Tales Of Gridarnia

Ray

“I don’t think I understand. Are you saying that this entire month will have been a waste all because you needed me to help you move?!” Ray asked the elder gnome.

“No, No, but kind of. We needed to move here, yes. That other place was getting a bit cramped. Our previous dungeon core got killed. We needed you to create Tonya who would then be able to create our home for us. Yes. But we are still going to train you, my good boy. We have plenty of time.” The elder explained.

For fifteen days, Ray worked on creating a dungeon core. This crystalized mana filled rock was essentially a nervous system for a dungeon. It created rooms and hallways, traps and defenders that adventurers would then fight. The entire adventurer dungeon dynamic was essentially this:. An adventurer walks into a dungeon. He spends time in the territory and fights the monsters the dungeon core sends after him. While he is doing this, his body is excreting a special kind of mana. The Core absorbs the mana which allows it to live and grow. As a reward for partaking in the challenge, the adventurer is rewarded with gold, or other such items commonly known as “Loot”. This entices him to leave without hurting the dungeon core and to come back later with his friends. The adventurer then leaves, the dungeon is reset and more adventures come. Rinse and repeat. Gnomes are almost purely composed of this special mana and a dungeon core is capable of thriving just by allowing them to live in their dungeon. The entire process to create the core was much more complicated than anything Ray had ever done in his entire life. He had to see the mana, fuse the mana with each shard and weave them all together in a functioning ever changing structure using all one hundred and ten in a specific order and in three dimensions. Ray was pretty sure hearing food, touching thought or tasting music would have been less complicated. After Ray succeeded in creating the core, who insisted she be called Tonya. He passed out. Three days later he woke up to find that he was no longer in the Boar Canyons, but deep under the mountain that encircled the Golden leaf village. The gnomes evidently had packed up and brought him and Tonya to what was now going to be their new home. Tonya established her territory, created a dungeon and even put an entrance in the side of the mountain next to Ray's house all while he was passed out. Ray studied her info screen.

Dungeon Core “Tonya”

Dungeon Core: level 5

Dungeon Core Type: Space & Time

Dungeon Core Element: All

Dungeon Territory: The Litmus Mountains & The Goldenleaf Village

Dungeon Occupants: The Gnomes of Region XI.

Total population: 552

Dungeon Core Skills & Abilities:

New Skill - Mana Communication Max Level

New Skill - Mana Sight level Level 5

New Skill - Elemental Sight Level 5

New Skill - Dungeon Manipulation Level 5

New Skill - Dungeon Communication level 5

New Skill - Dungeon Defender Creation Level 5

New Skill - Dungeon Trap Creation Level 5

New Skill - Mana Sensory Level 5

New Skill - Mana Conversion Level 5

“I only have twelve days left and all of my abilities from before are gone!” Ray yelled.

All of the new abilities that Ray obtained from absorbing the shard were gone. Even the three dungeon related abilities he obtained from activating the third beacon.

“No no. You still have your abilities. They are just in Tonya now..” The elder said. 'Anyway, you should still have your mana and elemental mastery titles but enough of that. It's time to get up, You need to be training. We only have twelve days left.”

Ray was still mad, but the elder was right. He still had a bunch of his skills and titles. He just lost all the dungeon related ones. He wasn’t sure how those were going to help him fight the Duke anyway. He decided to get up and follow Gaerick out into the underground village. Garrick directed him to a section in the dungeon away from where the gnome village was. They met Tonya, who could float evidently at the entrance to a large door.

“Now listen Ray, Tonya is your creation. She is an extension of you. What was in you became her. Do you understand? Gaerick asked.

“Not even close.” Ray replied.

“Honey, what he means is you and I are connected. They had to put the shards into you and then your beautiful mind used all of that power and everything you knew was created into me. We are going to do wonderful things Lord Ray. Wonderful Amazing things.” Tonya said triumphantly. “Now, go inside this room and fight the monsters I send you. We have lots of training to do”

Ray decided not to argue. He opened the door and walked inside. The room was significantly larger than the others. It was forty feet long and about fifty feet high with what appeared to be a hundred foot ceilings. Tonya and Gaerick came in after him and they shut the door. Tonya let out a burst of mana and the entire room started to shimmer.

“Lord Ray, We are in a room that manipulates time and space. We are currently working at a 1:30 ratio. For every one day out there, we will have thirty days in here. Do you follow?” Tonya said

“So twelve days out there would be about three hundred and sixty days in here. We are going to train for an entire year?!” Ray yelled in protest.

“We won’t be doing all that , but we should. The Duke has ten years on you. Maybe more considering he never stopped being in the military.” Gaerick said, “No, you are going to be doing thirty days in here, followed by a day out there. We will repeat this for the next ten days. You will then have a full day of rest before we head to Simpson lake.”

