by Charles Dean
Gabriel was saved when a lanky guy in a fitted black suit that made him look like a butler darted in front of him and let out a series of punches. The attacks were so fast that they created a pocket of air, effectively stopping the two Scorching Skulls from reaching either of them. “Thanks, Venter,” Gabriel said.
So, those are the weak links, Lucas surmised as he watched their reactions. He also noted that even though Venter had stopped the Scorching Skulls by using an odd Chi-based attack, he hadn’t dared to let either of Lucas’s spells hit him. He had shut them down a foot away from him, indicating that he likely lacked Mejia’s ridiculous god-mode-level durability. Which means he’s vulnerable. I just have to aim my hits right. Lucas started putting together a game plan in his head as the information rolled in. He had originally thought that this was going to be easy, but after Mejia had turned out to be a giant tank of a man, Lucas regretted the decision to show off without Lilith’s assistance.
Lucas glanced over at Lilith, doubting his choice not to include her, but when she winked at him and mouthed what he could only assume was “Go get ‘em, tiger,” he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and redouble his efforts. It was also entirely possible that she said something else entirely, like “His pants may rip off” or “Why does she wear heels?” but the excited and expectant gaze she fixed on him convinced him it was neither of those.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, just short of a full sigh. He was questioning what his next move was going to be when Mejia finally looked like he was going to take the initiative for once. The rotund man opened his mouth wide, flashing a mouth full of what should have been teeth, and Lucas suddenly understood why the youth had only been speaking through partially-closed lips before: his smile was magic. Where his teeth should have been, Lucas saw the tell-tale signs of actual magic crystals, specifically Lightning and Fire ones, planted throughout his mouth. It was as if someone had pried out every canine, incisor, and molar and replaced them with spellcasting equipment.
The “teeth” began glowing their respective crystal colors, letting Lucas know that the big guy was channeling Arcane Energy into them and that he was getting ready to cast a spell. Lucas wasn’t going to wait around and figure out what the spell was just to look cool. He quickly threw up an Earthen Wall in front of him and then dove down behind it as quickly as he could. The wall erupted in a cloud of debris and rock fragments mere seconds later as an explosion ripped through the barrier. The sharp fragments blasted into his back, and he grimaced as 40 points of health disappeared.
Gritting his teeth through the intense stinging sensation he felt in his back, Lucas pushed himself up onto his feet and into the cloud of dust that still hung in the air. Almost as soon as Lucas was upright, Venter vaulted the blasted barrier with a kick that was perfectly aimed to take off his head. Mostly on instinct, Lucas threw his staff up in front of him and thrust it out just in time to intercept Venter’s attack. Lucas staggered back several steps under the force of the blow and Venter’s weight and then hastily maneuvered the large staff to block the series of punches that arrived just after the man’s feet touched down. Lucas was pressed back as the punches poured in, and he scrambled away from the speed-demon’s movements.
Lucas wanted to scream in frustration. He was supposed to be in a Level 30 to 65 zone. This was a middle-of-the-road area, and he had the stats of over 100 levels. Theoretically, fighting five unarmed kids should be easy. Yet, by the sixth punch, Lucas was beginning to realize exactly how outmatched he was in physical combat. The seventh and eighth punches had even more force behind them, and he was pressed back yet again. His heel came down on what felt like a large rock, likely a chunk of debris from the destroyed Earthen Wall, and then his foot went out from under him. Lucas went flying back as he lost his footing, barely avoiding the last punch that came flying in, as he was no longer able to defend himself. He crashed down into a large pile of rubble and cursed as the jagged shards dug through his spider silk armor and into his skin. Even though he had somehow managed to avoid the onslaught of attacks, he lost another 130 health to the piercing rubble.
“Fickin’ hell!” Lucas spat out, quoting a famous goblin cuss word from a book he used to read as he winced through the pain and looked up to find Venter preparing another attack. No, I've had enough of this! Lucas summoned up a Wind Wall, sending the currents from Venter’s right side into the Earthen Wall on Venter’s left.
