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

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Okay, after many unneeded RL events, I'm now going to start posting the second season of Chaos Rising. Unlike Season 1, which was finished when I started to post it, Season 2 is only about maybe 1/3rd done, give or take, and RL events keep getting in the way, preventing me from being able to just sit down and write. But, enough of that, let's get going with Chapter 1 of Chaos Rising: Dawn of Heroes. (Warning: contains language and brief nudity (sorta))

Awakening


It had been a few days since the Light Elf royal family had been put on trial. The three disgraced Light Elves had now been enslaved and were put to work under the watchful eyes of the Delgunner knights, with the newly renamed Wench still working with Lucas as a party member. At the time, Celtic was back at the hospital getting final checks on his heath, the rest of his party waiting to hear the news.

Shortly, a medic walked out to them, smiling, “The Shroud Hero is in perfect health now. He can go back onto the frontlines. Still, he needs to be careful of that Chaos Blood Curse technique. He was lucky this time, but even King Duskbane admits that it can be potentially fatal to the user as well as the opponent. Try to keep him from using it again, as even if he does survive it, repeated use could do long-term damage to him.”

Skye and the others nodded, “We will.”

“Good. He’ll be out shortly, so just hang tight for a few more minutes.”

He left the room. A few minutes later Celtic appeared, much to the relief of his party. Skye tackled him in a hug, making him blush.

“Skye!” he protested. “Take it easy, I’m not dead… yet.”

The Light Elf giggled, “What? I can’t be happy that you’re okay, Cel? That’s not fair, as I was worried about you. We all were.” She then gained a serious expression, “Cel, the medic said you really mustn’t use Chaos Blood Curse again, because if it doesn’t kill you outright, it could cause long-term damage to you. So, please, don’t use Chaos Blood Curse again, okay?”

Celtic merely looked away, “I know, I know, I was told that, too. Now that I actually know about it and what it can do I don’t think I’ll be using it again. Whenever a Demon-type spell is unlocked, it just shows me the name and incantation. It doesn’t tell me what the spell does or its costs. It effectively becomes a case of trial-and-error for me, as I don’t know much else about whatever the spell is that I’m using. Especially since there isn’t a lot of information about Demon magic out there to begin with, so it ends up a live and learn situation. Not much I can do about that, but from what I’ve been told, Chaos Blood Curse is pretty much the only exception to the usual ‘demons being unharmed by Demon magic side-effects’ bit, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue from now on. I’ll be fine, Skye, so don’t worry about it.”

“Let’s hope so,” Leon said. “Demon magic is an extremely powerful branch of magic, but it has costly side-effects. From what we know, even other demons refrain from using Demon magic too often out of caution. So, you’d better learn some other magic, like Shadow, so you don’t have to rely on things like Wrath Fire to get the job done.”

Suddenly a voice said, “And I know just how to do that.”

They all turned to see King Duskbane walk up to them.

“King Duskbane!” Rupert said, surprised.

“What are you doing here, Your Majesty?” Viola asked.

King Duskbane smiled, “For starters, I wanted to see how Avalar is doing. I knew he was getting his final checkup today, so I wanted to know what his status is.”

Tyroe smiled, “You don’t have anything to worry about, Your Majesty. Cel has been given a clean bill of health. He’s good to go.”

“Excellent, just what I wanted to hear.” He then turned to Celtic, “The next thing I wanted to mention is Happy Belated Birthday, my dear nephew.”

Celtic looked stunned, “Wait… what? Birthday? Did my birthday come and go without me realizing it?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, indeed. You turned 20 not too long ago. Your birthday was the same day as the most recent Infinator attack. According to your memories, it was during the wave against General Alastor. I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday sooner, but I waited until you recovered and after the Light Elf royal family got their comeuppance for their crimes. I’m surprised you didn’t realize it.”

“My sense of time has been thrown off badly since coming here,” the redhead replied truthfully. “I can barely register how long I’ve been on this rock, as time felt like it had come to a stop because of everything I had to endure. I barely noticed the feeling of the days passing because I was locked in such a miserable state of mind… and I still am. So, I had no idea that my birthday was recently because my sense of time being rather frozen in my hatred and wrath.”

King Duskbane gained a sad expression, “I know. You’ve had a horrible life, and Zakota just made it worse because of those Light Elf swine, to the point you finally lost it. Fortunately, Lady Skye and the others managed to anchor you, keeping you from going off the deep end, but it’s obvious that you’re still locked in a bad mental and emotional state because of the injustice and extra work you’ve had to put in. Remember, I saw your memories, so I know exactly what you’ve been through. It angered me greatly to see such injustice and horrific treatment you’ve been through for utterly stupid reasons. Hopefully, now with Delgunner backing you, it’ll make things easier for you and your party, as I’ve clearly seen you’ve had to work ten times as hard, especially thanks to the constant screwups of the other Heroes. Do know that Delgunner and Shadoria have your back.”

Tyroe then asked, “Not to change the subject, Your Majesty, but you mentioned that Celtic can get access to other techniques like Shadow magic. How?”

“It’s very simple, my friend. Avalar needs to undergo the Shadokor training ritual course. At the age of 16, every Shadokor undergoes the training ritual course to unlock their true power and abilities. I’ve noticed that Avalar hasn’t awakened his blood yet, though I’ve also noticed that he’s capable of force awakening it when needed, though it goes back into dormancy afterward. This training course will help him not only properly unlock his Shadokor blood, and probably his Druid blood in the process, but it will also awaken our species signature ability: Assault Mode. Because he’s 20, he’s a bit late to bloom, but that won’t be a big issue overall.”

Viola then asked, “So, will Celtic be going to Shadoria for this training?”

King Duskbane shook his head, “No, he won’t. The training will commence… in the Demon Realm.”

Leon looked alarmed, “The Demon Realm!? Celtic is going to train in the Demon Realm?!”

“Yes. Specifically, a section of the Demon Realm called Purgatory. That is part of the Shadokor territory in the Demon Realm. It is also where the sacred shrine where the training ritual will take place is. Avalar will need to go to the Demon Realm, traverse the landscape until he reaches the shrine, and will undergo the ritual needed to awaken his blood permanently and unlock his hidden abilities. This will grant him access to the Poison, Shadow, and, in his case, Light and Holy elements that his dormant blood can produce. It’ll also awaken other properties like rapid healing and further immunities that both sides of his blood have.”

Celtic gained a wry smile, “So, I have to train in Purgatory within the Demon Realm? So, you’re almost literally sending me to train in Hell? Those are some mean mixed messages you’re giving me, King Duskbane.”

King Duskbane couldn’t help but chuckle, “You’ve got your father’s wit, that’s for sure. Yes, I can see what you’re getting at, as it is a rather coincidental naming and environment. But, despite that, it is necessary if you want access to your more powerful abilities. Now that you’ve recovered I will being the preparations needed for this training.”

Skye then said, “Let us come, too, King Duskbane! Please? I don’t want Celtic to be alone in the Demon Realm.”

King Duskbane shook his head, “No, you will not be permitted to join him. This is something he must do alone, as it is part of our ritual. Plus… you wouldn’t survive in the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm is a hostile environment to anyone but natives. Whether it be miasma, acidic swamps, or the native creatures, it is not a place for other races outside of demons and native monsters to explore. He will also be given special clothing that can better weather the environment, as well as granting his robotic arm extra functions to further aid his quest. Normally, we would give you a specially crafted weapon of your choice to use, but since you’re the Shroud Hero, we’re going to grant the properties we install into said weapons into your robotic arm instead. It’ll be temporary, but it’ll help. Also, don’t worry about the Shroud itself, as it was made in the Demon Realm, made from Chaos Magnite, so it’ll be fine. Speaking of Chaos Magnite, how are you liking your newly reforged naginata, Lady Skye?”

Skye summoned it and gave it a spin. It was still the same basic structure, being a short-bladed naginata, but the blade was now a silvery black color, which was a similar shade to the Shroud of Shadows, while the handle was a deep crimson color, studded with small gems, with a gold-colored diamond at the end. She gained a large smile.

“I love it, King Duskbane!” she said. “I can see and feel the difference between the previous smith’s handiwork and your race’s handiwork on it. I can also feel the power it possesses much more readily than before. It’ll serve me very well, so I thank you.” She then gained a sad expression, “We really can’t go with Cel to the Demon Realm?”

King Duskbane merely nodded, “Yes, I’m afraid you’re not permitted. Even if the environment doesn’t do you in, the fact that it is considered sacred ground to the Shadokor would rub them the wrong way. Sorry, but you and the others will have to remain here. I will arrange for you to stay in Delgunner castle, as it may take a few days for the training to be complete. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and make the necessary preparations for the training. I will see you in a day or two.”

With a final bow, King Duskbane left. Skye looked up at Celtic, worry in her eyes.

“Cel…” she said softly. “Promise us you’ll be okay and come back from the Demon Realm alive, okay?”

Celtic gave her a small smile, “Considering the hell I’ve already gone through on this rock, the Demon Realm might almost be a vacation for me. At least I won’t have to see Lucas or Wench for a bit. And if it helps us survive and overcome Infinator, so be it. Besides, since I’ll be using special gear for this training, maybe you can get my current gear upgraded while I’m gone. This Barbarian Saber Armor has done well so far, but it’s not the highest quality gear, and Infinator’s attacks will only get worse from here. So, maybe you can go to a local smith and have them upgrade it or get something similar but stronger for the fights ahead. I’ll leave my Tek-Pak with you, which has most of our money and items, and I’ve already allowed the built-in security system in it to grant you guys access to it if needed. Plus, it might not survive the Demon Realm if I were to bring it with me, so it would be best in your care. And keep it away from Wench. Can I entrust you with that?”

Skye gave a small nod, “Yeah, you can count on us, Cel. Just please, be safe. From what little I’ve heard about the Demon Realm, including what King Duskbane just told us, the Demon Realm is a very hostile and dangerous place. So, please, come back in alive and in one piece. Especially since you’ve already lost part of yourself.”

Celtic grabbed his robotic arm, “Don’t remind me. I lost my original arm in an act of heroism. As they say, ‘No good deed goes unpunished’, which seems to apply to me the most frequently. Speaking of which, I’m going to go and do some maintenance on it, and maybe give it one last batch of weapons, just to be safe. I managed to cook up a few more ideas that I want to include into it so I can have other options available. Especially since I don’t know what to expect from the resident beasts of the Demon Realm, it’s better to be prepared for anything. Come, let’s leave this hospital and go get some lunch.”

Nodding in agreement, the party left the hospital and eventually found their way to one of the restaurants. They were greeted warmly by the staff as they sat down at a large table. After placing their orders, they waited for their food, discussing next possible events that may occur. When the food came, they quickly tucked into it, all very pleased at the taste and quality. After finishing their lunch, they paid the bill and went to the inn. There, Celtic performed some maintenance and installed updates into his arm, which the others refrained from watching. After completing his task, they went about their day, awaiting what King Duskbane had in store for Celtic.

The following day King Duskbane had returned, this time with a few Shadokor knights. In his hands were custom clothes and a backpack, which he presented to Celtic.

“Here you go, Avalar,” he said. “These are specially designed clothes that can handle the harsh environment that is the Demon Realm, along with special boots. Please, go and get changed into these, as your training will begin very shortly.”

Nodding, Celtic took the clothes and went into an empty room, locking the door behind him. A few minutes later he emerged. The special clothes felt like a combination of cotton and leather, yet seemed extremely durable, mostly grey and black in color, with silver breast and shoulder plates, while the boots were dark green with thick soles. Celtic was holding his old clothes and Tek-Pak, which he gave to Skye. Duskbane then presented him with the backpack.

“This special backpack will also survive the Demon Realm, made from similar material as your clothes. It contains various supplies that you may need.”

Celtic took a moment to look at the contents of the backpack before saying, “I’m not seeing any food in here.”

King Duskbane smiled, “Of course there isn’t any food in there. You’ll be eating the other demons that dwell in Purgatory.”

Everyone except the other Shadokor were stunned silent, eyes wide, mouths agape.

“What?” the redhead said flatly. “Are you telling me demons are cannibals?!”

“Yes, but only to other demon breeds,” King Duskbane said with a cheerful smile. “There are no other natural food sources in the Demon Realm, so the residents of the realm eat each other to survive. There’s a reason why demon are carnivores. We Shadokor are the top link of the food chain in the Demon Realm, as we are never preyed upon by other demons. I recommend you try Red Demon first, then follow that up with Ashfang Demon. They make wonderful stew, especially when mixed with Nijila cranial juice and Cobra Hydra flesh, with just a squeeze of Scorchapide flame fluid. Mmm! Just thinking about makes my mouth water.”

Celtic’s face went white, his eye twitching, a nerve in his temple pulsing.

“Good lord, please tell me you’re kidding,” he said.

King Duskbane still had his cheerful smile on his face, “You’ll love it, Avalar. You have to embrace your Shadokor heritage, after all. Don’t knock it until you try it! Oh, and before I forget, we’re going to give your robotic arm a coating of special magic. This magic will not only allow it to be immune to the harmful effects of the Demon Realm, but it’ll also give all your weapons anti-demon properties so you can strike down your prey with ease. Men, please take care of that.”

Two of the soldiers walked over to Celtic, grabbed his metal arm, and cast a spell on it. The spell covered the metal in a reddish gold coating that moved like water. Celtic took a moment to look this over before sighing, putting the backpack on.

“Let’s get this over with. So much for what I thought. Well, I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be… though my stomachs might not be prepared for what will come.” He turned to his party, who all had the same expression as him, “Hold the fort while I’m gone. And see if you can get me some updated gear while you’re at it. And maybe a stomach pump… I may need it when I get back.”

King Duskbane nodded, leading him and the party to a certain point in Delgunner castle. It was a wide-open room with very little in it, most notably a stone archway. Receiving the order from Duskbane, the two soldiers activated the archway, creating a dimensional portal. He then turned to Celtic and the others.

“This is the same dimensional gateway that Delgunner used in ancient times to summon us Shadokor to this world in the first place,” he explained. “It’ll take you to the base of Purgatory, where your training will begin. Normally we’d do this in Shadoria, but there really isn’t much of a difference using this one. And since you now work with Delgunner, this’ll make it easier for you. Once you complete your training and unlock your Assault Mode form, you will be sent back to this location via the portal near the shrine. Go and make your father proud, Avalar.”

Celtic merely sighed, “Yeah, sure.” He turned to his party, “I’ll be back soon. Try to keep those halfwit Heroes on a short leash for a bit while I’m gone so they don’t cause any more trouble. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Taking a deep breath, Celtic walked into the dimensional portal. Skye started to follow, but was stopped by Viola and Leon, both shaking their heads, making her ears droop. The dimensional portal vanished after Celtic had traveled through it, indicating it was now closed. Skye clutched Celtic’s Tek-Pak tightly, a worried look on her face. King Duskbane took notice of it.

“Don’t worry, Lady Skye,” he said soothingly. “He’ll be fine. As a Shadokor, the Demon Realm won’t be hostile to him, as it is our domain. We did, after all, create the Demon Realm several millennia ago. He’ll be fine. Now, I need to return to Shadoria. I’ll leave a Shadow Sentinel and a few ShadoKnights here in Delgunner. The Shadow Sentinel will alert me when Avalar returns, while the ShadoKnights will help keep the other four Heroes on a short leash. I will be back when Avalar returns. Farewell.”

With a final bow King Duskbane used a spell that caused him to disappear, leaving the ShadoKnights that were with him behind. Viola placed a hand on Skye’s shoulder.

“Come, Skye, let’s go to one of the blacksmiths here,” she said with a smile. “Let’s see if we can get Celtic some updated armor. It’ll be a nice gift for him when he returns. And maybe we can update our gear while we’re at it.”

One of the ShadoKnights then said, “I recommend Danial’s Blacksmith. He’s one of the best here in Delgunner and is very good with custom orders. He also has the fairest prices, too.”

Tyroe nodded, “Thanks, we’ll check him out.”

Skye managed to force a smile, “Yeah, let’s go. There’s no point in moping over Cel leaving for the Demon Realm. He wouldn’t want it. Let’s go to Danial’s Blacksmith and see what he can do.”

With a nod, the party left the room and headed into the heart of Delgunner. It didn’t take long to find the blacksmith, as Danial’s Blacksmith was near the center square. They entered the building, where a muscular, balding man with a ponytail was. He smiled as they entered.

“Ah, if it isn’t the Shroud Hero’s party,” he said warmly. “What can I do for you today?”

Skye walked up to him, “We’d like to have some custom armor made for Celtic. He left us his original outfit to use as either a base or to get his measurements from. And, if possible, some custom gear for the rest of us, too.”

Danial smiled, “Sure thing, that’s my specialty. Let’s have a look at the gear he left behind.”

Tyroe handed it over, making Danial’s eyes widened.

“This Barbarian Saber Armor… Tell me, did you get this from a blacksmith named Stanly?”

Skye nodded, “Yes, we did. Do you know him?”

“Yes. He’s my cousin. We were always very close, almost like brothers, and we both had talent in the blacksmithing department. However, he was forced to move away into the Light Elf… I mean former Light Elf territory due to his father’s job, thus we couldn’t see each other much anymore. We still keep in contact, but I haven’t seen him in a few years now. I’ll make you a deal. If you let me keep this Barbarian Saber Armor, I’ll give you a special discount on the custom gear. Both Stanly and I respect each other’s craftsmanship, so we like to take samples from each other to see if we can pick up a few new ideas or skills from the other’s handiwork. If you let me keep this Barbarian Saber Armor, I’ll give you a special rate. Plus, it’ll make getting the measurements for the Shroud Hero easier. Speaking of which… where is he?”

Leon explained, “He’s on a solo training mission in the Demon Realm. King Duskbane sent him there to awaken his Shadokor, and by extension Druid, powers. It’s apparently part of the Shadokor tradition whenever a Shadokor turns 16. Celtic is 20, so he’s a bit late, but since he was on Earth until recently, it’s easy to see why. King Duskbane gave him special gear to weather the Demon Realm’s dangerous and hostile environment, leaving his regular gear with us, since normal gear would be destroyed by things such as the acid swamps and miasma. He asked if we could get it upgraded for him while he’s gone, as Infinator’s attacks are only going to get worse from here on.”

Danial nodded, “I see, I see. Those Shadokor sure take stuff like that seriously. Then again, they are the natural enemy of Infinator, so it only makes sense. But, sure, I’ll craft both him and you lot some new gear. And, like I said, if you let me keep this Barbarian Saber Armor, I’ll give you a special rate. Sound good?”

Skye nodded, “Yes, that does sound good. Thank you. Do you have any ideas for Celtic’s new armor?”

“Indeed I do. Since he’s a half-Shadokor, I think a custom-made Shadow Striker Armor would be right up his alley. It’s very similar to the Barbarian Saber Armor, giving him a roguish look, but it’s much more durable and made from better material such as magic iron and Zolu ore, giving it a strong yet lightweight feel.”

Viola couldn’t help but giggle, “Considering Celtic sees himself as an anti-hero, that would definitely be the look for him. We’ll take it.”

“Great! Now, let me get your measurements and I’ll see what I can create for you lot. I should have it done in about two days, and it’ll cost you 37 silver and 200 copper, which includes the discount for giving me this Barbarian Saber Armor. Sound good?”

Skye smiled, “It’s a deal. Cel is gonna love it. I’ll pass, though, as it’s hard to find things in my size, even when it’s custom order, and I need to keep my gear lightweight in order to stay true to my strengths. But, in any case, here’s your payment.”

She gave him 37 silver coins and 200 copper coins from Celtic’s Tek-Pak which Danial gladly took.

“Okay, suit yourself, little lady. Now, time to get to work.”

After giving Danial their measurements, they left his blacksmith shop, seemingly satisfied. Skye regained her depressed look.

“I just hope Celtic is doing okay in the Demon Realm…”

A few days had passed since Celtic left for the Demon Realm. Skye was waiting dutifully by the archway, holding both Celtic’s Tek-Pak and new outfit. She watched, waiting to see if anything would occur. To her delight, a dimensional gateway opened. Shortly afterward, Celtic emerged from the gateway, a bit tired but nonetheless alive and in one piece, with his facial markings now permanently on his face. He looked up to see Skye waiting for him, her eyes glimmering.

“Cel!” she cried out in joy. “You’re back! I was getting so worried about you!”

She dropped what she was holding and ran over to Celtic, eager to hug him. But she stopped just short of him, sniffed, and backed up a bit.

“Eww… Celtic! You reek of miasma and swamp muck!” she stated, clutching her nose.

Celtic gave an annoyed sigh, “I know, I know, I hate the smell, too. Let me go shower in the knight’s shower room and then we’ll talk and hug. And, no, you cannot come in with me.”

Skye gained a pout, “Why? You’ve seen me naked.”

“Yeah, because you’re shameless and are always trying to get my attention with your body. Whatever, I need to bathe first, so I can stop smelling like a nuclear waste disposal facility. We’ll talk afterward.”

It wasn’t long before Celtic was in the knight’s shower room. He had taken off all his clothes, including the Shroud, as he viciously scrubbed himself under the showerhead, trying to get clean and smell decent. Skye was waiting outside of it, holding his Tek-Pak and new gear, resisting the urge to sneak a peek. It wasn’t long before the sound of running water ended, her ears perking up. A few moments later, Celtic, poked his head out from around the barrier.

“Okay, Skye, give me my clothes, please,” he requested, his hair still looking wet.

Skye gained a mischievous look, “How about you come out here and take it instead?”

Celtic responded with an annoyed look, “Skye, I asked nicely. Please, give me my clothes. Don’t make me use the slave crest.”

Her look became more mischievous, “That doesn’t work on me, Cel. The slave crest activating doesn’t remotely bother me. Never has, never will. I have powered through it back when I was first branded, beating up virtually everyone who opposed me, only stopping because of the body-numbing poison I was under. So, you’re gonna have to come out here and take your stuff, because you activating my slave crest won’t do any good. Who knows? I may find it stimulating now that I’m your slave. Anything is possible.”

Celtic gained a smirk as he realized something, “Is that so? Well, I just remembered that I have an arm attachment that can end this little dilemma. Mag-Bolt!”

His metal arm transformed, becoming a large horseshoe magnet, much to Skye’s surprise and confusion. Celtic then pointed the Mag-Bolt at Skye and activated it. Before she could react, the Tek-Pak and new gear were snatched from her hands with strange magnetic energies and attached themselves to the magnet. Her eyes widened in shock while he smirked.

“Not fair!” she protested.

As he retreated back into the locker room, Celtic taunted, “Too bad. Better luck next time, Skye.”

Skye crossed her arms, puffing up her cheeks, gaining a sour look, “I’ll get you next time, just you wait! I’ll get what I want, you’ll see!”

“Yeah, you will, I won’t deny it,” Celtic’s voice floated out. “But not just yet. Be patient, Skye, please. I know how you feel… I feel the same way… but I’m not in a good state to allow it right now. So, please, Skye, try to be patient. I know you were worried about me; I appreciate that, really. But my mind and emotions are in a turbulent state right now, especially since I’m still getting used to these newfound energies and strength surging through me. Give me some time, Skye, okay? You’ll get what you want… both of us will… but try to be patient. It’ll happen, just not right now. So, please, Skye, don’t rush this. I don’t want you sounding like Lucas or Wench. Okay?”

Skye flinched as she heard that last bit before sighing, “Okay, okay, you win. You just had to bring up those two, didn’t you? Gods forbid that I act and sound like those two, what with Lucas’ never-ending lust and Wench’s prostitute-like habits. Brr! The thought alone gives me the shivers. Fine, I’ll be good… for now.”

Celtic walked out, giving her a smile, “Thank you, I mean it. So… how do I look? I noticed this is new gear. How does it look on me?”

Celtic was donning his new outfit. It looked similar to the Barbarian Saber Armor, being somewhat rogue-like in design. The tunic was primarily a dark navy blue with short sleeves and seemed to be made from very durable material, with a beige vest-like structure over it, a silver breastplate in the shape of a spade and matching shoulder plates. His pants were a dark purple in color, almost black, with a thick belt, soft yet sturdy plates on his hips and thighs lined with soft fur, armored calf-high boots with iron toes and heels, and a fingerless glove on his left hand, with the Shroud completing it.

Skye purred, “Handsome, dashing, stylish, powerful, and the outfit isn’t bad, either.”

She then giggled as Celtic gave her a look. Just then one of the ShadoKnights ran up to them.

“Prince Avalar!” he stated. “We’re glad you returned! You took longer than expected in Purgatory. Did everything go accordingly?”

The redhead turned to him, “Yeah, yeah, I had to stay a bit longer because my Assault Mode power is a bit trickier than others, at least according to the guardians that helped me undergo the trial and ritual. They had me stick around until I got the hang of it, as, because I’m a Chaos breed, my Assault Mode form is considerably more powerful than normal. They even say it’s stronger than the legendary Shadow Prince’s Assault Mode form, and, apparently, that’s using it at only a low percentage of it’s true power, about 15% or so. As a result, I had to stick around for a little bit longer until I got better control over it, as it can turn me into a hard-hitting berserker if I don’t restrain it, as, unfortunately, it does put me on a power high when used. That’s why I’m a bit late, as I had to spend some extra time getting a better grasp on my Assault Mode form.”

The ShadoKnight was surprised, “You’re Assault Mode is even more powerful than the legendary Shadow Prince’s power!? And that’s only at low percentages!? Just how much power do you contain?”

“Beats me. Anyway, if you’re looking for the special clothes that I used, they’re in the locker room. Can’t miss them, as they reek to the high heavens. Now, if you’ll excuse me… I’m starving. I didn’t eat anything in the Demon Realm, so I need to eat something.”

As Celtic and Skye started to walk away, the ShadoKnight sputtered, “Wait! You didn’t eat anything?! But demons can’t stand hunger for even a minute! Are you telling me you went through your entire trial that took at least three days hungry?!”

Celtic merely replied, “Yep. I’m not eating another demon. I don’t care if it’s par the course, I’m not placing a piece of demon meat in my mouth. I’ll stick to normal foods like pancakes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to stuff my face.”

Not long later Celtic was at a restaurant. He had ordered five plates of different foods and was busy shoveling them down. Skye, who was lingering outside, was surprised at how hungry he was. Soon, the rest of her party appeared.

“Hey, Skye!” Rupert called. “We heard that Celtic is back. How’s he doing?”

Skye merely gestured to the restaurant, “He’s stuffing his face with food. He didn’t eat anything in the Demon Realm, as he refused to eat another demon. He went through his entire training course hungry because he couldn’t bring himself to eat another demon. Considering that, apparently, demons can’t stand hunger for a minute, yet he was willing to go through the entire training course hungry says a lot about how much he didn’t want to eat another demon.”

Viola’s eyes widened, “Gotta give him props for willpower, then, if he could resist his hunger for three days just to prevent himself from eating another demon. That’s pretty strong resolve. King Duskbane will be quite surprised at that. I’m not sure if eating another demon is part of the training or not, but either way, I’m guessing Celtic passed.”

The Light Elf nodded, “Yeah, he did. And, apparently, his Assault Mode power is so intense he had to stay a bit longer to get a better grip on it. Because of him being a Chaos breed, his Assault Mode form draws even more power from his mixed blood, turning it into an absolute powerhouse. According to Celtic, at only about 15% power, it has more power than the legendary Shadow Prince’s Assault Mode, and from what I’ve been told, the Shadow Prince had the strongest Assault Mode to date. At least before Celtic dethroned him, that is. But… it puts him on a power high that makes it very easy to go overboard, eventually turning him into a hard-hitting berserker, so he had to stick around for a bit longer to get a better grip on it, otherwise he’s a danger to himself and others. That’s why it took him an extra day, as his true power is immense, requiring extra time to get a better handle on it. Guess it’s par the course for being a Chaos breed, as the element of Chaos is far more powerful than Light or Darkness on their own.”

Leon’s eyes were wide, “Wow, that’s incredible. But it appears his Assault Mode may become an ace-in-the-hole, as it’s probably too powerful to use on regular terms, especially if it runs the risk of going berserk because of a power high. But, as a good poker player would say, ‘It’s good to have an ace up your sleeve, but don’t show your hand too often’, meaning it would be wise for Celtic to keep his Assault Mode under wraps until needed. That way he can’t attract the attention of Sylph or Infinator, as well as surprise them with its power.”

A few minutes late, Celtic emerged from the restaurant, feeling satisfied. He then noticed his party was in somewhat different clothes.

“Oh, hey, gang,” he said. “I see you got upgrades along with me. I must thank you for this new gear, it feels a lot more durable and better quality than my old Barbarian Saber Armor. What’s it called, anyway?”

Skye smiled, “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that. It’s called Shadow Striker Armor. The blacksmith, Danial, designed it after the Shadokor, being a combination of Shadow Sentinel garb with ShadoKnight standard armor, giving it a dark, rogue-like feel. It also has an auto-repair function in it, making it extra useful. How do you like it?”

“Guess you guys really like it when I take an anti-hero look, don’t you?” Celtic replied with a wry smile. “Still, I admit it does fit the bill, considering I’m the one wearing it. It’ll do nicely.”

Tyroe then asked, “By the way, did you happen to get any new Shroud forms while you were in the Demon Realm? Since the denizens of the Demon Realm are different than here on Zakota, you probably got some new Shroud forms, right?”

“Yes I did, in fact. I got about eleven new forms, including a new personal favorite. I got a Colossus Troll Shroud, a Red Demon Shroud, an Ashfang Demon Shroud, a Scorchapide Shroud, and a Cobra Hydra Shroud, to name a few. The Cobra Hydra Shroud in particular I’m quite happy about, as it’s one of the few Shrouds I have that can deal damage, albeit indirectly in this case, giving me another option when it comes to battle. It’s also one that can be used both offensively and defensively, as well as possessed a counterattack ability. It’s become my new personal favorite as a result and was quite handy in the Demon Realm. While most demons are immune to poison, everything else isn’t, making it very useful.”

Leon’s eyes were wide, “Sounds quite potent, to say the least. So, it appears it poisons the target, similar to the Poison Touch Shroud, only it sounds considerably more powerful.”

Skye gained a devilish smirk, “You could use it to threaten Wench if she ever gets out of line, as Light Elves are very vulnerable to poison. Ooh, I can almost see her face when she sees that Shroud. On top of that, Wench hates snakes, at least regular ones, as Nagas don’t seem to bother her much, seeing how she isn’t bothered by Tyroe. But regular snakes, especially poisonous ones, terrify her. Show her that and even she’ll know to back down, considering how dumb she is.”

Just then a familiar voice bellowed, “CELTIC!!!”

Celtic gained an annoyed expression, “Speak of the devil. Maybe I’ll go back to the Demon Realm, as it almost feels like a day spa compared to having to deal with him.” He then whispered, “Cobra Hydra Shroud.”

The Shroud transformed, becoming a dark green in color with gold accents, a scale-like pattern, and what appeared to be three cobra hood patterns on it. Shortly afterward, Lucas and his party, including Wench, walked up to Celtic and his party.

“Celtic!” Lucas spat. “I demand a duel in order to have Veronica’s punishment undone!”

“Let me think about that,” Celtic snidely replied. “Um… how about NO! And it’s ‘Wench’ now, as her old name has gone the way of the dodo bird. Besides, you haven’t beaten me yet. I may be a lower Level, but I’ve gotten more done than you ever have. And I’ve pummeled you in each of our past duels, proving that Levels and flashy techniques don’t always bring home the bacon. Besides, you’re wasting both our time demanding that I have the punishment undone, as only King Alvin can do that. I just merely suggested it, he’s the one who implemented it. On top of that, did you learn nothing from the trial? Thanks to her, 45 other men were killed because of her false rape accusation, having been robbed and their names shamed, she sold her own sister to slavery, and had the gall to help the Four Stars Church get away with as much as they did. So, even if I could have it undone, I won’t. Deal with it!”

Celtic turned his back to Lucas, making the latter annoyed.

“I won’t take no for an answer!” he demanded.

“Talk to the cobras.”

This confused Lucas, “What cobras?”

The cobra hood patterns then started to move, becoming three large cobra heads that rose out from the Shroud. They locked their eyes on Lucas, glaring at him, making him back up slightly, Wench quickly retreating behind him.

“I HATE SNAKES!!!” she cried out.

“Oh… those cobras…” Lucas gulped.

Celtic gained an almost evil smirk, “Meet one of my newest Shrouds: the Cobra Hydra Shroud. Obtained from a fallen Cobra Hydra that dwelled in the Demon Realm, this bad boy has become a new personal favorite. Not only is it one of my few Shrouds that is capable of dealing damage, albeit indirectly, but it also has a counterattack and very good defensive abilities. When used, it bites my foes, injecting them with a fatal toxin that gets worse and worse as the battle continues. And the best part is only I know how to make the particular antidote needed to cure it, as conventional methods don’t work on it. So, you’d better play nice with me, Lucas, otherwise I’ll have these cobras bite you and force you to bend to my will. Allow me to demonstrate.”

He then snapped his left fingers. This caused the cobras to lash out at blinding speed. Lucas tried to block them with his Spear, but two of them bit down on it, injecting their poison into it. To Lucas’ horror, his Spear shut down from the poison, deactivating its abilities. The third cobra head lashed out at him, snapping its jaws just an inch from his face, its tongue flicking at his nose, showing off its deadly fangs. Lucas was cowed into submission, backing up further, while Wench continued to use him as a meat shield to protect herself from the cobras. Celtic gained a dark sneer as this happened.

“I’m not playing around anymore, Pointy Stick Boy,” he said darkly. “But you better play nice from now on, otherwise things might get sticky. Besides, like I said, I have no power or authority over Wench’s punishment, only King Alvin does. I just suggested the punishment, but I have no control over it. So, if you want to file a complaint, then take it to him, not me, just don’t think King Alvin will say yes, as he’s pretty adamant about keeping the former Light Elf royal family on a short leash. So, I’m not the one to talk to about removing Wench’s punishment, only King Alvin can decide that. That means stop wasting our time with your stupidity and deal with it!”

He snapped his fingers again, causing the cobras to retreat back to him, but they kept their eyes locked onto Lucas and Wench, clearly with the intent to kill. Lucas was very shaken by this while Wench continued to use him as a meat shield to protect her from the cobras. Celtic raised his hand up again, preparing to snap his fingers again, which caused Wench to flee, screaming in fear, forcing Lucas and the rest of his party to chase after her.

“I’ll get you for this!” he spat.

“Duly noted… and IGNORED,” Celtic countered.

Skye shivered with pleasure, “Ooh, that was incredible! I can see why that Cobra Hydra Shroud is your new favorite. I’m almost giddy at how quickly Pointy Stick Boy and Wench were subdued by it. So much for his bluster. He’s all mouth and no moxie.”

Leon couldn’t help but chuckle, “From what we’ve seen, his tongue far outstrips his technique. I’m surprised his harem is still sticking with him after all his humiliating defeats and incredible ego, considering I can sense that they actually don’t like him.”

Viola then scratched her chin, “Is that really true, though? That only you know the exact antidote needed to cure the poison from that Cobra Hydra Shroud?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, it is true. It requires a complex and highly specific mixture of pretty rare herbs. When I looked at the Shroud’s data when I obtained it, it gave me the exact mixture needed to cure its toxin. But I’ll gladly tell you, Viola, as you’re the resident potion master, especially since you’re teaching me how to make higher-quality medicine. But, yeah, it does require a very specific mixture of fairly rare herbs to cure, but, as a result, it makes it ideal for a poison-and-cure gambit if need be.”

The Arachne smiled, “Sounds good. I’m always interested in learning new potions… even though I’d rather just lounge in my silk hammocks all day. But when you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”

Rupert then said, “Oh, I almost forgot. King Alvin wants to talk to you now that you’re back. He wants to give you that reward King Duskbane promised. And probably by now King Duskbane is also aware of your return, so he’ll probably give you the same reward. I know it won’t make you happy after everything you had to deal with, but let’s go and get it anyway, as it may help.”

Nodding, the party started to make their way to the castle to collect their rewards, newfound confidence inside them.

Next Chapter: Council Chaos

And that'll do for a start. Tune in next time to see what our colorful cast gets involved in next.
 
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Okay, here's Chapter 2 for you're reading pleasure (hopefully). Would've posted this later but I got roped into helping my mom with some tasks later today so I'm posting it now. Anyway, on with the show. (Warning: contains mild language)

Council Chaos


It had been a few days since Celtic returned from the Demon Realm. He and his party were busy on a job for a nearby village, working as monster slayers. As they tore through the horde of monsters, most of which were Lizartaurs, they were wondering when Infinator’s next attack would be. After defeating the head monster, which looked like a more evolved Lizartaur, given its more alligator-like body shape and color, along with killing all the remaining monsters present, they gathered up the leader’s remains. Also collecting all of the Lizartaur’s shields and swords to sell, and anything else of worth, they started to make their way back to the village. Celtic also took a moment to take a sample from the head monster for his Shroud, unlocking a new form in the process. Upon returning to the village, the villagers greeted them warmly.

“Sir Shroud Hero, you’ve returned!” one of the village men stated.

The head of the village then walked up to them, seeing the downed head monster, smiling, “You have done well, Sir Shroud Hero. That is indeed the beastie that has been causing us so much grief. That blasted Gatortaur has been leading the other Lizartaurs and causing all manner of problems. We’ll gladly take it off your hands, as we have crafters who can make some useful items and gear out of its hide. We’re collecting your payment of 200 silver as we speak, so please wait a few minutes while we gather up the money. Men, please take the Gatortaur from the Shroud Hero’s party so we can carve it up and make some new items from it.”

Several men walked up to the party, taking the dead Gatortaur from Tyroe and dragged it off. A few minutes later one of the village women presented Celtic the pouch of 200 silver coins, which he took and placed in his Tek-Pak.

“Okay, team, we’re done here,” he instructed. “Let’s head back to Delgunner’s guild to report the job is complete. Skye, if you’d be so kind.”

Skye smiled, “No problem. Warp!”

Celtic and his party vanished. A few moments later they reappeared at Delgunner’s front gates. The guards gladly let them in, giving them a salute as they did. Celtic and his party made their way to a section of the large capital, where a fairly large building lay. They entered it, revealing it to be a mercenary guild. Celtic walked up to the man at the counter, who looked up as he saw the Shroud Hero.

“Oh, Sir Shroud Hero,” he said. “I take it you’ve completed the task?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we took care of the Gatortaur and its Lizartaur minions that were harassing a nearby village. We killed them and brought the Gatortaur’s corpse back to the village as proof, which they plan to carve up to create new items. So, the job is now complete.”

The man smiled, “Excellent. We can cross that one off our charts. Those Lizartaurs were disrupting the shipments of crops from that village’s farms, so now we don’t have to worry about them. Give me a moment to gather your payment.”

He left the room briefly via a door behind him. After a few moments he returned with a pouch of money.

“Here you go: 1500 silver. You do good work, Sir Shroud Hero. We’ll call you again if another job is reported. Take care.”

Celtic took the pouch of coins and placed it inside the Tek-Pak before returning to his party. To his surprise, a Delgunner knight was with them, talking to them. The knight then noticed Celtic, giving him a salute.

“Sir Shroud Hero! His Majesty, King Alvin, wishes to speak with you, sir.”

Celtic nodded, “Fine, we’ll be there in a few minutes. You go on ahead and tell him we’ll be there shortly.”

“Yessir, Sir Shroud Hero!”

The knight then ran off to the castle. Celtic and his party made their way to the castle and into the throne room, where King Alvin and his family were waiting.

“Ah, Prince Avalar, good of you to come,” King Alvin stated. “I have a few things I wanted to discuss with you. For starters, I heard you completed the guild’s request regarding those annoying Lizartaurs and their Gatortaur leader. Thank you for that, as they were disrupting the transportation of the village of Flutte’s crops to our capital. Now we can enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables from Flutte. They make wonderful pies. But, onto the more serious business, we’ll be hosting a party for the Heroes and their respective parties tonight in celebration of the defeat of the High Priest Ebenezer as well as rewarding you for your efforts against Infinator.”

Celtic merely turned away, “I’m not interested in a party. They’re never pleasant experiences for me.”

King Alvin merely chuckled, “Well, the fact of the matter is you, yourself won’t be joining the party. The other Heroes won’t, either. The party is mostly a distraction, as well as a reward, while we attend to more serious matters. You and the other four Heroes will be joining me and King Duskbane in a council meeting to discuss various subjects, such as dealing with Infinator’s waves. King Duskbane is gathering some intel and other information right now, but he’ll be here later this evening, when the party starts. He will present it during the meeting and everything will be made clear then. So, your party will be attending the celebration as a reward for their efforts, while you and the other four Heroes will be at the council meeting. The meeting will start at 6 o’clock, which is also when the party will start. I suggest you say here in the castle for a bit until then, so it’ll be easier to find you. Take this opportunity to catch your breath, as I know you’ve been busy. I’ll have one of my servants inform you when the meeting will take place. So, put your feet up for a bit until then. I’ll see you at the council meeting.”

Later on, in one of the larger guest rooms, Celtic and his party were taking a break until the celebration party. They were mostly chatting, with their topics being rather loose and unfocused. A short time later two servants appeared, redirecting their attention to them.

One servant said, “The celebration party will begin shortly. Allow me to escort Lady Skye and company to the banquet hall.”

The other servant said, “Sir Shroud Hero, I am here to take you to the council meeting. Please follow me.”

Celtic stood up, “Okay.” He turned to Skye and the others, “Enjoy the party. Don’t wait up for me, as, knowing those boneheaded Heroes, this may take a while. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As Celtic was escorted by the one servant, the second one led Skye and the others to the banquet hall. They had their own table reserved for them, allowing them to take their seats and await the food. There were several other people there, including the other Heroes’ parties. Before long they were given the first of many plates of food, all of which contained a slice of pie, fancy cheese, and fruit. Skye looked longingly at the empty seat at the table, but remembering Celtic’s words, started to eat with the others.

Meanwhile, as the council meeting, King Alvin, King Duskbane, and the five Heroes were all gathered together. The tension was high, as each of the Heroes weren’t happy to be there and in the others’ presence.

“Sheesh, the tension is so thick you’d need a chainsaw to cut it,” Celtic said silently.

King Alvin then cleared his throat, “We will now begin the meeting. I’ve noticed that none of you Heroes seem happy to be here. Care to explain why?”

The other four Heroes merely huffed, making Celtic sigh.

“Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?” the redhead suggested. “King Alvin, you start, as you called the meeting.”

“Very well, then. It has come to my attention that, due to the conflict caused by the traitorous Light Elves and Four Stars Church, the five of you are not properly Leveled. I have also noticed a severe amount of infighting between you five, which has hampered that even further. So, in order to prepare for Infinator’s next attack, we have a solution for that issue. The Myria Archipelago is about to activate.”

This got everyone’s attention.

“Activate? As in a bonus field is about to occur?” Jerry asked.

King Alvin nodded, “In a sense, yes. Once every 20 years the Myria Archipelago experiences a phenomenon where all the resident monsters suddenly gain the ability to produce unusually large amounts of EXP. On top of that, their spawning rate increases due to a sudden explosive breeding rate during the few months prior. Adventurers from all over flock to this event to quickly gain Levels and gain more valuable items from the drops. This event first started around the same time Infinator was defeated, which seems to indicate he is partly responsible for the event. King Duskbane and his Shadokor have done extensive research on the subject. But, back to the point at hand, you five and your parties will go the Myria Archipelago to rapidly gain Levels to prepare for the next attack.”

“There’s no need,” Ryan simply said.

“Yeah, we’re strong enough already,” Lucas added.

“Why should we waste our time on that?” Eric asked.

“If you ask me, it’s not worth the effort,” Jerry stated.

“Those four twits haven’t learned a thing,” Celtic grumbled mentally.

Duskbane gained a slightly annoyed expression before calmly saying, “Then allow me to be frank. If you do not attend this event, upon the next wave, you all, with the exception of Avalar, will perish.”

This edict got their attention, making Celtic roll his eyes.

Duskbane continued, “My sources have told me that the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes have been either ineffective or outright defeated in past waves. In the first wave you were unable to kill the Mega Manticore, requiring Avalar to discover its weak spot and kill it. In the next wave you were unable to spawn the Soulavore, taking more than three hours before Avalar spawned it in moments upon joining the fight. At the same time, you were unable to do any significant damage, requiring Avalar to use Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath to kill it, along with liberal use of Wrath Fire. And immediately after that, you four were effortlessly defeated by Sylph in one move, while Avalar managed to hold the line until the time limit ran out, forcing the fight to a standstill. Following up on that, the next wave was almost a repeat of the previous one, going after respawning monsters while failing to find the source, which Avalar and Leon discovered quickly, revealing it to be a Shade Wing, who was one of Infinator’s Demon Generals. You were beaten by that Shade Wing in one attack, while Avalar and his party managed to slay him. And, for the record, General Alastor was Infinator’s weakest General, according to my Spy-Bugs, that Sylph purposely sent to gauge your strength. Needless to say, you failed. Which means you four are becoming liabilities. That is why you need to go to the Myria Archipelago for training, as if this pathetic performance keeps up, you will die.”

“How do you know this?” Eric asked, surprised.

“I not only sent my Shadow Sentinels to observe from afar, but I also saw Avalar’s memories, which clearly showed the events of the waves. Demons have near photographic memories, allowing them to recall events as far as infancy. Avalar is proof of that, as his memories that I saw date back to when he was a toddler. And considering we’re a long-lived race, able to live around 800 years, that says a lot about the strength of our memories. Not to mention the other blunders you’ve had on your solo missions paint a very bad picture of you. So, you see, both Shadoria and Delgunner have seen your past performances, and are very disappointed in you. That is why this is a necessary opportunity that you cannot pass up, as your performances, aside from Avalar’s, have been deplorable. If you pass this opportunity up, you will die painfully and brutally at the hands of Infinator’s forces.”

Meanwhile, at the party, Skye and the others were enjoying themselves. Suddenly, a man wearing heavy armor and holding a wine bottle stormed up to them, slamming his bottle down upon their table, giving the party a dirty leer.

“What do you want?” Leon asked acidly.

“Why in hell would anyone allow a filthy band of trash like you to attend this party?” the man stated, clearly smashed. “Such disgusting creatures like Beastmen, Arachne, and Nagas belong in the gutter. I don’t care if you’re the Shroud Devil’s party members, you don’t belong here. It makes my wine taste bad. The only Hero who deserves recognition is Jerry, not that cowardly cheater, the Shroud Devil. I suggest you get out of here before you get hurt.”

Skye, although seething, said calmly, “Are you sure it will be us who get hurt? Because from where we’re standing, you and your ‘precious’ Jerry haven’t been able to accomplish anything worthwhile. Remember, both Sylph and Alastor swatted you away like flies, you couldn’t defeat either the Mega Manticore or the Soulavore. You also screwed up on your solo adventure by unjustly assassinating an innocent lord, which caused a colony of Mountain Trolls to attack unopposed. From what we’ve seen, you and your ‘Hero’ Jerry have been screwups. So, get your drunken arse away from us before I break you in half.”

The man in armor gained a sneer, “Oh? And how do you plan on doing that, slave elf? Not with those weak arms.”

“Guess you need some manners and common sense knocked into you… the hard way,” Skye said with a dark smirk, her eyes gleaming.

Back at the council meeting, after what King Duskbane stated had sunk in, the other four Heroes started to listen.

“That’s better,” King Alvin said. “We need you five to start unifying your forces in order to better fight off Infinator’s attacks. I suggest we start with exchanging information. Who would like to begin?”

“Celtic should go first with his cheat Shroud,” Eric said.

A nerve in Celtic’s temple twitched as he heard that.

“Yeah, Celtic should go first,” Lucas stated. “After all, how could a worthless defense-based Shroud Hero be able to overcome all those enemies without cheating. So, out with it!”

Celtic replied snidely, “So, you want to know about my Shroud? The Shroud I spend hours upon hours studying? The Shroud that I spend time and energy practicing and perfecting? The Shroud that I studied up upon by reading books on the subject? The Shroud that I took the time to decode and learn it’s inner workings in order to unlock its full potential?” He paused for a moment to savor the other Heroes’ frustration before asking in a mocking tone, “That Shroud?”

“Yes, that Shroud!” Jerry snapped.

King Duskbane was trying hard to keep a straight face after Celtic’s sassy remark, trying not to laugh. King Alvin was the only one to notice this, making him chuckle silently.

“Well, let’s start with something simple. Simple enough for even you dodos to understand. I read up on the subject. Need a visual aid? I’ll show you.” Celtic took out a book from his Tek-Pak, “I picked up a book…” He then opened it, “I opened it up…” He then gestured to the words on the page, “And I read the words on the pages. Not very flashy but it gets the job done. Oh, that’s right, you believe that flashy techniques are the only way to be a ‘true’ hero. So, I guess reading a book isn’t ‘heroic’ enough for you.”

Celtic took a moment to relish the other four Heroes anger, merely smirking at their reactions. At the same time, Duskbane was having an increasingly hard time trying to keep a straight face, clearly enjoying his nephew’s biting sense of humor.

“Do you need more information?” Celtic asked rather mockingly. “Then I guess I’ll tell you some more. According to several sources I’ve accessed, such as this book I’m holding, Skye, and other intelligent people, have told me that the Legendary Gear as a whole, not just the Shroud, all possess the same innate abilities. They all possess the ability to absorb materials into their cores, such as monster parts, herbs, and, as I discovered, even machinery, granting the user a new form that can either boost stats, possess some sort of helpful ability, or acquire a new weapon-like capability.”

Jerry huffed, “You’re wrong. The Legendary Gear doesn’t do that. You can use the ability known as Stat Copy to copy the stats of any related item and distribute them across the party. The Bow, for example, can copy the stats of other bows, so I go out and find rare ones, as they give the best stats. Bet you didn’t know that.”

Celtic looked bored, “Been there, done that, Bow Boy. Skye introduced me to that concept long ago. And there’s more. The Legendary Gear keeps those stats stashed away in a memory bank-like function, so if you ever get a new party member, you can activate that from the default form and distribute it to the new party member. On top of that, you can’t copy the stats of the same item twice, but you can copy the stats from another copy of the same item. For example, I can copy the stats of two separate Robe of Serenities once each, but I can’t copy the stats of one Robe of Serenity twice. And there is a glaring flaw in your logic.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“Well, there is a key word that you’re overlooking in your statement: RARE. It means that the item in question is not easy to come by and very few around to obtain. While, yes, rare items will grant better bonuses, you can still get benefits from stacking the bonuses from weaker, more common ones. Plus, the Stat Copy also copies the other benefits of the item. For example, when I copied the stats from a Prickle Leather Cape, I not only got the defense buffs, but also the extra effects, which were a 5% increased resistance to Fire and Ice damage. So, yeah, while rare items grant better bonuses, they’re not easy to come by, and I don’t see you going out of your way to find said rare items, which means you don’t have enough items to gain bonuses from. So, on paper, yes, it’s true, but in practice it’s not as simple, which is why you’re not as strong as you think you are. Now… will one of you tell me something I don’t know?”

Jerry gritted his teeth in annoyance, making Celtic merely smirk in response.

Ryan then stated, “You’re both wrong. The Legendary Gear’s true strength it mastery. The more you use a skill that the Gear has, the stronger it gets. Once it hits a cap, you can then transfer that energy from it to another form, giving it an edge, while resetting the previous one to zero. So, the more you practice the skill, the better it becomes. Simple as that. Bet you didn’t know that Celtic.”

Celtic gave a fake yawn, “Already knew that, Blade Bozo. The book I’m holding told me about that ability. The more a skill is used, the more energy it gains, thus the better it gets. You can then transfer that energy elsewhere, resetting the first one to zero, while giving the other skill a leg-up. But there is something you didn’t mention or don’t know. You can take the energy from the skill and place it back into the same skill. This not only makes the skill stronger, but it increases the energy level cap, giving that skill even more power. Even better, you can use an item that has been absorbed by the Legendary Gear to further enhance said skill. For example, after my Shroud gained the ability to produce certain types of ore like Zolu, I had it absorb the ore and placed it into one of my Shroud forms. In that case, I put it into my Lizartaur Shroud. Because Zolu ore enhances speed and durability when used as a crafting material, my Lizartaur Shroud’s Sword Missile and Shield Wall abilities became faster and more durable, respectively. Once again, you tell me something I already know. Anyone else want to at least try to impress me?”

