by Taj McCoy El
Ziggs: anything else like how big it is?
Clover: Smaller than the last one.
Booms: How much smaller?
Clover: More than a little.
Booms: All units get ready. Eat a snack or something while we get the information from Clover.
Mo switched back over to friend chat
Booms: Ziggs when he gets back to you figure how much he knows.
Ziggs: roger, roger.
Mephi: Good one trashbot
Ziggs: :-P
Mo’s team was fiddling with their weapons or snacking lightly in preparation for the coming assault. When rustling accompanied by the cracking of many branches popping from the heat was heard. Mo's attention snapped to the depression where a head peered up from the mound of ashes. The head rotated to both sides and it seemed to peer into Mo's soul.
The eyes had coruscating flames that rolled out of the corners. It’s head, a bright amber color that darkened into black towards the hackle feathers. It’s comb and wattles looked like glowing coals. The v-shaped comb gave it a devilish look as it resembled a dragon's horn carved out of fiery cinders. It spread its wings and embers and plumes of ash and clinkers flew around the ashen mound surrounding the depression. It flapped up to the edge of its burning pit spreading more of the flaming debris. The whole chicken was that same bright amber with highlights and flecks of black. The underside and trailing edges of the wing seemed to be ablaze with a bright orange-ish red color. The shanks and feet were an ashen gray and the toes held black claws that seemed to sizzle against the ground. It stood at six feet tall and was slimmer than the other chickens they had seen.
Lithely it made its way to a nearby tree and used its beak to tear the lower branches off a few trees and drag them back to its nest. With the branches spread around and beginning to smoke it hopped back in its pit and grabbed one branch at a time and began what Mo could only think of as making its nest.
Ziggs: So what’s the plan?
Booms: Same as last time?
Mephi: Great. Maybe we should see if we have any water or earth spells to help us out.
Booms: Yeah let's do that.
Ziggs: I love your planning ability.
Mo sent a poll out to see if anyone had earth or water-based spells. Each team except the rogues had at least two people with earth or water spells. Of the two with Mo one had a water spell called water shot and earth spell called earth grab. Ziggs had three knockers with earth spells one had earth shove which shoved a waist-high pile of dirt at you. Mephi had four water spells and two earth spells.
Booms: Let’s send the ones with earth spells to zigs. You’ll be containment and slows. Mephi you take the water spells and do damage. I’ll keep my two and run interference.
Mephi: Sounds better than your last plan.
Ziggs: What plan?
Mephi: Exactly.
Booms: Ha… Ha…
It took a few minutes to get everyone into their respective teams. Meanwhile, Mo updated everyone on the plan.
Booms: earth unit will move out first and then water unit will fall in behind them and we’ll throw everything we have at it. Fireballs go a beat after everyone else to stagger damage. We’ll draw it out of the pit and draw it somewhere we can fight it. My unit will hit it from behind. Archers maintain fire and avoid friendlies. Remember don’t do anything stupid and everyone goes home.
With the plan ready and all units showing ready Mo sent the message to go. Ziggs’ earth unit moved out from the blackened and plucked trees and got as close to the pit as possible signaling they were ready. Mephi’s water unit rushed up behind them with the glow of spells ready to go. As the streams of water and puddles settled on the chicken. A thick cloud of steam and ash rose and blocked their view. A pile of earth rushed forward and dumped itself into the nest. Arrows fell onto the bird and didn’t show any signs of stopping and finally, a few fireballs fell.
You have attacked
Gallus Pyridae (Fire Mutation)
Level 14
-82 Arrows
-162 Water
-35 Earth
-82 Arrows
Fire magic resistance
305/666HP
A gout of flame 6 feet high spouted out of the hole while the flaming chicken stood tall and beat its wings fanning the flames in its nest. The flames rose into a blazing inferno from the sudden influx of fresh oxygen. The flames under it wings glowed as it flapped. Arrows were flung wide from the wind being thrown about.
Ziggs' threw all the earth spells its team had and Mo received a startling piece of information.
You have attacked
Gallus Pyridae (Mutation)
Level 14
-85 earth
- 65arrows
Fire magic resistance
420/666HP
“It’s regenerating!!!” Mo screamed as he watched the chicken’s health bar refill. Get it out of the fire!”
Another shove of earth fell into the firepit and the chicken squawked another puff of flame rising from the disturbed earth. The fire swirled off the chicken raising the temperature. The weak water spells hitting it were doing barely any damage.
Booms: Kite it out of there.
Mephi: Trying.
Ziggs: We need something that will really catch it’s attention.
Booms: In that case get ready. It’s about to chase me.
Ziggs: What are you about to do?
Mephi: Something stupid. Did you really need to ask?
Ziggs: guess you’re right.
Booms: Just pull back and we’ll try a different set up. We need to keep that thing out of the fire to stop the regeneration. So the fire is the first target.