Venter, who had only one foot on the ground, was caught off guard, and the Wind Wall picked him up and sent him flying into the Earthen Wall. Lucas immediately summoned a second Wind Wall and aligned it with the first. Although he had never tested the combination before, it performed exactly as he predicted. Venter had begun to slide down the wall after colliding with it, but the second Wind Wall provided more than enough pressure to keep him pinned in place, locked against the rock face.
It won’t last, but . . . Lucas rolled backward over the pile of debris and popped up a few feet away, taking another 4 points of damage as his body weight sank more sharp edges into his back.
He began channeling Static Web, fully intending to finish off Venter while he had the chance, but a strange sound pulled his attention toward Mejia instead. The large man hadn’t taken a step, and each of the mana crystals in his wide-open mouth was glistening with energy. Lucas had been so focused on defending himself from Venter that he hadn’t been able to deal with the others yet, and Mejia at least seemed like he had used the time wisely. A giant burst of flame that was surrounded by crackling bolts of Lightning erupted from the giant’s mouth and streaked across the stage. The spell slammed into Lucas, and it felt like he had been struck by a car going forty miles per hour. Lucas was thrown back by the force of the blast, his skin and armor were scorched by the flames, and he felt his muscles contract as the Lightning worked its way from one end of his body to the next. The 1750-damage blast sent Lucas flying back. He skidded across the sand and crashed to a halt at the bottom of the amphitheater’s stairs, losing his focus and dropping the two Wind Walls he had been channeling.
Lucas stared up from the flat of his back and watched the Lightning fizzle out only to be replaced by a cloud of purple dust. What now? He wondered, watching the thick mist rise from the ground. What in the heck is going on? He covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve by burying half of his face in the crook of his arm and slowly pushed himself up. Even through the hazy mist, he clearly saw the brightly colored light gathering in Mejia’s mouth as he channeled the mana for yet another attack.
Finally fed up with being pushed around, Lucas began preparing himself to cast Meddling Minds. Dealing with each of these guys one-on-one would have been possible, but the relentless combination of attacks they kept throwing at him was just too much for him to deal with. Strangely, however, he couldn’t seem to make his mana connect with his necklace. It was like he was reaching out for something that simply wasn’t there. Then, something suddenly occurred to him. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Lucas suddenly realized what was wrong. He frantically reached into his shirt and fished out the necklace only to discover that it was completely shattered. No! Lucas felt like the floor had been pulled out from underneath him, and a burst of anger welled up within him at the same time. This was arguably his most powerful tool, his most useful spell, and it was definitely one that he continuously used to tremendous effect to not only navigate through dungeons, but also the overworld.
System Notification: You are currently inside a cloud of poisonous spores. The poison cloud’s density is causing 10 damage per second.
His attention was momentarily pulled away from his latest problem as the system informed him that he was standing in a noxious gas. He shifted his gaze over to the last remaining girl, and she more or less confirmed that she was the source of his latest annoyance. She was clutching her two earrings between her thumbs and forefingers, and there was a faint purple light emanating from around her fingers, a good indication that the jewelr
y was the source of her spellcasting ability. He quickly scanned the arena for Gabriel and found him clutching a necklace that very much looked like the one he had just lost, and a burst of movement showed him that Venter was on his way with yet another attack.
Grinding his teeth together in annoyance, Lucas began channeling yet another Wind Wall. This time, however, he targeted it onto his own back and aligned it so that it would intercept Venter’s path. He felt the violent Wind slam into his back as he finished casting the spell, and he actually had to lean back into it in order to stop himself from being blown forward and toppled over again. Very quickly, however, he succeeded in blowing the cloud of noxious gas away from him, directly past Venter and right onto Gabriel, the weak link he had discovered before.