Ryan shot Celtic an annoyed look, which the hybrid Hero merely grinned in response. Duskbane was still having a very hard time from bursting out into laughter at Celtic’s snipe shots, doing everything he could to keep a straight face.

Eric huffed, “For once I agree with Celtic, as he was right the first time. The secret to the Legendary Gear is refinement. By absorbing materials into the core you can unlock new forms that grant various benefits and bonuses. Each new form has advantages and powers that grant the user a wide range of abilities. The more you absorb, the better your Gear gets.”

Lucas nodded, “Yep, that’s true. My Spear is the ultimate weapon due to all the good materials I fed it, giving me many different forms to choose from.”

Jerry then protested, “You three are wrong! Stat Copy is the way to go!”

Ryan snapped, “Wrong again! Mastery is the only way to strengthen your Gear!”

Eric and Lucas countered, “Wrong again! Refinement is the only true path.”

This caused the four of them to break into petty squabbling, lashing out at each other. Duskbane, Alvin, and Celtic gained annoyed looks.

“I wonder if the party is going any better than this…” Celtic muttered.

At the party, a full-out brawl had erupted. Celtic’s party was effortlessly pummeling the other Heroes’ parties, making the other guests move out of the way to watch the carnage. Skye was mercilessly beating up the armored man, using mostly her legs to launch rapid-fire kicks, while the rest of her party fended off the others. Every time someone from the other Heroes’ parties was defeated, Viola would web them up and hang them on the wall. It was becoming increasingly clear that, despite their lower Levels, Celtic’s party was a force to be reckoned with, causing many of the other participants in the fight to start backing away. Finally, a sickening CRACK could be heard, followed by a wail of pain, seemingly ending the fight. Skye stood proudly, one foot on the armored man’s now very badly injured back, making her smirk.

“Rule #1: Never bad-mouth Celtic or my friends in front of me, you tin tyrant,” Skye stated, increasing the pressure of her heel in the man’s back.

Before the man could respond, Viola wrapped some silk around his mouth before cocooning him, placing one of her legs on him.

“Rule #2: Never underestimate us. Many foes have learned that the hard way, such as General Alastor and the High Priest,” Viola said matter-of-factly.

Rupert then placed his foot on him as well, “Rule #3: Keep your racist attitude to yourself and don’t bother us again with your stupidity. Every race exists for a reason, so if you don’t like it, deal with it!”

Leon merely sighed after the brawl had ended, “I hope Cel is having better luck at the council than we are at this dumb party.”

Tyroe replied, “Considering who he has to deal with, I doubt it.”

Back at the council meeting, the four Heroes were still bickering to the point of outright threatening each other. Celtic, Duskbane, and Alvin had increasingly angered expressions. Celtic finally had enough. He transformed his arm into a new weapon, which looked like a large cylinder nozzle, similar to a firehose. He pointed it at the four other Heroes, who had gathered in a cluster and didn’t notice him do this and fired a powerful stream of water at them. They were struck by the water attack, sending them flying into a nearby wall. After a moment Celtic ended the water attack, leaving the other four Heroes drenched and dazed.

“Listen up, you half-baked backups!” Celtic spat. “The fact of the matter is you are ALL correct! Each one of those strengthening methods are correct! The Legendary Gear all possess the same abilities, even the Shroud which was the last of the five to be conceived! That means each Gear can produce the same effects! Which means each Gear can use the same strengthening methods! Mastery, Stat Copy, refinement, all of those ideas work! It’s not just the Shroud that can do that, ALL of the Legendary Gear can do that! If you don’t believe me, then I suggest you pick up a book and read it to find out! You four are stunting yourselves by refusing to listen to reason and not trying new things, only allowing your hero skills carry you! The fact of the matter is you four are washed-up has-beens who treat this world like a game! Well, it’s NOT a game! I’ve been hammering this into your heads since Day 1 and you STILL haven’t gotten the message!? You four are completely hopeless! Either you get your act together and take the job seriously or YOU WILL DIE!!! This meeting is over with, as I’m done dealing with these Legendary Stooges!”

Celtic stormed out of the room, leaving four drenched Heroes and two annoyed kings in his wake.

“This is gonna be a big problem…” King Alvin sighed.

King Duskbane nodded, “Agreed. I’m actually starting to dread what’ll happen if these four can’t get their acts together. And, as always, my nephew is still the only one of these Heroes who is taking everything seriously. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Back in a guest room, Celtic had met up with Skye and the others. Both sides exchanged information on what had happened.

“So, the party was a bust thanks to a drunken racist moron who picked a fight with you, huh?” Celtic asked.

“Yep,” Skye replied. “And it seems that your meeting was also a bust thanks to the Legendary Stooges. Well, at least we know we’re going to the Myria Archipelago for that special event so we can get stronger. Let’s hope those idiots actually take it seriously so they don’t continue being liabilities in battle.”

“That might be asking a bit much,” Leon said. “As long as they stick to this stupid RPG mindset, they’re only going to become more of a problem.”

Everyone sighed in agreement, knowing that it was going to be a long fight ahead.

Next Chapter: No Hero Is an Island

And that's all for now, folks. A dialog-heavy chapter but it sets up the next mini-arc. Tune in next time to find out what happens to our heroes.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising Season 2. It's time for the bonus EXP weekend on a tropical island. Will the Heroes and their parties be able to take advantage of this once every 20 year phenomenon to better survive Infinator's forces? Read and find out.

No Hero Is an Island


A ship was sailing over the bright blue ocean, heading toward its destination. Onboard were the five Heroes and their parties, all heading to the Myria Archipelago for the bonus EXP event.

The captain of the ship gave an apologetic bow to Celtic, “I’m terribly sorry, Sir Shroud Hero. We had the VIP rooms all set for you, but the other Heroes took them for themselves without anyone else’s consent or permission.”

Celtic merely sighed, “Why am I not surprised. Those four are pretty selfish, always out for glory and money, and they still don’t see the big picture. Hopefully this EXP event will whip them into shape, as they’re becoming utter jokes on the battlefield, though I harbor many doubts.”

Skye placed her arms behind her head, rolling her eyes, “Figures those four would pull something like that. Well, I guess we have to stick to the general rooms thanks to them.”

Leon placed his hands in his pockets, “I’m really beginning to question those four halfwits and their usefulness. Seeing them screw up left and right was bad enough, but they’ve got selfish attitudes to go with it. Even though the Four Stars Church is gone, which is a godsend, they did have a point about those four so-called Heroes. While I wouldn’t call them ‘fakes’ like Ebenezer did, I do question if they’re even remotely capable of doing the job they’ve been assigned to. Even Zuzu, who is clearly a self-serving individual of a demon, was right to call them out. Well, whatever. Come on, let’s go explore the ship. Viola and the others are already doing the same, so let’s go see how they’re doing.”

Nodding, the trio decided to leave the room they were in and explore the ship. It wasn’t long before they were on the main deck. Viola was in the crow’s nest, looking out over the ocean, while Tyroe was at the bow of the ship, taking in the salty air. And, to their amusement, the other four Heroes were sulking near the port side of the ship, seasick.

“Celtic…” Jerry said woozily. “How are you not seasick?”

“Is it that cheat Shroud again…?” Eric asked, trying not to throw up.

Celtic shook his head, amused, “No, I’ve always had good sea legs. Dad and I used to go out on boating trips all the time when we lived near the beach when I was a child. I even got a boating license at age 16, top of my class, too. So, I’ve developed very good sea legs. And I’d call your situation karma for taking the VIP cabins without anyone’s permission.”

Lucas, although still seasick, approached Celtic threateningly, “I’ll show YOU karma!”

Celtic then noticed something, looking up, Skye and Leon following suit, confusing Lucas.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“You’re about to be hit by a flying seafood special,” the redhead said simply.

A shadow formed above Lucas. Before he could react, what looked like a shark with clawed fins crashed on top of him, flopping pathetically, flattening him.

“Um… where did that come from?” Ryan asked, surprised.

Suddenly, Rupert climbed over the port side onto the ship, wearing only his pants, soaking wet. He saw the shark and licked his furry muzzle.

“Yum, a good catch,” he said cheerfully.

He then got down on all fours and shook himself dry like an irate Saint Bernard, drenching the other three Heroes in the process.

“Hey! Knock it off, you furball!” Eric protested.

Rupert ignored them. After getting dry, he brushed his fur down and walked over to his catch, which was still flopping pathetically on top of Lucas. He grabbed it by the tail, hoisted it over his shoulder with ease, gaining a large grin.

“Shark fin soup, shark cutlet fillet, and cartilage crunch here I come!” he said with a smile.

As he began to walk away with the shark, Lucas tried to get up, only to be accidentally squashed under Tyroe, who was looking at the shark eagerly.

“Hey, Rupert!” he called. “Can I help? I haven’t had shark cutlet fillet in ages!”

Rupert smiled, “Sure, buddy. Help me clean it and we’ll split it 50/50. Sound good?”

“Deal!” the Naga said happily, still blissfully unaware of Lucas underneath him.

As Tyroe slithered off Lucas, leaving him flattened on the deck, Celtic, Skye, Leon, and Viola, who saw everything from her perch, all laughed. Even the ship’s crew couldn’t help but snicker.

“Looks like Lucas was the catch of the day,” Celtic snickered.

“Oh, shut up…” Lucas grumbled, still feeling rather squashed.

“I’m surprised Rupert could swim so well, considering he’s a cat,” Leon chuckled.

The other Heroes looked at him in disbelief, still seasick and now sopping wet. Viola then lowered herself down from the crow’s nest, still chuckling a bit.

“We’re gonna be in for a rough night, gang,” she said. “I see storm clouds over the horizon, so the sea is gonna get choppy pretty soon. Hold on to your stomachs… if you can.”

Ryan gained a grim expression, “Please tell me you’re joking, spider girl.”

Viola pointed out to the front of the ship, showing that storm clouds were on the horizon.

“Sorry, Blade Bozo, but those clouds prove me right. Tough break.”

The other four Heroes all gained looks of dread, while Celtic couldn’t help but snicker at it.

By the time morning had come, the ship had just arrived at the port. The Myria Archipelago was a chain of three tropical islands with several smaller ones scattered about. It seemed to be a hot destination, as travelers and adventurers of all shapes and sizes were bustling about. Celtic and his party dismounted from the ship, none worse for the wear after the storm last night.

“So… this is the Myria Archipelago?” Celtic asked.

Skye nodded, “Yup. A chain of tropical islands that’s not only a tourist hotspot but said to be home to several species of monsters. Adventurers from all over flock here to not only fight these monsters, but also soak in the tropical sun and explore the exotic open-air markets. Though no one knows why the Myria Archipelago experiences this once every 20 years phenomenon, but everyone takes advantage of it regardless.”

Suddenly, they all saw Lucas being carted off on a stretcher by his party, laying in a position that looked like he was dead, clearly shaken from the rough night.

“Man, talk about pathetic,” Tyroe sighed.

“I’ll say,” Leon nodded. “We handled that storm just fine, while those losers are being carted out on stretchers like they’re on their deathbeds. No wonder they’re becoming such liabilities in battle. They couldn’t even handle a simple storm on a ship.”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t even that bad of a storm,” Rupert pointed out. “I’ve heard of much worse storms, some strong enough to tear a ship apart. First they get seasick and now this. Some Heroes…”

As they said that, Jerry’s party passed them, carting the Bow Hero on a stretcher in a similar position to Lucas, making Celtic and his party roll their eyes. Then a man approached them. He was a tall and noble-looking man, but had a rather ghastly face, with well-groomed hair, green eyes, and was in a nice suit. He gave Celtic and company a bow.

“Welcome, Heroes. I’m Mayor Levia, Mayor of the Myria Archipelago. I was informed by King Alvin that you were coming. Allow me to…”

He was cut off as Ryan’s party carted the Sword Hero off the ship in a stretcher in the exact same position as Lucas and Jerry. This sight surprised Levia while Celtic and his party merely sighed.

“Well… I was going to take the Heroes to the inn, but I guess I’ll just take Prince Avalar and his party for now,” Levia said, sounding rather surprised yet defeated.

After going to the inn Celtic and his party decided to explore the bustling tropical town. They checked out several stands and shops before stopping to talk.

“So, shall we start grinding for Levels?” Celtic asked.

Viola nodded, “We might as well. That’s why we’re here, after all.”

Skye added, “We do have to abide by the ‘hunting etiquette’ that Mayor Levia told us about. Meaning we can’t invade on other people’s hunts to steal their prey. So, we’re going to have to spread out across the islands to find the best monsters and avoid bumping into other adventurers.”

Leon nodded, “Yeah, that does make sense. It especially makes sense for us and the halfwit Heroes, as the Legendary Gear repel each other, preventing EXP gains when they’re too close together. So, let’s find a wide-open area and start grinding.”

Nodding in agreement, the party headed out into the heart of the island. There they found countless monsters that seemed eager to fight. Celtic transformed his arm into Fighter Sword and cut down a Slime. As he did, he and his party gained 195 EXP, much to his surprise.

“Sheesh, even trash monsters like Slimes that you can one-shot grant this much EXP?” Celtic said. “This event is certainly worth it if we can get easy Levels from such simple prey.”

Skye sliced down another Slime, “Yeah, but these monsters aren’t much to get excited about. Can’t really work up any excitement with such pitiful prey. But I guess their EXP is no different from the others, and at least we have this area to ourselves, so we might as well make the most of it.”

“We can always check out another area later,” Rupert suggested. “But, for now, let’s get warmed up with these and move on from there.”

Nodding in agreement, the party began fighting off the various monsters in the area. They ranged from various Slimes to floating spiky heads with beaks to giant frogs to large crabs. As they fought off the monsters, their Levels were slowly growing. However, all of a sudden, the EXP gains suddenly stopped, surprising them.

“Huh? We’re not gaining anymore EXP,” Tyroe observed.

Suddenly an arrow flew over to them, striking a Slime, allowing the party to put two and two together. They all turned to see Jerry’s party walk over a small hill.

“So, you’re the reason why my EXP gains suddenly stopped,” Jerry said accusingly.

Another familiar voice then said, “What happened to my EXP?”

They turned to see Lucas and his party approach, groaning as they did.

Another voice said, “I can’t farm any EXP like this.”

Eric and his party approached, making Celtic’s party sigh.

“So, that’s why I’m not gaining any EXP now,” another voice said.

Ryan and his party appeared, annoying everyone.

“I was here first, so you go somewhere else!” Jerry stated.

“Wrong. I was here first; YOU go somewhere else!” Lucas countered.

“No, I was here first!” Eric spat.

“You’re all wrong, I was here first!” Ryan stated.

Skye was about to protest when Celtic placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

“Forget it, Skye,” he said. “Let’s go to another island and leave these four nitwits here to argue.”

Nodding, Celtic and his party left while the other four Heroes continued bickering. It wasn’t long before they had arrived onto another island via a sandbar. On this island there were much more fierce monsters, ranging from chimera-like beasts to orc-like creatures to giant centipedes. The party was much more satisfied with these monsters than the weaker monsters from earlier.

Skye smiled as hers and Leon’s Typhoon/Hydro Tower combo defeated a chimera monster, “These monsters are much beefier in both strength and EXP gains. They’re much more fun than those wusses on the previous island.”

Celtic noticed the EXP gain from the chimera monster to be 3950, nodding, “Yeah, and they get us more excited to fight them, too. But I wonder why this event happens? King Alvin and King Duskbane mentioned that it started happening right after the Great Demon War ended, which makes me wonder if it’s related to it somehow.”

Viola walked up to him, “Cel, we might have a problem.”

She, Tyroe, and Rupert presented their weapons to him. They were very worn and beaten up, looking like they were going to break at any given moment.

“I see your point, Viola,” he said. “Your weapons don’t look like they’re gonna last for the rest of the event. Maybe… let me try something with this downed Black Chimera.”

He walked over to it. First he took a sample from it to feed to the Shroud, unlocking a new form, before switching Shrouds. This Shroud looked like a bunch of tools cobbled together, much to everyone’s confusion. Activating the Shroud, he then touched the Black Chimera, causing the Shroud to glow. Suddenly, new weapons formed. One was a double-ended scythe that had the chimera’s two heads on it, one on each end, with rather jagged blades. The second one were a pair of morning stars with retractable chains, the spikes on the top looked like fangs, and the bottoms appeared to be attachable, which Tyroe tried, becoming a double-ended morning star. The final item was a pair of very long retractable claws with the chimera’s heads acting as the base, one on each. Viola, Rupert, and Tyroe admired these new weapons.

“Good, looks like that worked,” Celtic said with a smile. “I’m glad I got this Weapon Crafter Shroud, even if it was by accident. It allows me to create new weapons based off of a downed monster, as long as Shroud has absorbed a piece of said monster prior. Sadly, it only creates temporary weapons that have a certain damage tolerance before they break, as they’re not considered ‘real’ items. Those will do for now until we can get Danial to make you something a bit more long-lasting.”

Leon was surprised, “Where did you get that Shroud from?”

“I got it from the Demon Realm, albeit by accident. I completed my basic training near the area where the sacred shrine was. There were some leftover weapon crafting tools in a worn-out stone crate, probably leftover from when the Shadokor dwelled in the Demon Realm. I was checking them out when a Scorchapide startled me, making me push the weapon crafting equipment against the Shroud’s core by accident, causing it to absorb all of them in the process. I haven’t tested the Shroud form until now as, well, obviously I can’t hold a weapon because of the Shroud, so I just left it alone. But I’m glad I got it, as it allowed me to conjure up new weapons for Viola, Rupert, and Tyroe. Sometimes the best discoveries are the accidental ones. Those will suffice until Danial makes you better ones.”

Rupert gave a jabbing motion with his new claws, smiling, “These will do very nicely. Thanks, pal.”

Viola gave her new scythe a spin, admiring it, “Very, very nice. It’s got a good weight and solid feel to it. I’m going to enjoy using this bad boy. Thanks, Cel, these will definitely carry us through this event no problem.”

Celtic nodded, “Good. Now, let’s continue before the sun starts setting, then we’ll head back and get something to eat. Keep an eye out for any of the item drops that the monsters have. They said this event causes the drops to be more valuable, so keep a close watch for them.”

“Got it!” his party said in unison.

After a few more hours of grinding for Levels the party returned to the town as it started to get dark. They decided to go to an open-air café and bar to eat, something that the other Heroes decided to follow suit. As they ate and drank, they started to have a good time. Skye ended up in an arm wrestling match with the same armored soldier from the celebration party when he drunkenly picked a fight with her. Despite him trying with all his might to even just move her arm, Skye effortlessly beat him, something that she rubbed in smugly. Celtic was leaning on the bar table when he noticed some fruit that looked like lavender-colored cherries. He popped one into his mouth, his eyes widening at the taste, before eating some more. Leon, who was flirting with some of the locals, realized this and quickly ran over to him.

“Cel! Cel! Don’t eat those!” he sputtered.

Celtic turned to him, having just eaten another one, “Hmm? Why?”

“Those are Leecha Berries. They’re used to make wine. They are well-known for their ungodly alcohol content. Eating just half of one can cause alcohol poisoning.”

Lucas walked over, “You’re not showing me up, Celtic!”

He grabbed one from the bowl and popped it into his mouth. Within a few chews he gained a horrified expression, his face turning dark, started foaming at the mouth, and collapsed on the floor.

“Lucas!” Wench sputtered.

Rupert, who saw this, merely said, “Does he have to make everything a contest?”

“He’s a moron on an ego trip, what do you expect?” Tyroe stated.

Celtic picked up another one, “So, these are used to make wine?”

Leon nodded, “Yeah. To make something drinkable, you need to dilute one of those in one barrel of water. They’re just that powerful.”

“They’re pretty tasty as-is,” the redhead said, popping another into his mouth, much to Leon’s shock.

“Are you… even getting a buzz, Celtic?” he asked, his jaw having dropped.

“Not remotely.”

“Remind me to never challenge you to a drinking contest. I like wine, especially a nice goblet of Moonshine, but I could never eat one of those. But also remind me to bet on you if you ever enter a drinking contest. I’d win big cash on you, that’s for sure.”

Celtic popped another one into his mouth, much to everyone’s surprise, thinking, “It’s… It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to just eat, drink, and enjoy myself like this. Not since I was a child, even. This whole EXP event is actually pretty fun, especially since my party and I can just do our own thing without annoyances like the Light Elves nipping at our heels. I just hope it is enough to help us win the next Infinator attack… whenever that may be.”

After a restful night Celtic and his party were back on the hunt. They had traveled to another island to explore it. This island had other monsters on it, ranging from gryphons to giant multi-stinger scorpions to bandit-style rats. Along the way, they had gathered a number of interesting item drops from the various monsters. The newly crafted weapons from the Black Chimera were proven to be powerful, as Viola, Rupert, and Tyroe were able to effortlessly take down their foes with their new gear. After several hours of grinding, they decided to take a break to see what they had gotten. Viola had crafted herself another one of her spider silk hammocks in a tree to lounge in while the rest of the party looked over their spoils.

Skye picked up an item, “We’ve gotten really good drops from these monsters over the past two days. Items like Yggdrasil Leaves, Lightning Stones, Starshot Gems, Ivory Dice, Magic Waters, Saint’s Ashes, and more. And we’ve all reached the 70s now, which is a huge jump for us, as most of us were still in the 30s to 40s by the time the High Priest attacked.”

Rupert nodded, “Yeah, though we’re hitting bit of a wall now, as getting past the 70s is often considered very difficult. And we’re seeing that ourselves, as the EXP gains are getting to the point of diminishing returns. Still, at least the items are worth it, even if we’re getting a bit stalled in the Leveling Up department.”

Viola then noticed something from her perch. She climbed out of her hammock and scuttled up to the top of the tree she was in and looked out. Celtic and the others noticed this.

“Viola!” Leon called out. “Do you see something?”

“Yeah,” she called back. “I see what looks like some sort of shine just ahead from our position. It’s tucked away in the side of a hill, but it’s there.”

“Let’s check it out,” Tyroe suggested. “Might be worth looking into it.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed. It may have some sort of significance, maybe even explain this whole phenomenon, as that’s something I’ve been wondering about. Come on, team, let’s check it out.”

After putting the items away and regrouping with Viola, the party made their way to the shrine. It was nestled inside a small hill, almost out-of-sight, and looked completely undisturbed. As the band of six approached it, they noticed a strange energy flowing around them.

“What is this energy that we’re feeling?” Skye asked.

Leon shivered, “I dunno, but it feels rather… unholy. It’s giving me the chills.”

“This energy feels familiar to me…” Celtic mused silently. “But where have I felt it before…?”

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening, getting the attention of his party.

“Cel? Is something wrong?” Viola asked.

“This energy…” he replied. “I think it’s the same energy I felt in the Demon Realm!”

This statement stunned everyone.

“Wait! Are you saying this strange energy we’re feeling is the same as the energy found in the Demon Realm?!” Tyroe sputtered.

Leon shivered again, “If it is, it makes sense why I’m feeling uneasy about it. But the question is… why is there energy from the Demon Realm here of all places?”

Celtic continued up to the doors of the shrine, “Maybe we’ll find out inside this shrine. Come on, let’s see what we can find.”

They approached the door to the shrine. Celtic touched it, causing his Shroud’s core to glow, which caused the doors to open up. They entered the shrine and stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw. Inside the shrine was a giant Infinity Hourglass, the same one as the miniature one Celtic had. The sands inside of it were getting pretty low, indicating another attack was about to occur soon.

“What’s an Infinity Hourglass doing here!?” Rupert sputtered.

“It also looks like another Infinator attack is going to happen soon!” Skye exclaimed. “Cel, take out your Infinity Hourglass and compare them, quickly!”

Complying, Celtic took out his miniature Infinity Hourglass. To his surprise, the two didn’t match up, as his was still full of sand while the giant one was nearing the end of its countdown. This stunned everyone.

“They don’t match?” Viola asked, surprised. “What does that mean? Does that mean only this area will be struck by a wave? Does that also mean this event and Infinator’s waves are connected somehow?”

A timer appeared in Celtic’s stat vision, showing him the giant Infinity Hourglass’s countdown, his eyes widening in shock.

“The next wave… will hit here in just two days!” he stated.

Next Chapter: Wave-ring Spirit

Woo, what a discovery. Looks like the vacation is over, as it's time for action. Tune in next time to find out what happens.
 
Okay, the next chapter is live. Celtic and his party have to relay their newfound discovery to both the Delgunner royal family and the other Heroes, though the latter of which is like herding cats.

Wave-ring Spirit


King Alvin and his family were in the throne room, merely discussing various topics. To their surprise, Celtic and his party suddenly burst through the doors to the throne room, clearly in a hurry.

“Prince Avalar?!” King Alvin sputtered. “What are you doing here? You should be at the EXP event at the Myria Archipelago.”

“We were there,” Celtic explained. “Then we found a hidden shrine that had an Infinity Hourglass! And it said we had two days until the next Infinator attack!”

“What?!” Queen Amelia choked. “But our Infinity Hourglass says we have at least two more weeks.”

“I know. I have a miniature one on-hand that Rupert gave me. It said the same thing. We think that the EXP event is either connected to the attack or is attracting it by accident. The reason why I say this is because we sensed energies from the Demon Realm at the shrine, indicating that the Demon Realm may be responsible for the EXP event. We don’t know for sure, but we know that the Myria Archipelago is in danger of being attacked by a wave!”

Before King Alvin could reply, a smooth female voice said, “He is correct, Your Majesty. We Shadokor have come to the very same conclusion.”

Everyone turned to see a regal-looking female walk in. She was rather youthful-looking and quite beautiful, with short lilac-colored hair in a somewhat bob style with matching eyes with slit pupils, fair skin, an hourglass frame, ample chest, fangs, and black feather-like facial markings on her cheeks. She was dressed in an elegant gown, mostly purple in color, with gold trim, silver on her front, a gold crown on her head, high-heeled shoes, and black feathers adorning her collar, crown, and short cape.

“Queen Wuya!” King Alvin sputtered.

Queen Wuya gave a polite bow, “My apologies for my unannounced arrival, Your Majesty, but Avalar is correct. We Shadokor have done extensive research on the subject and it turns out that the event that takes place once every 20 years at the Myria Archipelago is because it’s on a power spot.”

“What’s a power spot?” Rupert asked.

“A power spot is a location that is on top of a gateway to the Demon Realm. When Infinator first attacked this world, he opened up multiple gateways to the Demon Realm to gather resources and minions. We Shadokor sealed those gateways using our masterful control over the Demon Realm and the royal family’s blood. However, some of the seals were closed rather hastily, which causes cracks to form. We call those power spots as they tend to boost the EXP and other effects on the resident monsters. The Myria Archipelago is on such a power spot, where a crack in the seal to the Demon Realm has formed. On top of that, the whole 20-year thing is because every 20 years the Demon Realm has a surge of energy flow through it. This was because of Infinator’s rise to power, causing power fluctuations to occur in the Demon Realm. So, as a result, the EXP event at the Myria Archipelago, along with other locations that have become power spots, is because of the energy surge coming from the Demon Realm that leaks out through cracks in the various gateway seals.”

“So… that explains why this event occurs,” Queen Amelia pondered. “Because it is on top of a gateway to the Demon Realm that has developed cracks in its seal. And you say this affects other areas as well, Queen Wuya?”

Queen Wuya nodded, “Indeed, but, fortunately, those areas are in isolated locations, far from any civilization, meaning they’re no threat to the general public. Only the Myria Archipelago is in danger. This is because of the fact that the power spot is accidentally drawing in energy from Infinator’s wave generators, causing the phenomenon that will summon a wave to that location. That shrine Avalar mentioned is smack bang on top of the center of the crack in the seal, which is why he and the others could sense the energy from the Demon Realm, as it would be at its strongest there. This means we’re getting another Infinator attack much earlier than expected, and it’ll be only at locations where there are power spots. As a result, it does mean the Myria Archipelago is in danger. While our sources indicate that the wave will most likely take place out at sea, we have already alerted Mayor Levia to our discovery. He is preparing evacuations as we speak, as neither he nor we want to take a chance. It’ll also allow all the Heroes to focus on the wave and not worry about civilians.”

“I see…” King Alvin said, clearly stunned at this discovery. “We must begin preparations right away!”

Queen Wuya smiled, “No need to worry about that, Your Majesty. We Shadokor are already on the ball. We’re already loading up our steam-powered armored ships, preparing for battle, as we speak. My husband, King Duskbane, will take charge and go onto the frontlines with the Heroes and their parties. Our armored ships will be able to weather the power of the various aquatic monsters we will most likely face, even a Korathan Whale, making them more ideal choices over standard ships. So, please, leave this to us, as we’re already making the necessary preparations as we speak.”

King Alvin nodded, “Very well, then. You Shadokor seem to always be ready for battle, so we’ll leave this to you. But we need to alert the other Heroes about this, as they’re probably still grinding for Levels. Avalar, can we leave that to you?”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, I’ll get their attention and alert them to the situation. They’re not going to like their EXP ‘vacation’ interrupted but they need to know what’s happening. Skye, use Warp to get us back to the Myria Archipelago so I can get those dodo birds to gather in one place to tell them this. This won’t be fun, but it has to be done.”

Queen Wuya then said, “Wait just a moment Avalar.” She gently caressed his face, smiling warmly, “I’ve waited a long time to see my nephew. The last time I saw you was when you were just a newborn. Look how you’ve grown. You look just like your father, Noir, but have Gardenia’s eyes, hair, and nose. I daresay, you look so much like your father that it seems your very measurements are identical. When I was told that the Shroud Hero was my long-lost nephew, I was ecstatic to finally have a chance to see you again after your parents’ deaths, while also enraged at the Light Elves for their crimes against you. I know what you’ve been through, as I saw your memories alongside my husband, and it sickens me that you were mistreated for such a stupid reason by your adopted aunts and uncles. Do know that you have at least one aunt who cares about you, Avalar. And maybe someday you can meet my children, your cousins, as they want to meet you. But I cannot keep you here. You must return to the islands and relay the message to those halfwit Heroes about the upcoming Infinator attack. Go.”

Celtic nodded, gaining a small smile as Queen Wuya gently removed her hands from his face. He then gestured to Skye, giving her the command.

“Warp!” she stated.

Celtic and his party vanished, leaving the Delgunner royal family and Queen Wuya behind.

Celtic and his party arrived at the central hub of the Myria Archipelago city. They saw the various civilian and adventurers quickly gathering their possessions, preparing to evacuate, but they didn’t see the other Heroes.

Celtic sighed, “I figured they’d still be out on the field, gaining Levels. Well, time to get their attention. Cannon!”

His arm transformed into Cannon. He then started to mess with the knobs on the side, adjusting something.

“What are you doing, Cel?” Leon asked.

“I’m modifying my Cannon in order for it to create a flare gun-like burst that’ll spell out a message to the other Heroes to regroup here. I just hope it works, as those halfwit has-beens often don’t care about anything I say.”

After making the final modifications, he pointed his Cannon up to the sky and fired several shots. These shots took the form of fireball-like bursts that rocketed into the air. After getting to a certain point, they exploded, creating a message with their energies that read, “Heroes! Emergency Meeting! Gather Now!” This message could be seen across all the islands, which the other Heroes saw from their respective locations. About 15 minutes later all the Heroes and their parties had gathered.

“Okay, Celtic, what’s the big deal?” Lucas snarled. “Why did you summon us here?”

“Oh, quit your griping and listen, for a change. My party has discovered an Infinity Hourglass on one of these islands. It says that another Infinator attack is coming in less than two days. The Shadokor have also discovered this. The thing is only this Infinity Hourglass shows that. My miniature one and the ones in other kingdoms like Delgunner say we have at least two more weeks. This event, which is connected to the Demon Realm, is unintentionally attracting the energies from Infinator’s wave generators and will summon a wave ahead of time here.”

“So, another wave is going to take place right here!?” Jerry asked, surprised.

“Not here per se, but most likely out at sea near here,” Celtic explained. “The Shadokor are already loading up their armored ships to prepare for battle, with King Duskbane taking command and heading out onto the frontlines with us. They told Mayor Levia to evacuate the civilians and adventures as a precaution, hence why everyone is running around here in a frantic state. I was told to alert you to this so we can begin preparing for the next attack. Looks like the bonus EXP party is over, as we have to return to Delgunner to begin making a battle plan for this wave, as we’ll be most likely fighting aquatic monsters on their home turf.”

Ryan started to walk away, “I’m sitting this one out.”

Eric placed his hands on his hips, “And where do you think you’re going, Ryan? We have to do this.”

Jerry gained a sneer, “What’s wrong, Ryan? Maybe, perhaps, you can’t swim?”

Ryan replied hastily, “O-Of course I can swim!”

Not buying it, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry grabbed Ryan, much to his protests, frogmarched him to the docks and tossed him into shallow water. They watched with amusement as Ryan flailed and struggled to swim, frantically calling for help. Celtic merely sighed as he walked up to the docks to see the sight.

“Yo-Yo,” he said simply.

His arm became the Yo-Yo attachment, he took aim, and fired it, causing to latch onto the bottom of the shallow water near Ryan.

“Grab it.”

Ryan frantically grabbed the Yo-Yo’s cable, clinging onto it with tight hands, panting heavily.

“Reel me in!!!” he cried out.

Celtic merely said, “Before I do anything, Ryan, take a good, long look at your situation. Have you ever heard of the phrase, ‘Stop drowning and stand up’ before? I suggest you try that.”

Confused, Ryan took a moment to observe his situation. He then tried standing up while still clutching the Yo-Yo’s cable. To his surprise, the water only reached his hips. He looked at the shallow water, then to Celtic, then back to the water, gaining an embarrassed expression. Lucas, Eric, and Jerry laughed at him, while Celtic merely sighed.

“Oh, stow it, you three!” he spat before turning back to Ryan. “Look, Ryan, it’s okay to admit you’re afraid of drowning because you can’t swim. Fear is perfectly natural. It’s part of every living organism’s systems. It helps boost survival. I know you like to be this super-cool stoic swordsman, but you just made a fool of yourself by trying to hide that you can’t swim. Look what happened as a result. Look, it’s okay to be afraid, as fear is part of life. But you have to realize that trying to hide your fear will only make things worse for you, especially if it’s forced out of you like just now. There’s no shame in admitting you’re afraid, especially if your fear is justified. But you can’t use that as an excuse to get out of this mission. Admitting you’re afraid and what you’re afraid of is the first step in conquering, or at least learning to tolerate your fears. There’s no shame in it.”

Ryan, clearly embarrassed, countered, “Then tell me YOUR fear!”

Celtic merely replied, “Fine. I’m not ashamed to tell you. It’s clowns. I’ve always found them creepy, what with that exaggerated face makeup and such, but ever since my evil aunts Leena and Reena sicced one on me on my 7th birthday did it cement into a fear. But even though I’m afraid of clowns, I don’t let it get the better of me. I’m more than fine admitting that I’m afraid of clowns, as I know it’s the first step in at least learning how to tolerate my fear. I’m not ashamed of it, because it’s just part of who I am, so I deal with it. The point I’m trying to get across to you is that there is no shame in admitting you’re afraid of something, as fear is perfectly natural. But you’re NOT getting out of your duty as a Legendary Hero because of it. The Shadokor’s armored ships will protect you from falling into the water, as they are said to possess enough durability to withstand the power of a Korathan Whale, whatever that is. So, you’re going onto the frontlines whether you want to or not, as it’s your duty to protect this world. But, again, there is no shame in admitting you’re afraid. By trying to cover up your fear you made a fool of yourself, but by admitting your fear can you keep your image while actually looking more mature. So, from now on, don’t try to cover up your fear, just admit it and it’ll make you the bigger man. Now, let go of the Yo-Yo’s cable and walk back to shore, as you’ll be fine doing that.”

Ryan was stunned at Celtic’s heartfelt statement, along with everyone else present. He reluctantly let go of the Yo-Yo’s cable, allowing Celtic to retract it before Ryan waded his way back to shore. Skye in particular had an almost dreamy expression on her face.

“And people wonder why I love him,” she said.

After Ryan had made it back to shore, Celtic walked up to him, “Let’s get you dry before going back to Delgunner. Blower.”

His arm became the same cyber fan that produced Tornado but was slightly different.

“Normally, this will release a flaming tornado, but by adjusting the output, it’ll turn it into an overgrown blow dryer. Observe.”

He started to spin the fan, but not as quickly as he would normally do. This tweak caused it to produce a strong yet controlled gust of hot air. He used it to dry Ryan off, much to his surprise. Once Ryan was dry he transformed his arm back to normal.

“There, that’ll do. Skye, use Warp to get us back to Delgunner so we can begin the strategy meeting.”

Skye nodded, “On it. Warp!”

This caused every Hero and their parties to vanish, heading back to Delgunner to prepare for the next attack.

Next Chapter: A Whale of a Tale

And that's all for now. Tune in next time to see what the next Infinator wave will bring.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising Season 2. It's time for a naval battle against Infinator's forces. Will the Heroes prevail? Or will their enemies sink their battleships? (Warning: contains violence, blood, nudity)

Whale of a Tale


It was time. Sailing over the ocean near the Myria Archipelago were several heavily armored steam-powered ships. Onboard were various Shadokor soldiers, along with King Duskbane, and the Heroes and their respective parties on different ships. They knew the time was nearly upon them, for Infinator’s next attack. Most of the Heroes were ready, with only Ryan clinging into his ship’s smokestack in terror, while Celtic’s party was on the same ship King Duskbane was commanding. What they didn’t know is that Zuzu had hitched a ride, clinging onto the back of one of the ships, awaiting to see if her target would appear in this wave.

Celtic looked over everything in amazement, “I have to hand it to the Shadokor, they really know how to prepare for battle.”

Duskbane smiled, “Of course, my dear nephew, we are largely a warring race, after all. Though that’s normal for all demons, to be honest. Besides, in this case it was better that we Shadokor took the reins, as our steam-powered armored ships are considerably more durable than standard ships. These ships can take ten direct blasts from a Korathan Whale’s energy beams like it’s nothing. Plus, they are armed with cannons and harpoon guns to tackle any other aquatic monsters we will most likely face. We’ll be fine on these vessels.”

Skye looked around, “Let’s hope so. Not that I doubt you, but this’ll be our first battle at sea, which will be our enemies home turf. By the way, were the evacuations a success?”

Duskbane nodded, “Yes. Mayor Levia completed the evacuations this morning. However, this wave will most likely take place out as sea, so the people aren’t in real danger. But this’ll allow all the Heroes to focus on defeating the enemies and not worry about civilians. I suspect that, given the environment and considering this is Infinator we’re talking about, our ‘boss monster’ may be a Korathan Whale.”

Celtic turned to him, “What’s a Korathan Whale, anyway? The name keeps popping up, so what is it?”

“A Korathan Whale is a whale native to the Demon Realm, found in the Dark Oceans. Some were released into Zakota during the Great Demon War by Infinator as naval powerhouses. It is a monstrous beast, nearly three times as long as one of these ships, with a spiral horn on its face, sharp teeth, a powerful cannon-shaped gem on its forehead, and sharp blade-like fins and spines. Korathan Whales are also quite aggressive but are also quite smart, as well as having very durable hides. Most regular ships would be turned into shipwrecks if they ever tried challenging a Korathan Whale, hence why we’re using our ships instead, as they were designed to fight Korathan Whales. They are very dangerous beasts, but we Shadokor know the proper way of fighting them, so you can rest easy.”

Meanwhile, the Infinity Hourglass at the Myria Archipelago was still counting down to the time, with only a few sands left in it. After another minute, the final grain of sand passed through it, causing it to glow, indicating the wave was about to begin. At the same time the ships started to teleport before appearing in a slightly different place, the sky turning red with spiraling portals.

“It’s time! Prepare for battle!” Duskbane instructed.

Several aquatic monsters appeared from the portals, diving into the water. As they did, several Shadokor were dumping barrels into the water. Shortly afterward, these barrels detonated, releasing surprisingly large explosions underwater.

Leon looked confused, “What are those?”

One ShadoKnight replied, “They’re cask bombs. They’re loaded to the brim with highly concentrated Leecha berry wine.”

As he said that, several aquatic monsters floated up to the surface, out of commission.

“I get it!” Viola said with a smile. “Concentrated alcohol will work just as well on monsters as it does on people! Good call!”

Several Shadokor aimed the cannons at the drunken monsters before firing, effortlessly picking off several of them. Suddenly, a low roar could be heard. Everyone looked ahead to see a massive monster charge toward them. It was a huge whale-like monster, looking very similar to a sperm whale crossed with a narwhal, with a jagged mouth full of spear-sized teeth, sharp fins, glowing red eyes, a huge spiral horn, almost drill-like, in the front of its face, a cannon-shaped gem on its forehead, and a long, thick sea serpent-like body.

“Korathan Whale off the bow!” a ShadoKnight called out.

Jerry loaded up an arrow, taking aim at the massive Korathan Whale, “Meteor Shot!”

He fired the shining arrow at the Korathan Whale. But, to his surprise, it dove underwater, creating a wave that blocked the attack. It then resurfaced near a ship and rammed it, but the ship remained largely unharmed, save for a few dents in its hull.

Rupert’s eyes were wide, “Sheesh, you weren’t kidding. That ship took a direct headbutt from that Korathan Whale and barely got any dents in it. Any other ship could’ve been potentially totaled by such an attack. You Shadokor sure do know how to make a better mousetrap.”

Duskbane nodded before stating, “We need to get it out of the water to attack it, as it’ll just dive underneath when attacked! Leave the small fries to my men and the cask bombs! Avalar, you need to fish that thing out.”

“Lucky me…” Celtic grumbled. “Fine. Let’s see what I can do. Aqua Jet Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into a new form. It had completely changed, becoming a pair of turbine-like engines with fins attached to it. He then placed an oxygen mask on from his Tek-Pak and dove into the water, making Skye worried.

“I drew the short end of the stick again…” Celtic muttered from behind his oxygen mask. “What a shock. Now, let’s try out this technique I learned. Taunt Pulse!”

A series of pulses emitted from Celtic’s body. The pulses struck the Korathan Whale. The Korathan Whale roared, turned around, and started to swim toward Celtic.

“Got its attention. Aqua Jet Shroud, maximum speed!”

The Aqua Jet Shroud revved up its turbine engines before producing a massive burst of speed, rocketing Celtic away from the Korathan Whale. He led it to the surface before shooting out of the water, the Aqua Jets acting like pseudo jetpacks, with the Korathan Whale lunging out after him. As the beast hovered over the water in its jump, the other Heroes gained determined expressions.

“Attack!” Duskbane stated.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slash!” Ryan yelled while still clutching the smokestack.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric called.

The four shining shots slammed into various points of the Korathan Whale. It then fell back into the water.

“Got it!” the other four Heroes smirked.

However, the Korathan Whale’s head appeared, started to channel energy into the cannon-shaped gem and fired it at one of the ships. The attack struck the ship hard, sending some of the ShadoKnights flying from the blast, but the ship remained intact.

“Those attacks didn’t do any good!” Tyroe stated.

“Yeah, all they did was make it angry!” Leon pointed out.

“Looks like the Legendary Stooges didn’t gain anything of worth from the EXP event at Myria Archipelago outside of a few Levels…” Viola sighed.

At that time, Skye was manning a harpoon gun. She took aim, channeling magical energy into it before firing it. The harpoon pierced the Korathan Whale’s hide just behind its eye, making it roar in pain.

Zuzu, who was watching from the sky, merely shook her head.

“Those four braindead baboons really are useless,” she sighed. “That harpoon did more damage than they did combined. Some ‘Heroes’ they’re turning out to be. Once again, it largely depends on Celtic and his party. Now… will my prey appear in this wave or will that Korathan Whale be the only ‘boss’ that’ll appear today?”

The ShadoKnights were still dumping cask bombs into the water, stating, “We’ll handle the small fries so you can leave the big one to the Heroes!”

Celtic, who was perched on one of the ship’s crow’s nests, observed the situation.

“We need to get it out of the water again in order to attack it,” he said. “But those four twits didn’t even scratch it. That harpoon Skye fired did more damage than they did combined.”

Duskbane called out, “Avalar! You need to get it out of the water again! Your party will then attack it when it’s airborne! Go!”

Celtic rolled his eyes, muttering, “I want extra hazard pay for this. Why do I always draw the short straw? Well, no sense in complaining. Aqua Jet Shroud, maximum speed!”

The Aqua Jet Shroud revved up its engines before rocketing Celtic into the water. He then used Taunt Pulse again, the pulses striking the Korathan Whale, making it roar and swim toward him. Celtic turned around and had the Aqua Jet Shroud speed him away from the charging behemoth before shooting out of the water, the Korathan Whale following suit.

Viola swung her scythe, “Scythe Wind Cutter!”

Rupert had finished channeling a spell, “Crescent Leaf!”

Leon loaded up an energy arrow, “Thunder Arrow!”

Tyroe had charged up a spell, “Stone Storm!”

The four attacks combined together, creating a massive storm of multiple elements that engulfed the Korathan Whale. When the combo attack subsided, blood started to gush from various wounds on it.

“Time for me to get a lick in!” Celtic stated as his Aqua Jet Shroud rocketed him toward the beast. “Break Saber!”

His arm transformed into Break Saber, allowing him to give the massive demonic whale a vicious slash, causing more blood to gush out from it. Celtic then ricocheted off one of the ship’s smokestacks and charged in again.

“Giga Knuckle!”

His arm transformed again, becoming a massive knuckle. He gave the Korathan Whale a massive uppercut, sending it flying into the sky.

“Let’s hit it one more time!” Skye instructed. She then channeled a spell before stating, “Lightning!”

Viola spun her scythe again, “Scythe Wind Cutter!”

Leon loaded up another energy arrow, “Thunder Arrow!”

Rupert channeled another spell, “Crescent Leaf!”

Tyroe launched another spell, “Rock Spears!”

The attacks combined into another massive form, mercilessly attacking the Korathan Whale. When the attacks subsided, the Korathan Whale was defeated. It gave one last pained roar before flopping into the water, dead, its corpse floating on the surface, its blood oozing into the water. The Shadokor all cheered, with Celtic and his party jumping onto the beast’s body from their positions.

Skye ran over to Celtic, “Cel! Are you okay?”

Celtic had an annoyed expression on his face, “I’m cold, I’m soaked, and I smell like wine from those cask bombs. As always, I drew the short straw. And the worst part is I can’t use Blower on myself to quickly dry off. And, once again, those four half-baked halfwits couldn’t dent the damn blubber belly beast.”

Viola gained a crooked grin, “Well, look on the bright side, you proved once again that the Shroud is the strongest of the Legendary Gear.”

Leon then looked up at the sky, “We can’t celebrate just yet, as the wave is still going. We may still have another enemy to fight.”

Suddenly a voice shouted, “Hey!”

They all turned to see the other four Heroes, Celtic and his party gaining annoyed expressions.

“And what are you four doing here?” Skye asked acidly.

“What else? The drops,” Eric simply said.

“Yeah, they belong to all of the Heroes,” Jerry stated.

“Considering you four couldn’t even dent the Korathan Whale, what makes you think you deserve the drops?” Rupert countered.

Tyroe nodded, “Yeah. We’re the ones who killed it, not you. All you did was make it angry.”

A voice floated down, “The Shroud Hero’s party is correct. You four nobodies don’t deserve anything… but death.”

They all looked up to see Sylph floating above them, a disappointed look on her face.

“Sylph!” Leon growled.

Sylph ignored him for the moment before directing her attention to the other four Heroes. “Celtic and his party are correct. You four didn’t do anything of worth to earn the Korathan Whale’s drops. Even after Leveling Up in Myria Archipelago you still prove inept at your assigned job. Not only does Infinator see you four as a waste of time, but he’s also largely amused at how much damage you cause on your solo missions. He’s well aware of your screwups and finds it hilarious that you four are causing as many problems as he does. You make for terrible Heroes. Villains, on the other hand, he can see that gig working for you. As do I. No, you don’t deserve anything from this battle, only Celtic and his party does. But fret not, I’ll put you out of your, and this world’s, misery today.”

“Shut up, you flying freak!” Lucas spat.

“Yeah, we’re not gonna take that from you!” Ryan added.

Sylph looked unimpressed, “Go ahead and try it, you quadlet of washed-up has-beens. I’ve seen Slimes put up a better fight than you four. You continue to rely on Levels and flashy techniques alone, only letting your Hero skills carry you and not learning anything from your experiences in this world. What were those idiot Light Elves thinking when they summoned you four? You four are hardly worth the energy, but I might as well smack you upside the head. Maybe it’ll knock some sense into you… if it doesn’t kill you first.”

“You can’t deny that she has a point,” Skye said.

Viola nodded, “Yeah. Considering she’s the enemy, it says a lot when both our team and her side can agree on something.”

“Shut it, spider girl!” Lucas spat.

“Hmph, that’s no way to speak to a lady, harem has-been,” the Arachne countered. “Some ladies’ man you are.”

Sylph merely sighed, “You four are a disgrace to the name of your Gear. I’ve seen every generation of past Legendary Heroes since their creation and you four are not remotely living up to them, both in title and skill, in any shape or form. But go ahead, teach me a lesson. Show me your ‘power’ if you can.”

“You’re asking for it! Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry spat.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric yelled.

The four shining attacks slammed into Sylph, but to their horror she was unharmed, her disappointed look getting worse.

“Really? Is that the best you can do?” she said, brushing off her shoulder. “No wonder you’re so useless. You’re a waste of my time and energy, but it is what it is. Now it’s my turn! Ballistic Bombardment!”

Celtic then instructed, “Get behind me! Scrap Iron Shroud! Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”

His party quickly scampered behind him before the Shroud changed, with the fortress-shaped barrier forming around them. Sylph launched her attack, the blasts raining down everywhere. The other Heroes and the various ships were hit with the attack, while the Scrap Iron Fortress Defense weathered the attack. At this time, Zuzu was watching, trying to find an opening.

“My prey has arrived, but I can’t get to her while those four halfwits and Celtic are there,” she said to herself. “I need to find a way to either isolate her or disable her so I can go in for the kill. But how?” She then noticed something, gaining a grin, “Ah, yes, those will work quite nicely. And, as it so happens, Sylph is weak to those. Thank you, Duskbane.”

After the attack subsided, the four Heroes were flat on their backs, groaning in pain, while Celtic’s defensive fortress remained unharmed. After a moment Celtic lowered the barrier, showing that his party was untouched. Sylph gave a small smile.

“Hmph, as least that defensive ability of yours still works well. You weathered my attack like it was nothing. Clearly you benefited the most from your ‘training’ in both the Myria Archipelago and the Demon Realm. It’s no surprise Master Infinator sees you as his biggest threat, especially considering it was your ancestor, the legendary Shadow Prince, who ultimately defeated my Master. At least you’re living up to the Shroud Hero’s name and title, unlike those four brainless lemmings.”

The other four Heroes got back up, angry expressions on their faces.

“Hmph, you four should’ve stayed down. Guess I need to knock some more sense into you.” She started to channel more energy before stating, “Typhoon!”

A massive windstorm formed on the Korathan Whale’s body, trying to suck everything up. Celtic used Scrap Iron Fortress Defense again to protect his party, but the other four Heroes were effortlessly sucked into it. As the tornado spun, Sylph channeled more energy.

“Flame Tower!”

The flaming tower erupted and barreled toward the windstorm. The two spells combined to create a massive flaming vortex, the Heroes screaming in pain as the attack ravaged them. They were then spat out of the flaming vortex, crashing into the water, bobbing like buoys, clinging onto whatever they could. Sylph merely paid them no mind before redirecting her attention to Celtic, who had just lowered his defensive barrier.

