzu.

Zuzu stated, “Leave Sylph to me, Celtic! You deal with her pets!”

Celtic nodded and he and the rest of the party began attacking the various enemies. Zuzu and Sylph glared at each other hatefully.

“Fine, I’ll kill you first,” Sylph stated.

“Not if I tear you apart first!” Zuzu countered.

The two Mid-Tier demonesses charged at each other and began brawling in the air. To Sylph’s surprise, Zuzu was far more powerful and smarter than the last time they fought, as the Succuryn was clearly not solely using brute force like before. As the two of them lashed out at each other in their airborne brawl, Celtic and his party were cutting down the various enemies they were facing.

“We have to deal with these minions fast!” Tyroe stated as his coils crushed another one. “That way Sylph can’t get the drop on us!”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed, Tyroe! These lesser foes could very easily distract us from Sylph herself. At least Zuzu has her attention for now, so that gives us some breathing room. But we need to kill these minions before Sylph redirects her attention to us.”

Viola sliced one in half with her scythe, stating, “Then let’s work fast and keep Sylph from getting an opening! Hopefully Zuzu can keep her occupied long enough for us to finish off these grunts.”

As the party continued to fight off the lesser enemies, Zuzu and Sylph were still fighting an intense battle in the air. To Sylph’s horror, Zuzu was proving to be a much more competent opponent this time around, as her attacks were actually forcing the Succulite on the defensive.

“I-Impossible!” she sputtered mentally. “That blasted Succuryn is actually getting the edge over me?! How?! She’s only at Level 59, which means she underwent a Level Reset, as she was Level 100 last time I saw her, while I’m at Level 350! How is she getting the upper-hand against me!? No! C-Could I actually lose this fight!? If I don’t do something quick she’ll overwhelm me!”

Zuzu noticed that Sylph was starting to panic, gaining a diabolical grin.

“Not so cocky now, huh, Sylph?” she sneered. “I may be a much lower Level than last time we squared off, but I’ve gotten much stronger and better since I joined Celtic’s crew of misfits! I’m more powerful at my current Level then I was at Level 100! And I intend to finally put an end to you, Sylph! You’ll regret not finishing me off last time we tangled! This time you. Will. LOSE!”

The thought of losing was clearly something Sylph was terrified at. As she continued to fight back she was desperately trying to find a means of getting out of the fight alive. She also noticed that her minions were almost all dead, leaving her with increasingly less options. Finally, out of sheer panic she abandoned the fight with Zuzu and charged at Skye, much to Celtic’s and Zuzu’s horror. Celtic tried to get in front of them but Sylph was too fast. Before Skye could react the Succulite impaled her through the chest, causing the Light Elf to collapse instantly. Celtic and the rest of his party were frozen in shock, with Celtic noticing that Skye’s stats on his stat vision had vanished after hitting zero. This also had the side-effect of knocking both her Spiria out of her body, something that Sylph noticed.

“S-Spiria!?” she sputtered. “They’ve returned?! Forget that for now, I’m out of here!”

She quickly fled the scene, leaving everyone behind as they all looked at Skye’s dead body in shock and horror. Celtic stumbled over to her side, falling to his knees and gently picked her up.

“Skye…?” he said in a weak voice. “Skye!? Skye! Please, no! NO!!!”

Just then King Duskbane and his army appeared only to be frozen in shock at the sight.

“No!” King Duskbane roared in despair. “Too late again!? Just like what happened with Noir and Gardenia! Why am I always too late!?”

Tears were pouring out of the party’s eyes at the loss of Skye, clearly devastated by it. Skye’s Spiria were nudging her body, trying to get a response, but they got nothing out of the Light Elf. Celtic gently cradled her body, clearly the most devastated, his eyes closed tightly as his hot tears dripped onto her body. Suddenly, Duskbane’s eyes widened, realizing something.

“Avalar…” he said. “There is a way to save her.”

Celtic’s eyes snapped open as he looked at Duskbane, “There is?! How! Tell me!”

Viola turned to Duskbane, “But, Your Majesty, revival magic doesn’t exist.”

King Duskbane stated, “It does if you’re a demon. Granted, it’s a more costly version, but if we act fast we can bring Skye back to the way she was before Sylph killed her. Avalar, you will have to make a large personal sacrifice to bring her back, but it will revive her.”

Celtic’s eyes showed hope, “Please, tell me! I’ll do anything! Tell me what I have to do!”

“Very well. This is what you have to do. You need to state a certain incantation, like how most Demon magic is executed, select one of your hearts, and magically transplant it into her. It will have long-term effects on you, such as, at the very least, lost years off your life expectancy, but it will save her from the abyss of death. I suggest picking one of your lesser hearts, like the ones in your lower abdomen, for this ritual, since it’ll cost you the least. If you are ready I can tell you the incantation.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, tell me. I can’t lose her.”

King Duskbane smiled, “Very well. The incantation is as followed: ‘Spirits of the Demon Realm I call upon thee. I offer one of my hearts to make a lost soul whole. To bring you back from the void and restore you to your former glory.’ That is what you need to say.”

Celtic nodded, placed his hands near his lower right side and stated, “Spirits of the Demon Realm I call upon thee. I offer one of my hearts to make a lost soul whole. To bring you back from the void and restore you to your former glory.”

This caused Celtic’s body to glow, followed by the glow congregating near where his hands were. This was followed by a sphere of light emerging from his body. Inside everyone could hear a beating heart. Celtic moved the sphere and pushed it into Skye’s chest. Her body absorbed the sphere of light, followed by her body pulsating and a heavy heartbeat being heard. The wound on her chest also closed, the blood she spilt vanishing, and her body started to glow. When the light subsided everyone noticed that Skye was breathing again. Her stats reappeared on Celtic’s stat vision, making his eyes widen in joy. Slowly, Skye began to move before weakly opening her eyes.

“C-Cel?” she asked weakly. “Everyone? Is… Is that you?”

Celtic replied warmly, “Yes, Skye, it’s us. You’ve come back to us.”

It took a moment for Skye to process this before her eyes widened, “Wait! I was killed! How am I still alive?!”

Leon replied warmly, “Celtic made quite the sacrifice for you. He used Demon magic to transplant one of his own hearts into you to revive you. Now you have one of Celtic’s hearts beating inside of your chest, which brought you back from the abyss of death.”

It took another moment for Skye to process this before she looked at Celtic, shocked, “Y-You mean you magically transplanted one of your hearts into me?! Cel… I… If I ever needed a reason to love you, this would be it. Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m forever in your debt.”

The redhead smiled, “No, Skye, I’m just repaying the favor. If I had never met you, I would’ve run from this world, wishing it would burn and not care about doing my job. You became the hope and light that I desperately needed after years of hatred, anger, and misery. If you hadn’t come into my life I would’ve never become the person I am now. I wouldn’t have met Rupert, Viola, Tyroe, Leon, and Zuzu, all of whom gave me a reason to fight. So, I’m just repaying you for everything, Skye.”

Skye’s eyes started to gain water, “Oh, Celtic…”

King Duskbane then stated, “As much as I hate to interrupt this wondrous scenario, I have to inform you that both Avalar and Lady Skye will have to go to Shadoria for treatment to ensure that both of you will be okay. Transplanting a demon’s heart into another being, especially if said being isn’t another demon, can have a variety of effects on both people, so you need to go to Shadoria for treatment.”

Celtic nodded, “We understand.” He then turned to Zuzu, “Zuzu, I know that you’re afraid of Shadokor, as we are your natural predators, so if you want…” but was cut off.

Zuzu shook her head, “No. I’m coming along. I’m not backing out now. I don’t care if I’m going into the center of my natural predators’ kingdom, I’m going to see this through to the end. I’m one of you now, and you all have become the family I never had, so I’m not bailing on you now. It won’t be easy, but I intend to see this through to the end, as both of you need the support. So, I’m coming along no matter what.”

Everyone smiled at Zuzu’s resolve.

“You’re a true friend, Zuzu,” Rupert stated.

“And a true member of this party,” Tyroe added.

“We’re all very grateful for what you’re willing to do, Zuzu,” Viola smiled warmly.

Celtic then scooped up Skye, stating, “Thank you, Zuzu. This means a lot. Now, someone will have to carry Skye’s Spiria for now, as they can’t fuse with her right now for some reason.”

Leon scooped both Spiria up, “I’ve got you covered, Cel.”

King Duskbane stated, “The reason why the Spiria can’t fuse with Lady Skye right now is because her body, soul, and magical energies have been desynchronized due to her death. She needs to resynchronize before they can fuse with her again, which shouldn’t take more than a day or so. But, for now, let’s get all of you to Shadoria so Avalar and Lady Skye can get treated. I’ll send one of my men to Delgunner to let them know of what happened. And don’t worry about the artifact, as the Shadow Sentinel who reported this ordeal to me returned it afterward. Now, let’s us leave and get you two in for treatment. Shadow Warp!”

King Duskbane, the Shadokor, Celtic, and his party all vanished in black portals, heading for Shadoria. A few hours later everyone was gathered in the castle, which was impressive, if rather frightening-looking, befitting of a demonic race. Celtic was in a room with Skye and her two Spiria. They had finished their treatment and Skye was resting in a bed, awaiting the results. The rest of the party had been escorted to guest rooms to rest while they waited for the news. Shortly afterward a knock was heard at the door.

“Enter,” Celtic said.

King Duskbane and what looked like a doctor entered the room. Skye opened her eyes so she could hear what the results were.

The doctor stated, “Okay, I have the results of your treatment and tests. We’ll start with Lady Skye. For starters, the transplant was a success. However, there appears to be some interesting side-effects of the transplant. Because you now have a Dark-attributed demon’s heart in you, you’ve now gained access to the Dark element, something that Light Elves don’t have access to. This means you can expand your magical options by being able to learn moves like Antimatter Blast and Dark Strike. It also means you’ve become a pseudo Chaos breed, so you can gain access to other elements that Chaos breeds can use, like Illusion magic. Your life expectancy also increased. Normally, Light Elves live for about 500 years, give or take, but because you have a demon’s heart in you you’ve gained an extra 50 years, meaning you’ll live for roughly 550 years. And, as King Duskbane noticed, you have been freed from your slave crest, thus you are no longer under the slave status.”

Skye smiled, “I can live with that. At least Celtic can finally stop feeling guilty about being a slave owner, though he is still the master of my heart. In this case quite literally. And I can now access elements I didn’t have before like Dark and Illusion? That’s pretty cool. I’m gonna love expanding my options with those new toys. And I’ll live longer because of Celtic’s heart is really sweet. That means I can spend more time with my handsome hybrid hubby.”

“I’m not handsome,” Celtic stated firmly. “And we’re not married, so I’m not your hubby… yet.”

Skye giggled, “True, but it’ll happen eventually.”

The doctor then said, “Moving on. Prince Avalar’s test results show that, unfortunately, due to high levels of stress, he lost 25 years off his life expectancy. Normally, he’d only lose about 10, but because of his stress levels being through the roof he lost much more. Fortunately, that’s the only long-term cost of the transplant, so he won’t have any other long-term problems. But I highly suggest you get those stress levels down for your own benefit, though I’m aware why your stress levels are as high as they are. Those idiot ‘Heroes’ sure don’t make things easy for you. But you need to find ways to relax more and reduce your stress, as it’ll take a toll on you as you get older.”

Skye looked worried, “Cel lost a quarter of a century on his lifespan? How long would he live normally?”

“Given he’s half Shadokor, his normal expected lifespan would be about 600 years, give or take, so at least losing 25 years isn’t a huge amount,” King Duskbane stated. “And it’ll allow both of you to remain together much longer, as Avalar would’ve outlived you by a good 100 years under normal circumstances, Lady Skye. And I don’t think he could’ve handled 100 years without you.”

Celtic gained a blush, “Yeah… well… you’d be right about that. At least me losing some years and Skye gaining some means I won’t grossly outlive her. It puts our life spans closer to each other, so I can live with a 25 year loss if it means Skye and I can stay together longer. But I knew those four brainless lemmings would shorten my lifespan in some form or another. At this rate they’ll be the death of me. Gives me one more reason to hate Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry.”

The doctor then said, “Either way, those are the results of your tests. You’ll have to remain here for a day or two to ensure Lady Skye’s system resynchronizes, so I suggest you take this time to rest and relax for a bit. I’ll pass on the news to your party members so they’ll know what to expect. If you’ll excuse me.”

The doctor bowed and left the room, leaving Celtic, Skye, and King Duskbane alone.

The demon king gave a relieved sigh, “I’m so relieved that both of you came out of that ritual with only minimal issues. While the ritual has a high success rate, there are often other negative side-effects that can occur between species through the transplant. But, fortunately, the worst of it was Avalar losing more years on his lifespan than normal, which is something I can live with. And it appears you’re fine with it, too, Avalar. That’s a relief. Now, since you’ll be staying here in the castle for a bit, I’ve arranged for some special treatment so both of you can get some much needed rest. I’ve also informed the chefs in the kitchen to prepare normal foods for you and your party.”

Celtic gave him a leery look, “I assume ‘normal’ means things like steak, potatoes, fruit, eggs, and other food that regular people eat, right?”

King Duskbane chuckled, “Yes, you don’t have to worry about that, Avalar, as that’s what you’ll be getting. You should really embrace your Shadokor heritage, though, as you’d be surprised what you can gain from it.”

The redhead replied dryly, “I’ll embrace what I want from it. At least I don’t have to worry about being fed something like slug and centipede gumbo or whatnot while I’m here.”

“Hey, you’d be surprised how good that tastes, Avalar, especially since our chefs do an excellent job at it.”

Both Celtic and Skye gained incredulous looks before sticking out their tongues in disgust.

“No thank you!” both stated.

“Have it your way,” King Duskbane chuckled. “More for me and my family, then. Now, I’ll leave you in peace. I’ll check up on you two in a little while. Your dinner will be brought to you here so you can stay by Lady Skye’s side. Until then.”

With a final bow King Duskbane left the room. Celtic and Skye exchanged odd looks.

“I think I’ll pass on the slug and centipede gumbo,” the Light Elf said.

“Same here,” Celtic replied. “I’ll embrace certain parts of my demon heritage, but I’ll definitely omit demon eating habits and tastes. Give me something like pancakes, pizza, burgers, smoothies, and lobster any day compared to demon meat and slug and centipede gumbo. Now, I suggest you lay down and rest for a bit, Skye, as you did have a rough ride.”

Skye sat up and embraced Celtic, kissing him on the cheek, “Thank you, Celtic. I am proud to be the dagger to your cloak. You did so much for me ever since you rescued me from the slave trade. I’m just glad I can do anything for you in return. You gave me the ultimate gift today and I am forever grateful. I know everything will work out in the end.”

Celtic smiled as he gently pushed her back down onto the bed. Her two Spiria nuzzled against her, happy to see her okay, making the Light Elf smile and gently stroke them. She then drifted off to sleep with Celtic gently holding her hand.

A few days had passed and it had become common knowledge in Delgunner that Sylph had ambushed Celtic and his party, resulting in Skye’s temporary death. However, some of the information got lost in the gossip, especially when it got to Wench’s ears. The evil Light Elf was celebrating, much to her family’s and party’s disgust.

“Yahoo!” Wench cheered. “Skye is dead! At last my annoying younger sister is gone for good! I never have to see her again!”

Sludge snarled, “You watch your mouth, Wench! Skye is still our family, and no one should celebrate someone’s death! Your mother would be ashamed of you!”

Wimp added, “Yeah, father’s right! You disgust us, Wench! As much as I feared Skye, I still respected her strength and talent! You’re nothing compared to her!”

This remark angered Wench, “What was that little brother? Maybe I should send you to join her!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice stated, “Looks like you didn’t get the whole message, Wench.”

Wench’s eyes widened in horror, her ears drooping, “Oh, please tell me that’s not who I think it is.” She turned to see Skye and the rest of her party, alive and well, much to her horror, “S-S-Skye!? You’re supposed to be dead! Are you a zombie!?”

Skye cracked her knuckles threateningly, “I was dead, but Celtic saved me from the abyss and gave me a new lease on life. Now, I’m back and I’m better than ever. It’ll take much more than Sylph to get rid of a prize like me, as Celtic proved.”

Lucas looked stunned, “B-But if you’ve been alive this whole time, where have you been?”

Rupert replied, “We had to go to Shadoria so Skye and Celtic could get medical treatment after the ritual that Celtic performed on Skye. It was to ensure that both came out of it with minimal issues. That’s why we’ve been gone for a few days, as Skye needed time to recover and resynchronize. But, like she said, she’s not only back in action but even stronger than before.”

Wench gained a horrified expression, “Y-You were revived?! That’s impossible! This has to be a dream!”

Wimp gained a dark smirk and pinched Wench on the side, making her yelp.

“What was that for, you brat?!” she spat.

Wimp replied smoothly, “I was helping you realize that this is not a dream. If it was, that pinch would’ve woken you up, but since nothing has changed, then this situation is very much real.”

Wench’s eyes widened in horror at the realization. She quickly tried to hide behind Lucas.

“Protect me, Lucas!” she cried.

To her shock and horror, Lucas shoved her back, his eyes glaring hatefully at her.

“Not this time, Wench,” he growled. “No one should celebrate someone’s death the way you did. No, I’m allowing Skye free reign on this one, as you have it coming.”

Wench’s eyes widened even more, her ears drooping further, while Skye gained a diabolical look on her face. Wench quickly bolted from the spot with Skye right on her heels. She ducked into an alleyway, Skye following, and before long they could all hear the solid thrashing that Skye was giving Wench. Wench wailed in pain and pleaded for mercy but Skye was not having any of it.

Sludge turned to his son, “You’d better get some healers over here, son, as Wench will need them.”

Wimp nodded, “Right, father, I’ll be right back.”

As Wimp ran off to fetch some healers, Sludge slowly walked over to Celtic. The redhead noticed this unusual amount of caution from the disgraced Light Elf royal.

“What do you want, Sludge?” he asked.

“I need to know…” the Light Elf said. “How did you save Skye from the abyss of death? Revival magic doesn’t exist, so, how?”

“It does if you’re a demon. I used Demon magic to transplant one of my seven hearts into Skye to bring her back from the void. The ritual was a success and Skye gained a lot of benefits out of it. I lost 25 years off my life expectancy in return, but since I was going to live for about 600 years anyway I’m fine with it. Being part demon has advantages. While I’ll never regain that heart despite the fact that demons have powerful regeneration abilities, it was worth it to save Skye.”

Sludge’s eyes went wide, “Y-You mean you magically transplanted one of your demon hearts into Skye to bring her back to life!? I didn’t know demons could do that. And Skye gained a number of benefits from the transplant? I… I don’t know what to say. So, Skye will have new benefits from your heart that now beats in her chest? I’m… I’m amazed.”

Viola stated matter-of-factly, “You can learn a lot about another species when you put aside something petty like racism and actually accept said species. We all have our advantages and disadvantages, and we all can contribute something. Racism tends to get in the way of those benefits. I suggest you try it sometime, as it may make all the difference.”

While Sludge didn’t like what Viola had said he said nothing in response, contemplating the situation.

Celtic then said, “I also have something to say that might interest you, Sludge. I plan to bring former Queen Jade back alive.”

This got Sludge’s attention, “What?! Y-You plan to bring my wife back alive!? How?”

“I have a theory I’ve been wanting to test, something that may be the key to bringing Jade back and purified from the trans-mutation. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to test it out, as I haven’t run into another subject that I can test it on. One that’s also been affected by the trans-mutation process. So, I may have to test the theory on Jade herself when the time comes for us to face her. I plan to try to bring her back for Skye’s sake, since it seems that Skye bears the least animosity toward her mother. However, I can’t promise that I will be successful in my theory, thus possibly necessitating Jade getting euthanized to end her suffering. But I want to try to bring her back alive and purified from the trans-mutations. Don’t get your hopes up, as I don’t have enough evidence that my theory could work, but if it does I’ll bring her back alive.”

Sludge’s eyes widened in surprise, “Y-You actually will try to save Jade? You mean it?”

“Keyword is ‘try’, Sludge, as I don’t have enough proof that my theory will work. But if I can pull it off, which would require the Shroud’s power and unique nature, then you’ll be reunited with your wife. So, I suggest you stop trying to pick a fight with me and hold your tongue if you want to see your beloved wife alive. Otherwise I may just forgo the theory and end Jade myself.”

This statement made Sludge grit his teeth in annoyance but he remained silent, thinking about the possibility of his wife returning alive. It wasn’t long before the beating sounds of Skye’s thrashing had ended. Skye walked out of the alley, dusting her hands off, a smug grin on her face. She popped her neck, rotated her shoulders, and gave a shiver of pleasure.

“Ooh, that felt good,” she said. “That’ll teach her to prematurely celebrate my death. And I admit I’m impressed that you, Lucas, allowed it, seeing how you always see her as perfect and always turn a blind eye to her underhanded nature.”

Lucas replied nervously, “Yeah, well… this time I couldn’t stomach what she was doing. I have standards, too, you know.”

“They must be very small standards,” Zuzu sassed. “Seeing how you never act like a proper hero and tend to allow Wench to get away with her various schemes. As someone who lived long enough to see the previous Spear Hero, you are an epic failure compared to him, as he would never let someone like Wench get away with as much as she did. So, I’m guessing your standards aren’t very high if you allow someone like her to continue her heinous actions. Even a rogue like myself finds her appalling.”

Lucas glared at her in response, making her smirk. It wasn’t long before Wimp and the healers arrived. The healers looked in the alley at Wench and flinched.

“Woo!” one said. “She’s in pretty bad shape. We’ll have to teleport her to the hospital for treatment, as moving her
in this state might be a bad idea.”

The second one said to Lucas, “Spear Hero, you’ll have to come with me to the hospital so we can treat Wench. She’ll take some work, so you better be on-deck for when she’s ready.”

Lucas nodded and with the rest of his party followed the healer back to the hospital, as the first one had already teleported Wench there. Celtic gently cupped Skye’s face, smiling.

“As feisty as always, Skye,” he said warmly.

“That’s just how I am,” the Light Elf giggled.

As this exchange occurred, Sludge was in deep thought.

“The Shroud not only spared me, my eldest daughter, and son from execution, but he also revived Skye by giving her one of his own hearts AND plans to rescue my wife? Even after I pegged him with those false charges a while back and all the actions Wench has performed against him? Is… Is the Shroud more benevolent than I thought? Does this mean my entire family may be saved by the Shroud? I don’t know what to think. If holding my tongue around him means I get my wife back then… then maybe it’ll be worth it. And maybe, just maybe… if I ally myself with the Shroud I might get all that I love returned to me. Jade, please hold on a bit longer. Hope may be on the way.”

Next Chapter: Dragons of the Black Fog

And that's all for now, folks. And I wonder if any of you noticed the Crash Bandicoot 4 reference in this chapter. I won't say where or what it is, but if you noticed it, good job. Tune in next time to find out what happens to the Shroud Hero and friends.
 
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Finally got another chapter ready. Credit for this chapter goes to a user on another hangout of mine. (Warning: mild language)

Dragons of the Black Fog


It had been a week since Celtic and his party had returned from Shadoria after the incident with Sylph. Skye had spent most of that time studying new magical spells of the Dark and Illusion element to add to her repertoire via magic grimoires. Celtic had been feeling uneasy during the time.

He looked out over one of the castle balconies, thinking, “The other four Heroes have been quiet lately. …Too quiet. I can’t help but worry that they’re causing some sort of new problem that I’ll have to clean up. Again. I haven’t seen them since my party and I got back from Shadoria, with the exception of Lucas, though he’s vanished since then, too. It makes me uneasy knowing those four loose cannons are probably out there mucking about and potentially making people suffer because of their ‘heroics’. I’d have more faith in them if their track record weren’t so abysmal, but that’s the way it is.”

Suddenly, he sensed something approach him. He turned around and grabbed an invisible object that was creeping up on him.

“No fair!” a familiar voice protested.

The invisible object revealed itself to be Skye, who gave Celtic a pout, making the redhead chuckle.

“So… you’ve mastered at least one Illusion spell, huh, Skye?” he said.

The Light Elf huffed, “Yeah, I’ve learned a fair bit lately. But come on, Cel, I wanted to have some fun. I can’t believe you could detect me so easily. That’s not fair.”

“I’m part Druid, remember? Druids have aura-reading abilities. It’ll take more than an Illusion spell for you to get the drop on me. You’d need to camouflage your aura in order to sneak up on me and I don’t know if there is an Illusion spell that can grant that.”

Skye crossed her arms, giving another pout, “I keep forgetting that Druids have that little quirk, considering they don’t mention it often. Damn, I wanted to have some fun with you, but it looks like I’ll need to learn more if I’m going to get the drop on you. Though, at the very least, I can probably use my new tricks on the other idiot Heroes. They won’t know what hit them.”

Celtic gained a serious expression, “Speaking of them, I’ve been worried that they’ve been so quiet lately. I just hope they’re not out there causing more problems for us to fix.”

A voice then said, “Sadly, we’re worried about that, too. But, unfortunately, there is something that we have to discuss with you, Shroud Hero.”

Both turned to see Cray and Karl walk up to them.

“Your Majesties!” Skye exclaimed.

Celtic asked, “What’s the problem?”

Cray replied, “Father received another request from the Gorgodos Kingdom. One of their coastal villages is getting attacked by a mysterious force that is using some sort of black fog to ambush their livestock. Since you did such a good job at exposing Robert’s underhanded scheme, King O’Connell requested your help to investigate this problem, as that costal village is one of their key trading villages in the northern part of the trade routes.”

Karl added, “We’ve already informed the rest of your party. They should be waiting for you in the throne room. Father requests your presence immediately so this issue can be addressed.”

Celtic nodded, “Fine, we’ll be there shortly. You go on ahead and inform His Majesty that we’ll handle it. We’ll join you shortly.”

Both princes nodded and went on ahead. Celtic turned to Skye, who nodded, and the two of them headed for the throne room. When they got there they found King Alvin, a male Shadow Sentinel, and the rest of their party waiting for them.

King Alvin turned to them, “Avalar and Lady Skye. You’re aware of the situation, yes? King O’Connell needs your expertise again to solve this mysterious black fog issue. This Shadow Sentinel will take you to the village of Shaori. Are you ready to go?”

Celtic turned to his party, all of whom nodded, before replying, “Yes, we’re ready to go. Might as well solve this issue before the day gets away from us.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Then allow me to be your guide, Prince Avalar. Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in dark portals, leaving the Delgunner royal family alone. They reappeared in a large costal village surrounded by steep cliffs and wide farmlands. As they appeared one of the villagers ran up to them.

“Are you the Shroud Hero?” he asked.

Celtic nodded, “Yes, I’m the Shroud Hero along with my party. We were requested by King O’Connell to help with a black fog problem. Can you give us some more details about the situation?”

“Our chief, Chief Ringo, can give you all the details, as he’s done the most investigating on this subject,” the villager said. “Please, come with me to his home and he’ll explain the situation to you.”

With a nod, Celtic and his party were led to one of the larger homes in the coastal village. Inside they met a very large and muscular man. He turned and smiled behind his shaggy beard as he saw the Shroud Hero’s party approach.

“So, you’re the Shroud Hero, right?” he asked. “Good, good, glad you got here so quickly. I’ll give you the general rundown of why King O’Connell summoned you here. Normally, here in this small village, very little ever happens. We’re part of King O’Connell’s northern trade routes, as we ship various forms of seafood, dried meats, and specially crafted weapons to several places around the continent. As a result of our little village being so far to the north we rarely get any sort of problems outside of harsh weather. However, three days ago that all changed. Some sort of mysterious force has been attacking our farmlands, stealing our livestock, using the cover of a black fog. As we discovered, this fog is poisonous. However, strangely, it can’t hurt people outside of getting sick for a day or so, but it’s very potent against animals, meaning my people are not at risk of dying of it. But whatever’s hiding in the black fog is dangerous. Do you think you can discover what the issue is and stop it before it gets any worse?”

Celtic took a moment to think before replying, “Yes, that’s why we’re here. When does this black fog appear?”