“Now activate your berserker mode and go kill all of those things over there. I will be sitting here with Tonya helping her design my new home.” Gaerick said. “We are using all battles that you have fought previously. I have also advised Tonya to throw in that one dragon for good measure.”

Ray turned to where Gaerick had pointed to see about 300 Goblins ready to attack. He manifested his sword and charged forward.

Twelve Normal Days later…

Ray walked out of the dungeon and sat on the roof of his home. The sun was beginning to rise over the village. Mace and Fil sat on a pillow fast asleep.

“That was intense.” Collin said, walking out of the Dungeon behind him.

Shortly after the King and Draconis left to go back to their encampment, Collin was kidnapped by Fil. He was brought to the Dungeon entrance where he met Gaerick and Tonya. They told him to go into the dungeon and he did. He met Ray in his berserker form, fighting off three very large and identical dragons to the one he fought in Regalia. Collin watched Ray very easily cut their heads off and transform back into his normal self.

“Your turn, Ray said to Collin, giving him a firm handshake and sitting down on a bench that was formed into the wall.

Collin and Ray stayed in the dungeon until the sun rose on the final day. They were unable to stay the full thirty days but they trained until the very last minute. Collin installed the second matrix into Ray, which led to Tonya having a weird reaction.

This reaction caused Tonya and the Lord System to combine. She created two identical matrices that were immediately installed to Ray and Collin. Once she was installed, the lord system completely reset and she took over. The Dungeon stabilized and she was everywhere. Through her, Ray and Collin’s levels and perks were shared. What Ray could do as lord, Collin could also do.

Dungeon Core “Tonya”

Dungeon Core: level 15

Dungeon Core Type: Space & Time

Dungeon Core Element: All

Dungeon Territory: Golden Leaf Village, The Litmus Mountains,Boar Canyon, Boar Canyon mine, Poorman Harbor

Region XI Total Control 47%

Dungeon Occupants: The Gnomes of Region XI.

Total population: 552

Dungeon Core Skills & Abilities:

Mana Communication Max Level

Mana Sight level Level 15

Elemental Sight Level 15

Dungeon Manipulation Level 15

Dungeon Communication level 15

Dungeon Defender Creation Level 15

Dungeon Trap Creation Level 15

Mana Sensory Level 15

Mana Conversion Level 15

Vice Lord of The Goldenleaf Village

Total Control 47%

Regions controlled: Golden Leaf Village, Boar Canyon, Boar Canyon mine, Poorman's Harbor

Vice Lord Skills = Lord Skills

Telepathy (Kingdom only)

Access to Lord System (Kingdom Only)

Teleportation Golden Leaf Village, Boer Canyon, Boar Canyon Mines, Poorman's harbor (region only)

Lord Pocket Inventory

Previous Vice Lord’s Personal Inventory

Name: Ray Maximum Age: 31 Weight: 225 lbs. Height 5’ 11”

Citizenship: Affirmative

Military Status: Retired/Reserve Military Rank: Captain

Adventurer Status: Active Adventurer Rank: Master - Teacher

Health: 100% Health Rank: S Health Recovery: 25%/ Min

Mana: 100% Mana Rank: S Mana Recovery: 20%/ Min

Class: Master Elementalist, Master Mana Specialist, Berserker Level 9

Weapon Proficiency:

Swords, Bow and Arrow, Daggers, Throwing Knives, Hammers, Buckler, Shields

Magic Affinities

Water: S Earth: S Fire : S Air : S Void/ Dark: A Holy/ Light: A

Lightning: S Ice: S Plant: A Lava: A Sand: D Metal: D

Matrix - 2/3

Dungeon Core (Tonya) (Gold)

1st Matrix - Removed (All associated Class, skill, and abilities locked)

2nd Matrix - Captain (Grey) - Inactive

Titles:

Lord of Goldenleaf Village

Description on next page

Goblin Assassin

+ 5 Damage +10 Health and Physical Resistance +20% when battling Humanoid Creatures : Goblins, Orcs, Gnomes, etc

Comradery of Gnomes

The Gnomes are your friend. + 3 Gnome Companions, Teleportation Mastery

Complete Mana Mastery

All mana related skills unlocked

Complete Elemental Mastery

All Elemental related Skills unlocked

Bond (1/1)

Name: Mace Age: 7 Weight: 12 lbs.,

Type: Canine Beast

Title: Berserker Kings Beast Level 5

Form: Pup (Base), Lambda(Wolf), Gamma( Armored Wolf), Beta (Werewolf), Alpha (Armored Werewolf)