“So… as it turns out, you ARE the child that got away from me 20 years ago,” she said. “Celtic Pulsar… or should I say Avalar Darkstar. Who would’ve guess that the infant that I tried to kill two decades ago would end up as the Shroud Hero. Fate’s funny that way. But, enough of that. Master Infinator and myself consider you his biggest threat, so, with those four distractions out of the way, I can rectify my mistake all those years ago here and now. Prepare to die.”

Next Chapter: Sylph’s Storm

Looks like things are about to get dicey. Will Celtic and his party prevail? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter. Sorry, would've posted it yesterday but yesterday got away from me (the family dog, Baxter, is very sick, so I had to run around like a lunatic, running errands for my folks to pick up the slack). Anyway, enough of that, on with the show. (Warning: contains nudity)

Sylph’s Storm


Celtic and his party were staring down Sylph on top of the Korathan Whale corpse, all with steely expressions. Sylph narrowed her eyes, waiting to see who would make the first move. Meanwhile, the ShadoKnights were busy fishing out the other four Heroes, who had all been knocked out, while King Duskbane could only watch from the sidelines as he tried to get everything organized.

“Looks like Sylph has made the connection,” he growled. “She now knows that the Shroud Hero is the very infant that got away from her 20 years ago. I’d send my ShadoKnights to help, but after that battle plus the Ballistic Bombardment, our ships are out-of-commission at the moment. Plus they have to fish out those useless Heroes from the water. We have no choice but to leave this to Avalar and his party, as they might be the only ones who stand a chance.”

Sylph was getting impatient, “Not going to attack, Avalar? Or do you prefer Celtic? Whatever you want to be called, it won’t matter shortly. I intend to rectify my mistake from 20 years ago. You may have gotten away from me then, but you won’t this time. Since you’re not going to make the first move, I will.” She started channeling energy before stating, “Inferno!”

A massive wave of fire erupted in front of her, rapidly traveling down the Korathan Whale’s hide, ready to incinerate the party. Leon stepped up.

“Time to fight Fire with Water!” he stated as he channeled energy. “Torrent Wave!”

A massive tidal wave formed in front of Leon. It raced toward the Inferno attack, causing both to collide, nullifying each other, creating a massive wall of steam. Celtic had switched to one of his cyber fan attachments.

“We can’t let Sylph use that wall of steam to ambush us!” he stated. “This’ll stop it! Twister!”

A green tornado formed from the cyber fan, this time seemingly having the Nature element in it. It cut right through the steam cloud before striking something, revealing it to be Sylph, who blocked the attack from within the steam, causing it to disperse. She narrowed her eyes.

“Clever, quite clever,” she said. “You knew I’d use the steam cloud to my advantage for an ambush attack, so you blew it away with that Twister arm attachment and managed to strike me within the cloud. That prevented me from attacking, as I was charging up a spell before I had to cancel it to block your attack. It’s no surprise Master Infinator sees you as his biggest threat, especially compared to those other four losers, as you’re not only the only competent Hero, but you are the very child that he wanted to annihilate years ago, as your unique mixed blood is something he’s concerned about. I’ll make sure he gets that wish. Hell’s Whiplash!”

She launched the shockwave attack directly at Celtic, who narrowed his eyes.

“Soulavore Shroud!” he shouted.

The Shroud transformed into a new form. The Shroud was mostly silver with black accents, and on both the front and back of the Shroud was a Soulavore’s face. Celtic closed the front of his Shroud, causing the two halves in front to connect. This caused the five “eyes” to light up, with the Soulavore’s head extending out from the Shroud slightly, opened its “mouth” and started to suck in energy like a vacuum. To Sylph’s shock, the Hell’s Whiplash was “eaten” by the Soulavore head, followed by sparkles forming around Celtic, which vanished quickly, making him smirk. This caused Sylph to hesitate, as the five “eyes” on the Soulavore’s face gleamed at her almost hungrily. Celtic noticed this hesitation.

“Sylph hesitated when I used the Soulavore Shroud…” Celtic observed silently. “Does she, possibly, have a weakness to it?” He then said aloud, “We need to go all-out on her, team! Dragon Rage Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again, becoming the Dragon Rage Shroud, with his armor transforming into the draconic armor form. Suddenly, he heard the dragon’s voice within his head.

“I sense… someone familiar…” the dragon growled. “Someone… who I want revenge on…”

Celtic replied mentally, “Do you, possibly, mean Sylph?”

Celtic could suddenly feel the dragon’s wrath flare up at that, stunning him.

“Sylph!?” the dragon snarled. “Yes… Yes, I remember now… Sylph is the reason I was killed by that puny Sword Hero! She infected me with a virus that drove me berserk, alerting the village near me to my presence. By the time I had managed to get the virus under control, I was weakened, allowing the Sword Hero to attack me upon the village’s request. Because the virus I was infected with was a special one that Infinator had concocted, the second I lost control of myself allowed the virus to retake my body, thereby allowing that wretched Sword Hero to kill me. In the end… you may have saved me by destroying my body for good and absorbing my soul crystal into your Shroud. If you are fighting Sylph, then I will gladly assist you, as I’ve got a massive bone to pick with her. Invoke the power of Dragon Rage Impact and LET HER HAVE IT!!!”

Celtic nodded before directing his attention to Sylph, who could sense that this Shroud form was something unusual. Celtic then gave a roar, which caused dragon eyes to form in the dragon head helmet, became cloaked in blue fire, and glared at Sylph.

“Dragon Rage Impact!” the redhead shouted.

He barreled toward Sylph; his speed being enhanced by the Shroud form. Sylph prepared another attack, but Celtic was too fast in this state, causing him to collide into her, engulfing both in an explosion. Celtic jumped out of the explosion while Sylph was sent flying, causing her to crash onto the body of the Korathan Whale. Celtic then stumbled as the recoil damage took effect, causing his HP to drop by about a quarter.

“Cel! Are you okay?” Skye asked.

“Yeah, I’ll survive, don’t worry about me,” Celtic replied. He then released a spell, “Rejuvenate!”

Healing energy formed around him, healing the damage he took from the recoil, making him smile.

“It’s a good thing I managed to awaken my Druid blood in Purgatory, as I now have access to my Druid properties like healing magic, making me a third healer in the group. But we mustn’t pass up this chance. Dragon Rage Impact actually managed to damage Sylph, giving us an opening. So, let’s attack while we can!”

Nodding, the party prepared to attack as Sylph regained her bearings. By the time she had recovered, everyone was ready.

“Lightning!” Skye yelled.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola roared.

“Sacred Arrow!” Leon stated.

“Crescent Leaf!” Rupert spat.

“Stone Storm!” Tyroe shouted.

The five attacks combined into one massive attack and slammed into Sylph, forcing her to defend herself with Stone Body.

“Dammit!” she spat as she weathered the attack. “Even with Stone Body I can feel that combo attack! And that dragon-like Shroud… why does it seem so familiar to me? I sense something within it that is familiar to me. Could it…? Is it possible that Shroud form is being powered by the soul crystal of that Dragon Emperor I infected?!”

As she thought this, Celtic was charging in with another Dragon Rage Impact. By the time Sylph had realized this, he collided with her, sending her flying as the attack pierced through her Stone Body defense, much to her shock. Celtic stumbled again as the recoil damage took effect but was satisfied regardless.

“Yes! Let her have it!” the dragon roared within the Shroud form. “It’s all because of her that I was beaten by that rotten little brat! I want revenge!”

“Settle down!” Celtic growled. “I understand how you feel, really! Sylph killed my parents, too, so I want her to pay as well. But settle down already! We’ll get her, as our attacks are doing actual damage to her, something that we just barely achieved last time we fought her. So, please, settle down, as we’ll make her pay soon enough.”

“I want her to pay NOW!!!” the dragon roared.

The dragon seemed to take over the Shroud form, cloaking Celtic in flames again and seemingly forcing him to run toward her, much to his alarm. This time, however, Sylph was ready.

“I’m not letting you pull that on me again!” she spat. “Torrent Wave!”

She summoned the same tidal wave that Leon used earlier. It washed over Celtic, sending him sprawling back, dousing the flames of his Dragon Rage Impact, causing steam to rise from his armored form. He got into a kneeling position to regain his bearings, shaking his head to clear it before standing up again.

“I told you to settle down!” Celtic growled at the dragon.

However, he got no response from the dragon. After a quick scan, he realized what had happened.

“He’s out cold,” he said, surprised. “That attack must’ve knocked him out. Good, he was getting a bit too uppity. Time for a switch. Soulavore Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again back into the Soulavore Shroud, which Sylph took note of.

“So, you’re swapping out that powerful Shroud for the Soulavore Shroud?” she asked. “Considering that your Dragon Rage Shroud is most likely powered by a Dragon Emperor’s core crystal, I’m surprised you’re shifting strategies. But… that won’t matter soon enough, as you’ll die today!” She started to channel more magical energy before stating, “Light Beam!”

She fired a beam of light energy toward Celtic, intending to finish him off.

“Soulavore Shroud, activate!” he stated.

He closed the front of the Soulavore Shroud, causing the two halves of the face to connect. This allowed the Soulavore’s head to emerge from the Shroud, all five eyes gleaming, and started to suck in energy. This strategy not only swallowed up Sylph’s attack, but it started to drain her of her strength, making her scream in pain, forcing her to stop the attack and get out of range.

“I knew it!” Celtic stated smugly. “You’re weak to the Soulavore Shroud! Normally the Soulavore Shroud ‘eats’ MP and magical attacks, restoring mine in the process, but it appears that it also drains you of your life force! Which means Succulites like yourself are weak to Soulavores as a whole, not just the Shroud.”

Sylph grimaced, barring her fangs, realizing Celtic had found her weakness.

“I didn’t know Succulites were weak to Soulavores!” Skye sputtered.

“Then that makes the Soulavore Shroud the perfect counter to Sylph!” Rupert smirked.

“Awesome! Now we’ve got the advantage!” Leon grinned, clenching his fist triumphantly.

Zuzu, who was nearby but still unnoticed, was wide-eyed, “I didn’t know Succulites were weak to Soulavores. But it makes sense, actually, as Soulavores can drain the life force of highly magically inclined beings. And since Succulites are highly magically inclined beings, with their MP being connected to their life force, a Soulavore in any shape and form will be the perfect counter to Sylph! That’s very useful knowledge. Even if Sylph gets away today, I now know what I need to obtain in order to get the advantage over her the next time we cross paths.”

Sylph growled, “So what if you found out my weakness, it won’t save you! I’ll still win and put an end to you for my Master Infinator’s sake!” She started to channel more energy before stating, “Ballistic Bombardment!”

Several more energy blasts rained down upon the battlefield.

“Grr!” Celtic snarled. “Scrap Iron Shroud! Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”

The Shroud transformed again, followed by the powerful fortress-shaped barrier forming around him and his party, protecting them from the blasts. Sylph had channeled more magical energy as he did this.

“Ballistic Bombardment!” she yelled again.

More energy blasts rained down on the battlefield again, forcing Celtic to keep the defensive barrier up. Duskbane noticed this.

“Sylph is trying to keep Avalar and his party from using the Soulavore Shroud on her by constantly pummeling the battlefield with Area-of-Effect attacks, forcing him to keep his defenses up in order to protect his party,” he observed. “She’s very shrewd. It’s no surprise she’s managed to survive the Great Demon War and has not lost her touch in the past 2500 years, either. Men, how much longer before our engines are working again?”

A ShadoKnight stated, “A few more minutes should do it, Your Majesty!”

“Hurry! We must aid Avalar and his party!”

Zuzu noticed this, gaining a smirk, “I think it’s my time to make my move. You’re mine, Sylph!”

Sylph had launched another Ballistic Bombardment, trying to keep Celtic and his party pinned. However, he attention was diverted when she heard a whistle. She looked to her right and saw Zuzu floating nearby with four cask bombs in her dark energy-enhanced claws, two in each, a wide grin on her face.

“Sylph, you look so tired,” she taunted. “Why don’t you pause for a DRINK!?”

She hurled the cask bombs into the sky above Sylph before detonating them, causing the Leecha berry wine to drench the other demon woman. The powerful alcoholic properties of the cask bombs took immediate effect, causing Sylph to fall to her knees, drunk from the fumes and wine. Celtic noticed that her attacks had stopped, so he lowered the barrier, allowing him and his party to see the surprising sight.

“What the hell!?” Tyroe sputtered.

“Is… Sylph drunk?” Viola asked, puzzled.

Skye quickly put two and two together, “Zuzu used some of the leftover cask bomb to drench Sylph in their contents! She’s been intoxicated just like the monsters from this wave!”

Zuzu gave a triumphant laugh, “You know it! Succulites hate Leecha berries and the wine they make! They get drunk just by smelling the stuff, much less drinking it! And since Sylph has been bathed in the stuff, she’s a sitting duck!” She then gained a diabolical look, “Time to die, Sylph!”

She lashed out one of her dark energy-enhanced claws at Sylph. Despite being drunk, Sylph managed to react fast enough to take flight, just barely dodging Zuzu’s attack. As she flew above everyone, her wings flapping out of sync, she snarled at them.

“I’ll retreat today, thanks to that damn Succuryn’s interference!” she spat, still clearly intoxicated. “But make no mistake, even though you now know of my weakness, I’ll still win and kill you for Master Infinator’s sake! And as for you, Zuzu,” she glared hatefully at the Succuryn. “I’ll take care of you another day for this interference!”

She quickly flew off, though she was flying rather lopsidedly. Zuzu tried to pursue but Sylph managed to make it to one of the portals and vanished, causing the wave to end. Zuzu snapped her fingers in frustration before taking off, leaving the battlefield and heading back to the mainland. At that time, the steam-powered engines on the ships had been repaired, restoring them to working order. The other four Heroes were just starting to come to their senses before noticing that the wave was over.

“What happened?” Lucas groaned.

“Is the wave over?” Jerry asked.

“Don’t tell me Celtic soloed it again…” Eric grunted.

“That’s a distinct possibility,” Ryan observed. “And what happened to Sylph?”

“Sylph was chased away by an unlikely ally,” Duskbane stated. “Zuzu managed to force Sylph to retreat with a very clever use of the cask bombs. She knew that Succulites like Sylph are can’t handle their drink, so she drenched Sylph with the stuff to force her to retreat.”

“Zuzu?” Jerry asked, surprised.

“You mean that demon nudist?” Lucas asked, stunned.

She won the battle?” Ryan sputtered.

“The battle was not an outright victory, as Sylph still lives to see another day,” Duskbane stated. “So that means she’ll return to terrorize the battlefield again another day. But we still ultimately won the wave, as this victory was a group effort! Everyone played a role in this battle and we ultimately came out on top against the wave’s boss and its allies! This victory is shared by us all!”

The ShadoKnights cheered triumphantly. Not long afterward, Celtic and his party were collected by the ShadoKnights, the Korathan Whale corpse was then hooked onto the ships to be towed back to shore, and the ships returned to port with their cargoes in tow. A few days later the Heroes and their parties returned to Delgunner, alongside King Duskbane, to report the success of the wave battle, much to King Alvin’s delight. With the promise of a reward and party to celebrate their success, the five Heroes and their parties decided to take some time off until then.

Celtic leaned over a balcony that looked over Delgunner’s capital, thinking about what had happened during the wave.

“So, not only is Sylph responsible for the deaths of my birth parents but is also responsible for what happened to that dragon before Ryan got to him,” he said silently. “And what’s this about a ‘Dragon Emperor’? Is that dragon some sort of special dragon? Are their others like him? And if so, why did Sylph go after him? Was he guarding something special that she wanted? Or was there something else she wanted with him? So many questions and no answers. What does it all mean?”

He suddenly felt a warm body embrace him from behind. He turned slightly to see Skye hugging him, purring and cooing as she did.

“Still thinking about what happened in the wave?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “There are so many unanswered questions that came up during the wave that I’m trying to figure out. I told you what I learned about the dragon after the wave was over, right?”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, you did. That he was a victim of Sylph’s and that Ryan killed him because he accidentally drew attention to himself when under the effects of that virus that weakened him, allowing Ryan to kill him. And that he might be a Dragon Emperor.”

“Yeah, that’s it. What is a Dragon Emperor, anyway?”

“I don’t know a whole lot about them, to be honest, as there is very little information about them. All I know is that Dragon Emperors are pretty much the kings of all dragons. They possess the most strength and intelligence of all dragons. It is rumored that the Dragon Emperors all gather in one place once every year to share their vast knowledge and increase their power in the process. That’s about all I know on the subject. I’d say you could ask the dragon himself, but that might not be the best idea, given his… temperament, so to speak.”

Celtic looked out onto the horizon, “Yeah, that might not be a good idea. Maybe I’ll ask King Duskbane, as he’s pretty well in the loop with this kind of information. But, for now, I’ll put it on the back burners until more information comes to light.”

Skye nodded as she continued to cuddle him from behind, making him chuckle lightly, both wondering the same thing as they looked out onto the horizon.

Next Chapter: Shadow Simulation

And that's is for now. Tune in next time to see what's next for our Heroes.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter in Chaos Rising Season 2. A bit filler-ish but it plays sporadic roles in future chapters here and there, so it matters to a degree. Anyway, on with the show.

Shadow Simulation


It had been a day since the five Heroes and their parties returned from the last Infinator attack at sea. They had each gone their separate ways until the promised party would take place.

Celtic and his party were busy taking care of a job for a village had requested help from the guild. They were tasked with slaying a pack of troublesome monsters that had been harassing the village. They tore through the monster horde, consisting mostly of Sword Wasps, canine-like monsters called Poison Fang Curs, and Hot Slimes, all of which were being led by a Nue Chimera. One by one, as each member of its monster “army” was slain, the Nue was getting more and more angry, though it still did not move from its perch. After the last monster was slain, the Nue finally decided to jump into the fray, clearly infuriated that its “army” was beaten so easily. However, it realized too late that it was outmatched, as Celtic and his party effortlessly killed it in a combo attack. As the party exchanged high-fives and fist bumps, Celtic collected samples from the Nue and Poison Fang Curs for his Shroud, as well as harvested some monster parts to sell such as the Sword Wasps’ stingers. After collecting enough, they took the Nue’s corpse back to the village as proof of their success. The village was quite pleased with this.

“Thank you, Sir Shroud Hero and friends,” the village head said sincerely. “That blasted Nue and its monster army have been attacking our livestock and crops. Now, with it and its fellow monsters dead, we can finally start rebuilding our fields and livelihoods. We’ll take that Nue off your hands, as well as any other monster parts that you’d be willing to give. We’re preparing your reward now, so please wait for a few minutes as we gather everything up.”

Several village men took the Nue from Tyroe and dragged it off, eager to harvest parts from it. A few minutes later another villager, this time a woman, gave Celtic a pouch of coins.

“Here you go, Sir Shroud Hero,” she said cheerfully. “200 silver, as promised.”

The village head gave a polite bow, “Thank you once again. If we ever need help again, we know who to call first.”

Celtic took the coins before turning to Skye, who nodded.

“Warp!” she stated.

Celtic and his party vanished, reappearing shortly at Delgunner’s gates. The knights saluted them as the party entered the gates, making their way to the guild for their payment. Upon entering the guild building, the man at the reception counter looked up and smiled.

“Ah, Sir Shroud Hero,” he said. “Took care of that Nue and its army of pests?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, the Nue and its monster minions have been slayed. We took the Nue’s corpse back to the village as proof, so the job is complete now.”

“Excellent! That’s another job to cross off. Let me get your payment.”

The man left the room via the door behind him. A few minutes later he returned with a pouch of coins.

“Here you go; 1500 silver coins for a job well done. With that Nue dealt with the village of Moroak can get their crops and livestock back up to more desirable levels. Once again you prove to be a very efficient Hero.”

Celtic took the pouch of coins, placed it into his Tek-Pak, and walked out to where his party was waiting. Skye smiled warmly as he did.

“So, we got our payment from the guild?” she asked.

Celtic nodded, “Yes. We got the promised 1500 silver coins. And since we’ll be getting our royal stipend soon for fighting off the last Infinator attack, that’ll keep us fed for a while. Especially considering Tyroe and I have multiple stomachs, which takes a lot to feed. I’d rather not attend the party, however, especially since the last party you guys attended ended in a brawl, thanks to that drunken tin tyrant, Marvin, from Jerry’s party. Not to mention he picked another fight with Skye at the Myria Archipelago while drunk, only to lose quite handily again. So, I’d rather not attend out of our wellbeing, but we’re going to have to in order to get our royal stipend afterward.”

Leon placed his hands behind his head, “Yeah, not much can be done about that. Hopefully with King Alvin present this time it’ll keep people like that Marvin guy from acting out and causing a ruckus. We can only hope as, unlike him and the other Heroes’ parties, we’re actually doing good work and not causing death and destruction in our wakes, thus we deserve the rewards. We can only hope.”

Tyroe then said, “Speaking of being fed, why don’t we get some lunch, as we deserve it after completing another job.”

Viola chuckled, “Typical Tyroe, thinking of food first. But we do deserve a lunch break. How about it, Cel?”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, let’s get something to eat then head to the castle afterward.”

Nodding, the group headed toward one of the local restaurants for lunch. They were greeted warmly by the staff and sat down at a large table. After deciding they placed their orders and awaited their food, which came relatively quickly, allowing them to eat their delicious meal. After finishing and paying the bill, the group of six headed toward the castle to speak with King Alvin. To their surprise, King Duskbane and what looked like a Shadokor scientist were with him. King Duskbane was holding what looked like a blueprint, while King Alvin had a look of confusion on his face. The two Kings then noticed Celtic and his party, gaining warm smiles.

“Ah, Prince Avalar!” King Alvin said. “I take it you completed that job at the guild?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we slayed the Nue and its monster minions, allowing Moroak Village to repair the damage done to it by the Nue. What’s going on?”

King Duskbane replied, “I’m trying to show King Alvin the Shadokor’s latest invention that’ll help get this kingdom, and other kingdoms as well, better prepared for the fights ahead. However, we seem to be having some issues with the designs, as, for some reason, we can’t seem to get the idea to function properly. Considering you built your arm and Tek-Pak, maybe you can take a look at it.”

Everyone looked at the blueprints, which revealed to be some sort of special machine with various schematics and formulas on it. It seemed only Celtic and the other Shadokor truly understood what was on the paper.

“What is it?” Rupert asked.

“We call it the Shadow Simulator,” Duskbane said proudly. “A training simulator that allows the user to fight against monsters of various types to train. The ‘monsters’ are really fakes, or ‘shadows’ as we call them, thus they can’t actually hurt you, but the EXP gains are real. The simulator allows the user to fight three monsters at once depending on their skill level. That doesn’t mean it only registers your normal Level, but your overall skill and power. The higher your skill level, the stronger the monsters you face. Upon completing the simulation, you get a ‘rank’ of one to five stars, five being the highest and one being the lowest. The higher the rank, the higher the EXP gains. A full five stars will grant you double EXP that you would normally get from the monster, while a one star rank will give you only half the amount you’d normally get. Since the Myria Archipelago event is over, due to the energies from the power spot waning, we Shadokor decided to create a machine that could almost replicate that ability for everyone to use, thus we can have better trained armies for the fights ahead. But, unfortunately, we’re having trouble with these blueprints, as we can’t seem to figure out why we’re struggling to make the Shadow Simulator.”

Celtic looked the blueprints over, gaining a disappointed look, “I can see exactly why. None of these calculations match up. On top of that, all the schematics and data are overspecialized to the point it cripples everything else. There’s no way this blueprint can work, as nothing is remotely compatible with each other due to how cripplingly overspecialized everything is. You need to streamline it and smooth out these formulas, otherwise it’ll fail before it even gets off the ground.”

The Shadokor scientist looked insulted, “Are you suggesting that we didn’t do a good job on this? This is engineering perfection, thank you.”

Duskbane shot him an icy glare, making the scientist back down.

“Don’t talk to my nephew, your prince, that way,” he growled. “Considering Avalar is not only extremely intelligent but a creator of multiple ground-breaking inventions back on Earth, he would know better than you think. That includes his robotic arm.” He turned to Celtic, “Do you know how to streamline all this, Avalar?”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, I could rework the whole blueprint, but it would maybe take a day to complete to ensure all the data and schematics are compatible. Since we have time before the celebration party, I could take these blueprints and rewrite them so that the Shadow Simulator would not only function properly but more efficiently to boot. Would that be of interest to you, King Duskbane?”

King Duskbane rolled up the blueprints and held them out to Celtic, “Please, do so. If you can identify the problem, then you can fix it. Take all the time you need as, thanks to that unexpected wave, the Infinity Hourglasses have reset again, giving us more time to prepare for the next attack. It gives us time to complete the Shadow Simulator. If you can rework these blueprints to better help us create the Shadow Simulator, then please do.”

Celtic took the blueprints, “I should have them ready by tomorrow. It’ll give me something to do that’s more up my alley, as I tend to thrive when working with technology, thanks to my upbringing. I’ll get to work on this right away, as I’m curious to see the Shadow Simulator in action. King Alvin, would you mind if I used the royal map room to work on these blueprints?”

King Alvin replied, “You’re free to do so. Considering you actually understand what’s on that oversized piece of paper, it would be better for you to work in a space like the royal map room. It’s not like the map room gets a lot of attention outside of certain council meetings, so it’s free for you to use. Besides, I may not understand this whole technology thing. I, too, am curious to see how this Shadow Simulator works. If it can really help the other nations and races get stronger for the fights ahead without any of the risks, then I’d say it’s worth giving it a chance. Plus, as you know, there are only so many monsters out there to train on, thus it makes it impossible for every army to be properly equipped for battle against enemies like Infinator. If this Shadow Simulator actually bypasses that issue, then it’ll be worth its weight in gold. So, go right ahead and use the map room to rework those blueprints.”

Celtic nodded, “Thank you, I’ll get to work right away. Team,” he turned to his party, “this may take a bit, so you’re free to do whatever you want while I work. We’ll meet back up for dinner and take it from there.”

With a final nod Celtic left the throne room and headed to the map room. Skye felt a little dejected as he left, her ears drooping again.

“I wish I could help him…” she sighed. “But technology is something I’m not fluent in just yet. Cel has been teaching me about various forms of technology, but I know he’s better equipped for this task. I just wish I could be of some help to him right now.”

Viola shrugged, “Meh, it’s not worth getting upset about, Skye. I know you thoroughly enjoy being Celtic’s right-hand woman, but this is definitely a field that we would most certainly be more of a hindrance than a help. Probably the best thing you could do is keep Pointy Stick Boy and Wench from disturbing him, as that half-baked Hero is still trying to get Wench’s punishment undone, despite all the evidence against her. That might be worth something to him. But this is largely a field he’s got the unparalleled advantage over us on, so anything else might be a bother to him. We might as well run some errands and other stuff to pass the time. Leon, would you help me get some herbs and other medicine-making ingredients from the local shops? You’ve got a good eye for high-quality ingredients so it would help me greatly if you’d come along.”

Leon nodded, “Sure, I’ll help.”

Rupert turned to Tyroe, “Then why don’t you and I go gather other supplies we may need like food. At least Celtic’s Tek-Pak can preserve any food it stores, so we won’t have to worry about it going bad. How about it?”

Tyroe nodded, “Sounds good to me.”

Skye sighed, “Then I guess I’ll just hang around the map room to ensure Pointy Stick Boy and his harem don’t bother Cel. Not like I have anything else to do. We’ll meet up before dinner. See you then.”

As the party left, the Shadokor scientist turned to Duskbane.

“Your Majesty, is it really wise to leave these important blueprints to your nephew?” he asked.

Duskbane turned to him, “It’ll be fine. Avalar is a top-notch inventor and engineer, as his memories prove. While he has had a few screwups, he has a higher success rate, with many of his major ideas being ground-breaking on Earth. I have faith in him, and you should, too. Come, let us return to Shadoria for now and await Avalar’s updated blueprints.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…” the scientist sighed defeatedly.

Though annoyed at his follower’s lack of faith, Duskbane cast a spell that caused both of them to be transported by a black portal, vanishing from the Delgunner throne room. Meanwhile, Celtic was in the map room, having pulled out a blank blueprint sheet and several measuring tools and such and was starting to rewrite the blueprints of the Shadow Simulator. Skye was just outside of the door, guarding it, keeping her eyes and ears open for any possible problems while still trying to listen in on Celtic’s work. As the hybrid Hero worked on the blueprints, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Heh…” he said silently. “This is definitely more up my alley. I haven’t worked on a blueprint in who knows how long. It feels refreshing. While I’m getting used to this whole Hero thing, I’m still more comfortable working on stuff like this over monster slaying and peddling medicine. I wonder why the Shadokor still practice technology while the rest of Zakota doesn’t? Well, whatever, at least I can flex my techno muscles for a change instead of being an overworked nanny to those four half-baked backups. Though I still worry what possible problems they may be causing while out on the field. Their track record is abysmal, and I just KNOW I’ll have to clean up at least one other mess that they’ll make. So, I might as well work on something I like doing while I have the chance, as I doubt those Legendary Stooges will be gone much longer. Not when there’s a party and royal stipend hovering over them. Fuh… idiotic glory hounds.”

He resumed his work, redrawing and recalculating the entire blueprints at a fast but steady clip, feeling a sense of relief as he did. By the time the rest of the party had gathered up again he was finished. He looked over his work proudly, a large smile on his face.

“There, done! Got that done faster than I thought. But everything should be in order now. I also double- and triple-checked everything to ensure it works in harmony. This’ll make the building and programming phases much smoother for the Shadokor. Yeah, this’ll do nicely. Too bad there isn’t a Shadow Sentinel around, as I could have him or her take it back to Shadoria to begin the next steps.”

A voice then said, “I can take care of that, Your Majesty.”

A male Shadow Sentinel appeared suddenly, spooking Celtic.

“Woah! Don’t do that!” Celtic protested. “I’m antsy enough as it is, so please give me a warning next time before suddenly appearing like a phantom ninja.”

The Shadow Sentinel bowed, “Apologies, Your Majesty. It is just the way of the Shadow Sentinels to appear and disappear suddenly. But, in any case, if you are finished with those blueprints I can take them back to Shadoria for you. His Majesty, King Duskbane, will be thrilled to have everything ready much sooner than expected.”

The redhead nodded, “Do so. At least I got to do something I like doing for a change of pace instead of babysitting those Legendary Stooges all the time. You might as well and take the original blueprints back, too, for a comparison, though do try to keep your scientists from scrapping my redesign in favor of their ideas.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “I will.”

Celtic handed over both blueprints, which the Shadow Sentinel took before vanishing like a phantom. Celtic gathered up all his materials, packed them away in his Tek-Pak, and rejoined his party for dinner.

A few days passed since then. Celtic and his party had just finished another job and were collecting their payment from the guild. As soon as they exited the guild, a Delgunner knight ran up to them.

“Sir Shroud Hero,” he said.

“Can I help you?” Celtic asked.

“No, but King Alvin and King Duskbane asked me to find you,” he replied. “The Shadow Simulator is complete and they want you to give it the final test. It has been installed in the knight’s training arena, as it’s a wide enough area for it. So, if you’re finished with your task, please follow me.”

Nodding, Celtic and his party followed the knight to the knight’s training arena, which was off to the side of the castle. As they entered, they saw three Shadokor finalizing the installation of the Shadow Simulator. It was a large generator-like machine, mostly black in color, with a keypad and screen on the side, a large red orb on top and what looked like a projector on the front. King Duskbane was overseeing the installation while King Alvin watched with curious eyes. He then noticed Celtic and his party, smiling.

“Ah, Prince Avalar!” he said. “You’re just in time. The Shadokor are nearly finishing installing the Shadow Simulator and have requested that you give it the final test. Apparently they’ve already tested it back in Shadoria, but they feel that, since you reworked the blueprints, you’d have an even greater understanding and feel for it than anyone else. I admit I’m actually really interested in this, and normally technology doesn’t tickle my fancy at all. But if this Shadow Simulator is capable of helping armies train for the fights ahead, then it’ll be definitely something useful.”

After a few minutes, the instillation was complete. The Shadokor did one final check of everything, ensuring that it was properly anchored and wired before stepping away from it, beaming with pride. It was then Duskbane noticed Celtic.

“Ah, my dear nephew!” he said with a smile. “I must say you really came through for us with those blueprints. Even my most stubborn scientists had to admit that you did a far better job than they were willing to believe you would. Because you got the blueprints done so soon, and because they were so much easier to understand and better streamlined, we got the first two Shadow Simulators finished in a flash. We have the other one at Shadoria, which we’re going to use as a model for future Shadow Simulators. We just need you to run the final test, as your techno know-how is vastly superior to ours, thus we felt you’d have the best understanding of how it feels. Come, let’s give it a try.”

Celtic nodded and walked up to the machine itself, observing everything as he did.

“It may look complicated, but it’s actually quite simple,” Duskbane said. “Especially since you reworked the original design. First, you need to type in your name on the keypad so it can keep track of your score. Just your first name will suffice. Then, touch the red orb on top with your hand for it to scan so it can automatically set up a simulation by determining your skill level. I suggest you in particular use your left hand, as it may not be able to scan your mechanical hand too well. Then, when it projects the special field, you walk into it and it’ll begin the simulation by selecting three monsters that are considered around your skill level. The faster you defeat your enemies and avoid taking hits the higher your score will be, which will determine the total EXP gain. Sadly, even with your help, this device cannot spread the EXP gains around to the party through the Party System, so each individual member needs to use the Shadow Simulator separately in order to gain EXP. Complete ten successful rounds on the Shadow Simulator, which means you need to get three stars and up on each round, and you’ll get a ‘bonus round’, if you will. This will pit you against a creature from the Demon Realm, though it’ll only be one-on-one. Failing that round won’t hurt your score or anything, as it’s mostly just an extra round, but completing it will grant you a large EXP boost. Go on, give it a go.”

Although surprised at that last part, Celtic nodded and typed in his name in the Shadow Simulator. He then placed his left hand on the red orb, which scanned it before the protector projected a large energy field that took up about a third of the training arena. A “doorway” formed in front of it, which allowed Celtic to enter it, the “doorway” closing up behind him. He looked ahead and saw something materialize. To Duskbane’s surprise, three monstrous ogre-like creatures with deep red skin, curved horns, sharp fangs, small eyes with slit pupils, and sharp claws appeared. Above them was the name of the creatures, which stunned everyone.

“What?!” Duskbane sputtered. “Avalar is facing off against three Red Demons?! Is his skill level that high that the Shadow Simulator would just jump to a creature from the Demon Realm on the first try?!”

“So, that’s a Red Demon…” Leon observed. “If memory serves, they’re the bottom of the food chain in terms of the demon race, being Low-Tier demons and the weakest of them all. Still, they look like they could pack a mean wallop. This should be interesting.”

Celtic transformed his arm into Fighter Sword, gaining a grin, “Good, I don’t mind fighting off a trio of Red Demons. Most of the local creatures are pretty underwhelming at this point, so I don’t mind a challenge for a change of pace. Let’s rock!”

The Shadow Simulator then stated, “Commencing Battle Simulation. Battle begin.”

The three Red Demons started to lumber their way toward Celtic. Celtic charged ahead, running as fast as he could toward them. One Red Demon reached out to grab him, but he not only evaded it, but viciously slashed it with his Fighter Sword before coming to a stop behind it. The Red Demon stood still for a moment before falling to the ground, vanishing, leaving only two left. The other two rumbled toward Celtic again, ready to pound him into the dirt. Celtic turned around and made a beeline for the one on the right, dodging the middle one with ease before skidding underneath the Red Demon, getting behind it. He then jumped onto its back, slammed his Fighter Sword into its spine, drove it up toward its head and sliced its skull in two before jumping away. The second Red Demon fell to the ground, vanishing, leaving only one left. This one decided to change tactics and released a wave of Wrath Fire at Celtic, intending to burn him.

“Iron Body!” Celtic stated.

His body became iron, which also forced him to transform his arm back to normal. The Wrath Fire struck him but the Iron Body defensive technique prevailed, causing the flames to burn out harmlessly, leaving him unscathed. He deactivated Iron Body before transforming his arm again, this time into Yo-Yo. The Red Demon started to charge toward him, but he grinned.

“Eat Yo-Yo!”

He fired off the bladed double disk at the Red Demon. It struck the beast in the chest, sawing its way up to the demon’s face, cutting its skull in two before returning to Celtic. The final Red Demon collapsed, vanishing, followed by a chart that had five stars in a meter-like state. All five stars lit up, indicating a five star rank, while Celtic gained a massive 15000 EXP, which caused him to Level Up to Level 75.

“Simulation complete. Rank: Five Stars. Perfect score. Ending simulation.”

The special energy field vanished, leaving Celtic in the middle of the training arena. He transformed his arm back to normal before turning to the stunned watchers.

“Well,” he said. “If I were to give a final verdict on it, I’d say it’s working perfectly. And it was kinda nice facing off against a stronger opponent, as it’ll help me learn to fight Sylph more effectively. Demons are far stronger and more intelligent opponents than most regular monsters. Since my training in the Demon Realm was mostly at the shrine in order to unlock, and control, my Assault Mode form, I didn’t exactly get to fight too many denizens of the Demon Realm. So, this was a nice change of pace. Give my regards to the Shadokor scientists, as they did a fantastic job building this machine and getting it working before the next Infinator attack.”

Duskbane was stunned, “I’m at a loss for words, Avalar. You faced down three Red Demons and slaughtered them like they were child’s play. Even my ShadoKnights when they tested it back in Shadoria only got King Gunthors as their top opponents. The fact that the Shadow Simulator saw fit to pit you against residents from the Demon Realm right away is a real testament of your skill. Normally, species found in the Demon Realm only exist in the bonus fight, and it’s only one-on-one, but you got three of them as your first opponent. I’m stunned.”

Viola scratched her chin, “This makes me wonder how the other ‘Heroes’ will fare? Like what beasts they’ll get when they use it?”

Rupert snickered, “Probably Slimes. Maybe Hot Slimes at best, as those four are utter jokes on the battlefield, so it would be fitting for them to get joke monsters to fight.”

Skye couldn’t help but giggle, “I’d have to agree with that. Still… I’m speechless. This Shadow Simulator is a runaway success. I can see this device really coming in handy when it comes to preparing all the nations and races for the fights ahead. I suggest you Shadokor make more posthaste, as every advantage we can get is vital in stopping Infinator, and this bad boy is most definitely an advantage.”

Leon then added, “Yes, I agree. And we must also keep Sylph away from them, as if she ever got wind that these gizmos were able to help train armies against residents from the Demon Realm, she’d make a beeline for them to destroy them. Thus, we need to protect them from her.”

Duskbane, who was still in shock, replied, “Avalar already thought of that. These Shadow Simulators are equipped with Energy Shields that protect them when not in use. Not even Sylph will have the power to break through them without a huge effort, and by then we’ll have most likely chased her off. I plan to leave some Shadow Sentinels around to keep an eye on the Shadow Simulator in case of such attacks. But, needless to say, the Shadow Simulators are a success. I’ll return to Shadoria to have my men make more of them so we can distribute them to the other kingdoms and nations to better prepare for future fights. I’ll also leave some of my ShadoKnights here so they can teach and instruct others on how to use the Shadow Simulators to their fullest. On that note, I bid you farewell, but you’ll probably hear from me soon.”

With a final bow, Duskbane vanished via a dark portal, leaving everyone behind.

“Well, I must say,” King Alvin said. “The Shadokor sure know how to build a better mousetrap. I’m very impressed with this Shadow Simulator. It will most certainly be a very helpful tool against Infinator’s forces. I’ll have my Generals add this wondrous device into their training regimens to help boost our knights’ chances for success against our enemies. And, of course, you and the other Heroes are more than welcome to use it any time, as you lot are our best bets. I will go and tell my Generals what they need to do while the ShadoKnights and Shadow Sentinels will guide them and protect this device so it’ll be free to use whenever we need it. Normally I’m not a fan of technology, but this time I will sing its praises. If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

As King Alvin left, Celtic rejoined his party, placing a hand on his hip.

“Well, now that that’s settled, we have a new toy to play with,” he said. “We’ll use it whenever we get a chance or are not working on a job, as every advantage we can get will make all the difference. Who knows? Maybe it’ll have Sylph, or at least Succulites, programmed into it, which would be good training against the real deal. While Sylph is very much in a league of her own, if it helps us learn how to beat her, then it’ll be worth it. Right?”

“Right!” everyone said in unison.

Celtic looked back at the Shadow Simulator, which was being admired by the knights, thinking, “Yes… every little thing we can get our hands on that’ll help boost our odds at success in this war will be worth its weight in gold. While I doubt the other Heroes will take this Shadow Simulator seriously, thinking it’s just another game mechanic, we will. I just dread what my next task will be… especially if it involves them.”

Next Chapter: The Seventh Hero of Pride

And that's all for now, folks. What does the next chapter's title suggest? Tune in next time to see.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising Season 2. Looks like the Shroud Hero party is about to expand, gaining their seventh and final member. Will this new recruit further tip the scales into Celtic's favor? (Warning: contains violence and nudity, the latter of which will be present in ever chapter from this point forward due to the new recruit)

The Seventh Hero of Pride


Celtic and his party were in the central square of Delgunner’s capital city, mostly just relaxing. Skye and Tyroe were busy munching on Danish-like pastries that they had bought while Viola had crafted another one of her hammocks in a tree, laying in it lazily. Celtic was leaning back on the bench, eyes closed, trying to unwind a bit, while Rupert and Leon were discussing other subjects. However, their relaxation was about to end.

A familiar soldier walked up to them, “Sir Shroud Hero, sir.”

Celtic opened his eyes and nearly jumped, “Ike!?”

This got everyone’s attention, all surprised to see Ike again.

“Hey, Ike!” Skye said happily. “It’s good to see you again.”

“What are you doing here?” Leon asked. “Not that I’m complaining, but you were stationed in the former Light Elf kingdom territory, if memory serves.”

Ike nodded with a large smile, “Yes, I was, at least before Delgunner absorbed the territory. But King Duskbane had gained an interest in me so he had me and my fellow soldiers, and our families, move into Delgunner’s capital. He said we had potential and wanted us to become stronger. He had even gave us promotions, something that King Alvin agreed with. Now I’m one of Delgunner’s knights. Not only is the pay and food better, but I’ve always wanted to work for Delgunner, so this is a dream come true. But I do wonder how King Duskbane heard of me?”

Celtic replied, “He’s seen my memories. He used some magic to copy my memories and put them in a crystal for him to observe everything I’ve been through. Since you were in those memories, he probably took a liking to you because I thought highly of you. From what I’ve been told, King Duskbane, who is actually my biological uncle, is very capable of seeing potential in new recruits. He probably saw you had quite a bit of untapped potential and talent, like I did, that he decided to bring you, your families, and those other soldiers who have helped us in the past to Delgunner’s capital as a promotion. Still, either way, it's good to see you again, Ike, as you look well.”

Ike was surprised, “King Duskbane is your uncle?! So, you’re royalty?!”

“Yeah, it surprised me, too. My father was King Duskbane’s older brother, while my mother was the princess of the Druids, though she was forced to give up the Druid throne upon marrying my father. So, I actually have royal blood on both sides of my heritage, which makes this world my birth world. I was sent to Earth by accident due to a botched teleportation spell when Sylph killed my parents, where I was raised by a human couple, only to be summoned back to this world to become the Shroud Hero. I also learned of my birth name: Avalar Darkstar, though I also go by Celtic Pulsar, basically accepting both and letting whoever call me by whatever name they’re most comfortable with. But you don’t have to use any regal terms with me, as I’m still getting used to that, and I’d rather be addressed less formally. But, enough of that, I take it you have something to tell us?”

Ike took a moment to process this before remembering what he wanted to say, “Oh, yes, Sir Shroud Hero.” He then gave a heavy sigh, “I hate to report this to you… but the Spear Hero has done something stupid again, requiring you to clean up the resulting mess.”

Tyroe placed his face in his palm, “Again?! Can’t that nitwit do anything right!?”

“That would require thinking,” Viola said from her hammock. “And he’s clearly proven incapable of that.”

Everyone, including Ike, couldn’t help but snicker at that remark.

Celtic then sighed, “Be as it may, what did he do this time? That way I know what I have to do in order to clean up his most recent mess.”

Ike nodded, “Yes, of course. He was tasked to recover a sacred object from an abandoned mine. He was even given a map to identify its location. However, he diverted from the instructions and recovered a similar object from the same mine, which both he and the villagers mistook for the original object. However, that item was acting as a seal, keeping a colony of Bat Demons locked away behind magic. That very night, after the Spear Hero left, the Bat Demons awoke and started their rampage. Fortunately, the village has an old crystal-powered magical shield that protected the village, but the crystal is very old and worn, thus it can’t take the constant beatings it gets every night. They say it may only have about a week’s worth of power left before the Bat Demons break through it. And since the Double Blood Eclipse is about a week away, if they break through the barrier the night the Double Blood Eclipse is out, the village will be devoured.”

Rupert groaned, “Leave it to Pointy Stick Boy to screw up again. I take it just putting the original item back won’t solve the issue?”

Ike shook his head, “No, the village tried that, but it didn’t work, as the seal is already broken, thus it would need the same exact spell to be cast to put it back in place. And it appears that said spell was cast just after the Great Demon War, so no one knows exactly what the spell that was used was in the first place. Their only hope is to slay the Bat Demons before the Double Blood Eclipse, but they can’t do it themselves. There is a small piece of good news, however. The Bat Demons only attack at night, as they’re hypersensitive to sunlight, so they sleep during the day in order to avoid the sun. King Alvin request that you kill them during the day, when they’re vulnerable, in order to minimize the damage and keep them from escaping.”

“Which village is it? And how far is it from here?” Skye asked.

“The village is Roseroot Village, and, fortunately, it’s only a two-day hike north from here, so that gives you plenty of time to kill the Bat Demons before the Double Blood Eclipse. But King Alvin does request that you get on this posthaste before the situation gets worse.”

Celtic gave a defeated sigh before standing up, “Okay, team, let’s move out, and fast. We’ll have to make do with the supplies we currently have, as we need to get there quickly to clean up yet another mess by the Legendary Stooges. Ike,” he turned to the young soldier, his face softening, “You do good work. I know that you’ll be a fine addition to Delgunner’s knights. Your parents must be so proud of you. Keep up the good work.”

Ike saluted with a smile, “Thank you, Sir Shroud Hero, sir.”

Nodding, everyone gathered up their stuff and quickly left the capital, heading north to Roseroot Village.

The following day the party was still traveling to Roseroot Village. Viola had her trusty map in hand and was leading the way. Suddenly, they all heard something rustling in the bushes nearby. They all got into a defensive position, weapons ready, expecting an enemy. To their surprise, Zuzu stumbled out of the bushes before collapsing onto the ground. She was in terrible shape, riddled with wounds, bruises, and was even missing most of her left arm, which had dark energy covering the opening.

“Zuzu!” Skye sputtered.

They all quickly gathered around her, trying to gently prod her awake. She opened her weary eyes and looked up at them.

“Wha…?” she said weakly. “Celtic? Is that you?”

“Yes, but what happened to you?” Celtic asked, concerned.

Zuzu gained a miserable expression, “I finally got my fight with Sylph… she utterly destroyed me. She even spared my life just to crush me further while ripping off my left arm as her ‘trophy’, which she clearly intends to eat, leaving me to limp away in shame.”

“Wait? Sylph spared your life?” Leon asked, puzzled. “But don’t Succuryns and Succulites always fight to the death? Why would she spare you instead of killing you outright? That goes against both species’ instincts.”

“Normally, that is correct…” Zuzu replied glumly. “And I fully intended to do that to her. But considering my pride, Sylph felt it would be more painful to let me live after such a brutal defeat. She beat me within an inch of my life and yet spared me just to crush my spirit further. Plus, it was also her way of getting even with me back when I got her drunk via those cask bombs the last time we met. I can’t believe that 150 years of training and honing my skills just for that one fight… went down the drain in moments. I even ate a Soulavore in order to gain access to its properties just for that one fight. Now… I have nothing to live for… yet demons are a tenacious race, clinging onto life with everything they can, even if they have no reason to keep going. Thus, my instincts won’t let me die even though I almost wish Sylph had finished me off. I knew she’d been fighting longer than me, but I didn’t realize that she was that strong… at least until she creamed me. Even my Close Combat Combo didn’t faze her, and that’s my species’ signature power. I just want to die… yet my instincts won’t let me.”

“What about your arm?” Rupert asked. “Will it regrow or is it gone permanently?”

“It’ll regrow over time, as we demons have powerful regeneration abilities, but it’ll take some time…”

Celtic gained a steely expression, “Not if I have anything to say about it.” He started channeling magical energy, much to Zuzu’s surprise, before stating, “Dark Recovery!”

Powerful dark healing energy flowed from his hands into Zuzu’s battered body. As the energy surged through her, her body started to heal rapidly, with her left arm quickly regenerating. By the time the spell’s effects had ended, Zuzu was fully healed, much to her surprise. She flexed her newly regrown arm and hand, testing it to see if it was fully healed, before looking at the party, wide-eyed.

“You… healed me?” she asked, surprised. “Why?”

“You’re an ally to use, Zuzu,” Celtic replied. “Even if you have your own motives and goals, you’ve helped us during times of need. Such as against Ebenezer and against Sylph during the last wave. It’s clear you have respect for us and we respect you in turn, which is why I healed you. I may be cold at times, and I admit I can be a pessimistic jerk, for good reasons, too, but I’m not going to leave a true ally to die, whether they’re an official one or not.” An idea popped into his head, “So, on that note, why not join us?”

Zuzu’s eyes became very wide, “W-What? You want me to join your party? But… I’m a wild demon. I don’t belong with anyone. I’ve spent my whole life alone, fending for myself. Why do you want me to join you when I might cause you problems?”

“To be perfectly honest, Zuzu, you cause significantly less problems than those Legendary Stooges. In fact, we’re on our way to clean up Pointy Stick Boy’s latest mess. To be honest, from what little we’ve seen, you’re actually more heroic than they are, even though you clearly have your own goals and motivations. As a result, you’d fit in quite fine with us. I mean, look at us. Do we look like a run-of-the-mill party to you? We have a Light Elf, a Beastman, an Arachne, a Naga, a human, and a Shadokor/Druid hybrid. That doesn’t exactly scream ‘normal party’, now does it? Besides… I used to be alone pretty much all the time… If it weren’t for Skye and the others I’d be far worse off, if not having gone off the deep end. I know how it feels to be alone, and it’s a miserable feeling. So… join us, Zuzu. You’ll fit right in. Right, gang?”

Everyone nodded sincerely, all smiling, stunning the demon woman. She thought about if for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

“All right, you win,” she said. “I’ll join you. Better you than the other Legendary Losers. This’ll take some getting used to, but… maybe it won’t be so bad.”

Celtic gave her a smile, “That’s the ticket. And, besides, if you join us, you’ll get another chance to fight Sylph and get payback for your defeat.”

She gave him a look, “I admit that is an incentive, though it’ll take me some time to rekindle that fire after this crushing defeat. But… maybe you can give me the edge against her. I guess it’s worth a shot. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do, and it beats wallowing in self-pity over a bruised ego. Fine, I’ll join. How do I do this?”

“Just place your hand on the Shroud’s core and I’ll state the magic words, so to speak.”

Nodding Zuzu placed her right hand on the Shroud’s core gem.

“Add Party Member!”

The Shroud’s gem glowed, which caused a new set of stats to form in Celtic’s stat vision, stating “Zuzu” and “Level 100”, along with her other stats. His eyes widened as he saw them.

“I think I see why you lost so easily, Zuzu,” he said. “Your Attack and Speed are through the roof, but your Defense and Magical Defense are pretty weak. Don’t go dismissing defense, as it can be a very useful tool. There is the saying, ‘The best offense is a good defense’, which does hold true. Fortunately, my Shroud can take care of that, but we may need to have you undergo a Level Reset so you can benefit the most from the Shroud’s abilities.”

