Emerilia Series Box Set 4

by Michael Chatfield

  The Grand Demon Lord wasn’t given time to gather himself as all of Party Zero unleashed their finishing moves. Deia used her modified plasma cannon with her bow. Dave continued to enclose the Demon Lord, altering his orbs’ coding here and there to keep continuous pressure on them. Gurren and Lox hurled javelins while Steve unleashed powerful slash attacks that penetrated through the octagonal gravity prison. Jung Lee held up his hand; a swirl of all the Affinities came together to focus into a gray stream of Mana that pierced through the Demon Lord’s soul energy. With the Free Affinity spirits now being allowed more freedom, these creatures that had tried to take over Jung Lee for hundreds of years now tore through the Demon Lord’s own soul, weakening his control over the soul energy he had collected. Rain fell from the sky, each drop as fast as a bullet and concentrated on the Grand Demon Lord as Jekoni looked on with cold eyes. Malsour’s breath was concentrated and condensed, eating away at the Grand Demon Lord’s soul energy.

  The Grand Demon Lord’s Health rushed downward. Even though it had Legendary abilities that it could use, it needed to have control over itself, its body and its soul energy in order to use them. Right now, it didn’t have control over anything; racked by pain, thrown off by the attacks and the suppression, its mind was frantic and filled with panic.

  Its size greatly reduced as its soul energy was spent, shrinking from a dominating fifteen meters tall until he was only two meters tall. He combusted his own soul but it was under attack by Jung Lee’s Free Affinity spirits, reducing his control over it and making it more chaotic.

  The attacks tore through the Grand Demon Lord’s body. Malsour’s breath reduced the Grand Demon Lord to nothing more than ashes.

  The attacks stopped as all of Party Zero looked at where the Grand Demon Lord had been. All of them looked at the spot, as if not believing that it was truly over.

  “Stamina, and Mana potions!” Deia said, bringing everyone out of their stunned state.

  “Lox, Gurren—get over here. Let’s see if Malsour and I can’t help fix up your armor,” Dave said.

  They wandered over as the orbs around the Grand Demon Lord’s ashes powered down and faded away from view as they moved toward Dave. They were still there but their stealth abilities made them practically invisible.

  “What happened with Induca and Suzy?” Dave inspected the armor, pulling metals from his pack.

  Around them, the sounds of fighting could be heard as the dwarves moved past the walled-off area Malsour had created, pushing the Xelur backward.

  Many of them, no longer sensing their Grand Demon Lord, were completely disheartened. Even the Demon Lords were having trouble in trying to keep them fighting. They understood that if the Grand Demon Lord had been killed, then it would be easy for them to die.

  Even though they lived in a world of fighting in an attempt to gain more soul energy, they didn’t want to throw their lives away. They wanted to survive to use that energy and not lose it to anyone else. As such, they were giving ground, allowing themselves to be pushed back to the breaches, fighting those that they could.

  Before Lox, Gurren, and Malsour could respond to Dave, Esa sent a message to Party Zero.

  “Good work on the Grand Demon Lord. The Xelur are in disarray, as soon as you’re ready, I want you to get out there and hit them with everything you have. As you do, I’ll unleash everything we have in reserve. If we can break them here, then they’ll pull back to their castles.”

  “We’ll be ready in five minutes,” Deia said.

  Chapter 8: Rout

  Anna watched as Induca’s body started to repair itself.

  The healers talked to one another, directing their healing spells as well as using the healing potions in order to speed up recovery. The healer in charge and his assistant continued to focus on her head. Induca’s face was still covered in blood but it had recovered to her original structure.

  “Seems that she’s coming around,” the healer in charge said.

  “Damn, looks like she’s got a strong Willpower. It’s a pain to keep her suppressed so that she doesn’t come to with her body in its current state.”

  The lead healer and his assistant grunted and sweat as they fought Induca, who was trying to wake up, her face wrinkling with effort.

