by Jakob Tanner
I had one more spell up my sleeve. One I’d been saving since we’d formulated this plan. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Let’s do this. I swung my hand out towards Bertwald. An icy cold chill swam through my arm into my hand. A bitter cool wind blasted out from my palm, gusting across the battlefield until inches from Bertwald, it solidified into a tidal wave of ice. Every rivulet of blue frozen crystal was a sharp spiraling dagger of destruction. The green aura around him protected him from most of the damage. But a snowflake icon flickered underneath his status bar. Deep freeze. His arms and legs crinkled with a stiff layer of frost, reducing his movement speed even more.
Bertwald stepped back slowly, his ability to retreat severely hampered by his decreased agility. Serena lifted her blade above her head and slammed the blade into Bertwald with crushing blow. He blocked it with ease. But it left room for Fergus to attack him with his lightning coated kunai. Crackles of thunder and electricity swirled around the prince’s arm and weapon as he stabbed Bertwald in the ribs. The ninja attacks broke through the green flaming aura shield, whittling another 5% off of our foe.
The debuffs timed out and Bertwald stepped away from the onslaught of attacks.
“You fools,” he yelled. “Your attacks won’t kill me.”
A giant shit-eating smirk formed on my face. The quest never specified killing or defeating Bertwald. All we had to do was stop him from completing his operation. And while we’d been sending a barrage of attacks and status debuffs his way—where was our trusty stealthy thief?
Right under his nose, grabbing the kids.
Shade emerged from the shadows at the other end of the airship runway. He crouched down and picked up the fallen children. He’d gotten there with seconds to spare. Both of the kids’ HP were down to 2%. Shade picked them up and moved away from the ricocheting magical attacks and chaos of the battle.
I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. We’d done it. We’d saved Fen and Mari.
I waited for the quest to say completed. But nothing happened. The quest timer kept ticking away. What the hell?
Why wasn’t the quest over? I scanned the battlefield and saw Shade and the kids were still beneath a glowing green circular field taking up most of the airship docking area.
“Run Shade!” I yelled. “Get them out of the AoE circle!”
Bertwald shot out a laser blast of green necromantic energy where Shade was heading. The green energy sizzled across the battlefield, blocking off Shade’s path. The thief jumped back, the children clutched in his arms. Oh man. One hit from this guy almost killed Serena. One hit was enough to kill Shade. Another blast of green energy came his way. Shade shadow stepped and dodged the attack. Only one problem though. The quest timer ticked its final seconds.
00:00:10 second(s) remaining
00:00:09 second(s) remaining
00:00:08 second(s) remaining
Eight bloody seconds!
I launched my arm out and let lightning whip from my hand towards Shade’s feet. Shade sprinted across the landing pad towards us. There wasn’t enough time. He wasn’t going to make it.
The melee fray had paused as the fate of Bertwald’s operation hung in the balance. Fergus stood frozen in front of his possessed brother. The former king’s face had gone pale and soft.
“Kill me little brother,” said Jared, fighting through Bertwald’s possession of his body. “Do it now before—”
Fergus gripped his kunai, hesitating. He squirmed and shivered with indecision. The last seconds of the quest rushed to their final destination.
00:00:03 second(s) remaining
00:00:02 second(s) remaining
00:00:01 second(s) remaining
40
It all happened at once. The quest timer fell to zero alongside the children’s health points. Their status bars faded away as their small bodies lay cold and motionless on the ground. My shoulders fell. My heart sank. A message ran across my HUD.
Quest Failed: Stop Bertwald’s Necromantic Operation
Bertwald has succeeded at performing his operation and has taken over Jared Ravenmour’s body. Bertwald is now king of Laergard.
Fully possessing the body of Jared Ravenmour, Bertwald stretched out the arms of his newer younger self. The black swirling lines of the Prophetic Seal on both of his wrists ran up his arms like veins of spilled ink. More green toxic smoke leaked out his eyes. His jaw stretched out and a pair of large pointed teeth shot out from either side of his bottom lips. He crouched down, flexing his muscles. His arms and legs bulged. His limbs grew so much his clothes ripped open. His enflamed muscles poked out from his torn tunic and pants. He screamed and grabbed his head in pain.