Turning toward Mejia, Lucas already knew that the giant’s breath attack was nearly finished. Well, come on, Wind, give me some help. Lucas stopped resisting the Wind and leaned into it instead, letting it carry him forward much faster than he would have been able to move on his own. He darted forward, chasing after the cloud of poisonous gas, but even with the extra movement speed increase, he simply wasn’t fast enough. Mejia’s attack blazed across the sand and crashed into him with a fury of Fire and Lightning, dealing another 1750 damage. The effects didn’t stop there. Even after being thrown through the air and crashing down into the stairs, Lucas couldn’t miss what came next. The flames instantly ignited the noxious cloud of gas. Small explosions detonated ahead of the rapidly-spreading flame as it surged toward Gabriel. Within seconds, the young man disappeared from sight, completely engulfed in a conflagration.
Unlike Lucas, Gabriel didn’t take to Fire in silent agony. He screamed so loudly that there was no way anyone in the theater didn’t hear him. What began as a blood-curdling wail was soon choked out by the flames scorching his lungs.
“GABRIEL!” all three of the others shouted in unison.
Venter, who was almost upon Lucas when Gabriel was ignited, skidded to a halt, turned around, and rushed toward his friend. Even Mejia, who had been preparing yet another attack, shut his mouth and started to run toward the dying youth. Sensing an opportunity to stall both of the primary threats, Lucas did his best to stand back up and cast Earthen Wall as fast as possible. The giant barrier sprang from the floor moments later, erecting itself directly between Venter, Mejia and the black cloud of smoke that masked Gabriel. Lucas wasn’t certain if some gimmicky piece of jewelry existed that might be able to heal the burning man, but he didn’t want to risk it. He was going to make sure that they spent as much time trying to save Gabriel as possible.
It didn’t take long for Venter and Mejia to reach the barrier, and Mejia broke through the Earthen Wall with his massive arms, smashing through it like he was a giant glass jug of red sugary deliciousness in an old commercial.
Venter jumped up and kicked off the barrier, flipped over, and then let his redirected momentum begin carrying him back toward Lucas. He was no longer calm or collected like before, and his hazel eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“I will kill you, self-righteous fiend!” Venter shouted as he rushed toward Lucas.
Wasn’t that what you were trying to do already, you idiot?
Lucas hefted his staff and prepared to block Venter’s attacks, but the youth was faster this time. He launched himself into the air and flew toward Lucas with a sort of Chi-fueled flying dropkick. Lucas pulled his staff up, hoping to turn the attack aside just as he had before, but Venter had somehow directed way more into the kick than last time. The head of Lucas’s staff rebounded back toward him as it made contact with Venter’s foot and slammed straight into his head, dealing 180 points of damage.
Lucas’s vision flashed black as pain filled his head, and he reeled back, completely disoriented. Something smashed into his gut a second later that he could only assume was Venter’s fist, and Lucas doubled over in pain and watched as his health pool dropped down to 921 points.
I am NOT going to die to a bunch of kids.
Lucas danced back along the wall while holding his arms up to blindly block Venter’s next attack, but there was little he could do to stop the rain of blows from coming down on him. Venter’s rapid strikes pummeled him in the shoulder and chest for 200 more damage, leaving him with only 721 health left. The fight’s end was beginning to look grim, and Lucas didn’t quite know how he was going to stop the rapid string of attacks. Then, just as Lucas was about to give up and change tactics completely, Venter stopped. He stopped dead in his tracks, a punch half-thrown, and his eyes popped open in abject fear. Then he plummeted straight down into the sands of the arena until his entire lower half was buried. Almost instantly, Venter screamed out in pain, very much like Gabriel had only a short time ago. The young man doubled forward and began frantically clawing at the sand, almost as if he were trying to grab hold of something that he could use to drag himself out of the pit.
There was a small ripple in the sand that circled around Venter’s body, and then a strange set of legs briefly broke through the surface before disappearing just as quickly.
Lucas grinned devilishly as he realized that an unsuspected entity had joined the fight without anyone’s knowledge: his new pet Ant-Dragon. It must have made its way down from the top of the arena, burrowed into the sand, and then created a small pit-fall-type trap. When Venter fell into it, the Ant-Dragon must have latched onto his legs.