Zuzu looked alarmed, “But I’ll be back at Level 1! How will I get my Level back up to speed after that!?”

Skye smiled, “We’ve already got that covered. Thanks to the Shadokor, Delgunner now has a new toy to play with: the Shadow Simulator. It’s a training simulator that pits the user against three fake, or ‘shadow’ monsters. These ‘shadows’ possess the same skills, tactics, and stats as the real deal, as well as grant EXP, but cannot legitimately hurt you, essentially giving you all of the benefits with none of the risks. Upon defeating your foes you get a score from one to five stars. The higher the score, the more the EXP gains will be. Also, the Shadow Simulator picks your foes according to your total skill level, not just your base Level, so, considering your skill, you’d probably get a really powerful trio of opponents to fight, even at Level 1. So, all you need to do is spend some time grinding on it and you’ll be back up to speed in no time. And it's free to use, so you can grind at any time.”

Zuzu looked stunned, “The Shadokor came up with that? I’m impressed. And if this… Shadow Simulator… can help me gain Levels fast after a Level Reset, then I can see that working out. Fine, I’ll get the Level Reset, especially if I can fight against strong foes without any risks while reaping all the benefits from those fights. Leave it to the Shadokor to come up with something like that, as they’re the only race that still practices technology. And since you say the Shroud can make me stronger along with it, then maybe working with you will be worthwhile.”

Celtic nodded, “Good. Now, in any case, we still have Pointy Stick Boy’s mess to clean up. We’re not far from Roseroot Village, so you might as well help us with that task now that you’re a party member. So, let’s go before it gets dark, as we need to stop some rampaging Bat Demons.”

Thought surprised, Zuzu gave a small nod. She dusted herself off and followed her new party to the village of Roseroot. It wasn’t long before they found it. It was a moderate-sized village nestled near a small mountain, with fields for crops and livestock. The barrier was up, being produced by a large crystal in the belfry of the church, but it looked like it was weakening. The group of seven approached the village, where some of the people were working in the fields. They soon noticed Celtic and his party, becoming slightly wary.

“Who are you?” one villager asked, clearly nervous.

“We’re the Shroud Hero’s party,” Skye explained. “We heard that Lucas, the Spear Hero, screwed up and ended up releasing a colony of Bat Demons due to his stupidity. We’re here to clean up that mess by slaying the Bat Demons.”

The villagers’ eyes lit up, “You are!? Oh, thank the Gods! It was also partly our fault, as we initially thought the relic that he brought back was the one we tasked him to find, but we realized too late that it was the wrong item. We tried to put it back, but it didn’t solve anything. Please, if you can kill the Bat Demons and get the correct item we’d be very grateful.”

“What exactly is this relic that you asked Pointy Stick Boy to retrieve?” Viola asked.

“It’s a relic known as the Jade Starbolt. The relic is located at the back of the nearby mines. The Jade Starbolt is an object that is brimming with special energies that are known to revitalize the earth and plant life. As you can see, our area has been rather devastated by Infinator’s attacks. Thankfully, the Shadokor took care of them, but the monsters still did a number to our land. We were hoping to use the Jade Starbolt to revitalize the area, as we’re a farming village, thus we depend on having a good harvest for our livelihoods. After a previous wave a little while back, our crops are in a sad state, so we had hoped to use the Jade Starbolt to heal the area. But, unfortunately, the Spear Hero brought back the object known as the Emerald Lock, which is what was sealing away the Bat Demons. As we said before, just putting it back didn’t solve anything, and our barrier can’t take much more punishment. So, if you can slay the Bat Demons and retrieve the Jade Starbolt, we’d be very grateful.”

Celtic gave a sigh, “Doesn’t that moron ever think about the consequences of his actions? It will cost you, but we’ll take care of those Bat Demons. Let your village leader know that we’re here and are going to take care of your request, but it will be for a cost. Come on, everyone, let’s head into the mine and deal with those Bat Demons before it gets dark.”

Nodding, the group of seven went around the village toward the small mountain, where an old mineshaft was. It was pretty dark. Tyroe found an old lamp, which Celtic lit up, allowing them to proceed into the mine. As they walked down the mine tunnel, they kept their eyes and ears open for any threats. They soon came to a fork in the tunnel, trying to figure out which way to go.

“Which way do we go?” Rupert asked.

Zuzu, suddenly, stepped up, her piercing eyes scanning the two tunnels, giving a sniff every now and then. She then came to a conclusion.

“I can smell those Bat Demons,” she said. “They give off a rather unique smell that only those with strong senses like other demons can detect. Even canine-type Beastmen would have trouble sniffing them out, as the smell isn’t very strong. They smell like mildew mixed with sulfur. I can smell that very smell down the path to the left. I also see some faint claw marks in the walls down that path, as I have good night vision, so that means the Bat Demons are down there.”

Celtic nodded, “Got it. Thanks, Zuzu, that’s a big help. Let’s go, before they wake up.”

The party continued down the mineshaft. Every time they came to a fork in the tunnel Zuzu stepped up and managed to figure out the path they needed to take. It wasn’t long before they came to a large cavern. By this point, the smell of mildew mixed with sulfur was much stronger, meaning the Bat Demons were near. They all looked up and saw them hanging on the ceiling. The Bat Demons were somewhat human-like demons, though they leaned more toward the monster side of the spectrum, with clawed feet, their wings fused with their arms, large ears, lithe bodies, and short snouts. They were sound asleep, not even detecting the party’s arrival.

“Tyroe,” Celtic whispered. “Seal off the exit to the tunnel briefly with your Earth magic, so we can trap them in one place. That way they can’t escape and we can ensure that we get them all.”

Tyroe nodded before summoning some rocks to temporarily block the only exit.

“Skye, give me the rundown,” the redhead said in a hushed voice. “What are Bat Demons and what are their weaknesses?”

Skye replied in a hushed voice, “Bat Demons are Low-Tier demons, only possessing two hearts, and are considered about the same strength as a Red Demon, if maybe a bit lower. They aren’t too dangerous on their own, but they tend to form colonies, just like regular bats, thus they tend to use numbers to bolster their rather low raw power. They mostly use physical strikes, such as claw slashes and bites, and sound-based moves as their offensive tactics. They’re weak to Light, Holy, Fire, and Lightning while they resist Dark, Ice, Nature and Wind. As Ike stated before, they are very vulnerable to sunlight, which also translates into their Light element weakness, as Light-based damage is pretty much an instant kill for them. So, our best bet is Light, especially since it’ll pack the biggest punch, though Holy will also be pretty potent, too.”

Zuzu then turned to him, “I just finished counting them, too. There are a total of 37 Bat Demons here. I can keep track of how many are left, so I’ll leave the Light and Holy stuff to you lot, as I don’t possess either element, thus I can’t be much help.”

“Any help is appreciated, Zuzu,” Leon said in a low voice. He then turned to Skye, “Skye, let’s light things up. I’ll use Holy-based arrow attacks while you use Light magic. Celtic and the others can provide cover for us to prevent us from being attacked, as they’ll most likely make a beeline for us once they awaken. Sound good, Cel?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, a good plan. Now, let’s do it!”

Skye started to channel magic while Leon loaded up an energy arrow, taking aim at the sleeping Bat Demons.

“Shooting Star Arrow!” he stated.

He fired off a Holy energy arrow, which plowed into the cluster of Bat Demons, destroying several in one shot. This alerted the Bat Demons to their presence, causing them to start flying about.

“Light Beam!” Skye stated.

Skye launched a powerful beam of light at the Bat Demons. The attack instantly vaporized several that were caught in the blast while the rest started to burn from the Light energies. The remaining Bat Demons started to make a beeline for the two of them in order to prevent them from firing off any more attacks.

Celtic had transformed his arm into the cyber fan, “Blower!”

He fired off a powerful flaming tornado that engulfed several Bat Demons, burning them to ashes, causing the others to scatter. Zuzu started channeling magical energy.

“My species may not be the most magically adapt,” she said. “But we still have a few tricks up our sleeves! Like this! Dark Chains!”

Several dark energy chains ensnared the remaining Bat Demons, causing them to fall to the ground, unable to move. Skye and Leon nodded and started to channel more magical energy.

“Light Burst!” both stated.

They fired off two large blasts of light that ended up combining, heading straight toward the defenseless Bat Demons. The combo attack struck them, causing them to shriek as they were incinerated. Once the burst of light ended, Zuzu took a quick scan of the area.

“Okay, that was the last of them,” she said. “I don’t see, smell, or hear any more Bat Demons. That takes care of them.”

Celtic picked up an artifact near the center of the room. It was a dusty gold statue shaped similar to a vortex with a large emerald in it.

“This must be the Emerald Lock,” he observed. “We’ll take this with us, as it has no more use now that the seal is broken and the Bat Demons have been felled. Now, let’s find the Jade Starbolt and bring it back to the village. It should be in one of the other tunnels. Tyroe, you can now open up the mineshaft again since the Bat Demons are gone. Shame I couldn’t get a sample from them for my Shroud, but it’s no big loss, as I doubt they won’t be the only Bat Demons we’ll face. Come, let’s get moving and find that Jade Starbolt.”

Nodding, Tyroe removed the rock blockade and the party resumed their search. It wasn’t long before they found the Jade Starbolt. Sitting on a small shrine was a dusty gold statue in the shape of a shooting star surrounded by a whirlwind, with said star being made of a large jadestone. There was also an inscription near it, which Celtic read over.

“What does it say?” Rupert asked.

“It just says what the Jade Starbolt is, its purpose, and how to activate it,” Celtic replied. “There isn’t any other text stating that it cannot be removed or something, so it’s safe to take it with us.”

Skye stepped up, “I’ll take it.” She picked it up and turned to the party, “Now, let’s get out of this dingy mine and give the villagers the good word.”

Nodding, the party retraced their steps back to the mine’s entrance. The sun was starting to set, so they made their way back to the village. The villagers and their leader greeted them at the edge of the barrier.

“Shroud Hero,” the village leader said. “Have you corrected the sin that the Spear Hero created?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes. My party and I vaporized the Bat Demons and managed to retrieve the Jade Starbolt. We also know how to activate it, as it requires a certain activation chant to use. But the Bat Demons are no more, so you can lower the barrier, as you’re in no more danger.”

The village leader gave a sigh of relief, “Thank the Gods. Now we can resume our livelihoods without fear of those accursed Bat Demons. I must say, Shroud Hero, you have quite the unusual party.”

Celtic gained a crooked grin, “Yeah, but we all work together really well. Even our newest recruit, Zuzu, has proven to be a very good addition. We still have some fine-tuning to do, but considering we’ve done all the heavy lifting in Infinator’s waves, we do just fine. Now, please lower the barrier so we can enter and activate the Jade Starbolt in your fields.”

As he said that, the barrier dropped, allowing the party to enter the village. They all went to the fields, with Celtic raising the Jade Starbolt up before stating the incantation.

“Jade Starbolt, hear my plea. Revitalize this land with your cosmic blessings and bring about an everlasting prosperity to its people.”

The Jade Starbolt lit up, releasing a massive amount of energy that infused itself into the land. This energy took immediate effect, causing the land, crops, and surrounding area to suddenly transform and flourish, becoming rich in energy and vitality. The villagers cheered happily.

“Thank you, Shroud Hero and friends,” the village leader said with a smile. “Now, I know you requested a reward for your services. Our coffers are a bit depleted due to the poor harvest caused by Infinator’s wave, but we can provide you with other goods. And keep the Emerald Lock as a bonus, as it no longer has a purpose. Will that be enough for you?”

Celtic took a moment to think before replying, “Fine, I accept. Now, you keep this Jade Starbolt safe so opportunistic thieves don’t try anything. That way you can use it whenever you need it.”

A villager then said, “Let’s celebrate! In honor of the Shroud Hero!”

All the villagers eagerly cheered at the idea. As several of them prepared a party to celebrate, several others graciously thanked the Shroud Hero’s party with hearty handshakes and pats on the back, even Zuzu. As she experienced this praise and gratitude, she started to think about her new situation.

“You know…” she said silently. “This actually felt pretty good. Everyone… accepts me without a second thought, even though I’m a wild demon. Maybe there is some benefit to joining Celtic’s party. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally get even with Sylph. If Celtic is correct and his Shroud, and this Shadow Simulator can actually help me, then it might be worth my time and effort. We shall see.”

Next Chapter: Rocking with the Mountain Roc

And that's all for now, folks. Will the newest recruit to Celtic's party give him the edge against his foes? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. Would've posted this yesterday but I was out for most of the day helping mom. Anyway, on with the show. (Warning: contains violence and, as stated last time, nudity, which will be a mainstay now)

Rocking With a Mountain Roc


It was the following day after Celtic and his party slayed the Bat Demons that Lucas released. The village allowed them to stay in the inn free of charge that night, along with other goods and supplies as payment for their actions. They were all just about to head back to Delgunner before something happened.

A female Shadow Sentinel suddenly appeared, kneeling before them, stating, “Apologies for my unannounced arrival, Your Majesty, but you cannot return to Delgunner just yet.”

Celtic gave a defeated sigh, “Don’t tell me, let me guess. We have another Hero’s mess to clean up?”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Sadly, yes, you do. The Sword Hero, Ryan, slayed a monster known as a Mountain Roc. However, he only slayed the female, which is smaller and weaker than its male counterpart. On top of that, the mate of that female Mountain Roc returned to see its mate dead and is now rampaging in the area where it dwells, including terrorizing the three villages nearby. You’re going to have to slay the male Mountain Roc in order to quell its fury. In order to reach the area that this is taking place, you have to go north from here, toward the Terraka Mountains. It’ll be a two-day hike from here, but you need to leave posthaste, before the Mountain Roc destroys the three villages in a rage.”

“What about the body of the female Mountain Roc?” Celtic asked. “Do we have to destroy it so it doesn’t rot?”

The Shadow Sentinel shook her head, “No, as, fortunately, Mountain Rocs turn to stone upon death, thus their bodies don’t rot. This won’t be a repeat of the dragon zombie, as Mountain Roc bodies don’t decay after death, nor can they reanimate, as once they turn to stone upon death, that’s the end of them.”

Skye placed her hands behind her head, “At least we don’t have to worry about a repeat performance like that dragon zombie. Still, we need to get over there quickly, as Mountain Rocs are quite powerful and vicious when angered. But what I want to know is why Ryan went after the Mountain Roc? Don’t some races consider them sacred?”

“Some do, yes,” the Shadow Sentinel stated. “Mostly certain species of elves like Firebolt and Wind Cutter Elves, Ogre Scorpions, and certain species of Beastmen. Ryan was tasked to dealing with something else when the Mountain Roc attacked him for getting too close to its nesting area, so he killed it out of self-defense. However, he didn’t report that to the villagers who assigned him the task he and his party were given. The villages knew about the Mountain Rocs nesting near the peak of the mountains, but they didn’t know that Ryan slayed one of them until the male went berserk. While they all agree it was out of self-defense, it was still a very bad idea, as now they’re at the mercy of the enraged male. So, you need to go there posthaste and kill the male before it destroys and devours the villages.”

Celtic gave a defeated groan, “Great… another mess to clean up. Can’t those halfwits do anything right? I’m starting to feel like a glorified janitor. First I felt like an overworked nanny, now I feel like a glorified janitor, always cleaning up after those four. Well, there’s no sense in complaining about it. Come on, team, we have a mess to clean up… again.”

Nodding in agreement, the seven warriors left the village and headed north toward the Terraka Mountains.

When night fell, the party had gathered in a small grove. Celtic was busy cooking while everyone else, except Zuzu, were chatting. Zuzu was merely levitating in a relaxed pose just above them, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

“They… really don’t mind having me…” she said silently. “I’m not sure how to feel about that… I’ve been a loner all my life… all 397 years of it… and yet they really wanted me to join their party. Do they really care about me? Or is it because I’m powerful? I don’t really know… And will the people of Delgunner, and the Shadokor, accept me into the fold? I’m a wild demon, I am unfit for such things like socializing… and yet… these six individuals seem to be glad to have me along. I’m… at a loss. Sure, Celtic’s party is quite the ragtag bunch of misfits, but I don’t think even someone like me belongs in such a group. And yet… they seem happy to have me around. This will take some time to get used to… but… maybe it is for the best… I just don’t know…”

Her thoughts were interrupted when Celtic said, “Food’s ready. We’re gonna need the fuel if we’re going to deal with a rampaging Mountain Roc. Zuzu,” he turned to her, “Come and join us. I made a beef stew, and I know demons like meat.”

Zuzu hesitated for a moment before lowering herself down to the ground. She sat down next to Skye and took the bowl of beef stew Celtic was holding. She hesitated again, not sure what to think, but the smell of the beef stew was too tempting. She slowly took a spoonful of the stew and placed it into her mouth. Her eyes widened at the delicious taste, a look of bliss forming on her face before she started shoveling it down quickly.

Skye chuckled, “Well, I guess Zuzu likes it. Just don’t choke.”

Leon couldn’t help but chuckle, “Can’t exactly blame her. Celtic’s cooking is top-notch. And at least he’s used to making large portions, as he, Tyroe, and now Zuzu have multiple stomachs. At least none will go to waste.”

As they ate, Zuzu started to feel a bit more relaxed, asking for multiple servings of beef stew after eagerly shoveling down the previous one. Once the stew was gone, they retired for the night, with Celtic taking the first shift of the night watch.

Morning came and they were back on track. Viola had her ever-trusty map out and was leading the way, the rest of the party following her. After a short time, she stopped and looked around, checked her map again, and then turned to her party.

“Okay, the three villages near the Terraka Mountains are just beyond this next hill,” she said. “We should also be hearing the Mountain Roc pretty soon, as that mammoth beast isn’t exactly quiet.”

Celtic then asked, “What is a Mountain Roc, exactly? I’m guessing it’s some sort of giant bird, but that’s just a guess. And how is it sacred to some?”

Skye turned to him, “Mountain Rocs are gigantic birds that resemble a cross between a condor and a vulture. They are capable of eating a person whole in one gulp. Mountain Rocs, however, generally avoid people unless provoked, such as getting attacked or someone getting too close to their nesting area, like what happened with Ryan’s recent dilemma. They are, however, rather unusual due to the fact that, well, not only do they turn to stone upon death, but are said to be powered by a special energy core similar to dragons, making them more akin to divine beasts. As such, certain races see them as divine, as that unusual trait is often reserved for creatures with either noble heritage or history. I just hope Rupert doesn’t mind if we kill this Mountain Roc, as certain types of Beastmen see it as divine.”

Rupert shook his head, “No need to worry about that, Skye, I’m not that type of Beastman. I don’t worship the Mountain Roc like some Beastmen do, as feline and canine-type Beastmen, like myself, don’t see it as divine. We know it’s special, but we don’t see it as divine. That’s usually reserved for more avian, reptilian, and rodent-type Beastmen. So, you don’t have to worry about me feeling conflicted about killing it. Besides, even if that were the case, we can’t let it rampage like this, as lives are at risk, so even if I did worship it, I know that killing it would be the better course of action, given the situation.”

Zuzu, who was lazily floating above them, then said, “Here’s another bit of info for you. Mountain Rocs have a self-regenerating ability. As long as they draw breath, they can keep healing themselves at a steady clip, meaning that we need to kill it quickly. Fortunately, it only heals a small amount of HP at a time, unlike a Shade Wing, so with there being seven of us, we can shave off more HP on it than it can heal. But, also, it has the ability to use a unique version of Stone Body. In that state, its Speed drops, but its Attack and Defense increases, it can still attack, and its self-regenerating ability more than doubles in potency. It’ll do this whenever it feels the need to. Fortunately, there is a way to knock it out of that state. Just strike it with a Lightning spell or any other Lightning-based attack, like Leon’s Thunder Arrows, and it’ll shock it out of that state, as it’s weak to Lightning.”

Suddenly, they all heard a loud screech similar to an eagle’s, followed by the sound of heavy flapping. This caused large gusts of wind to blow toward them, forcing them to brace themselves and weather the wind gusts. When the wind died down, they quickly made their way over the hill and toward the sound. As they did, they saw quite a frightening sight.

The Mountain Roc was a behemoth bird, being at least 20 stories tall, with an even larger wingspan, a body covered in grey, white, and brown feathers, a long neck, a large head shaped like a vulture’s, large, piercing eyes and a huge beak. They saw it terrorizing one of the villages, which was trying desperately to fend it off. Leon loaded up an energy arrow, took aim, and started to channel energy.

“Thunder Arrow!” he stated.

He fired the arrow, causing it to split into several lightning bolts in midair, making a beeline for the Mountain Roc. The attack struck the beast in the side, making it screech in pain before retreating toward a nearby small mountain. The party quickly made their way to the first village, where the villagers were breathing a sigh of relief that the Mountain Roc had been chased away for the moment. They saw the party approach them, causing them to quickly swarm the seven warriors.

“Oh, please tell me you’re here to deal with the Mountain Roc!” one villager begged.

Celtic gave a defeated sigh, “Yeah, we’re here to clean up the Sword Hero’s latest blunder, as always. That seems to be our job nowadays, always cleaning up after the other Heroes. Considering we’re considered the Shroud Hero party; you’d think we’d be more than just glorified janitors. Can you give us the details of the current situation, as we only know some of the info?”

Another villager, who looked like the leader, stepped up, “Yes, we can tell you everything. We assigned the Sword Hero to retrieve something from the nearby mountain. There is a shrine around the midway point that had an artifact called the Gaia Stone. Our village and the other two nearby needed that artifact, as our land was recently poisoned by Infinator’s army. The Gaia Stone managed to remove the toxicity from the land and restored everything to full order. However, the Sword Hero ended up getting too close to the Mountain Roc’s nest, apparently, and had to fight off and kill the female that was present out of self-defense. He didn’t report that to us, however, so when the male returned from its hunt and saw its mate dead, it went berserk and started attacking us. We only learned of this when some of our more talented men checked out the area and found the female’s stone corpse, allowing us to put the pieces together. However, we lack the power to fight such a behemoth, so we are very grateful that you and your party are here to take care of it.”

Celtic looked toward the mountain, “It’ll cost you, as I have seven mouths to feed, but we’ll deal with the Mountain Roc for you, since that’s why we’re here.”

“I understand. How does this sound? We’ll give you the female Mountain Roc’s Inferno Core and the various Flame Shards that we recovered from its body as payment. The Inferno Core is a very powerful and valuable item that contains untold power. It’s what fuels the Mountain Roc’s power. The Inferno Core can be used for a variety of functions. The Flame Shards are also very powerful, as they are the starting point for more Inferno Core, though, naturally, as shards they’re weaker than the full core. If you kill the male Mountain Roc, you can take that one’s Inferno Core and Flame Shards, too. Will that be adequate payment for you?”

Celtic started to ponder before Zuzu stated, “Celtic, it’s a good idea that we take the Inferno Cores and Flame Shards. While I was spying on Infinator in order to try to isolate Sylph for my one-on-one fight with her, I learned that she’s been working on something for Infinator that could speed up his revival. From what I learned; it can be powered by an Inferno Core from a Mountain Roc. The only reason why Sylph hasn’t gone after a Mountain Roc is because she’s afraid of them despite being much stronger than them. So, it would be wise to take both the male’s and female’s Inferno Cores and Flame Shards, as Infinator wants them to speed up his revival. That way, if they’re in our possession, we don’t have to worry about either Sylph or any other Demon Generals from obtaining one for Infinator.”

Tyroe turned to her, “So, Infinator wants an Inferno Core for a project to speed up his revival? Then we should definitely take it before she gets wind that there is an Inferno Core up for grabs around here.”

Celtic nodded, “Fine, I accept. If it keeps Infinator from getting his way, then we’ll take it as our payment, as that’s worth its weight in gold. Now, enough talk, we need to deal with the Mountain Roc before it comes back for Round Two and causes more damage.”

The villager leader bowed graciously, “Thank you, noble Shroud Hero. We will return to the village to get the Inferno Core and Flame Shards out of our treasury vault and have it ready for your return. Godspeed to you, as Mountain Rocs can be nasty and unpredictable creatures when angered.”

A short time later Celtic and his party were climbing up the small mountain. Zuzu was floating behind them, in a position where she could catch any teammate that could fall, while Viola scuttled up the side easily, using her silk as ropes for the rest of the party to use. Finally, after a certain point, they stopped to take a quick break on a wide, deep ledge.

Celtic took a drink from his canteen, “Whew… I haven’t mountain climbed in a while. I forgot how tired it can make you.”

Viola nodded, “Yeah, though it’s easy for Zuzu and me, since she can float and I’m used to vertical climbs, due to being basically a giant spider. But it was smart for you to suggest that we use my silk like ropes to better secure everyone as we climbed. While Zuzu could easy catch someone if they slipped, as she’s got good reaction time, my silk will make it easier to scale this mountain. Considering it’s one of the smaller mountains in the Terraka Mountain range, it says a lot that it’s this difficult.”

Skye twitched her ears as she took a drink from her canteen, “Yeah, and Rupert and I are keeping our ears open for that behemoth bird, as we’ll most likely hear it before seeing it. We should be getting close, as I can see the gouges in the cliff side where its mammoth talons have dug into it. Which means its nesting area is probably near.”

Rupert then picked up some very large feathers nearby, “Yeah, that’s for sure. These are some of its feathers that it molts every now and then. They say a single feather is not only worth a fortune but can be crafted into various gear because they’re so durable yet light. I hear that just one feather has enough material to make a magical glider called an Air Wing. Maybe we should collect a few, as they’d be worth quite a lot on their own, and maybe Cel can use them to craft new items and accessories, which would sell for enormous profits.”

Celtic walked over to him, “Let me have one of those feathers now, as I’ll have my Shroud absorb it and see if it gives me something interesting.”

Nodding, Rupert handed over one of the smaller feathers. Celtic placed it on the Shroud’s gem, allowing it to absorb the feather completely, with a new Shroud called the “Mountain Roc Shroud” getting unlocked. He looked its effect over, gaining a grin.

“Nice. The Mountain Roc Shroud seems to be quite powerful. It appears to be both an offensive and defensive Shroud.”

Tyroe turned to him, “Really? How so?”

“Well, according to the statistics, the Mountain Roc Shroud can be used one of two ways, depending on the situation,” the redhead explained. “When used offensively it creates a technique similar to Stone Storm, whipping up a massive storm full of jagged rocks that viciously slash at the unfortunate soul that is within it. When used defensively it creates a wall of wind laced with stones that act as a barrier, repelling attacks while protecting what’s inside it. Judging by its stats, it seems to be more powerful than Squall Barricade, which is already a very powerful defensive Wind technique to begin with. This’ll come in handy, that’s for sure.”

Zuzu, who was lazily floating nearby, replied, “Makes sense, considering that the Mountain Roc itself is capable of similar abilities. Element-wise, Mountain Rocs have both the Wind and Earth elements in them, so they can use techniques from both categories, including that unique version of Stone Body I mentioned earlier. Not to mention that they turn to stone upon death, furthering their connection to the Earth element.”

Celtic scratched his chin, “Still… why do Mountain Rocs produce Inferno Cores and Flame Shards? Do they also have a connection to the Fire element? Or is it just how their biology works?”

Viola replied, “Well, remember, like dragons, they are capable of producing such cores because they’re technically classified as Divine Beasts. Creatures like Dragon Emperors, Mountain Rocs, Megalodons, Phoenixes, and Holy Wolves are all part of that category, and as such, they all produce similar magical cores. Those cores can be used in various ways, and come in various forms, though only certain individuals can really use them to their fullest. Since Infinator is looking for an Inferno Core to help his revival, it means Sylph, or, more likely, Infinator himself knows how to use them. Even just shards of any sort of special core can be very powerful if used correctly, though, obviously, a full core is far more valuable. So, it’s kinda hard to explain why certain members of the Divine Beast family produce certain types of cores, since there isn’t a whole lot of info on the subject to begin with.”

Suddenly, they all heard a loud screech. They immediately got into a battle-ready position, looking around for the Mountain Roc. A shadow formed over them, forcing them to quickly retreat deeper into the ledge to avoid the gargantuan bird from flattening them. As it landed, it gave them a screech, poised and ready to fight.

“This is it, people!” Celtic stated. “Let’s roast this turkey!”

“Right!” everyone said in unison, even Zuzu, which surprised her.

The Mountain Roc took to the sky again, hovering just above them, clearly trying to stay out of reach from their weapons, something that Celtic took note of.

“Zuzu!” he stated. “Use Close Combat Combo to knock it down to ground level! I’ll use my Thunder Silk Shroud to numb one of its wings to keep it from getting airborne again!” He then stated, “Thunder Silk Shroud!”

His Shroud transformed accordingly, becoming the Thunder Silk Shroud. Zuzu, although surprised at Celtic’s command, obeyed, flying above the Mountain Roc while enhancing her fists with dark energy.

“Close Combat Combo!” she stated.

She started to launch a barrage of punches at the Mountain Roc, surprising it at the sheer level of ferocity she was displaying. Each successful hit caused the Mountain Roc to fumble in midair, trying to maintain a safe altitude from the rest of the party. However, Zuzu’s punches became too much, and with one final punch to the skull, knocked the massive bird onto the ledge, stunning it.

“Electroweb!” Celtic stated.

He closed the front of the Shroud around him, causing the two halves of the spider web to connect, which fired off an Electroweb at the Mountain Roc’s left wing. The electric-laced web wrapped itself around the wing, making the Mountain Roc screech in shock as its wing went numb, preventing it from flying. It opened its mouth and started to channel energy in it. Viola smirked as it did this.

“Not happening, birdbrain!” she stated. “Here, have some more spider webs!”

With some quick hand motions, she forced the Mountain Roc’s beak to close with her silk, causing the energy it was charging up to sputter from between the gaps. This caused the energy to backfire, exploding in its beak, dazing it. Skye took advantage of this by channeling some magical energy.

“Lightning!” she stated.

A powerful bolt of lightning struck the Mountain Roc, making it flail in pain. Its body then turned to stone, which also had a side-effect of a barrier forming around it and healing energies sparkling around it.

“Is that the special Stone Body form that Zuzu mentioned?” Tyroe asked.

Zuzu replied, “It is, but the fact it actually can project a barrier alongside it is something I didn’t know it could do. Considering that this Mountain Roc is still rather young, I’m surprised it can do that. Either this is part of the unique Stone Body ability it has or it has somehow evolved it into a more powerful form. We need to pop that bubble before it heals itself too much and offsets our damage!”

Leon turned to Skye, “Let’s try our tried-and-true Typhoon/Hydro Tower combo!”

Skye nodded, “Let’s do it!”

Both started to channel magical energy.

“Typhoon!” Skye stated.

“Hydro Tower!” Leon roared.

The two magical attacks combined, creating a massive waterspout. The attack slammed into the barrier, striking it with all its might, while the Mountain Roc tried to resist. The combo won, breaking through the barrier and slamming into the Mountain Roc with a vengeance. The massive beast managed to hold on, keeping its special defense up. At the same time, Rupert was channeling magical energy.

“Zap Bolt!” he stated.

The Mountain Roc was hit with a respectable blast of lightning energy, shocking it, causing it to drop its special defensive ability, leaving it vulnerable. By this point it was trying to pry the Arachne silk off its beak through sheer force, and Viola noticed it was starting to tear.

“Celtic!” she stated. “My silk won’t last much longer! We need to launch another combo attack at it, and fast! Before it can free its beak and use some of its more powerful attacks!”

Celtic nodded, “Right! Use Scythe Wind Cutter! I’ll combine it with my fairly new Elec-Bolo attachment while Tyroe uses Stone Spears!”

Both nodded and started to prepare for the combo attack. At that time, Celtic’s arm transformed, becoming a new form. This form looked like Cannon crossed with Mag-Bolt, being a two-pronged cannon-like structure on a somewhat horseshoe magnet base with a rotating joint. He started to spin it, causing two electrical orbs to form on each cannon-shaped prong connected by an electric bolt. As he spun the new attachment, the electrical orbs got bigger, as if generating more energy. At that point, Viola and Tyroe were ready.

“Elec-Bolo!” Celtic roared, firing the electrically charged bolo.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola shouted, launching her attack.

“Stone Spears!” Tyroe yelled, summoning several jagged rocks and hurling them at his target.

The Stone Spears and Scythe Wind Cutter combined, becoming a powerful windstorm with sharp rocks. The Elec-Bolo then fused with it, appearing in the center of it, enhancing it with powerful electrical energies. Just as the Mountain Roc had freed its beak from Viola’s silk, the combo attack slammed into it, making the Mountain Roc shriek in pain as it was pummeled with the ferocious power of the three elements mixed together. After the attack had waned, it appeared to be on its last legs, stumbling as it tried to stay upright. Zuzu gained a dark grin as she enlarged her right fist into a behemoth-sized dark energy knuckle that was as large as the Mountain Roc itself.

“Night-night, you overgrown feather duster!” she sneered. “Dark Crusher!”

She slammed her massive dark-energy fist on top of the Mountain Roc, flattening it, causing the entire ledge to shake as she did. She left her massive fist on top of it for a few moments before removing it. The party awaited to see if the Mountain Roc would get back up, but it didn’t. Then, its body started to turn to stone, indicating it was dead, allowing the party to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew…” Leon said as he wiped his brow. “Mountain Rocs certainly live up to their sturdy strength. We only really stood a chance because Zuzu knocked it out of the sky and Celtic numbed one of its wings with the Electroweb, forcing it to fight us on our turf, so to speak.”

Tyroe then said, “We’re not done yet. We need to retrieve the Inferno Core and Flame Shards from it so Sylph doesn’t get her mitts on them.”

Zuzu nodded, “Leave that to me.”

She raised up her right arm again, channeling dark energy into it, turning it into a large dark energy fist. She punched the Roc clean in the back, causing its now fossilized body to break apart. As it did, several objects became visible from its shattered body. One object was a red orb with what looked like flaming energy in it and some strange symbol on it, while there were five smaller chunks near it. Celtic gingerly approached it, pushing some of the fossilized body parts aside to get to the orb and shards. He gently picked up the Inferno Core, which was, to his surprise, actually rather cool to the touch. He placed it into his Tek-Pak. He then gathered up the five shards that were also present, which also felt rather cool to the touch.

“Huh…” he said. “I’m surprised that, considering these objects are called an Inferno Core and Flame Shards, they’re not actually hot.”

“From what little I know,” Skye stated. “The crystalized exterior has to contain the energy, so it doesn’t get hot. Otherwise the Mountain Roc could accidentally kill itself from its own Inferno Core’s intense flame energy. It also makes it easy to handle, as they can be used for various purposes, so they need to be cool to the touch as they’d burn anything they’d touch otherwise.” She then gained an idea, “Hey, hold on, I just thought of something. Cel, have the Shroud absorb one of the Flame Shards. Since there’s five of them here, and we’ll be getting more from the village as our payment, we can spare one for your Shroud. It might unlock something interesting.”

Celtic gained a wry smile, “Let’s hope it doesn’t give me a repeat of the dragon zombie’s core that the Shroud absorbed, as he’s been getting pretty uppity whenever I use that Shroud form. Especially after remembering that it was Sylph that put him into a position where Ryan could kill him. So, let’s hope that the Flame Shard doesn’t lace the Shroud with the consciousness of the Mountain Roc like the dragon’s core did, as I don’t need that happening again. But it’s worth a shot.”

He placed four of the Flame Shards into his Tek-Pak, holding the last one in his hand. He gently, and reluctantly, placed the shard on the Shroud’s core. The gem absorbed the Flame Shard, causing the Shroud’s status screen to appear, with a new form unlocking. He looked it over, gaining a sigh of relief.

“Well, the good news is that the Flame Shard created the Flaming Might Shroud, which, when used, causes every party member to have their stats double for the duration of the battle by cloaking them in intense fire energy. It also gives all party members the Fire element when using their weapons or physical strikes in battle, as well as boosting resistance to Fire and Ice damage. And from what I can sense, I’m not detecting the Mountain Roc’s consciousness in it. But, considering I’m not actually using the Shroud form right now, that has yet to be seen, as I only learned of the dragon zombie’s presence in the Dragon Rage Shroud upon using it the first time. So, I don’t know for sure if the Mountain Roc will get the same treatment from the Flame Shard or not. Let’s hope not, as that dragon has been getting a bit difficult to work with. Especially since he may be a Dragon Emperor, so he might be rather special since Sylph did go after him for some reason.”

Rupert placed his hands behind his head, “No joke. During our last tango with Sylph, the dragon zombie took the Shroud form over and forced you to attack Sylph, only to get knocked out and his flames doused by her Torrent Wave spell, getting you damaged in the process. While it did allow you to switch back to the Soulavore Shroud with him out of commission, you still got hurt because of his rage-fueled recklessness. Hopefully getting soaked by Sylph calmed him down for a bit, and hopefully the Flaming Might Shroud doesn’t throw the Mountain Roc’s mind into the mix, as that’s the last thing you need.”

Skye nodded, “Agreed. So, let’s hope for the best. Come on, let’s gather up some of the molted feathers and head back to the village to report our success.”

Nodding, they gathered up some of the previously molted feathers and started to make their way back down the mountain. By the time they reached the village, it was starting to get dark. The villagers and their leader were awaiting them at the front.

“Noble Shroud Hero and friends,” the village leader said. “Were you successful in your mission to stop the Mountain Roc’s rampage?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, we slayed the Mountain Roc. You won’t hear a peep out of him ever again. We also collected his Inferno Core and Flame Shards so Sylph doesn’t get her grubby claws on them for Infinator’s sake. I take it you have the female’s Inferno Core and Flame Shards with you?”

The village leader nodded, “Yes, we do. My men will give it to you. We cannot thank you enough for stopping that berserk Mountain Roc and saving the villages around here from its wrath. We’ve also prepared a free night in the inn with food as a bonus for your efforts. Men, please give the noble Shroud Hero the Inferno Core and Flame Shards, as he deserves them.”

Two men approached him, handing over the Inferno Core and five Flame Shards, which Celtic took and placed in his Tek-Pak. The villagers then led the party into the inn for their free night and food, all joyously patting them on the back and shaking their hands. By the time the two moons had risen, the party was getting some well-deserved sleep, dreading what the next problem caused by another Hero will be.

Next Chapter: Pirate Panic

And that's it. Looks like Zuzu is becoming a valuable member of the party. And looks like the other Heroes can't do anything right. And, yes, any eagle-eyed reader will notice that I took the Mountain Roc concept from Golden Sun Dark Dawn, so if you noticed that, good job. Tune in next time to find out what happens next.
 
Okay, here we go. The next chapter of Chaos Rising. Would've posted yesterday but the day got away from me. Anyway, on with the show. (Warning: contains violence)

Pirate Panic


It was the following morning after the defeat of the Mountain Roc. Celtic and his party were just gathering up their stuff after breakfast, ready to go back to Delgunner. However, they had another task to attend to.

A male Shadow Sentinel appeared before them, going into a kneeling bow, stating, “Apologies, Your Majesty, but a new problem has arisen.”

Celtic was starting to get annoyed, stating, “Which idiot screwed up this time!?”

“Jerry, the Bow Hero, attacked a docked pirate ship near a small port town, sinking it. The pirates, who are called the Surge Raiders, were not on the ship at the time, but they were not pleased when they found out. They managed to call in the other ships of their fleet. They have not only attacked the small port town but have practically enslaved it as punishment for siccing the Bow Hero on them, even though they didn’t do that, as Jerry acted on his own accord. Since the port town is very far away, I was instructed to use Shadow Warp to take you to just the outskirts of it, so you can retake the town and kill the pirates. Their captain is Captain Charadrill, a type of monster known as a Salamander, alongside his army of Rat Soldiers and Hobbles, all of which possess unusually high intelligence. You need to hurry and retake the town before those monster pirates destroy and devour it. If you are ready to go, I can take you there instantly.”

Celtic turned to his party, who all nodded, before replying, “Do so.”

The Shadow Sentinel charged up energy before stating, “Shadow Warp.”

He and Celtic’s party vanished in dark portals. They soon reappeared near the outskirts of a port town. They could see the damage to the town from outside of it, noticing several broken windows and walls, blast craters, and smoke rising from various places. The Shadow Sentinel gave another bow.

“I will leave this to you, as I need to report back to Delgunner. Please, hurry and save the people before the monster pirates kill them all.”

The Shadow Sentinel then vanished like a phantom, leaving Celtic and his party behind. Celtic rubbed his eyes, giving a defeated groan.

“I’m getting really tired of this…” he grumbled. “Can’t those dim bulbs do anything right? Well… complaining about it isn’t going to solve the problem. Let’s go, team, as we’ve got another mess to clean up.”

Nodding, the party quickly and quietly slinked their way into the port town. They kept a low profile, trying to gauge the situation first. Running around the main section were two types of monsters. One were anthropomorphic rats wearing bandit gear and wielding two large daggers while the other were fat ogre-like monsters wearing armor that was too small and wielding spiked clubs. There were also three pirate ships moored at the docks, where more of the rat-like monsters were standing guard, with the largest ship in the center of the three. There was also garbage and debris all over the place, along with several people in shackles in small clusters.

“Viola, Zuzu,” Celtic instructed in a hushed voice. “You two scout the area, so we can get an idea of how many opponents we’re facing, but don’t let yourselves be known.”

Nodding, the two females split up, each going to different sections of the ruined port town, scouting the area and gauging the situation. After a few minutes they returned to their party.

“It appears most of the monster pirates are in the town,” Viola whispered. “But I’m guessing this Captain Charadrill is in the main pirate ship, as I didn’t see any Salamanders among them.”

Zuzu then added, “There are also several townsfolk tied up or in chains scattered about, with the women seemingly forced to serve the pirates. They also had a lot of wounds, indicating that the pirates aren’t exactly gentle with their prisoners. Also, the children and any animals are in iron cages, probably to keep them from getting in the way.”

“We’ve gotta act fast,” Rupert said in a hushed voice. “Who knows how much longer the pirates will keep their hostages alive.”

Celtic took a moment to think before stating, “Okay, we’re going to have to split up on this one. We need to use stealth to get the advantage. Viola, Tyroe, you two lay out more of your traps in strategic locations in order to ensnare the pirates. Give us a signal when you’re ready. Rupert and Leon will go around and free the captives from their shackles, along with healing any injured ones. Skye, Zuzu, and I will act as distractions to lure the pirates to locations where Viola and Tyroe have set up their traps. Once we take care of most of the pirates in the town we’ll meet back up in the town square so we can raid the ships themselves and kill this Captain Charadrill, putting an end to these Surge Raiders once and for all.”

Everyone nodded, splitting up to execute their part of the plan. Celtic, Skye, and Zuzu awaited the signal from Viola and Tyroe when the traps are ready, with Celtic’s Shroud having transformed into the Cobra Hydra Shroud and his arm becoming Cannon. Rupert and Leon quietly slinked around the back alleys in order to see where the captives were and how many of them needed rescuing. After a few minutes the ground shook lightly, just enough to be noticeable but not strong enough for the pirates to detect, which seemed to be the signal the trio were waiting for. Nodding, Celtic, Skye, and Zuzu charged in, striking down several Rat Soldiers in the process. This ploy got the pirates’ attentions, causing them to run toward them, ready to kill the trio of warriors. However, as they did, several traps were sprung. Several spider webs suddenly appeared and ensnared many of the Rat Soldiers, while stone spikes jutted from the ground, trapping the Hobbles in between them, leaving them defenseless.

“Attack!” Celtic commanded.

Celtic, Skye, and Zuzu started their assaults on the monster pirates, with Viola and Tyroe soon joining in. The captive people were shocked at this sudden help before they quickly started to cheer. Leon and Rupert then made themselves known as they quickly freed and healed the captives, shuttling them to safety, while the rest of the party attacked the pirates. This caused several other monster pirates to charge in from the docks and ships, realizing that they were under attack. But this resulted in several more traps to be sprung, ensnaring them in spider silk and stone shackles. A few minutes later Rupert and Leon joined in the fray.

“We’ve shuttled all the townsfolk to a safer location for the time being!” Leon stated as he shot one of the pirates with an energy arrow.

“Good, now all that’s left are the pirates themselves!” Celtic stated as his Cobra Hydra Shroud bit three Hobbles, injecting them with fatal poison which they quickly succumbed to. “Viola, Leon, and Rupert, you three go and deal with the trapped pirates by the docks before they break free. We’ll handle the ones here. Go!”

Nodding, Viola, Leon, and Rupert quickly made their way to the docks to deal with the other trapped pirates before they broke free of their bindings. Celtic, Skye, Tyroe, and Zuzu continued to whale on the monster pirates, easily killing them with their power. This assault caused several of the pirates to start hesitating, realizing they were out of their depth with these fighters, but that didn’t save them from the Shroud Hero party’s wrath. One by one they fell to the superior fighters, causing the remaining ones to start backing away.

“We can’t let a single one survive!” Celtic instructed. “Otherwise they may get reinforcements! Kill them all before they make any getaways!”

“Music to my ears!” Skye said with a smirk as her naginata sliced another Hobble in half.

Tyroe, who was crushing a Rat Soldier in his coils while pummeling two Hobbles with his morning stars replied, “We need to get the Salamander captain out of the ship! Viola and I set a trap just for him! We need to flush him out before he turns tail and runs!”

Celtic turned to Zuzu, “Zuzu! Can you fly onto the main ship and flush out the Salamander?”

Zuzu crushed a Hobble’s skull in her dark energy-enhanced claw before stating, “That’s easy enough. I’ll get that scale belly captain out in the open!”

She then took off, heading for the largest pirate ship. She quickly smashed her way into the captain’s quarters, where Captain Charadrill resided, much to his shock. He was an anthropomorphic lizard with a flame on the tip of his tail, small flames emitting from his mouth, and was wearing traditional pirate gear. She gained a dark grin, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

“Time to make a new pair of boots for Skye,” she said sinisterly.

Captain Charadrill drew his scimitar, stating, “You don’t scare me, nudist chick!”

However, Zuzu quickly proved otherwise, effortlessly swatting the sword out of his lizard hands before punching him in the face, sending him into a wall. This feint made him realized she was in a different league than him, causing him to quickly run in fear. Zuzu, gaining a dark grin, chased after him, forcing him off the ship and onto the docks. As he got to solid ground, a spider web appeared underneath him, ensnaring his feet, causing him to stop running. Then, a cage made of stone formed around him, trapping him within it. He tried to break it, but it proved to be too durable, even with his fire-enhanced attacks. Zuzu lazily floated above him almost tauntingly.

“How do you like being in a cage, lizard lips?” she sneered.

By that point the last of his pirates had been slain, allowing Celtic and the rest of his party to approach the now trapped pirate captain. They all glared menacingly, ready to kill the captain, who was now cowing in fear.

“Y-You won’t get away with this!” Charadrill stated. “There are other monsters like me out there, and they will put you in your place!”

Celtic grinned darkly, “We’ll see about that, iguana gums.”

He then snapped his fingers, causing the trio of cobra heads to emerge from his Shroud, lash out, and bite the Salamander, injecting him with their fatal toxins before retreating back to Celtic. The poison took immediate effect, causing the Salamander to stumble as he tried to fight it off, but it proved too powerful. Within a minute the poison overpowered him, causing him to die from its potency. The party waited for a minute to ensure that he was done, and when he didn’t rise again, they knew it was over.

Celtic turned to Leon and Viola, “Leon, Viola, you two go and retrieve the townsfolk, make sure they’re not hurt or anything. Rupert, Tyroe, and Zuzu, you three go into the ships and see if there are any more pirates lurking in them. And also see if there are any valuables that the pirates have stolen, as we may have to accept some of that as our payment, since this town has certainly seen better days, thus will need the money to repair it. Skye and I will go around and see if there are any remaining pirates in the town. We’ll meet back up in the town square.”

Nodding, the party split up to attend to their tasks. It wasn’t long before they had all gathered up in the square, all the townsfolk cheering at their saviors.

“Our heroes!” one man said happily.

“You saved us all!” a woman cried in joy.

One man, who looked like the mayor, approached, “Thank you, my odd yet wonderful friends. You saved us from those terrible pirates. They attacked us because they accused us of siccing the Bow Hero on one of their ships. We didn’t even know the Bow Hero was anywhere near this area when it happened, meaning he attacked the first pirate ship on his own accord. But because of him, our peaceful port town was viciously attacked and overrun by those fiends. But thanks to you and your party, we have been liberated from their tyranny. How can we ever thank you?”

“Normally I’d expect payment,” Celtic said. “But you need the money to repair your town, so I can’t take any payment from you at this time.”

Rupert then stated, “Don’t worry about that, buddy. The pirate ships are loaded with valuables and treasure, many of which looks foreign. You can just take some of that as our payment instead. And you can let the town have the rest so they can have the necessary money to repair and replenish everything.”

The mayor looked at Celtic, “Will that be good enough for you? I’ve heard rumors that the Shroud Hero only does work for a price, but, as you said, our town is in a bad state, thus we cannot pay you ourselves. Will taking some of the pirates’ treasures be considered payment to you, Shroud Hero?”

The redhead merely said, “Yes, I’ll just take that. Seeing how I’ve garnered a reputation like that, it would be better if you kept what little you have to repair your lives while I’ll take a share from the pirates instead. You and your people can take the rest of the pirates’ plunders for yourself since you’ll be needing it to get yourselves back on your feet. We’ll also take some of the gear from the monsters, like the Rat Soldiers’ daggers, as we can market them back in Delgunner for a fair price. So, on that note, let’s go, team. Let’s gather up some of the items from the pirate ships as our payment, along with any other gear and items off the monsters themselves. I also want to collect a sample from the Salamander captain for my Shroud, as he’s the newest monster we’ve encountered in this endeavor, thus getting a new sample for the Shroud could come in handy.”

Nodding, the party split up, with Rupert, Tyroe, and Viola gathering up the gear from the various monsters while Celtic, Skye, Leon, and Zuzu entered the three ships, one by one, and gathered up some of the treasures on it as their payment. After collecting what they felt was fair, along with collecting a sample from the Salamander for the Shroud, they all gathered up back in the town square, where the mayor was still there.

“Okay, we’ve taken our share, the rest is yours,” Celtic stated. “You’ll need it, as those monster pirates did a number to this town. And don’t worry, there is plenty to go around. There is quite the haul in those ships we only took about one quarter of their total plunders, if even that. Those monster pirates really got around if they got ahold of so many different items, including what appears to be some foreign items from other lands. We’ll leave dividing the rest up to you.”

The mayor bowed graciously, “Thank you, noble Shroud Hero and friends. While we can’t offer you a whole lot, we can offer you a free night in the inn as a token of our appreciation, since it’s one of the only buildings that isn’t in a terrible state after the attack. And do us a favor, will you? Give that Bow Hero what for, since he caused this problem for us.”

Leon placed his hands in his pockets, “Believe me, we will. We’ve been cleaning up after ALL of the other Heroes repeatedly, since they treat this world like it’s one big video game, whatever that is, thus they’re leaving no small amount of misery in their wake. We’ll be sure to let them have it, as we’ve got a few choice words for them after these recent blunders. Celtic especially probably has a few colorful words for them since he’s been stuck acting like a janitor for them since the early days. Even though the Four Stars Church is gone, you can’t exactly argue that they were right to be upset with the Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes, though I wouldn’t call them ‘fakes’ like they did. Incompetent morons would be more accurate, especially the harem-seeking Spear Hero. But we’ll give Jerry your ‘regards’, so to speak, when we see him next. You can count on that.”

The mayor nodded gratefully, “Thank you very much. Now, please, rest your bones, as you deserve it for saving us from those fiendish pirates. My men and I will start dividing up the pirates’ plunders for the town to use in order to rebuild. You go to the inn and get some well-deserved rest.”

Nodding, the party headed for the inn, which was one of the more intact buildings, where the innkeeper gladly gave them rooms to rest in. As they did, they could only worry about what other mess they’d have to clean up next.

Next Chapter: Frigid Femme Fatale

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what happens next.
 