“It has a tendency to appear almost every day at noon.”

Skye looked at a nearby grandfather clock and noticed the time, “It’s almost noon now. We should get into the livestock fields and get ready right now so we can catch whatever it is in the act.”

Viola then said, “We should all wear some sort of face covering first. While the fog isn’t a large threat to us, we still can’t risk getting sick. Only Celtic and Zuzu will be safe due to their demon heritage and for being the Shroud Hero in Celtic’s case. The rest of us should use something like bandannas to cover our noses and mouths for good measure. While Leon and I can cure any of us no problem, it would be better to outright prevent the problem so we’re not crippled or disabled in case our ‘target’ is dangerous.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, that’s an excellent point, Viola. I’d expect nothing less from a medical expert like you. Especially since Skye, Rupert, and myself dealt with a similar situation during the dragon zombie incident. Everyone, get out a bandanna and let’s get to work. Quickly, before our mysterious ‘friend’ strikes and escapes with more livestock.”

Before they could a voice said, “Hold up, Shroud Hero. I may be able to help.”

They all turned to see a man walk in. He looked a lot like a scientist.

“Who are you?” Celtic asked.

Skye’s eyes widened, “Aren’t you Kainu, one of Zakota’s top leading experts on medicine and on the various monsters that exist on this world?”

The man nodded, “Yes, I am. I’m glad you recognized who I am, young elf. I am Kainu, a proud traveling scientist, doctor, and monster expert. I’ve been studying this black fog and it’s clear to me that it’s the work of some sort of monster. However, as there are a fair few creatures that can produce such miasma it’s hard to know what the creature or creatures are. The fact that King O’Connell was worried enough to summon a Legendary Hero to help with this problem means that it could be more serious than expected. It’s fortunate that whatever this miasma is it isn’t very dangerous to mankind, as I’ve been able to cure everyone who has been afflicted with it with ease. But it is a very strange poison, that’s for sure, since it’s weak enough to pose no threat to mankind yet powerful enough to kill animals with ease. Please, allow me to accompany you. I want to confirm what creature is causing this problem and see if there is a way to stop it before it causes any more harm. Let us go to the livestock fields and begin immediately.”

Nodding, the party quickly pulled out bandannas and wrapped them around their lower faces. They then made their way to the livestock fields. There were several sheep, goats, cows, and chickens wandering around, seemingly oblivious to any possible threat. Everyone scanned the surrounding area to see if they could pinpoint where the black fog comes from. Rupert was the first to spot something.

“Hey!” the Beastman stated. “I see the black fog coming from the mountains to the west!”

Everyone turned to see a black fog slowly descending toward the fields. Celtic transformed his hand into Tornado.

“Okay, here’s the deal,” he instructed. “We need to keep that fog from hitting the field so no more animals get poisoned to death. We need to use Wind magic or any other type of Wind-based ability to cut through that fog and see if we can expose our target or targets. Skye, Viola, that means you two will work alongside me to keep the fog from blanketing the area. The rest of you need to try to find our enemy hidden within the fog. Let’s do it!”

“Right!” everyone said.

As the fog slowly started to cover the fields, Skye and Viola were channeling energy.

“Typhoon!” Skye stated.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola shouted.

“Tornado!” Celtic roared.

They fired their Wind-based attacks, easily cutting through the fog and causing a large amount of it to be dispersed. Zuzu was the first to notice something within the fog.

“I see something!” she stated. “I see the rough outline of some sort of large creature.” She then took a closer look, “Scratch that, I see several outlines of large creatures. They look… like dragons!”

Celtic quirked an eyebrow, “Dragons? Then we’ve got our work cut out for us if that’s the case. Everyone, stay alert, as dragons are not easy to fight.”

Nodding, everyone got into a battle-ready pose. The mysterious creatures gave a hiss that sounded like a train’s pistons before more black fog started to appear. Skye and Viola were already channeling more energy.

“Airstream!” Skye stated.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola roared.

“Tornado!” Celtic spat.

The three Wind attacks cut through the fog again, easily blowing it away, while also striking some of the mysterious creatures, revealing one of them in the process. It looked like a serpent-type dragon, with black scaly skin, two legs, giant wings, and a head very similar to an alligator, along with appearing to have no tongue but the mouth is full of very sharp teeth and glowing eyes with slit pupils.

Kainu exclaimed, “Those are Frigid Flame Dragons! That explains why the poison is only really potent on animals and water but not people, as Frigid Flame Dragons possess the ability to create a miasma that is specifically designed to kill small- to medium-sized prey such as sheep and certain monsters. Humans and other larger animals like horses are too big for the poison to have any real effect outside of getting sick for a bit, but it is still potent enough to contaminate fresh water sources. But why are they here? This area isn’t their natural habitat. They prefer volcanic areas like Infinity Mountain, not cold environments like here. So, why are they here?”

The Frigid Flame Dragon roared and fired off a blast of blue flames. Celtic quickly got in front of everyone.

“Shield Wall!” he stated strongly.

The Shroud glowed before summoning the Lizartaur Shroud’s orbiting shields. They all clustered together, creating a wall of shields that blocked the attack. Celtic noticed that not only were the shields getting hot, but ice was also forming on them.

“What kind of dragon breath is this!?” he stated. “My Shield Wall is not only getting hot but ice is forming on it at the same time!”

Skye nodded, “Yes, that’s to be expected of Frigid Flame Dragon. Their breath attack have both the Fire and Ice element in it. Effectively, a single dragon can combine two elements together at the same time, making what would normally be a combo attack by itself. That’s one of their strengths, as individually they’re not very strong in terms of raw power. They’re pretty low on the dragon power chart in terms of individual power. They make up for it with numbers, as they’re one of the dragon breeds that can hatch and mature the fastest.”

Kainu looked surprised, “That’s indeed correct. You know your stuff, little lady.”

The Frigid Flame Dragon stopped its attack, as it realized Celtic’s Shield Wall wasn’t going to yield to its double element dragon breath. This caused it and the other Frigid Flame Dragons to hesitate: their enemies were a lot stronger than they initially thought. After a moment’s pause they quickly fled the area, heading back toward the western mountain.

Tyroe stated, “We can’t let them get away, otherwise they may just come back and try again.”

Kainu nodded, “Agreed, Mr. Naga, as Frigid Flame Dragons are very persistent. And we need to know why they’re here in the first place. Like I said before, they prefer volcanic areas, as part of their diet consists of lava rocks and Heat Gems. You see, despite being called Frigid Flame Dragons, they need to stay warm, as they have an internal sac in their throats called a Flame Sac. This sac has a flame in it that regulates the dragon’s body temperature and keeps it stable. However, the reason why they eat lava rocks and Heat Gems is to keep that flame going. If it burns out, then their body temperature drops harshly, which could make them very sick and even die. As a result, Frigid Flame Dragons tend to horde Heat Gems to eat every now and then to ensure that their internal temperature remains consistent. Here, in the frozen north, their Flame Sacs are probably working overtime just to keep the dragons warm, which would cause them to burn out faster. A place like this would most definitely lack Heat Gems and lava rocks, so it’s only a matter of time before their Flame Sacs run out.”

Celtic turned to him, “And I take it it’s safe to say we have to do something about that and not just let them die, right?”

“Yes, you are correct. Frigid Flame Dragons, like most regular dragons, are under the protection of the Dragon Emperors. They don’t take kindly to any of their ‘subjects’ getting attacked by people, which is why most people and dragons tend to keep their distance from each other. The Dragon Emperors can be lenient to humanity if the dragons are the ones who picked the fight first, but it’s generally a bad idea to attack dragons as a whole, even if they’re the aggressors like in this situation. No, we can’t just let them die, as that could earn us the collective wrath of the Dragon Emperors. We have to pursue those Frigid Flame Dragons and find out why they’re here.”

Suddenly, Celtic’s Shroud core glowed and released a beam of light. It took the form of Tiamat’s head.

“Tiamat!” Leon said, stunned.

Kainu looked shocked, “Tiamat?! As in the Dragon Emperor of Darkness?! How do you have him here?!”

Tiamat replied, “I owe my current situation to Sylph, though the Shroud Hero has kept my soul crystal safe, so I’m grateful for that. But that’s besides the point. I was observing the situation from within the Shroud’s core. For a human you certainly know your stuff. Yes, you are correct, as we cannot allow one of the dragon species that I oversee suffer. We need to find out what happened that caused them to come to this location. Allow me to do any negotiations and translations with them, as they would be much more responsive to me. But we must hurry, as from what I saw in the battle, their Flame Sacs are getting very weak, otherwise they’d be a bit more aggressive and not retreat so quickly. Shroud Hero…” he turned to Celtic, “Normally I wouldn’t ask for favors, but you must take me to where the Frigid Flame Dragons are located so I can get the details about why they’re here. I am also aware that you’ve collected a fair few Heat Gems from certain monster drops. I request that you offer them up to them to give them the necessary boost in Fire energy they need to keep their Flame Sacs going until we can figure out a solution. Will you do that?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, I’ll give them the Heat Gems I’ve gathered, since it would help make things easier. At least it’ll prove to them I’m not their enemy. And, besides, I’ve got a suspicion about this whole ordeal that I want confirmed. I noticed that the one dragon we fought had previously inflicted wounds on it. The wounds gave off a slight Holy energy residue that my Druid senses could detect. A very familiar Holy energy. So, enough talk, let’s get going. We need to find where those Frigid Flame Dragons are located before they attack again.”

Tiamat nodded, “Thank you, Shroud Hero. Yes, let us leave immediately and find my subjects before they continue to make any more risky moves.”

About an hour later the party and Kainu were walking up a mountain pathway. They could see the claw marks of the Frigid Flame Dragons gouged in the mountainside. Tiamat was still being projected from the Shroud, seemingly keeping watch for the Frigid Flame Dragons.

“We’re getting close,” he said. “I can sense them nearby. Shroud Hero, how many Heat Gems do you have?”

“Last I checked, about 34, though I might have gotten a few more by now,” the redhead replied. “I hope it’s enough.”

“It should be, as Frigid Flame Dragons only tend to have about 25 members per colony,” the Dragon Emperor stated. “That should be more than enough to satisfy them.” Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, “I can sense a Frigid Flame Dragon nearby.”

Skye’s ears twitched, “I can hear it flapping its wings. It sounds almost on top of us.”

Suddenly, a shadow formed above them. They all looked up to see a Frigid Flame Dragon coming from above. They quickly got out of the shadow’s range before the dragon landed in front of them. It gave a loud, threatening hiss at the party. However, the second it noticed Tiamat it stopped. It then got into a bow.

“That’s better,” Tiamat stated. “I’m glad you realized it’s me despite my current status. Now, my subject, tell me what happened.”

The dragon started to speak in its native tongue, though it appeared Tiamat understood everything.

“I see. You were chased out of your home at Starbolt Falls by a large band of warriors. They claimed you and your brethren were causing trouble but in reality they were after your collection of items such as Heat Gems. You tried to fend them off but they killed your Queen, who was ill, forcing you and your King to evacuate and, out of desperation, relocated. Your Flame Sacs are obviously getting worn out from trying to keep warm but you’re too afraid to return to Starbolt Falls because of those warriors. On top of that, because your Flame Sacs are getting so weak you don’t have the energy to fly to another volcanic area. I see, I see. That explains a lot.”

Celtic then asked, “Tiamat, can you ask this dragon what the ‘warriors’ looked like or what kind of weapons they were wielding. I have a suspicion I know who’s behind this.”

Tiamat nodded, “Yes, give me a moment.”

He then started talking in the same language as the Frigid Flame Dragon. The other dragon responded before Tiamat turned to Celtic.

“He said they didn’t get a very good look, but he did know that four of them seemed to be the leaders of their respective groups. They wielded very striking weapons consisting of a sword, spear, axe, and bow.” It then dawned on Tiamat, “Hold on. That sounds like those brat Heroes!”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “I was afraid of that. It appears that Ryan, Lucas, Eric and Jerry are responsible for this mess. Again. I knew they were up to something, as they’ve been way too quiet since we got back from Skye’s heart transplant. So, they either attacked the Frigid Flame Dragons out of a request from any local towns or on their own accord for the treasures the dragons were hoarding. Dammit, not again. Why can’t those duncebuckets go one day without screwing something up!? I’ll have to report this to King Alvin, since even he noticed that they were unusually quiet lately. But time for that later, we need to find the King of these dragons and his subjects and give them some Heat Gems so they can have the energy to fly to another location to colonize in.”

Kainu looked confused, “You’re saying that the Sword, Spear, Axe and Bow Heroes are responsible for this ordeal? Why? Why would they do something like this?”

Rupert turned to him, “They’re glory hounds, to put it simply. They see this world as one big game so they feel that they can do whatever they want without any repercussions. Poor Celtic has had to go around cleaning up their messes repeatedly. And that’s not including their increasingly lackluster performances in Infinator’s waves. Celtic has had to carry them through each and every attack because we’re the only Hero’s party that actually takes the threat seriously. They also want money and other perks that come with being Heroes. So, naturally, they’d take the opportunity to attack a colony of dragons for big EXP and valuables to further boost their reputation as ‘great Heroes’.”

Zuzu pondered, “But considering the agreement of sorts humanity and the Dragon Emperors have that neither side can attack each other, it makes me wonder how and why those idiot Heroes attack the Frigid Flame Dragons?”

Tiamat replied, “Yes, there is a rather unspoken agreement between humanity and us dragons: neither side can attack each other. So, you do bring up a good point, Succuryn. Considering that there is only a small handful of towns anywhere near Starbolt Falls, as it is a volcanic region with lots of lava flows, it does make me wonder how those four brainless lemmings learned of the Frigid Flame Dragons?”

He turned to the other dragon and started talking in the dragon language. The Frigid Flame Dragon replied in the same language.

“Hmm… it appears the Frigid Flame Dragons don’t know how or why those Heroes attacked them, as they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Considering this one also told me that he and his fellow Frigid Flame Dragons don’t bother the humans nearby means that this was an unprovoked attack. Grr… those damn Heroes. They could seriously learn from you lot about how to act as proper Heroes. I’ve seen many generations of Legendary Heroes and those four are absolute disgraces to their Gear. But time for that later. Right now we need to give these dragons some Heat Gems with enough Fire energy to find a new home away from this cold region. We must do it quickly before their Flame Sacs burn out completely. Shroud Hero, give this Frigid Flame Dragon one of the Heat Gems you have as proof that you’re going to help them.”

Celtic nodded and took something out of his Tek-Pak. It was ruby red gem shaped like a flame with flaming energy inside it. This move instantly got the Frigid Flame Dragon’s attention.

Celtic held out the gem, “Here, eat this. It’ll give you the much-needed pick-me-up that you need. Then take us to the rest of your kind so I can give them the other Heat Gems I have.”

The dragon hesitated before gently taking the gem from Celtic. It swallowed it whole, causing a lump to travel down its serpentine body to a certain point. As the gem came to a rest inside of it, its body gained a flaming aura, seemingly reenergizing the dragon, pleasing it quite a bit. It then said something to Tiamat. The Dragon Emperor replied in the same language, which caused the Frigid Flame Dragon to turn around and gesture to Celtic to get on its back.

Tiamat said to Celtic, “This Frigid Flame Dragon will take you to its kin. I told it you’d give them Heat Gems so they’d have the energy to find new and more fitting home. However, it requests that only you go with it, as the other Frigid Flame Dragons, especially the King, might get defensive if your party comes with you due to their bad experience with your fellow Heroes.”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “Fine, I’ll go by myself.” He then turned to the party and Kainu, “You all go back to the village and wait for me there, as this may take a little bit. I’ll return when Tiamat and I have finished getting these Frigid Flame Dragons taken care of. For now, just wait for me back at the village.”

Skye gained a concerned expression, “Please, stay safe, Celtic. The dragons may get defensive, so please don’t get hurt in the process of negotiating with them.”

The redhead nodded, “I’ll be okay. For now, just return to the village and wait for me there. And have Kainu explain the situation to the villagers. Hopefully after all is said and done they won’t have to worry about any more attacks on their livestock.”

With a final nod Celtic managed to climb onto the Frigid Flame Dragon, making sure not to get in the way of its wings, and the dragon took off, flying higher up the mountain. Skye and the others turned around and headed back down the mountain to return to the village. It wasn’t long before the Frigid Flame Dragon landed outside of a large cave. Celtic gingerly got off the dragon, trying his best to not discomfort it before turning to the cave. As he did, several hissing noises could be heard, along with several glowing eyes. Tiamat then started speaking in the dragon language, which caused the hissing to stop. Then a very large Frigid Flame Dragon emerged, easily twice the size of the others.

“I take it that’s the King?” Celtic asked Tiamat.

Tiamat nodded, “Yes, that is the King of these dragons. Give me a moment to talk to him so I can explain the situation.”

Tiamat then started talking to the King Frigid Flame Dragon. The dragon responded with a bow and started to talk to Tiamat. After a few minutes of conversation Tiamat turned back to Celtic.

“The King is willing to leave this area and head for a different location. I told him that Infinity Mountain would be a good location for a new home, as there are several Frigid Flame Dragon colonies there. Fortunately all dragon species get along with each other so I’m certain that the other Frigid Flame Dragons won’t mind another colony joining them. Now, present all the Heat Gems you have to show that you are truly here to help.”

Celtic nodded. He took off his Tek-Pak, selected an icon on the holo-screen and it released a projection. Several Heat Gems appeared before the projection ended. Celtic then stepped out of the way so the dragons could emerge and feast on the gems. The King ate one first to confirm if the Heat Gems were real. After a minute it then summoned the rest of the dragons to scarf down the Heat Gems. However, they left one Heat Gem. The King then said something to Tiamat.

“The King is willing to let you keep one Heat Gem as thanks,” the Dragon Emperor stated. “Now he and his subjects can leave this area and head to Infinity Mountain. He also explained that his subjects attacked the nearby livestock out of desperation because it was the closest food source to keep their Flame Sacs going. Now that they have the energy to fly away they won’t bother any other humans. But he did ask that you give those other Heroes what for, as he’s quite furious at them.”

Celtic picked up the Heat Gem before saying, “He’s not the only one. I’ll gladly pass on his ‘message’ to those four walking disaster areas for yet another mess they caused. I’ll also tell King Alvin about this. Hopefully he’ll start limiting those idiots’ freedoms so they can’t cause any more problems, as I’m getting really sick of cleaning up their messes.”

The King then said something to Tiamat, making the Dragon Emperor’s eyes widen.

“The King wants to give you something,” he said to Celtic. “He said he has a shed fang that he wants you to absorb into your Shroud core. Since he’s aware of how the Legendary Gear works he wants to give you a fang for your Shroud as a small token of his appreciation for offering up all your Heat Gems to him and his subjects.”

As he said this, one of the Frigid Flame Dragons emerged from the cave, holding a shed fang in its mouth. Celtic gingerly took it and had the Shroud absorb it, creating a new skill tree that read “Frigid Flame Dragon Shroud”. He politely bowed.

“Thank you, I’ll make good use of it,” he said.

Seemingly understanding Celtic’s gesture, the King Frigid Flame Dragon then gave a command to its subjects, causing all of them to take flight. The King gave one final bow of appreciation before flying up to his subjects. With one last hiss he led his subject toward the south, obviously heading toward Infinity Mountain.

“There, it’s done,” Tiamat stated. “Thanks to those Heat Gems you gave them they’re heading to a better, more suitable home now. That should give them just enough Fire energy to make it to Infinity Mountain, where they’ll have all the lava rocks and Heat Gems they can eat. I also told him to let the other Frigid Flame Dragons know that I told him to go and join them, just in case. Now, I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep. You did well, Shroud Hero. I can see why you’re much more respected compared with the other Heroes. I’ll leave the rest to you. Until next time.”

Tiamat then returned to the Shroud’s core, causing the core to stop glowing. Celtic could only sigh defeatedly.

“I’m getting really tired of those four morons messing things up,” he said. “I just hope that the other Dragon Emperors don’t get upset about this. Ryan already ruffled their feathers by killing Tiamat, though from what I’ve been told they all agree that Sylph is the main culprit of the incident, so at least they’re willing to be lenient about that. But they most likely attacked these dragons out of glory and greed, which will probably rub the other Dragon Emperors the wrong way. Well, I guess there’s no sense in complaining about it. We’ll find out soon enough if the Dragon Emperors are upset or not. I’d better get back to the others before they get worried. Moth Wing Shroud.”

The Shroud transformed into the Moth Wing Shroud. With a mighty flap Celtic became airborne and started to make his way back down to the village. It didn’t take long before he arrived only to be tackled by Skye the moment he landed.

“Cel!” she cried. “I was getting worried about you! Did the dragons do anything to you?”

Celtic gently stroked her hair, “No, no, they were pleasant enough. They even let me keep one of the Heat Gems and gave me a shed fang for my Shroud as thanks. They’re now heading toward Infinity Mountain where they won’t be a problem. And I have yet another lecture to give those four idiot Heroes. Not like they ever listen. I’m going to talk to King Alvin about limiting their freedoms so stuff like this won’t keep happening. But I take it everything is in order here?”

Leon walked up to him, “Yep. Kainu explained the whole situation and now that the dragons have left the area the villagers are breathing a collective sigh of relief. Now all that’s left is for them to replenish their livestock and they can get things back to normal.”

Chief Ringo walked up, “Well done, Shroud Hero. My villagers and I thank you for finding a solution to our problem. And, judging by the sound of it, you solved the crisis without really using any force or violence. I’m certain those Frigid Flame Dragons appreciated that, especially since, according to Kainu, their presence here was caused by the other Heroes. But from what you said they are now on their way out of this area and heading toward a more suitable home. I thank you once again. I’ve prepared a little something for you and your party as thanks.”

He then gave a whistle, causing another villager to roll up a cart filled with various seafood and dried meats. Tyroe instantly started to drool as he saw all this food.

“It’s not much but I hope it’ll help,” Chief Ringo said.

“Well, it’ll keep us fed for a while, to say the least,” Celtic replied with a crooked smile.

Viola giggled, “Well, maybe for a few days, considering we have Tyroe on the team. But, either way, there are some pretty rare treats in this cart, most notably the Emerald Lobsters and Scruffy Urchins. Many consider them delicacies due to their exquisite taste. They can only be found in places with artic oceans-like around here-so these will be a nice treat for us.”

Celtic scratched the back of his head, “I just hope I can cook something out of them, as I’ve never used ingredients like Scruffy Urchins before.”

Skye smiled, “I know a few recipes that use stuff like this as part of it. I’ll teach you them. Granted, I, myself, can’t cook, but I at least know what is needed to make the great recipes that involve such exotic ingredients.”

The redhead gave another crooked smile, “Fine, I accept this as payment. At least it’ll help keep my party fed. That’s always helpful. Give me a minute to put them in my Tek-Pak so they’ll be preserved until needed.”

After fumbling with his Tek-Pak for a moment he then scanned and digitized the various foods, causing them to vanish before placing his Tek-Pak back on. The Shadow Sentinel then appeared.

“With the task complete I will return you to Delgunner,” he said.

Kainu then said, “We’ll probably meet again, noble Shroud Hero, as I was highly impressed with how you handled this situation. Besides, I’m curious to know what else you’re capable of, as well as I want to learn about how Tiamat, the Dragon Emperor of Darkness, ended up in your Shroud.”

Rupert replied, “We’ll tell you another time, but let’s just say Sylph is the main reason for Tiamat’s current status.”

Celtic then turned to the Shadow Sentinel, “Okay, we’re ready to go. Please take us back to Delgunner.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “At once, Your Highness. Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in dark portals, leaving the village behind. It wasn’t long before they returned to Delgunner.

The redhead said, “Okay, all that’s left is to report back to King Alvin. He’ll want to know what happened. And I need to have a talk with him about restricting the other Heroes’ freedoms, as situations like this are getting way too commonplace. Come, team, let’s go report back to King Alvin and hopefully he’ll find a way to keep the other duncebucket Heroes from pulling any more stunts like this.”

Nodding, the party headed toward the castle, annoyed and relieved that another mess caused by the other Heroes had been resolved.

Next Chapter: Duel of Revenge

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what happens to our Heroes.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising for your reading pleasure. (Warning: mild violence)

Duel of Revenge


It had been a day since Celtic and his party had dealt with the Frigid Flame Dragon incident. The other Heroes had returned to the capital and were met with an annoyed King Alvin for their role in the incident. As punishment for the fact that their actions lead to another mess they were put under a curfew to keep them in the capital until they learn to stop causing problem, much to their protests.

Celtic was looking over one of the castle balconies, looking out at the horizon.

“Well, it turned out that the other Heroes were to blame for the Frigid Flame Dragon incident, as they heard about the treasures those dragons had and wanted it for themselves,” he said to himself. “And, like clockwork, they blamed me for the fact that King Alvin put them under a curfew as punishment for their role in the incident. I’m not surprised, as they scapegoat me for everything short of Infinator himself, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they started blaming me for Infinator’s attacks and his Generals soon enough. That’s one of their chief problems; they never take responsibility for their actions and shift the blame onto me instead, especially Lucas and Jerry. Needless to say King Alvin was not pleased when they started scapegoating me again for the incident. And I can only imagine how King Duskbane will react when he learns that the other Heroes are blaming me for their actions. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came raging into this castle in his Assault Mode form and pretty much threatened their lives for it. Heh, wouldn’t that be quite the spectacle.”

A familiar voice floated down to him, “It’s only getting worse, as Lucas is still trying to find a way to prove Wench’s ‘innocence’ and that you’re the root of all evil.”

Celtic looked up to see Zuzu floating lazily above him.

“Zuzu,” he said. “So, that moron is still trying to prove the Light Elves’ lies about me, eh? Some things never change.”

The Succuryn shrugged, “Well, what do you expect from Pointy Stick Boy? To him, every beautiful woman needs his ‘protection’. That includes Skye, Viola, and me, as he wants us to ditch you and join him. Fuh… just how delusional is he? He fails to realize that not every woman is a damsel in distress, and he still thinks you have enslaved and brainwashed us to do your bidding, no matter how flimsy the so-called ‘proof’ is. Then again, he’ll believe anything that long-eared fiendess, Wench, says, and she’ll stop at nothing to get back at you for getting back at her, so it’s to-be-expected at this point. From what I heard he’s demanding King Alvin to let him duel you to prove that you’re the real culprit and that Wench is innocent.”

Celtic’s eyes widened, his pupils becoming slits, before his face twisted into a diabolical grin, his eyes gleaming like headlights. Zuzu noticed this and started to smirk.

“I see where this is going, Celtic,” she purred. “You’re going to ‘grant’ Lucas’ wish for a duel, aren’t you?”

Celtic chuckled darkly, “Oh yeah, this is perfect. I was waiting for an opportunity like this to happen and it turns out Pointy Stick Boy has granted me my wish by presenting the perfect chance. After all, I need to thank him for the Fun Box incident. What better way than this? I better get over to Lucas and ‘grant’ him his ‘wish’ before King Alvin completely shuts the idea down.”

He quickly left the balcony to try to find Lucas and King Alvin. Zuzu chuckled as she flew after him.

“I want a front-row seat to this,” she smirked. “This is why I love working with Celtic, as he’s very much a true demon when it comes to stuff like getting revenge. After all, we demons are a vengeful species. Cross us and you will pay a very heavy price tag for it. This I gotta see. There is a risk factor in this but considering that Pointy Stick Boy hasn’t beaten Celtic yet, even when our Shroud Hero was much more underleveled in the past, means that this’ll be a good show. I better find Skye and the others, too, as they won’t want to miss this.”

Celtic eventually found Lucas demanding King Alvin for the duel. King Alvin and his family looked quite livid at the thought, almost to the point of wanting to strangle the Spear Hero.

“Bingo,” Celtic said silently. He then said aloud, “King Alvin, if I may, I have a solution to this little ordeal.”

King Alvin turned to him, “Avalar? What do you mean?”

“I will accept Lucas’ request for a duel,” he replied.

Lucas looked stunned, “You will?!”

“However, I have a few conditions that I need to have put in play first.”

At this point Skye and the rest of his party appeared, wondering what Celtic’s plan was.