“You cheati-- AHH!” Venter’s attempt to accuse Lucas of foul play was cut off by his howls of pain and agony as the bones in his legs were cracked open and gnawed apart between dragon’s teeth. The loud crunching sound of bones breaking beneath the sand was even audible across the arena, and one of the bystanders not involved in the fight looked like she was about to lose her lunch at the sounds of Venter being devoured.
Unwilling to make the same mistake that he had earlier and remain focused on a single target for too long, Lucas looked up and discovered that Mejia had opened his mouth and was just about to fire his cannon. Lucas had already experienced exactly how devastating that attack was, and he wasn’t going to take it head-on yet again if he could help it, so he did the only thing he could think of: he dropped to the ground just out of Venter’s reach with every intention of using the dying man as a human shield.
The blast spiraled across the arena and smashed into Venter from behind, instantly putting an end to his horrid screams and howls of pain. When Lucas looked up again after shielding his eyes from the blast, Venter has been turned into freshly-cooked barbecue.
Three down, two to go, Lucas thought, turning his attention to Mejia. He scrambled up and began preparing another attack when he noticed that Mejia had actually grown bigger. The student was now well over eight feet tall and even rounder than he had been before. If he’s just a cannon, what in the hell is the point of that? Lucas wondered, but he didn’t have to wonder for long. Mejia extended his arms into the air and then bent over and hugged his knees to his chest, turning himself into a literal ball. His body glowed with a bright yellow as Chi enveloped it, and then the giant human bowling ball began rolling forward and quickly started picking up speed.
Lucas immediately abandoned his original plan of casting Exploding Tear from a safe distance and instead cast Earthen Wall. He had watched Mejia effortlessly crash through the stone barrier twice now, so rather than trying to stop the blob outright, Lucas instead cast the spell at something resembling a forty-five-degree angle and directed it up into the air, effectively creating a wide ramp between himself and the human wrecking ball. He then cast two more ramps as quickly as he could, extending each off the end of the last. With his head tucked into his body, there was no way for Mejia to even see the need to change direction or stop, much less alter course, and his body rocketed up the ramps at a blinding speed.
Feeling cheeky, Lucas channeled Wind Walls as fast as he could and directed them onto Mejia’s back, further increasing his speed as he flew up the ramp. As soon as Mejia launched off the end of the ramp and into the air, Lu
cas canceled the three Wind Walls and began chain casting even more. This time, however, he directed them off the end of the ramp and up underneath Mejia’s boulder-like form, propelling the rolling ball of doom even higher.
System Notification: You are currently inside a cloud of poisonous spores. The poison cloud’s density is causing 10 damage per second.
Lucas saw the notification but completely ignored the new poison cloud as he channeled the second, third, and fourth Wind Wall spell underneath Mejia to push him even higher. Despite the speed and momentum, the hulk of flesh’s ascent began slowing down even as Lucas did everything that he could to launch him higher.
System Notification: You are currently inside a cloud of poisonous spores. The poison cloud’s density is causing 20 damage per second.
Lucas began feeling a little dizzy from poison as it built up ticks of damage and stripped away his health, but he was determined to remain focused on stacking the Wind Walls. Finally, right when he decided that he couldn’t push Mejia any higher, he canceled every spell all at once, and then cast one final gust of Wind designed to accelerate Mejia even faster in his fall downward to the ground.
System Notification: You are currently inside a cloud of poisonous spores. The poison cloud’s density is causing 30 damage per second.
“Rennie!” Mejia roared. The oaf slowly uncurled from his ball as he plummeted to his doom face-first, completely helpless to save himself. When he struck, it wasn’t with a splat, but a cracking boom. His skull burst open and his neck, unable to hold up the weight of his body combined with the force of gravity, snapped as his head was smashed to the side.
You have killed Mejia. You have been awarded 999 EXP. An elite athlete’s elixir, 8 flawless Fire crystals, and 89 gold have dropped upon death.
Lucas didn’t waste time celebrating the kill. Instead, he immediately turned to the girl, who was casting her fourth poison cloud. The damage was already stacked pretty high, and he didn’t have time to waste.