Okay, here we go. The next chapter of Chaos Rising is live. (Warning: contains violence)

Frigid Femme Fatale


It was the following day after Celtic and his party slayed the monster pirates that attacked the small port town. They were preparing to leave for Delgunner, thought they were also expecting to see a Shadow Sentinel soon. Sure enough, a female Shadow Sentinel appeared, making them all sigh in defeat.

“Don’t tell me, let me guess…” Celtic groaned. “By process of elimination, we now have to deal with Eric’s latest mess, right? Or did Lucas do something else stupid?”

The Shadow Sentinel replied, “Your first guess is correct. Eric, the Axe Hero, has caused another problem requiring your attention. He and his party raided a set of ruins near the village of Happu, having heard it possesses a rare artifact. However, what they didn’t know is that said artifact was acting as a seal, keeping a fiendish woman called the Ice Empress from escaping a gemstone known as the Tundra Stone. Now free, she has since effectively frozen over the village of Happu, trapping everyone inside of it, save for one lucky soul who was out of town at the time. Fortunately, because of the nature of the Tundra Stone, she cannot leave the area, as she’s still bound by it, and she can’t move it herself because of its special properties. Thus, she’s trapped in one location unless someone foolish enough takes the Tundra Stone. Your task is simple: defeat her and imprison her back in the Tundra Stone, then take the Tundra Stone with you.”

Skye looked worried, “Won’t taking the Tundra Stone just allow her to use us to do her bidding?”

The Shadow Sentinel shook her head, “No, that won’t happen. That outcome will only happen if she’s outside of the Stone when it’s moved, not inside it. If she’s trapped inside of it when it is moved, she’ll remain that way, as the Stone itself acts as another seal. The first artifact that Eric took was what originally sealed her away, with the Tundra Stone being a backup to keep her in one place if she ever got free. But, if you defeat her in battle and state a certain incantation, she’ll be forever trapped inside the Tundra Stone, which you can, and should, take with you, in order to prevent this from happening again. As well as keeping Sylph away from it, as the Tundra Stone possesses great power, especially when the Ice Empress is sealed away in it again.”

Celtic rubbed his eyes, clearly annoyed, “Very well, then. Will you take us to this now frostbitten Happu? And what’s the incantation needed to seal her away again?”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded, “Yes, I was asked to take you to Happu, as it is too far to get there by foot from here. As for the incantation, it goes as followed: ‘Tundra Stone, hear my plea. Ensnare the witch of ice in your radiant core and banish her frozen powers to the void!’ That’s the incantation you need to recite in order to seal her away in the Tundra Stone for good.”

Celtic gave another sigh, “All right, then. Take us to Happu so we can defrost the ice witch and get this over with.”

The Shadow Sentinel nodded and started to channel energy.

“Shadow Warp,” she stated.

She and Celtic’s party vanished in dark portals. Moments later they reappeared in the outskirts of a village. They could see the entire village was frozen over, with only one person unharmed. He then noticed Celtic and his party and quickly ran up to them.

“Oh, please tell me you’re here to deal with the Ice Empress!” he begged.

Skye gave a heavy sigh, “Yeah, we’re here to put the Ice Empress in the hotseat. We’re already aware of the situation. The Axe Hero, Eric, took an artifact from the nearby ruins, which was acting as a seal to keep the Ice Empress bound, thereby releasing her when he left. But, fortunately, the Tundra Stone keeps her from going too far, thus forcing her to stay in one place. We, the Shroud Hero’s party, are here to clean up this mess and restore order to your village.”

The man looked relieved, “Oh, thank the Gods! Please, you must hurry, as my family is trapped inside her icy prison. I’m a traveling merchant, so I was out of town when this happened, so you can imagine my shock when I came home to this. She tried to deep freeze me, but I managed to escape, and since she can’t leave due to the Tundra Stone keeping her in place, I was able to call for help. Please, turn that Ice Empress into a puddle and rid us of her!”

Rupert rolled his eyes, “That seems to be our job as of late. Always cleaning up after the other dimwit Heroes. I swear, can’t they do anything right?”

Celtic gave a defeated sigh, “The only way they’ll get their act together is when they finally realize that this world isn’t a big video game. However, I foresee that for them to take this seriously would require them to create a disaster of epic proportions caused by their stupidity. Although I hope and pray that doesn’t happen, as that’s the last thing we need on top of the current crisis. But, whatever, flapping our gums isn’t going to solve the Ice Empress problem, so we might as well find this frigid femme fatale and put her on ice.”

The Shadow Sentinel gave a bow, “I wish you luck, Your Majesty. Be safe, sire.”

She then vanished like a phantom, leaving the Shroud Hero’s party behind.

Celtic turned to Skye, “Skye, do you have any knowledge on this Ice Empress?”

The Light Elf shook her head, “No, this is the first time I’ve heard about her. Sorry, I wish I could give you some details on her.”

Zuzu then said, “I know a few things about the Ice Empress.”

“Then, please, tell us,” Viola said, surprised.

“Well, let’s start with the basics. The Ice Empress is a female entity that embodies the element of Ice. She’s said to be some sort of immortal demi-god, as her first appearance dates back nearly 1500 years ago, where she ran rampant. It’s rumored that there are other demi-gods like her that each represents one of the main elements in this world, though they say the Ice Empress is the most malicious of the batch. A monk managed to seal her away in the nearby shrine using an object that, if memory serves, was called the Holy Star. However, it was discovered later that the Holy Star wasn’t a perfect seal, as her powers were able to leak out a bit, causing parts of the temple she was sealed in to freeze over. So, as a result, a Shadokor warrior crafted the Tundra Stone to act as a secondary seal, which also had the side-effect of binding her to this location. He also put a spell on the Tundra Stone that prevents her from moving it on her own just in case she ever got free. In terms of combat ability, she’s pretty powerful, able to use all the Ice spells in the book, along with other useful abilities, but has the obvious weakness to Fire. From what else I’ve heard, Dark-based attacks are also good on her, and I suspect Wrath Fire could be helpful, as she’s not immune to the Curse ailment, so we have options. That’s about all I know.”

Leon placed a hand on his hip, “I’m very impressed, Zuzu. That’s a lot of good information. Now we know what to expect and how to fight her. You know your stuff.”

Zuzu gained a blush, turning her head away defiantly, “Yeah, well, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

Celtic chuckled a little before stating, “Okay, with that information under our belts, it’s time to move out. Stay close, as we don’t want her ambushing anyone.” He turned to the traveling merchant, “You remain out here, away from the battlefield so you don’t get caught in the crossfire. Leave this to us. Just keep an eye out for any local monsters, too, so you don’t get ambushed while waiting for us to complete our task.”

The traveling merchant nodded, “Yes, I will. Thank you, noble Shroud Hero and friends. Good luck.”

With a final nod, Celtic and his party entered the frozen town of Happu. As they looked around, keeping an eye out for the Ice Empress, they observed the surroundings. Everything was encased in ice, almost perfectly preserving the town in its clutches. They could see people within their homes from behind their frostbitten windows, all of whom noticed the party.

“Stay frosty, team,” Celtic said. “We don’t know where this ice witch will appear, so keep your wits about you.”

Suddenly, a harsh voice spat, “What did you call me?! An ‘ice witch’? Ooh, you will freeze good for that remark! Icicle Storm!”

Several large icicles rained down upon the team, ready to impale them.

“Scrap Iron Shroud! Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”

The Shroud transformed accordingly before creating the large barrier-shaped fortress of scrap metal around the party. The icicles struck the barrier, hammering away at it, but were unable to pierce it, causing the attack to wane. Celtic waited a moment before lowering the barrier, everyone having gotten into a battle-ready stance.

“Hmph!” the voice stated. “Not bad. Judging by what you said, I take it you’re the Shroud Hero, hmm? Well, I’ll be putting the freeze on you, as I’ll NEVER let myself be sealed away again! If I could I would thank that idiot Axe Hero for freeing me, but that doesn’t matter right now, as I intend to seal YOU away!”

A figure descended down from an unknown point, revealing herself.

“So, you’re the Ice Empress,” Tyroe hissed.

“That’s correct, scale belly, and I have every intention of turning you lot into ice sculptures,” the Ice Empress stated.

The Ice Empress was a regal-looking female entity. She had light blue skin, piercing red eyes, long snow white hair that reached her shoulder blades, a tall, well-cut figure with an ample chest, narrow waist, average width hips, and long, shapely legs. She was dressed in a blue and white regal tunic that showed off a fair amount of cleavage, a matching skirt that went to her knees, dark blue tights, white knee-high, high-heeled boots, and a fur-trimmed long cape with long sleeves. She was wielding a long staff with a snowflake motif.

“Okay, team, let’s melt this ice witch!” Celtic stated. “Battle Formation: Epsilon 2!”

Everyone took a certain battle position, ready to fight, while the Ice Empress looked livid.

“You DARE call me an ‘ice witch’, you lowly cockroach?!” she hissed. “I’ll take great pleasure in freezing you solid bit by bit! Ice Tower!”

Several pillars of ice erupted from the ground, making a beeline for Celtic. He gained a steely expression.

“We’ll see about that… ice witch. Iron Body!”

His body turned to iron. Shortly afterward, the Ice Tower attack struck him, but it shattered harmlessly against his iron-coated form, angering the Ice Empress. She didn’t realize that this gave Skye an opening.

“Fire Tower!” she stated.

The pillar of fire erupted and engulfed the Ice Empress, making her scream in pain. Leon loaded up an energy arrow, taking aim at her.

“I’m about to prove why I’m such a lady killer!” he smirked. “Comet Shot!”

The energy arrow burst into flame as he fired it. It struck the Ice Empress hard in the side, exploding upon contact, making her shriek in anger and pain.

“You will PAY for this!” she spat. “Iceblast!”

Leon quickly jumped back as a prison of ice formed underneath him, allowing him to dodge it, causing it to fizzle out since it didn’t succeed in hitting its target. Celtic, who had just deactivated Iron Body, turned to Zuzu.

“Zuzu! Let’s double-team her with Wrath Fire!” he stated.

Zuzu nodded in agreement. Both started to channel energies before slamming their palms on the ground.

“Wrath Fire!” they both said in unison.

Two sets of the cursed flames combined and burst from underneath the Ice Empress, making her scream in pain as they ravaged her body, inflicting her with a curse. When the flames subsided, her red eyes showed pure hatred as she struggled to fight the curse.

“Ooh, I’m going to enjoy killing you!” she spat. “Icicle Storm!”

More icicles rained down, this time making a beeline for Celtic and Zuzu. Zuzu quickly flew out of range while Celtic stood his ground.

“Iron Body!” he stated.

His body turned to iron again, which prevented the Icicle Storm from hurting him, the icicles trying in vain to pierce his defense, making the Ice Empress furious. This gave the others an opening as she continued to focus on Celtic.

“Lava Wave!” Skye stated strongly.

A wave of lava formed and washed over the Ice Empress, making her shriek in agony at the intense Fire energies. While she tried to recover, Tyroe and Rupert had just finished channeling magical energy while Viola had finished channeling energy into her scythe.

“Bamboo Spear!” Rupert stated.

“Stone Spears!” Tyroe added.

“Scythe Wind Cutter!” Viola shouted.

Jagged stones formed around the Naga before firing like missiles, slamming into the Ice Empress. She staggered as she was struck by this attack, only to be hit by several sharp bamboo stalks from underneath her feet, knocking her onto her knees. She didn’t have a moment to recover as Viola’s attack swept her up, slashing her in the vicious wind, making her scream.

Celtic then said, “Let’s test out one of my newest Shrouds! Flaming Might Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed, now becoming flaming red with a large fire pattern on it, a raised collar that seemed to be made of flames, and flaming energy acting as a trim. He waited for a moment to see if the Mountain Roc’s consciousness was present, but to his relief there was no response, making him grin.

“Good, this Shroud is free from any other issues, unlike the Dragon Rage Shroud, so let’s give it a test run! Blazing Might!”

The Shroud released flaming energy from it, which coated every member of his party with its powerful fires. They all gained flaming auras, causing their stats to increase significantly while also radiating heat, which was causing the ice nearby to start melting. The Ice Empress looked alarmed at this.

“No!” she panicked. “Keep that away from me!”

Zuzu gained a dark grin, “Not happening. Close Combat Combo!”

She started to rapidly punch and kick the Ice Empress with her darkness-enhanced strikes which now had flaming energy laced in them. Each attack hit harder and harder, allowing Zuzu to whale on the Ice Empress with a vengeance, leaving no room to counterattack. Finally, she delivered a powerful punch that flattened the Ice Empress into the ground, leaving an impact crater around her. Skye then charged in, did a flip, and landed a flaming dropkick on the Ice Empress’s back, creating a small explosion and making the impact crater even larger, while the Ice Empress wailed in agony.

Viola turned to Celtic, “Cel! She’s on her last legs! Use the incantation and seal her away for good!”

Celtic nodded before stating, “Tundra Stone, hear my plea. Ensnare the witch of ice in your radiant core and banish her frozen powers to the void!”

At first nothing happened. Then, suddenly, something erupted from the nearby temple before coming to a stop above the downed Ice Empress. It was a large gemstone, ice blue in color, shaped in a somewhat jagged oval with a snowflake symbol on it. The Ice Empress looked up in terror as she saw the stone.

“No! No! No! I refuse to be sealed away again!” she shrieked.

Too late, as the stone started to create a vacuum-like effect as it hovered above her. She tried to claw the ground in order to avoid getting absorbed, but the stone released energy bindings that ensnared her, her eyes widening in horror.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” she cried in despair.

Her body was then lifted off the ground and, starting with her feet, was swallowed up by the Tundra Stone. When the last of her vanished, the Tundra Stone released energy pulses that removed all the ice from the frostbitten village, freeing it from the Ice Empress’ frigid grip. The Tundra Stone then floated down and into Celtic’s hands, glowing a bit before the light subsided and it lay flat in his hands. They all waited patiently to see if anything would happen but after several moments they realized it was over. This, in turn, caused the flaming energy from the Shroud to wane, returning all of them to normal.

Celtic smirked as he held the Tundra Stone, “Guess we gave her the cold shoulder. Now, she’s safely imprisoned in the Tundra Stone, where she belongs. And just as that Shadow Sentinel said, it would be wise for us to hold onto the Tundra Stone, so she can’t be freed again nor fall into Sylph’s clutches.”

Just then cheers erupted from the village, the villagers racing out of their homes in joy at their newfound freedom. They quickly surrounded the party, elated that their saviors had eliminated the Ice Empress. An older man who looked like the leader approached them, his eyes showing gratitude.

“Thank you, my fine and fierce friends,” he said warmly. “You have freed us from that vile Ice Empress’ icy clutches. We are forever grateful. And, for the record, we know that it was the Axe Hero who took the Holy Star from its resting place, thereby releasing the Ice Empress from her prison. We heard from the battle that you are the Shroud Hero. The rumors about you are true, that you are the only Hero who is competent and powerful, along with having the most diverse party of the Heroes. Can we make a request? In our place give that idiot Axe Hero what for, as him raiding that temple nearly put the freeze on our very lives.”

Leon brushed some hair out of his face, stating, “Oh, don’t worry. We have every intention of letting Eric know that he screwed up again, endangering the lives of several in the process. We also have a bone to pick with the other three Heroes, as this is the fourth mess of theirs that we’ve had to clean up this week. And that’s not counting their other blunders, either. So, don’t worry, we’ll pass on your ‘message’ to Eric, you can count on that.”

The village leader smiled, “Thank you, that’d be most appreciated. Now… I’ve also heard that the Shroud Hero offers his services for a price. We can’t offer a whole lot in the form of money, as we’re a small village, but we can offer you various items and goods that we’ve collected that might be of some worth. That includes some rare items such as Yggdrasil Dew, Magic Water, Devil’s Tails, Prayer Rings, and various rare outfits such as a Dark Robe, a Dangerous Bustier and a Crimson Robe, Will you accept that?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, that’s fair. And I can use the Stat Copy on some of those to further strengthen the team. And… wait… ‘Dangerous Bustier’? What’s that?”

Skye purred, “Oh, don’t worry about that, Cel. It is a very rare item, so it’s worth it. And you’ll see why it’s dangerous soon enough.”

Celtic quickly figured it out, gaining a blush, “Uh… sure…”

Everyone else in his party snickered, making his blush brighter and Skye’s smile wider.

The village leader couldn’t help but chuckle, “She’s a keeper, that’s for sure. Don’t lose her.” He then gained a serious expression, “Anyway, allow my fellow villagers to gather up the promised items. We can also offer you a free night in the inn with food to rest your bones after that hard-fought battle. Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for freeing us from that wretched Ice Empress. She’ll be best in your care to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Now, please, rest and enjoy your stay, as we may be a small village, but a nice one, if I do say so myself.”

The villagers warmly thanked the Shroud Hero party and escorted them to the inn, while others gathered up the promised items. As the party rested, it allowed them to discuss what to say to the other Heroes for their most recent screw ups.

Next Chapter: The Soul of a Succuryn

And that's all for now folks. Looks like the last mess the other Heroes have caused has been cleaned up. At least for now. Tune in to find out what happens next.
 
Okay, here we go. The next chapter of Chaos Rising is live. Will Delgunner accept Zuzu into the fold? Read and find out.

The Soul of a Succuryn


It was the following day after Celtic and his party put the freeze on the Ice Empress. They were preparing to leave the village of Happu, gathering up everything they had. Zuzu, on the other hand, felt conflicted, something that didn’t go unnoticed by her party.

“Something bothering you, Zuzu?” Skye asked.

The Succuryn replied, “Maybe I should just leave now and not go to Delgunner. I doubt the likes of Delgunner will accept a wild demon like myself in their ranks. Maybe it would be best if I left the party.”

Celtic gave her a small smile, “Zuzu, Delgunner will accept you, or at least get used to you. Delgunner is well-known for being very welcoming to other races, even the more monstrous ones. Considering that, because of your appearance, you could very easily pass for a human, they won’t mind. Don’t forget, they also accept races like the Shadokor, which are another breed of demon. I mean, they accept the other Legendary Stooges, who are always screwing up somehow, so someone talented, competent, and rather good-looking like yourself won’t be an issue. I know this’ll be a first for you but have a little faith. You’d be surprised at how accepting Delgunner is. And, besides, we need you on the team. You’ve already proven to be a valuable ally to us even before joining our ranks. Wild demon or otherwise, you’re one of us. It’ll be okay, we know it.”

Zuzu took a moment to think before replying, “If you guys have that much faith in both me and Delgunner, then I guess it’ll be okay. And, if Delgunner is keeping the likes of Sludge and his family in its city walls, then I guess a wild demon like myself couldn’t be any worse than that.”

Viola patted Zuzu on the back, “That’s the spirit. Now, enough talk, let’s get back to Delgunner and report to King Alvin about our successes in cleaning up after those dimwit duncebuckets. Considering he was going to hold a party after the previous Infinator attack, I wonder if he held off on it or already had it while we were gone. Either way, let’s get back to Delgunner and let him know that everything has been sorted out… at least for now.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Now, Skye, if you’d be so kind.”

Skye smiled, “Gladly, Cel. Warp!”

They instantly vanished from Happu in a burst of light. They reappeared at Delgunner’s gates. Two soldiers saluted as the party appeared, clearly happy to see them.

“Sir Shroud Hero!” one said. “I take it you’ve completed the tasks you were assigned?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, and we’ve got a few choice words for those despicable dimwitted duncebuckets called Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry for their most recent screwups. Also, do you know how to perform a Level Reset? I’ve heard it’s possible but didn’t know how to do it.”

“That’s a relief. King Alvin will be most pleased. And to perform a Level Reset, you need to go to the Infinity Hourglass in the castle and perform it there. And, before you ask, since we’re aware you have a miniature one on-hand, you wouldn’t be able to perform the Level Reset on it. It doesn’t possess that kind of power, as it was designed for Heroes on the go, thus it’s much less powerful than the full-scale version. You’ll need King Alvin’s permission to access Delgunner’s Infinity Hourglass, as it’s usually used to weaken war criminals to near powerlessness, but he’ll be fine if it’s you asking. Please proceed, as His Majesty is awaiting your return.”

Nodding, the party entered Delgunner’s front gates, the soldiers saluting again as they passed. One of them gave a small flirtatious wave to Zuzu as she passed, making her quirk an eyebrow in surprise. As they walked the streets of the capital, heading for the castle, people greeted them warmly, much to the Succuryn’s amazement.

“The people here…” she said silently. “They… they really don’t mind me? Is it because I’m part of Celtic’s party? Are they really willing to trust me that readily even though I’m a wild demon and potential rogue element? This… may take some getting used to, as I never thought anyone here would accept me like this, much less the entire capital city. Celtic and his group, sure, but the most powerful kingdom in the world? I admit I didn’t expect this. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”

Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice yelled, “CELTIC!!!”

Lucas jumped from a high location; his Spear ready to strike. Celtic quickly switched to the Cobra Hydra Shroud and prepared to retaliate. The confrontation never came. Zuzu quickly launched a dark energy projectile in the shape of her fist at Lucas, causing it to slam into his stomach, making him gasp in pain before crumpling to the ground in a heap. Lucas’ all-female party quickly appeared and noticed that the Spear Hero was on the ground, all of them groaning defeatedly at the sad sight. It took Lucas a minute to recover before glaring daggers at Celtic.

“How DARE you steal my credit, Celtic!” he spat. “I’M the one who recovered the Jade Starbolt for the village of Roseroot, not YOU! But the guild refused to give me my reward, saying the request had been canceled because I made a mistake and got the wrong item! That’s a lie and you know it!”

Celtic replied calmly, “Wrong again, Pointy Stick Boy. You recovered a different object from that old mine: the Emerald Lock, which the villagers also mistook for the Jade Starbolt, due to both items being similar. However, they realized their mistake after you left… because not only did the Emerald Lock NOT restore their crops, but it was actually keeping a colony of Bat Demons sealed away. Said Bat Demons attacked the village that very night. It was fortunate that they had an old crystal-powered shield that protected them, but the crystal didn’t have enough juice to withstand those attacks for very long. Thus, we were recruited to slay the Bat Demons and recover the correct item for the villagers, which is exactly what we did. So, that’s why the request was canceled, as you screwed up again, forcing us to fix your blunder before the village was devoured by the Bat Demons. Especially considering that the Double Blood Eclipse was not far off, which would send those Bat Demons into a feeding frenzy, and the old crystal-powered shield wasn’t going to last long enough to endure said eclipse. If you don’t believe me, go back to Roseroot and ask them yourself. Whether you believe it or not that’s the truth, so DEAL WITH IT!!!”

Wench huffed, “Like we’re really going to believe you.”

A soldier then walked up, “I can confirm Prince Avalar’s story. I was the one who learned of the mix-up from the guild and sent that young lad, Lieutenant Ike, to find Avalar and tell him the situation. Prince Avalar and his party quickly made their way to Roseroot to correct the mistake, as a Shadow Sentinel confirmed that it was completed and reported back. That’s why the request was canceled, which is why you didn’t get your payment from the guild, as you didn’t complete the request in the first place. Thus, Prince Avalar is telling the truth regarding the incident, meaning you messed up again, Spear Hero.”

Celtic gained a smug grin, “Told you, Pointy Stick Boy. If even one of Delgunner’s knights backs up my story, especially since he’s the one who found out about the screw up first, then you can’t argue with me about it. Tough break.”

Lucas looked livid, “That’s a lie and you know it!”

Zuzu launched another dark energy projectile punch at his stomach, making him double over in pain, finally directing his and his party’s attention to her.

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth,” she said matter-of-factly. “I witnessed the event and even helped Celtic and his merry band of misfits, myself included, clean up your mistake and save the village from being eaten by those Bat Demons. Face it, Legendary Loser, you messed up again, requiring the Shroud Hero to, once again, fix your mistake. You should be more grateful that Celtic went out of his way to clean up your mess instead of picking a fight with him in the middle of the street. Even demons like myself have a greater sense of gratitude than you do.”

“What are you doing here, Foofoo?” Lucas asked, surprised.

This annoyed Zuzu. She channeled dark energy into her right arm and hand, turning it into a giant dark energy claw, balled it up into a fist, and slammed it down upon Lucas, flattening him into the ground.

“It’s Zuzu, you braindead baboon!” she spat. “It’s not that difficult of a name to remember. Or are you doing that on purpose just to annoy me? And, for the record, I’m now part of Celtic’s party, as he rescued me and graciously took me in. While I was reluctant at first, I admit I rather enjoy working with him and his crew. At least they care about the likes of me, gladly welcoming me into the fold upon saving me when I was beaten within an inch of my life. And, unlike you, the people we helped by cleaning up after you and your fellow Super Zero Heroes were much more grateful than you are. Face the facts, you blew it, requiring Celtic to drop what he was doing and clean up your messes. Again. If you don’t believe us, then go back to Roseroot and ask them yourself, just don’t expect a warm welcome.”

Lucas managed to stand back up, but was obviously hurt, as he staggered for a moment before saying, “Why would Celtic let you join his party? Clearly he had no standards when it comes to adding new party members, unlike me.”

Everyone went dead silent at this remark before everyone except Lucas’ party burst out laughing, much to his surprise.

“What’s so funny?!” he sputtered.

Tyroe laughed, “You? Have standards that are superior to Celtic’s? That’s the joke of the year, just like you!”

Leon snickered, “If there’s anyone here who doesn’t have any standards in party members it’s you, Lucas. I mean, you’re willing to accept Wench of all people into your party, and she’s a slimy, evil, vile prostitute with no remorse for her actions. Even demons are more noble and upstanding than she is. Not to mention neither she nor your other female party members have any respect for you. You’re just Wench’s personal attack dog and nothing more. Zuzu is a far better person that Wench will ever be, and she’s considered a wild demon at best. Face it, you moron, if anyone around here shouldn’t be talking about having standards when it comes to party members it’s you.”

Wench then stated, “I have respect for Lucas…”

This caused the spellbinding circle crest on her chest to react, giving her a powerful jolt, making her yelp in pain.

“I’m SOOOOO glad Celtic made sure Wench got that spellbinding circle crest,” Skye giggled. “Because it just proved our point. She’s got zero respect for you, Pointy Stick Boy, unlike how this party respects Celtic. Some ‘loyal’ party member you have there, Lucas.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, puzzled.

Rupert couldn’t help but sigh, “Turning a blind eye on her very obvious malicious nature again, are we, Pointy Stick Boy? It appears you learned nothing from the trial. That’ll cost you dearly one day, Lucas, just you wait. Face it; unlike your party, we’re loyal to Celtic, and are quite proud to be part of his team. At least he’s not a Grade A embarrassment like you are. Sure, he’s rough around the edges, but that’s nothing compared to how incompetent and destructive you and the other Legendary Stooges are. If you were competent, our party wouldn’t have to keep dropping what we’re doing to clean up after you like janitors. This isn’t a game, after all, and your actions have very real consequences. Either you shape up or ship out, as if these continuous blunders keep cropping up, the people will come to hate you. Then what will you do?”

Before Lucas could respond, they suddenly heard what sounded like kids crying. This immediately got Zuzu’s attention. They all turned to see a small group of kids crying near a tree. To everyone’s surprise, Zuzu walked over to them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

One kid, a boy, whimpered, “O-Our ball got stuck in that tree and we’re too scared to climb up and get it.”

Zuzu looked up and saw the ball wedged in between two branches. To everyone’s surprise, she floated up to it, dislodged the ball from the tree, and floated back down, presenting the ball to the kids, who immediately stopped crying.

“Here you go,” she said gently. “Just don’t go getting it stuck in another tree again. I suggest you find a more open space to play so this doesn’t happen again. Though do be mindful of windows, too.”

The boy gingerly took the ball, a smile forming on his face, “Thanks, pretty lady.”

Zuzu was taken aback by that, “Me? Pretty? That’s a new one. And my name is Zuzu. I’m a demon called a Succuryn, and a member of the Shroud Hero’s party. Just be more careful with that ball next time, okay?”

The kids nodded, clearly happy to have their ball back before scampering away to continue playing. Satisfied, Zuzu walked back over to her party.

Lucas huffed, “I could’ve done that!”

Zuzu gave him a look that made him flinch, “They why didn’t you? Though it was probably better that you didn’t as your Spear could’ve very easily popped the ball instead, and that would’ve made those kids even more unhappy. And I sincerely doubt Wench would’ve climbed up that tree to recover the ball, either.”

Wench countered, “I would’ve done that…”

The spellbinding circle crest reacted again, giving her another painful shock, making her yelp.

“I rest my case,” the Succuryn said simply.

Celtic then said, “Well, either way, whether you believe that you screwed up or not doesn’t matter, as we still had to go to Roseroot and fix the mess you made. One of these days you’ll find out the hard way that your constant screwups will turn the people of this world against you. Then what will you do? You and the other duncebucket Heroes have already created a very bad image of yourself with your abysmal track record on your solo adventures and poor performances in Infinator’s attacks. The people aren’t happy about it, as it will lead to death, destruction, and chaos. You call yourself a Hero but have not proven it to anyone here in Zakota. That goes for Ryan, Eric, and Jerry too. I should know, as I’ve spent a goodly amount of time going around and cleaning up after you lot like an almighty janitor. Problems don’t just sort themselves out when the ‘quest’ is over, which is a major short-sighted issue that you and the other ‘Heroes’ have. One of these days you’ll cause a disaster of epic proportions because of your stupid RPG mentality that I’LL have to clean up. When that happens and when the public finally turn on you, don’t come crying to me. Let’s go, team, as we have to report back to King Alvin, along with asking for permission to use the Infinity Hourglass to perform a Level Reset on Zuzu so she can benefit the most from the Shroud.”

With a final huff Celtic and his party left Lucas and his party behind so they could talk to King Alvin. As they did, this allowed Zuzu to think about her current situation.

“This… is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be,” she said silently. “The people pretty much accept me without a second thought, barring the moronic Spear Hero. I also doubt the other Legendary Losers will feel any different about me, but who cares at this point. Celtic was right. This will work out. And I wonder what this Shadow Simulator is? Will it really help me regain the Levels that I’m about to lose quickly? And will it combined with the Shroud really make me stronger than I am now? Guess I’ll find out soon enough. At least it seems that the people of Delgunner doesn’t mind me much, so that makes things easier. But will I be able to adjust to this? Guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Next Chapter: Capital Conflict

Looks like Zuzu had nothing to worry about. And we're introduced to the series' second running gag (technically, it was introduced in Season 1, though it was more foreshadowing to the "official" debut of it). I would say "poor Lucas" but he really deserves it for all the trouble he causes. Anyway, tune in next time to find out what our Heroes have to face next.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. What happens today? Read and find out.

Capital Conflict


Inside the castle in Delgunner, King Alvin was leading Celtic and his party to another section in the castle. They came to a large door where two knights were standing. The knights saluted as the king and Shroud Hero party approached.

“Oh, hello, Your Majesty,” one knight said. “Do you need something, sire?”

King Alvin smiled, “I do, yes. Prince Avalar has requested the use of the Infinity Hourglass to perform a Level Reset on his newest party member. Will you let us in and help begin the preparations for the Level Reset?”

The knights nodded, stating in unison, “Of course, Your Majesty. Be our pleasure.”

They unlocked and opened the door, revealing the massive Infinity Hourglass in the dead center of the room. One knight began typing away at what appeared to be a magical terminal nearby. After a minute, he turned back to King Alvin.

“Everything is ready, sire. Which party member is undergoing the Level Reset.”

Zuzu took a deep breath before saying, “It’s me. Celtic says that I’ll benefit the most from the Shroud if I undergo a Level Reset, since I’m at Level 100 right now. While I still harbor some doubts about this, if it does help make me stronger, so be it. How do I do this?”

King Alvin turned to her, “It’s very simple, Miss Zuzu. Simply touch the base of the Infinity Hourglass, we’ll activate the command from that terminal, and within moments, your Level will reset back to Level 1. Now, if you would be so kind, Miss Zuzu, we can begin the process.”

Zuzu took another deep breath before stating, “It’s now or never. I just hope this works out as well as Celtic says it will. And I hope this Shadow Simulator is also as useful as he says it is. Well… here goes nothing.”

She stepped up to the Infinity Hourglass, placed on hand on the base, and waited. The knight next to the terminal tapped something, which caused the Infinity Hourglass to glow brightly, which, in turn, made Zuzu glow. On Celtic’s stat vision, he saw Zuzu Level go from 100 all the way down to 1. As it did, the light subsided around both the Infinity Hourglass and Zuzu, indicating the process was complete. Zuzu gave a heavy sigh as she removed her hand from the giant hourglass.

“Well, it’s done…” she said. “I’m now back to Level 1. I really hope you were telling me the truth about all this, Celtic, as I spent nearly 100 years building up my strength and power. Now… I feel rather weak. Will this Shadow Simulator really help me grind for Levels quickly?”

King Alvin nodded, “You’d be surprised, Miss Zuzu. Normally I don’t care much for technology, but even I have to admit that the Shadow Simulator is an exceptional piece of machinery. Prince Avalar himself helped design it. I’ve made sure that my Generals added it to the knights’ training regimes, as it is both simple and extremely effective. We’ve only had it for a short time, but the strength of my knights has effectively doubled because of it. You’ll be impressed at how effective it is. Granted, it’s not perfect, as it only gives EXP to the user, so warriors and soldiers, especially those who are members of certain parties, need to use it one at a time, thus it can take up some time to fully benefit from it. But, from what I’ve seen, it does the job well. Trust me, it will get you back up to speed quickly and efficiently.”

The Succuryn sighed, “If you say so. Celtic, take me to this Shadow Simulator so I can be the final judge of it.”

Celtic nodded as he worked from his Shroud’s screen, “Sure, Zuzu. I’m also applying all the passive benefits of the Shroud to you as we speak. I’ve already given you the various stat bonuses from the Stat Copy ability and certain Shroud forms, so now I’m applying the other passive benefits to you. This way, it’ll not only speed up your growth, but it’ll give you the other useful traits that my party has benefited from.” After he finished he deactivated the Shroud’s screen, “Okay, that takes care of that. Now, let’s go to the knight’s training area where the Shadow Simulator is.”

With a nod, the party left for the knight’s training area, leaving King Alvin with his knights. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the designated location. Zuzu’s eyes widened as she saw Eric using the Shadow Simulator, training against a trio of Black Chimeras. This gave her the chance to see how it worked. After a few minutes, Eric completed his simulation, gaining a four star rating, causing the simulation to end. He then noticed Celtic and his party.

“Hey, where have you been?” he asked. “You’ve been gone a week. What could you have been possibly doing?”

Skye placed a hand on her hip, “Oh, just the usual… CLEANING UP AFTER YOU AND THE OTHER LEGENDARY STOOGES!!!”

Eric jumped in alarm as Skye’s outburst, “Woah, woah, easy girl! What do you mean?”

Viola placed her face in her hand, saying, “Do we really need to explain? You, Lucas, Ryan, and Jerry all screwed up on your solo adventures again. As a result, we had to go all over the place to clean up after your latest blunders. This is only going to further hurt your image to the public, as many of them aren’t happy with you and the other duncebucket Heroes. That’s why we’ve been gone for so long, as we had to travel around and clean up after you like janitors.”

“Wait, what? Are you suggesting I did something bad?”

Leon narrowed his eyes angrily, “Oh, you better believe it. That temple you raided near Happu and took an object called the Holy Star was actually sealing away an evil demi-god called the Ice Empress. Said Ice Empress proceeded to freeze Happu solid. Fortunately, thanks to a precaution put in place ages ago, she couldn’t leave the area due to a secondary seal called the Tundra Stone binding her to that location. We had to fight her off, seal her in the Tundra Stone, and defrost Happu and its residents from her icy grip. We even have the Tundra Stone with us as proof, as both the villagers AND the Shadow Sentinel who brought us there told us to take it to prevent it from happening again. Or fall into Sylph’s hands, whichever happened first. So, yeah, you blew it again, Axe Hero. Honestly, you and the other idiots are really painting a very dismal picture of yourselves with your abysmal track record. If you don’t believe us, go back to Happu and ask them yourself, just don’t expect a warm welcome.”

Eric looked stunned, “Y-You mean me taking that Holy Star released an evil demi-god onto the village of Happu?”

Rupert placed his hands on his hips, “Yep. In other words, your short-sighted glory hunt endangered dozens of lives, forcing us to restore order to that village. This is becoming a very bad habit you and the other Legendary Stooges have developed. Celtic is working overtime just to clean up after you and the other idiot Heroes. And, like we said, Ryan, Lucas, and Jerry also screwed up lately, hence why we’ve been gone all week. If you don’t believe us, go back to Happu and talk to the residents there yourself, but just like Leon said, don’t expect a warm welcome. We’ve already chewed out Lucas for his most recent moment of stupidity, not that he listened to reason, so now it’s your turn to get an earful. Face it; you messed up again, forcing us to clean up your mess. King Alvin is also not happy about it. You and the other ‘Heroes’ outside of Celtic are giving the word ‘failure’ a new definition.”

The Axe Hero stumbled as he heard this, “T-This can’t be true. …Can it? D-Did I really release an evil demi-god onto that village?”

Celtic presented the Tundra Stone, “Here’s our proof: the Tundra Stone. It now contains the Ice Empress inside of it, sealing her away within its frozen gem core, preventing her from repeating what she did because of your short-sightedness. It also allows us to use its power whenever we want, since it grants us the ability to use the Ice element however we please. This is so Sylph doesn’t get her mitts on it and abuse it for evil. But the facts are facts, Eric, as you caused another problem that we had to fix. You really need to stop this, as it’s causing all sorts of problems. Things don’t just sort themselves out after the ‘quest’ is over, as there are real consequences for such reckless actions. This world isn’t a game, which I’ve been TRYING to hammer into your head since Day 1. One of these days, Eric, you and the other idiot Heroes are going to cause a disaster of epic proportions because of your stupid RPG mindset. When that happens, the world will come to hate you, and then what will you do? Now, enough talking, move aside so Zuzu can use the Shadow Simulator.”

Eric, although stunned at what he heard, gained a quizzical look, “Huh? Zuzu?” He then noticed Zuzu, eyes widening, “Wait? You’re that demoness that’s been popping up every now and then. What are you doing here?”

Zuzu merely huffed, “Now you noticed me? Your observational skills are worse than I thought. It should be obvious, Legendary Loser; I’m now part of Celtic’s party. He rescued me when I was near death and offered me a place with him and his assortment of allies. I accepted his offer, though I admit I’m a bit unsure if it will really be okay. Anyway, I just underwent a Level Reset, as, according to him, I’ll benefit from the Shroud more that way, as I was Level 100 when I joined him. Since he said I could get easy Levels through the Shadow Simulator after getting my Level Reset, I wanted to see for myself. I do thank you for letting me watch you first, as it gave me the basic idea of what to expect. Now, stand aside and let someone else have a turn.” She then turned to Celtic, “So, how does this work, exactly?”

Celtic approached the main device, “It’s simple. Just type in your name, place your hand on the red gem on top, and it’ll scan your overall skill level. After that, it’ll produce a special field where you can fight a trio of ‘shadow’ monsters that are around your skill level. They cannot genuinely hurt you, so you can reap all the benefits of fighting such beasts without any risks. You’ll then get a score from one to five stars that are determined by your performance. The higher the score, the more EXP you gain. As an added bonus, if you complete ten training rounds with a minimum of three stars each, you’ll get a ‘bonus’ round where you’ll fight a resident of the Demon Realm. It’ll just be one-on-one, and losing the round won’t harm your score, but it is an opportunity to get extra EXP from more powerful foes. Now, time for you to give it a shot.”

Nodding, Zuzu roughly shoved Eric aside, typed her name on the keyboard, place her hand on it, which caused the machine to scan it and produced the training field. Zuzu then walked into the special zone and waited. Suddenly, three monsters appeared. The looked like flying serpentine beasts with rubbery skin, armored skulls, mouths full of sharp teeth, and glowing eyes. Their names were displayed, making Zuzu smirk.

“Heh, looks like I get a trio of Basilisk Leviathans,” she said confidently. “I’d call that a step-up from Mr. Axe-to-Grind’s Black Chimeras, even though I’m only Level 1 right now. Time to party.”

The Shadow Simulator then stated, “Commencing Battle Simulation. Battle begin.”

The trio of Basilisk Leviathans roared, with one of them rocketing toward Zuzu. She quickly dodged the attack before slamming down one of her darkness-enhanced fists on top of its head, hitting it very hard. This stunned the Basilisk Leviathan, leaving it open for another attack, which Zuzu took advantage of by enlarging her fist into a giant energy claw and grabbed the Basilisk Leviathan’s head.

“This won’t hurt a bit; I won’t feel a thing,” she said darkly.

She then crushed the Basilisk’s skull within her grip, causing it to stop moving and vanish. She then directed her attention to the other two Basilisks. Both of them roared and charged toward her. She took flight and dodged them, grabbing both by their tails and started to slam them on the ground repeatedly like drumsticks on a drum. She then tossed them to the ground and channeled energy into her arms and hands.

“Time for a taste of my Close Combat Combo!”

She then started to whale on the two Basilisks, switching from one to the other between strikes, building up her technique’s power. Before long, she slammed both her fists on both Basilisks’ skulls, one on each, causing them to stop moving before vanishing. She then floated back down before a score chart appeared, giving her a full five stars.

“Simulation complete. Rank: Five Stars. Perfect score. Ending simulation.”

As it did, Zuzu gained 5100 EXP, which caused her Level to shoot up to Level 14 instantly. The simulation then ended, returning the area to normal, allowing her to walk back to her party. Eric’s jaw had dropped while Celtic and the others looked quite pleased at the results.

Zuzu flexed her muscles, “Well, I’ll admit it, that Shadow Simulator is everything it’s cooked up to be and more. Gaining Levels on that thing will be easy, helping me get back to a more favorable position for real battles. I’ll give the Shadokor props on this one, as they really did a good job on it. Simple, effective, and completely without risks. I can see why even His Tallness or whatever is pleased with it. If grinding for EXP with that thing is this easy, I’ll be back up to speed in no time. And, I admit, I felt the passive bonuses from the Shroud activate upon rocketing through those Levels, so I can see why you wanted me to get the Level Reset in order to benefit from those bonuses more. Overall, you were right and I’m impressed.” She then lightly flicked Eric’s nose with a smirk, “Looks like you need some more practice, Mr. Axe-to-Grind, especially if I could get Basilisk Leviathans at Level 1 while you only got Black Chimeras at Level 78. After all, base Levels and flashy techniques don’t always bring home the bacon, something that Celtic has been schooling you and the other Legendary Losers with since Day 1. Yet you have yet to learn that lesson. I suggest you start learning it now, otherwise you’ll cause more problems for everyone here with your short-sightedness. I’m amazed Celtic even puts up with always having to clean up the messes you Legendary Losers make, but I guess that’s why he’s a real Hero, unlike you.”

Eric looked insulted, “Are you implying that I’m not a Hero?!”

“If the shoe fits,” Tyroe stated. “Considering all the costly blunders you and the other Legendary Stooges have caused, both in Infinator’s attacks and in your solo adventures, it’s pretty safe to say that no, you are not a Hero. Only Celtic has lived up to that title, not you, Ryan, Jerry, and especially Lucas. Maybe if you’d take this job seriously then people wouldn’t see you as incompetent and destructive. While the Four Stars Church was off their rockers for the most part, they were right about you, Ryan, Jerry, and Lucas being incompetent Heroes who leave death and destruction in your wakes. I should know, I was one of YOUR victims when you helped that Moth Demon crush our rebellion and nearly eat the women and children. If I hadn’t escaped when I did, Celtic and his crew wouldn’t have been able to kill that Moth Demon before it was too late. You need to face the facts, Eric, as you’re not living up to your title in the slightest bit. If even Sylph of all people could agree with us then that’s a real testament of your incompetence.” He stomachs then started to growl, “Anyway, Cel, can we get some lunch? I say we deserve it after everything we’ve done lately.”

Celtic merely chuckled, “Sure, Tyroe, I think we all could use a bite to eat.” He then turned to Eric, eyes narrowing, “I suggest you heed our warning, Eric. Unless you and the other duncebucket Heroes shape up and take this threat seriously, it will cost you dearly in the end. And when that happens, don’t come crying to me.”

With that, Celtic and his party turned around and walked away, leaving an infuriated Eric behind. The party found a restaurant that they wanted to eat at and went in. They were greeted by the staff warmly, though they did do a quick double-take at Zuzu, but the party sat down at a table and looked the menus over. They quickly ordered their food and awaited their meal. It arrived shortly afterward, allowing them to tuck in, though Zuzu proved to be a messy eater. After paying the bill they went back out into the heart of Delgunner to relax, along with several young men lightly flirting with Zuzu, much to her confusion. However, it wasn’t long before they encountered another problem.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Shroud Devil,” a familiar voice growled.

The party turned to see Sludge and Wimp walk up to them, eyes narrowing as they did.

“What do you want, Sludge?” Viola huffed from her perch in a tree.

“And you also know that calling Celtic the ‘Shroud Devil’ is not appreciated here in Delgunner, right?” Rupert growled. “Not unless you want the people here to throw things at you, since they worship the Shroud to the same degree as the other four Legendary Gear.”

Sludge ignored Rupert, his eyes focusing on Celtic, who returned the glare with contempt.

“You have some gall, Shroud Devil,” Sludge spat. “Going around, stealing credit from the other Heroes for their actions. Fitting for a demon like yourself.”

Skye, clearly infuriated, summoned her naginata and quickly placed the blade at Sludge’s throat. This immediately caused him to stop talking, his face showing fear, while Skye’s eyes showed hatred.

“YOU’RE the one who has some gall, Sludge!” she spat. “Celtic isn’t ‘stealing credit’ from the other Heroes, he’s CLEANING up after them for their short-sighted mistakes. I take it Wench is the one who ran crying to you after we lectured her and Pointy Stick Boy? That would be just how she always is; when she doesn’t get her way, she has a temper tantrum and runs to her daddy to make things right, bending the truth in the process, just like the spoiled rotten brat that she is. Well guess what, that doesn’t work anymore. Now that you’re considered a traitor to the world for your actions, no one will take your side, since the world saw at the trial just what a slimy sewer rat you are. I’m so glad I cut ties with you and the rest of the Light Elves, easily the second best decision I ever made, the first becoming Celtic’s right-hand woman. Both decisions I hold with pride. So, really, you have no right to berate Celtic, acting high-and-mighty for the fact he’s being a true Hero by saving the people from the other Legendary Stooges’ screwups. Don’t forget, Celtic has greater royal status than you do even before you lost your title, so picking a fight with him is just asking to be put under the guillotine again. So, I suggest you play nice with him or you’ll die a painful death.”

Sludge raised both his hands up defensively at Skye’s threat, “N-Now, now, Skye. T-There is no need for you to brandish your naginata at your father…” but was cut off.

FATHER!? You are NOT my father!” Skye spat. “You lost that privilege the day you sold me to slavery in order to get rid of me and keep me from uprooting anymore of your precious get-more-power-quick schemes! You have NO RIGHT to say something like that to me! Not after what you did! See my short hair? I cut it so I could cut ties with you, Wimp, Wench, and the rest of the treasonous Light Elves and start my life over with a blank slate! Granted, selling me to slavery allowed me to become Celtic’s right-hand woman, a status I hold with pride, but you have NO RIGHT to call yourself my ‘father’ after what you did! I had warned you for a long time that your actions will cost you dearly, and now look where you are in the world: at the bottom, having lost everything because of your short-sighted greed and lust for power. Face it; you’re no father to me, you’re nothing more than a scumbag who should be taken out like the trash. And yet you STILL have the gall to act high-and-mighty around Celtic, still thinking you’re the superior one. Well, news flash, you’re not. You never were and you never will be. So, I suggest you stop picking a fight with him and start respecting him if you value your life!”

Sludge looked like he had been punched in the stomach at Skye’s fierce, angry words, causing him to stumble a bit, eyes wide in shock. The Light Elf female gave him another piercing glare before putting her naginata away and began nuzzling Celtic. The rest of his party all glared at Sludge, clearly angry at him for his attitude, while a crowd of people had gathered, all saying words of contempt to the former Light Elf royals, making Wimp nervous.

“Um… father…” he said timidly. “Maybe we should go home now. The people here look like they’re going to attack us soon, so maybe we should just leave.”

Sludge stood his ground, “I will NOT let the Shroud Devil win against me! Besides, it’s not like that worthless Shroud of his can do anything to threaten me, being defense-oriented.”

Celtic gained a dark grin, “Oh? Allow me to prove otherwise, Sludge. Let’s start with something basic. Skeleton Soldier Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed, this time taking a new form. It became coated in bones with armored shoulder plates and a raised collar made from rib bones.

“Bone Prison!”

Suddenly, a spherical cage of bones formed around Sludge, trapping him within it, much to his surprise and to the joy of the public.

“Now, let’s see how brave you are,” the redhead said darkly. “Nightmare Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again, becoming the Nightmare Shroud.

“Nightmare Prison!”

The dark sphere of Nightmare Prison formed around the Bone Prison, trapping Sludge within it. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of it, only for the nightmare creatures within the black sphere to start lunging at him. This caused the Nightmare Prison to shake back and forth as he screamed inside of it. After a few minutes the Nightmare Prison’s effect ended, causing the sphere to vanish, leaving a terrified Sludge still trapped within the Bone Prison.

“Looks like you’re all bark and no bite,” Celtic stated. “Let’s try something else interesting. Sword Stinger Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed again, becoming the Sword Stinger Shroud.

“I’m gonna get right to the point! Stinger Barrage!”

The dagger-shaped stingers became erect before firing off of the Shroud, much to Sludge’s shock. They then rained down upon the trapped Light Elf, pinning him by his clothes to various parts of the Bone Prison, while also locking the cage of bones to the ground, preventing it from moving. The people of Delgunner were cheering at Celtic putting the former Light Elf noble in his place.

“My Shroud is more than just defense-oriented, Sludge,” Celtic said matter-of-factly. “In fact, it’s become more of a jack-of-all-trades due to the dozens upon dozens of materials it’s absorbed. At this rate, I’ve pretty much forgotten how many items such as monster parts, plants, materials, and other such stuff it has absorbed. You can thank Skye for teaching me the basics of the Shroud, since she actually bothered to study, unlike your prostitute eldest daughter and spineless son. Now, time for one last Shroud form to ensure you learn to play nice with the other royals. Time for my personal favorite: Cobra Hydra Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed into the Cobra Hydra Shroud. Celtic turned around and snapped his left fingers, causing the three cobra hood patterns to rise up and become a trio of large cobras. Sludge’s eyes went wide in terror, something that the Shroud Hero’s party noticed.

“Well, now we know where Wench’s fear of snakes came from,” Tyroe chuckled darkly.

Celtic snapped his left fingers again, causing the cobras to extend slowly, weaving their way through the Bone Prison’s “bars” before coming to a stop roughly a foot away from Sludge’s face, hissing threateningly, eyes glaring hungrily at him. Sludge was paralyzed in fear as the trio of cobras glared at him, almost like they were itching to bite him and inject their powerful venom. After a few tense moments Sludge finally had enough.

“I yield! I yield!” he cried out in fear.

Satisfied, Celtic snapped his fingers again, causing the cobras to retract back into the Shroud, though they looked disappointed as they did. He then deactivated the Bone Prison and the stingers that pinned the disgraced Light Elf in place, leaving Sludge on the ground, trembling and shaking. The people of Delgunner cheered, praising Celtic for his ruthless display of the Shroud’s powers toward the former Light Elf noble. Sludge looked up at Celtic, hatred in his eyes.

“T-This… is not… over…” he panted.

“No. But it might as well be. Face it, Sludge, this is what you get for not playing nice with the other royals in this world, myself included. You got your just desserts for your greedy, power-hungry actions. Hopefully some more humble pie will be shoved down your throat, as my display today was just the appetizer. If you don’t stop causing trouble for everyone you WILL die because of your actions. The only good thing you ever did was produce Skye, as she’s a rare gem. A diamond in the rough, if you will, one that shines brighter than your entire race ever did. One of these days, Sludge, you’ll see just how horrible of a person you are, and I know that realization will hit you like a Mack truck. I suggest you start improving your ways now, otherwise I won’t stop King Alvin from beheading you like I did the last time. That goes for your spineless son and slut eldest daughter, too.”