King Alvin replied, “Avalar, you do know the risks involved, right? Letting Wench off the hook could be a disaster.”

Celtic replied smoothly, “Oh, I’m well aware, Your Majesty. But I know of a way to make this work. My conditions are as follow. If Lucas wins the duel then all of Wench’s punishments are undone. However, if I win, not only will her punishments become permanent and irreversible, even by you, but Lucas will be legally forbidden to challenge me to any more duels. AND Wench’s spellbinding circle crest will be upgraded to enforce her more proper name change. That way Lucas and anyone else cannot call her by her original name as long as the crest is active. I’ll even make things interesting. Lucas can use any skill, magic, or ability he has while I’ll restrict myself to just Shroud forms. After all, Lucas needs all the help he can get, seeing how he hasn’t beaten me once yet. Also, put anti-magic cuffs on Wench to ensure she can’t interfere in the duel, since Skye told me that she tried to cheat in Lucas’ favor in one of our previous duels. How does that sound?”

Lucas looked eager, “You’re on, Celtic! I’ll prove once and for all you’re the problem and not Veronica!”

King Alvin merely sighed, “Very well, I’ll grant it this one time, but only because you’ve been invaluable to us, Avalar. And I’ll make sure the conditions are put in place. You and Lucas will have your duel at noon today. I’ll go and get things set up. Just don’t fail, Avalar, as that elf is dangerous if left to her own devices.”

Celtic nodded, “Oh, I’m aware of that. But this way when the duel is over this issue will be dealt with for good. Just try not to disappoint me again, Lucas, as I want you to put at least some effort into this instead of what you do with women.”

“I’ll make you eat those words!” the Spear Hero snapped.

King Alvin gave another sigh, “Very well, then. Time to begin the preparations for this ridiculous situation. Men, put anti-magic cuffs on Wench to ensure she can’t cheat, since she’s very likely to do so. Let’s just hope this turns out okay.”

Two knights restrained Wench, much to her protests, before two anti-magic cuffs were placed on her wrists, cutting her off from her magic power, leaving her looking quite feeble. King Alvin then left the throne room to begin the necessary preparations for the duel.

Lucas gave Celtic a sneer, “You’re going down.”

Celtic looked bored, “In your little monkey dreams, you ape.”

A little while later it was time for the duel. Hundreds of people had gathered at the arena to watch the fight, with the other Heroes and their parties also watching. Skye and the rest of Celtic’s party were in a special section of seats for the event, eager at the thought of Celtic winning the duel. After a few minutes King Alvin stepped up.

“Today we will witness a duel of the century. Two Legendary Heroes will duke it out, but only one will win. Who will it be? Will it be the Shroud Hero?”

As he said that Celtic emerged from his spot, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.

“Or will it be the Spear Hero?” King Alvin continued.

Lucas emerged from his spot, waving to the crowd, only to be met with complete silence, much to his surprise.

Leon chuckled, “Looks like we know which Hero the crowd is rooting for.”

Skye pondered, “Still, I wonder what is Celtic’s strategy? I know he’s only allowing this so he can get some revenge on Lucas, but I wonder what his strategy is for this fight?”

“Guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Viola replied.

Lucas readied his Spear, stating, “This time, Celtic, you’re going down! And in front of a large audience, too!”

Celtic merely replied, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Lucas. They may be goose eggs instead.”

King Alvin then said, “Let the battle… begin!”

Lucas raised his Spear up, “Eat this, Celtic! Meteor Thrust!”

He fired the Holy energy attack at Celtic, who didn’t even move from the spot. The attack struck Celtic, engulfing him in smoke, much to Lucas’ glee. However, that glee turned to shock as when the smoke cleared Celtic was unharmed. Lucas’ stat screen told him that the attack did nothing to Celtic’s Hit Points.

“W-W-What gives!?” he sputtered. “My Meteor Thrust didn’t do any damage to you! But it was a direct hit! How?!”

Celtic merely replied, “My defensive stats are just simply too high for a weak attack like that to do any damage to me. Do you want to try again?”

Lucas growled, “Why you little cheater! Have a taste of my Flame Tower!”

He slammed his palm on the ground, causing a pillar of fire to erupt and strike Celtic, engulfing him in flames. However, his eyes widened in horror as Celtic emerged from the flames completely unharmed, the flames fizzling out afterward, with his Hit Point meter showing that the attack did no damage.

“Your flames are much too cold to burn me, Lucas,” Celtic said with a smirk. “I knew you’d disappoint me in this duel and you did exactly that. Now… it’s MY turn! Harlikill Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into a new form. This one looked like it would belong in a circus, decorated with lots of colorful balloon patterns and a frilled collar. Lucas started to laugh.

“You’re going to fight me with THAT wimpy Shroud?!” he laughed.

“Oh, you’ll see that this Shroud is by no means ‘wimpy’, Lucas,” Celtic replied calmly. “After all, it was born from the Harlikill that YOU and Wench sicced on me with the Fun Box. Allow me to thank you for it. Elemental Balloon: Fire!”

The Shroud glowed before generating energy in front of Celtic. The energy took the form of a large red balloon with glowing yellow eyes. Celtic gave it a tiny push and it started to float over toward the Spear Hero. Lucas started to laugh even more. However, in the stands, the other Heroes were getting suspicious.

“Why would Celtic use such a weak-looking ability?” Eric asked.

“Well, considering it was created from one of those clown monsters Lucas and Wench sicced on him, he must know something about it that we don’t,” Ryan stated.

“Still, what can that useless balloon do to Lucas?” Jerry huffed.

Lucas grinned, “I’ll show you just how pathetic that balloon is!” He readied his Spear before saying, “Time to pop it! Air Strike Javelin!”

He hurled his Spear at the Elemental Balloon, which was now surging with energy. However, the moment the Spear struck the balloon, not only did the Elemental Balloon not pop, but it seemed to be absorbing the energy from the Spear. The Spear then got deflected back to Lucas, who was no longer laughing, as the Elemental Balloon continued its slow trip toward him.

“Okay, then let’s try this! Machine Gun Thrust!”

Lucas started to rapidly strike the Elemental Balloon, but to his shock the balloon didn’t pop. In fact, it seemed to be absorbing more energy from the Spear’s attack. This started to annoy Lucas.

“Fine, then eat this! Flame Tower!”

He slammed his palm down again, causing another tower of fire to emerge. However, when it struck it, the balloon glowed and seemingly ate the attack, remaining unharmed.

“Fine, I’m done dealing with that stupid balloon. I’ll just attack you directly!”

However, as Lucas tried to weave around the Elemental Balloon, it suddenly moved much quicker, keeping itself in-between the two Heroes, preventing Lucas from getting anywhere near Celtic no matter where he tried.

Celtic chuckled, “Lucas, the only way to get to me is to pop the Elemental Balloon, otherwise it’ll keep getting in the way of all your attempts to get to me. And don’t think AOE attacks will work, either, as the Elemental Balloon is basically an attack-drawing lightning rod. Meaning all your attacks will get redirected to it anyway, so you have to figure out how to pop it first if you want to get to me.”

Lucas was now becoming annoyed, “That’s a cheap trick! Fine! I’ll just bust it with this! Deliverance!”

The Spear started to channel immense Holy energy, doubling the spearhead’s size. Lucas then charged in and struck the Elemental Balloon. However, to his horror, the balloon still didn’t pop, and seemingly ate up the attack like before. The balloon finally reached Lucas before latching onto him. It then started to blink.

“Umm… what’s it doing?” the blonde asked.

Celtic gained a diabolical grin, “You’re about to find out what a real blast this skill is!”

Lucas’ eyes widened as the realization hit him. He started to frantically try to pull the Elemental Balloon off him. However, it then lit up and detonated, engulfing him in a massive fiery explosion. When the smoke cleared he was flat on his back, charred and badly hurt, his Hit Points having gone down by nearly half. This stunned everyone though it wasn’t long before the crowd started to cheer. Lucas slowly got back onto his feet, using his Spear to support him.

“W…What the hell was that?!” he sputtered. “How could one wimpy balloon do this much damage to me!?”

Celtic grinned, “It’s quite simple, Lucas. You see, whenever I summon an Elemental Balloon, it’ll absorb any and all attacks directed at me. It then converts the attacks into damage that it stores inside itself. And once it reaches its target, it’ll blow up, dealing you the damage that it absorbed from your attacks plus extra elemental damage based on the balloon’s element. And the best part is I can use this Shroud skill to protect my whole party. I can summon as many Elemental Balloons as I want, though I can only summon one element at a time. And that means I can combine their total damage together to create one massive kaboom. So, in short, you received all the damage you threw at me instead. Now… onto the next performance. Killjoy Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again. While it retained its rather whimsical look from the previous form, the balloon patterns had been replaced with knives and had a flaming collar instead.

“This is the second Shroud that was born from you and Wench when you threw that Fun Box at me,” Celtic stated. “Now, it’s time for YOU to get a taste of it! Flame Dagger Acrobatic Assault!”

To Lucas’ horror, the knife patterns vanished from the Shroud only to reappear as actual daggers floating around Celtic. They were also coated in magical fire. Celtic’s grin got larger as Lucas’ face went pale.

“I’ll be honest with you, Lucas, I was waiting for you to try something like demanding a duel with me. I had to return the favor from the Fun Box incident that you and Wench pulled on me. And what better way to get revenge on you than with the very Shroud forms that YOU gave me from that incident! I should thank you, as you gave me two very powerful Shroud forms to play with. But now the curtain must fall… RIGHT ON YOU!”

He then gave the gesture with his hand, causing the flaming daggers to point at Lucas. They then flew toward him like missiles, while the Spear Hero could only watch on in horror.

“Mommy…” he whimpered.

The daggers struck Lucas and detonated like missiles, engulfing him in multiple small explosions. When the barrage of daggers and explosions ended, Lucas was flat on his back, out cold, burnt, battered, and bruised, with a single Hit Point left. The crowd was stunned silent before they started to cheer. King Alvin was shocked at the absolutely brutal display but managed to regain his composure.

“The winner of this duel is the Shroud Hero!” he stated. “As a result of his win, Wench’s punishment is now permanent and irreversible, her spellbinding circle crest will be upgraded to cast a spell that’ll prevent anyone from uttering her old name instead of his more appropriate name. And the Spear Hero is legally forbidden to challenge the Shroud Hero to any more duels as long as they’re in this kingdom. Now… send some healers to help the Spear Hero and escort him to the hospital for treatment. We will then upgrade the spellbinding circle crest on Wench to ensure that everyone abides by the ruling I made back at the trial.”

Healers ran down to cart the unconscious Spear Hero away to receive treatment while Wench was dragged away, kicking and screaming, to have her spellbinding circle crest upgraded. The other Heroes and their parties were shocked at such a brutal display from Celtic while the Shroud Hero’s party looked quite satisfied.

Tyroe couldn’t help but chuckle, “So THAT’S what Celtic’s game was. He knew that his defenses had reached the point where even Lucas’ strongest attacks would do zilch to him. Plus, he then used the two Shroud forms that were born from Lucas’ and Wench’s Fun Box incident as a form of revenge for the incident. Clever, quite clever.”

Zuzu grinned, “He’s a true demon, that’s for sure. He wanted revenge for the incident and Lucas gave him the perfect opportunity to get it. Hopefully this’ll show Pointy Stick Boy and the other Legendary Losers not to give Celtic grief or they’ll be next.”

Rupert sighed, “Sadly, I doubt even this will get that message through to them. They’ll probably write it off as him ‘cheating’ again since they still think he’s the weakest Hero because of the Shroud’s more defensive nature. But at least this showed them that the Shroud is more of a Jack-of-all-trades and not offensively useless like they believe. But even that may not be enough to convince them.”

Skye nodded, “Sad but true. They always write off Celtic’s hard work as cheating since they can’t comprehend that their ‘expert gaming knowledge’ has failed them at every turn. Really, they need some common sense installed into their empty heads, otherwise they’ll just make things worse in the long run.” She then gained a devious smirk, “Still, it was quite the show today. I admit I was a bit worried about this but I LOVED the brutality Celtic displayed. Celtic really gave Lucas what for and it was wonderful. While I doubt it’ll keep Lucas from causing Celtic any more problems at least it hopefully showed him that Celtic is not one to mess with. Hopefully.”

Celtic looked up at the sky, thinking, “Yes… this felt good. I finally got even with Lucas and Wench for them preying upon my fear. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, I served it at artic temperatures. Lucas can’t fight me anymore and Wench’s punishment is permanent, as it was meant to be. Hopefully this taught Lucas and the other Heroes what happens when you cross me. If not… I guess another demonstration is in order. But, for now, I’m satisfied at the end results. Though I dread what those idiots will do next.”

Next Chapter: A Star Pearl of Wisdom

And that's all for now, folks. Looks like Celtic got what he wanted out of the situation, huh. The next chapter is bit of a long one, so stay tuned.
 
Here's the next chapter of this little series. Try not to drool at the contents in this chapter. (Warning: mild violence)

A Star Pearl of Wisdom


It had been a few days since Celtic’s final duel with Lucas. The Spear Hero had no choice but to comply to the conditions of the duel, much to his and Wench’s annoyance. As a result the tensions between him and Celtic were much higher than before but he was forced to do nothing about it. King Alvin continued to enforce his new curfew on the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes, hoping that by restricting their freedoms they’d be more likely not to cause any more problems. Things were quiet at the moment.

Celtic and his party were relaxing by the fountain in the center of the city. Skye and Tyroe were munching on some pastries they had bought from a bakery, Rupert and Leon were discussing current events, Zuzu and Viola were lazing about, and Celtic was reading. Suddenly, to their surprise, Prince Cray and Prince Karl walked up to them.

“Your Majesties!” Leon said, surprised.

Celtic gave a defeated sigh, “Please don’t tell me that the other Heroes did something stupid again.”

Cray chuckled, “Not this time, Shroud Hero. Father is keeping them on a short leash, so there isn’t much they can do. We’ve come for another reason. King O’Connell sent a request to father about borrowing you for a mission. He couldn’t give the details. He didn’t want the other Heroes to get involved, as he’s aware that it was them who caused the Frigid Flame Dragon incident, but he said he needed your help to retrieve some things that’ll help in the fight against Infinator. He requests that you come right away, according to him, his men have found a small window of opportunity to acquire something extremely valuable that could very easily tip the scale into our favor. Again, he didn’t go into details just in case but he wants you and your party to help him with something right away.”

Skye pondered, “I wonder what he wants us to get that’s so important? And I wonder how it’ll tip the odds in our favor against Infinator? I’m really curious now.”

Celtic stood up, “We’d better go. If it means we may get an advantage over Infinator, it’s not something we should pass up. I wonder if King O’Connell is looking for Spiria?”

Karl shook his head, “No, it’s not Spiria, as King O’Connell outright stated that he knows how Spiria functions, thus he knew that trying to hunt some down wouldn’t work. No, he said it involved a certain type of monster but, as we said, he didn’t go into details. But father guesses that he wants you to retrieve a certain item drop from a particular monster. One that’s probably pretty rare. If so, it would make sense, as King O’Connell has a very business- and economic-based mindset. Though considering the fact that Gorgodos Kingdom is the largest trading kingdom in the world, has the most diverse economy, as well as being the third most powerful kingdom in the world, that’s no surprise. But, anyway, you’d better get going. A Shadow Sentinel will be here shortly to take you to his castle.”

As if on cue a female Shadow Sentinel appeared.

“Right on cue,” Zuzu chuckled.

The female Shadow Sentinel stated, “If you are ready to go I’ll take you to King O’Connell’s castle. I know you’ve been there before, thus Lady Skye could just use Warp as well, but I was requested to escort you to the location. King O’Connell wanted you to go after meeting with him. So, if you are ready, I’ll take you to him for instructions.”

Celtic and his party had gathered up their stuff before the redhead stated, “We’re ready. Work your shadow magic.”

“Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals, leaving the two princes behind. They reappeared in front of a large castle elsewhere. The guards there stepped aside, knowing why the party was here. After a short walk the party and the Shadow Sentinel arrived at the throne room. King O’Connell was a somewhat young king, as he still had a rather handsome and youthful face, with neatly groomed blonde hair, sharp green eyes, and a noble expression.

“You have arrived, Prince Avalar and company,” he said with a smile. “Excellent! I’m sorry I couldn’t say much over the crystal ball conversation I had with King Alvin but I didn’t want to take a chance with those four other Heroes. I’ve heard many stories of their constant problem causing habits and I’m aware that it was them who attacked the Frigid Flame Dragons in search for treasure, forcing them to relocate to that coastal village and cause trouble out of desperation to survive. I’m glad that you sorted that out. Now then, onto business. I’ve summoned you here because I want you to acquire a certain very rare item drop from a particular monster. I need you to acquire at least ten Star Pearls from a monster called a Clobbster.”

All six of Viola’s eyes widened, “You want us to get ten Star Pearls from Clobbsters? Aren’t Clobbsters rather hard to find?”

King O’Connell nodded, “Yes, they are under normal circumstances. However, while on patrol in a certain area yesterday, my men discovered a large colony of Clobbsters in a somewhat shallow lake. They had just shed their old shells and quickly went into hiding in the lake, where we learned there are dozens of Clobbster dens in the lakebed. This is where our window of opportunity comes in. When Clobbsters shed their shells, they not only go into their Softshell Mode, but it also increases the chances of them dropping more valuable items. One of those items are Star Pearls, which are vital to something that my scientists and I have been working on. I only need ten of them for our project. Hopefully you have some useful skills like Charm and Snatch Steal, as it’ll make acquiring the Star Pearls easier.”

Rupert stated, “I possess both skills, Your Majesty.”

King O’Connell smiled, “Well, that just made things even easier. Since Snatch Steal guarantees an item will be stolen from a certain foe, albeit at random from the three possible drops monsters carry. Having Charm will increase the odds of getting the more valuable item by a sizable amount. It’ll also increase the chance of the monsters dropping a second item, even if it’s the same item that was stolen via Snatch Steal. Good, very good, that’ll simplify things even more. Also, I’ll have you know that Clobbster meat is a very rare delicacy, so I implore you to acquire some while you’re at it. The claws and tail, where the really tender meat is, you should harvest alongside the Star Pearls. And since the Clobbsters will be in Softshell Mode, it'll make their meat even more tender and juicy. So, my orders are this: acquire ten Star Pearls, a set of claws, and a tail and bring them to me. I will reward you for your efforts. And you can keep everything else that you harvest from the Clobbsters, like any other drops and the rest of the claws and tails. Shadow Sentinel, you will escort the Shroud Hero and his party to Silver Moon Lake so they can begin the mission. Now, go.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Yes, Your Majesty.” She then turned to Celtic and the others, “If you are ready I will take you to Silver Moon Lake.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, do so. We better get moving while we have this window of opportunity.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded before stating, “Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in dark portals, leaving King O’Connell and his family behind. They reappeared in a large clearing surrounded by forests, with a large yet somewhat shallow lake in front of them. It was a rather beautiful area.

“So this is Silver Moon Lake?” Celtic asked. “It’s… quite a beautiful spot.”

Skye then noticed something, “Hey, gang, look over there. Near the edge of the forest. I see the shed Clobbster shells. So that does mean we’re in the right place.”

The Shadow Sentinel then said, “I’ll hide in the shadows until you’ve completed your task, as I’ll just get in the way otherwise.”

She then vanished like a phantom.

Celtic turned to Skye, “Hey, I’m wondering something? Why would King O’Connell want these Star Pearls? I mean, what are they? And why are they so valuable?”

The Light Elf replied, “Well, simply put, Star Pearls, along with their other pearl counterparts, are magical. They are, in essence, nature’s crystal balls. There are four members of the Magic Pearl family of items: Pale Pearl, Pink Pearl, Black Pearl, and Star Pearl. Each Pearl contains a different number of spells and at different levels. As you may know, crystal balls can teach you magical spells that they contain. However, crystal balls have limits due to the fact that the magical crystal they’re made of aren’t very powerful. Most crystal balls can only contain three spells at most, and those spells are only able to go as far as Level 3. So, they’re limited, though they can be customized and recharged with new magic. The Magic Pearls, on the other hand, can contain a lot more powerful spells, though it varies depending on the Pearl in question, and they’ll always be at random. Pale Pearls contain two spells and they’ll be around Levels 1 and 2. Pink Pearls contain three spells and they’ll be between Levels 1 to 3, thus making them equal to crystal balls. Black Pearls contain four spells and their levels will be between Levels 2 to 4. Star Pearls are the most coveted, as they contain five spells and will have the most powerful levels of Levels 4 and 5, though there is also a rumor that says Star Pearls can even possibly contain Legendary tier magic like Judgment. So, he probably wants them for their magic.”

Leon then added, “I remember something from my studies as a Templar back with the Four Stars Church. They say that Star Pearls actually contain six spells. The first five are the Level 4 and 5 spells, but there is a sixth, hidden spell that will always be of the Legendary tier. Now, I’m not sure if that’s true and if it is I’m not sure how one acquires that sixth spell, but it’s possible that King O’Connell wants them for that possible Legendary tier spell. Also, unlike the other Pearls, Star Pearls will retain their magical power even if all the magical spells inside of them has been learned. Also, they won’t shatter after all the magical spells have been acquired, unlike the other Pearls. Thus they can be used for other things like to power magical devices, become part of magical staffs, among other things. So, there is that possible reason why King O’Connell wants them, as Star Pearls still have their uses even after all the magical spells have been obtained. But that’s just a guess. We may have to ask him why later if he’s willing to share that information with us.”

Celtic pondered, “I see. So these Magic Pearls are a way to learn more magic. That’s useful information. Now, enough talk, let’s begin the operation. Tyroe, can you use your powers as an Earth user to see how many dens we’re dealing with?”

Tyroe nodded, “Sure, pal, give me a sec.”

He flattened himself down on the ground and concentrated. He then became upright.

“I sense a good four dozen dens in the lakebed,” he stated. “That’s a lot of Clobbsters. I hope we can handle them, as Clobbsters are nasty when angry.”

Celtic took a moment to think before coming up with a plan, stating, “I’ve got an idea. First, we need to flush them out, since I doubt they’ll come out on their own while in Softshell Mode. That’ll be your job, Tyroe, as your ability to create earthquakes will be enough to scare them out. After that I’ll use Taunt Pulse to lure them into the open and onto dry land. I’ll then use Iron Body to soak up hits while they’re coming after me. Rupert will use Charm to increase the odds of getting the Star Pearls. Since there’s a lot of them it’ll give us enough chances to get enough Star Pearls. He’ll then use Snatch Steal to steal an item from them. Leon will help protect him in case the Clobbsters get smart, as well as help organize any items Rupert steals. Tyroe, Skye, Viola, and Zuzu will then isolate, attack and kill any Clobbster that has had an item stolen so we can limit the amount of chaos they’ll cause. I know that my Taunt Pulse will wear off in about five minutes, which will free the Clobbsters from its effects. They’ll probably try to flee, so I’ll deactivate Iron Body, use Taunt Pulse again, then use Iron Body again, rinse and repeat as needed. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Okay then, let’s get going. Tyroe, you head over to the side of the lake where your earthquake will be the most effective in flushing them out. I’ll stand in the shallow water around here and use Taunt Pulse to lead them onto dry land. Rupert and Leon will hide nearby behind the bushes so they can stay out of sight of the Clobbsters and allow Rupert to use Charm and Snatch Steal freely. Zuzu will hover above me to help isolate any Clobbsters that Rupert has stolen from so the rest of the party can kill them. Let’s do this!”

Everyone quickly went into position. Tyroe managed to get to a certain point on the lake’s edge to where the Clobbster dens were while Celtic waded into the shallow water near the opposite side. Rupert and Leon ducked behind some bushes, ready to make their move, while Skye and Viola were hidden behind some nearby trees. Zuzu floated above everyone, ready to move when needed. Celtic gave Tyroe the signal, which caused the Naga to jump into the air, do a few flips, and then slam his tail down on the ground, causing a sizable earthquake. This immediately caused bubbles to form in the lake, and suddenly several monsters shot out of the water in a panic. The Clobbsters looked like very large lobsters, about the size of a 12-year old child, mostly red in color, with vizor-like eyes, massive claws about the size of a large watermelon, a trident-shaped crest, three pairs of legs, with the first pair being small and hook-like while the last two were large and boot-like, long, thick lobster tails, and a pair of antenna. Celtic made his move.

“Taunt Pulse!” he roared.

He released a massive wave of energy that struck the Clobbsters. This caused them to be enraged and immediately make a beeline for the Shroud Hero. Celtic quickly ran onto dry land, the Clobbsters following, before stopping at a certain point in-between the other party members’ hiding spots.

“Iron Body!” he stated.

His body turned to iron as the Clobbsters started to whale on him with their meaty claws, unable to comprehend why their attacks weren’t working. Rupert then made his move.

“Charm!” the Beastman stated.

The Clobbsters were bathed in rather colorful stars that vanished quickly but left glowing auras around them. Rupert held out both hands and channeled energy.

“Snatch Steal!” he roared.

Ghostly projections of his hands stretched out and struck two Clobbsters before quickly retreating back, each holding an item. Rupert quickly tossed them back to Leon to sort as he released another round of Snatch Steal. As he did, Zuzu started to isolate any Clobbster that had been stolen from, allowing her, Skye, Viola, and Tyroe to engage in battle with them. Every now and then a bonus item would appear after a Clobbster was defeated, which Zuzu would snatch and toss over to Leon to sort. This process continued for a bit until the effects of Taunt Pulse wore off. The remaining Clobbsters realized what was going and started to retreat. Celtic deactivated Iron Body as they did.

“Oh, no you don’t!” he stated. “Taunt Pulse!”

He fired off another energy wave that struck the retreating crustacean monsters, getting their attention again, enraging them, causing them to stomp back over to Celtic.

“Iron Body!”

Celtic’s body became iron as the Clobbsters resumed their blind and fruitless attempt to attack him. This allowed Rupert to resume stealing from them while the rest of the party took care of isolating and killing any Clobbster that had been stolen from. Like during the first round another bonus item would sometimes appear after a Clobbster was defeated, which Zuzu would grab and toss over to Leon. After a few more minutes of this the last Clobbster was dead, allowing the party to catch their breath, along with each of them having gone up two Levels in the process.

Celtic deactivated Iron Body, “Great work, everyone. But we’re not done yet. Skye, Zuzu, you two break the Clobbsters’ claws and tails off. While I’m a bit skeptical about a type of monster being considered a delicacy, since this is the first time I’ve heard of monsters being edible, we might as well collect everything we can. Besides, if Clobbster is a rare treat, we could probably sell it for some big cash, along with keeping some for ourselves, obviously. Viola will then use her silk to wrap up the claws and tails to act as a means of preserving them. Plus, it’ll make carrying them easier if need be. Tyroe and I will cart off any carcasses for the local creatures to eat, since I noticed that several creatures are lurking nearby and looking at the Clobbsters hungrily. I’ll also take a sample for my Shroud, since, hey, you never know what useful power I’ll get. Rupert and Leon will count our ‘bounty’ while dividing up the Star Pearls for King O’Connell. I just hope we got enough. Though, fortunately, some of the Clobbsters dropped extra items thanks to the side-effect of Rupert’s Charm skill, so I hope that gave us enough Star Pearls for King O’Connell. Let’s finish this job up.”

Nodding, everyone went to work. Skye and Zuzu effortlessly broke the Clobbsters’ claws and tails off, giving them to Viola to encase in silk, while Celtic and Tyroe carted the carcasses off to the side for the resident creatures to eat. Celtic also absorbed one into his Shroud, granting him a new Shroud skill called the “Clobbster Shroud”. Rupert and Leon started to sift through all the items they collected, counting everything and putting them into different piles.

After about ten minutes of work everything was set. Celtic walked over to Rupert and Leon while everyone else gathered up the fresh Clobbster meat. Sitting next to Rupert and Leon were piles of items. One was a blue crystal-like conch. Another was a large black orb about the size of a bowling ball. And the last was a gold and silver star-shaped object with smooth edges and was about the size of a truck hubcap.