  “Induca, let them work!” Anna yelled out in a panic, seeing how Induca’s stubborn personality could let her wake up, see her injuries and then make everything worse for the healers to deal with.

  Induca’s face relaxed.

  “Looks like she was conscious enough to hear you,” the lead healer said with clear relief as the other healers continued to work. Together they repaired what was left of Induca before allowing the healing potions to get to work. The healing potions could have done it all themselves, but with healing, they took energy from the person they were putting back together. With Induca, that kind of strain might be too much on her weak body.

  Also, with them repairing what was left, it meant that they didn’t have to use as much healing potion and that the patient would heal faster.

  As sections of Induca were set in place, the healers would then spread the healing potion over Induca.

  Bit by bit, her body was coming back. Already her organs were working; her bones were fused together and regrown in places. Muscle and skin reformed as Induca started to look more like a person.

  Anna didn’t know how much time went by as she looked on anxiously before Induca’s body was fully recovered.

  The healers, all tired from their exertions, drank Stamina potions, while one of them laid a cloth over Induca’s body.

  “Okay, looking good. She’s well on her way to recovery. Get, a Mana potion for her— seems that she’s got deep Mana fatigue. It’s a good thing she didn’t wake up or the fatigue would have been too much for her body and it could have affected her Mana pool.”

  Someone pulled out a Mana potion from their bag of holding and poured it into the bathtub. It was absorbed into Induca.

  After a few moments, her eyes fluttered and she looked around. “What’s going on?” Induca pulled on the sheet over top of her.

  “You were badly wounded. You’re in Terra.” Anna pulled out a set of clothes from her bag.

  “You’re going to need some more healing, and Mana and Stamina potions. But you should make a full recovery. Don’t go out and fight for the next five hours. If you’ll excuse us, we have other patients that we need to see to.” The healer moved away.

  Doctors from Earth might be surprised by how fast Induca recovered. To be told that they didn’t want her fighting for a few hours after the injuries she had sustained? That was complete lunacy. They would have kept her in a hospital for months, and then have maybe a year or more recovery time.

  With magic and potions, people could be healed back to their peak in a matter of hours, however they would need to eat and sleep in order to fully recover their Mana and Stamina without the cooldown of the different healing spells that were placed upon them.

  The healers left. The last one pulled a curtain around the bathtub that Induca was in.

  Induca got out of the tub, there was a shower off to the side, which she moved toward. She was still covered in blood and bits from her injuries.

  “Where is Suzy?” Induca asked.

  “She’s being treated for a soul attack that the Grand Xelur Demon Lord used. She should recover in a bit. If not, she’ll re-spawn in a few hours or so,” Anna said.

  Induca’s face froze for a moment as she let out a shuddering sigh. “I keep forgetting that she’s a player. I know she’ll be fine—even if she dies, she’ll come back. But there’s a disconnect between that, which I know is right, and knowing that if we as people of Emerilia die, we’re just gone.” Induca shook her head and moved to the shower, turning it on.

  “I know.” Anna still felt slightly guilty about leaving Suzy to follow Induca. Suzy had Lu Lu watching over her, after all, and even if she did die, she could come back. If Induca hadn’t made it to the hospital
in time, she would have died.

  Now, in just a few hours, she had been able to recover from her terrible injuries that would have killed anyone on Earth, or anyone who hadn’t been right next to a healer. It truly showed how useful and vital the hospital with its healer wards was to the people of the Terra Alliance.

  Anna opened up the Party Zero chat, finding the others talking about their options. “Hey everyone, just wanted to give an update. Suzy is still under a soul attack, and Induca has made a full recovery. She should be okay to go in a few hours,” Anna said.

  ***

  Deia looked over Party Zero. Dave and Malsour worked to repair Lox and Gurren, parts of their broken hands as well as melted chests reforming. Steve pulled out replacement parts from a ring of holding, exchanging them for his broken armor while his soul gem body affixed to the new armor plates and repaired itself. Around him, various soul gems were being drained to fill up his power reserves.