Sludge managed to say, “At least I don’t have trash like a demon nudist associated with me!”

Zuzu placed her foot on one of his hands, making him yelp in pain as she did, eyes narrowing.

“Better to be a nudist than a slimy, contemptuous sewer rat like yourself,” she said coldly. “I’m a wild demon, thus I’m a morally gray individual, I openly admit that. However, you gleefully cross lines that I would never do. Even at my worst I would never cross the lines you and your disgusting family have crossed time and time again, barring Skye, obviously. That means I have higher moral standards than you do. You willingly betrayed your own daughter for your stupid, selfish desires for more power. You stabbed in the back one of the precious Legendary Heroes that this world so desperately needed because you couldn’t stop hating the darkness that the Shroud represents for something that wasn’t even the Shroud’s, or Celtic’s, fault. I saw the trial, you know. I saw everything. I saw all your crimes laid out to the public and the world. Even at my worst I could never sink to the levels you and your family have sunk to. And yet you still think you have authority over Celtic when you’ve got nothing. Everything was stripped from you for your crimes, including your own name, and yet you still think you’re the superior one? I’ve been alive for nearly 400 years and yet you and your family, again, barring Skye, are about the slimiest, dirtiest, most underhanded, backstabbing fiends I’ve ever seen. Even Infinator and Sylph look down upon you. I should know, I’ve been spying on them. Your wife would be ashamed of you for how low you’ve sunk in your petty desire for power.”

At these words, Sludge gained a depressed look, saying softly, “Jade…”

“Yes, you forget that your precious wife, the one who’s kidnapping you blamed on the Shroud, is in Infinator’s clutches. She’ll be deployed as a new Demon General soon. You realize her life is in the hands of Celtic and the other Heroes, right? You realize that she may have to be euthanized in order to save her from the trans-mutation process, right? So, you really have no right to be pointing fingers and accusing anyone of anything, since the fate of someone you love is in the hands of the Shroud Hero and the other Legendary Losers. Ones YOU summoned to this world in another get-more-power-quick scheme. I’ve seen a lot of despicable people in my nearly 400 year lifespan, but you and your family, especially your eldest daughter, take the cake, and ate it, too. Your wife would be ashamed to know her so-called husband has sunk to the disgraceful levels that you have, all because you craved power. Well, look where your actions have placed you: at the bottom of the food chain, with nothing of worth left to be proud of, even your original name is gone. And you deserved every bit of it. Even at my worst I could never stoop to the levels you and your family have. The only good thing that you, and your entire race, for that matter, ever did was produce Skye and that’s it. And yet you betrayed her out of greed, lust for power, and selfish desires. If I ever had offspring, I would never betray them like you did to your own flesh and blood. Even demons like myself support our offspring to the very end, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them. Just goes to show that demons like myself have greater moral standards than you do. Face it, Sludge, you are a disgrace and a slimeball who betrayed his own flesh and blood just for a chance to get more power. Some ‘father’ you turned out to be. And some ‘king’ you turned out to be, too.”

Sludge’s ears drooped at this cold lecture, looking away in shame. Satisfied, Zuzu removed her foot from his hand before returning to her party. Just then Ike ran up to Celtic.

“Sir Shroud Hero!” he stated.

“Ike, is something the matter?” Celtic asked.

“King Alvin and King Duskbane request you and the other Heroes to gather in the throne room right away. King Duskbane says Sylph has been spotted inside the Druid territory, saying that she’s after something major.”

Leon pondered, “What could Sylph possibly want in the Druid territory? I mean, the natural ability that Druids possess called Druid Aura would be enough to keep her at bay. Right?”

“I dunno,” Skye said. “Sylph didn’t hesitate to kill Celtic’s parents, one of which was a Druid, so maybe the Druid Aura doesn’t bother her much. She is something of a juggernaut, so maybe she’s just too powerful to let even the collective properties of all the Druids bother her.”

Celtic nodded, “Yeah, she’s probably much too powerful to be even remotely fazed by the Druid Aura. Anyway, enough talk, let’s go see what King Duskbane wants.”

With a final nod, the party left the disgraced Light Elf behind, who was still seething in anger, yet filled with shame at Zuzu’s lecture.

“This is not over, Shroud Devil,” he hissed. “Not by a long-shot. I’ll expose you and your party for what you truly are no matter what.”

Next Chapter: The Elemental Lighthouses

And that's all for now, folks. Sheesh, Sludge really needs to stop picking a fight with Celtic. I'm pretty certain Celtic enjoyed making his previous aggressor suffer for what he did. Anyway, tune in next time to find out what Sylph is up to.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter. This one is more of a setup chapter, laying out the groundwork for future chapters. What happens? Read and find out.

The Elemental Lighthouses


Every Hero and their respective parties had gathered in King Alvin’s throne room. Everyone was wondering what they had gathered for, only knowing it involved Sylph. Many other party members were also eyeing Zuzu, not sure what to think of her or why King Alvin allowed her inside, though she ignored them. King Duskbane was also present, standing next to King Alvin’s throne. When it was confirmed that everyone was present, King Alvin then spoke.

“The five Legendary Heroes and their parties are all present and accounted for,” he said. “We may begin the meeting. As you are already aware, this meeting is about a Sylph sighting inside the Druid territory. Sylph on her own is considered a big deal, but where she was spotted makes it an even bigger one. King Duskbane if you’d be so kind to explain the current situation.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Of course. According to the Druid eyewitnesses, Sylph was located flitting about their territory. They spotted her hovering around the Light Lighthouse.”

Skye’s eyes widened, “Sylph was spotted near one of the Elemental Lighthouses?! That’s not good!”

“Elemental Lighthouses? What’s that?” Ryan asked.

“Allow me to explain,” King Duskbane stated. “According to this world’s history, 4000 years ago, long before the Great Demon War, the planet was nearly torn asunder from its own elemental energies. The energies of Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Lightning, Nature, Ice, Light and Darkness suddenly started to overflow and threatened to rip the world to bits. The ancient people of the time, along with the Dragon Emperors, built nine structures, or ‘lighthouses’ as they are called, in key points where the energy flow was at its strongest. They then used specially crafted gemstones called Elemental Gems to act as both a seal and a means of stabilizing the energy flows. This worked extremely well, as it not only capped the erupting energy, but also helped maintain it by harnessing it and keeping the world safe from its own energies. As a result, this restored order to the world by maintaining the energy flow for the past 4000 years. Even the Great Demon War wasn’t enough to destabilize the energy flow. However, that is where our current problem now stems.”

King Alvin then stated, “When the Elemental Lighthouses were created, they were also given a forcefield to protect them from any who would try to steal the Gems that govern them. However, those forcefields only protect the lower halves of the Lighthouses. This is because the only real ‘threat’ that could steal the Gems while also being capable of flight were the dragons of this world. However, since it was the Dragon Emperors who helped construct the Elemental Lighthouses, the dragons left the Lighthouses alone, as all dragons respect the Dragon Emperors. As a result, there were no major enemies that were both intelligent and could fly in the world at the time to threaten the Elemental Gems, so they felt it was enough. Obviously… the Great Demon War changed that. With the introduction of creatures such as Succulite, Succuryns, Shade Wings, Basilisk Leviathans, Vampires, and, of course, Infinator himself, that protection is now obsolete. This is where Sylph being spotted near the Light Lighthouse is a problem.”

King Duskbane then stepped up, “Indeed. According to the eyewitnesses, Sylph seemed to be taking notes about the Light Lighthouse, seemingly analyzing it and getting a general idea of how it functions before she left for the time. This indicates she will most likely try to steal the Light Gem from the Light Lighthouse. This will have disastrous results. If even a single Elemental Lighthouse is ‘activated’, so to speak, it will cause a massive disruption of the natural energy flow, and the Lighthouse itself will start erupting with energy like a volcano. Because the balance of elemental energies is very important, Sylph unsealing the Light Lighthouse will cause the Light energies to overflow and threaten to repeat the process that happened 4000 years ago. This will have two effects that would be beneficial to Infinator. The first one is that the more Light energy in the world, the more he can feed off of it to become stronger. Remember, he’s a Light-attributed demon, so he feeds off of Light energy. With the flow of Light energy increased, he can use it as a means of boosting his revival. The second problem is that with the increase in Light energy will destabilize the sealed dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm. We Shadokor sealed the various gateways to the Demon Realm away that he had opened in order to prevent him from gathering resources and minions. With an increased energy flow it could weaken those seals, thereby allowing him the means of opening those gateways again to gather more resources, as he can only get so much from Zakota itself.”

Celtic pondered, “Destabilize the gateways to the Demon Realm? That actually brings something to mind, King Duskbane. I’ve always been wondering why Infinator’s attacks take place in very specific locations. The Myria Archipelago being on a power spot, which ended up attracting Infinator’s wave generators to it and other locations with power spots, made me wonder if maybe these attacks are actually highly coordinated and not random locations. Now that you mention that the increased energy flow could rip open those dimensional gateways, it makes me wonder if Infinator’s attacks are actually taking place where there have been previous dimensional gateways as a means of seeing if he could either reopen those gateways or find ways to open new ones in the same area.”

“That’s stupid, Celtic,” Lucas huffed.

Zuzu then said, “I actually agree with Celtic, Pointy Stick Boy. I’ve also noticed that many waves have taken place in precise locations. The power spot in the Myria Archipelago drawing in a new wave was a clue that the waves may actually be coordinated attacks in locations where dimensional gateways have been in the past. If we knew exactly where these attacks were in correspondence to where previous dimensional gateways were could give us an actual idea where Infinator may strike next. On top of that, I spied on Infinator and Sylph for a while. Sylph herself mentioned that the past few attacks have been ‘tests’, as she put it, and I don’t mean tests for the Heroes. It indicates that the various attacks across the world are actually experiments to test something that Infinator wants. So, if they are tests to see where dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm can be opened up, such as locations where the barrier between worlds is thinner than normal, could be a key element in stopping these attacks and Infinator himself.”

King Duskbane’s eyes were wide, “Avalar, Miss Zuzu, that’s brilliant. If the attacks are all being launched in areas where there have been past dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm, then it’s possible that these waves are actually a means of weakening the dimensional walls between Zakota and the Demon Realm in order to open up new gateways! Brilliant deduction! I’ll have some of my scientists look into it to see if the various waves match up to locations where previous dimensional gateways have been. But back to the matter at hand. Sylph will most likely steal the Light Gem soon, so we need all the Heroes to be in one place when that happens. Because the theft of the Light Gem will be a game-changing issue, the Druids are working on creating a replica of the Light Gem in order to act as a temporary seal to keep the Light energy from ripping the world apart.”

Viola pondered, “But what will stop Sylph from just taking the replica like she will the original and starting the process all over again?”

“That’s a good question, Miss Viola. One that the Druids are already on the ball with. They’re giving the replica special anti-evil properties that repel and severely hurt anyone who has evil intentions or an evil nature to them, outright killing them within minutes. The Druids are all about anti-evil properties, so they know the best way to repel entities like Sylph and the other Demon Generals. Thus, they’re installing those properties into the replica Light Gem to prevent Sylph from just snatching it as well. The replica is, unfortunately, a temporary solution, as we need the original Light Gem to keep the energy flow stable, thus recovering the Light Gem is also crucial. We Shadokor are working on two different things to help with this problem. First off, since Sylph stealing the Light Gem is inevitable, we’re recreating our special Moonshadow Gear to help in the crisis. And secondly, we’ll be creating special Spy-Bugs that can retrieve the Light Gem from Infinator’s clutches. But the Moonshadow Gear takes priority right now, as it will be invaluable in stopping this crisis.”

Eric quirked an eyebrow, “Moonshadow Gear? What’s that?”

King Alvin replied, “The Moonshadow Gear is special Shadokor-custom gear that was used during the Great Demon War. It is designed to repel intense Light energies and cut through them like a hot knife through butter. The Moonshadow Gear was used to great effect during the Great Demon War, as it was able to naturally slice through Infinator’s intense energies with ease and allow our armies and the first generation of Legendary Heroes to tear through his forces. When the Light Gem is stolen, the Light Lighthouse will erupt like a volcano, pouring out the intense Light energies it was governing into the nearby area. This would make approaching the Light Lighthouse near impossible without special protection. So, the Shadokor are bringing back the Moonshadow Gear to dissect those intense energies so you can get to the Light Lighthouse and place the replica Light Gem into place to stabilize the energy flow for the time.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Indeed, and that is exactly why we’re reviving our old Moonshadow Gear blueprints, as we’ll need to make five sets, one for each Legendary Hero, in order to combat this problem. One set per Hero will be enough, by the way, as the Moonshadow Gear produces a barrier of sort that protects the user and any party members from intense energies. The problem is, because we haven’t made it in centuries, we’re short on the key element needed to craft it: Umbranyte. Umbranyte is a special darkness-enhanced ore found in the Demon Realm. It’s not rare or anything, so harvesting some isn’t an issue, but because time is of the essence, we need to build the Moonshadow Gear as quickly as possible. I’ve already sent men into the Demon Realm to harvest some Umbranyte, as we need a fair amount to create five sets of Moonshadow Gear. I’ll be returning to Shadoria after this meeting in order to check if everything is ready, along with passing on Avalar’s and Miss Zuzu’s theory about Infinator’s attacks. In the meantime, King Alvin and I want you five Heroes to remain in the capital city until further notice. King Alvin will explain the terms and conditions he’ll be putting in place in order to keep you present in the capital until Sylph makes her move and our side has completed our assigned tasks.” He turned to King Alvin, “I’ll leave them in your capable hands, Your Majesty. I will return to Shadoria now to oversee the construction of the Moonshadow Gear. My men and I will return here once the Moonshadow Gear has been completed. I bid you good day. Shadow Warp.”

King Duskbane gave one last bow before vanishing in a dark portal, leaving everyone behind. King Alvin then turned to the five Heroes and their parties.

“Okay, listen up,” he stated. “In order to prevent any problems and keep all of you in one place, I have arranged for all five Heroes and their parties to stay in the castle in special guest rooms. However, there are going to be some ground rules in place to keep things civil. For starters, because of how disappointed I was when I heard of that brawl during the celebration party, the five Heroes and their parties will not be dining together. Each Hero and their respective parties will be dining in different locations in order to prevent another brawl. And, for the record, I know which party member from their respective party is responsible for starting the fight, thanks to eyewitnesses. Another rule is that only the Heroes will be allowed to roam freely in the castle; party members are not allowed to leave their guest rooms without a knight acting as an escort. This is to prevent any unnecessary conflicts between parties or other issues from cropping up, such as antagonizing another party because of its members or trying to cause a ruckus. I have zero tolerance for such things, so if any party member violates this rule, you and your respective party will be thrown out of the castle until further notice. This also applies to any further banquets, as anyone who causes a stir, such as racist remarks or tampering with food and drink, will have them and their respective party banned from all banquets until they get their act together. I was far from pleased when I learned of that brawl, thus I am making sure that it doesn’t happen again. Is that clear?”

Everyone nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good, I will count on your cooperation during this time. I will have my men escort each Hero and their respective parties to their designated guest rooms, starting with the Bow Hero, then the Axe Hero, followed by the Spear Hero, then the Sword Hero, and lastly the Shroud Hero. I expect you to follow my rules until Sylph makes her move, as if anyone violates these rules will have themselves and their respective parties tossed out onto the streets. Also, because of these recent events, the celebration party that was planned has been canceled, but the Heroes will be getting their respective stipends for their efforts tomorrow. And you can rest assured that I will pay you much more handsomely than the former Light Elf king ever did. Now, men, please escort each Hero and his party to their designated rooms if you please.”

Knights stepped up and started escorting the Heroes and their parties out of the throne room until the Shroud Hero’s party was left.

“Wait just a moment, Avalar and friends,” King Alvin stated. “I have something extra to say to you.” He then gained a warm smile, “Avalar, you and your party have been putting in a lot of work lately. I’m well aware of the other Heroes’ blunders, since I was informed by the Shadow Sentinels that I had sent to relay the other Heroes’ mistakes to you that you had completed the tasks. I know that one of the reasons you had come to Delgunner, other than to bring the Light Elves to justice, was to lessen your workload. I’m also aware of the past messes you’ve had to clean up. I’m sorry that your workload hasn’t lessened since you’ve been doing the most work out of all the Heroes. There is a reason why Delgunner has custody of all five Heroes: the other nations want nothing to do with the current generation Sword, Spear, Axe, and Bow Heroes, since their screwups have also reach the ears of the other nations. As a result, they want Delgunner to keep the other Heroes on a short leash, which, sadly, the Heroes have been defying because they’re glory hounds. I want you to know that you and your party will be getting the biggest stipend out of the five, not just for your efforts in Infinator’s attacks, but also because you’re the most responsible and reliable of all the Heroes. Plus, you also have the most mouths to feed, and I know that having two demons and a Naga tacks on extra stomachs. Do know that I have a great amount of respect for you and your party, as you’ve been doing all the heavy lifting during these times of crisis, and thus I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Celtic nodded, “Thank you, Your Majesty. You’re certainly lightyears better than Sludge ever was. But, I do have a question. Since Zuzu needs to use the Shadow Simulator in order to grind for Levels quickly, will she be allowed to use it while we’re awaiting for Sylph’s next move?”

King Alvin smiled, “Of course, Avalar. I didn’t say this to the other Heroes in order to prevent certain party members from taking advantage of it, but if a Hero is acting as an escort for a member of their party then that is also allowed. So, as long as either you or a knight is acting as an escort to Miss Zuzu, then she is most welcome to use the Shadow Simulator at any time. While I know your party is very reliable and won’t cause trouble, as I’m aware they were the ones who were victimized by Marvin’s racism from Jerry’s party, I will have to enforce the rules on them, too, in order to be fair. But, like I said, I know you and your party won’t be the issue. It’s members like Marvin and Wench that I’m most concerned about, since they’re the most likely to cause problems for others, specifically your party, due to its diverse selection of members. But you can rest assured I won’t let what happened in that banquet from happening again. Now, I will let my men escort you to your room so you can put up your feet and relax, as you’ve done the most work. A servant will let you know when dinner is ready. Take this time to get some rest, as Sylph’s next move will be soon.”

Nodding, Celtic and his party were escorted out of the throne room and to a very large guest room with seven beds. As they awaited dinner, they relaxed and took it easy, chatting among themselves and discussing what would happen next.

Next Chapter: The Moonshadow Gear

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what happens to our Heroes.
 
Okay, the next chapter is live. Yet another setup-type chapter, laying out more groundwork for the next arc. But at least the Heroes will now be nearly ready to face the looming issue of the Light Lighthouse. Hopefully.

The Moonshadow Gear


It was the same night after the five Heroes and their parties were informed about Sylph and the Elemental Lighthouses. Everyone was sound asleep in their rooms, with the exception of one person. Celtic was working off to the side in the guest room he and his party had been assigned to, a candle lit next to him as he gently tinkered away on a project at a desk. He was taking great pains to not disturb his party as his worked on his project, gingerly looking back every now and then to make sure his actions didn’t awaken anyone. He appeared to be working on an accessory, as he had his crafting tools out, along with several bits of material littered about the desk. After nearly another hour, he seemed to be finished, looking his new item over.

“Yes…” he said silently. “This’ll do nicely. I just hope she’ll like it, as I did design it to help her get stronger. We shall see.”

He gently put everything back into his Tek-Pak, blew out the candle, and made his way over to the only empty bed left in the room. Kicking off his boots he rolled under the sheets and slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep, wondering when Sylph would strike.

Morning came and the various Heroes and their parties were starting to stir. Celtic and his party were already awake, with the exception of Zuzu, who was still sleeping quite soundly. Skye couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Same ol’ Zuzu,” she giggled. “Always the last one up. Guess she’s not a morning person.”

Celtic replied, “She’s not the only one. I’ve never been fond of getting up in the morning. Ever since coming here I’ve had to adjust to waking at the crack of dawn, and boy, it was not a pleasant thing to adjust to. Now I have no choice but to function with minimal sleep due to all the hell we get involved in. Well, better wake her. Oh, also, would someone tell the knights that are guarding our room to alert the kitchen to make extra bacon and sausage? Food is pretty much the only incentive for Zuzu to get up in the morning, especially if meat is involved, seeing how us demons are more carnivorous by nature. Though I’d kill for some Reese’s peanut butter pancakes right about now, as it’s my favorite food, and I haven’t had any since coming to this rock. Or at least some pumpkin pancakes. But, either way, someone better get a knight to tell the kitchen staff to give us extra bacon and sausage with our breakfast, as it may be the only way to get Zuzu up.”

Leon chuckled, “No worries. I’ll pass the message on. You try to get her up, since she tends to respond better to you.”

Leon quickly walked out the room to inform the knights of the request before returning a moment later.

“Okay, we’re good. One of the knights is heading down to the kitchen now to pass on our request. Hopefully it’ll be enough to stir the sleeping Succuryn.”

Celtic walked over to Zuzu’s bed, where the Succuryn was sleeping quite soundly. He gently shook her, trying to get a response. It took a couple of tries but eventually Zuzu opened up one eye.

“Do I really have to get up?” she groaned. “This bed is so comfortable. I never knew the joys of sleeping in a real bed until I became a party member. But do I really have to get up?”

Celtic couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yes, Zuzu, but you’re going to have to get up. Don’t worry, there’s something in it for you. We already made a request that the kitchen staff make extra bacon and sausage for us, as we know that’s one of the few ways to get you out of bed. Though, to be honest, you’re not the only one here who isn’t a morning person. I’ve never been much of one, either, but coming here forced me to change that, much to my displeasure. So, you’re going to have to get up if you want that extra bacon and sausage.”

The Succuryn grumbled, “Fine, you win. Breakfast truly is the only incentive for me to get up, especially if there is bacon or sausage involved, as before joining you, I never got up before 9 AM… though I have come to enjoy your scrambled eggs with cheese in them. Shame that’s not part of this morning’s menu, but at least the promise of extra bacon and sausage is a good enough reason to get up. They better prepare a lot to make it worth getting out of this bed.”

Celtic stepped back as Zuzu begrudgingly got untangled from the sheets and stood up. She yawned widely and did a few stretches, showing off her well-toned body and visible muscles. After she was done, Celtic reached behind himself.

“One last thing, Zuzu,” he said. “I have something here for you.”

Zuzu’s tired eyes suddenly went wide, “Wait, what? You… have something… for me?”

Celtic held out the accessory he had made for her, “Here you go, Zuzu. I made this accessory for you.”

The accessory was revealed to be a choker. It was made with strong yet flexible material, with a vibrant sapphire gem in the center surrounded by emerald green ring with two rubies on opposite sides. Zuzu’s eyes went wide.

“Y-You made this… for me?” she asked, stunned.

“Yes. I know you don’t like clothes due to being a nudist by nature, so I figured something like a choker would be more up your alley. The choker itself is made from Myenite, which is known for its strength-enhancing properties. Since you’re primarily a physical fighter with some magic peppered in I figured Myenite would be a good base for an accessory for you, just like with Tyroe’s armbands. I followed that up with two Radiant Rubies, which have the ability to increase physical damage output by 20% each. Finally, I used a Surging Sapphire surrounded by an oracle crystal as the main feature. The Surging Sapphire can double the effects of combo-based techniques, which the oracle crystal supplements it by giving it some extra bite in the form of Lightning energy. In short, this choker will not only increase your physical might, but the Surging Sapphire will cause your Close Combat Combo to build up power at double the rate, thereby allowing it to reach higher levels of power faster, while also adding in traces of Lightning energy for extra kick.”

He gently placed the choker in Zuzu’s hands. She looked at it, eyes wide, looked back at Celtic, then looked at the choker again.

“Y-You really went out of your way to make me an accessory?” she asked softly. “This is really… for me? No strings attached?”

“No strings attached. Everyone in the party has at least one accessory that I’ve made for them, so it’s only fair you get one, too. You’re one of us, after all, so you deserve a little something to show that. You’ve been a big help to us both before and after joining the party, and we want you to know that you’ll always be one of us. Sure, we’re not exactly a normal party, due to our sheer diversity of members alone, but that’s one of our strengths. I just hope it'll do for you.”

Zuzu’s face softened, “It’ll more than do. I’ve… I’ve never gotten a gift from anyone before. I’ve been alive for nearly 400 years and this is the first time anyone has ever given me something like this. The added fact that you made it for me makes it incredibly special. T-Thank you.”

She gently attached it to her neck. It fit comfortably around her neck, resting just above her collarbones. She gently touched it with her hand, a look of gratitude on her face, feeling the properties of the accessory strengthening her.

“I’ll never take it off. It’s just that special. Thank you, Celtic. I… I don’t know what to say.”

Celtic replied warmly, “Thank you is enough. I hope it’ll serve you well for future battles.”

A knock was heard at their door with a female voice stating, “Breakfast will be served soon. Please head to your designated dining room.”

Viola replied, “Thanks.” She turned to the rest of the party, “Now, why don’t we get some food in our bellies and maybe see if there is any new news regarding Sylph or the Moonshadow Gear.”

Nodding, the party left the room and followed one of the knights to their designated dining area. Not long after they were presented with large plates of food, much to Tyroe’s and Zuzu’s pleasure. As they ate, they chatted amongst themselves, while Zuzu continued to admire her new accessory. After the food was gone, a knight led them to the throne room to meet with King Alvin and his family. Not long after the other Heroes and their parties had arrived in the throne room.

King Alvin stated, “Looks like everyone is obeying the rules I put in play. Good, very good. Now, as promised, I am going to give you your royal stipend for your efforts in Infinator’s most recent wave.” Five servants walked up to each Hero, “Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry will receive 4,000 silver for their efforts against Infinator’s forces.”

The other four Heroes eagerly took the pouches of silver coins from the servants.

“Man, King Alvin rewards us much better than King… I mean Sludge ever did,” Eric said.

Ryan nodded, “Yeah. Sludge was pretty thrifty in giving us rewards, only around the 1,500 silver range. I can see why Delgunner is better respected compared with those backstabbing Light Elves.”

This earned him a glare from Wench that he ignored.

King Alvin then said, “Moving on, Avalar will receive 6,000 silver and a bonus of 2,000 copper for his efforts in the recent wave along with more recent events that he addressed.”

Celtic was presented with two large pouches of coins which he graciously took. This extra payment surprised the other Heroes.

“Hey!” Lucas protested. “How come he gets the bigger reward?!”

“Gee, let me think about that…” Celtic said snidely. “Maybe it’s because: 1) my party and I are the ones who won the last wave while you four couldn’t even dent the Korathan Whale, much less Sylph. Even the harpoon Skye used did more damage to it than you four combined. 2) I spent a lot of time cleaning up after your most recent blunders involving the Bat Demons, the Mountain Roc, the monster pirates, and the Ice Empress. And 3) I have seven mouths and 12 stomachs to feed. Besides, Lucas, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sludge gave you preferred treatment and larger rewards than your fellow ‘Heroes’, so you really don’t have room to complain.”

“What did you say?” Lucas growled.

Jerry stated, “He does have a point, Lucas. Sludge did give you the biggest rewards out of the four of us because you’re his daughter’s ‘protector’, at least before the trial revealed all of the Light Elves’ schemes. So, really, you don’t have the right to complain when you were considered the favorite to Sludge before he got dethroned.”

Eric then gained a puzzled look, “Wait. ‘Seven mouths and 12 stomachs to feed’? What do you mean by that, Celtic? There’s only seven of you. How does that add up?”

Celtic replied, “Simple. Nagas have two stomachs, one in the human half and one in the snake half, while demons such as Zuzu and me have three stomachs. And that’s not including the other multiples of organs demons have, such as hearts, livers, lungs, etc. That tacks on five extra stomachs to fill. So, yeah, I’ve got a lot to feed, and it’s only normal that I’d need more funds to fill 12 stomachs. Though, fortunately, the Shroud enhances my cooking skills, making feeding this party easy.”

Ryan looked stunned, “Wait, demons have multiples of certain organs? How are you able to fit all of those in you?”

“We just can. The more monstrous species of demons like Soulavores, Red Demons, and so on have larger bodies, which makes it easier for them, though as a trade-off they have fewer hearts, while the more human-like demons such as Shadokor, Succulites, and Succuryns are a bit more… compact, yet we can still fit all those organs inside of us. Demon biology is strange though it somehow works. If I could explain it better I would but I can’t, so that’s that.”

King Alvin then said, “Let us move on and continue our plans. While the Druids haven’t seen Sylph reappear since we reported it to you, they’re keeping watch on the Light Lighthouse for when she does return. They’re also still working on the Light Gem replica, but my sources said that they’re having slight trouble replicating its functions properly. If only we had a Dragon Emperor around to possibly give us some pointers on how to make an effective Light Gem replica. However, given the current crisis, they’ve had their claws full in trying to prevent any more problems with Infinator’s forces.”

Celtic’s eyes widened, “Actually, Your Majesty, we may actually have a Dragon Emperor with us right now.”

Queen Amelia quirked an eyebrow, “We do? How? Do you know a Dragon Emperor, Prince Avalar?”

“In a sense, possibly yes. The dragon that Ryan slayed a while back may actually be a Dragon Emperor. According to the dragon himself, whose consciousness resides within the Shroud, Sylph infected him with a virus that sent him berserk, alerting the nearby village to his presence, as he wasn’t bothering anyone at the time. By the time he got control of the virus, he was badly weakened, which allowed Ryan to attack and kill him. The virus was still in the dragon’s system when my party and I were hired to dispose of his corpse which, combined with his festering hatred for the incident, allowed him to reanimate into a dragon zombie. After destroying his body, I had my Shroud absorb his soul crystal. As a result, he resides within my Shroud, especially when I use the Dragon Rage Shroud. He’s even got enough control over the Shroud form to force me to do what he wants. Even though it’s arguably my strongest Shroud form, it runs a risk of the dragon going full-tilt ballistic, especially if Sylph and possibly Ryan are involved. But, during the battle at sea, Sylph recognized the Dragon Rage Shroud’s power source, saying it was fueled by a Dragon Emperor. We couldn’t get much more info out of the whole ordeal, but from what Sylph said the dragon that Ryan slayed may have actually been a Dragon Emperor.”

King Alvin went pale, “Uh-oh… that’s not good. The Dragon Emperors do not take kindly to their kind getting killed by people. They will help us in times of need, and, at best, tolerate us, but they become raging forces if we harm one of them. That could very well jeopardize our relationship with the Dragon Emperors. Only the Shadokor have earned their full respect due to the fact both of them work very closely together in solving crisis and have great respect for each other. The Dragon Emperors are even willing to allow the Shadokor access to their vast knowledge and information as a reward for their relationship. I almost worry what this might mean if they find out that the Sword Hero slayed one of their own. Avalar… and I’m about to dread the possible result of this request… but can you ask that dragon about all this right now?”

“I’ll try,” Celtic said. He then touched the Shroud’s gem, causing it to glow, “Dragon Emperor, if you can hear me, please respond.”

A first nothing happened, but then the Shroud’s gem lit up brightly, releasing a projected image that took the form of the dragon’s head, albeit in a flaming energy form. This stunned everyone as the dragon looked at Celtic.

“So…” the dragon said. “You’ve come to realize I’m a Dragon Emperor, huh?”

“Sylph clued me in, but I didn’t want to poke the hornets’ nest unless necessary, especially since I know you’re still sore at her for that virus. If I may be so bold, can you help us with something regarding a possible crisis that Sylph will cause?”

The dragon looked around at the room, his flaming eyes narrowing as he saw Ryan before stating, “Normally, I wouldn’t share my knowledge with those associated with that sword-wielding wretch. However, considering the fact that I have a bigger bone to pick with Sylph over the puny ‘Sword Hero’, I’ll part some of my knowledge to you. What is the problem?”

“Thank you. Sylph is going to steal the Light Gem from the Light Lighthouse very soon. The Shadokor are preparing Moonshadow Gear to help us in that task while the Druids are trying to make a replica Light Gem to act as a temporary solution until the Shadokor can retrieve the real Light Gem. However, the Druids are having trouble creating an effective replica, as they also need to install anti-evil properties to keep Sylph from just plucking the replica as well. Can you give us any information that might help in that task?”

The dragon replied, “Very well, then. I did have a hand, or I guess in my case a claw, in the creation of the Elemental Gems 4,000 years ago, so I’d be willing to help. Especially if it helps get back at Sylph for what she did to me. Someone better take notes, as I’m only going to say this once.”

A Shadow Sentinel suddenly appeared with a scroll and pen, “I am ready, noble Dragon Emperor.”

The dragon chuckled, “The Shadokor are always on the ball. That’s something we Dragon Emperors like about you. Very well. In order for the Druids to make an effective replica of the Light Gem, they will need a rare material call Sol Crystals. Sol Crystals can only be found near volcanic areas due to the fact that volcanic ash and molten rock combined with intense solar energies is what causes them to form. There are a couple of places where Sol Crystals can be harvested, such as Infinity Mountain and Starbolt Falls. One needs to take caution in harvesting them, as they tend to form near lava flows. In order to make a replica, the Druids would need at least five Sol Crystals to act as a base. From there, using the semi-precious material known as Dawn Diamonds, they melt the Dawn Diamonds with the Sol Crystals, followed by adding about five Sacred Stones, will allow the creation of a new Light Gem. The Sacred Stones can be found all over the Druid’s territory, so that’s not a difficult item to find. The Sacred Stones will also act as the anti-evil properties that the Druids want to install into the new Light Gem, thereby preventing Sylph or anyone associated with her from just plucking the replacement Light Gem. And that’s the general gist of what is needed to make a new Light Gem. Granted, in order to make an outright perfect copy of the Light Gem, which would eliminate the need to recover the original, you would need two dozen Sol Crystals to act as the base. Unfortunately, Sol Crystals grow about the same rate as the Demon Realm’s Chaos Magnite does, so collecting enough Sol Crystals to make an outright perfect copy would take too much time, especially since time is not something we have on our side right now.”

The Shadow Sentinel had finished jotting down all the instructions before bowing, “Thank you, noble Dragon Emperor. I will pass this information to the Druids right now to ensure that they get the task competed quickly. I will take my leave now.”

The Shadow Sentinel vanished like a phantom. King Alvin turned to the Dragon Emperor.

“Thank you, noble Dragon Emperor for your willingness to cooperate with us despite what happened to you,” he said sincerely. “I’m deeply sorry that the Sword Hero slayed you without knowing the truth. Please, forgive us.”

The dragon replied, “I’ve still got a bone to pick with that puny Sword Hero, but because the situation was ultimately caused by Sylph, I’m willing to be reasonable. Especially since, thanks to the Shroud Hero, I am no longer infected with that virus. Destroying my body with Wrath Fire erased the virus, thereby freeing my soul crystal from its grasp. While my current situation is… less than ideal, the Shroud’s core has allowed me to rest and recover, preserving my mind and soul, as well as get my revenge on Sylph for what she has done. Hopefully, my fellow Dragon Emperors will grant me a new body to use in replacement for the one that Sylph infected, thereby necessitating its eradication, so I can continue working with my fellow Dragon Emperors. Just don’t think that my fellow Dragon Emperors will be happy about my current situation. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already aware of what happened. But, since the Shroud Hero has ultimately saved me, they’ll probably be willing to be reasonable. Probably. Now, if we’re finished here, I’m going back to sleep in the Shroud’s core. And, just in case you need it for reference, my name is Tiamat, Dragon Emperor of Darkness. I bid you farewell.”

Tiamat then returned to the Shroud’s core, causing it to stop glowing, returning it to normal. King Alvin slumped in his throne.

“Whew… I’m glad the Dragon Emperor is willing to be reasonable because of Avalar freeing him from Sylph’s virus and keeping his soul crystal safe within the Shroud’s core,” he said. “At least we don’t have to worry too much about the other Dragon Emperors cutting ties with us because of that incident. And at least we now have a better idea on how to help the Druids create a better replica of the Light Gem, as who knows when Sylph will strike. Now, then, since neither the Moonshadow Gear nor the Light Gem replica is finished, the Heroes and their respective parties will remain here to ensure you’ll be on-deck if and when Sylph makes her move. Please escort the Heroes and their parties to their designated rooms. When we have the next piece of news or information we will regather and discuss it then. Dismissed.”

One by one, each Hero and their respective party were escorted back to their rooms. Not long after, Celtic and Zuzu were in the knight’s training area, allowing the Succuryn to train on the Shadow Simulator. As Celtic watched the demoness effortlessly pummel her opponents, slowly building up her Level, he started to wonder what would happen next.

The following day the Heroes and their parties had gathered in King Alvin’s throne room again. Along with the Delgunner royal family was King Duskbane and five ShadoKnights. The ShadoKnights were each holding a complete set of special armor and gear.

King Alvin stated, “Good, everyone is present and accounted for. King Duskbane, I’ll let you take things from here.”

King Duskbane nodded before stating, “Legendary Heroes, the Moonshadow Gear is complete. Each Hero will have one set of Moonshadow Gear, as one set per Hero will be enough to weather the Light Lighthouse’s energies. Now, before you ask, I didn’t need any of your measurements to have this gear made. The other materials that make up the Moonshadow Gear can magically self-adjust to the user’s size. As a result, we Shadokor only need to make a single size for our Moonshadow Gear, which heavily simplifies things. My ShadoKnights will present you with your own set of Moonshadow Gear. This’ll be yours to do with as you please. We won’t be asking for it back, thus giving you a backup set of gear. Plus, it may come in handy later down the road. Men, please present each Hero with a set of Moonshadow Gear.”

The five ShadoKnights walked up to each Hero and presented the Moonshadow Gear. Each Hero took their respective sets, which caused each one to magically self-adjust to their respective body sizes and structures, much to their surprise. The Moonshadow Gear consisted of black armor on top of silver clothes, a helmet similar to a Shade Wing’s, goggles, black armored boots, and silver gloves.

“Now, when you don the Moonshadow Gear, it will produce a barrier of darkness that’ll block intense Light energies. Which means each Hero needs to be in front of their parties in order to benefit the most from it. That said, the Moonshadow Gear isn’t invincible. As you progress toward your goal, your body will absorb Light energies to a certain degree, depending on how close you are to the Light Lighthouse when it’s erupting with power. While the Moonshadow Gear will reduce that intake you will still need treatment afterward, as that intense raw Light energy could pose some health issues if left unchecked. Even beings that naturally possess the Light element, such as Prince Avalar, Lady Skye, and Wench, will need to be checked by our medical staff to be sure that your bodies don’t get overwhelmed. This was also true during the Great Demon War, as even with the Moonshadow Gear cutting through Infinator’s intense energies like a hot knife through butter, the users of the Moonshadow Gear and their allies still needed to be medically treated once that problem was nullified. It is a necessary precaution to ensure that you’ll remain healthy for the fights ahead. As for when Sylph will make her move and steal the Light Gem the Druids are keeping watch, though they have a tendency to retreat back to their homes before dark. This isn’t because Druids hate darkness like the Light Elves, it’s because they have terrible night vision. As a result, I’ve also sent Shadow Sentinels to observe during the nighttime hours in case Sylph makes her move then. Sylph clearly doesn’t fear either the Druids or Shadokor, despite the latter being her natural predators, so if and when she makes her move will ultimately depend on when Infinator needs the Light Gem most. As such, you five need to be ready to mobilize at any given moment. While we’re still waiting for the Light Gem replica, thanks to the Dragon Emperor, Tiamat, the Druids have gathered everything they need and are in the process of making the replica as we speak, so it shouldn’t be long before we have it ready.”

King Alvin smiled, “Thank you, King Duskbane, for this information. I was not aware that the Moonshadow Gear wasn’t a perfect counter to intense Light energies. By the way, just a curious question, but was Prince Avalar’s and Miss Zuzu’s theory correct about Infinator’s waves?”

King Duskbane smiled, “As a matter of fact, yes. Their theory was right on the money. My scientists mapped out the locations where each wave has taken place compared to where there were past dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm. And they match up perfectly. This means we now have some degree of precision of when and where Infinator will strike next. We also counted four more areas of dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm that Infinator hasn’t attacked yet, giving us a better idea of where that brute will strike next. Also, I’ve sent some men to past wave locations and have discovered that, indeed, the waves have caused some areas where the dimensional walls are thin have become weaker. This means that we have to be particularly careful of those locations, especially once the Light Lighthouse is activated, as that intense energy can, and most likely will, weaken the walls even more. It appears that, just like Avalar and Miss Zuzu stated, Infinator’s attacks are actually planned ahead of time so he can rip open another gateway or two to the Demon Realm. If he succeeds, it’ll grant him access to not only the incredible materials and resources the Demon Realm has but can also gain more powerful allies like other species of demons. Time will tell if and when that happens, so we need to be alert and keep monitoring those areas where the dimensional walls are weakest.”

“Told you, Pointy Stick Boy,” Zuzu stated. “Remember, I spied on Infinator and Sylph so I could isolate her for my fight with her, so I learned a fair bit about some of their plans. And just like I heard, it appears that his waves are merely the first stage of his plans, as gaining access to the Demon Realm would substantially bolster his power and resources to the point he could easily be revived and restart the Great Demon War.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Indeed, as we thank you for that, Miss Zuzu. You gave us valuable information that has helped us start narrowing down specific locations and possible plans of that vile demonic megalomaniac, finally giving us an edge on what his next moves will be. We’re still missing some pieces of the puzzle, but thanks to your spying we now have a much clearer picture of Infinator’s endgame goal. The only real unknown element we have to worry about is time.” He then turned to King Alvin, “I shall return to Shadoria until the Light Gem replica is complete, as Sylph will make her move soon, so please keep the Heroes in one place until then, Your Majesty.”

King Alvin nodded, “Of course, King Duskbane. Please keep us informed of any new information that you may get until then.”

King Duskbane bowed, “Of course, Your Majesty.” He turned to his ShadoKnights, “Men, we’re heading back to Shadoria for now. Be ready to mobilize when the time comes.”

“Yessir!” the ShadoKnights stated.

Nodding, King Duskbane and his ShadoKnights vanished in dark portals, leaving everyone alone.

“Okay then,” King Alvin stated. “With the Moonshadow Gear in hand, we just need the Druids to finish creating the replica Light Gem. As a result, all Heroes and their parties need to remain here. Men, please escort the Heroes and their parties back to their rooms until further notice.”

Each Hero and their party were escorted back to their rooms to await the next move. As Celtic looked the Moonshadow Gear over, he couldn’t help but worry.

“Having this gear will help,” he said silently. “And we now know more of Infinator’s plans and what may come next. The element we don’t know is time, and that’s always an extremely tense element to worry about. I just hope we’ll be ready for when the enemy makes their next move.”

Next Chapter: The Light Lighthouse

And that's it. Looks like Zuzu's getting more and more accepted into the fold. And hopefully Tiamat the Dragon Emperor will help the Heroes in future events (assuming he doesn't go full-tilt ballistic on Sylph again). What will happen next? Tune in next time to find out.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising, fresh from proofreading and editing. What happens this time? Read and find out.

The Light Lighthouse


It was the following night after the five Heroes obtained the Moonshadow Gear. Everyone slept in their beds. As the clock struck 3 AM, something happened. The ground suddenly shook viciously, startling everyone awake, even Zuzu. Celtic quickly jumped out of bed and ran to a window, his party following suit. They could see far, far away, in the distance, what looked to be a pillar of light erupting like a volcano. The party narrowed their eyes, knowing what it meant.

“So…” Celtic growled, “Sylph has finally struck. She’s made off with the Light Gem and now the Light Lighthouse has been ‘activated’, releasing the bottled-up energies it’s been containing onto the world.”

Skye nodded, “Yes, it appears that our next task is at hand. However, we don’t know if the Light Gem replica is ready yet. If it isn’t, the Druids better hurry and finish it, as the longer the Light Lighthouse is active, the more damage it will cause to the world, and the more energies Infinator can absorb to strengthen himself.”

Leon added, “Not only that, but any of the nearby locals, be it people or monsters, will be getting hammered by that energy. It could even be enough to kill them, especially since King Duskbane said we’ll even need treatment after dealing with the Light Lighthouse’s energies, considering we have the Moonshadow Gear that’ll act as a buffer yet we’ll still need treatment afterward. The denizens in that area are pretty much doomed unless the Shadow Sentinels get them to safety quickly.”

Viola shook her head, “I’m not sure if the Shadow Sentinels will even be able to help. All that raw Light energy could be even more harmful to them than to regular civilians, as they are Shadokor, who are Dark-attributed demons. If they needed the Moonshadow Gear to deal with Infinator 2500 years ago in the first place, all that raw, natural Light energy could be too much for them. Which also makes me worried about Zuzu, since she’s a Dark-attributed demon, too.”

Celtic turned to Zuzu, “Zuzu, I want you to stay directly behind me when we head into that geyser of energy. You’ll be safest there, as it’ll be where the Moonshadow Gear will be at its strongest.”

Zuzu replied, “I was hoping you’d say that. I can handle a certain degree of Light energies, as it’s part of my biology, being a polar opposite counterpart to Succulites, but there is no way in hell I’d be able to handle THAT much Light energy. While I’d rather sit this one out for those reasons, seeing how Sylph is involved, I can’t just stand idly by. I’m not gonna like this, but it has to be done.”

Skye smiled at Zuzu, “Thank you, Zuzu. You may have your own personal reasons for joining us, but we’re glad to have you. The fact that you’re willing to help even in this situation is something we’re grateful for.”

Zuzu gained a blush and turned her head away defiantly, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment, making the rest of the gang chuckle.

Celtic then gained steely eyes, “Still, we need to be ready. I’m certain that the Shadokor have already alerted King Duskbane about this event, and it’s only a matter of time before King Alvin gets informed, so we best get ready. The time for talk is over, the time for action is now.”

No more than an hour later had all the Heroes and their parties been gathered up and present in the throne room. Everyone present had either tired eyes, varying degrees of bedhead, or were yawning widely. King Alvin himself looked a bit ruffled as he sat at his throne.

“So, as you can probably guess, Sylph has made her move,” King Alvin stated. “The Light Lighthouse has been ‘activated’, so to speak, due to the theft of the Light Gem. I haven’t heard from King Duskbane or the Druids yet, so we don’t have all the details of what’s happening, but what we do know is that the Heroes will be mobilized soon to stop the Light Lighthouse.”

As if on cue a black portal opened up with King Duskbane emerging from it. Compared with everyone else, he looked the most together at this early hour. He was also accompanied by a regal-looking female. She was tall and slender, with long blonde hair, gold eyes, fair skin, and short elf-like ears with slightly frilled tips. She was dressed in a royal gown, mostly white and gold in color, with a large skirt, high-heeled boots, elbow-length gloves, and a golden crown on her head.

King Alvin’s eyes went wide, “King Duskbane and Queen Rease!? While I was expecting you, King Duskbane I wasn’t expecting the Queen of the Druids as well.”

King Duskbane replied, “Yes, I was not expecting her to come, either. However, the Druids had to flee their capital, Wichwoode, due to the intense Light energies hammering at the city, as even the Druids can’t take that much Light energy. They’ve since retreated to Shadoria for the time in order to finish the Light Gem replica, though they’re not too happy about it. Queen Rease insisted on coming along with me to Delgunner to discuss things.”

Queen Rease nodded, “Indeed, Your Majesty. While my people and I aren’t too happy about our current conditions in Shadoria, we know it’s a necessary evil in order to get things done. Fortunately, the Light Gem replica is nearly complete. At the rate it’s going it should be ready by dawn. Thanks to Tiamat’s instructions, we were also creating a perfect copy of the Light Gem to replace the one Sylph stole, along with installing anti-evil properties into it to keep Sylph from just repeating the process. This’ll eliminate the need to recover the original. I’ve already told King Duskbane this, so instead of having his Spy-Bugs modified to retrieve the original Light Gem he’s going to use them to destroy it. It’s a necessary evil, as giving Infinator any advantage will have deadly consequences, so destroying the original Light Gem to prevent that interdimensional demon from gaining more power will be worth the cost. Besides… I also had one other reason for coming.”

She turned to face Celtic, her face softening as she approached him. She gently cupped his face with her hands.

“I had heard from King Duskbane that my long-lost nephew had returned and was now the Shroud Hero, Avalar,” she said in a gentle tone. “Your mother, Gardenia, was my older sister. She had to forfeit the right to the throne due to how our ‘codes’ work, but she was still part of the royal family. The last time I saw you was when you were just a newborn. I was devastated when Gardenia was murdered by Sylph and you were lost because of a botched teleportation spell. While I’m nowhere near as hot-headed as your demon uncle, I was infuriated when I learned what the Light Elves had done to you.” As she said this, she shot a piercing glare toward Wench, making her flinch, “I’m surprised King Alvin lets slime like you inside this castle, Wench, as I’m aware it was you who framed Avalar for sexual assault, just like you had done to 45 other men for your sick amusement.”

“I didn’t do any…” Wench protested before the spellbinding circle crest reacted, shocking her, making her yelp in pain, causing Queen Rease’s eyes to narrow angrily.

“It’s times like this I’m amazed you still have the gall to play the victim,” the Druid Queen hissed. “I suggest you take a page from your younger sister’s book, as Lady Skye is clearly the only Light Elf with a functioning moral compass and become an actually decent person instead of a slimy, manipulative prostitute.”

As she said this, Skye gained a satisfied smirk, much to Wench’s fury.

Ryan asked, “How do you know what happened?”

Queen Rease replied, “Simple. Not only did I see the trial, but King Duskbane was gracious enough to let me see Avalar’s memories that he had copied earlier. I was appalled at what I saw.” She then returned her attention to Celtic, “Avalar, just like King Duskbane and Queen Wuya, know that you have my, and my husband’s, support as proper aunts and uncles. While my kingdom is a Matriarchy, so females like myself are superior to males, know that you have our support. It’s… It’s what Gardenia would want.”

“Thank you, Queen Rease,” Celtic said softly.

She quirked an eyebrow, “You’re not going to call me Aunt Rease?”

King Duskbane gave a heavy sigh, “We’re still working on that. After all, you saw his memories. He was forced to use ‘polite’ terms with relatives, so it’ll be a while before that habit breaks. Believe me, I want to hear him call me ‘Uncle Duskbane’ as much as you want him to call you Aunt Rease, but he needs time to break that habit. But, enough of this, we still need to address the matter at hand, Your Majesty.”

Queen Rease nodded, “Yes, you’re right. My apologies. I just really wanted to see my nephew for the first time in 20 years.” She returned to her fellow royals before stating, “As you’re all aware, you will need to don the Shadokor’s signature Moonshadow Gear to approach the Light Lighthouse. However, the raw Light energy from the Lighthouse is far more intense than Infinator’s light is, so you need to act as quickly as possible, as overexposure to that intense raw energy can cause health issues. Unfortunately, because the energy is erupting like a volcano, getting near the Light Lighthouse is going to be difficult. The Shadokor have got the special medical team on standby for when you return to Delgunner. From what King Duskbane has told me, his Shadow Sentinels will also be on-deck to quickly transport the Heroes and their parties to and from the area where the Light Lighthouse is, though they can’t get too close to it. As soon as the Light Lighthouse’s energies are capped by the replica Light Gem, they will swoop in and transport the Heroes and their parties back to Delgunner for immediate medical treatment.”