“Rupert, Leon, did we meet our quota?” the redhead asked.

Rupert gave Celtic a thumbs-up, “No sweat, pal. We more than met our quota. Thanks to some of the Clobbsters dropping extra items we managed to acquire more than enough Star Pearls. In fact, we obtained 21 Star Pearls.”

Celtic smiled, “Excellent work. That’ll make King O’Connell happy. I take it we got other items, too?”

Leon nodded, “Yes. We acquired 26 Black Pearls and about 20 Sapphire Conches. Black Pearls are the uncommon drop of Clobbsters while Sapphire Conches are the common drop. Which means we got more uncommon and rare drops than common ones thanks to Rupert’s Charm and Snatch Steal.”

Skye then said, “Since King O’Connell told us we can keep anything else we collect that means we now have some very useful items. Like I said before, Black Pearls can teach us more magic, and Sapphire Conches not only sell for a pretty profit on their own but also count as an ‘ore’. So they can be used for smelting and crafting, making them pretty valuable for being such a common dropped item for Clobbsters. Then again, Clobbsters are fairly rare normally and their particular monster ‘family’ is well-known for being tough and possessing valuable items like Star Pearls, so I guess it’s no surprise.”

Celtic nodded, “I see. That’ll prove useful in the long-run. But I need to know… is Clobbster really considered a delicacy?”

Viola chuckled, “Believe it or not, yes. There are some monster breeds that are, in fact, edible and safe to eat. Clobbster is one such example, as it’s really just an oversized lobster. They say Clobbster meat is exquisite, juicy, and tender. Basically take everything good about lobster and crank it up several levels. Because Clobbsters are rare even the highest nobilities rarely get to have it. Not to mention trying to defeat and kill a Clobbster is difficult for even the most fierce of soldiers or adventurers, so getting the meat isn’t easy. But there are various recipes that use Clobbster and from what I’ve heard they’re exquisite.”

Skye then said, “I’ve eaten Clobbster before. I felt kinda guilty about it, as fa… I mean Sludge conned a naïve trader out of a Clobbster tail. Clobbster tails sell for a good 75 gold apiece and yet Sludge tricked the young trader to sell it for only 50 silver, a mere fraction of what it really costs. While I won’t deny I loved eating it, as it tastes as good as everyone says it does, I still felt rather guilty about it. But, unlike then, this time I know I can eat these Clobbsters guilt-free, as we killed them with our own hands. I also know a few recipes that use Clobbster so I can tell you all about them, Cel. But trust me, Clobbster is quite a delicious dish. Also, those with shellfish allergies can eat Clobbster freely, as even though they’re crustacean-type monsters, they’re still monsters, thus they don’t have the same composition as regular lobsters do.”

Celtic nodded, “I see, I see. Mom would love these, then, as she’s allergic to shellfish but used to love it before she became allergic. Too bad I can’t send some over to her but I can’t do anything about that. Now, enough talk, let’s gather up the ten Star Pearls and put them in a bag for King O’Connell. We also have to give him a set of claws and a tail. I just hope we can keep the rest of the Star Pearls, as he only asked for ten, so we can use them to bolster our abilities. But if he asks for the rest of them then we cannot complain.”

Zuzu then turned to see something, “Hey, don’t look now, gang, but I see a pack of Holy Wolves emerging from the woods.”

Everyone turned to see what Zuzu was looking at. There was a pack of large wolves, each larger than Viola, with silver fur with sky blue highlights, long flowing fur that grew from their shoulders that streamed behind them like ribbons, structures on their backs that looked like wings or fins, large fluffy tails that ended in a gold tip, a crest on their heads that looked like crowns, and strikingly beautiful, soulful blue eyes. They were sniffing the Clobbster corpses before they started to eat them. Celtic’s eyes were wide.

“Those are Holy Wolves?” he asked, completely starstruck. “They’re… beautiful.”

Skye smiled, “If I didn’t know you better, Cel, I’d say you’re a fan of wolves. But, yes, they are Holy Wolves. But we don’t have to worry about them. They won’t attack us. Holy Wolves are a very docile species of monster. They hunt other monsters in order to keep them from becoming problematic. They never bother people unless you violate them first, then your life will go to hell in a handbasket very quickly, as Holy Wolves are very vengeful if violated. However, Holy Wolves are considered a sign of good fortune. In fact, there is an old saying about Holy Wolves and good fortune. I think it went ‘If you see a pack of Holy Wolves, singing their melody on a moonlit winter night, good fortune will follow you for the rest of your days’. Or something along those line, I not 100% sure if I’m remembering it right. But, generally speaking, just seeing a Holy Wolf is a sign of good fortune, while seeing a pack is considered even better. Maybe seeing these Holy Wolves is a good omen for us. We could certainly use the good fortune for a change.”

Viola then said, “We should probably put everything we have away and leave them be. While I doubt they’ll attack us, they might get interested in the Clobbster claws and tails we have. So, let’s shove everything into Celtic’s Tek-Pak and be on our way.”

Celtic nodded, though he was obviously a bit crestfallen at having to leave the Holy Wolves, “Agreed. We don’t want to start anything. We’ll sort everything out when we get back to King O’Connell’s castle.”

He quickly scanned and digitized everything into his Tek-Pak before putting it back on. They started to slink away to avoid disturbing the Holy Wolves, but the beasts noticed them. However, to their surprise, the Holy Wolves all bowed their heads to them, as if thanking them for the Clobbsters, before lifting their heads and howling a hauntingly enchanting howl. They then resumed eating, leaving the party both stunned and elated. The Shadow Sentinel gingerly appeared.

“I’ll take you back to King O’Connell’s castle,” she said. “But I will admit I’m quite surprised that a pack of Holy Wolves showed up. I can’t wait to tell my husband about this. But, anyway, are you ready to go?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we are. Let’s leave those magnificent beasts to their meal.”

“Shadow Warp.”

The group vanished in black portals, leaving the Holy Wolves to feast upon the Clobbsters. They reappeared inside King O’Connell’s throne room, making him smile.

“You have returned!” he said. “Good, good. How was the hunt?”

Celtic replied, “We managed to collect quite a few Star Pearls, more than requested. We also collected a set of Clobbster claws and tail for you, as requested. Do you want all the Star Pearls that we gathered?”

King O’Connell pondered for a moment before smiling, “No, I’ll only take the number I requested. The rest are yours, as you deserve them for a job well done. Besides, since you and your party are the only Hero party that is actually doing a good job, you’ll need the extra firepower if we’re going to win this war. But please present the ten Star Pearls and the Clobbster that you have collected for me.”

Celtic nodded, took off his Tek-Pak and tapped away at the icons on the holo-screen. The Tek-Pak ejected ten Star Pearls and a set of Clobbster claws and tail. The servants eagerly took them and presented them to King O’Connell, making the young king smile.

“Excellent work, Prince Avalar,” he said. “These look to be extremely high quality. They will do nicely for what I have planned for them. Because you succeeded in your task I’ll let you in on what my people are working on. As you may know, Star Pearls can be crafted into weapons once all the magic inside of them has been learned. However, thanks to an accidental discovery by King Duskbane when he was here last, we learned that instead of just simply adding a used-up Star Pearl to a weapon, we can instead use the Star Pearl itself as an ore to forge with. The end result is a very powerful weapon that is effectively on par with the Legendary Gear, or at least as strong as something like a Zenithton Blade. It also grants the weapon very powerful anti-evil properties, something that the Druids are well-known for, which makes the weapon forged from the Star Pearl extremely effective against Infinator’s forces. As a result of this happy accident, my kingdom is working alongside Shadoria to craft Star Pearls into new special weapons to use against Infinator. And the best part is a single Star Pearl has ample material in it to forge four weapons. So, we only need about ten Star Pearls to have enough material for enough weapons for a platoon of soldiers to use. King Duskbane also has a fair collection of Star Pearls that his people and his family have gathered in the past. That’s why I only needed ten, since that’d be more than enough material for my men to craft from them. I requested that you retrieve Star Pearls as we have now found another method in dealing with Infinator’s forces because of them.”

Leon’s eyes were wide, “So Star Pearls can also be used as crafting materials? That’s amazing. I bet the items made from them are quite high-quality.”

King O’Connell nodded, “Indeed, Sir Leon. The quality of the Star Pearl determines the quality of the weapons, but they’ll always be, at the very least, equal to something like your Starburst Bow. That gives us an advantage we cannot pass up on, as every useful resource we can use against Infinator is worth more than its weight in gold.”

Skye then asked, “Your Majesty, I have a quick question regarding Star Pearls. Do Star Pearls contain only five spells or do they actually contain a sixth, hidden spell? Leon mentioned that Star Pearls may actually hold more magic than originally thought thanks to his time with the Four Stars Church. Is that true? And if so, how does one acquire the sixth, hidden spell?”

King O’Connell nodded, “Yes, that is indeed correct, Lady Skye. Star Pearls contain six spells in them. The first five are Levels 4 and 5 while the sixth spell is of the Legendary tier. To obtain that sixth spell you need to learn the main five first. After that the sixth, Legendary tier spell will make itself known and you can learn it then. So, basically, you need to ‘unlock’ the spell by learning all the other spells first before you can gain access to that hidden spell. It’s a lesser known fact about Star Pearls so I’m surprised those Four Stars Church goons knew anything about it. But, then again, they always did enjoy stealing things from other sources like the Five Stars Church and whatnot.”

Leon growled, “I can definitely confirm that, Your Majesty, as I saw many Templars steal books and other such stuff from the Five Stars Church and certain nobles in order to further their own agenda. While I may have resorted to gambling and drinking for certain reasons I would never sink to their level when it came to stuff like that. That I felt was crossing a line, which is probably another reason why I wasn’t very popular with the Templars.”

Celtic turned to him, “Perhaps, but that’s why you’re better than them, if not the best thing to ever come out of that crazy cult. And that’s one reason why we welcome your presence among us, Leon, as you have more heart and soul than that entire cult put together.”

Leon’s face melted into a smile, “Thank you, Celtic, that means a lot.”

King O’Connell smiled, “He’s correct, Sir Leon. Anyway, allow me to present your reward to you for your efforts.”

He clapped his hands, causing a servant to walk up to Celtic, holding a pouch.

“Here’s 300 gold for your good work. And, like I said before, keep all the other items and goodies you gathered from the Clobbsters as a bonus.”

Celtic graciously took the pouch and placed it in his Tek-Pak before putting it on his back.

The Shadow Sentinel then said, “If you are finished, Your Majesty, I will escort Prince Avalar and his party back to Delgunner.”

King O’Connell nodded, “Yes, we are done here. Thank you for your work. At least I know which Hero is the reliable one. I’ll contact King Alvin if I need you for another task. But, for now, rest on your laurels. And give my regards to King Alvin.”

Celtic and his party nodded before turning to the Shadow Sentinel, giving her the signal.

“Shadow Warp,” she stated.

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals, leaving King O’Connell and his subjects behind. They reappeared in King Alvin’s throne room, where the royal family was waiting.

“Ah, Prince Avalar and company!” King Alvin said. “I take it you completed the task King O’Connell asked of you?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes. He wanted us to collect Star Pearls from a large colony of Clobbsters that they had discovered. He didn’t tell you what he wanted so he could keep the other Heroes from getting involved.”

Queen Amelia’s eyes lit up, “Did you say Clobbster? As in the rare monster delicacy? You wouldn’t happen to have some of their meat on-hand, do you, Avalar?”

Celtic gave a crooked smile, “I can see where this is going. Yes, I happen to have quite a bit of Clobbster meat on-hand. I take it you would like some?”

Queen Amelia turned to her husband, “Honey, would you consider buying some Clobbster from Avalar? Today is our 20th Anniversary and we could really use a rare treat to celebrate it. Please, honey? We haven’t had Clobbster since we ascended to the throne more than 20 years ago. Please?”

King Alvin couldn’t help but chuckle, “Sure, dear. I do admit I’d like some myself. So…”

However, as he turned to Celtic he was surprised that the redhead had already taken out a set of claws and a tail and held it out to him.

“Here, just take it,” Celtic said. “I’m not going to ask for any money this time. Consider it a thank you for going along with my plan when Lucas wanted to duel me to free Wench. You were willing to give it a chance, so consider this a thank you for allowing me to enact my revenge and to keep Wench where she belongs. Next time, however, you will have to pay, but since you did agree to my little plan a few days ago, and it is a rather special anniversary number, take it with my regards.”

King Alvin was surprised but it melted into a warm smile, “Thank you, Avalar. That is very good of you. We’ll make good use of this. Why don’t you and your party join us for my wife’s and my anniversary so you can enjoy this rare treat, too? I don’t mind sharing it with you, as you’re the only Hero that doesn’t cause problems. Do you mind, dear?”

Queen Amelia smiled, “I think that’s a grand idea. After all, a single Clobbster tail can feed ten people, so I think Avalar and his party can join in. Besides, like you said, he and his party are reliable and competent, so they deserve a rare treat as a reward. So, I say yes. Just keep the other Heroes out of this, as they don’t deserve such a rare delicacy for all the problems they cause.”

Skye shrugged, “Hey, at least they’re consistent.”

This made everyone present laugh.

“Skye’s got a point,” Cray said. “At least the other Heroes are consistent at how often they screw up.”

Karl nodded, “Yeah, that’s for sure. And we get to have Clobbster for the first time, brother. I can’t wait to try it.”

“Me too!”

Celtic then said, “I just hope you have something to cut the Arachne silk, as I asked Viola to coat it in her silk to keep it preserved and such.”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, you can rest easy, Avalar, as my people are on good terms with the Arachne. As a result we have plenty of tools needed to cut Arachne silk, so that’s no problem at all.” He then gestured his two sons over, “Cray, Karl, take these Clobbster claws and tail down to the kitchen and tell our chefs that this is tonight’s dinner, as well as our anniversary dinner. They should still have some Clobbster recipes in their books so tell them to make a Clobbster feast with these.”

Cray and Karl both took a different package of Clobbster, saying, “Right!”

The two princes quickly left the throne room to give the rare delicacy to the royal chefs. King Alvin then turned to Celtic.

“Avalar, you and your party should go to your guest room and put your feet up for a bit until dinner is ready,” he said. “My servants will inform you when it’s time to eat. I thank you, Avalar, for providing us with this rare treat. Now, go and unwind for a bit, as I bet dealing with the Clobbsters wasn’t easy.”

Celtic replied, “No, they were easy enough, especially since we had a good strategy when it came to dealing with them. Plus, they were in Softshell Mode, which meant their defenses had been lowered by quite a bit, so they weren’t too problematic. But, in any case, come, team, let’s go back to our room and give ourselves a chance to unwind before dinner.”

“Right!” everyone said.

It was the following day. Celtic and his party had celebrated King Alvin’s and Queen Amelia’s anniversary with a Clobbster feast. The Shroud Hero party was still talking about how good the food was. The other Heroes were fuming with jealousy over the fact that Celtic and his crew had gotten to eat a rare delicacy, though it was their party members who were the most upset like Wench and Marvin. The group of seven were back in their usual location near the fountain in the center of the city, discussing various subjects.

Skye licked her lips, “Mmm! That Clobbster was just divine. And King Alvin’s chefs really had some good recipes for them. Fire-roasted Clobbster, Clobbster in white wine butter sauce, Clobbster salad, Clobbster bisque, Clobbster rolls, the list goes on. And, the best part is, we have our own supply of Clobbster for us to enjoy whenever we want.”

Zuzu nodded as she floated lazily above them, “I’ll say. I’ve been alive for nearly 400 years but I’ve never tasted Clobbster before. It certainly lives up to its reputation of how good it is. And, like clockwork, the other Legendary Losers are fuming that we got a rare treat and they didn’t. They’re really complaining that Celtic is getting the preferred treatment instead of them, conveniently forgetting all their past blunders in the process. Some things never change.”

Celtic rolled his eyes, “What a shock. Maybe if they’d actually put in the effort and stop acting like spoiled children then they might get good stuff like rare foods and whatnot. Besides, King Alvin was still rather upset with them over the Frigid Flame Dragon incident. I swear, this is getting ridiculous. One of these days their reckless actions are going to cause a catastrophe. One that we’ll have to clean up. Considering their reputations are already starting to crumble because of their routinely bad decision-making, it’s only a matter of time before it ends up in the sewers. And, unlike what happened to me with the Light Elves, they’ll have done something to deserve it.”

Suddenly, a black portal opened up, much to their surprise. Out emerged King Duskbane, who quickly walked over to Celtic.

“What brings you here, King Duskbane?” Leon asked.

King Duskbane replied, “I heard from King Alvin that you had Clobbster. Avalar, is that true? You actually have such a rare delicacy with you?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, I do. We were tasked by King O’Connell to collect Star Pearls so he could start making those anti-evil weapons that you and he accidentally discovered. We had to face off against a huge colony of Clobbsters, so we ended up with a lot of items, including well over four dozen sets of Clobbster claws and tails. King O’Connell let us keep most everything else for ourselves while he took the requested number of Star Pearls and one set of claws and a tail for himself. I take it you want some, too?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, I do. Tomorrow is Wuya’s and my 20th anniversary and I want to give her a very special treat. Plus, she’s been a little picky lately about what she wants to eat for our anniversary. However, the moment she heard you had Clobbster from King Alvin she almost begged me to ask you for some. I even brought a fair amount of gold with me because I know you rarely do things for free. So…” but was cut off.

Celtic replied, “No, not this time. I’ll give you what you want for free this time. It’s for a special occasion, after all. And… you are… f-f-family.”

These words froze King Duskbane, his eyes wide as saucers, mouth agape.

“A-Avalar… Did you just say what I think you said?” he sputtered. “Did you just call me… family?”

The redhead gained a blush, “Well… yeah. Don’t Shadokor value family above all else? So, yeah, I did say that you’re family.”

King Duskbane was overwhelmed with emotion as he quickly embraced Celtic, making the redhead freeze in shock.

“Avalar!” he said. “I’ve waited a long time to hear you say that! I know you have a rather warped view on family due to the abuse you’ve endured from your adoptive aunts and uncles, and I know that you’re reluctant to accept the terms ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ as a result of that abuse, but hearing you say this fills all eight of my hearts with joy. I’ve waited over 20 years to hear you say that. You have no idea what that means to me. And Wuya will be elated to hear of this, too. Avalar, thank you!”

Celtic hesitantly returned the hug, slowly finding comfort in the situation. After about a minute King Duskbane let his nephew go.

“Sorry you had to see that my friends, but I was just so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn’t restrain myself,” the demon king said sheepishly.

Celtic ejected a set of Clobbster claws and tail and presented it to King Duskbane.

“Here you go, King Duskbane,” he said. “Enjoy your rare treat.”

King Duskbane took the Clobbster before saying, “Still have yet to call me ‘Uncle Duskbane’, huh? Even though you just called me family?”

“Baby steps, Your Majesty, as it’ll take me more time before I feel comfortable saying that. After all, you know the reasons why. It’ll happen eventually, just not right now. I’m still working on that.”

The demon king nodded, “Yes, I see. But at least we’ve made progress regardless. I’ll give your regards to Wuya, as well as let her know what you said today. Farewell for now. Hopefully the next time we meet you’ll be ready to take that next step.”

He gave a bow before vanishing in a black portal. Celtic sighed heavily as he sat back down. Skye embraced him from behind, nuzzling him.

“That was good of you, Cel,” she purred. “And it seems you’re starting to repair your feelings about family. I know you’ve had a horrid time with those wicked people that call themselves aunts and uncles, but the fact that you’re slowly accepting King Duskbane as a real family member is definite progress for you.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, let’s just hope I keep it up. But, as I said before, baby steps, as this is a rather warped mindset I need to break before I make any major progress, though it’s not hard to see why. Now, enough of this, let’s just enjoy our day.”

Next Chapter: Celtic Dreams of Bunny Girl Skye

And that's all for now, folks. I hope I didn't make any of you start craving seafood after reading this chapter. And what will the next chapter bring? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Here's the next chapter in Chaos Rising for your reading enjoyment (hopefully). (Warning: contains violence, mild language, and partial nudity that isn't related to Zuzu)

Celtic Dreams of Bunny Girl Skye


It had been a few days since Celtic and his party completed King O’Connell’s request. They had recently been to Danial’s Blacksmith to upgrade most of the team’s weapons, as they were starting to get worn out. Now sporting new weapons the party felt ready for the next task. They had also acquired a new item from King Alvin to help them find out the kind of magic contained in the Magic Pearls they had acquired.

The party was sitting in their designated guest bedroom. Celtic had just finished restoring the item King Alvin had given them. It looked like a large lens made of crystal with a long, sturdy wooden handle and a slot at the bottom of the handle to insert something into it. Celtic was making the final checks to it to ensure it would work.

“Okay, that should do it,” he said. “It was very generous of King Alvin to give us his older brother’s old Crystal Lens, though it wasn’t in the best shape. Hopefully I managed to restore it to working order, as this is the first time I’ve even held a Crystal Lens, much less used one.”

Skye smiled, “You did fine, Celtic. You’re quite talented with your hands, even if one is made of metal. Now, why don’t we test it out on one of our Black Pearls to see if it works.”

Leon added, “Don’t forget we need to insert an Oracle Crystal into the handle’s base, as that’s what gives it its power. Otherwise it’s just a useless trinket. We have some Oracle Crystals on-hand, right, Cel?”

Celtic held out a crystal that was next to him, “No need to worry about that, I’ve got a few here. After all, I used one to make Zuzu’s choker, and I still have a few leftover. So, we’re good there. Now, time to test it.”

He insert the Oracle Crystal into slot at the bottom of the Crystal Lens. The crystal section of the magical item started glowing. Celtic then took out a Black Pearl from the sack they were in, held the Crystal Lens over it, and pushed a switch on it. The Crystal Lens to project a light that seemed to scan the Black Pearl with a second light forming above the magical trinket, showing what looked like four icons with a small elemental symbol next to them.

Viola smiled, “Looks like it works just fine. Good job. So, what kind of magic is contained in that Black Pearl?”

Celtic looked it over, “Hmm… interesting. This Black Pearl contains four of the Elemental Tower attacks. Specifically, Hydro Tower, Wood Tower, Ice Tower, and Flame Tower.”

Rupert quirked an eyebrow, “That’s a bit unusual. The magical spells inside a Pearl like this are usually at random. Unless this Black Pearl is special, it’s certainly got quite a lucky set of spells. Still, the Elemental Towers are useful spells, so that’s a pretty good starting point.”

Celtic then got an idea, “Hold on. I know how we can keep track of the spells in each of these Pearls so we don’t have to keep scanning them with the Crystal Lens. Give me a moment.”

He put the Black Pearl and the Crystal Lens down, took something out of his Tek-Pak: a large sticky notepad, on which he jotted down the four spells, and stuck the sticky note onto the Black Pearl. He revealed that he could now write in Zakota’s native language.

“There. That way we can keep the various Pearls organized and we’ll know what Pearl contains what spells without the need to constantly rescan them with the Crystal Lens.”

Tyroe looked at the sticky note with curiosity, “How does that little piece of paper stick to the Black Pearl?”

“It’s a sticky notepad from Earth. They’re often used in offices. A small section of adhesive on allows them to stick to whatever you need to. Granted, the adhesive isn’t very strong and it wears out fairly quickly, but they’re designed to just put a small note, like say a short shopping list, in a place where it’ll be easy to notice and remember. Simple but effective.”

Skye smiled, “Cool. That’s a good idea, Cel, to help us remember which Pearl contains what spells. That’ll help keep things organized. Now, let’s keep scanning these Pearls and see what we’ve got.”

The Shroud Hero party continued to scan and jot down the various magical spells each Black Pearl had. After about 15 minutes the last Black Pearl was labeled.

“Whew, we had a lot of Black Pearls from that Clobbster mission,” Rupert said.

“True, but that means we now have many new spells to learn,” Zuzu pointed out.

“Good point, Zuzu. That’ll bolster our options quite nicely. Especially since the other Heroes can’t be counted on.”

Celtic turned to Skye, “So, how does one learn from a Pearl? I mean, from what I’ve been told it’s the same as learning from a crystal ball. However, I’ve only learned magic through grimoires. I’ve never even held a crystal ball before; I don’t know how to do that.”

Skye smiled, “It’s simple, Cel. Let me demonstrate. Now… where’s the Pearl that had the four Elemental Towers in it?”

Viola picked up a Black Pearl, “Here it is.”

“Thanks, Viola,” the Light Elf replied as she took the Black Pearl. She then turned to Celtic, “Okay, this is how you learn magic from both a crystal ball and a Magic Pearl. First, you hold the item in your hands and start channeling magical energy into it. The small screen that pops up will show you what your options are. Simply select the spell you want to learn from that screen and the magic will transfer itself into you directly. The selected spell will then remove itself from the list and poof, you’ll have a new spell to use. Watch me.”

She held the Black Pearl in her hands and started to channel magical energy into it. This caused a small screen to appear. Skye then selected the spell she wanted from the screen, causing a beam of energy to flow from the Black Pearl into her chest, infusing her with magical power. After the beam subsided, the spell on the Black Pearl’s list vanished and she stopped channeling energy, causing the Black Pearl to become a bit paler.

“And there you have it,” she said. “I just taught myself Hydro Tower via this Black Pearl. Now I have a more direct method of countering Wench’s preference for Fire magic. Here, you try, Cel.”

Celtic nodded and took the same Pearl Skye had just used. He held it and started to channel energy into it, causing the same screen to appear, now with one less option. He selected a spell and a beam of magical energy flowed out of the Pearl and into his chest. This caused the selected spell to vanish from the list, followed by the beam of magical energy waning, and he stopped channeling energy into the Black Pearl, causing it to become even paler. He then looked at his spell screen via his stat vision and saw the new spell in his list of spells.

“Okay, I taught myself Wood Tower,” he said. “Not bad, not bad at all. This’ll definitely help us increase our magical diversity, giving us more options in battle, allowing us to cover more bases when it comes to certain enemies. Every advantage counts. Now…”

However, a knock could be heard at their door. Leon walked over and opened it up, revealing a maid.

“Begging your pardon,” she said. “But King Alvin needs your help with something. He said a monster has been causing trouble for the village of Flutte again and he wants you to deal with it, especially since the other Heroes are still under curfew. It’s not a guild request or anything but the monster is causing trouble for everyone. It’s not one that’s native to this area, so he worries it might be an invasive species that came from Infinator’s waves. He wants you to see him right away.”

Celtic nodded, “Fine, we’ll only be a few minutes. Tell him we’ll be there shortly.”

The maid bowed, “I will, but please hurry.”

As she left Celtic turned to the group, “We’ll work more with these Pearls later. Right now let’s gather everything up and find out what King Alvin wants.”

Nodding, the party quickly gathered up all the Black Pearls, placed them back in the sack, followed by Celtic putting them and the Crystal Lens into his Tek-Pak, and quickly made their way to the throne room. King Alvin and his family were waiting for them.

King Alvin stated, “You’re here, good. Here’s the deal. A monster known as a Chaos Candevil is causing trouble near Flutte. It’s a nasty lesser demon from the Demon Realm that is the “boss” of the Candevil monster family. It has the ability to keep healing itself thanks to a magical candle it’s always with, thus killing it means you need to deal with the candle first. They boast both Fire and Dark elemental powers. It’s a leftover monster from a previous wave that managed to survive and is now an invasive species. You need to deal with the Chaos Candevil before its cursed flames destroy Flutte. I’m aware you’ve already been to Flutte, so Lady Skye’s Warp should get you there quickly. Hurry, before that Chaos Candevil causes any more damage.”

Celtic nodded, “Right, we’re on it. Skye, use Warp to get us to Flutte quickly.”

Skye nodded, “Leave it to me. Warp!”

Celtic and his party vanished, leaving the throne room behind. They reappeared at the front of Flutte. They could see the damage the Chaos Candevil had already caused, with many homes scorched, the fields burnt, and several villagers sporting bandages and other injuries. As soon as the villagers noticed the party their eyes lit up. One ran up to Celtic.

“Oh, Sir Shroud Hero!” he exclaimed. “We’re so happy you’re here! We’ve been under attack by a nasty piece of work.”