Blood spurted out his back. Sharp pointed bones emerged along his spine. He clenched his fists while ossified remains slid between the cracks of his knuckles. Unclenching his fist, he admired his new clawed hands. Green flames coated his entire body, including his new necromantic fists.
Sliding out of his lower back was a tail made of flesh and bone. It spiraled around his person, the tip sharp as a spear.
I took a step back repulsed by this demonic creature. Was this really what Bertwald had aspired to become? Was this the rotten center of all his goals?
“It is over now Chosen,” said Bertwald, his voice further distorted through his new demonic mouth. “I am undefeatable in this new form. Die or bow to Laergard’s new leader.”
“Fuck that,” said Serena, putting all of her strength into a downward swing with her mighty sword. The blade was inches from cracking into Bertwald’s skull when he lifted up his flaming clawed hands and gripped Serena’s sword. He held her blade in the air.
“Give up now,” said Bertwald.
“How about, no,” said Serena, gripping the hilt of her blade tight. She pushed her sword downward with all of her strength but Bertwald continued to hold it up in the air. How was this possible? How was he so powerful?
He lifted up his other hand and clenched his fist.
“Serena—back away!” I yelled.
Bertwald punched her in the gut with his clawed fist. Serena’s body surged across the airship runway, collapsing in front of Kari and me. Four holes leaked out rivers of blood like water pipes. She was down to 2% HP.
Kari ran to Serena’s fallen body and put her hands above her stomach. The fox’s small paws glowed out over the bloody wounds, healing the damages. First the blood stopped flowing, then the wounds sealed and then Serena’s HP rose back to full.
We were nothing but flies to Bertwald in this battle. He had the power to swat us away and kill us with ease.
“Die you bastard!” yelled Fergus, tears flying out from his eyes. He swung his kunai and battled with the demon spawn. Bertwald blocked the incoming ninjutsu swipes. Fergus anticipated this, unsheathing a switchblade from his boot and sending an uppercut kick to demonic Bertwald’s face. The hit landed right in Bertwald’s chin, jerking his head upright and making him stumble backwards. Fergus didn’t waste a second, coming for him while he was stunned. Lightning crackled around his arms and kunai, stabbing his opponents in the ribs. Bertwald gained composure and swiped back. Fergus ducked the attack and slid underneath his arm, laying out another set of strikes.
I cast ruptured ground, destroying the floor at their feet. I hoped to land a cripple debuff but Bertwald jumped in the air and shot his demonic bone tail down to the ground, lodging itself there. He balanced himself in the air above us. He threw out blasts of green energy at Fergus. The prince dodged the attacks. Next he threw out blasts at the rest of us. We all rushed out of the perimeter of the incoming blows.
“We need to take out his height advantage,” I yelled so the whole party would hear. “Attack the tail. Dislodge it!”
“Got it boss,” said Shade, sprinting towards the tail of flesh and bone lodged in the ground.
All three of our melee DPS team dashed towards the tail. I cast shocking speed on all of them, their feet crackling with newfound electric energy. They da
nced and slid around Bertwald’s beams of necromantic magic. Serena cannonballed forward with her charge ability. Emerging from charge, she arced her arms and swung her sword, unleashing whirlwind blade. The metal tip of her great sword swirled in the air, clanking and knocking against the bones of Bertwald’s demonic tail.
Shade added to the attacks stabbing his daggers back and forth. Fergus added his own lightning kunai attack into the mix. But none of it worked.
“Don’t attack it,” I yelled. “Try and dislodge it. Destroy the ground around it.”
I threw my arm forward, feeling the ice cold power shiver through my arms and out my fingers towards Bertwald. The man yelled and responded to my ice wave with a blast of green energy. The two magical forces collided in the air and exploded in a nullifying collision.