  Everyone else was downing potions to recover their spent Mana and Stamina faster.

  “Party Zero, are you ready?” Esa’s voice was tight; she saw the opportunity to turn this battle around and she was having to wait.

  Deia looked to the others.

  “A minute or two.” Dave kept his focus on Lox’s hands as he used his soul smithing art to finish off Lox’s hand and repair all of the Magical Circuits that had been destroyed. It was not a simple process, but under Dave’s guidance, it was hundreds of times faster than letting the armor repair itself.

  “We’ll stick to the air for this one, provide support. If we get in the midst of the Xelur, then we’re just going to make it harder for the dwarves, as well as their support,” Deia said, talking to Party Zero and Esa.

  “Understood. It would be nice to have you clear a path through the Xelur. Basically, we just need you to show that you’re fine and ready to kick more ass, put the fear of Emerilians into the little bastards and maybe make the Grand Demon Lords think twice about fighting us,” Esa said.

  “That we can do.” Malsour looked to the sky.

  The five Dragons who had been engaged in fights with various Grand Demon Lords had won their fights; most of the Grand Demon Lords had made good on their escapes, fleeing back to the castles that the Dragons couldn’t attack by themselves unless they were willing to take heavy injuries.

  Two of the Dragons were badly wounded; the other three had wounds but they were still ready for a fight. They cartwheeled in the sky, dropping down toward the ground, their attacks and flames raining down upon those who were caught out in the open between castles.

  Otherwise they would combine their attacks to hit the Xelur castles that looked weaker, trying to open up their defenses so that the Terra Alliance could rain down attacks on the Xelur before they had a chance to recover their soul-powered shielding or barriers.

  “Ready as we’re going to get,” Dave said.

  Anna connected to the party chat. Everyone tensed up to listen.

  “Hey everyone, just wanted to give an update. Suzy is still under a soul attack, and Induca has made a full recovery. She should be okay to go in a few hours,” Anna said.

  Some of the hard edge that showed through everyone’s faces dimmed somewhat. Knowing that Induca was all right took a weight off their minds; no matter what, Suzy would be able to come back from the brink.

  “Thank you, Anna.” Deia’s voice was soft.

  “No problem. Now, go kick some Xelur ass!” Anna cut out of the party chat.

  “All right, I want it as such. Malsour, you’ll be center. Jung Lee, Steve, Lox, and Gurren to either side. Jekoni, on the right side with Dave, and I’ll be on the left side. Everyone good?” Deia asked.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Lox said as they moved into a line facing the walls that Malsour had made to contain the Grand Demon Lord and any of the forces that had been around to support him.

  “Time to push them back,” Malsour said. A pillar pushed him up into the sky as the others of Party Zero rose into the sky with him. They emerged out of the dust-covered coliseum they had made like Legendary warriors of the gods.

  As soon as they were able to see the Xelur, they started to attack. The dwarves were moving past the corridor and coliseum that Malsour had made, putting Party Zero right in the midst of the Xelur.

  “I’ll work the Mana barrier!” Dave called out as orbs appeared around them. Xelur ranged attacks hit the barrier that snapped into existence.

  The party spread out above the coliseum and unleashed their attacks. Malsour opened his mouth; a spell formation came into existence in front of his mouth. Spears made from smoking shadows appeared like a cloud. They shot out in a straight stream. As soon as one was sent flying, another would appear.

  The effect was like watching a machine gun cut down unarmored people. Malsour might feel reassured with hearing Induca was okay; however, the Xelur had put her in that healing ward and they had also hurt his nieces and nephews who had come to aid the people of Emerilia.

  There was no room for mercy in his eyes or in his attacks as they tore up the ground and washed away the Xelur that stood in the path of his attack.

  Gurren, Lox, and Steve unleashed their Mana bolts. Now fully charged, their bolts could take out most regular Xelur’s soul aura in a few hits before taking down the Xelur. For Demon Lords, they had to focus their attacks, leading to them calling out to one another when they found a heavy.