Celtic replied, “We’re aware. It’s a Chaos Candevil. We were tasked to deal with it since the other Heroes are, effectively, grounded for causing a large problem a little while ago. Now, where is the Chaos Candevil?”

“It comes and goes, attacking and then retreating to wherever it’s lurking routinely. As you can see our village has seen better days because of it. Please, deal with the Chaos Candevil and spare us from its constant attacks.”

Zuzu merely said, “That’s why we’re here. I guess it’ll show up soon enough so let’s wait here until it does.”

Leon nodded, “Yes, that’s a good idea. But first let’s see what we can do for the villagers. Since we don’t know when it’ll show up, we might as well make use of the time until it does by healing the villagers.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Leon, Viola, you two go and tend to the villagers. Zuzu, Rupert, you keep an eye out for our lesser demon friend, as you both have the sharpest eyesight. The rest of us will see what else we can do for the village until it shows up. Quickly, as we don’t know when it’ll appear.”

Nodding, the party split up and started to do their assigned tasks. As Viola worked with Leon, she was trying to hide a blush as she observed the Templar Knight tend to the people with kindness, much to the villagers’ joy and relief. Zuzu floated over the village and was looking from all directions, trying to see if she could spot the Chaos Candevil before it got within range of the village. Rupert patrolled the front of the village, occasionally sniffing the air for any signs of the Chaos Candevil. Celtic and the rest of the party tended to any other needs the villagers had in order to help lessen their pain from the attacks.

Suddenly, they heard Zuzu shout, “I see the Chaos Candevil! It’s coming from the east!”

Celtic turned to the rest of his party, “Let’s go after it and meet it before it gets near the village. That way we can limit how much damage it’ll cause. Quickly, before it gets too close to the village!”

Nodding the party regrouped and quickly charged toward the east to intercept the Chaos Candevil. They managed to successfully reach it before it could get within a few miles of Flutte. The Chaos Candevil was a monstrous creature, easily bigger than Viola, shaped like a large demon crossed with a flaming ghost, with two disembodied claws floating in front of it, a large gaping mouth filled with black flames and sharp teeth, soulless yellow eyes, and a large magical candle floating around it. It roared angrily as the party got in its way.

“Let’s snuff this brute out!” Celtic stated.

The Chaos Candevil spewed black flames at them, causing them to scatter before surrounding it.

Skye stated, “We need to take out the candle floating around it first! Otherwise it’ll just heal off the damage we deal it!”

“Dousing it with Water should do the trick!” Leon suggested.

Celtic nodded, “Okay, Skye, Leon, snuff out that candle with your Water magic! Quickly, as it may try to protect the candle since it obviously knows that the candle is important to its longevity!”

Skye and Leon nodded before channeling magical energy.

“Hydro Tower!” both said in unison.

Both slammed their palms down on the ground, causing a pillar of water to erupt and barrel toward the Chaos Candevil on two different sides. Realizing what this meant, the Chaos Candevil lashed out both of its disembodied claws at the two warriors, trying to knock them out. The duo managed to dodge the attack, though the one claw that lashed out at Skye managed to catch the back of her breastplate and ended up shattering it, leaving her topless. This didn’t stop the duo of Hydro Towers from striking the Chaos Candevil, dousing it in water and causing its candle to be washed out. Rupert, Leon, and Tyroe could only gawk at that Skye’s large breasts were now exposed while Celtic could only give an exasperated sigh. They were even more surprised that Skye continued to fight regardless of her current state.

“I-Is Skye really going to fight topless?!” Rupert sputtered.

“Not the first time something like this has happened!” Celtic stated. “Simply put, she doesn’t care. But time for that later! We have to focus on the Chaos Candevil! Those Hydro Towers did what they needed to do, so this is our chance!”

Viola gained a disappointed look as Leon continued to gawk at Skye’s exposed torso. However, the Templar Knight shook his head to clear away any thoughts about it and resumed his attack on the Chaos Candevil, making Viola a bit more pleased.

Celtic channeled magical energy, “Time to give my newest trick a test run! Wood Tower!”

He slammed his palm down, causing several tree trunks with spear-like tops to emerge from the ground, heading toward the Chaos Candevil. Several more emerged from underneath the Chaos Candevil, impaling it and making it screech in pain. Zuzu then enlarged one of her fists with dark energy.

“Dark Strike!” she shouted.

She slammed her fist down on top of the Chaos Candevil while it was still partly impaled by the Wood Tower, causing the wooden spears to further gorge the lesser demon, making it screech in even more pain. Tyroe and Rupert were channeling magical energy.

“Crescent Leaf!” Rupert shouted.

“Stone Spears!” Tyroe roared.

The two attacks combined and viciously hacked away at the Chaos Candevil’s body, keeping it in agony as its body started to come apart. Viola and Leon exchanged nods before preparing their next attack.

“Thunder Arrow!” Leon stated.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola yelled.

The two attacks combined into a massive attack. It engulfed the Chaos Candevil, viciously tearing its body apart with its power, making the monster cry out. It then crashed to the ground and stopped moving, the flames in its body going out. Everyone waited for a moment to ensure it was dead, which was confirmed by the fact that they gained 1,270 EXP. Everyone sighed in relief.

Celtic then said defeatedly, “Skye, please cover up. I know you’re shameless but please, you know how I feel about you fighting without armor or even clothes on. So, please don’t do that again.”

Skye walked up to him, not bothering to cover up, before saying, “I know, Cel, I know. We didn’t have that luxury today. But don’t worry, I have two sets of spare clothes, both in your Tek-Pak. So if you’ll give it to me I’ll go get into one of them over there in those bushes. But you don’t need to worry so much about me, Cel. Not saying I don’t appreciate it, but you really shouldn’t worry so much.”

The redhead replied, “Skye… I worry because I lost you once already. Remember, you were killed by Sylph and it was nothing short of a miracle that I learned I could revive you by transplanting one of my own hearts into you. It was a worthwhile sacrifice but it did shake me to my core. You’ve been my biggest pillar of support since we met and the one who has guided me through all this. I lost you once and I don’t think I could handle it if I lost you a second time. That’s why I worry, as… I love you. I don’t want you die again since it already happened once. I don’t think I can live or forgive myself if you got killed a second time. So, please, try not to take such unnecessary risks, okay?”

Skye’s expression softened, “So that’s why you’re so protective of me. Very well, then, I’ll try to not to perform risky stunts like that anymore. I can’t outright promise it, as whatever the current situation is might not allow it, but I’ll try to not worry you so much by dialing back the risky stunts. Now, let me borrow your Tek-Pak so I can get my spare outfit out and get changed. But don’t worry, Cel, I won’t be dying again for at least another 500 years. Hopefully by then you won’t worry so much about me, though now that I know the reason why I understand and respect it more. Now, if you please?”

Celtic handed over his Tek-Pak to Skye. She took it and quickly scampered into the nearby shrubbery to get dressed. The other males in the party breathed a sigh of relief.

“Skye’s got a bombshell body, that’s for sure,” Leon said. “But I’m surprised she doesn’t mind fighting in the nude or whatever. I mean, I know she likes to dress in lightweight clothes and armor so it doesn’t restrict her movement but I admit I’m a bit stunned that she doesn’t seem to care about showing off the goods.”

Viola growled, “Perhaps, just keep your eyeballs in your head, Leon.”

Leon looked stunned at Viola’s tone of voice, looking at her with wide eyes. Viola realized this and turned her head away sheepishly. Zuzu quickly picked up on the situation.

“Ohohoh…” she said silently. “Looks like the resident spider medic has the hots for Templar boy. This should be interesting. Will Leon realize it? Or will he be oblivious to Viola’s obviously growing feelings for him? This should be good.”

Tyroe then asked, “By the way, Skye mentioned she had two backup sets of clothes in your Tek-Pak, Cel. What outfits do you think she means?”

Celtic took a moment to think before his eyes widened in horror, “Oh, no. The only two outfits I can think of are that Dangerous Bustier and the Bunny Girl suit. Good lord, please tell me she’s not going to wear that lingerie-style Dangerous Bustier in public!”

A playful voice then said, “Oh, Celtic!”

Celtic gulped before turning around, only to sigh in relief as Skye emerged from the bushes, now donning the Bunny Girl suit, complete with fishnet stockings, high-heeled shoes, and a set of black bunny ears, with one of them being lopsided. The suit itself was a fairly standard Playboy bunny outfit, mostly black, that exposed her upper breasts, shoulders, and arms, with a bowtie collar to top it off. She struck a saucy pose as she emerged.

Celtic sighed in relief, “Oh, thank God, it’s just the Bunny Girl suit.”

Skye gave him a look, “What do you mean by that?!”

“I was worried you’d don that Dangerous Bustier we got back from the Ice Empress incident.”

Skye gained a crooked smile, “Relax, Celtic. I may be shameless but I’m not that shameless. Even I don’t have the courage to wear something like that in public. But… I might don it when we get some action in the sheets. But you can relax, as not even I’m that shameless. But it does bring up the issue that I need a new set of armor. However, I’m an odd size, being a top hourglass build with some oddball measurements, so I would need to have it custom-made. And even then I have a hard time getting stuff in my size. What should we do?”

Rupert suggested, “Why don’t we ask the Shadokor to design you something. They’re well-known for being good at custom orders, including odd sizes, so they might be able to help. On top of that they have access to more valuable materials due to having access to the Demon Realm, so the quality of the armor would be better than what most could offer here. And they know you well enough that they’d be willing to design the armor more to your ‘style’.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, that’s a good idea, Rupert. Anyway, let me absorb this Chaos Candevil into my Shroud so we don’t leave its corpse to rot. We don’t want to repeat Ryan’s sin with Tiamat.”

He walked over and placed the Chaos Candevil’s claw on the Shroud’s gem. It caused the entire body to be absorbed into the Shroud, with a new skill tree forming that read “Chaos Candevil Shroud”. Celtic then noticed a fairly large candle left behind. He picked it up and looked it over before presenting it to the party.

“Hey, is this the same candle that Chaos Candevil was using?” he asked.

Skye looked it over before saying, “Nope, that’s one of its item drops. It’s called the Recovery Candle, and it’s a very rare item. When in use it’ll gradually heal everyone within range of it, and if memory serves, its range is about 50 feet. It’s a pretty rare item that only the Candevil family drops so keep that item stashed away, as it may help later on. Here’s your Tek-Pak back so you can put it away.”

She handed over Celtic’s Tek-Pak, which he took and placed the Recovery Candle in it before strapping it back on.

“Okay, then,” he said. “Let’s report back to Flutte to let them know that the Chaos Candevil is dealt with then we’ll head back to Delgunner and inform King Alvin of our success.”

A few hours later the party had returned to Delgunner and reported their success. King Alvin graciously rewarded them for dealing with the Chaos Candevil, allowing them to relax.

Viola was looking out over a balcony, watching the sun start to set. She seemed rather embarrassed.

“I can’t believe I got jealous over Skye today,” she said to herself. “All because Leon got a good view of her knockers. I shouldn’t be like that, as I know Leon won’t flirt with Skye, as she and Celtic are already together, but I couldn’t help but get jealous that she got his attention. And I got a bit nasty with him as a result. Just take it easy, Viola, as Skye isn’t your competition. It was just a freak incident, that’s all. Nothing to get worked up about.”

Suddenly a familiar voice said, “Viola?”

Viola gave a light scream in shock before turning around to see Leon. She started to blush.

“L-L-Leon!” she stammered. “I… I was just… I mean… I…”

Leon raised his hand up to stop her, giving her a warm smile, saying, “Easy, Viola, you don’t need to be so embarrassed. I realized why you were like that earlier. You have developed feelings for me, haven’t you?”

Viola’s blush got brighter, “Well… I… You see…” She then sighed defeatedly, “Yes… yes I have. Ever since the Goddess’ Tear incident.”

Leon walked up to her, smiling, “I see. I had a feeling that was the case, though I admit I didn’t quite register it right away. And you got jealous because I got to see Skye’s melons, right?”

Viola got very sheepish, “Y-Yes. I mean, sure, Skye’s knockers are huge, but I’m not exactly that far off, either. I’m a 22 G-Cup after… Why did I just reveal that?!”

Her blush got even brighter as she turned her head away. Leon could only chuckle.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Not like that’s the only factor. You’re quite the lovely Arachne, Viola, both in physical beauty and personality. To be honest… I think you’re something quite special.”

Viola’s six eyes went wide as she turned to look at him, “Y-You mean that Leon!?”

The Templar Knight nodded, “Yes I do. I’m willing to take a roll of the dice if it means I can be with a lovely woman like you. I know we’re two different species but if I’ve learned one thing from being in this party it’s that species doesn’t matter. I’m willing to give dating you a shot if you’re willing to give me a chance. What do you say, Viola?”

Viola’s face broke into a smile, “Yes. Yes, that sounds wonderful. Just promise me you’ll stop flirting with other women, okay?”

“I promise. Why flirt with other women when I’m dating someone special? I’m not like Lucas, after all. When I lock onto an ideal target I’ll pursue it. So, you can count on my loyalty. Now, why don’t we go and get a treat for us to share to commemorate this occasion?”

Viola nodded eagerly, “Yes, let’s do that. And Leon… thank you for your willingness to give me a chance. I admit I don’t quite know what to do, as this is my first time falling in love, so I hope I don’t mess up.”

Leon smiled, “You’ll figure it out, Viola. Just let it happen naturally. Now, come, let’s get ourselves a nice piece of cake or something to kick things off.”

Leon held out his hand which Viola gingerly took. The two of them walked into the castle to find a treat to eat, ready to start a new relationship with each other.

Next Chapter: Calamadon Calamity

And that's all for now. And, yes, the title is a play on the anime "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Sempai". I just couldn't resist.
 
Here's the next chapter ready for reading. (Warning: violence, mild language)

Calamadon Calamity


It had been a few days since the Chaos Candevil incident. King Alvin was quite pleased with Celtic and his party for defeating it before it could do any more harm to the village of Flutte, allowing the village to start rebuilding. The other Heroes were not happy that Celtic and his party were getting special requests to do certain tasks, complaining that they could’ve done the same thing, though they had also started to lust over Skye a bit more due to her new Bunny Girl outfit. Celtic had also sent a request to Shadoria to make Skye a new custom-made armor for her that would still fit her “style”, something that the Shadokor were glad to do. Things were quiet at the moment. However, a devious entity was plotting.

Sylph was perched in a tree near where Infinator was imprisoned, hanging upside-down like a bat by her toe claws and tail, trying to figure out a new plan.

“Dammit… my plan to get rid of that Chaos breed Hero and his party failed,” she muttered. “And worst of all that Light Elf I killed was revived thanks to Celtic, or Avalar, or whatever he wants to be called, giving her one of his hearts, effectively making her a pseudo Chaos breed, thus giving Master Infinator something else to worry about. The only good thing that came out of that is now we’re aware of the Spiria having returned. Heh… I managed to nab myself three Spiria since then, significantly boosting my power. I could just go in with my newfound power and blow them to atoms, but there is the risk that they’ve become stronger by now. No, just simply charging in at them won’t do any good. I need a new plan. One that can both get rid of those Heroes and give Master Infinator some extra power. But… how?”

She continued to think, trying to figure out a new plan. As she pondered she started to mutter under her breath, reviewing past events. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realized something.

“Wait! That’s it! How could I have forgotten that?” She then gained a devious smirk, “Oh, yeah, it’s perfect. And I have the previous generation of Legendary Heroes to thank for this. Now, all I need to do is remember where it is and how to revive it. But once I do Master Infinator will have a powerful new ally and an additional means of gathering souls to further boost his revival. Oh, you’ve done it now, Sylph! Let’s see Celtic and his little ragtag bunch of misfits get out of THIS one!”

She unfurled her wings and took flight, heading for a certain location, her eyes gleaming with determination and delight at her newfound idea.

It was the following day. Celtic and his party were inside their guest room in the castle. They had each added a couple of new spells to their magic arsenals via the Black Pearls. Some of the Black Pearls got used up in the process, causing them to shatter into nothingness upon losing their last contained spell. They hadn’t done anything with the Star Pearls yet outside of labeling them, as they wanted to wait until they had gotten the hang of their new magical abilities first.

Celtic smiled, “Okay, that should do for a start. We managed to gain several new spells to use against our enemies. We used up a couple of Black Pearls in the process but it means we’re now better prepared for whatever foes we will face. Every advantage matters, so we can’t pass up on anything.”

Skye nodded, “Agreed, Cel. We’ve managed to increase our magic diversity by quite a bit. While we should consider using a Star Pearl or two, let’s see how far our current new set of skills will take us and work from there. Still, we’ve gained a lot from just a few of these Black Pearls, so I can only imagine what the Star Pearls will offer us. Too bad we don’t know what the Legendary tier spells they contain is just yet, as according to King O’Connell, you can only learn it after all the other spells have been acquired first. They’d probably really come in handy later on. But, regardless, we now have quite a bit more power and abilities under our belts. Heh, too bad the other Heroes can’t have any of this good stuff, as they don’t deserve it for all the times they muck things up. It’s only a matter of time before they cause a massive problem. I just hope they finally get the message and start taking things seriously soon, as we’re getting pretty deep into the war with Infinator.”

Rupert turned to Celtic, “Speaking of which, why haven’t we started preparing for the next wave yet, Cel? You’re usually always on top of that.”

Celtic took out his Infinity Hourglass and showed it to everyone. The sands seemed to be frozen in it, as the top and bottom had sand but the middle chambers had nothing.

“This is the reason why, Rupert,” the redhead explained. “The Infinity Hourglass has stopped working. The large one here in the capital has also been affected. That could mean a few things. First, Infinator may have caught on to the Infinity Hourglasses being a thing and may still have some control over them, as they are parts of his original body, to throw us off and surprise us with another wave. The second possibility is that he’s had to shut down his wave generators because he already has the information he needs to open another dimensional gateway to the Demon Realm; thus he no longer needs his waves. And the third possible outcome is that he’s nearly run out of Demon Generals, with the only two left that we know of are Sylph and former Queen Jade, and since the latter may still be trans-mutating into a new General he can’t send her out yet. Plus, Sylph has become somewhat hesitant to fight us as we now have some advantages over her. My Soulavore Shroud and Zuzu’s newfound strength were able to force her on the defensive on two separate occasions, and since it seems that Sylph is actually a coward if she’s losing a battle she may not want to fight us until she gains an advantage or two first. Those are the three possible reasons why the Infinity Hourglass has stopped working, and we don’t know which reason is correct. Thus, with no way to know when a wave will hit, if one even will hit, we can’t do much prep work. The best we can do is strengthen ourselves for now until we get more concrete information on the subject.”

Tyroe nodded, “I see, I see. So, because we just simply don’t know what’s going on we cannot make any types of preparations. As a result, we just have to wait and see what Infinator’s next move will be. I don’t like it when we’re left in the dark about things.”

Suddenly, Zuzu, who was floating above them in a relaxed position, became upright and looked out the window, her eyes narrowing. This didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

“Do you sense something, Zuzu?” Viola asked.

The Succuryn replied, “Yeah, I sense something. I’m sensing a disturbance in the energy waves of this world. They stink of Sylph. She’s up to something, I know it.”

Celtic started to gather up the remaining Pearls, “Then we’d better talk to King Alvin about it. If Zuzu is detecting Sylph being up to something, then we cannot take that lightly.”

Suddenly, a female Shadow Sentinel appeared, startling everyone.

“Miss Zuzu is correct,” the Shadow Sentinel stated. “We recently discovered Sylph entering a cavern called Crimson Crystal Cavern. Inside that cavern is an obelisk that the previous generation of Legendary Heroes put there. It’s sealing away an ancient beast that ran rampant 300 years ago. A Calamadon Demon. The previous generation of Legendary Heroes fought that beast but were unable to beat it so they sealed it away in that cavern. The reason why they chose Crimson Crystal Cavern is because of a few things. First off, it’s in an isolated and hard-to-access area, so it would help limit any damage it could cause. And secondly the Crimson Crystals that grow in that cavern act as natural limiters, thus they act as almost secondary seals that’ll limit the strength of whatever is in that cavern. However, to our grave concern, we detected that Sylph has since bolstered her power with Spiria. We don’t know for sure how many she has right now but her aura gives off the energy that Spiria have, so she must have at least one. As a result, the Spiria will create an aura of protection that’ll keep Sylph from being affected by the Crimson Crystals, thus she can break the seal on the Calamadon Demon without much issue.”

“Oh, that’s not good…” Skye gulped.

Zuzu turned to them, “I remember when that Calamadon Demon rampaged last, as I was around 90 when it first showed its ugly mug. Calamadon Demons are very powerful. They’re in the Advanced-tier of demons, as they have six hearts. However, fortunately, despite being Advanced-tier demons, they’re not very bright. They rely solely on instinct to get things done. That said, their sheer raw power more than makes up for its lack of intelligence. My guess is that Sylph wants to awaken it so it can serve Infinator. However, there is a glaring flaw in her plan. While, yes, waking it up would be disastrous, the fact of the matter is Calamadon Demons only seem to, and I use this word mighty loosely, ‘respect’ Shadokor, as despite the obvious size difference, Shadokor are still their dominate predators. Plus, to it, Sylph would be an afternoon snack despite her power and Level, as she’s still just a Mid-tier demon like myself, thus the Calamadon Demon’s instincts would see her as food and not a master even if she frees it, as the creature has no sense of gratitude or anything like that. The beast is basically a walking natural disaster. Sylph’s plan will ultimately backfire, as she’ll have no control over it, but killing the Calamadon Demon won’t be easy regardless.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Miss Zuzu is correct again. King Duskbane is already preparing a special type of poison that’ll destroy the Calamadon Demon within minutes of injecting it. It’s trapping it long enough to inject that poison that is the problem. However, King Alvin is already making plans on how to capture it so we can inject it with the poison. King Alvin is well-regarded for being a strategic genius. He was once a Colonel in the Delgunner army before he took a blow for a fellow soldier that permanently injured his back, thus forcing him out of the army. However, while he can’t wield a spear anymore, his magic and strategic abilities are still in fine form. We can trust him to come up with a good plan.”

Celtic gave a sigh of relief, “That’s reassuring. Although I was never aware that King Alvin was once part of the military. I take it that’s a prerequisite for becoming the next ruler of Delgunner?”

Skye nodded, “For most kingdoms it is. But the fact that King Alvin became the ruler despite being the youngest of three boys is a real testament of his talent on the battlefield. We’ll be in good hands with him doing the planning, as his chessmaster-like skills are well-known around the world. And if King Duskbane is giving us the means to easily kill the Calamadon Demon then we should be okay.”

The Shadow Sentinel then said, “In any case, King Alvin requests your presence so you can be aware of the plan, as he wants to send you seven out to deal with it. So, please, hurry to his map room to begin the strategy meeting.”

Little did they know that a familiar set of long ears was listening in on them. Their owner gave a devious smirk before slinking away, already cooking up a plan.

A short time later Celtic, his party, King Alvin, and King Duskbane were in the map room, laying out a plan on how to stop the Calamadon Demon. Celtic and his party were amazed at how brilliant King Alvin’s strategic planning was while King Duskbane smiled approvingly.

“Okay, that should do it,” King Alvin said. “The plan is very straightforward but speed is key. Let’s go over it one more time just to be sure everyone understands it. After Sylph revives the Calamadon Demon we need to lure it into Duskmoon Forest where we can minimize the damage it can cause. That’ll be Avalar’s and Miss Zuzu’s part of the plan, as Avalar can use Taunt Pulse to aggro it into chasing him while Miss Zuzu will carry him with her ability to fly, as he won’t be fast enough to outrun it himself. When they have led it into Duskmoon Forest, specifically near the bottomless swamp that’s in the western part of the forest, Lady Skye and Sir Leon will blind it with Light Burst. Sir Rupert will then use Vine Trap to ensnare the Calamadon Demon and limit its ability to move. That’ll allow Miss Viola and Sir Tyroe to spring their trap on it, which will be a combination of a quicksand trap and spider webs. After that, while the beast is temporarily bogged down, Avalar will then inject it with the special poison that King Duskbane will give him. That’ll kill the Calamadon Demon from the inside within minutes of injecting it, due to its special composition. Does everyone understand?”

Celtic and the others nodded, “Yessir.”

King Duskbane gave Celtic what looked like a large syringe, “Here, Avalar, this is the needle that contains the poison needed to kill the beast quickly. It doesn’t matter where you inject it as it’s a fast-acting poison, so inject it wherever is most convenient for you.”

Celtic put the syringe away in his Tek-Pak, nodding.

A male Shadow Sentinel then appeared, stating, “Sorry to interrupt, but Sylph has freed the Calamadon Demon. However, as predicted, it won’t listen to her and instead tried to eat her, forcing her to flee before it could catch her, thus abandoning her plan. We need to mobilize right now before the Calamadon Demon heads toward the nearby villages.”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, we need to hurry. Please take Avalar and his party to that location pronto so we can begin the operation.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “At once. Are you ready, Prince Avalar?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we are. Let’s move out!”

“Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished in black portals, leaving the two kings behind.

“Godspeed to you, Avalar,” King Alvin said. “We’re depending on you.”

Celtic and his party appeared in a new location. They then felt the ground shake and looked ahead, where a massive beast was rampaging around. It was huge, towering over the treetops, with its body being very tall and lanky, covered in red and white armor-like skin, long arms ending in massive red carapace-covered claws, equally long legs ending in hoof-like feet, a thick dragon tail, two rows of spikes on its back, a long, slender neck with an armored head, two curved almost bull-like bladed horns, four glowing eyes and a mouth full of spear-sized teeth. On its chest was a large crystal that seemed to have glowing energy in it. It gave a very scratchy roar as it stomped around the area, clearly looking for fresh prey. Celtic then turned to his party.

“Okay, team, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said. “Head to Duskmoon Forest near the bottomless swamp to begin your parts of the plan. Zuzu and I will get into position. Give us a signal when you’re ready. Let’s move out before it heads for the villages nearby!”

“Right!” everyone said in unison.

Zuzu grabbed Celtic by his middle and effortlessly hoisted him into the air with her while the others quickly ran toward where the bottomless swamp was in Duskmoon Forest. Celtic and Zuzu awaited for the signal of when the others were ready. After a few tense moments they saw a fireball fly up into the sky before exploding. Nodding, both demons flew closer to the Calamadon Demon, who still didn’t notice their presence. Celtic took a deep breath before steeling his nerves.

“Taunt Pulse!” he shouted.

He released a wave of energy that struck the Calamadon Demon. This immediately got its attention, causing it to turn around and finally notice the duo. It gave a scratchy roar before immediately chasing after them.

“Got its attention!” Celtic stated.

“Then let’s book it!” Zuzu replied.

She quickly turned around and fled, carrying Celtic in her arms, the Calamadon Demon chasing after them. Despite Zuzu’s speed the Calamadon Demon was nipping at their heels, making the Succuryn nervous. Celtic noticed this.

“Just stay calm, Zuzu!” he said soothingly. “You’ve got this. I believe in you.”

Zuzu’s face melted into a smile before steeling her nerves and flying as fast as she could, managing to get a bit more distance in-between them and the Calamadon Demon. She lead it into Duskmoon Forest and headed toward the bottomless swamp. As soon as Skye and Leon saw the duo dash past them, followed by the Calamadon Demon approaching, they exchanged nods.

“Light Burst!” they both shouted.

They released their Light attacks, causing them to combine and explode in the Calamadon Demon’s face, blinding it. Rupert then stepped up.

“Vine Trap!” he stated.

Strong, thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground and ensnared the Calamadon Demon. This caused it to stumble as it tried to keep its balance. Tyroe and Viola then appeared. Viola made quick movements with her hands and ended up further entangling the Calamadon Demon with her silk. Tyroe then slammed his hands into the ground, causing the earth around the Calamadon Demon’s feet to turn into quicksand, causing it to sink a bit before the earth solidified again.

“Now’s your chance, Cel!” Skye called out. “Give it the poison and this mission will be over!”

Zuzu gently put Celtic down, followed by him taking out the syringe and walking over to the Calamadon Demon.