Serena jabbed her sword into the ground where the bone was lodged, chipping away at the stone and concrete. The bone wobbled, losing its firm balance. Bertwald’s tail ejected itself from the ground while he flipped through the air and landed at his feet.
“Fergus, go!” I said. “Serena, Shade! Support him on either side!”
The melee trio ran towards demonic Bertwald.
“Kari,” I said. “He must have loads of buffs on him. Don’t lose your eye on healing the melee fighters but throw as many fox’s fun out at him as well.”
“Got it,” she said. She threw out a bright golden light across the battle field towards Bertwald. The debuff spell landed and Bertwald screamed with rage. What buff had we removed? Physical defense? Magic defense? Why was he so angry?
Serena unleashed spinning wheel. Bertwald blocked it with his right arm, barely taking any damage from the attack. Fergus caused more destruction with a critical hit to Bertwald’s chest.
Shade emerged behind the demon spawn, flinging himself in the air with both his daggers drawn. The daggers were about to land in Bertwald’s neck when his bone tail whipped itself through the air knocking right into Shade’s ribs. The thief flew across the battlefield. He crashed onto the runway, bones snapping upon impact. His HP fell below 10%.
Kari’s eyes widened with fear, throwing out bursts of healing magic towards the heavily damaged rogue. Shade’s HP zoomed back to full.
“Clay,” said Kari. “I’m running out of MP and it’s not regenerating fast enough to keep pace with this fight.”
I materialized an MP potion as quickly as possible and handed it to her. “Guzzle it down. We need you. Let me know if you need another.”
She held the glass potion up to her mouth and guzzled the blue liquid. Her MP bar returned to full.
“Gah!” yelled Bertwald, unleashing a wave of energy, knocking Serena and Fergus to the ground. “Enough messing around.”
His tail whipped through the air. The spear-like bone slithered through the sky until it punctured right through Kari’s tiny stomach and out the other side. Her eyes widened with shock. Her mouth gasped. A red crimson circle formed around the hole where the bone tail had entered.
I materialized a health potion but it was too late.
Instant kill!
A Party Member Has Fallen!
The tail slid out of from her stomach and returned towards Bertwald. Kari fell to the ground. Her avatar turning transparent and untouchable. She was gone from the fight.
“It’s over for you now,” hissed Bertwald, licking blood from his chin where Fergus had wounded him with his kick.
“Be careful everyone,” I said. “Fergus—can you kill him or do we need to retreat?”
“We will kill him,” yelled the prince. “I will kill him!”
He ran forward, slashing Bertwald with his lightning kunai. The two dueled each other once more, bone claw against ninja kunai. They clashed and slid, dodged and blocked.
I wasn’t sure if I believed Fergus’ answer, but I wasn’t ready to leave him to die. Not yet anyway. We needed to support him for as long as we were able.
Serena ran forward, jumping and charging into the air. Emerging from charge a few feet above Bertwald, she gripped her hilt and readied herself to unleash the most devastating crushing blow she had ever done. Bertwald yelled, “Enough!” and threw out a blast of green energy right at her stomach.
Instant kill!
A Party Member Has Fallen!
“SERENA!”
She collapsed to the ground of the airship landing bay. Her body fading away, disappearing into the horrible digital purgatory.
“Fergus! Shade,” I yelled. “We need to regroup.”
Fergus and Shade ran back towards me. Bertwald’s tail punctured the ground again and raised himself up. He would pick the rest of us off with his ghoulish blasts.
I ran to the far end of the runway back to the tower entrance. Shade and Fergus were behind me, the silhouette of demonic Bertwald floated in the air. He wasn’t rushing after us. He wanted to kill us, sure, but he knew if we didn’t fight him today, it only gave him more time to solidify his power. He was mercifully granting us whatever time of death we so desired.
“Clay—why do you force us to retreat from battle,” complained Prince Fergus. “As we gather back our energy so does he. We can’t let him have any advantage.”