  Jekoni used his water magic to cut through Xelur, pulling more and more water out of the area; the water came together to form a massive water snake that seemed almost sentient in the way it attacked.

  Around Jung Lee, his six Affinity spirits stood in midair, unleashing their own attacks: Fiery phoenixes that screeched into the air before racing through the Xelur. An Earth-formed rhino. A shadowy reaper and a Light paladin. Water krakens and Air eagles. He himself unleashed blade attacks as if he were practicing his swordplay. With every cut or stab, he would imbue his sword with Mana, unleashing gray Mana attacks that cut through the Xelur.

  Deia was covered in flames as she loosed arrow after arrow into the Xelur ranks.

  Dave focused on the Mana barrier, taking on multiple hits from the now panicked Xelur from below. He stood in midair, his eyes closed. The runic lines over his body glowed with power. Finally, he opened his eyes. Three-meter-wide magical formations appeared in the sky. Metallic beams slowly emerged from these magical formations, growing from one meter wide to three. Suddenly they dropped from the spell formations and slammed into the ground. Runic lines across these beams lit up as energy started to flow from them.

  Under his hood, Dave’s face was pale, but Deia could see the satisfied grin on his face as she looked at those beams. All of the dying Xelur and ambient soul energy that was drifting through the battlefield was pulled toward these beams as if they were a black hole. All of that soul energy that would have gone to the Xelur was now being captured by these beams.

  They made a wide formation around that castle, overlapping one another so that there was not one place where their touch wasn’t felt.

  The Xelur’s spells were affected as the power that they poured into enhancing their abilities or their ranged beam- like attacks was pulled in by these pillars.

  Even the attacks that would come in from the other castles were being pulled into these pillars.

  With every second, their runes started to glow brighter.

  Now, every bit of energy that the Xelur might be able to capture and use was being drained away, making it so that they could only use what was within their bodies, and with only slight chances that they would gain power from the fallen.

  ***

  Esa grabbed onto the side of the balcony as Dave’s pillars dropped from the sky. Esa looked in shock at these pillars as they slammed into the ground. Energy rushed into them; even ranged attacks were affected under these pillars’ influence.

  Malsour rose into the air with powerful beats of his wings. The others rose up behind him before they s
pread out, all of them unleashing attacks upon the Xelur below.

  The Xelur were thrown further off-balance by the attacks from the dwarven cannons and other players that were also claiming a huge number of their people.

  As the attacks landed, the ground that had been filled with Xelur was being cleared of people.

  The Xelur already had low morale after seeing their Grand Demon Lords fall to Party Zero. Now the dwarves were advancing into their lines as Party Zero hit them from the air. A Mana barrier appeared around them, stopping any attacks from hitting them.

  “All ranged attacks, focus on the courtyard!” Esa yelled out, seeing an opportunity.

  Artillery cannons, spells, and anything that could reach the Xelur was redirected. Grand workings exploded into firestorms and massive domes of darkness, with oily black tentacles that pulled Xelur into its depths.

  That eastern corner of their castle had turned into a hellish and chaotic scene of combat in nearly every direction.

  The Xelur held for a moment and then, all at once, like the tide going out, the Xelur ran back toward the breaches.

  The dwarves continued to press forward, not letting anyone past them as they slaughtered all that lay in their path.

  The Xelur were broken. However, they could regroup, find their courage again and continue to fight. Here they could inflict the most injuries.

  Players, sensing the Xelur’s weakness, moved out from where they had been playing it safe and unleashed their most powerful attacks to try to get the most experience possible.

  The Xelur retreat was illuminated with vicious and powerful attacks that wiped out dozens in one go. Hundreds died as one as they passed through the walls, running for the east and west castles.

  “Call the DCA and Dragons to rake the Xelur as they retreat!” Esa yelled to her aides.

  The Dragons in the sky who had been supporting in the distance now turned, forming up on the eldest to create an arrow-like formation as they turned toward the northern castle.