“This won’t hurt a bit… I won’t feel a thing,” he said darkly.

Suddenly four voices could be heard.

“Meteor Slash!”

“Meteor Thrust!”

“Meteor Slam!”

“Meteor Shot!”

The four Meteor attacks appeared out of nowhere and struck the Calamadon Demon where Celtic was standing. The explosion they caused sent him flying onto his back, along with accidentally throwing the syringe into the air. To everyone’s horror it landed in the bottomless swamp and quickly sank underneath the surface. Zuzu was about to try to fish it out before Viola grabbed her.

“Forget it, Zuzu!” the Arachne stated. “That swamp is acidic! Even demons can’t endure its acidity. You’ll just melt your arm off. No, that syringe is gone, and we know who’s to blame!”

They all turned to see the other four Heroes and their parties, making them narrow their eyes in anger.

“Why are you here!?” Leon snapped.

Lucas stated, “We’re tired of always getting shoved aside in favor of Celtic! No, we’re gonna kill this Calamadon Demon and get all the glory, not you!”

Skye immediately put the pieces together, quickly ran over to Wench and throttled her, “You’re behind this, aren’t you!? You must’ve spied on us and planted this idea into these morons’ heads in order to get back at Celtic! I have half a mind to strangle you to death right here and right now!”

Suddenly, the Calamadon Demon gave its scratchy roar and, to their horror, managed to break free of all its shackles. This forced everyone to get into a battle-ready pose as the Calamadon Demon eyed the five parties with rage.

“It’ll have to wait, Skye!” Celtic stated. “Thanks to the original plan going under we’re going to have to do this the old fashioned way! Battle Formation: Beta 11!”

The party quickly took a set battle formation and prepared to fight. The other Heroes and their parties immediately charged in, eager to kill the beast and get all the glory. However, to their surprise, none of their attacks were even scratching the Calamadon Demon. In fact, they seemed to be doing no damage at all, as the Calamadon Demon was barely responding to anything they tried. Zuzu then flew up to the crystal on its chest.

“If we shatter the crystal on its chest it’ll weaken it dramatically!” she stated. “Close Combat Combo!”

She started to strike the crystal, dodging whenever the Calamadon Demon tried to swat her away, building up her attack’s power. After enough strikes she slammed her fist into the crystal with the power of a meteor impact. This caused the crystal to break, causing several chunks to fall out but not completely destroying it. The Calamadon Demon roared in pain as the crystal broke. This caused its body to start flickering and on the Heroes’ stat visions did they see that the demon’s stats had dropped a fair bit. Zuzu quickly retreated back to her party to avoid retaliation from the now enraged Calamadon Demon.

“Good work, Zuzu!” Celtic stated. “While you didn’t destroy the crystal you still managed to weaken it quite a bit! That’ll make fighting it easier.”

Leon pelted it with Arrow Barrage before saying, “We still have our work cut out for us! But every advantage we can get is helpful! So let’s keep up the pressure and try to overpower it!”

The Calamadon Demon was now enraged. It started to wildly lash out its claws and tail, forcing everyone to scatter to avoid getting hit. However, even though it had been weakened, pretty much all of their attacks were doing little to no damage to it. This was concerning to Celtic.

“Even our best attacks aren’t leaving much of an impact,” he said silently. “Even when Zuzu weakened it by breaking the crystal on its chest this brute is still too powerful for us. Leave it to the Legendary Stooges to mess things up again. We might not be able to win this without some major firepower of our own.” He then grimaced as he thought of something, “I may have to pull out my Assault Mode form to give us any fighting chance. But… I have little to no control over it. Plus, the power high and my hatred for those idiot Heroes could easily blind me and turn me into a dangerous but hard-hitting berserker. I… I’m not sure if I can use it even in this situation.”

Suddenly, the Calamadon Demon gave a mighty roar, as it seemed fed up with this whole ordeal. Zuzu realized what it meant.

“Celtic!” she shouted. “It’s about to use its most powerful attack: Light Cannon! You need to block it before it can turn all of us into a pile of ash!”

As she said this the Calamadon Demon started to generate energy in its mouth. Celtic quickly sprang into action, jumping in front of everyone.

“Shield Wall!” he shouted.

The Shroud glowed before summoning the orbiting shields from the Lizartaur Shroud. He then clustered them all together to create a massive wall of shields and positioned it in-between him and the Calamadon Demon. It was at that moment the massive demon released its attack, firing a massive beam of Light energy directly at the Shield Wall. The attack hit the Shield Wall with a vengeance, hammering away at it with all its might. To Celtic’s horror, the Shield Wall was starting to buckle under the intense power.

“Elemental Balloon: Light!” Celtic roared.

The Shroud glowed again before summoning an Elemental Balloon, this time it was white with black glowing eyes. He then positioned it behind the Shield Wall, which was starting to gain cracks and energy leaking through them.

“Zuzu!” he stated. “Gather everyone up behind me! That includes the other Heroes and their parties! Quickly, as the Shield Wall is about to crumble!”

Zuzu nodded, channeled Dark energy into her arms, creating massive claws. She then scooped up all the other Heroes and their parties and roughly deposited them behind Celtic, much to their complaints. Skye and the rest of the Shroud Hero’s party quickly got behind Celtic, giving him the signal that everyone was present.

“Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”

Celtic, his party, the other Heroes, and their respective parties were encased in the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense. Just as the fortress shaped barrier finished forming the Shield Wall shattered, with the Calamadon Demon’s immense Light energy striking the Elemental Balloon now. The balloon started to swell as it absorbed all the energy while the Calamadon Demon kept hammering away at it with its Light Cannon. Inside the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense Celtic was doing everything he could to keep the defenses up. However, less than a minute later he gained a warning sign on his stat vision, alerting him to something he wasn’t expecting.

“The Light Balloon is reaching maximum compacity!” he stated. “When it reaches its limit it’ll explode! Brace yourselves for it, as it’s gonna be huge!”

Everyone ducked for cover within the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense, bracing themselves for the worst. Outside the Light Balloon had swelled to a massive size. It started to blink before it finally exploded, creating a huge mushroom cloud that ravaged the entire area within its blast radius. Everyone could feel the intense energy from the explosion outside but the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense managed to hold on. A moment later everything went quiet. Everyone gingerly looked and listened for any signs of the Calamadon Demon but didn’t hear a thing.

“Is it over?” Jerry asked.

Reluctantly, Celtic lowered the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense, revealing the surrounding area. The explosion from the Light Balloon had scorched and leveled everything within range. And directly in front of them, laying on its back, was the Calamadon Demon, which was not moving.

Lucas spun his Spear triumphantly, “We showed that overgrown brute whose boss!”

Leon shivered, “I wouldn’t celebrate just yet. I can still sense that demon’s aura. It’s not dead yet, just dazed.”

“Like we’re gonna believe you, Templar boy!” Marvin stated.

Skye punched Marvin in the face, giving him a black eye, stating, “Watch it, you tin tyrant, or I’ll rearrange your teeth along with that black eye. If Leon says it’s not dead then you should believe him!”

Just then the Calamadon Demon started to move, making everyone freeze. It lifted up its head, dazed, before it regained its focus and glared at the five Heroes and their parties.

“See?” Leon huffed.

Celtic fell to one knee, panting, stating, “That thing took a lot of damage from the Elemental Balloon, but even that wasn’t enough to completely defeat it. We might not be able to win this. If you four hadn’t gotten in the way and ruined the plan we wouldn’t have to deal with this!”

Tyroe then stated, “Time for that later, pal, as that big brute has just gotten back onto its feet!”

The Calamadon Demon had indeed gotten back onto its feet. It roared angrily at what had just happened. Suddenly, a black portal opened up behind it and something fast shot out of it, slamming into the large demon’s back, causing it to stumble. The fast object was revealed to be King Duskbane in his Assault Mode form. This caused everyone, including the Calamadon Demon, to be stunned.

“You’re mine!” King Duskbane roared.

He vanished from his spot before suddenly reappearing in front of the Calamadon Demon’s face. He then spat two large globs of purple gunk at its eyes, blinding it. The gunk was revealed to be an adhesive poisonous acid, as the Calamadon Demon screeched in agony as the gunk burned its eyes. This caused it to stumble around blindly as it tried to get rid of the adhesive acid, forcing everyone to scatter again to avoid getting stepped on. King Duskbane then flew around and rammed it several times in the legs, causing it to stumble even more. When the Calamadon Demon’s hoof-like foot got too close to the acidic bottomless swamp it caused the earth around it to cave, sending it tumbling into the swamp. Everyone quickly got out of range of the splash it made when it hit the swamp. The acidity of the swamp immediately started to eat away at the Calamadon Demon, making it screech in pain as it flailed to get out. However, the more it struggled the faster it sank into the swamp. Within a minute the large demon sank below the surface, the last thing everyone saw of it was one of its claws before all that was left were the bubbles it produced as it drowned. Everyone gave a collective sigh of relief.

Eric then asked, “Hey, if the demon is dead, why aren’t we getting any EXP?”

Celtic gave him an exasperated look, “THAT’S what you’re concerned about, you idiot!? News flash: the Legendary Gear repels each other, preventing EXP gains when they’re too close! If anything, only King Duskbane will get any EXP because he’s not connected to any of the Legendary Gear!”

Suddenly, everyone could feel a massive aura start emanating from King Duskbane. One of hatred and wrath. This sudden aura cowed everyone as the demon king started to growl and breathe heavily. Zuzu in particular looked ready to bail, as her instincts were yelling at her to flee. King Duskbane’s eyes locked onto the other Heroes and their parties, making them all back up in fear.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled menacingly. “Dark Chains!”

The four Heroes and their parties were shackled by the Dark energy chains, locking them in place. King Duskbane then stomped over to them, raised up both his massive claws and slammed them down on the four Heroes and Wench, pinning them to the ground.

“You… IDIOTS!!!” he roared. “How DARE you ruin the plan to kill that Calamadon Demon! Everything was going along swimmingly until YOU had to get in the way so you can steal all the glory! There is a reason WHY Avalar and his party are more trusted than you: he gets the job done correctly! You four so-called Heroes are AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE!!! And don’t think I haven’t forgotten about YOU, Wench! I’m aware it was YOU who planted this idea into these four braindead baboons’ heads! I’m aware you spied on Avalar and his party making the preparations to kill that Calamadon Demon. The plan was working perfectly until YOU LOT got in the mix and screwed everything up! AGAIN!!! I have HALF A MIND to kill you right here and right now!”

Marvin spat, “You will do no such thing to the Great Jerry, you demon swine!”

King Duskbane’s eyes locked onto him angrily. He then lashed out one of his scorpion stinger tails and effortlessly pierced through Marvin’s armor, causing it to gain multiple cracks and easily hoisted him up by it. He brought the armored man close to his face, glaring at him with hatred.

“Marvin… SHUT UP!” King Duskbane bellowed. “You are in NO position to be making demands, you tin plated twit! Besides, you’re forgetting that I’m the superior power here right now. Challenge me and that could earn you a trip to the guillotine if I don’t decide to kill you myself. So… SHUT UP!”

He then slammed Marvin down onto the ground, headfirst, breaking his armor in the process and knocking him out cold. This caused all the other party members to instantly stay silent as they trembled in fear at the enraged demon.

“That’s better. Hopefully that concussion I gave you will knock some sense into you, Marvin. After all, it’s unwise to challenge a demon with superior power to you to anything. You could very easily end up a corpse. Now…” he then focused on the four Heroes and Wench, his eyes gleaming angrily. “You five are in for a world of hurt for this little scheme! King Alvin is furious with you for not only breaking your curfew but outright sabotaging his plan to kill that Calamadon Demon! If you weren’t the ‘Legendary Heroes’ that this world needs to help fight our enemies I’d kill you on the spot! I never thought I would ever say what I’m about to say but… the Four Stars Church was right!”

Everyone gasped in shock as King Duskbane uttered those words.

“Yes, I’m surprised that I would ever have to say something like that,” the demon king sighed. “But the facts are facts: you four ‘Heroes’ are nothing more than fakes! Honestly, the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow must’ve been scraping the bottom of the barrel for candidates to wield them. And look at what we got. Four nobodies that can’t do a DAMN THING RIGHT!!! Normally I’d be more willing to put the blame on the Light Elves, as it was them who summoned you here, but even they are not culpable enough for all the death and destruction you four have caused on your own accord! And all because you see this world as a game. It’s no wonder none of the other nations want anything to do with you. And this is your biggest mess to date! You four are becoming as bad as the Chaos Chimera itself! And I haven’t forgotten about you, Wench. Oh, no, I’ve got a massive bone to pick with you! You continue to violate my nephew in your blind desire to get the last laugh whenever he retaliates to your nastiness! You fail to realize that if anyone violates a member of the Shadokor you’ll have the entire race out for your blood! And right now my people are demanding your head! The Fun Box incident alone was enough to make my people want to tear you limb from limb, much less the false rape allegation you pinned on him at the start of this whole ordeal. I have half a mind to kill you all right here and right now!”

He then increased the pressure of his claws, crushing the four Heroes and Wench under it, causing the ground underneath them to start cracking. Wench desperately looked around for help.

“P-Prince Celtic!” she begged pathetically. “Help me! Save me! Prince Celtic!”

Celtic was visibly livid as she pleaded to him for help, growling, “You have a lot of nerve, long ears, to be begging me to save you. And it’s the only time you’ll use my royal title as a means of buttering me up. Not this time. I’m throwing you and your precious Spear Hero boyfriend to the sharks, as I’m getting pretty sick of you and the other Heroes constantly causing problems for everyone. No, you’re on your own this time, Wench, as I’m not taking any more bait from you.”

Wench’s eyes widened in horror before King Duskbane’s growling focused her attention to him.

“He’s right, you know,” the demon king growled. “You’ll only use his royal title to beg for his mercy yet you won’t apologize for your actions against him. That also goes to you four so-called ‘Heroes’, too. You refuse to apologize to my nephew for all the hard work he puts into cleaning up your messes and constantly antagonize him with your so-called ‘expert gaming knowledge’ whenever he succeeds where you fail. There’s a reason why Infinator’s faction doesn’t think very highly of you and only see Avalar and his party as a real threat. And, for once, I can agree with them. Now… as much as I’d like to squash you like the insects you are… King Alvin gave me a direct order to have you and your parties brought in alive. Just don’t expect a warm welcome when King Alvin sees you.”

He then stood upright, removing his claws from their crushing position on top of the Heroes and Wench, making them sigh in relief. He then snapped his fingers, causing several Shadow Sentinels to appear.

“Take these four ‘Heroes’ and their parties back to Delgunner. King Alvin wants them arrested and brought in for questioning for this little ordeal. I’ll return sometime later, as I have to help restore the damage that Calamadon Demon caused, as well as have a talk with the real Hero and his party. Don’t wait up for me, as this’ll take a bit.”

The Shadow Sentinels bowed, grabbed the other four Heroes and their party members before vanishing in black portals. King Duskbane took a moment to take some calming breaths before transforming back to normal, revealing he was in his royal armor. He then walked over to Celtic and placed both hands on his shoulders.

“Avalar, are you okay?” he asked in a calm voice. “Nothing injured?”

Celtic gave a tired smile, “Yeah… I’m okay, just a bit worn out from the whole ordeal, along with the adrenaline that was going through me waning. But I’m fine Uncle Duskbane.”

“Good, I…” King Duskbane’s eyes went wide when he realized what Celtic had just said. “A-Avalar… did you just call me ‘Uncle Duskbane’?”

The redhead nodded, “Yes, I did. I think it’s about time I started saying that, especially since you saved all of our skins today.”

Tears started to well up in King Duskbane’s eyes, “Avalar… I’ve waited over 20 years for my one and only nephew to say those words to me! Ever since you were born I wanted to hear you call me ‘Uncle Duskbane’. And… you finally said it. I know you have a rather warped view of family and such but… does this mean you’ve finally come to accept me as your kin?”

Celtic gained a slightly embarrassed expression, but said with a strong voice, “Yes… I have. I may have hated the concept of aunts and uncles for a long time, thanks to those bastards in my adoptive family, but not even I can ignore all that you have done for me, Uncle Duskbane. You’ve done more good for me within a few months than my adoptive aunts and uncles did in my entire life. So, yeah, I’d say it’s about time I finally tear down that barrier that I had erected out of self-preservation and accept you, Aunt Wuya, and Aunt Rease as true family.”

King Duskbane looked like he was ready to cry tears of joy before embracing Celtic in a tight hug, startling the redhead. The rest of the party looked on warmly as the two Shadokor embraced each other, though Celtic was slightly more hesitant due to his unfamiliarity to the situation. Eventually they broke the hug.

“Oh, Avalar…” King Duskbane said softly. “Thank you. I’ve waited a long time to hear you say that. And I can’t wait to tell Wuya and Queen Rease that you’ve come to accept them as well. They’ll be elated to know that you’ve finally overcame that hurdle. Now…” He wiped his tears away and gained a serious expression, “Enough of that, it’s time to go to work. First off, we need to heal the area from that massive explosion. Duskmoon Forest is a very special place that has some sacred elements to it. It’s also home to a few packs of Holy Wolves. While they probably won’t attack us since they will understand that the Calamadon Demon was obviously the bigger issue, we still need to restore their hunting grounds, otherwise they may invade other locations in search of food. Your Druid powers will be vital to that. Also, we should gather up the chunks of the Calamadon Demon’s armor-like skin.”

“Why?” Rupert asked.

“For a few reasons, Sir Rupert. One is that we Shadokor can use those chunks of armor-like skin for crafting. As you may know the crafting of demon parts is illegal everywhere except Shadoria. That’s because we Shadokor know how to remove any cursed energies that the demon parts may have. Calamadon Demon skin is very useful to us, as it makes for good armors and shields, so I’m not passing up on the chance to collect some Calamadon Demon skin so I can strengthen my army. I was going to have my people harvest the whole body of the Calamadon Demon for valuable parts after you killed it but, obviously…” he looked at the swamp with annoyed eyes, “…that’s not possible anymore, thanks to those idiot Heroes and Wench. So, I’ll have to make do with some scraps of skin. Another reason is so Avalar can absorb a chunk and get a new Shroud ability. Since Calamadon Demons are Advanced-tier demons they would be able to offer something much more powerful than lower tier demons, and even offer multiple abilities. Even just a scrap of skin will be enough to possibly unlock something powerful, if not multiple powerful abilities. Since I noticed that there are some chunks of the Calamadon Demon’s chest crystal, you should absorb a piece of that as well, since it’ll offer something different. But leave some for me, as my crafters can use it for new items. Speaking of the Shroud and Advanced-tier demons, let me give you something, Avalar.”

To Celtic’s surprise King Duskbane cut off a lock of hair and gave it to the Shroud Hero. Realizing what he wanted, Celtic had the Shroud’s core absorb the lock of hair, causing a new skill tree to be unlocked called the “Shadokor Shroud”. Celtic looked its effects over, gaining wide eyes.

“Sheesh, you’re not kidding,” he said. “Just that lock of hair created a Shroud that offers multiple abilities, both for battle and passive, and even some stat boosts. I never realized that the higher the tier the demon is, the more powers and abilities I can get from their parts. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind if we ever deal with another demon like this.”

King Duskbane gained a grim expression, “Believe me, that Calamadon Demon was just a preview of what’s to come. You may not realize this, Avalar, but the Calamadon Demon is the primordial form of Infinator’s species: the Galvaton Demon. In other words, the Calamadon Demon is the pre-evolution of what would eventually become a Galvaton Demon. Thus, the abilities it has are essentially weaker versions of Infinator’s powers. To put it bluntly, what you faced today was basically a pre-evolved Infinator.”

The party gained expressions of shock and horror.

“You’re kidding me,” Viola sputtered. “What we just faced today was basically a demi version of Infinator himself?! No wonder we didn’t stand a chance. We’ve got a long way to go if we have any hope of beating Infinator.”

King Duskbane gave a solemn nod, “Yes, that’s exactly right. What you faced today was an early, almost prototype version of what would become Infinator. The fact that you couldn’t beat it outright, even with the other Heroes’ ‘help’, shows that not even you seven are ready to face Infinator. This is why it is crucial to try to kill him while he’s still a disembodied spirit, as if he regains his body or simply constructs another one he’ll be too powerful to beat head-on. But, thanks to the ancient Light Elves and that spell they cast, which they have conveniently forgotten over the years, means we can’t nip him in the bud. Otherwise we would’ve done it by now. No, unfortunately, you and the other Heroes won’t stand a chance in your current state. Especially the other Heroes. That’s why we need to build up our forces as much as possible and take advantage of every possible option we can find. It’s one reason why King O’Connell is using those Star Pearls you gave him to forge special anti-evil weapons, as they stand a chance of dealing some decent damage to Infinator himself. You’ll also need to learn the secret of going past Level 100, as Infinator’s faction already knows it. Fortunately, we Shadokor know it, so that’s not a huge issue, but it will be a vital cog in our unit to overpower Infinator. We all still need work, as even at our current power we lack the means of defeating him. That’s why everyone needs to further train if we want to win. Now… enough of this. Let’s get to work, as we’ve got yet another large mess those idiots have caused to clean up.”

Celtic looked at the destruction before sighing, “They don’t pay us enough to deal with the other Heroes’ constant stupidity. Let’s get to work.”

Sighing defeatedly, the Shroud Hero party nodded in agreement and began the process of restoring Duskmoon Forest back to normal.

A few hours later Celtic, his party, and King Duskbane returned to Delgunner, tired, annoyed, and angry. King Alvin was waiting for them in his throne room, revealing himself to be extremely furious. However, his expression softened when he saw the Shroud Hero and company.

“Avalar…” he sighed. “I’m so sorry about what happened. Wench is the most responsible for what happened, as she spied on us before planting the idea in the other Heroes’ heads to upstage you. If you’re wondering where they are they’re in the castle dungeons. And before you say anything about them attempting to break out, rest easy, as I put them in special custom-made cells that have negation properties, courtesy of the Druids. That way not only are their skills and magic negated, but also the Legendary Gear itself. They’ll be staying there until further notice. I just can’t believe they’d pull this stunt. I knew they were jealous of you and were glory hounds but this was not something I was expecting. I must be getting old, or at least a bit rusty, otherwise I would’ve factored them into my equations and create a back-up plan like I did back in my military days. It was fortunate that King Duskbane managed to use the current environment of the battlefield to find an alternative solution, though I am aware he was planning on having his people harvest components from the Calamadon Demon for other projects. Sorry, old friend.”

King Duskbane gave a weak smile, “It’s okay, old friend, I don’t blame you for what happened. The blame is solely on the other Heroes and Wench. But what I want to know is how they chased after Avalar in the first place?”

King Alvin presented a crystal. It was purplish in color and about the size of a standard submarine sandwich.

He replied, “The Shadow Sentinels found this on her person. A Teleport Crystal. She must’ve obtained it from a traveling merchant or something, as these types of crystals don’t grow in this territory. Only in places like the Flugel Kingdom, Wichwoode and Shadoria due to the special energies it needs to form. That’s how they chased after Avalar, as Teleport Crystals can take the user and whoever they want anywhere a certain number of times, depending on the size of the crystal.”

King Duskbane nodded, “That makes sense, then, as none of the other Heroes and their party members know a teleportation spell. The only two people that have a teleportation spell who are also part of the Legendary Heroes are Lady Skye and Avalar.”

This information surprised Celtic. He turned to King Duskbane with a quizzical look.

“Wait, what?” he said. “I have a teleportation spell? Since when?”

The demon king chuckled, “Believe it or not, Avalar, yes you do. Your first spell that was unlocked was not Wrath Fire, but, in actuality, it was Shadow Warp. According to your memories, when you went berserk in the Light Elf throne room, you unintentionally tapped into your Shadokor powers and used Shadow Warp via instincts to escape the Light Elves. You were on a rage and instinct high at the time so you didn’t realize it but you used Shadow Warp on the very first day you had returned to this world.”

Curious, Celtic pulled up a status screen and looked at his known spells, his look of confusion getting larger.

“I don’t see it here,” he said. “Come to think of it, I don’t see things like Wrath Fire or Shadow Negation here, either.”

King Duskbane chuckled again, “Look at the bottom right of your status screen. There is a section for secondary spells that are not part of the normal magic you’ve learned. Because both Demon and Shadow magic are somewhat unique they get their own categories in your known spell charts. Check it out.”

Celtic tapped an icon near the bottom right of the screen and saw a second spell list show up. On it were spells like Wrath Fire and Shadow Negation, along with, at the very top, Shadow Warp. His eyes widened in surprise.

“You mean to tell me I had Shadow Warp under my belt all this time?!” he sputtered. “That could’ve easily simplified the trip to Delgunner back then.”

Skye gave a small smile, “Don’t worry about it, Cel. I mean, look what that journey gave us: a wonderful group of party members and friends. Besides, like I told you before, teleportation-type magic is not easy to master, especially since it can have consequences if botched. Look what happened to you when Sylph killed your mother when she was about to use a teleport spell; you got sent to a whole other planet! Teleportation magic is tricky and can be rather dangerous, so it was just as well that you didn’t know you had it in your arsenal, as we wouldn’t have met our wonderful friends.”

Celtic’s expression softened, closing his eyes contently, “Yeah, you’re right, Skye. Things happen for a reason, at least that’s what I believe, so it was for the best that I never knew I had that spell all this time. After all, just like you said, I would’ve never met all of you, my first friends ever. But at least now that I’m aware of it I can start practicing it so we’ll have another option of fast travel at our disposal. Though I assume I’ll need a Shadow Sentinel to show me the ropes, as they seem to be the absolute masters of Shadow Warp. But at least I now know about it so I can further improve myself for the future.”

Leon gave Celtic a pat on the back, “That’s the spirit, pal. It may have not been ideal but now we have a new tool to master. But, enough of that, at least we now know how the other ‘Heroes’ and Wench caught up to us and got in our way. Maybe we should find a way to keep Wench from buying items from merchants, as we also learned that she got the Fun Box from a traveling merchant, too. Limiting her from obtaining items like that would make keeping her in-line easier, as it means it’ll make it harder for her to get her way.”

King Alvin nodded, “Agreed, Sir Leon. That’s an excellent idea. Blacklisting her from buying anything from merchants, be they local or traveling, would be a good way to limit how much trouble she can cause. However, that may not stop Lucas, as I can’t blacklist him due to the fact that we need the Heroes to have access to what they need, so she could just have him buy it for her, too. It’s not a perfect solution, but if we can at least limit how often she can get items like Teleport Crystals or Fun Boxes by blacklisting her then that will be some form of improvement. Anyway, job well done, all of you. While it wasn’t quite our original plan you still managed to keep the Calamadon Demon from causing too much damage. That in itself is a victory. Go back to your guest room and take a well-deserved rest. I’ll be sure to reward you with a nice big dinner for your efforts.”

Celtic gave a weak smile, “We’ll take you up on that. Come on, team, let’s put our feet up for a bit, as we’ve earned a break.”

The rest of the party nodded in agreement and made their way to their guest room to rest. However, deep down they were worried about the future battle with Infinator, as they knew they were not ready yet.

Next Chapter: The Will of the Spiria

That's all for now, folks. As always the other Heroes prove to be a problem. What are Celtic and co going to do with them? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Here's the next chapter, fresh from the editing desk.

The Will of the Spiria


Inside Infinator’s prison Sylph was bowing before an energy vent. She looked quite disappointed. The energy vent flared up and a ghostly image of four eyes appeared. They looked at Sylph who bowed her head in shame.

“Master Infinator…” she said glumly. “I’m so sorry. I failed in my mission to give you a new, powerful ally. Please forgive me.”

Infinator replied, “You should’ve known better, Sylph. Even though a Calamadon Demon is my pre-evolved form, they rely solely on instinct and wouldn’t have the basic intelligence to register you as anything more than lunch even though you freed it. It was, however, something I appreciate, as we’ve hit a bit of a wall as we await our lab rat to fully trans-mutate, thus we cannot make any more moves until then. After all, it also proved something.”

Sylph looked up hopefully, “What? What did it prove?”