Mo turned to the knocker with the earth grab spell.
“What’s your name?”
“Sparbald,” he said in a deep gravelly voice.
“Well, Sparbald it’s time to pay the piper.”
Sparbald pulled a knife and slashed it in the air towards Mo
“Piper never worked a day in’is life.” He held the knife ready to serve someone a killing blow, and by someone, Mo meant mostly of himself.
“Calm down there, guy.” Mo raised his hands in surrender trying to placate the knocker. “It’s just a saying. Means everything’s got a price that needs to be paid and now it’s your turn. Need you do us… all us a favor.”
Sparbald nodded but he hadn’t put his knife away.
"How often can you cast earth grab?”
"Every 5 minutes."
"And how long does it last for?
"70 seconds.”
Mo’s hopes were hanging by a slim cord at this point. He needed more slows.
Booms: Okay knockers, anyone have spells or tricks to slow someone down? Anything inflammable. Should work.
Bonkers: do you mean inflammable or nonflammable?
Booms: Ah shaz you’re right. Nonflammable is what we need.
Ziggs: Aren’t nonflammable and inflammable mean the same thing?
Mephi: Definitely not. Flammable and inflammable mean the exact same thing.
Ziggs: Who came up with that?
Booms: GUYS!!!
Booms: LATER!!!
Booms: Any slows from the knockers?
Bonkers: Tons’a slows. And got a couple who are a few sandwiches short of a picnic too.
Mo could only shake his head while the party chat overran with insulted knockers seeking recompense for the slanderous words.
Need to set up official party chat rules … and make them swear to them.
✽✽✽
Mayah’s fingers were covered in ink. Ink which was very good but which to her dismay did not wash off with water. The dismay came from forgetting about the indelibility while scratching the underside of her nose. She now sported a hitler-esque mustache because she lacked any solvents to remove Der Führers lip fuzz.
She sat with her hood on radiating the black miasma of death that only a preteen edgelord could muster. The perfect balance between, "I’
m deadlier than a black mamba,” and, "I wanna fwuffy stuffed unicorn.” She also sat with her back turned to her teammates. This was due to Grax the ever-snarky sparing no slings or arrows and Margaret for not being able to hide her grandmotherly amusement at Mayah’s facial faux pas.
Stupid flarfing indelible ink…
Her stamp rapidly pressed to the sheet of paper, again and again, creating sixteen Light (W) runes on the page. She examined them for any stray ink or incomplete lines, and then placed them on the large stack of already inked pages. She eyed the stack appreciatively. After these were cut to the proper dimensions they would make little glow globes that they could rain on the weesps opening them to their physical attacks.
And the best part is that for 30MP they would work for six minutes a pop. she could easily leave a few sheets together to give her a full twenty-five-foot diameter of light from the page light. If she threw in a place rune and circled some of them, it would make them last longer as well.
I got over five hundred and fifty of these sheets, which means over 8,800 individual enchantments for just these puppies. If I go fifty in each grenade that’ll get me one hundred and seventy-six grenades. Which also gets me over one thousand enchantments in the next hour.
She let out a heavy sigh.
"Hey, guys,” she yelled over her shoulder. “Anybody else want a snack?”
“How can we say no to our Führer.”
“Shut it cat.”
“Why? Does it make you führerious???” The added finger guns made Mayah boil.
"I'm gonna kick you from the party and block you forever.”
"Oh no… not führer-ever? I did nazi that coming.”
“Grax! That is too much.” Margaret finally joined in like an American after pearl harbor.
“Vas??? Why am I the bad guy now? I saw you laughing behind your hand earlier.” He pointed a claw at Margaret.
“Only because it was kinda cute to see her mistake but you’re just raining lemon juice into the wound.”
“Reich you are! tis but a flesh wound. Now, would you like to know why I’m carrying on in a manner more suitable führer an audience than usual?”
“Why don’t you enlighten us mein düssel-doof” Mayah snidely condescended.
Grax took no notice of her tone and expounded pointedly, “Point 1. You told me to do what I do. This is me complying. 2. You killed me in an extremely painful way….”
“You said you weren’t mad about that!”
“I’m not mad… anymore, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt and my nature has always been to return like with like. Now if I can finish… 3. This is all going on the livestream so I gotta throw shade. Drama. Maketh. The ratings.”
Even Mayah had to nod her head in acceptance of the third point it was why reality TV was still going strong since it’s popularization after “the real world.”
“You children shouldn’t make light of other people’s pain. The Holocaust is a minefield of bad emotions.” Margaret scolded.
“Yes Mags, I am cognizant of the Jewish holocaust, and the pain it’s caused. I don’t feel like we’ve crossed any lines, nor do I feel we will. I, and I'm speaking for myself here, respect people too much.” Mayah ran the back of her fingers across her cheek in short strokes drawing attention to her brown skin. “Unfortunately, I’m well versed in racism and genocide.”