“What about other civilians?” Leon asked. “Have any of the other settlements been evacuated from the Light Lighthouse’s energies?”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, we’ve successfully evacuated any and all nearby villages and towns. My Shadow Sentinels noticed Sylph roughly 30 minutes before she made her move. Thus they quickly went to the various villages and towns nearby to evacuate the civilians and their pets, so they are now safe in Shadoria for the time being. It was a close call, however, as by the time the last civilian was evacuated Sylph snatched the Light Gem, so they made it with only seconds to spare. Now we just need the replica Light Gem to be completed so we can mobilize the Heroes to plug up the Light Lighthouse as soon as possible. I’ll also be sending some men out later, once the Light Lighthouse is capped, to survey the various locations previous dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm, to see if the Light Lighthouse’s activation weakened the dimensional walls even more. Since, thanks to Avalar and Miss Zuzu, we now know that Infinator is attacking areas of previous dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm in order to open up another gateway for his benefit. As such, we need to take careful observations of high-risk locations to ensure that he can’t rip open another gateway too soon. The Light Lighthouse will most definitely cause those areas to become weaker, so we need to be ready.”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, and I can only imagine what horrors Infinator would gain if he managed to regain access to the Demon Realm. Hopefully we can find a way to strengthen the dimensional walls before that can happen. But, in any case,” he then turned to the Heroes, “I’m afraid that you all will have to remain awake until the Druids bring the Light Gem replica, which, according to Queen Rease, should be in a matter of hours. The Heroes must don the Moonshadow Gear right away so they can be ready to mobilize as soon as we get it. We cannot allow the Light Lighthouse to continue erupting the energies it governs. I need the Heroes to return to their guest rooms and equip themselves with the Moonshadow Gear now while the rest of your parties remain here. And while the Heroes are getting changed, I expect the rest of your parties to behave, otherwise it’ll cost you dearly. Now, go.”

Celtic, Ryan, Lucas, Eric, and Jerry quickly left the throne room to get into their respective Moonshadow Gear. Now donning the rather impressive gear, after a few minutes they returned, standing in front of their respective parties.

“Good, very good,” Queen Rease stated. “That Moonshadow Gear looks like it’s made with the best Umbranyte. That’ll serve you well, not just for this dilemma, but for future events, as you may need it again to face Infinator.” She then turned to King Duskbane, “King Duskbane, please take me back to Shadoria for now so I can oversee the Light Gem replica’s construction. Hopefully by now it’s nearing completion, as the Heroes need to mobilize pronto to keep the Light Lighthouse from causing any long-term damage to the planet.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, I was thinking the same thing.” He turned to King Alvin, “We will be taking our leave, Your Majesty. I will return with the Light Gem replica when it is complete along with some of my Shadow Sentinels. That way the Heroes can be transported to the area near the Light Lighthouse and plug it up before anything else happens.” He turned back to Queen Rease, “If you’re ready to go, let’s return to Shadoria.”

Queen Rease nodded, “Yes, I’m ready to go.”

“Shadow Warp!”

Both King Duskbane and Queen Rease vanished in a dark portal, leaving everyone else behind. King Alvin turned to the Heroes and their parties.

“Okay, everyone, you all need to remain here in the throne room until further notice. When the Light Lighthouse is capped, I will have my chefs prepare a breakfast feast for your efforts. Though, as King Duskbane has stated before, after the Light Lighthouse has stabilized you all will need to be medically examined first, since those intense energies can cause long-term harm to your health. So, for the time, just remain here, but don’t cause any trouble between parties otherwise you will be punished. Is that clear?”

Everyone replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Now, hopefully the Druids will complete their task quickly, as we need to stop the Light Lighthouse as soon as possible. Otherwise it could cause a lot of problems.”

About an hour and a half later King Duskbane returned with five Shadow Sentinels. He was carrying a large white-colored diamond that seemed to be giving off a lot of energy.

“Sorry for the wait,” he said. “The Druids have completed the replica Light Gem. It is now time to move out.” He walked over to Celtic and gave him the large gem, “Here, Avalar, you hold onto the Light Gem replica, as your Tek-Pak can store it safely.”

Celtic nodded, took the gem and placed it in his Tek-Pak before putting the metal backpack back on.

King Duskbane then stated, “Heroes, your mission is this. Take that Light Gem replica to the Light Lighthouse and use it to seal the Light energies back into dormancy. The barrier that was blocking the lower half of the Light Lighthouse has been shattered by the intense Light energies, thus it is no longer an obstacle, so the hard part will be actually approaching the Light Lighthouse while those energies are raging. Once you get inside, however, you should be safe. However, the final task will be to go up to the top of the tower and place the Light Gem replica in its place. It’s at that point you’ll be practically on top of the intense Light energies, as they’ll be at their strongest there. Good luck, as the world is counting on you. Shadow Sentinels, take the Heroes and their parties to the designated location to begin the mission.”

The five Shadow Sentinels bowed, “At once, Your Majesty.”

Each one approached the five parties before each and every one of them vanished from the throne room. They all reappeared in a completely different area. They could all feel the powerful Light energies from the Light Lighthouse, which was still very far away, which caused the Moonshadow Gear to summon barriers of darkness in front of each Hero.

The Shadow Sentinels bowed, “This is as far as we can take you, otherwise we’d be overwhelmed. The rest is up to you. When the task is complete, we will swoop in and recover each and every one of you and take you back to Delgunner for medical treatment. Good luck.”

Celtic nodded, “Right. Let’s do this!”

Zuzu got right behind him, stating, “We better move fast, if we can feel the strength of the energies from this far away, I dread how bad it will be when we get closer.”

Nodding, Celtic started to march forward, standing in front of his party. The other Heroes followed suit, forcing their way toward the Light Lighthouse. As they did, the barriers of darkness projecting from their respective Moonshadow Gear was taking a beating from the intense Light energies but were still standing strong against it. As the five parties continued their trek, the energies became harder and harder to push through.

Jerry came to a stop, “I… I can’t go any further! I’m getting overwhelmed! And I feel like my frustratingly small body is about to be thrown all the way back by all this energy!”

Celtic, who was gritting his teeth as he pushed through the energies, stated, “Then fall back, Jerry, before you get overwhelmed and your body takes any more of a beating! Don’t risk your health!”

Jerry snapped back, “Why should I take an order from you?!”

“Oh, shut up!” Skye snapped. “Celtic is trying to help you, so either you do as he says or continue to hurt yourself! It’s your call!”

Celtic growled, “Forget it. Just keep moving!”

He and his party continued to press onward, with the Sword, Spear, and Axe Heroes slowly following, leaving Jerry behind as he tried in vain to continue fighting the energies. Not long afterward Eric came to a stop.

“I… I can’t take much more of this!” he stated. “I feel like I’m getting hammered by a freight train!”

Celtic ignored him as he continued to push against the overwhelming energies, still making his way toward the base of the Light Lighthouse. Ryan and Lucas kept pushing forward as well, leaving Eric behind. However, after a certain point, both Ryan and Lucas came to a stop.

“I can’t go any further!” Ryan stated. “My body feels like it’s getting ripped apart!”

Lucas tried to keep moving but couldn’t, “Mine too! It also feels like it’s going numb! I can barely hold on!”

Celtic, who was also feeling the effects of the strong Light energies, gritted his teeth and kept pushing with all his might, slowly making his way toward what looked like a door at the base of the Light Lighthouse.

“Just… a little… further…” he said in a pained voice.

He managed to reach the door and forced it open, allowing his party to quickly scamper inside. It was safe inside the Light Lighthouse, allowing the party to catch their breath. Standing before them was a large tube-like structure that showed powerful white energies surging through it, heading up a spiral staircase wrapping around it to the top of the tower.

Leon panted, “We… made it…”

“Just… barely…” Rupert puffed.

Zuzu fell to her knees, “I… I feel sick…”

Celtic turned to them, “Viola, Leon, see if you can give Zuzu something to help her. I’ll take things from here. The rest of you stay here for now.”

“Be careful…” Skye said. “If the energies were that strong at just the base, I can only imagine how bad they’ll be at the top.”

Celtic nodded as he started his climb up the spiral staircase. Eventually, he made it to the top, where a short ladder leading to a trapdoor was. Steeling his nerves, Celtic climbed up the short ladder and forced the trapdoor open. As he did, he could feel incredible amounts of super-powerful Light energies from above. Taking the Light Gem replica out, he managed to force himself through the trapdoor and up to the top of the Lighthouse. As he was hammered by the incredible energies, he could see a hole in the beacon-like structure shaped like a gem. With all his might he pushed against the energies and managed to shove the Light Gem replica in place.

“It’s done!” he stated.

It had an immediate effect. As soon as the Light Gem replica was secure, the Light energies suddenly stopped erupting, seemingly stabilizing instantly. This caused all the overflowing energy in the surrounding area to fade, returning everything to normal in moments. Celtic fell to his knees, completely exhausted, panting heavily, his body tingling from the sheer punishment it took from the rampaging energies. He slowly got back on his feet and started to make his way back to his party. A Shadow Sentinel suddenly appeared, startling him.

“Excellent work, Your Majesty!” the Shadow Sentinel stated. “Everything is in order now. My fellow Shadow Sentinels have already gathered the other Heroes and have taken them back to Delgunner for treatment. That means it’s your turn. I will take you and your party back to Delgunner post-haste, as you took the worst of it.”

“Yes, do so…” Celtic said in an exhausted tone.

He and the Shadow Sentinel vanished before reappearing in front of his party. They all vanished again and returned to Delgunner. As they appeared inside the throne room, they could see Shadokor medics standing by. King Alvin looked very pleased.

“Excellent work, Avalar!” he said. “You succeeded in stopping the Light Lighthouse! I’ve already informed the chefs to make a feast. For now, you and your party need to be medically treated immediately, as you clearly took the brunt of it. I will have my servants escort you to the dining hall when your treatment is complete.”

The Shadokor medics escorted Celtic and his party back to their guest room and immediately started to heal and treat them. As they did, Zuzu was clearly uncomfortable and rather anxious, her orange eyes darting around as she was being treated. This didn’t go unnoticed by the party.

“What’s with Zuzu?” Tyroe asked.

“Why does she look so panicky?” Viola asked.

Celtic rolled his eyes, “You guys are forgetting that Shadokor are the natural predators to Succuryns like Zuzu. Zuzu is afraid of Shadokor as a result. She’s only really comfortable around me because I don’t eat other demons, but she’s clearly scared of all the other Shadokor around her. Instincts can be quite overpowering at times, and it’s clear hers are demanding her to get away from the Shadokor medics even though she knows she needs treatment. Probably the second they’re done with her she’ll quickly get out of range.”

Sure enough, the moment the medics finished with Zuzu she immediately shot out of the chair she was in and floated as close to the ceiling as possible, keeping her distance.

“If there’s one thing that I’m glad Shadokor don’t have it’s the ability to fly,” she said in a frantic tone. “At least I’m safe up here. And I’m not coming down until every Shadokor, bar Celtic, has left the room!”

Skye replied, “Sure, Zuzu, you just hang out up there until everything is settled. At least a breakfast feast is waiting for you, so that’s something to look forward to.”

Zuzu was still wary but nodded, her thoughts clearly focused on the other Shadokor in the room instead of food. Eventually the rest of the party had been medically treated, with the Shadokor medics giving a collective bow before leaving. Zuzu hesitated at first before slowly returning to the ground, clearly relieved that the other Shadokor were gone. Celtic then started to practically peel the Moonshadow Gear off him, making everyone wince as they heard the Velcro-like sound it was making. He then gave a small yelp as he took the goggles off, noticing that part of his eyebrows were practically welded to the rims. Finally, after a few more minutes he had managed to get the Moonshadow Gear off and had put his usual outfit on.

“Woo, that smarts,” he said. “At least it’s over with. Now, hopefully the Druids, and all the other people who were displaced by the Light Lighthouse getting ‘activated’ can return to their livelihoods. And hopefully the Druids can complete the perfect copy of the Light Gem with anti-evil properties so we won’t have to try to recover the original Light Gem from Sylph and Infinator. I just hope we managed to nip this problem in the bud before it caused any major issues.”

Leon nodded, “Agreed, Cel. Hopefully with us… and the other ‘Heroes’… getting mobilized right away kept any long-term problems the ‘activation’ of the Light Lighthouse from taking effect. Or at least minimized them enough to not make a huge difference. We can only hope.”

Suddenly a knock was heard at their door with a female voice stating, “Sorry to bother you, but the breakfast feast is ready. When you are ready, please come to the main dining hall.”

Skye nodded, “Thanks, we’ll be there shortly.” She turned to the party, “Come on, gang, we need some fuel in our bellies. We deserve it after that early morning endeavor.”

Everyone nodded in agreement before leaving the guest room and heading toward the main dining hall for the breakfast feast. Celtic, however, was still worried.

“I just hope nothing bad comes from the Light Lighthouse’s ‘activation’,” he said silently. “I fear that the damage may already be done despite how quickly we took care of it. Guess time will tell. I just hope we’re ready for it.”

Next Chapter: Rise of the Elements

I wonder what the consequences of the Light Lighthouse getting activated will cause. We shall see soon enough.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter. I only just got it back from my proofreader (she had run out of printer paper so I had to print out copies of my stuff and hand-deliver it to her, as such it took longer than expected), but here it is. Time for the Spiria to rise again.

Rise of the Elements


It had been a few days since the Light Lighthouse had been activated. The people who were displaced by the Light Lighthouse’s activation had been safely returned to their homes. The Druids had also resumed their mission to create a perfect copy of the Light Gem to replace the one Sylph had stolen. The Shadokor had also continued their project to destroy the original Light Gem that was now in Infinator’s clutches to prevent him from using it to his advantage. Things were peaceful at the moment.

Celtic and his party were out on a guild quest for a nearby village. They were tasked with slaying some monsters that had been harassing the village. The monster horde consisted of primate-like creatures called Goremates, anthropomorphic lizards called Lizard Brutes, and man-eating plant-like creatures called Jawchids. As the party tore through the monsters, little did they know that something was watching them.

Perched on a tree branch just above them was a small creature. It had a somewhat pear-shaped body, being decently bottom-heavy, dark purple in color, with short kangaroo-like legs and long feet, a large feather-shaped tail, medium-sized bird wings, a light blue bullet-shaped head with a large cockatoo-like crest, and big pupil-less jade green eyes. As it watched the Shroud Hero’s party take down the monsters, it kept its eyes on Celtic in particular, seemingly interested in the redhead. After the last monster was slayed, Celtic and his party took a moment to celebrate and rest while Celtic took a few samples from the monsters for his Shroud. It was then the creature made its move. Quickly and quietly it zipped over to the party who were completely unaware of it, slipped underneath the Shroud and sat on the top of Celtic’s Tek-Pak before curling up and closing its eyes to nap. Still unaware of the hitchhiker, the party collected some of the more valuable items from the monsters, such as the Lizard Brute’s swords and shields before returning to the village, carting some of the monster carcasses with them. The villagers greeted them warmly as they did.

The village leader smiled, “Thank you, noble Shroud Hero. You took care of those nasty monsters that have been attacking our shipments of crops. We’re collecting your reward as we speak, so please be patient while we gather it up. We’ll take the bodies of those monsters off your hands, as we have plans for them. Men, please take those monsters from the Shroud Hero’s party and cart them off to harvest parts from.”

Several men walked over and took the downed monsters from the party, eagerly dragging them off to harvest components for their needs. A few minutes later a village woman handed over a pouch of coins to Celtic.

“As promised: 200 silver,” she said with a smile. “Thank you again, noble Shroud Hero.”

Celtic took the pouch of coins before turning to Skye, “Okay, we’re done here. Skye, please take us back to Delgunner’s capital.”

Skye smiled, “No problem. Warp.”

The party vanished from the area before reappearing in front of Delgunner’s gates. The guards greeted them warmly as they entered the city, heading toward the guild. When they got there the guild staff looked at them and smiled.

“Ah, Sir Shroud Hero!” the man at the counter said. “I take it you took care of those Lizard Brutes and their monster buddies then?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, they’ve been dealt with. The job is complete.”

“Excellent! That’s another job that we can cross off. Let me get your payment.” He walked into the back room before returning with a pouch of coins, “Here you go. 2,000 silvers as promised. We’ll call you again whenever another job comes in. Thank you again.”

Celtic took the pouch of coins and returned to his party. As they walked down the street they suddenly heard a strange noise, making them stop. It sounded like the whistling of a flute.

“Tell me I’m not the only one hearing that noise,” Celtic said.

Skye’s ears were twitching, “No, we hear it, too. And it sounds close.”

Zuzu then noticed something, “Am I having a moment or is there something underneath your Shroud? I see a strange lump on your back, just above where your Tek-Pak rests on your back. Looks like we have a hitchhiker.”

Everyone looked at where Zuzu was pointing, showing that there was a small lump underneath the Shroud, rising and lowering in a steady rhythm, giving off the whistling noise. Skye approached Celtic and gently lifted the Shroud up, revealing the napping creature, her eyes going wide.

“C-Cel…” she stuttered. “I… I think that’s a Spiria!”

Everyone except Celtic gasped at Skye’s statement, much to the redhead’s confusion.

“What’s a Spiria?” he asked.

“Spiria are an ancient race of beings that are composed of elemental energies. They are, in essence, living elemental energy. Spiria were a huge deal way back in the day, and if someone had bonded with one, their power grew tremendously. They said that whoever has a Spiria could lay waste to an army of 100 enemies in one swoop. They’re just that powerful.”

Viola scratched her chin, “Are we certain it’s a Spiria?”

Skye gently scooped up the sleeping creature and showed it to everyone. Leon took a closer look as she did.

“By the Pit, it is a Spiria!” he sputtered.

Rupert scratched his head, “Yeah, but… didn’t the Spiria go extinct during the Great Demon War?”

Zuzu replied, “That’s what the history books state, anyway. However… I wonder… maybe the Spiria didn’t go extinct and instead went into a deep hibernation?”

Tyroe looked confused, “Maybe. But, if that’s true, then why has one appeared all of a sudden? What’s so different about now than before?”

Suddenly, it all dawned on them at once.

“The Light Lighthouse!” they exclaimed.

Leon’s eyes went wide, “Of course! The Light Lighthouse was recently ‘activated’! If Zuzu is correct, then the sudden surge of elemental energy must’ve woken the Spiria up from their long slumber! It’s the only thing that has happened recently outside of Infinator’s waves!”

Viola nodded, “Yeah, and it makes perfect sense. Spiria are living elemental energy beings, so they would most definitely react to a sudden increase of elemental energy in the world. Which means that, because the Light Lighthouse was activated, the Spiria are returning to the world.”

Skye’s ears suddenly dropped, “Uh-oh, that’s both a good and bad thing. I just realized something. As I said, even just having one Spiria is enough to empower a person to enormous levels. If our enemies like Sylph realize this, she, and the rest of Infinator’s faction, could start hunting down Spiria to bolster their chances at winning the war! It could end up creating an arms race, as even just a single Spiria could tip the scales into either side’s favor.”

Zuzu nodded, “Yeah, that’s a good point. And knowing Sylph she will not pass up on a chance to further empower herself. She’s already a juggernaut on her own. If she got ahold of even just one Spiria it could be more than enough to steamroll any force that tries to oppose Infinator, even us. Which means we need to either keep Infinator’s forces from learning about the Spiria or at least keep any Spiria away from them.”

Celtic shook his head, “Easier said than done. Still… at the same time, if we bond with Spiria, it can also bolster our chances at winning the war. That’s an advantage we cannot pass up on, either.” He then said silently, looking at the sleeping Spiria, “Besides… I’d hate to see a cute creature like this in the claws of Sylph. It’s… absolutely precious.”

It was at this time the Spiria was starting to awaken, much to everyone’s surprise. It opened its big eyes, made a noise like a yawn, stretched its wings and tail, and looked around at the party. It then looked at Celtic and immediately started to wag its feather-shaped tail like a dog, hopping up and down in Skye’s hands. It then jumped out of Skye’s hands and flew around Celtic’s head happily before landing on his right shoulder. Celtic hesitated at first before he gently stroked it under the chin, which made the Spiria even happier, wagging its tail even harder and giving a coo-like purr. Celtic gave a small smile as it did.

“I guess I have a new friend now,” he said.

Suddenly, the Spiria turned into a ball of energy and fused with him, much to his alarm. As it did, however, Celtic noticed his stats on his stat vision suddenly jump a good 50%. He could also see what looked like a pop-up screen appear in his stat vision that told him about the Spiria inside of him, his eyes widening as he read the information.

“Woah! You weren’t kidding, Skye. This Spiria just boosted all my stats by 50%! And I even have some sort of pop-up in my stat vision that’s telling me about this Spiria. Says it’s a Wind Spiria named Gust and its special ability is to create a healing wind that restores the Hit Points and Magic Points of all party members by 50%. I guess that means it’s a support-based ability.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah, from what I’ve studied about Spiria, they each have their own ability that they grant to the person they’ve bonded with. They can be broken down into offensive, defensive, and support abilities. Also, just like the Ice Empress, Spiria can defend themselves by using any and all elemental attacks of their respective element, so they’re not defenseless on their own. But, wow, we found a Spiria. We’d better report this to King Alvin, as this is major news.”

Everyone nodded and quickly made their way back to the castle. To their luck, King Alvin was with his family alongside King Duskbane, as they were discussing about what Infinator’s next move would be. They were surprised to see the Shroud Hero party suddenly run up to them.

“Woah, where’s the fire?” King Duskbane stated. “You seven are sure in a hurry. What’s going on?”

Leon stated, “Your Majesties, we’ve just made a major discovery. One that could completely change the outcome of the war. We’ve discovered, or rather rediscovered, the ancient race of Spiria.”

The various royal family members suddenly went silent, eyes wide, mouths agape, completely stunned.

“Y-You’re kidding me,” King Alvin sputtered. “The Spiria have returned?!”

Queen Amelia looked confused, “But… didn’t they go extinct during the Great Demon War?”

Viola replied, “Zuzu came up with an interesting theory. They didn’t go extinct but rather returned to the planet and went into a deep hibernation. Because the Light Lighthouse was recently activated, the sudden surge of elemental energy woke them up and they’re slowly coming out of the woodwork. A Wind Spiria named Gust took a liking to Celtic and hitched a ride with us back to Delgunner after we completed our most recent guild job. It has since bonded with Celtic, boosting his stats and giving him a new ability.”

King Duskbane looked stunned, “Is that true, Avalar? You rediscovered the ancient race of Spiria today?”

Celtic sighed, “I didn’t ‘rediscover’ it. Like Viola said, one just happened to be nearby and took a liking to me. It hitched a ride without us even knowing it was there until it started… I guess you could say snoring. Otherwise I would’ve never noticed the little critter until much later.”

King Alvin looked eager, “Please, Avalar, show us this Spiria!”

“Okay… I just hope I know how to do this. Let’s try this…” He held out his metal palm and stated, “Gust, come forth…?”

A small sphere of energy suddenly formed in his palm, floated around for a bit before landing in front of Celtic, returning to solid form. Gust looked around before looking up at Celtic endearingly, wagging its tail as it did. The royals present jumped to their feet.

“By the Pit, it IS a Spiria!” King Duskbane sputtered.

Gust got startled by the sudden motion and quickly flew up to Celtic’s shoulder, slightly hiding behind his head, clearly unsure of what was going on. Celtic gently stroked it’s head with his normal hand, making Gust calm down. The royals were slack-jawed at the sight of the Spiria as it gently nuzzled Celtic’s hand.

King Alvin looked at Celtic with wide eyes, “Avalar, do you realize what this means? The Spiria have returned after their 2,500-year absence! This is a major discovery! This means that other Spiria could be roaming around as well! We must try to track them down before Infinator’s faction does, as even just one Spiria could very easily tip the scales into either side’s favor! I never thought I’d see the day when the Spiria would return. This discovery could completely change the war we’re in.”

Rupert nodded, “Yeah, and that’s both a good thing and a bad one. With the Spiria returning it could very easily turn this war into an arms race, as this is an opportunity that neither side can afford to pass up on.”

Tyroe then gained a worried expression, “I also worry if some of the other nations take this opportunity to try to climb the royal pecking order by gathering Spiria. That might cause a problem if that happens.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Yes, that’s a very good point, Sir Tyroe. While most of the nations, barring those backstabbing Light Elves, have been rather content with how the royal ranking system is now, I can see that some of the more malcontents might take this as a chance to up their status. Still, at the same time, the other nations need to know about this, as the Spiria are a massive deal. Even if it causes some of the other nations to get ambitious, they are still our allies in this fight against Infinator, so they have the right to know. But you do bring up a very good point. We’ll have to keep an eye on that so it doesn’t cause our side to fracture at an inconvenient time. But, still, this is a golden opportunity for us to bolster our forces against Infinator’s faction and help tip the war into our favor. We must act now and see if we can locate more Spiria before Sylph or any other member of Infinator’s side discover their reemergence. While I doubt we can keep this quiet from Infinator’s forces for long, it might give us just enough time to gather some Spiria before his next wave. Every advantage counts, especially since Infinator now has the original Light Gem, though we do have plans for it. Keep your eyes peeled for anymore Spiria, as even just one can make or break the war.”

Skye smiled as she looked at Gust, “Well, Gust, looks like you may have become one of our trump cards. And maybe we can find some more friends for you in the process.”

Gust wagged its tail as it heard that, saying something in an unknown language that sounded like chirps, warbles, and clicks. Celtic’s eyes widened as he heard this.

“W-Wait!” he sputtered. “I… I just understood what Gust said. But… I’ve never heard of that language before, so how could I understand what it said?”

Zuzu suggested, “Maybe because you bonded with it? Maybe when someone bonds with a Spiria you gain the ability to understand their native language? Just a possibility.”

Leon nodded, “I agree, as it does makes sense. Looks like the activation of the Light Lighthouse is already having an impact on the planet due to the Spiria returning. This can very easily make or break the war, so we need to work fast.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing that the war’s stakes just increased drastically.

Next Chapter: Flight of the Spiria

And that's all for now. You can probably guess where the inspiration for the Spiria came from: the Djinni from the Golden Sun series. But how will the Spiria affect the war? We shall see.
 
Here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. I would've posted it sooner but I had a terrible night with persistent stomach cramps so I was asleep most of the day. Anyway, on with the show.

Flight of the Spiria


It had only been a few hours since Celtic and his party “discovered” Gust and reported it to King Alvin and King Duskbane. Within that short timeframe it had been heavily reported to both the public and Delgunner’s allies that the Shroud Hero had rediscovered the long-lost race after their 2,500-year absence. The various kingdoms and their people were clamoring over the discovery, further praising the Shroud Hero, much to Celtic’s displeasure.

Celtic and his party were in the city square, near the large fountain. People had been coming up to them to confirm what King Alvin had said about the Spiria for quite some time. The redhead was exhausted from having to confirm the information repeatedly, showing them Gust to prove it. It wasn’t long before the other Heroes learned of it.

Lucas and his all-female party approached Celtic, “Celtic, what’s all this nonsense about ‘Spiria’? And why are you getting all the…” He, however, stopped when he saw Gust sitting on Celtic’s shoulder like a parrot, eyes widening. “I-Is that one of those Spiria everyone is talking about?!”

Celtic, who was annoyed and exhausted merely said, “Yup. This is Gust, a Wind Spiria.”

Lucas started to gush, “It’s adorable!” He reached out to Gust, “Come here!”

To his surprise, Gust flattened its body, raised its tail up, arched its wings, narrowed its eyes and started to give a cicada-like hiss. Lucas retracted his hands instantly in surprise.

Celtic said in a bored tone, “Looks like Gust doesn’t like you. They say that Spiria can sense things on a level even higher than the Druids, such as the qualities and nature of a person. They’re very empathic creatures and only allow those that meet their high requirements to bond with them. At least that’s what the textbooks say about them. Considering it’s been 2,500 years since they last walked this world, it’s hard to know if that information is totally accurate or not.”

Although a bit annoyed that Gust hissed at him, Lucas asked, “So, where did you find this Spiria?”

Skye replied, “While we were out on a guild request, which was a monster slaying quest, Gust just happened to be nearby and hitched a ride with us, taking a nap on top of Celtic’s Tek-Pak and underneath his Shroud. We didn’t even realize it was with us until it started ‘snoring’. If you’re looking to acquire one for yourself, since that’s obviously what you’re angling for, we simply found Gust out in the wild.”

One of the women in Lucas’ party asked, “But, why now? Why are they all of a sudden appearing?”

Viola, who was lounging in a nearby tree, replied, “It’s because of the ‘activation’ of the Light Lighthouse. The sudden surge of elemental energy caused by Sylph stealing the Light Gem seemed to have awaked the Spiria after a very long hibernation. Considering that Spiria are, in essence, living elemental energy beings, it makes sense that the sudden increase of elemental energy from the Light Lighthouse would affect them.”

Wench laughed, “Considering that Spiria chose the loser Celtic as its host must mean that this Spiria has low standards. Lucas getting one will be easy.”

Gust didn’t take kindly to that remark. Its eyes suddenly started glowing, which caused a small tornado to appear and swept up Wench. As it spun her around, she screamed in terror. Using its tail to direct the tornado, Gust sent it slamming into a nearby tree, causing Wench to be splattered into the trunk. She remained almost plastered to the tree before she virtually peeled off it and crashed to the ground, dazed and hurt. Everyone in Celtic’s party snickered darkly at this. Gust then said something in its native language which only Celtic understood.

“Gust says that I’m a person of high quality,” the redhead chuckled. “It also said that no self-respecting Spiria would go anywhere near someone like you, Wench, as it can tell you’re as vile as Infinator himself, possibly even worse. Trying to find one of Gust’s brethren will only result in you getting rejected and potentially even attacked, so don’t bother.”

Lucas looked stunned, “Y-You understood what it just said?!”

“Yeah, it surprised me, too. However, it appears that when someone bonds with a Spiria they gain the ability to understand their language. At least that seems to be the case, as after Gust bonded with me I gained the ability to understand its native language. There isn’t a lot of information on that, so that’s just an educated guess.”

Wench had managed to recover, glaring daggers at Gust, who retuned the glare with contempt.

“Then we’ll just have to prove you wrong, Shroud Devil!” she hissed. “Let’s go and find a Spiria and prove that we’re superior in every way!”

Lucas nodded, “I’m all for it. Besides, I want one of those cuties on my team. It could be our mascot.”

And on that note, with Wench still infuriated at her humiliation from Gust, Lucas and his party left.

Leon rolled his eyes, “They won’t succeed in the task, especially Wench. Spiria has very high standards, so people like Lucas and Wench won’t get anywhere with a Spiria. Their mission is doomed to fail.”

Rupert nodded, “And that’s a good thing. Can you imagine Wench with a Spiria? I’d feel terribly sorry for the poor creature if she ever got ahold of one.”

Zuzu, who was lazily floating above them, replied, “They still might have a chance, though. From what I’ve heard, there are two ways to bond with a Spiria. One is to let it bond with you on its own accord, and the second way is to battle it one-on-one and defeat it. However, I’m not positive if the second method will guarantee their loyalty. Spiria only bond with those they deem worthy, so while defeating one in battle may be a way to bond with it, I’m not sure if the Spiria will respect that person or not if acquired by that method.”

Tyroe nodded, “That’s a good point, Zuzu. Which makes me worried about any poor Spiria that those goons find.”

Skye looked up at Zuzu, “Hey, Zuzu, how did you know about that? I’ve never heard of the fact that there are actually two methods to get a Spiria to bond with you. Sounds like you know a lot.”

Zuzu shook her head, “No, I don’t know that much. I’ve only really heard old legends and stuff over my nearly 400-year life, mostly just snippets of information scattered about. I doubt I know more than you do, since you’ve actually studied while I’ve just lived by the survival of the fittest mantra, only picking up bits of info as I go. Other than just small tidbits of info here and there, I don’t know much more.”

“Still, that’s valuable information,” Viola replied. “It means that those who are ambitious enough may be able to bond with a Spiria through force. But it does raise the question if a Spiria will be loyal to them or not if they do acquire one that way.”

“Let’s hope not, otherwise those poor Spiria will be in for a rough ride,” Rupert stated. “Especially if enemies like Sylph can gather Spiria through that method. After all, it’s only a matter of time before Infinator’s faction gets wind of the Spiria returning, ultimately creating an arms race for dominance. There may be other possible side-effects of the Spiria returning, like more ambitious kingdoms looking to up their status. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Celtic gently stroked Gust under the chin, making it purr happily, stating, “Then we’d better try to gather up some other Spiria before then, especially if it keeps our enemies from gaining a foothold against us. While we won’t go out of our way to hunt them down, as that might be rather counterproductive, if we encounter any Spiria along the way, we’ll try to win them over to our side.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. After a while they returned to the castle to have dinner and head for bed. Little did they know that something was watching them.

As night fell, the various Heroes and their parties were asleep in the castle. Suddenly, a sphere of energy floated around outside of the castle, seemingly looking into the windows to find someone. When it spotted the room Celtic’s party was in, it managed to phase through the window and floated above Skye. The light it was producing was nagging away at Skye, making her tighten her eyelids. The energy ball floated down and landed on her chest before taking form into another Spiria. The sudden added weight on her chest finally awoke the Light Elf. She opened one eye and nearly jumped at what she saw.

“Woah!” she sputtered.

This startled everyone awake, all looking surprised at the sudden outburst.

“W-What’s wrong?!” Celtic asked groggily.

Skye sputtered, “A Spiria just landed on my chest!”

It took a moment for everyone to process this before they all went wide-eyed and looked at the Spiria that was happily sitting on top of Skye’s breasts. Its body was an aqua blue color, rather stocky in appearance, with a yellow belly, a long tail ending in a trio of red fins similar to a propeller, flipper-like feet, a large head that looked vaguely like a helmet with several soft spikes on top, and glowing yellow eyes. As it looked at Skye endearingly, it wagged its tail, saying something it its language to her.

“Apparently, this Spiria is a Water Spiria named Torrent,” Celtic translated. “It noticed you earlier in the day but didn’t want Lucas or Wench seeing it, so it remained hidden until now. It also says that your quite pretty with nice, soft pillows.”

Skye gave the Spiria a crooked smile, “Look, I know that my 24 G-cup breasts are nice and soft, but they’re not ‘pillows’, you know. But that aside, I take it you want to bond with me?”

Torrent nodded before turning back into its energy form and bonding with her. Skye could feel her power increase and Celtic could see on his stat vision that Skye’s stats increased by 45%. Shortly afterward, a pop-up appeared in his stat vision, describing the Spiria’s ability to him.

“It appears that Torrent’s ability is a support ability,” he said. “When called upon it can double the party’s speed for the duration of the battle. And it seems this ability can stack, as if you call upon Torrent again later in the same battle; it can repeat the process and double the party’s already enhanced speed again. We’d basically become Sonic the Hedgehog after getting boosted a few times by Torrent’s ability.”

Leon turned to him, “Who’s Sonic the Hedgehog? Is he a game character from Earth?”

“Yeah, though it’s not important right now. I’ll tell you sometime later. But, still, this means that we now have two Spiria bonded with us within a single day. It appears Spiria naturally like us, or at least that seems to be the case, since both Gust and Torrent seeked us out. And at least it means there’s one less Spiria away from greedy hands like Sylph or Wench.”

An energy ball emerged from Skye’s body and took form back into Torrent, who happily wagged its tail as it sat on her lap. Skye sat up and gently stroked its head, causing it to give the same cooing purr that Gust gave.

She smiled, “You’re such a cutie. We’d be happy to have you on our team. And now Gust will have a new friend. Just no more resting on my breasts. Only Celtic deserves that.”

Celtic gave her an odd look at that remark, making her giggle in response, while the rest of the party merely rolled their eyes, chuckling.

“Still, this does bode well for us,” Viola stated. “If two Spiria sought us out and bonded with us so readily within such a short time span, then it’s possible that the rest of us will get a Spiria just as easily.”

Zuzu merely said, “I sincerely doubt I’ll get one. I’m a morally grey wild demon, a rogue at best. I doubt a Spiria will deem me worthy of it.”

Tyroe smiled, “Don’t say that, Zuzu. Stranger things have happened, after all. Don’t write yourself off so readily like that. For all we know a Spiria could be waiting for you just outside the city walls. At this point, anything is possible. At least you’re considerably better than Wench will ever be, so you have that advantage at least.”

“That is true,” the demoness nodded. “But I’m going to be cautiously optimistic on this subject. Though… I admit… it would be nice if such a cute and special creature deemed me worthy. Guess only time will tell.”

Celtic smiled, “That’s more like it, Zuzu. You are one of us, after all, so I can see a Spiria bonding with you. But, enough of this, let’s get back to sleep, as we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

Skye gently stroked Torrent’s head, “Okay, Torrent, time for bed. Fuse with me and get some rest. And don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe from that evil Wench.”

Torrent wagged its tail again as it heard that statement. It then turned back into an energy form and fused with Skye. After a few minutes the party fell asleep again, wondering what may happen next.

It was the following day and the party was taking another guild request. They were hunting down a certain monster that had been causing trouble lately.

Celtic stated, “Okay, our target is a monster called a Minotaurgon. This one in particular has gained the moniker ‘Knight Killer’ because it has downed many low-level soldiers. According to the information we got, it tends to dwell around Crescent Moon Forest and can be easily identified from its fellow Minotaurgons by its blood-stained axe, scarred hooves, and a missing right eye. It’s also said to be bigger than normal, too. Hopefully we can get the drop on it before it does the same to us.”

Suddenly, they all heard rustling in the bushes nearby, making them all take a battle-ready pose. Something small and fast zipped out from the bushes and quickly hid in Zuzu’s hair, much to her surprise. Before anyone could find out what the mysterious creature was, Lucas and his party suddenly emerged from the same direction. Their eyes narrowed as they saw each other.

“What are you doing here, Celtic?” Lucas growled.

“Doing a guild request,” the redhead replied simply. “We’re tasked with dealing with a stronger-than-normal monster causing trouble around this forest. I hope you’re not after that same monster.”

“No, we’re not. We’re chasing a Spiria that we found. Have you seen it?”

The Shroud Hero’s party immediately put the pieces of the puzzle together, now realizing what the mystery creature was.

Skye gestured behind her, “So that’s what that thing was that zipped past us. It went that way, toward the southern end of the forest.”

Wench said, “Then let’s go after it! That Spiria is ours, as we saw it first!”

Zuzu shrugged, “Whatever floats your boat. We’ve got work to do, anyway, so we’re not going to chase after it ourselves. Enjoy your wild goose chase.”

Lucas gestured to his party, “Let’s go, quickly, before it gets away.”

He and his party ran fast in the direction Skye mentioned. The party waited a few minutes, trying to see if Lucas and his party were gone. After they didn’t hear any more from him, they all nodded.

Zuzu turned her head to the small lump that was hidden in her unkempt hair, “Okay, you can come out now, they’re gone.”

The Spiria poked its head out, taking a cautious look around to see if Lucas and his party were really gone. After a minute of looking and listening it seemed to sigh in relief before emerging from Zuzu’s long mess of hair, allowing the party to get a good look at it.

This Spiria was more slender than Gust and Torrent. Its body was electric yellow, had a brown belly, short kangaroo-like legs with large feet ending in jagged tips, a large tail shaped like a lightning bolt, small soft spikes lining its back, a triangular-shaped head with a trident-shaped crest, and deep sapphire blue eyes. It took a moment to look around again before looking at the party that protected it.

“Judging by the color and its design, this looks like a Lightning Spiria,” Viola observed.

The Lightning Spiria looked around at the party with grateful eyes before they locked onto Zuzu. It hopped over to her and started to nuzzle against her bare leg, wagging its tail, making her eyes widen.

“Wait…” she said, surprised. “You… You like me?”

The Spiria looked up at her and nodded. It then flew up to her shoulder, perched on it, and nuzzled against her head, cooing as it did. Zuzu was in a state of shock as it did this while the rest of the party merely smiled.

“Looks like you made a new friend, Zuzu,” Celtic said warmly.

Rupert smiled, “See? You shouldn’t have written yourself off so readily like that, Zuzu. This Spiria clearly likes you. We knew that a Spiria would find you worthy of it and that’s just what happened.”

Zuzu hesitated for a moment before she gently stroked the Spiria’s chin, making his coo happily. Her stunned face slowly melted into a smile.

“Well… okay then…” she said, still surprised. “I guess I now have a Spiria. I never thought I’d be considered worthy of one. Looks like I was wrong.”

The Spiria nodded before turning into an energy ball and fusing with her. Zuzu could feel her power growing and on Celtic’s stat vision he noticed her stats increasing by 57%, followed by a pop-up detailing the Spiria to him.

“According to my stat vision,” he said. “This Spiria is, indeed, a Lightning Spiria called Jolt. Its ability is an offensive one, where it coats the user’s body and weapons with powerful electrical energy, enhancing their next attack. It also says that when the user is enveloped in that electrical energy they gain the ability to pierce defensive abilities like Stone Body and deal double damage in the process. Considering Sylph uses Stone Body as a defensive tactic, that could be a very powerful weapon against her.”

Zuzu chuckled darkly, “Yeah, that would be an effective weapon against Sylph. While my obsession with beating her has died down since that one-sided pummeling I took, having this new ability could very easily give me the edge against her. I… I’m just still surprised that I was deemed worthy of a Spiria since it’s said they have such high standards. But, at the same time, it does prove that I’m considered a better person than Lucas or Wench. I’m just… at a loss at what to think. I never thought that I’d be more worthy than a Legendary Hero for a Spiria, and yet that’s exactly what happened. Guess you guys were right.”

Leon smiled, “Still, it’s best we keep that information from Lucas. If he knew that we obtained the Spiria he’s been chasing, he’d claim we ‘stole’ it from him. But, either way, we now have another Spiria on our team. This definitely bodes well for us. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before all seven of us have a Spiria. And that’s an advantage we cannot pass up on.”

Celtic nodded, “Agreed. Now, enough of this, we still have a job to do. Let’s find this ‘Knight Killer’ and cut it down to size before any more soldiers meet the same fate. Come, we better find that bull brute and turn it into burgers.”

With a final nod, the party resumed their search for their target. As they did their spirits were high due to the new additions to the party. Zuzu in particular was very inwardly happy at the fact that she was proven worthy of the Spiria. The party hoped that these new Spiria would give them the much-needed edge against their enemies.

Next Chapter: Wings of Disaster

And that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to find out what happens next.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising, fresh from the editing board. Time for the next wave. Who will win?

Wings of Destruction


It had been nearly a week since the Spiria were first rediscovered. Celtic and his party were busy prepping for the next wave which, according to the Infinity Hourglass, was only days away. It was also by that point that each member of the party had acquired a Spiria for themselves, significantly boosting their power and strengthening their abilities. The other Heroes had learned about the Spiria and the fact that Celtic’s party all acquired one each which made them fume with jealousy, as the Spiria they tried tracking down wanted nothing to do with them and ran away before they could even catch them.

Inside the castle the party was hard at work. Celtic and Viola were crafting as many potions and medicine as they could, their respective Spiria helping them with the task. Viola’s Spiria would keep gathering the various herbs that she needed for her potion making, making the Arachne smile. Her Spiria was a forest green color, its body was shaped like a plant bulb, with short legs ending in feet that looked like tree roots, a long tail ending in a flower bud-like shape, a “cape” made from leaf-like structures, a pumpkin seed-shaped head with a crest shaped like a maple leaf, and bright pink eyes. As the Spiria continued to gather the needed herbs she asked it to, it seemed to have the power to enhance the herbs, thereby making her potions even more powerful.

Viola smiled as her Spiria collected and enhanced another set of herbs for her, “Thanks to my new Nature Spiria, Mint, and its ability to enhance plant life, my potions are even better than ever. Plus, now I have a new offensive ability because of it. Since I’m more of a white mage who relies heavily on my scythe and the Scythe Wind Cutter to deal damage, Mint’s ability grants me the power to summon spear-like thorny vines to stab my foes. That gives me another way of dealing damage to our foes. It can even hit flying enemies, which is very helpful to us.”

Celtic nodded as Gust helped him by carrying over some herbs with its tail, “Yes, every advantage we can get is something we can’t pass up on. And it’s good to see that our Spiria get along so well.”

As he said that, Gust and Mint used their tails in a handshake-like fashion, clearly happy to be around each other before resuming, making the duo chuckle. Leon suddenly walked in, carrying a crate of other medical supplies such as gauze wrap and ointments, a Spiria sitting on his shoulder. This one was rather lanky, bright red in color, a gold colored belly, short legs ending in narrow feet, a large tail shaped like a plume of fire, a round head with a forked crest and ocean blue eyes. As he put the crate down his Spiria nuzzled against him, making him smile.

“Thanks for your help, Fever,” he said. “You have a surprisingly good eye for quality items for a Fire Spiria.”

Fever puffed up its chest and lifted its head up proudly at the compliment, making Leon chuckle.

Celtic turned to him, “Good work, Leon. Hopefully that’ll be enough, though considering that Infinator’s attacks are almost akin to natural disasters, I still worry that we’re only scratching the surface despite our preparations. And, of course, the other ‘Heroes’ are still letting their status go to their heads and not taking any time to prep for the fight ahead. I swear, between them and Infinator, I worry about this world’s future.”

Leon nodded as he brushed some hair out of face, “I hear ya, Cel. Those four are walking disaster areas. Wherever they go, hell is sure to follow. I just wish they’d take this seriously instead of acting like this is all a game. I dread what it will take for them to finally see the light.”

Skye then walked in with Torrent on her shoulder, saying, “It’ll probably take nothing short of a disaster of epic proportions that they caused for them to finally put two and two together. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Viola gave a sad sigh, “Yes, I fear that’ll end up being the case. Let’s just hope to the high heavens that they get the message before that happens. But… considering how they’re stubbornly holding onto this RPG mentality; it may end up that way.”

Celtic could only sigh, “For them to see hell on earth caused by their stupidity may be the only catalyst that’ll break that mindset. On the one hand I want them to see their destruction first-hand, to show them that their actions have real consequences… but, as they say, ‘be careful what you wish for’. By the way, Skye, when will Rupert, Tyroe, and Zuzu return?”

Skye replied, “They shouldn’t be much longer.”

Just then the door to their room opened up, making them all turn around.

“Speak of the devil… huh?!”

Zuzu, Rupert, and Tyroe had returned but they were accompanied by Ike and a familiar group of soldiers and mages.

“Pardon us, but we have a request,” Ike said.

Celtic quirked an eyebrow, “Ike? And aren’t you lot the group of soldiers and mages that have helped us in the past? Why are you here?”

One of the mages stepped up, “We want to accompany you with this next Infinator wave. Because of you the lot of us have not only gained new, better homes, but better pay and food and are now part of Delgunner’s forces. We feel indebted to you for the fact that King Duskbane and King Alvin had us moved from the former Light Elf territory to here, giving us better lives in the process. We know that it was your memories of us that got King Duskbane’s attention, thereby granting us this new, better life. So, we want to repay you for that by helping you with the next wave. Delgunner and Shadoria are going to spread out their troops to the various areas where Infinator’s waves will take place next, but we want to accompany you to your particular battle. Will you allow it?”

Everyone in the Shroud Hero’s party exchanged looks, seemingly understanding each other, before Celtic replied, “Sure, that would be a huge help. Since we now know that Infinator’s attacks are taking place in specific areas where previous dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm once existed, we suspect that this may be the final ‘test’ that Infinator needs to narrow down his searches to the areas where the dimensional walls are the thinnest. Having you lot backing us up will be very much appreciated.”

The soldiers and mages all smiled, with Ike stating, “Thank you, Sir Shroud Hero! What can we do to help?”

Leon examined their gear before saying, “I suggest you go get some better armor and such. Delgunner’s standard gear is solid, but it may not be enough, especially since the waves are only going to get stronger from here on out. Every bit of support can make a difference in these life-and-death fights. I just hope you can afford some better gear before then, as we’ve only got a few days left.”

Celtic picked up his Tek-Pak and ejected one of the large Mountain Roc feathers from before, handing it over to Ike.

“Here, Ike, sell this Mountain Roc feather,” he said. “It’ll fetch a good 50 gold at least, due to how valuable Mountain Roc feathers are. Use the money you get from the feather to buy yourself better equipment for this fight. If there’s any leftover money, divide it amongst yourselves. Don’t worry, I’ve got a few more feathers where this one came from, as we did have to correct the Sword Hero’s blunder when he killed a female Mountain Roc but didn’t realize its mate would go berserk, so we gathered up a few of the molted feather after that. After that, I suggest Danial’s blacksmith shop, as he's got good quality items for the price. We go to him for anything we need, so we know he has good stuff. After that I’ll register you as temporary party members so you’ll get transported with us when the time comes.”

Ike smiled, holding the feather, “Yes, thank you, Sir Shroud Hero. We’ll get right on it. And thank you for having us.”

Skye placed a hand on her hip, “You lot do good work, that’s for sure. And you’re considerably more helpful than the other Heroes, so it’ll really help us when the next Infinator attack comes. Besides, I’ve got a feeling that we’ll have to deal with a Demon General this time, as Infinator needs the data from his various waves to find out where the dimensional walls between here and the Demon Realm are at their weakest. As such, it would be smarter for him to dispatch a Demon General, as they’re far more intelligent than just boss monsters, even customized ones.”

Zuzu stated, “I can pretty much confirm your feeling, Skye. When I was spying on Infinator and Sylph, I learned that he does plan to send out another Demon General into battle upon his next wave. Which Demon General it will be I don’t know, but I’m willing to bet it won’t be Sylph. Hopefully it won’t be your trans-mutated mother, as that may hamper your resolve, though that would play in Infinator’s favor. We’ll just have to see.”

Skye’s ears dropped, “Don’t remind me. It’s painful enough that she’s in Infinator’s clutches, much less the fact that she’s being trans-mutated into a Demon General. Hopefully we can find a way to save her, as I don’t think I could kill her even if it meant ending her misery.”

Rupert then said, “We’ll find a way, Skye. But, for now, let’s focus on our prep work. You’d better get going, Ike, and sell that Mountain Roc feather so you can get the extra funds for better gear. Don’t accept anything less than 50 gold, as, from we’ve learned, that’s pretty much the bare minimum a Mountain Roc feather is worth, so don’t let a shopkeeper swindle you.”

Ike nodded, “Right, we’ll do that right away. And thank you again. We’ll be back when we’re all ready.”

Ike and his small band left with the Mountain Roc feather, eager to sell it, leaving the party behind.

Tyroe smiled, “That was good of you, Celtic, to give them one of the Mountain Roc feathers to sell so they can get better gear quicker. I’m a bit surprised you were willing to be that generous.”

“Time is of the essence,” Celtic replied. “Normally, I’d have them earn the money as a test so they can buy the needed gear, but we don’t have a lot of time. Besides, we already know just how far Ike and his friends will go to help us, so that’s pretty much enough proof for me to give them what they need myself with no strings attached. Anyway, we need to keep working, since I can pretty much guarantee that the Legendary Stooges won’t make the effort to do the same. Especially now that they’re so jealous of us because we all gained a Spiria and they didn’t. They’ll probably do whatever they can to upstage us in the upcoming battle. On that note, let’s get back to work.”

Nodding, the party resumed preparation for the upcoming wave, knowing that they were in for a big battle.

A few days passed since then. The time was upon them. Celtic and his party were outside the castle with Ike and his crew. Upon request, King Alvin granted the group a horse and wagon to carry all the supplies they had gathered and created for the upcoming battle. Ike and his crew were also donning new, stronger-looking gear. Celtic was making the final checks and preps as the mini Infinity Hourglass he had showed they only had minutes left.

He turned to Ike, “Okay, all the final preparations are done. You all will be transported with my party to our designated battleground. I admit I’m impressed by one thing, you actually managed to convince King Alvin to let us borrow a horse and wagon for this fight. While I know King Alvin is far more generous than people like Sludge ever was, I admit I was doubtful that he’d grant us this request. You continue to surprise me.”

Zuzu turned to him, “So, what’s the game plan, Celtic?”

“First order of business is to evacuate any civilians that may be in the area. We want to minimize the casualty count as much as possible, hence why we gathered up so many medical supplies. We’ve been fortunate so far that we’ve successfully kept the death toll down to zero in past waves, but our luck could very well run out soon. Especially since this may be the final ‘test’ Infinator needs to start narrowing down more specific locations for future attacks. After that, we’ll have to find the other Heroes and fight alongside them, as, given their track record, they will most likely have not flushed out our main enemy this time around. Now… it’s time.”