Infinator chuckled, “It proved that the current generation of Legendary Heroes are nowhere near able to take on a threat like me just yet. But… they can still improve by then, so we must exercise caution. However, seeing how it took Duskbane’s Assault Mode form and an acidic bottomless swamp to deal with the Calamadon Demon means that the current generation of Legendary Heroes are still very weak. Even though the Shroud Hero was the one who ultimately did the most damage before Duskbane’s intervention, it was still not enough to outright kill it. However, we must still be cautious of him, as he’s growing the fastest. Plus, once he figures out how to use his Chaos breed nature to the fullest he’ll become a massive threat. Keep an eye on him, Sylph, and see if we can find another opening to try to kill him before he learns about his full power. However, you can do that as you go. I have a particular mission that I need you to run, as I’m running short on Demon Generals, and you are my most reliable one.”

Sylph nodded, “Thank you, Master. And leave everything to me. I’ll complete your mission.”

“Good. Here’s what you need to do…”

Meanwhile, back in Delgunner’s capital, things had returned to normal. The Heroes and their parties had been released from prison and put under a stricter curfew to prevent any more of their antics. King Alvin also gave a royal decree that Wench be blacklisted from all shopkeepers and merchants in order to limit what trouble she can cause, citing the Fun Box and Calamadon Demon incidents as examples. The same decree also stated that the Spear Hero’s party is not to be allowed to purchase items like Teleport Crystals, Fun Boxes, or any other item that could be abused in the same manner, much to Lucas’ protests.

At the time, Celtic and Skye were in the castle, chatting. Skye seemed particularly proud today, making Celtic chuckle.

“You’ve really gotten the hang of your Illusion magic, huh, Skye?” he asked.

Skye puffed up her chest, “Yep, and I owe that to you and the new heart you gave me. Now I have the means of really giving my enemies something to worry about.”

Suddenly, they heard familiar voices approaching. Skye’s ears twitched to make sure before gaining a devious smirk.

“Fun time,” she giggled. “Quick Hiding.”

She vanished from the spot. Celtic could still sense her nearby but pretended she wasn’t around. The other four Heroes appeared from around a corner. As soon as all four noticed Celtic, they gained annoyed looks. However, those looks turned to confusion as he smirked.

“What are you smirking at?” Lucas growled.

Suddenly, without warning, one by one their pants got pulled down to their ankles, exposing their boxers. It happened so fast that it took them a moment to realize this before hastily covering up. Skye then reappeared near Celtic, giggling.

“Nice undies, boys,” she giggled. “Especially you, Eric, what with the pink boxers and hot pink hearts on them.”

They all went wide-eyed as they tried to process what just happened.

“What the!?” Jerry sputtered.

“How did you do that, Skye!?” Eric choked.

The Light Elf grinned deviously, “That’s for me to know and for you to keep spinning your wheels about.”

Before anyone could react they suddenly heard three screams. The other Heroes turned their heads to see three maids behind them, having dropped what they were carrying to cover their eyes in panic. They quickly pulled their pants back up. However, this distraction caused Skye to vanish again. Just as the four other Heroes had adjusted their belts they were suddenly knocked off their feet by a swift motion, causing them to topple onto each other. Skye then reappeared near Celtic again, giggling some more.

“Why did you do that?!” Ryan protested.

“I have my reasons,” the Light Elf giggled.

Celtic was trying hard to keep a straight face but he eventually burst out laughing, much to the other Heroes’ annoyance and embarrassment. Celtic continued to laugh hard, placing a hand on a wall to keep himself steady while the other Heroes angrily stood up. They stormed off in a huff, clearly embarrassed at Skye’s antics, while Celtic continued to laugh. After about a minute Celtic calmed down.

“Woo…” he panted. “I haven’t had a good laugh like that in a while. My sides hurt. Thanks, Skye, that was quite the show. I needed that.”

Skye winked at him flirtatiously, “No problem, Cel, happy to do it. They had it coming after all the problems they’ve caused. And trust me, I’ve got more planned for them.”

Celtic shook his head in amusement, “Illusion magic is supposed to be used to ambush and confuse enemies, not prank them. Although I won’t deny I enjoyed your little ‘modification’ to what Illusion magic is supposed to do. I almost feel sorry for them.” He noticed Skye’s expression before chuckling, “Almost.”

It wasn’t long before the other Heroes ran into the rest of Celtic’s party. They were still pretty upset at Skye’s antics, which didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the Shroud Hero party.

“What’s got your boxers in a bunch?” Leon asked.

Jerry replied acidly, “Skye somehow turned invisible and pranked us!”

Eric nodded, “Yeah. She pulled our pants down, exposing our boxers, and then knocked us off our feet while invisible!”

The rest of the Shroud Hero party went dead silent before they all burst out laughing, much to the other Heroes’ annoyance.

“It’s not funny!” Lucas spat.

“On the contrary!” Rupert howled. “It’s downright hilarious!”

“The fact that you four goons could fall for such an easy prank by Skye and her new magic proves just how pathetic you are!” Zuzu cackled.

Before the other Heroes could respond an invisible force pulled their pants down again, making them hastily cover up. This only caused the other members of the Shroud Hero party laugh harder. The other Heroes turned bitterly behind them to see Skye reappear near Celtic, both of whom were laughing quite hard.

“Stop that!” Ryan snapped.

Skye gained a devious grin, “Oh, believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve got far grander plans for you four. You won’t be safe anywhere.”

This terrified the other four Heroes as they quickly pulled their pants back up and just as quickly scuttled out of the room to avoid any more pranks. This only made the Shroud Hero party laugh even harder before they finally started to calm down.

Viola wiped away some tears before saying, “Oh, that was hilarious. I haven’t laughed that hard in ages.”

Tyroe chuckled, “I’ll say. My sides ache from how hard I was laughing. You really put them through the wringer, Skye.”

Zuzu snickered, “And their choice of boxers is pretty humorous. Especially Eric’s pink ones with hot pink hearts, though Lucas’ grey ones with pink polka dots weren’t far off. Heheh… that was certainly entertaining.”

Skye gave a mischievous smirk, “Hey, what can I say, they had it coming. After all the problems they cause us and the people of this planet they had it coming. And I’ve got plenty more planned for them.”

Suddenly a voice said, “While I applaud you for your enthusiasm, Lady Skye, it’ll have to wait until later.”

Everyone turned to see King Alvin walk up to them.

“Your Majesty,” Leon stated.

Rupert then asked, “I take it there is a problem that needs sorting out, sire?”

King Alvin nodded, “Right on the nose, Sir Rupert. A Shadow Sentinel recently spotted Sylph flitting about. She seemed to be carrying a large sack. What’s inside the sack I don’t know but it does raise a concern that she’s collecting valuable stuff for Infinator. As you know the Infinity Hourglasses have stopped working for whatever reason, thus we don’t know if or when Infinator will make his next move. We assume that Sylph is running errands for him to help him either speed up his revival or for other reasons. Your mission is this: go to the old mineshaft near the Delgunner/Shadoria boarder and confront Sylph. You’ve actually been there before, as it was the location Sylph ambushed you after causing a ruckus at a nearby village. The same place where she killed Lady Skye followed by Avalar resurrecting her. While her Warp could get you there no problem, a Shadow Sentinel will escort you instead, just as a precaution in case Sylph gets… problematic. You need to find out what she’s trying to harvest and what she’s carrying in that sack so we can keep it away from Infinator. Good luck.”

A male Shadow Sentinel suddenly appeared, stating, “I’m ready to escort you to the mineshaft. Are you ready to go?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, let’s get moving before Sylph beats a quick retreat.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded before stating, “Shadow Warp!”

Celtic, his party, and the Shadow Sentinel vanished, leaving Delgunner behind. They reappeared near the same cavern where they last fought Sylph. Zuzu gave a sniff.

“I can smell her,” the Succuryn growled. “Sylph is still here. Whatever she’s trying to gather up in that mineshaft we won’t let her get away with it. I’ve got a massive bone to pick with her after what she did to Skye.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed, Zuzu, so let’s not waste any time and try to get the drop on her before she flees.”

The Shadow Sentinel took out a torch and lit it, “Then let me be your guide. While I can’t confront Sylph I can escort you through this mineshaft, as it is rather elaborate in design. Come, we must hurry.”

Nodding, the party quickly ventured into the mineshaft. It was long and winding, with many smaller tunnels connecting to the larger one. After a little bit they could hear a faint noise. It sounded like pinging.

Skye’s ears twitched as she heard this, “Sounds like a pickaxe hitting some ore or crystal. Sylph is definitely mining for something.”

Rupert looked around, “I wonder what kind of mine this is?”

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “This mine, while currently abandoned due to monsters, holds many different types of ores, crystals, and gems. The only reason no one goes in here is because of the monsters that took it over as their new home, as most of the original miners didn’t have the power or guts to face them.”

Tyroe asked, “What kind of monsters live here?”

“Mostly Gengar Bats, Gengar Rats, Phantom Bats, Nightmare Bats, Moonlight Creepers, Maze Rat Soldiers, Feral Gremlins, and Ghost Mages. They’re not too tough individually but they tend to attack in packs to overwhelm their foes with numbers. The Moonlight Creepers, Ghost Mages, and Gengar Bats are the most problematic, as they also use psychological warfare to further disable their enemies to make them easier prey. So, be alert for them as well as Sylph, as they can very easily disrupt your focus.”

Just then a red haze descended upon them. Celtic lost sight of everyone, his gold eyes darting around. Suddenly, a familiar voice could be heard.

“I hate you, Celtic! I hate the fact you are such a thug to the other Heroes!”

He became startled, “S-Skye?!”

Another familiar voice could be heard.

“The Shroud Hero is no Hero! The Four Stars Church is right about you!”

Celtic started to become rattled, “L-Leon?!”

Suddenly two strong voices said in unison, “Light Burst!”

A blinding light cut through the red haze, temporarily blinding Celtic but also revealing several monsters. One were bats with large speaker-like ears, another were ghoul-like monsters that crawled along the celling, while the last were almost cloth Muppet-like ghostly children that wore robes and a wizard hat. They had been stunned by the sudden burst of light. Another voice could then be heard.

“Crescent Leaf!”

Several sharp leaves slashed the monsters to bits, causing the rest of the red haze to vanish, revealing the rest of the party. Celtic fell to one knee, clearly shaken, causing Skye to quickly dash to his side.

“Cel!” she stated. “Are you okay? Speak to me, handsome.”

“I’m not handsome!” the redhead said strongly.

Skye gained a crooked smile, “You’ll be fine. But I’m surprised you fell for those hallucinations caused by the Gengar Bats, Moonlight Creepers, and Ghost Mages. That’s not like you.”

Viola stated, “It seems that Celtic still has some trust issues. Even though he knows we’re trustworthy, he still harbors some fears regarding it. That’s how those monsters could prey upon him like that, as he still has enough trust issues to still have a grip on his mental state. Not to mention that his mental and emotional health are still in shambles, so it’s no surprise he’d get a bit rattled from those monsters’ psychological warfare tactics.”

Celtic turned his head away in shame, “I’m sorry. I know better than that but… you guys are my first friends ever. I… I can’t help but fear I’ll lose you. My trust issues run very deep and they only got worse thanks to Wench and the Light Elves. While I’ve built bridges of trust with you lot I can’t help but be frightened of the possibility I’ll be betrayed again as that’s how my life has always been. It’s what made me what I am today. But I should know better than to think that you’d betray me, but I can’t help but harbor that fear. I’m sorry… forgive me.”

Skye gave him a warm smile, “It’s okay, Cel, we understand. You’ve had a very horrid life that has turned you into a jaded, cynical, and pessimistic person. It’s no surprise that trust is still an issue with you. Just remember that we’ll face everything together and we’ll never stab you in the back.”

The Shadow Sentinel stated, “It’s no surprise you got rattled, Your Majesty. We Shadokor know exactly what you’ve been through so getting a bit shaken by those monsters’ illusions would be logical, as you’ve suffered quite a bit. But, for now, we need to get moving, as I’m certain Sylph may have heard that ruckus.”

“Wait,” Celtic stated. “Let me just absorb these monsters into my Shroud. Maybe they’ll come in handy later on.”

After quickly absorbing the various monsters, creating the “Gengar Bat Shroud”, the “Moonlight Creeper Shroud”, and the “Ghost Mage Shroud”, with the rest being harvested by the party to sell for fast cash, they quickly ventured further into the mine. It wasn’t long before they found Sylph. She was harvesting various types of ore, crystals, and gems, but it was obvious the commotion caused by the various monsters had gotten her attention, as she was waiting for them. Her eyes narrowed as the party approached.

“I should’ve known that ruckus was your doing, Shroud Hero,” she growled. “Got a bit tangled up with the local monsters I take it? Well, I’ll show you that I’m much worse than—”

Suddenly she started to stumble, much to everyone’s surprise. She clutched her chest as she felt something reacting inside of her. Without warning three spheres of light emerged from her, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

“W-What!?” she sputtered. “M-My Spiria! You’re betraying me?!”

The spheres of light made a noise that sounded like they were blowing a raspberry before flying over to Rupert, Viola, and Zuzu. They fused with the respective party members, causing them to become stronger. On Celtic’s stat screen he saw Rupert’s stats increase by 49%, Viola increase by 54%, and Zuzu increase by 67%, along with three popup screens that identified the Spiria that had now bonded with their respective party members.

Sylph looked horrified, “M-My Spiria betrayed me!?! But I won them in battle! Why would they betray me!?”

Skye then realized something, “Wait! If Sylph’s Spiria were won through battle but they abandoned her in favor of our party members then that means the Spiria’s loyalty isn’t guaranteed when they’re acquired via battle! Only when they bond with a person on their own accord does it guarantee their loyalty. Zuzu’s theory was right.”

Sylph’s expression of horror became worse, “So, it doesn’t matter if I capture a Spiria through battle because if it senses someone it likes better it’ll just ditch me!? That’s not fair! I hunted those Spiria down myself and obtained them with my own skill! I will NOT let a bunch of nobodies like you take my hard work away from me! Summon Undead!”

She cast a spell that caused several Skeleton Soldiers to appear. They started to lumber their way toward the party.

Celtic gained a dark grin, “I recently learned something about a particular Shroud I have. One that you don’t like, Sylph. It’ll make your undead soldiers crumble quickly! Soulavore Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into the Soulavore Shroud, making Sylph recoil in shock.

“Take this! Undead Eat!”

He closed the front of his Shroud, causing the two halves of the Soulavore head to connect. This caused the Soulavore head to emerge slightly from the Shroud, opened its mouth, and began to suck in energy like a vacuum. This caused the Skeleton Soldiers to turn into energy and got absorbed by the Soulavore Shroud, much to Sylph’s shock and horror. On Celtic’s stat screen he saw what appeared to be tanks of energy appear, filling up with the Skeleton Soldier’s energy until several were full, making him smirk.

“Excellent!” he said. “Now those Skeleton Soldiers have become Energy Points that I can use to increase the power of any of my Shroud forms. Thanks for that, Sylph, as it’ll help make my Shroud stronger.”

Sylph looked horrified, “S-So your Soulavore Shroud not only eats magical energy but also undead!? And then converts it into energy that you can use to modify your Shroud even further!? That’s the bread and butter of Master Infinator’s forces!”

She quickly bolted for the sack she was filling up. Tyroe gained a dark expression.

“Not so fast, Sylph!” he growled. “Rock Tomb!”

He encased the sack inside a stone prison that caused Sylph to stop dead in her tracks. Before she could break it open, Zuzu quickly zipped in and sucker punched her, sending her sprawling onto the ground. This frightened the Succulite.

“No! I can’t fail again!” she sputtered. “Master Infinator would have my head if I don’t deliver these items to him!”

Zuzu cracked her knuckles, “That is assuming you live to see him after today, Sylph.”

In a panic, Sylph quickly zipped past Zuzu, grabbed as much of the ore, crystals, and gems she had harvested as she could, and quickly flew up to the cavern celling, leaving the trapped sack behind. She then blasted a hole in the celling with magic before quickly flying away. Zuzu was about to pursue but felt a hand on her shoulder, revealing it to be Celtic.

“Forget it, Zuzu,” he said. “While I’m all for going after her, we don’t really have to. The day is won, the battle is done, and we managed to keep Sylph from taking back all the treasures she was collecting for Infinator. She still got some but we hold the majority of it. We also managed to take her Spiria away, significantly boosting our power while cutting her down to more normal levels. I’d call that a victory in itself. And it shows that when things go south for her, Sylph will flee instead of fight. No, she’s not worth it right now. We’ll get her yet. But at least we kept her from totally completing her mission.”

Zuzu nodded, “Yeah, that’s true. And the fact that one of her Spiria chose me is something I’m quite pleased about, as it means I’m superior to her. So, yeah, I can see your point. I’ll call this a victory, as we did keep Sylph from getting away with everything. But next time I see her she’s a corpse.”

Leon smiled, “That’s the spirit. And save some action for us, as we’ve all got a bone to pick with her. But, either way, let’s see what Sylph was trying to gather that was so important to Infinator.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Tyroe, please lower the Rock Tomb so we can see what she was trying to gather.”

Nodding, Tyroe lowered the Rock Tomb, revealing the sack. Everyone gathered around it and opened it up. Inside were countless pieces of ore, gems, crystals, and even certain monster drops. Skye sifted through everything to see what Sylph had collected.

“I think I can see where this is going,” she said. “While I’m not sure about why she wanted ores, many of these items are Elemental Gems, Magic Crystals, the various types of Eye Gems, Devil Tails, a handful of Pale and Pink Pearls, a couple of Phoenix Feathers, and even some Dimensional Diamonds and Oracle Crystals. Many of these would be very useful to Infinator, as he could either use them to speed up his revival or bolster the power of his forces, especially the Dimensional Diamonds and Oracle Crystals. So, it was a good thing that we kept her from getting away with this sack, as many of these items could’ve given Infinator a significant boost in power. She still got away with some Clear Gems, Platinum Ore, and Magic Crystals from this mineshaft, and she may try to come back to see if she can gather some more, but overall we kept her and Infinator from gaining some substantial power.”

Rupert suggested, “We should probably find a way to keep Sylph from just simply waltzing in here again and harvesting more items when our backs are turned. Like either seal the place off with magic or something along those lines.”

The Shadow Sentinel then said, “King Duskbane may have a solution to that, as he’s been recently talking with Queen Rease about trying to limit Sylph’s chances of entering certain locations due to the abundance of valuable items that she could steal. As Sylph is one of the things that the Shadokor and Druids unanimously agree on despite our love/hate relationship with each other, Queen Rease has been creating anti-evil items that would repel Sylph from entering places like this, though I’m not sure if they’re ready yet.”

Celtic replied, “Still, that’s a solid start. We’ll have to inform Aunt Rease about this. It may give her extra motivation to keep Sylph from just flying back in here to collect more items, especially since she’s returning to Infinator with less than she was probably requested to obtain. But the fact that the Shadokor and Druids are both working together on trying to limit Sylph’s ability to cause trouble is good to hear. For now let’s just take this sack back with us and return to Delgunner to report to King Alvin on what happened.”

Nodding in agreement, the party gathered up the items in the sack, with Celtic using his Tek-Pak to scan and digitize them for safekeeping before the Shadow Sentinel teleported them back to Delgunner. They explained what had happened to King Alvin, making him ponder.

“Hmm…” he said. “It appears Infinator needs extra items to bolster his power and resources. Seeing how only Sylph was sent could mean that he’s running low on Demon Generals. Then again, Sylph is his most trusted minion, so I shouldn’t be surprised she was sent. But the fact you nipped the situation in the bud is most pleasing. But it does mean that Infinator may resort to tearing open a dimensional gateway to the Demon Realm to better gather more powerful resources, as Zakota’s resources are more limited compared to the Demon Realm. Still, you all did a fine job. I’m most pleased with your efforts. And the fact that you unintentionally stole Sylph’s Spiria from her is quite a relief. Sylph on her own is problematic, much less having Spiria to further strengthen her, so that’s one less thing to worry about. Good work. Go and put your feet up for a bit, you deserve it. And keep any of the items you gathered from Sylph as your reward, since you can make better use of them. And don’t worry about the other Heroes, as they’ve been here, sulking that their freedoms have been limited. They’re just like a bunch of children.”

Celtic could only sigh, “Sad but true. Anyway, come on, gang, let’s see if we can use these items for something. Maybe to make accessories to sell for some cash or use them to strengthen us. Plus, I have to use those Energy Points my Soulavore Shroud obtained from those Skeleton Soldiers to further boost the Mastery levels of my Shrouds. And I’m curious to see what my new Shrouds can offer. So let’s go back into our guest room and put up our feet for a bit.”

Nodding in agreement, the Shroud Hero party returned to their guest room to relax and see what they could use from the stuff they liberated from Sylph.

Next Chapter: Robert Strikes Back

And that's it for now. Tune in next time to find out what happens to our Heroes.
 
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Here's the next chapter for your reading enjoyment. Hopefully.

Robert Strikes Back


It was the following day after Celtic and his party chased off Sylph. It was a rainy day so everyone was staying inside to avoid the heavy downpour. Celtic was looking over his various Shroud forms, trying to decide where to put the Energy Points he had gotten from Sylph yesterday. There were also several items scattered about that they had confiscated from Sylph, as the party was trying to sort through them all and see what they could use them for.

Celtic said silently as he looked over his Shroud skills, “Sylph pretty much accidentally gave my party a huge boost. Not only did she have to give up most of the items she had gathered, but summoning those Skeleton Soldiers gave me a bevy of Energy Points AND she lost all three of her Spiria to us. I’ve taken advantage of the fact that she was forced to abandon the items she had gathered and bolstered several of my Shrouds, along with obtaining new ones. Thanks to her I got the Belle Cap Shroud, the Magic Crystal Shroud, the Falcon Eye Shroud, the Rock Bomb Shroud, the Phoenix Feather Shroud, Lizard Tail Shroud, Wing of Bat Shroud, Devil Tail Shroud, and the Brown, Shiny, AND Gold Monster Egg Shroud. Those last three have boosted my cooking skills substantially, and they go nicely with my previously acquired Monster Egg Shroud, which is what started amplifying my cooking ability. And considering the fact I have seven mouths and 12 stomachs to feed I’ll need it. Now, let’s see… where should I put some of these Energy Points? Maybe in the Copper, Silver, and Gold Ore Shrouds? Maybe the Krik-It Shroud to further enhance our jumping ability and Speed? Maybe the Egg Soldier Shroud to increase the chance of our attacks lowering the enemy’s Defense or Magical Defense? Or maybe the Sapphire Conch Shroud to further boost our Water and Ice resistance? Or maybe in some old standbys like the Lizartaur Shroud, Cobra Hydra Shroud, and Soulavore Shroud? Decisions, decisions, decisions…”

Suddenly he felt Skye embrace him from behind, nuzzling her cheek against his, making him chuckle.

“Still working on those Energy Points, handsome?” she purred.

“I’m not handsome!” the redhead stated. “And yes, I’m trying to decide which Shroud form I should put them into. I’ve also spent some time moving around other Energy Points from lesser used Shrouds, like the Orange Ballooner Shroud, into my more commonly used ones so I can boost their power. Since, unlike Lucas, Eric, and Jerry, Ryan uses the same method to boost his Sword. Though he and those dodo birds fail to realize that each method that they know is viable and could significantly help boost all of them… if they’d only listen. Honestly, I feel like the only one who is actually willing to try new things and not be so narrow-minded about stuff like this. Small wonder why they keep screwing up so much. At this rate I don’t know what it’ll take for them to take this mission seriously.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, I hear ya. But it’s also no surprise why you’re the better Hero, as you take every precaution and every avenue of strengthening your Shroud and party you can find. I almost wish that reality would beat those four over the head to show them why you’re more successful and popular than they are and make them take your lead. Wishful thinking, I know, but things are only going to get worse from here.”

Zuzu, who was floating lazily above them, said, “Not to pile it on but I heard one of the soldiers say that Sylph returned to that mine during the dead of night to harvest more items, fleeing before sunrise. It appears that, despite our efforts, she may still find a way to complete the mission Infinator assigned her to, albeit she’ll probably have to do it in multiple trips so to avoid losing almost everything in one swoop. But I doubt even she’ll come out on a day like today. She doesn’t like to get her hair wet, at least that’s what I learned when I was spying on her and Infinator, anyway. Fuh… some demon she is. But that does mean we need to be alert in case we cross paths with her again while she’s gathering materials for Infinator. While I don’t know exactly why she needs things like Elemental Gems, ores, and certain monster drops, we should at least try to keep her from gathering too much so we can limit whatever Infinator can get from them.”

Leon, who was sorting through some of the items, nodded, “Agreed, Zuzu. Sylph may try to use the cover of night from now on in order to avoid an unnecessary confrontation with us, as it’s easy to see she’s starting to become wary of us. She’s been pretty much untouchable for centuries until Celtic and the rest of us came to be. That last fight we had with her, when she killed Skye, was a pretty clear-cut indication that she’s not as invincible as she thought she was, seeing how just you alone was able to back her into a corner. No, she realizes we’re an actual threat to both her and Infinator, even though the Calamadon Demon incident also showed that we’re not ready to take on Infinator yet. Considering she’s been pretty smug about being virtually invincible, getting knocked down a few pegs lately is definitely going to have an effect on her psyche.”

Skye turned to him, “And I’m looking forward to that happening. It’s about time she got knocked off her high-horse by the low-bridge that is our party. Seeing that will be satisfying, to say the least.”

Viola, who was using the Crystal Lens to scan the various Pearls they had gotten, stated, “We should be careful though if she does start to lose it. While it would mean she’d be more likely to make careless mistakes that we can capitalize on, it also means she’ll get extremely desperate to keep everything from falling apart. A demon whose psyche has been shattered is an extremely dangerous one, as they will act erratically and become extremely unpredictable at best. Seeing how just the thought of losing was enough to make her panic and kill Skye in a desperate attempt to get out of the fight, one can only imagine what she’ll do if her sanity crumbles. No, we need to exercise caution if Sylph’s sanity starts to slip, as she’ll probably resort to whatever she has to in order to achieve her goal. Remember, demons are tenacious, they refuse to die no matter the situation and will do anything to come out on top. So, a demon whose sanity has shattered would be a far more dangerous opponent than one that’s mentally sound.”

Celtic gave a heavy sigh, “I know that feeling all too well. As a half-demon whose sanity is hanging on by threads, I know that I can be dangerous when I’m close to losing it. So I can only imagine how dangerous a full-blooded demon who has completely snapped would be like. Considering the two times I’ve snapped I proved to be extremely dangerous, even when my blood was still dormant: a demon like Sylph snapping would be even worse. Yeah, we need to be cautious if Sylph goes off the deep end because we keep screwing up her missions and plans.”

Skye looked concerned, “You’ve snapped twice now, Celtic? I know one time was thanks to Wench when she betrayed you and the damn Light Elves turned you into a wanted criminal, but what was the first time?”

“It was back when I was 10, though I don’t remember it too well for some reason. I was at a family barbeque where I was bombarded on all sides by my aunts and uncles, telling me that I was not family and I belonged in the gutter. I remember finally snapping, though there is bit of a blank space between when I snapped and when I left, but I know that I must’ve released some sort of energy burst that trashed the yard, injured everyone present, and destroyed part of my relatives’ house. It was like a small bomb had gone off. I’m guessing I awoke my hybrid blood that day and released a Chaos energy burst, but that’s only a guess, as it was that part where my memory gets hazy. That day turned me into the miserable jerk that I am now and gave me a warped view on the concept of family. So, you can see why it took me so long to finally accept Duskbane and my other blood relatives as family, as that day reshaped me into what I am today.”

The party had been stunned silent at this story, clearly shocked at what had transpired that day. Skye was the first to react and embraced Celtic from behind again.