“As long as the target of the jokes stays firmly on Adolf Hitler, I'll allow it. Bombs away.”
Grax moved his hand in a puppet talking motion and rolled his eyes. “So, that means we can keep going?” he feigned asking Margaret’s permission a tad flippantly.
“As long as you stay on the right side of it.”
Mayah waggled a finger at him. “And as long as I am nazi butt of all the jokes… understood?"
"But you kinda have to be. Since you have the mustache, we can’t just panzer around zee issue.”
"I hate you.”
"That’s fine. Because you really don’t.”
"I don't,” Mayah conceded. “But you make me want to.”
"I know, but only love can make you do that.” He gloated with a cheshire smile.
"Anyways…” she rolled her eyes. “What have you guys got?”
"I for one got off to a rocky start with not having a proper surface to work on," Margaret filled her teammates in. "But as of now I have about forty-seven arrows and my engraving jumped to level 5 and unlocked the skill tree. I added two levels speed and keep nicking my fingers.”
“Didn’t you see the warning about watching your fingers?”
“What warnings?”
Stupid personalized messages.
"Never mind and congrats. You should up your precision it should help you with the bleeding fingers. The problem is we’re gonna need more than a few arrows and even then, we’re going to have to retrieve as many as possible.”
"I figured as much so I also thought up an idea,” Margaret said bashfully
Mayah piqued at that leaning in with a nod that said, go on.
"What if you make an arrow like you do the needle of thread? The thread will come out the back and if you enchant the thread with light runes it may help us make barriers.”
Margaret looked up to see Mayah blinking rapidly as if forcing back tears and touching her heart lightly.
Mayah, gushed with quivering lips, “Oh… our baby!”
Grax’s paw fell onto Mayah’s shoulder. “She’s her own woman now.”
Mayah placed her hand over Grax’s paw. “It’s so beautiful.”
Margaret glared at her new enemies and decided at that moment she would make them pay.
“Ooh look, she’s angry!” Grax laughed and finally broke character. Mayah quickly followed suit looking into Margaret’s eyes.
"I think she’s planning on getting us back,” Mayah hisspered to Grax.
Margaret turned herself away from the two.
“ZOMG!!! She totally is!!!” Grax roared. “Totally need to watch out for the creepy lady who plays with dead things.”
“You know the thing about livestreams…” Margaret said over her shoulder.
"What?” Grax laughed.
"We’re all recording.”
"And?”
"I seem to remember someone dying like a massive noob the other day. And then there’s whole bitten tongue thing.
"Hey, hey…"
“Oh yeah, I seem to remember a bridge you almost fell off of.”
"Looks like she’s got some things to start the revenge, Grax. And I’m sure if she reviews the videos I’ll send her, that she’ll find some extra fun stuff to hold over your head."
"You wouldn’t."
“Hold on one second.” Mayah opened up her interface and sent a share request to Margaret.
“And done.” She smirked.
The poor little kitty looked like black thunderheads were burning in his brain. He raised a claw on both hands and pointed to his teammates. “This means war.”
“Now he gets it!” Margaret sneered. Mayah gave her a high-five.
“By the way Mags, great idea.” and gave her another high-five.
“Agree’” Grax chimed in.
“We need to test it out. And I need to start enchanting.”
"I thought you were going to enchant as you went?”
“Yeah… Ink…” she showed them her hands. “Didn’t think it would help to put on my enchanter's gear and do all this stamping."
“Yeah…prolly not.”
"Okay let’s get back on topic. Where were we?”
“Ganging up on Grax, I believe,” Margaret teased.
Mayah turned to leaned in and got right into "Grax’s face and lasered into his eyes. He blinked slowly and looked away, nonchalantly.
“So, how many stilettos did’ja make?”
“‘Bout twenty. Made a few special variations to see how they would work.”
"Oh, did’ja? Lemme see?”
Stilettos fanned across his face from his paw. He l
ightly pushed up on the bridge of his nose like he was wearing glasses and said, “Here you go.”
Mayah took them and studied them.
“Light (W) and Acid (D), Light (W) and Spike (W), Light (W) and more Acid (D), Light (W) and more Light (W). You know you could’ve asked me for more runes?”
Grax’s lip trembled, and he bit back a smile, and then failed to hold in a laugh that escalated all the way into sobbing hysterics.
“What. is. So. funny?”
“Führer more runes.”
Margaret sniggered when she heard it and had the sense to rein it back and look apologetic. Mayah, however, glared daggers at the cat and almost threw one at him.
And I almost charged it first.
“Fine! No runes for you!”
“Rune Nazi!” Grax yelled dramatically and began laughing.