“I agree,” I said. “But I can’t lose both of you. Not today. If that happens there will be no one to stop Bertwald in the future. If I die tonight, I’ll come back. You two won’t.”
“But Clay,” said Shade. “There’s no way you can take him on your own.”
“Do you trust me?”
Shade shook his head. “This is no time for games, Clay.”
“Trust me,” I said. “You two retreat. I have a plan.”
I just hoped it worked.
41
Fergus and Shade ran down the tower to safety. I turned back to face demonic Bertwald at the end of the airship runway. I ran across, stormy clouds hanging throughout the dark night sky. It was now or never.
“So you choose to face me alone,” laughed Bertwald, perched in the air. “You barely laid a dent into me with five. What makes you so much more powerful fighting alone?”
“I have a Prophetic Seal,” I yelled.
Bertwald cackled even louder. “Mercy me! Don’t you see boy. I have two. You don’t go into a shootout with less bullets than your opponent unless you plan to lose.”
I mustered a grin and said. “Ten kill blasts versus five. You need the handicap.”
“You insolent little runt,” he screeched. “I’ll terminate your existence from this world altogether.”
He threw out his arm from up above and a huge beam of shadow shot from his palm towards me. I jumped out of the way, barely dodging the attack. Smoke festered from where the attack had landed, burning a hole in the airship docking pad.
“Bring it on,” I said, cracking my knuckles and casting shocking speed. “Nine more shots Bertie.”
I ran across the perimeter of the circular dock pad. Bertwald threw out another blast with his other arm. The cold wind of the run//: delete_file attack grazed my back. The Prophetic Seal move burned another hole into the dock platform. Eight more attack blasts left.
I ran along the circular perimeter.
“I hate you Chosen,” sneered Bertwald from above in the sky. “You come into our world acting so superior. Believing we need to bow down to you, placate you, provide you with whatever you so desire. I’ll destroy you all.”
He let out another blast of energy, burning another hole in the platform.
Seven more attacks.
I kept running. I jerked to a halt at the edge of an opening. My body lurched forward, sneaking a glance at the rooftops of the city below. I scrambled to regain my balance. Bertwald smirked. He sent out a blast right in front of me. I had to jump across two burnt out holes on the docking pad. Six more blasts.
He was destroying the whole battlefield at this rate. I re-cast shocking speed and kept up the pace. My heart raced.
Switching arms, Bertwald unleashed a beam of shadowy power. Instead of shooting where I
had been running from, however, he shot where he thought I’d end up.
I dug my heels in, braking my run. I spun around and ran back the other way. I kept my eyes on the holes. I had to make sure he didn’t box me in.
Five more shots left.
“Looks like we’ve evened things up,” I said.
“There’s nothing equal about us, you weakling,” he yelled, throwing another blast towards me.
Four.
I skidded to a stop as I came close to another hole. The battlefield was too chaotic now to gain any momentum while running. It was a nightmare to kite.
“This ends now,” yelled Bertwald, unleashing a shadowy blast right where I was headed.
I turned around and slipped.
Shit.
I forgot about the hole behind me.
I clutched onto the decrepit metal of the dock platform, my feet dangling towards the city below.
“You survived eight of my blasts,” said Bertwald from up in the air. “Well done. But your time is up.”
He charged up his hand. The shadowy energy throbbing through him. He unleashed his finishing move.
42
I did it all in a second. I pressed my wrist, opening up the command_UI, casting, “//run: nullify_attack.” A glassy shield surrounded me as the incoming shadow beam barreled towards me. I held onto the edge of the platform while the beam splashed into my shield and travelled no further.
“Enough trickery,” yelled Bertwald, readying his hand for another attack. Yet no attack came. His hand had gone completely black, crumbling away in pixelated cubes.
“What’s happening to me?” he yelled. The pixilation curse travelled up his arm and into his chest. His whole body was disintegrating into corrupted cubes of nothing.
I smirked even though I was still hanging on for dear life. I pulled myself up onto the platform. “You told me a Prophetic Seal had a finite amount of killshots before it destroyed the user completely.”