“I can’t believe that happened to you, Cel…” she said gloomily. “That’s… That’s just plain evil. It’s no wonder you turned out the way you did if you had to endure such cruelty from those who are supposed to be called family. And all because you were adopted? I think I may have found people who are just as vile as my former family: your aunts and uncles. It’s no surprise you were reluctant to accept King Duskbane as an uncle, despite his efforts, if you had been tormented to that degree. I just can’t believe that your so-called ‘family’ would do such atrocious things to you. I can now see why you have such a warped view on family and why you were so defensive toward King Duskbane, Queen Wuya and Queen Rease for so long.”

Leon couldn’t help but give a sigh, “And now I can really see why I consider you my best friend: we’ve been through similar situations when it comes to family. You with your aunts and uncles while I had to deal with my abusive half-brother Robert. Man, our families are pretty messed up. No wonder we ended up friends, as we have a sense of kinship with each other for having to endure abusive relatives. And speaking of Robert, I can only imagine what trouble he’s causing now. Considering he’s still on the loose we need to be careful about what stunt he’ll pull next.”

Rupert replied, “Whatever he pulls we’ll be ready to knock him down a peg or two. We’ve done it before and with him now blacklisted in several locations thanks to the Squidadon incident he’ll have a harder time trying anything funny. We’ve got this, pal, so whatever he tries to do we’ll shut it down.”

Meanwhile, under the cover of storm clouds and rain, a man was resting inside a shallow cave. When lightning flashed it revealed the man to be Robert. His clothes were getting a bit battered up and he was donning a traveler’s cloak. In front of him were several items that he had acquired, along with a backpack. As he looked the items over he gained a dark sneer.

“Soon… very soon I’ll get my revenge on that Shroud Devil and my accursed half-brother Leon,” he said. “And these items, along with my plan, will ensure that they won’t survive our next meeting.”

The next day the storm had cleared up, creating a sunny, beautiful day. Celtic and his party were still in their guest room going over some of the items they had gotten from Sylph. However, a few moments later a female Shadow Sentinel appeared, surprising them.

“I take it something has come up?” Celtic asked.

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. We have detected an enemy causing trouble for a village. An enemy you know quite well by now: Robert Hammerlocke.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed, “My half-brother is causing trouble again, huh? We were just talking about him yesterday. I knew he wouldn’t stay hidden in the shadows for long. What village is he tormenting this time?”

“The village in question is Glimmer Rose Village within the Flugel Kingdom’s territory. I was told by King Duskbane to take you there right away, as Robert is attacking the village with monsters. They won’t last long without support.”

Celtic quickly scanned and digitized the items they were working with, strapped his Tek-Pak on his back, and turned to her, “We’re on our way. Team, let’s move out before Robert causes any more damage.”

Everyone nodded and grabbed their stuff, ready to fight. Celtic gave the Shadow Sentinel the signal.

“Shadow Warp!” she said.

They all vanished in black portals, leaving Delgunner behind. They reappeared near a village that was under attack from various monsters, most of which looked like undead-type monsters. Skye took a quick moment to scan what monsters were present.

“Okay, from the looks of it, we’re dealing with Blood Skeleton Soldiers, Red Orcs, Skull Curs, Flame Ghost Mages, Fire Lamps, and Cursed Skulls,” she said. “Since the Blood Skeleton Soldiers, Flame Ghost Mages, and Cursed Skulls are all undead, the Soulavore Shroud will deal with them easily. The rest are pretty easy to deal with by using conventional methods. Just be careful of the Flame Ghost Mages as, while they can’t use psychological warfare like their base form counterparts, they can cause the Hallucination status ailment to confuse enemies into attacking each other.”

Celtic nodded, “Right, then let’s get moving and help those villagers. But first, Soulavore Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into the Soulavore Shroud. The party quickly charged in. Robert, who was commanding the monsters from behind, noticed them approaching, making him grin darkly.

“They took the bait,” he said with a sneer. “This time I’ll put them out of my misery.”

As they approached, Celtic stated, “Taunt Pulse!”

He released waves of energy at the monsters. This caused all of them to turn and start charging at him, leaving the battered villagers alone, much to their relief. Celtic then closed the Shroud around him, bringing the two halves of the Soulavore head together.

“Undead Eat!”

The Soulavore head lifted up, opened its mouth, and began to suck energy like a black hole. This caused all the undead monsters to suddenly convert into an energy form and were consumed by the Soulavore Shroud, much to Robert’s surprise. On Celtic’s stat vision he saw several tanks of Energy Points be created, along with notifications about any item drops that he obtained from the consumed undead monsters, making him smile.

“Team, move out!” he stated. “Battle Formation: Epsilon 3!”

The party took a set battle formation and began attacking the other monsters while Celtic allowed himself to be a lightning rod to attract the monsters to him, with his defenses effectively nullifying any and all damage. Robert was shocked at how fast the party cut through his monster horde like it was child’s play, clearly not expecting that. It wasn’t long before the last monster was slayed, leaving only him against an enraged Shroud Hero party.

“That… didn’t quite work as intended…” Robert said, still stunned.

Tyroe laughed, “Ha! It’ll take more than a few weaklings like those monsters to get the better of us, Robert! You should’ve expected that.”

Leon nodded, “Tyroe is right. You clearly didn’t do your homework, which is not like you, as you were always the golden boy of the abbey we were in, studying everything you could to gain every advantage you needed. Looks like you’re losing your touch, brother, which is a disappointment. Now, we’ve got you cornered.”

Robert gained an icy glare, “Oh, I’m far from down, Leon. Observe.”

He took out an item. It looked like a large sleigh bell in the shape of a skull. Skye’s eyes narrowed.

“Be careful of that item, gang,” she stated. “That’s a Skull Bell. It can be used to summon undead and lesser demon monsters. That’s probably how he got those Blood Skeleton Soldiers, Cursed Skulls, and Flame Ghost Mages on his side. However, it’s a limited use item, as it can only be used three times before it breaks.”

Robert gained a dark grin, “Not bad for a bunny girl. Yes, and I still have two more summons to use. This time…”

However, before he could finish his sentence Leon had loaded up an energy arrow and fired it at the Skull Bell. The arrow struck the bell and instantly shattered it, injuring Robert’s hand in the process, making his eyes widen in surprise.

“There, that’ll take care of it,” Leon growled. “My Sacred Arrow nailed the mark as always. I always was the best archer in the Templars, so destroying that accursed Skull Bell before it can be used again was easy. Now you can’t summon anymore undead or lesser demon monsters. That’ll cut your options down by a sizable amount.”

Robert gripped his injured hand, gaining a hateful expression, “Maybe so, but I still have other options available to me. Like this!”

He pulled out a flute, making everyone groan.

“Not another Monster Tamer Flute…” Viola grumbled.

Robert sneered, “Yes. You can thank the Ringmonster I fought a while back for this rare drop. Now, watch and be amazed at my power!”

He started to play the flute, causing it to release an eerie melody. This caused the ground to shake as several monsters started to charge in from the surrounding area, each ready to respond and obey the one controlling them with the flute.

Celtic transformed his arm into Mag-Bolt, “Looks like I have to repeat what I did back with the Squidadon. Mag-Bolt, snatch that flute!”

His Mag-Bolt released magnetic energy that started to tug at the flute. However, Robert this time kept his grip on it, not wanting to repeat what happened before. However, this caused Skye to charge in and give him a swift kick in the chest, making him gasp in pain and letting the flute go, which allowed Celtic to snatch it with the Mag-Bolt. He then broke the flute in two, which caused the monsters that were approaching to suddenly stop, look around in confusion, before turning around and leaving without a fight. Robert was horrified at this turn of events.

“No! Not again!” he yelled in a fury. “I won’t be outdone by the Shroud Devil!” He then gained a gleam in his eye, stating, “I still have one last card to play!”

He took out one last item. This one looked almost like a remote control. Leon’s eyes narrowed as he saw this.

“Be careful, team,” he stated. “That’s a Tankor Controller, meaning he can summon one of the most brutal machine monsters out there.”

Robert laughed, “That’s right! Watch this!”

He pressed the main button on the controller. This caused a portal to open up and a large machine emerge from it. The monster looked like a tank robot with an armored body, strong legs ending in tank treads, clamp-like hands, triple mortar cannons on its back that seemed adjustable, and a steam engine-like head with glowing visor-like eyes and a metal mouth.

“Dark Tankor, level this entire area!”

Robert then pressed another button that seemed to cause the robot to roar and start firing indiscriminately with its mortar cannons, causing the villagers to scramble in a panic.

Celtic stated, “We need to short circuit it! Either hit it with Water or zap it with Lightning, as machines hate both!”

Skye and Leon nodded at each other before starting to channel energy.

“Hydro Tower!” they both said.

This caused two large pillars of water to erupt in front of them, which barreled toward the machine monster. When the two Water attacks hit it, it caused it to suddenly stop. Skye then turned to Rupert who replied with a nod before both started to channel more energy.

“Zap Bolt!” Rupert stated.

“Lighting!” Skye roared.

Both Lightning attacks struck the Dark Tankor. This combined with the fact it was wet caused it to start smoking and sparking. Celtic realized that this meant.

“It’s gonna blow!” he stated. “Bone Prison!”

He trapped the now heavily smoking Dark Tankor inside the cage of bones.

“Tyroe, trap it inside your Rock Tomb!” he instructed

Tyroe nodded before stating, “Rock Tomb!”

This summoned a prison of rock that fully encased the Bone Prison, completely cutting it off from the outside world. Not a moment later did the Dark Tankor explode within the double prison, heavily damaging both the Bone Prison and the Rock Tomb. The Rock Tomb crumbled away, revealing a heavily battered and scorched Bone Prison along with the scrap remains of the Dark Tankor. Robert’s eyes went wide, his jaw dropping, causing him to carelessly drop the Tankor Controller in shock. Viola took advantage of this by making swift motions with her hands, encasing Robert and the Tankor Controller in cocoons of silk, bringing Robert back to his senses.

“I’m not licked yet!” he spat. “Teleport!”

He vanished in a burst of light, leaving behind the silk he was tied up in along with the Tankor Controller. The villagers cautiously came out of hiding before cheering in joy. The leader of the village walked up to them, giving them a polite bow.

“Thank you, noble Shroud Hero and friends,” he said graciously. “We cannot thank you enough for what you have done. You saved us from that vile man. But… I wonder, why would he attack us?”

Leon huffed, “Simple, to draw us out. Ever since we helped bring the downfall of the Four Stars Church Robert has been trying to find ways to get his revenge and, quite possibly, rebuild the Four Stars Church, as I’d be willing to bet there are still some believers out there. He knows that our party is the only true Legendary Hero party, thus he knew that if he caused enough of a ruckus we’d come to stop him. Although it’s obvious he wasn’t expecting us to be so strong now, as judging by his expressions he was taken by surprise at our skill and power. I just hope your people will be okay after that barrage of attacks and monsters, as it’s just like him to pick on a small village like this to get his way. It’s obvious you’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do.”

The village leader looked at his town before saying, “Yes… that wicked man has given us a lot of work to do. But, fortunately, it appears that all my villagers survived, but many are badly injured…”

Celtic then stated, “Leave that to us. Viola, Leon, you two go around and start patching everybody up. The rest of us will clean up the monster corpses and see if we got anything good from them. Plus, since this is the first time I’ve seen a Dark Tankor I want to absorb it for my Shroud. I know that all the undead monsters my Soulavore Shroud ‘ate’ had several items that are now stored in a separate inventory inside my Shroud, so I’ll have to get those out later. But, for now, let’s get to work on cleaning up this mess.”

Nodding, the party quickly went to work in helping the people and cleaning up the mess, with several still able villagers helping, as they wanted to harvest parts from some of the monsters. Celtic absorbed the destroyed Dark Tankor into his Shroud, creating the “Dark Tankor Shroud” in the process, while also noticing that the Flame Ghost Mages and the Cursed Skulls the Soulavore Shroud had consumed also caused two more Shroud forms to appear; the “Flame Ghost Mage Shroud” and the “Cursed Skull Shroud”. He also took the Tankor Controller for good measures. It didn’t take long before everything was set, although the village was still in bad shape.

The village leader walked up to Celtic, “We thank you once again, Sir Shroud Hero. I know this isn’t much but please take it with our regards.”

He handed over what looked like an item that looked like a pass made of gold.

“This is a Merchant Pass. It will not only allow you to go through all toll booths in our kingdom without needing to pay, but it’ll also give you a 15% discount on any items from any shop in our kingdom. It’s not much but we hope it’ll be useful.”

Celtic looked it over before saying, “Yeah, this’ll be fine. While I’m not totally sure if I can make good use of this, as I don’t frequent the locations in the Flugel Kingdom, but it may come in handy later on. Besides, I can’t take any money from you as you need it to repair the damage done to your village, so I’ll accept this as payment.”

The village leader bowed graciously, “Thank you, we are in your debt. If you ever see that Robert again make sure you give him our ‘regards’ for what he did to us.”

Leon brushed some hair out of his face, “Oh, don’t you worry about that. We’ll gladly pass on your ‘message’ to my half-brother, you can count on that.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement. The female Shadow Sentinel then appeared.

“If everything is finished I’ll take you back to Delgunner,” she said.

Celtic nodded, “Yes, do so. Besides, we need to report this to King Alvin so he can tell the Flugel Kingdom King to be alert to any other attacks on his people by Robert. So, let’s get a move on and report back to King Alvin.”

Everyone nodded, gathered up together, and gave the signal to the Shadow Sentinel.

“Shadow Warp!” she stated.

They all vanished in black portals, leaving the grateful villagers behind. The party reappeared in the throne room, where King Alvin was waiting for them.

“What happened?” he asked.

Celtic replied, “It was an attack on an innocent village. The culprit was Robert Hammerlocke, as he was using items like Skull Bells, Monster Tamer Flutes, and a Tankor Controller to summon monsters to attack the village in order to draw us out. He wanted to get rid of us only to be stunned at how powerful we had become, as we easily crushed his monster army. But unfortunately he got away even though Viola encased him in silk. That Teleport spell is really getting to be a problem. We need to find a way to disable it so he can’t just flee the second things go south for him. But fortunately, despite the damage, there were no casualties, though the injuries were fairly bad, but nothing Viola and Leon couldn’t handle.”

King Alvin gained a small smile, “While I would’ve preferred you to bring Robert in, at least the villagers came out alive and can rebuild, as that’s what’s most important, so I’ll call that good enough. I’ll contact King Saix to inform him what happened. Good work, as always. Go and take some time to relax. I’ll have my chefs prepare a delicious meal for you as your reward.”

The party said in unison, “Thank you, King Alvin.”

Celtic turned to his party, “Come on, everyone, back to our guest room. Besides, I’ve got to get all those item drops out of my Shroud’s inventory, as well as figure out what to do with all those new Energy Points Robert graciously gave me. So let’s put our feet up and take a break, as we deserve it.”

With a final nod the party left the throne room and returned to their guest room to relax and unwind, while Celtic worked on his Shroud. They knew that Robert would return to get his revenge, but they knew they were ready for him.

Next Chapter: The Return of the Generals

That's all for now, folks. The next chapter is the season finale so be ready for that.
 
This is it. The Season 2 finale of Chaos Rising. What will happen this time? (Warning: mild language and mild violence)

The Return of the Generals


It had been a few days since Robert attacked Glimmer Rose Village. The other four Heroes were finally released from their curfew under the promise to not make any more reckless decisions without first thinking of the consequences of their actions, which they reluctantly agreed to. What they didn’t know is that the Shadow Sentinels had placed self-cloaking tracking devices on each of their Legendary Gear so to keep better track of where the other Heroes were to prevent any more problems. However, what none of them knew is that the devious forces were up to something.

In Infinator’s prison Sylph was in a kneeling bow before the energy vent. Next to her were several fleshy cocoons with what appeared to be the shadows of creatures within them. The energy vent flared up and Infinator’s four eyes appeared. He looked at the cocoons and started to chuckle.

“Excellent work, Sylph,” he said. “You actually managed to get what we needed in order to buy us some time until we can make the next step in our plan. It may have taken you a couple of trips but seeing how that blasted Chaos breed and his party got in your way the first time it’s no surprise why you kept a lower profile this time. Especially with those Shadow Sentinels still lurking about. Now, tell me, how long do our allies have before everything is complete?”

Sylph smiled, “One of them is just about ready to deploy, the others will take a bit more time. And as for our lab rat she’s reaching the final step, though the final step is always the longest part. She should be ready soon, Master Infinator.”

“Excellent. While our new plan is only really designed to buy us some time until we can make our next move, it may still prove useful in gauging the Heroes’ strength at this time. While the Calamadon Demon incident was an excellent indicator that they’re not ready for a threat like me, that was more of an exception due to the Calamadon Demon being a rare situation that we can’t tap into regularly, unlike our current plan. It’s a shame the process only works if a certain condition is met but it does mean we can replenish our army a bit more consistently than before. You’ve done well, Sylph. Now, when our ally is ready, deploy him and head straight for Delgunner itself, as all these attempts to isolate the Shroud Hero in order to kill him haven’t succeeded. So, we might as well go straight for his front door. Just remember, Sylph, that Soulavore Shroud is a hard counter to you and any undead monsters our army so heavily relies on, so you better be more cautious around it.”

Sylph bowed again, “Yes, Master, I’ve made sure to not make that careless mistake again. That is why our first ally who will be deployed is in a better position than I would against the Soulavore Shroud, as his nature and abilities won’t be countered by it. You can rest assured that he’ll, at the very least, get good information on our targets.”

“Good, that’s just what I wanted to hear. Make sure he’s ready this time, as the last time he got taken by surprise with that Beastman’s Snatch Steal ability which caused his demise. This time our precautions better work better, otherwise it may just be a repeat of last time. Take every precaution you can, Sylph, to ensure that we will, at the very least, get the information we need. Don’t take anything for granted as that has cost us in the past.”

Sylph nodded, “Yes, Master Infinator. You can rest easy that this time I decided to play mad scientist and imbedded the precautions directly into our ally so we don’t have to worry about weaknesses getting exploited.”

Infinator chuckled, “Now we’re talking. Excellent idea, Sylph. Begin the necessary preparations for when he’s ready to be deployed. We must remind those Heroes and their allies that we’re still a threat to them and not to be taken lightly. Now, go.”

“Yes, Master, I’ll get right on it.”

It was the following day. Celtic and his party were relaxing in their favorite spot by the fountain in the center of the city. Things were peaceful as the party took the opportunity to unwind a bit. Suddenly, they all felt a disturbance in the air. Celtic’s pupils became slits as his demon instincts sensed something. It wasn’t long before the other Heroes showed up being escorted by Shadow Sentinels.

“What’s the big deal?” Lucas protested.

“Quit your griping and get ready for battle,” one of the Shadow Sentinels said bitterly. “We sense an enemy approaching. As a result, you and your parties need to be ready to fight. The rest of Delgunner’s knights will join you shortly so, for now, remain on standby.”

Ryan, who noticed Celtic’s pupils had become slits, asked, “I take it you detect this enemy, too, Celtic?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, I have. And yet, strangely, from what my Druid aura-reading ability is telling me… it’s someone we’ve faced before.”

Eric looked at him, “Sylph, maybe?”

Zuzu shook her head, “No, not Sylph. She’d be much more noticeable. No, this one is different. It’s weaker than Sylph but it feels like it’s been enhanced. It does feel like an old foe although I’m not 100% sure I recognize it.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice chuckled, “That’s because you never fought me, Succuryn. But you still would know who I am.”

Everyone looked on in shock as the sky was blanketed in dark clouds and a familiar being appeared.

“It’s General Alastor!” Leon sputtered

The Shade Wing Demon General smirked, “I’m flattered you remember me, Templar. But I assure you I’m not the same General Alastor as the one you fought before. No, I’m much stronger now.”

“But we defeated you!” Jerry protested. “You are history! How can you be back again!?”

Celtic turned to the Bow Hero, “Excuse me? YOU defeated him? You’re quite mistaken there, Jerry, as it was MY party that killed him!”

General Alastor smirked, “He is correct, Bow Hero, as I wiped you and your party out in one blow last time, and back then I was much weaker. But now I’m significantly stronger than before.”

Skye sputtered, “But how are you still alive?”

“To be technical, little bunny elf, you did kill me. Or rather, you killed my first self. I am, in actuality, a clone of my previous self, but with all my memories retained. You see, one of Mistress Sylph’s jobs was to go back to previous locations where we Demon Generals faced off against you and see if she could collect even a scrap of our past selves and bring it back to Master Infinator to effectively resurrect us from that scrap. Mistress Sylph managed to find a drop of my dried blood on the airship we battled on and used that to bring me back to life. So, I guess you can call me General Alastor Version 2.0, as I’m not only more powerful than I was before, but Mistress Sylph has enhanced me even further while I was incubating. And don’t think I’m the only Demon General waiting in the wings, as my fellow Generals are currently being revived. I just got resurrected the fastest, that’s why I’m here alone today.”

Viola looked alarmed, “Does that mean Infinator can have an entire army made up of cloned Demon Generals!?”

The Demon General replied, “Fortunately for you, no. The type of special demon magic Master Infinator had to use has a… condition of sort. You see, another clone cannot be created until the first one perishes. So, while you will be facing off against an army of Demon Generals, it’ll just be one copy of us at a time. But, as a result of this special magic, it means that Master Infinator can keep re-creating us as long as he has even a mere scrap of our DNA, so we’ll just keep coming back no matter how many times you strike us down. That is, if you can repeat the process of killing us all over again, as we’re not the same as before. But let’s find out if you’ve gotten stronger since then.” He then unfurled his wings before stating, “My minions, come forth!”

Several black portals opened up, releasing a swarm of bat monsters that all fluttered around General Alastor.

“Those are Phantom Bats, Nightmare Bats, Blood Moon Bats and Calamity Bats!” Leon stated. “He just summoned the entire Phantom Bat monster family!”

The Shade Wing smirked, “Yes, so you’ll have to divide your focus on both them and me! And let me assure you that I won’t be as easy as last time, Templar. Now, my minions, attack!”

The four types of Phantom Bats gave ear-piercing screeches and began to fly about and attack everything indiscriminately, creating all manner of chaos. The other Heroes and their parties tried to fend them off but their erratic movements prevented them from landing clean hits. Just then the Delgunner Knights appeared and joined in the fight, trying to limit the damage the various Phantom Bats could do. Celtic suddenly got an idea.

“Leave these flying freaks to me!” he stated. “Taunt Pulse!”

He released powerful energy waves from his body that struck the four types of Phantom Bats. This immediately caused them to stop attacking randomly and focus on Celtic instead. They started to attack Celtic with everything they had but Celtic’s defenses managed to endure the attacks, taking zero damage in the process.

“Now that I’ve got them distracted some of you focus on eliminating these bats while the rest focus on General Alastor!” Celtic instructed.

“Like we’re gonna take commands from you!” Lucas stated.

However, the knights readily complied, focusing their efforts on taking out the various Phantom Bats now that Celtic’s Taunt Pulse had them in one place while everyone else targeted General Alastor. The other Heroes and their parties tried to hurt the Demon General but he kept healing the damage off. Skye took note of this.

“We need to take him out in one shot!” she stated. “Remember, Shade Wings have very strong healing abilities, some of the best in the Demon Clan! That means we can’t leave a single Hit Point left otherwise he’ll just heal himself back up to full! Combine all your attacks into one single strike, as it’s not going to have any real effect on him otherwise!”

By that point Celtic was knee-deep in Phantom Bat corpses before stating, “I’ve got an idea! Gengar Bat Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed, becoming what looked like two large bat ear-shaped speakers with wings.

“Everyone, cover your ears!”

Everyone complied, even though the other Heroes were reluctant to do so.

“Sonic Screech!”

The speaker-like ears on the Shroud became erect and fired off a powerful screech that struck General Alastor, making him writhe in pain, clutching his ears. It also had an effect on the remaining Phantom Bats, stunning them. Everyone noticed that the Shade Wing Demon General’s Defense stat went down by a fairly large amount. Celtic then deactivated the Shroud.

“There, I lowered his Defense,” Celtic stated. “Now he’s more vulnerable to damage, so taking him out in one hit will be easier. That also applies to the rest of his bat minions. But you must act fast, as the Defense drop will only last a short time.”

“At least the Shroud was useful for once,” Eric stated.

The redhead gave him a venomous look, “Do you want me to give you a proper, personal demonstration on the power of my Shroud like what happened to Lucas during that duel, Eric? Maybe a taste of the Flame Dagger Acrobatic Assault? Or maybe a sample of the Sword Missiles? Or perhaps you want to feel the burn of the Dragon Rage Impact?”

Eric sputtered in response, “M-My mistake!”

“That’s better.”

Tyroe could only sigh, “I never ends between those four and Celtic.”

Zuzu stated, “Yeah, but time for that later, as Alastor has since recuperated from the Sonic Screech stunning him.”

General Alastor managed to regain his bearings, “Ouch! That hurt! My ears are still ringing. Looks like you’ve gotten a few new tricks since last time. No wonder Mistress Sylph is getting very nervous about dealing with you. But I’ll show YOU a real sonic screech! Sonic Crush!”

He released a powerful sonic soundwave that struck all the Heroes, their parties, and the Delgunner knights. It also caused several windows to break.

Celtic stated, “Dark Tankor Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again, now becoming a trio of large robotic cannons.

“Dark Mortars!”

The three cannons rose up and positioned themselves around and above Celtic’s head, much to the other Heroes’ surprise. They then fired three large blasts that struck General Alastor, knocking him out of the sky and canceling his attack. He crashed flat on his back, dazed and very hurt. He then noticed that he wasn’t healing as fast as he should.

“W-What’s going on?!” he sputtered. “It’s like my healing rate has slowed down dramatically!”

Celtic grinned, “That’s the power of the Dark Mortars. They have a 35% chance of negating or at least heavily reducing the opponent’s ability to heal off damage. The effect only lasts for a short time but it’s enough time to keep you from recovering as fast as you would normally do, thus giving us time to cut you down to size! Now’s our chance!”

The other Heroes quickly sprang into action, eager to upstage Celtic.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric shouted.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry spat.

The four Meteor attacks rocketed toward General Alastor before engulfing him in an explosion. When the smoke cleared he was gone.

“Hah!” Lucas said triumphantly. “I showed him!”

Zuzu looked up, “Don’t be so sure, Pointy Stick Boy, as our Demon General just got some major backup.”

Everyone looked up to see Sylph clutching General Alastor by his arms, seemingly struggling to stay airborne.

“She’s right, you know,” Sylph stated. “I managed to snatch General Alastor before those attacks could hit. While they wouldn’t have killed him, in his current state they’d do at least some damage to him. But I can’t leave him to be killed by the Shroud Hero and his party, as he’s got another role to fulfill. And I have just the means of getting him out of here before any of you can stop me.”

She revealed that her tail was holding a purplish crystal.

“A Teleport Crystal!” Rupert exclaimed.

“Yes, you furball. And now it’s time to say goodbye for now. Teleport Crystal activate!”

The Teleport Crystal glowed before both Sylph and General Alastor vanished in a flash of light, leaving everyone behind. The other Heroes were furious.

“How dare Sylph steal away our victory!” Jerry snapped.

Celtic replied, completely deadpan, “Did you really expect that you’d be able to kill General Alastor? Even Sylph said that your attacks would’ve only done some damage, not enough to kill him. Face it, you four, your attacks wouldn’t be enough. But there is a more serious matter to attend to.”

Ryan replied, “And what would that be?”

“This war has just gone up a few levels because Infinator now has the means to clone his Demon Generals over and over again. That means what happened today was just the prologue to what may happen next. If he can keep bringing back his Demon Generals every time they’re killed it just means we’re going to be going around in circles. It’ll be a never-ending cycle. As a result, it means we need to go after Infinator himself, as he’s the one who controls the whole process. Not to mention I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole thing is to buy himself time for his revival. No, we’ve entered a critical stage of the war, as until we can cut off the source of them, it’ll just be a never-ending cycle of us fighting the Demon Generals until Infinator is ready to take us on himself, and we don’t know when that’ll be. This was just the start of what’s to come, and it’s not going to be good.”

Next Chapter: Hunt for the Karma Beasts

End of Season 2

And that's the end of Season 2. Tune in next time for the start of Season 3.
 
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