Celtic put away the mini Infinity Hourglass, as it showed there were only seconds left before he, his party, Ike’s group, and the horse and wagon were suddenly teleported to where the battle would take place. They arrived in a different location, with the ever-familiar red sky with swirling vortexes looming over them. They all looked around to see the other Heroes and their parties as well as a village nearby with worried villagers watching in terror. Several monsters started to pour out of the vortexes and began to make their way to the village. The other Heroes and their parties charged ahead, leaving Celtic and his group behind.

Celtic instructed, “Okay, let’s do this! Skye, Ike, you and the others evacuate the village pronto! Leon, the mages and I will hold the line and keep the monsters from getting too close! Move out! Protect the people at all costs!”

Everyone nodded and split up. Skye, Ike, and their groups started to shuttle the terrified villagers to safety while Celtic, Leon, and the mages stood their ground in front of the village, awaiting the monster hordes. The aerial monsters appeared first, prompting Celtic to switch his arm to Gatling and opened fire. Leon loaded up energy arrows and struck down several monsters while the mages summoned powerful area-of-effect spells to wipe out swaths of them. They kept this defense up until the rest of the group had returned.

“Cel!” Skye stated. “We’ve finished the evacuations, and much quicker this time, too. Now, let us fight!”

Celtic nodded, transforming his arm into Fighter Sword, “Right! We’ve dealt with the flying enemies, now it’s time for the ground ones. Battle Formation: Epsilon 7!”

Celtic and his party took a set formation, much to everyone else’s surprise. They nodded and mimicked the position, ready to fight. It wasn’t long before the ground monsters appeared, with both groups charging in. Slowly but steadily the monster hordes were whittled down as the two groups tore through them. After a while the waves of enemies died down, giving them a chance to catch their breath. Celtic looked at his stat vision’s timer and gained an annoyed scowl.

“Here we go again! We’ve been at this for two hours and those brainless lemmings still haven’t succeeded in their task. But I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Guess we’ll just have to show them how it’s done. Again. Ike!”

Ike ran up to him, “Yes, Sir Shroud Hero?”

“I’m leaving the defense of the village to you and your group. My party and I are going to find the other ‘Heroes’ and find out what’s taking so long. If this keeps up, more monsters will spawn, further endangering the village. I need you and your crew to keep any enemies out while my group checks on the other Heroes and see why they haven’t flushed out our main enemy yet.”

Ike saluted, “Yessir, Sir Shroud Hero! Leave it to us!”

Celtic’s face softened, “You and your comrades are good soldiers, Ike. I know we can leave this task to you.” He then turned to his party, “Move out, team! Let’s find those dodo brains and see why they haven’t succeeded in their task yet! Granted, at this point I shouldn’t be surprised, but the fact that this is a reoccurring issue is getting extremely annoying. Let’s move!”

“Right!” everyone said in unison.

The two groups split up, with Ike and his crew staying behind to keep the enemies out of the village while Celtic and his party charged ahead. As they did, Zuzu noticed something. She noticed what looked like a cluster of storm clouds hovering over a certain area, making her narrow her eyes suspiciously. They finally found the other Heroes. They were fighting against what looked like an extremely fast opponent, as every time they tried to strike the mysterious enemy it would just teleport to a different spot, almost like it was toying with them. It wasn’t long before the other Heroes noticed Celtic’s group.

“Why are you here?!” Lucas spat. “Go defend a village or something!”

Wench nodded, “That’s right! We don’t need an incompetent…” but was cut off.

“Who’s really the incompetent ones here, hmm?” Leon snapped.

“Besides, we’ve been there and done that already,” Rupert spat. “We’ve already evacuated the village while you’ve been playing shadow tag with this enemy!”

“Can’t you brainless lemmings do anything right!?” Viola snapped.

Celtic then stated, “Watch and learn. I already know what this foe is. Skye, Leon, light things up with Light Burst!”

Both Skye and Leon nodded, started to channel magical energy before both stated, “Light Burst!”

They fired two spheres of light that combined and released a large flash. This caused the mysterious enemy to suddenly vanish, revealing that it was just an illusion.

“Didn’t you notice that your enemy had no shadow?” Celtic stated. “It was an illusion all this time. You’ve been shadowboxing with a fake opponent, which means the main enemy has been toying with you this whole time. That also means our enemy is hiding somewhere nearby.”

Zuzu then stated, “And I already know where. See those storm clouds just above us and off to the side? Whenever a wave hits, all the clouds and even the sun vanish, which means those clouds are unnatural.”

Celtic grinned, “Good work, Zuzu.” He turned to Leon, “Leon, fire a Thunder Arrow into those storm clouds and flush out or enemy.”

“You got it, pal,” Leon stated. He then loaded up an energy arrow before shouting, “Thunder Arrow!”

He fired the arrow directly toward the storm cloud. The arrow transformed into a multitude of thunderbolts that struck the cloud, causing a screech like an eagle to be heard. Something shot out of the cloud, causing it to vanish, swooped around quickly before hovering just above them.

“It’s a Mountain Roc!” Ryan stated.

“It’s not your ordinary Mountain Roc, though,” Tyroe stated.

The Mountain Roc was different than normal. It had two pairs of large wings that flapped in unison, almost mechanical legs and talons, a fan of tailfeathers ending with black flames, what looked like an army general’s tunic fused with its main body, drill-like horns on its head and bright red eyes.

“So, we just have to fry this turkey?” Eric said. “Piece of cake.”

The Mountain Roc suddenly said, “Don’t be so sure, incompetent one. I’m not your run-of-the-mill Mountain Roc. I am a Demon General: General Adelram!”

“Y-You can talk!?” Jerry sputtered.

General Adelram huffed, “I can do more than just talk, useless one. I am a trans-mutated Mountain Roc that Master Infinator created by taking a regular Mountain Roc egg and exposing it to the special demonic energies that he uses for the trans-mutation process. I’ve heard a great deal from Mistress Sylph about you four and your parties. None of what she told me was very flattering, so don’t think I’m here to praise you. She did, however, warn me about the Shroud Hero, saying that he’s the one to worry about. Seeing how he easily saw through my illusion decoy and so quickly flushed me out of my admittingly obvious hiding place, I can see that her fears are warranted. She also informed me that the Shroud Hero is the same infant that got away from her 20 years ago, the one that Master Infinator was afraid of. Looks like everything I’ve heard from them is true, not that I doubt either of them. You four so-called ‘Heroes’ and your parties are complete laughing stocks while the Shroud Hero and his party are far more intelligent and competent. And here you were calling him the incompetent one. I saw everything from my hiding spot, including how much more efficient the Shroud Hero is, having successfully evacuated the village and fended off my minions. Meanwhile, you four are complete disgraces who shouldn’t even be allowed to call yourselves ‘Heroes’. I’ve also heard of your past blunders, not just in past waves, but on your solo adventures. Heheheheheh, you four make for lousy Heroes, but could be very good villains.”

“Shut up!” Lucas spat. “We’re not going to take that from you, you overgrown Thanksgiving turkey!”

General Adelram somehow managed to move his beak to make a smirk, “Then, by all means, prove it. I’ll stand still, I promise.”

“You asked for it! Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.

“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.

“Meteor Slam!” Eric shouted.

“Meteor Shot!” Jerry spat.

They fired all four of their Meteor attack at the Mountain Roc Demon General. The attacks struck him, engulfing him in an explosion, only for the smoke to clear to see he was unharmed. He managed to smirk again at the other four Heroes’ shock.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked tauntingly. “I’ve had mosquitoes hit me harder than that.”

Celtic gained a disappointed expression, flatly stating, “You four always use those attacks, calling them your strongest moves, and yet they never even dent the enemy-of-the-week. Every time I see those moves I get more and more disappointed at you. It’s no wonder Infinator’s faction looks down upon you, seeing you as not worth their time.”

“Shut up, Celtic!” Lucas spat.

General Adelram merely chuckled, “The Shroud Hero is correct, you losers. You four continue to disappoint Master Infinator and especially Mistress Sylph. Considering she’s seen every generation of Legendary Hero since their conception, she’s got a point when she says you four aren’t living up to your titles the slightest bit. She’s got high standards when it comes to the Legendary Heroes, so you can bet she’s utterly disappointed in you four, calling the Shroud Hero the only one worthy of his title, thus is the only Hero she respects. Now, if we’re done casually putting you four down, it’s my turn!”

He then flew a bit higher up, opened his beak, and started to charge up green-colored energy.

Celtic instructed, “Team, get behind me!”

His party complied, quickly gathering close.

“Scrap Iron Shroud! Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”

The Shroud transformed accordingly, with the fortress-shaped barrier of scrap metal surrounding the party. It was at that moment Adelram finished charging his attack and fired it directly in the center of the five Heroes, creating a massive explosion that engulfed everyone. When the smoke cleared, the four other Heroes and their parties were scattered across the ground, dazed and hurt, while the scrap metal barrier remained unscathed. After a moment the barrier dropped, showing that Celtic and his party were unhurt, making the Demon General chuckle.

“So, that’s the extremely durable defensive Shroud form that Mistress Sylph told me about,” he said. “The fact it could withstand barrage after barrage of her Ballistic Bombardment, which is enough to wipe out an entire army in one shot say a lot about how sturdy it is. I can see why she’s so impressed with it. Now then… hmm?”

The other Heroes and their parties staggered to their feet, somehow still conscious. They managed to shake off their mental cobwebs before glaring at the Demon General.

Zuzu started to clap sarcastically, “Congratulations, Legendary Losers. You actually managed to take a hit and didn’t get knocked out of the fight instantly. That’s certainly an improvement from your past battles. You must be so proud.”

“Shut up, you demon nudist!” the four of them angerly spat.

“Zuzu’s got a point, you know,” Celtic said, completely deadpan. “This is the first time that you four weren’t wiped out in a single stroke, which is a major step-up from past battles.”

“You’re just asking for it, Celtic!” Lucas spat.

The Demon General chuckled again, “You are certainly amusing little ants. And yet the Shroud Hero speaks the truth. And… wait. Did you say ‘Zuzu’?” He looked at Zuzu, his eyes widening, “Aren’t you the Succuryn that Mistress Sylph beat a while back? The one who got her drunk with cask bombs prior to that? You’re on the Shroud Hero’s team?”

Zuzu gained a sinister smirk, “That’s right, you overgrown feather duster. And, I’ll have you know that I had spied on your side for a while so I could isolate Sylph. While the battle did me no favors, the fact that she spared me backfired on you. I learned a lot about Infinator’s plans, having relayed it to our side, which is why we’re better prepared than before. So, in short, Sylph screwed up by letting me live, as now we know more about your plans than you want us to.”

The Demon General’s eyes widened, “T-That means you know what our main goal is!” His eyes narrowed angrily, “I never thought I’d see the day Mistress Sylph would make such a costly mistake. Though I’ll rectify that today on her behalf.”

Zuzu got into a battle-ready pose, smirking, “Bring it. Celtic, let’s do what we did back with the previous Mountain Roc.”

Celtic nodded, smirking, “Agreed, Zuzu.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Adelram spat.

Zuzu suddenly vanished before appearing above the Mountain Roc, channeling energy into her fists.

“Here, have a knuckle sandwich! Close Combat Combo!”

She started to strike the Demon General rapidly while constantly moving around to avoid a counterattack. With each successful hit the power grew, and with each hit the Mountain Roc started to fumble in the air, surprised at her strength.

Celtic smirked, “You’re about to see how electrifying my personality is, Demon General! Thunder Silk Shroud!”

The Shroud transformed accordingly, becoming the Thunder Silk Shroud. At the time, Zuzu’s Close Combat Combo was getting devastatingly strong, much to the Demon General’s surprise.

“Y-You couldn’t have been this strong back when Mistress Sylph fought you!” he sputtered as another hit caused him to fumble in the air. “She beat you with ease that time!”

Zuzu grinned darkly, “True, I wasn’t. But thanks to Celtic I’m considerably stronger now than I ever was back when I was Level 100! Now, TAKE THIS!!!”

She slammed her fist down on top of his head, causing him to crash to the ground, dazed, the force of the attack being almost equal to a small meteor impact. Celtic took the opportunity to strike.

“Double Electroweb!” he stated.

He fired two electrically charged webs at both of the Demon General’s right wings. They wrapped around them, electrocuting him, causing him to screech like an eagle as his wings went numb.

“I-I can’t feel my wings!” he sputtered. “I can’t fly!”

Tyroe gained a smirk, “Looks like you’re grounded, birdbrain. Hey, Cel, mind if I use my newest trick on him? He won’t be around much longer anyway, so he won’t be able to report it to Sylph or anything.”

Celtic nodded, “Yes. I’d say the time is right. Put the freeze on this bird.”

Tyroe nodded, “Roger that. All right, then, Chill, let’s give this bird some freezer burn!”

A sphere of light appeared from Tyroe before revealing itself to be a Spiria. Chill’s body was somewhat oval shaped, ice blue in color, with a cream colored belly, short legs ending in snowshoe-like feet, a thick tail shaped like an icicle, a round head with spikes on top that gave it a vague snowflake-like shape, and bright red eyes. The Demon General’s eyes went wide.

“W-What!?” he sputtered. “Is that a Spiria?!”

The Naga grinned, “Yep, it’s my Ice Spiria, Chill, but you won’t be telling Sylph this. Now, Chill, let’s get him with your ability: Ice Hammer!”

He raised his arms up while Chill transformed into its energy form again, started to rapidly spin around him, causing ice to form from Tyroe’s lower arms, over his hands, and extending far past them, with the top taking the shape of a hammer. Tyroe reared back before slamming this massive frozen hammer down upon Adelram, hitting him hard before briefly encasing him in ice. The ice hammer vanished, causing Chill to return to Tyroe’s body to rest. The ice prison started to shake before shattering, the ice vanishing, which caused the Demon General to shiver. Everyone noticed that there were sparkles around his body that seemed to be weakening him.

“That Spiria’s attack just lowered his Defense!” Jerry stated.

Lucas gained a dark sneer, “Now you’re mine, birdbrain!”

He, Ryan, and Eric charged in, but Adelram narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not getting the drop on me, rodents!” he stated.

With his still functioning left wings he slapped the three Heroes aside, sending them flying and crashing in a heap. The three of them staggered as they tried to stand.

“That… didn’t… tickle…” Eric grunted in pain.

“Morons…” Celtic muttered. He then turned to Viola, “Viola, you use your Spiria’s attack ability, too! Skewer that chicken!”

Viola nodded, “You got it, Cel! Mint, let’s get our point across to this Demon General! Thorn Spear Strike!”

Viola’s Nature Spiria, Mint, appeared, before it channeled energy into her scythe. She then slammed the tip into the ground, followed by a brief quake, then several massive thorny vines erupted from underneath the Demon General, stabbing him. He screeched in pain before the thorny vines vanished, causing him to stagger as he tried standing. The energy around Viola’s scythe vanished, prompting Mint to fuse with Viola to rest.

“I’m… not licked yet!” he stated. “Hyper Stone Body!”

His body transformed into stone, erecting a barrier around him. Everyone could see healing energies swirling around him, alarming them.

“Zuzu!” Celtic stated. “Bust through that defense with your Spiria!”

Zuzu nodded, “Sounds good to me. Time for a barbeque! Jolt, let’s fry this bird with your Thunder Force ability!”

Jolt appeared before coating Zuzu in high-powered electrical energies. Lucas realized something.

“Hey! That’s the Spiria I was chasing in Crescent Moon Forest!” he protested. “You tricked me!”

Zuzu gave him a bored look, “Yeah, well, considering how easy you are to trick, it’s no surprise you fell for it. You should’ve at least been a bit more suspicious, but then again you never think so anything that would require brainpower you would fail at. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.” She then raised her electric-charged fist up before stating, “Thunder Force!”

Her punch easily smashed through the barrier and slammed down heavily on Adelram’s head, making him screech in shock as his Hyper Stone Body was instantly deactivated and took massive damage. This caused the electrical energy around Zuzu to vanish before Jolt fused with her to rest.

He glared daggers at Celtic’s party, “Not only are you as strong as Mistress Sylph stated, but you actually have Spiria to boot!? This will not go unnoticed by my Master.”

Skye smirked, “Oh, we’re well aware that Infinator will eventually learn of the Spiria returning. But, until he does, we’re going to use our new friends to help us win the war!”

General Adelram screeched in anger and started to generate more energy inside his beak, clearly taking aim at Celtic’s party. He then fired the attack at them.

Rupert stepped up, “Leave this to me! Clay, use your Earth Wall ability!”

A Spiria emerged from Rupert. This one had a very stocky body, mostly dirt brown in color, a tan belly, with short legs ending in cobblestone-shaped feet, a thick tail ending in a rock-shaped ball, soft spines on its body, a large head with more spines, and orange eyes. Its eyes glowed as a wall of earth and rock suddenly appeared and blocked the attack effortlessly, causing it to fizzle out harmlessly before the wall vanished. Afterward, Clay turned into an energy ball and fused with Rupert to rest.

“Like my Earth Spiria’s defensive ability, chicken wings?” Rupert smirked. “Earth Wall can block any attack, even defense-piercing ones, so you just wasted your attack.”

Just then the other four Heroes charged in to take advantage of the Demon General’s focus on Celtic’s party, all ready to win. However, the Demon General’s eyes gleamed.

“Nice try, you pathetic excuses for Heroes!” he stated. “Tempest!”

A massive windstorm formed in front of the other Heroes and their parties, effortlessly sweeping them up and whipping them with Wind energy before roughly depositing them onto the ground. They struggled to stand, clearly at their wits end.

Zuzu stated, “Celtic, I’ll finish him off! I’ve got an idea.”

Celtic nodded, “Let him have it, Zuzu!”

Zuzu nodded and started to channel demonic energy.

“From the depths of the Demon Realm I call upon thee! Entrap my foes in your cold virgin ore embrace, piercing them from all sides, their cries muffled, as your bloody iron spikes skewer them until death beckons them! Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath!”

Thunder boomed, the wind swirled around above them, followed by a portal opening up, revealing the demonic iron maiden, much to everyone’s shock. The iron maiden opened up, revealing its inner cavity of spikes, ready to bring the unlucky victim into its deadly grasp. Adelram’s eyes widened in horror.

“N-No! No!” he sputtered.

Zuzu then channeled dark energy into her arms, creating massing claws. She then grabbed the Demon General, effortlessly hoisted him off the ground and hurled him into the awaiting chamber of the iron maiden.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

As he got inside the iron maiden, Zuzu closed her fist, causing the doors to slam shut around him. The demonic woman’s head on top started to cackle as lightning struck the chains and dark energy poured out of the cracks. The Demon General screeched in pain as he was assaulted from all sides before everything went silent. Zuzu then snapped her fingers, causing the demonic woman’s head to cackle one last time before disintegrating, revealing the corpse of the Demon General as he plummeted to the ground. He crashed in front of everyone, clearly dead, with several loose feathers scattered about, before his body started to fossilize. This also caused the wave to end, turning the skies back to normal, indicating it was over. Celtic then realized something.

“Zuzu!” he called up to her. “Bust his body open and gather the Inferno Core and Flame Shards he has. Remember, Sylph is after an Inferno Core, so we need to keep it from her.”

Zuzu nodded, “On it!”

She channeled more dark energy into her right fist, causing it to become larger before slamming it down upon the dead Demon General’s now-fossilized body, effortlessly breaking him apart, revealing the Inferno Core and Flame Shards. However, Zuzu noticed something.

“Wait a second! These look different from normal.”

The other Heroes quickly tried to grab them for themselves but Zuzu was faster, snatching them with her enlarged claw before they could, bringing them close to her.

“Hey! That’s ours!” Lucas protested.

“Oh, shut up,” the demoness stated bluntly. “These are not your everyday Inferno Core and Flame Shards. No, they’re something much different.”

Celtic said, “Let me see, Zuzu.”

Zuzu nodded and lowered her enlarged claw down to him, allowing him to pick up the Inferno Core, his eyes widening.

“This… isn’t a normal Inferno Core,” he said.

The Inferno Core was a dark purple color with a black flame inside of it and a different symbol on it. He then picked up one of the Flame Shards and noticed that they were different. They were also the same purplish color with what looked like swirling energy inside them. His party gathered around to see.

“This Inferno Core and Flame Shards… they look… like they have Wrath Fire in them,” Leon observed.

Viola picked up one of the Flame Shards to take a closer look, “Yeah, that does seem to be the case. Do you think these items were also affected by the trans-mutation process?”

“I can see that as a very distinct possibility,” Celtic said. “They might be too dangerous to hold on to. I’m going to take them to King Duskbane for his advice. Maybe he and his scientists can use them to crack the code on the trans-mutation process. Maybe it’ll give them the info they need about the trans-mutation to see if it can either be reversed or at least give us some insight on the process itself. Considering even the Shadokor know nothing about the trans-mutation process, as this is clearly Infinator’s newest plan, if these items can crack that code we may be one step closer to ending the war, as it could tell us how to counter the process.”

He took out a small sack from his Tek-Pak and started to put the Inferno Core and Flame Shards in it, much to the other Heroes’ fury.

“Hey! Who said you can have them!?” Eric stated.

Celtic gave him a bored look, “I never said I’m keeping them. I said I’m taking them to King Duskbane, as they might be too dangerous to keep in any of our possessions. We don’t know what these items are other than they are some sort of Inferno Core and Flame Shards that were affected by the trans-mutation process. If the Shadokor scientists study them, we may find out more about Infinator’s plans and how to beat him. For all we know these items could be ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. It would be better if they were to be handled by those who could do so safely, just to be certain that they’re not dangerous. And considering that Sylph is after an Inferno Core, if she got ahold of this one she might be able to still use it for Infinator’s plans even though it’s not a normal Inferno Core. These items would be safer with the Shadokor than any of us, as they could be dangerous. So, whether you like it or not, these are going to King Duskbane for his analysis. Besides, you can still take something valuable from the Demon General as your ‘drops’, you know.”

Ryan placed a hand on his hip, “Oh? And what would that be?”

Skye replied, “His feathers. Mountain Roc feathers fetch a small fortune, at least 50 gold apiece, and anything made from them is extremely valuable. Gather a few of his remaining feathers and you could have a small fortune sitting in your pockets later.”

Jerry quirked an eyebrow, “Is that true? His feathers are actually worth that much?”

Leon nodded, “Yes, they are, and thanks to that Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath that Demon General lost a lot of them. Gather those up and sell them and you could be sitting on a pile of gold. And if you sell them to crafters who can make something out of them then they’ll fetch an even higher price.”

It as if the eyes of the four other Heroes became money signs at the thought of that much gold. They quickly scampered over to gather up as many feathers as possible, not noticing that Tyroe had snatched a few while they were talking. Celtic rolled his eyes as he saw this.

“Figures,” he said. “Anyway, back to business. Leon, Viola, go around and check on Ike, his party, and the villagers to see what the status of their injuries are. Rupert, Tyroe, Zuzu, you go and gather up anything of worth from the other monsters, even if it’s just repeat items like Skeleton Solder gear. I think I saw some new species this time so try to gather a few samples from them for my Shroud. Skye and I will see if there are any more monsters left so they don’t become invasive species to the area like the Mountain Trolls became. After that, gather up Ike and his crew and meet us at the front of the village.”

Everyone nodded and split up while the other Heroes fought over the Mountain Roc feathers, having seemingly forgotten about the Inferno Core and Flame Shards for the moment. It didn’t take long before Celtic and Skye were waiting by the front of the village, having taken care of any straggling monsters. Not long after Leon, Viola, Ike, his group, and the horse and wagon approached the duo.

“Status report,” Celtic asked.

Leon replied, “Well, we’ve got good news and bad news.”

Skye’s ears dropped, “That’s not a good sign.”

The redhead sighed, “Give me the bad news first, that’ll give me something to look forward to.”

Viola replied, “Well, the bad news is that there were worse injuries this time around. A couple of people suffered broken bones like ribs and arms. While all the medicine and our healing magic patched them up, it is a clear-cut indication that these waves are getting worse, as the injuries are getting worse.”

Skye’s ears perked up, “So… that’s the only bad news? Whew, I thought we had suffered our first casualty. That’s a relief. I take it that’s the good news?”

Leon nodded, “Yes, we still managed to keep the casualty numbers down to zero, so everyone survived this wave despite the worse injuries this time around. It’s a good thing we stocked up as much as we did, since it was just enough to heal everyone.”

Celtic looked up at the sky, “Still, that’s cutting it close. Looks like we may need to prepare even more for next time, as I’m certain that Infinator has gotten the needed info to start narrowing down his targets from this wave. When those waves come it could get even uglier. Still, at the same time, the fact that it was still enough to keep everyone safe is a blessing on its own. It may have not been totally ideal, but I’ll still take it and call it a win.”

Just then Rupert, Tyroe, and Zuzu approached the group, all carrying sacks.

“Got anything good you three?” Skye asked.

Rupert nodded, “Yep, got some good stuff to sell, including a few feathers from that Demon General that Tyroe sneaked past those moronic Heroes. Zuzu gathered up all the new stuff so it won’t get mixed up with the old stuff. I guess it’s time to head back to Delgunner, right?”

Celtic nodded, “Yes, everything is clear on our ends, so we might as well head back to Delgunner and report our success. We’ll let the other Legendary Stooges fight over the Mountain Roc feathers. At least it’ll allow us to get these strange items to King Duskbane for his analysis. Now, then, if everyone is ready. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”

The Light Elf smiled, “Gladly, Cel. Warp!”

The Shroud Hero’s party, Ike’s group, and the horse and wagon vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s gates. They were greeted by the guards there.

“Sir Shroud Hero, you’ve returned!” one said. “I take it you won the most recent wave?”

“At least on our end, yes,” Celtic nodded. “Not to mention Ike and his crew here were incredibly helpful. He and his band definitely deserve at least a pay raise for how helpful they were in this wave. Couldn’t have done it without them. Unlike the other ‘Heroes’. I’m going to have to have a talk with King Alvin about their increasingly lackluster performances. I also need to talk to King Duskbane about something else. But, in any case, the wave is over and Infinator is down another Demon General. But I know that the worst has yet to come.”

Zuzu placed a hand on his shoulder, “That’s true, but we’ll be ready. Infinator better watch out, as we’re still not defeated yet.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement, ready for the next fight.

Next Chapter: Clowning Around

Okay, that's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see what our Heroes face.
 
Okay, here's the next chapter of Chaos Rising. What will happen this time? Read and find out.

Clowning Around


It had been a few days since the most recent Infinator attack and the defeat of General Adelram. Things were fairly quiet at the moment. However, one devious mind was craving revenge.

Wench was seated on a bench near the front of the capital, muttering to herself, clearly thinking about Celtic.

“Damn that Shroud Devil!” she spat. “Thanks to him I lost everything! Even my name! It’s all his fault! Ooh, just you wait, Shroud Devil, I’ll get you good. Mark my words, I’ll make you pay for this humiliation.”

She got up and started to pace back and forth, trying to think of a plan. This action attracted the attention of a traveling merchant.

“Hey, Miss, got something on your mind?” he asked.

Wench turned to him, “Yeah, I do! I want revenge on the man who ruined me!”

The merchant took out an item from his wagon. It looked like a large present.

“Well, have no fear, little missy, as I have just the item for you. This item is called a Fun Box. Why is it called a ‘Fun Box’, you may ask? Well, this item is ‘fun’ to the one who uses it. You see, this box can conjure up four monsters as a prank. Depending on what kind of monsters you want will determine the outcome. For example, if someone doesn’t like, say, clowns, then this box will conjure up two pairs of clown monsters to torment that person.”

This got Wench’s attention. She eyed the Fun Box, took a moment to process what she had been told, and gained a devious smirk.

“You don’t say?” she purred. “So, I can use this ‘Fun Box’ to sic some monsters on someone, and they’ll take the form of whatever monster corresponds with their fear? You’ve got my interest. How much is it?”

The merchant smiled, sensing a sale, “Well, normally it would be 25 silvers and 35 coppers, but I could give it to such a lovely lady for the discounted price of 20 silvers and 25 coppers. What do you say?”

Wench gained a large grin, “Deal.”

She paid the price to the merchant followed by her eagerly grabbing the Fun Box. As she looked it over, she gained a diabolical look. The merchant had already moved on, pleased to have made a sale. Wench’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

“Time for revenge, Shroud Devil,” she said darkly. “I’ll make you pay with this. Now, where is he?”

She scampered off with the Fun Box, trying to find Celtic. She, however, ran into Lucas and the rest of the party first. Lucas eyed the box.

“Hey! Is that for me?” Lucas asked eagerly, thinking it was a present.

Wench shook her head, “No, it’s for Celtic.”

Lucas looked stunned, “You’re giving him a present? Why?”

The evil Light Elf gained a large sneer, “Oh, it’s not just any present. This is called a Fun Box. It’s designed to act as a mean prank by siccing four monsters on someone that take the form of the target’s fear. Which means I can use this to sic two pairs of monster clowns on Celtic for all the times he’s humiliated us. Remember, he’s afraid of clowns. Care to join in on the fun, Lucas?”

Lucas’ eyes widened before his face twisted into a matching sneer, “Oh, yeah, count me in. This’ll show him who’s the superior one!”

The rest of his party gained disgusted looks, clearly appalled at the fact those two were going to prey upon Celtic’s fear as a means for revenge.

“Now, Lucas, have you seen Celtic around?” Wench asked.

“I think I saw him near the large fountain in the center of the city,” he replied. “Seems to be his favorite spot, as he’s frequently there during his downtime. Let’s go, before he decides to move on.”

The duo quickly ran toward the center of the city, the rest of his party chasing after them, still clearly disgusted at what was about to happen. It wasn’t long before they reached the center of the city. Celtic and his party were there, taking the chance to relax. Viola was the first to notice them.

“Uh-oh,” she said. “Looks like Lucas and Wench are here.”

Celtic looked up from his book, noticing the present in Wench’s hands, “If that’s one of those cartoon boxes that when opened slam a cream pie in your face, I’m not going to fall for it.”

Wench said in her sweetest voice, “Oh, don’t worry about that, Celtic. This is just a small gift for you, nothing major.” Her face quickly shifted to a more sinister one as she threw the box at him, “Here! Have fun!”

The box landed in front of the Shroud Hero party before exploding in pink smoke. When the smoke cleared Celtic froze. Standing before them were two pairs of monster clowns. One pair looked like stereotypical jesters, only they were far more demonic-looking, with green skin, yellow eyes with slit pupils, a mouth full of fangs, skinny legs and arms, and a jester hat that had skulls at the ends. The second pair looked like more traditional clowns but were clearly monsters, with glowing eyes, faces covered in makeup that looked like smeared blood, a mouth full of needle-like teeth, clawed hands, large capes, and a belt with several glowing daggers on them. The party jumped up in alarm.

“Those are Harlikills and Killjoys!” Rupert stated.

Celtic’s eyes were wide as he saw these two pairs of monster clowns, clearly alarmed at their presence. This caused Lucas and Wench to laugh evilly.

“This is for everything you did to me, Shroud Devil!” Wench cackled.

Suddenly, Skye charged straight at them, clearly infuriated.

“LUCAS! WENCH!” she roared.

Before Lucas could react Skye had kicked him extremely hard in the crotch, sending him flying over several houses at the sheer force of her kick before a crashing noise could be heard as he landed somewhere else in the city. She then turned her attention to Wench who was already fleeing, as she knew what was coming her way. Skye bolted after her, clearly ready to severely hurt the evil Light Elf, leaving the rest of the party behind.

Celtic was clearly hesitating as the four monster clowns stood before him. The monster clowns could clearly see this pause and were mocking him. Leon and the rest of the party jumped in front of Celtic.

“Leave this to us, Cel!” Leon stated strongly. “We’ll handle these jokers.”

However, before any of them could move, Celtic stated, “No! This is my fight. Leave them to me.”

Everyone was surprised to see Celtic move in front of the party, staring down the four monster clowns with hatred in his eyes.

“Are you sure, pal?” Rupert asked, concerned. “You’re afraid of clowns, and these types of clowns are some of the worst.”

Celtic transformed his arm into Fighter Sword, stating, “No, it’ll be fine. It’s just like I said to Ryan back at the Myria Archipelago. One needs to face their fears in order to accept them. I admit I’m very rattled right now, but that won’t stop me from fighting what I’m afraid of. A man needs to face himself before he faces his enemies. I need to look my inner demons in the eye and not back down… which is sorta ironic in my case, as I’m half-demon myself. But that won’t stop me. These circus rejects are mine.”

The party exchanged looks before they all smiled. They stepped back to give Celtic some space.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Tyroe stated.

“Give ‘em hell!” Zuzu smirked.

“Show them who’s boss, Cel!” Leon cheered.

Celtic nodded before glaring at the four monster clowns. The monster clowns clearly noticed that he was going to face them himself, so they got into a battle-ready pose.

“Playtime… is over!” Celtic roared.

He charged in, with the four monster clowns doing the same. Off to the side, Ryan had saw everything, his eyes wide as he watched Celtic bravely fight the thing he feared the most. But that expression of surprise melted into a sincere smile.

“Well…” he said to himself. “Celtic does practice what he preaches. He’s willing to fight his fear head-on despite clearly being unnerved by them. It’s just like he said to me back in the Myria Archipelago when my fear of drowning came up. I’m actually quite impressed. Still… that Lucas and Wench. That was disgustingly low of them to prey upon Celtic’s fear of clowns as a means of humiliating him. I better find Eric and Jerry and tell them this, as I know they’ll find it just as disgusting as I do.”

He quickly scampered off to find Eric and Jerry while Celtic continued to fight the monster clowns. After a few tense minutes the last Killjoy was dead. Celtic was panting heavily as he stood in the center of the four dead monster clowns, clearly shook but also clearly enraged. He transformed his arm back to normal before falling to one knee, trying to calm himself down. His party quickly ran up to him.

“Cel! You okay, pal?” Leon asked, concerned.

The redhead panted, “Yeah… yeah, I’ll be okay… just need a minute to calm all seven of my hearts. That… really shook me… And yet… at the same time… I felt a… cathartic feeling when killing these clowns. Since I obviously… can’t kill a clown back on Earth… this was the next best thing… giving me a sense of satisfaction… that I could kill the things I feared…”

Viola smiled, “Yeah, I can see you feeling that way. Still, what were Lucas and Wench thinking? Those Harlikills and Killjoys could’ve very easily attacked civilians, or at least use one as a hostage. It was fortunate that they focused on Celtic and not any of the innocent bystanders, otherwise it could’ve gotten pretty messy.”

Tyroe shook his head, “Those two wanted revenge on Celtic for all the times he’s showed them up. Not to mention the fact that when it comes to Wench he was just retaliating to her nastiness back when she framed him. She has some serious self-delusion to have the nerve to swear revenge on someone who was just responding to her own evil actions. Still, it’s unforgivable that they would purposely prey upon Celtic’s fear in order to humiliate him. If anything, this episode shows who’s the stronger person. But just like Viola said it could’ve been disastrous if those Harlikills and Killjoys turned their attention on the civilians instead of Celtic. It was lucky that those monster clowns didn’t pull that or the hostage card on Celtic.”

Just then Ryan, Eric, and Jerry ran up to them only to see Celtic in the middle of the four dead clown monsters.

Eric stated, “We heard from Ryan what had happened. What was Lucas and Wench thinking? That was just low. As much as I don’t like you, Celtic, I’m disgusted at Lucas and Wench preying upon your fear of clowns like that.”

Jerry nodded, “Same here. That was an incredibly dirty stunt Lucas and Wench pulled. But the fact that you still fought them and, judging by their dead bodies, defeated them, shows that you weren’t going to let them take advantage of your fears. That’s actually quite commendable.”

Ryan added, “And considering that Celtic helped me when my fear of drowning cropped up at the Myria Archipelago, I’m particularly disgusted at this. Though I’m also very impressed that you were still willing to face your fear and tackle it head-on, Celtic. That was… pretty inspiring. You were fighting the things you’re afraid of the most and still came out on top. That was pretty awesome.”

Celtic gained a warm smile, “Thank you, you three, that means a lot. We may have a mutual dislike for each other, but I’m glad to see that even you couldn’t stomach something like this.”

Just then Prince Cray and Prince Karl ran up to everyone flanked by several soldiers.

“We heard that there were some monsters in the city!” Cray stated.

The two princes then noticed the four dead monster clowns surrounding Celtic, eyes widening.

“Those are Harlikills and Killjoys!” Karl sputtered.

“How’d they get in the city?” Cray asked.

Leon turned to them, “The Spear Hero, Lucas, and Wench got an item called Fun Box and used it to summon these four monsters. They were preying upon Celtic’s fear of clowns as a means of humiliating him. Skye punted Lucas over several houses with her biggest crotch kick yet while she’s probably beating the stuffing out of Wench now. But those two recklessly endangered civilians in order to get revenge on Celtic.”

Cray and Karl exchanged surprised looks before they tuned into angry ones.

“The nerve of them!” Cray stated.

“That won’t go unpunished!” Karl stated.

Just then Skye returned, dragging a thoroughly beaten Wench back by her hair, the latter was whining in pain. Skye noticed the four dead clown monsters around Celtic, quickly let go of Wench and immediately ran over to his side. Wench tried to take this opportunity to crawl away, but Viola quickly encased her in silk.

“Oh, no you don’t!” she hissed. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Cel! Are you okay?” Skye asked frantically. “I’m sorry, Cel. I… I left your side when you needed me the most. I… I was just so…” but she was cut off by Celtic putting a finger over her lips.

“It’s okay, Skye, I’m not angry at you or anything,” he said sincerely. “Besides, it wouldn’t have made a difference, as I decided to fight the Harlikills and Killjoys myself in order to prove I wouldn’t let my fear get the better of me. It wasn’t easy, but, obviously, I came out on top. I’m still rather rattled, but I’ll live. So, don’t worry about not being by my side during this time, as you still did me two major favors. One was punting Lucas over several city blocks and the other was chasing after Wench and giving her a good thrashing. I appreciate that.”

Skye’s concerned face melted into a smile, “Thank you, Celtic. I still feel a bit upset that I left your side when you needed me, but I’m glad that you feel I still helped you. Now…” she glared at Wench, “What are we going to do with her? And also Lucas?”

Cray stated, “We’ll take them to father, as this incident they caused will not go unpunished. Considering that the Heroes have yet to get their royal stipends for their efforts in the most recent wave, I wouldn’t be surprised if father docked the Spear Hero and his party of their pay. Plus, father was planning to have that celebration party because another Demon General was killed, so I could see him banning the Spear Hero and his party to that, too. But, for now, we have to deal with this.”

Karl turned to his brother, “I’ll head back to the castle to let father know what happened. You have the knights gather up that long-eared wretch and the Spear Hero and bring them to father.”

Cray nodded, “Good idea. Men, find that idiot Spear Hero and bring him back to the castle. The rest of you haul Wench to the castle. Sword Hero…” he turned to Ryan, “Since you were an eyewitness, I want you to come to the castle as well to further clarify what happened to His Majesty, as we need all the details.”

Ryan nodded, “I’m fine with that. Considering I’m absolutely disgusted at what happened, I’ll gladly tell His Majesty anything he needs to know.”

“Excellent, that’s just what I wanted to hear. You go with my brother, Karl back to the castle and explain what happened. My men and I will join you shortly.”

Ryan nodded as he returned to the castle with Prince Karl while the knights split up to gather up Wench and Lucas with Prince Cray overseeing everything. While they did this, Celtic tore off a chunk from one of the Harlikills and one of the Killjoys, much to his party’s surprise.

“You’re actually going to collect a sample from these two monsters for your Shroud?” Rupert asked, clearly surprised.

“Yes,” Celtic said. “As much as I hate clowns, I know that even these fiends have their uses. Might as well collect a sample from them and see if they give me any good Shroud forms. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get something powerful.”

He first fed the Shroud’s core the Harlikill sample, which caused another skill tree to form in his already elaborate Shroud status screen. A new branch formed that said “Harlikill Shroud”, which he read over the effects, his eyes widening.

“Well, I’ll be damned, I was right. The Harlikill gave me a pretty useful Shroud form. Judging by what the status screen is telling me, this new Shroud has a pretty potent ability. Now, let’s see what the Killjoy gives me.”

He fed the Shroud’s core the Killjoy sample, which caused another branch to form next to the Harlikill Shroud, reading “Killjoy Shroud”. He read the effects over, his eyes widening again.

“Wow, the Killjoy Shroud is just as powerful, if not more, than the Harlikill Shroud. This one has a pretty sweet ability. I knew that they’d give me something pretty decent, but both of these Shroud forms are actually quite powerful. Looks like something good came out of this incident after all. Now… it’s time to clean up this mess.”

Skye placed her hand on his chest, “No, Cel, leave this part to us. You’ve already did your part, so leave this bit to us. Besides, we can harvest some of the more useful components from these four monsters to sell, as I know that, at the very least, Killjoy daggers and Harlikill jewels are worth a pretty penny.”

Leon nodded, “Skye’s right, leave this part to us. You go and take a small break, as you deserve it. We’ll handle the cleanup.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement, making Celtic sigh lightly.

“If that’s what you want, so be it,” he said. “I’ll leave this to you guys, then. I’ll just sit down on the bench over there.”

As he sat down on the nearby bench the rest of his party went about cleaning up the four clown monster’s corpses, collecting anything that would be valuable from them. After a good ten minutes they had completed their task, allowing Celtic to give a sigh of relief. They decided to help take the edge off from the incident by getting some lunch, something that the redhead appreciated. As they ate, they were almost savoring the thought of King Alvin punishing Lucas and Wench for their underhanded scheme. After cleaning their plates and paying the bill the party decided to sell some of the stuff they collected from the Harlikills and Killjoys. As they made their way to one of the shops, something happened.

They spotted Ryan, Eric, and Jerry chewing out Lucas, who was clearly annoyed, while Wench sulked to the side. Judging by their expressions, King Alvin clearly gave them a particular punishment for their actions. However, suddenly, a black portal opened up, startling everyone, and out emerged a monstrous creature. It looked like a fusion between a werewolf and a dragon. Its upper body was incredibly bulky and muscular, covered in needle-like fur, with a wolf-like head, curved horns, knife-sized fangs, and glowing red eyes. Its lower body was that of a dragon’s, being covered in armored scales with thick legs, large feet ending in talons, a tail that was forked into three parts, each ending in a scorpion stinger, large leathery wings, and massive arms and claws with metal wrists. The monstrous creature glared at the other Heroes and Wench, all of whom looked like they just soiled themselves.

“SPEAR HERO!!! WENCH!!!” it roared.

The creature lashed out one of its massive claws at Lucas, grabbing him and holding him with ease.

“Mommy…” Lucas whimpered pathetically.

Wench quickly tried to make a getaway, but the creature reached out to her, revealing that the metal parts of its wrist were telescopic and easily caught her before reeling her back in. Zuzu was alarmed by this creature and quickly shot up into the air to try to get out of range. This allowed Celtic to put the pieces together.

“Hello, King Duskbane,” he said rather casually.

The other Heroes sputtered, “K-King Duskbane?!”

The creature turned to Celtic and smiled, “I’m not surprised you knew it was me, my dear nephew.”

Celtic gestured to Zuzu floating above them, “Zuzu’s reaction gave me a big clue. So… I take it this is your Assault Mode form, You Majesty?”

King Duskbane nodded, “That is correct. Now, onto business.” He returned his attention to Lucas and Wench in his claws, glaring daggers at them, “How DARE you pull such a deceitful tactic against Avalar! Taking advantage of his fear of clowns by siccing a pair of Harlikills and a pair of Killjoys on him! I am ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED with you! You have a lot of nerve! I have half a mind to kill the two of you right here and now for such a distasteful scheme! And, for the record, I know that killing the Spear Hero will make Infinator’s waves substantially worse. My feelings on that? It would be worth it!” He then turned to the other three Heroes, “I hope for your sake that you were NOT involved in this scheme!”

Ryan, Eric, and Jerry raised up their hands defensively, shaking their heads.

“No, you have nothing to worry about, Your Majesty!” Ryan stuttered. “We’re just as appalled as you are. As much as we dislike Celtic, we feel that Lucas and Wench went way too far with that stunt.”

Eric and Jerry nodded in agreement.

King Duskbane then said, “Good, then I don’t have any beef with you three. At least not today.” He then noticed the remainder of Lucas’ all-female party hiding behind a nearby tree, stating, “And I hope you three weren’t involved in this, either.”

One of the women stated, “Y-You can rest assured, Your Majesty, we wanted nothing to do with this dirty scheme.”

Another one nodded, “Yeah, d-don’t worry. We were just as disgusted as you and the other Heroes were.”

The third one added, “W-We wanted to alert Celtic before they could pull that stunt on him but they got to him before we could.”

King Duskbane nodded, “Very well, then, you three get a free pass.”

“T-Traitors!” Wench stated.

However, she froze the second King Duskbane’s monstrous eyes locked onto her, fear and terror written all over her face.

“That’s rich coming from a member of the backstabbing Light Elves!” King Duskbane bellowed. “You have NO RIGHT to call them traitors when YOU and your disgusting family, sans the noble Lady Skye, betrayed Avalar and the world in another get-more-power-quick scheme! And look at the end result of that scheme! You’ve been stripped of all power and authority, your original names have been changed, and your entire kingdom is no more. So, you have NO RIGHT to say something like that when YOU’VE done much worse! You fail to realize that I could crush you and the moronic Spear Hero like two grapes in my claws, finally putting an end to both of you and easing the suffering of the world. Observe.”

He tightened his grip on both of them. His grip was like iron, easily crushing the duo, making them struggle and cry out in pain. He then lessened his grip, making them go limp. Wench was trembling like a leaf in Duskbane’s claws, her eyes darting around to see if she could find a means of escaping.

“P-P-Prince Celtic…” she begged. “Please, Prince Celtic, save me! Please! Help me!”

The other three Heroes looked disgusted, as did King Duskbane.

“She has a lot of nerve begging the one she victimized for help,” Eric said coldly.

“And the fact she’ll only use Celtic’s royal title when she’s in a bind like this makes it even more despicable,” Jerry huffed.

“Yeah, otherwise she calls him things like the Shroud Devil and such,” Ryan nodded.

King Duskbane’s eyes flared, tightening his grip on her, making her cry out in pain and despair.

“You actually have the gall to beg to my nephew for help?” he growled. “Even after the fact that you’re the one who started this whole ordeal to begin with? Going as far to only use his royal title whenever your life is on the line? You clearly have no shame. And here I thought your brother was a dirty coward. You’re even worse! And the fact that you’re NOT apologizing to my nephew for what you did while begging for his help just shows what a remorseless cretin you are. You clearly are not deserving of the gift of life.”

Suddenly, a voice stated, “That’s enough, King Duskbane.”

Everyone turned to see King Alvin approach the group.

“King Alvin!” King Duskbane said, surprised.

King Alvin said calmly, “I understand your fury, King Duskbane. I, too, am absolutely livid that these two would go this far to try to humiliate the Shroud Hero. Even putting my people at risk for such a petty reason. Considering that Prince Avalar is your nephew makes your rage and wrath completely understandable, as you Shadokor are a very tight-knit race and value family more than anything else. However, I’m going to have to ask you to not kill Wench or the Spear Hero. I completely understand your reasons for threatening their lives, but, at the very least, the Spear Hero is just too important to take that risk. As for Wench, as much as I’d like her to die for all the schemes she’s concocted and all the lives she’s ruined, it would be better if she were spared. Don’t worry, I have a punishment planned for her, but I also feel you shouldn’t get blood on your hand, King Duskbane, as you’re too good for that. I’ll deal with her.”

King Duskbane relented, “Very well. I will do as you say, Your Majesty. To this day I’m beyond amazed at your silver tongue, as it was able to quell the fires of war with ease. It’s even talented enough to make demons like Shadokor obey you. As you wish, but I expect this vile fiend to be punished for what she did to my nephew.”

King Alvin nodded, “Yes, don’t worry, I’ve got something planned for her. And the Spear Hero, too. So, if you please?”

King Duskbane roughly dropped Lucas and Wench on the ground. He gave them one last piercing glare before he transformed back into his normal form. He gave King Alvin a polite bow.

“I will leave these two in your hands, Your Majesty,” he said. “Make sure they pay, as if this happens again my people will want her head.”

King Alvin nodded, “You can rest assured, King Duskbane, that I’ve got plans for her. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again, as I’m just as livid as you are.”

King Duskbane inhaled deeply before replying, “Then I will return to Shadoria. I know my wife, Wuya, will most likely playfully tease me for losing my temper. But that’s one of the reasons why I love her.” He then walked over to Celtic, placing both hands on his shoulders, “Avalar, if you ever need anything or something like this happens again, don’t hesitate to let me or Wuya know. Because a Shadow Sentinel told me what happened, not only was I enraged, as you clearly saw, but I was also proud of you for facing your fear head-on and ultimately prevailing over it. If your parents were still alive I know they’d be proud of you, too. You’ve been going above and beyond ever since you got dragged back to this world. You have truly lived up to your title as ‘Hero’. Now, I’ll be off, but if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I know you’re a bit uncomfortable asking your aunts and uncles for anything, given what your adoptive ‘relatives’ did to you, but you don’t have to worry about a thing from myself or Wuya. Okay?”

Celtic nodded, “Okay.”

“Good. Now, I will take my leave. Shadow Warp.”

King Duskbane vanished in a black portal, leaving everyone else behind. King Alvin then focused his attention on Wench, making her flinch at his piercing glare.

“It’s time for your punishment, Wench,” he growled. “Men, take her to the dungeons. It’s time for her to begin her first task… cleaning the entire dungeon. I want them spotless, Wench, you hear me? And don’t mind the rats, as you’ll fit in just fine with them.”

Two knights grabbed Wench by her arms and dragged her off to the castle, kicking and screaming, begging for help. Lucas made an attempt to follow but stopped dead in his tracks at King Alvin’s glare.

“You’re not off the hook either, Spear Hero. You’ll learn of your punishment for this underhanded scheme you and Wench cooked up later. I am very disappointed in you, Spear Hero. This is not how a hero should behave. It’ll cost you big time. And don’t you dare try to white-knight Wench, or it’ll cost you even more. I’ve already told you what’s going to happen to your royal stipend this time around, so don’t make it any worse for yourself. If you pick another fight with Avalar again, you WILL face a harsher punishment. Is that clear?”

Lucas nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. You and Wench have already violated my rules, so you’re not getting off easy. Violate any more of my rules and you will be sorry. Now, I’m returning to the castle, as my bad back is getting to me. Don’t do any more harm to the Shroud Hero or you WILL pay a heavy price for it.”

With a final huff, King Alvin returned to his castle, leaving everyone behind. Lucas gave Celtic a glare of contempt but merely waked away, the rest of his party following. Celtic and his party couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Karma can be pretty mean,” Rupert said.

Zuzu nodded as she floated back down, “You can say that again. Though I doubt this is the last we’ve seen of such schemes from Pointy Stick Boy and Prostitute Ex-Princess. We’d better be ready for whatever the next trashy scheme they pull.”

“At least King Alvin is on our side,” Leon said. “That’s some help, as if they do pull anything, he’ll just put them in their place. Still, I can’t believe they’d try something like this. Some ‘Hero’ Lucas is. Hopefully we’ve see the last of that Fun Box stunt.”

Skye nodded, “Yeah. Even so, we’d better be ready and not let those two get any other opportunities to try something underhanded like that. Though, I will admit, I’m actually pleasantly surprised that Ryan, Eric, and Jerry actually took our side this time. I guess even they have standards, which is a refreshing change.”

Celtic looked up at the sky, thinking, “Still, I did get something pretty useful out this whole ordeal. Something that I plan to use as revenge for this dirty scheme. I just need the right opening to enact my plan. Lucas, you will find out that karma can be quite ruthless.”

Next Chapter: Gram the Gallant

And that's all for now folks. Tune in next time for more exciting adventures.
 
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