Abilities: Teleportation, Puppies Roar, Puppy Scratch, Wolf Sense

Lord of Goldenleaf Village Total Control 47%

Region XI controlled: Golden Leaf Village, Boar Canyon, Boar Canyon mine, Poorman Harbor

Lord Skills = Vice Lord Skills

Telepathy (Kingdom only)

Access to Lord System (Kingdom Only)

Teleportation Golden Leaf Village, Boer Canyon, Boar Canyon Mines, Poorman's harbor (region only)

Lord Pocket Inventory

Previous Lord Inventory

Skills:

1) Goblin’s Roar Max Level

Create a shockwave of sound which causes enemies to be stunned and unable to move. Duration: 10 seconds Cooldown: 5 seconds Distance: 30ft Radius

2) Complete Mana Mastery - Title

All mana related skills unlocked

3) Complete Elemental Mastery - Title

All Elemental related Skills unlocked

4) Teleportation Mastery - Title & Bond

Through relationship with Bond and Gnome Kind, all teleportation related skills unlocked

Berserker Level 9

Description: The Berserker King known as Curaidh Von Cu Chulainn, has granted you his power and abilities. Progression to higher levels will unlock more Skills, items and abilities. Berserker has been integrated into the Lord system. Progression in the Lord System will have a positive impact on the Berserker Level.

Skills

Berserker King’s Armory Level 9

Berserker King’s Authority Level 0 - Locked

Berserker King’s Elemental Control Max Level

Berserker King’s Army 0/8 - Locked

Berserker King’s Mount Level 9

Berserker King’s Beast Level 5

Berserker King’s Transformation Level 9

Berserker King’s Court 0/6 - Locked

Stats

Health Reservoir Increase + 70%

Health Recovery Increase + 50%

Mana Reservoir increase + 90%

Mana Recovery Increase +50%

Name: Collin Chintzy Age: 28 Weight: 200 lbs. Height 6’ 0”

Citizenship: Affirmative Military Status: Retired/Reserve Military Rank: Captain

Adventurer Status: Active Adventurer Rank: Master - Teacher

Health: 100% Health Rank: A Health Recovery: 15%/ Min

Mana: 100% Mana Rank: A Mana Recovery: 15%/ Min

Class:

Tri Elemental Mage - level 4

Other - Locked

Weapon Proficiency:

Swords, Bow and Arrow, Daggers, Throwing Knives,

Magic Affinities

Water: E Earth: E Fire : S Air : A Void/ Dark: S (Locked) C Holy/ Light: E

Lightning: E Ice: E Plant: E Lava: E Sand: E Metal: E

Matrix - 2/3

Dungeon Core (Tonya) (Gold)

1st Matrix - Removed (All associated Class, skill, and abilities locked)

2nd Matrix - Captain (Grey) - Inactive

Titles:

Vice Lord of The Goldenleaf Village, Prince #2 of Gridarnia, Friend of Gnome, Red Wagering Chain (temporary title)

Other - Locked

Bond (0/1)

Please Perform a bond ritual in order to obtain bonded familiar. Stats and information displayed here

Skills:

1. Elemental Smash Level 5

Imbue your weapon with an elemental orb to deliver the specified elemental damage to an effective area.

Up to 3 elements per attack

2. Mana Manipulation level 5

3. Elemental Manipulation level 5

4. Mana Communication level 2

5. Others- Locked

“How much time do we have?” Ray asked as he packed his travel bag

“We need to travel three hundred Miles and have about four hours to get there if we left from here.”

Collin said. Manifesting his travel bag from his room.

“How far, if we left from Poorman’s Harbor?” Ray asked.

“A hundred miles give or take to Simpson Lake” Collin Answered

“Tonya, are you there? Ray said out loud. The system pulled up in front of him. Tonya’s core showed in the top left corner. Ray felt his Matrix burn slightly. The 2 matrixes were easily seen on his and Collin’s right shoulder.

“Yes Sweetie, I am here. Are you ready to teleport to Poorman's harbor? Tonya said to both of them.

“This mana Communication skill still feels a bit odd.” Collin answered mentally.

“Mace, Fil. Time to go” Ray said. Mace got up and teleported to his spot on Ray’s back. Fil Teleported to Collins.” “Do it Tonya.” Pop!

Kono

Battle Island

In the middle of Simpson lake, is a land mass two miles in diameter. It has no trees, or mass of any kind. In the middle is a slightly elevated platform made of stone. On the outskirts of the island are man made structures coming out of the water. These structures raise up a hundred feet and have seating positioned all around the island in a stadium like fashion. The King and his caravan sat at the end of the stadium in the Royal Box. There they await for the challengers to arrive. To the opposite side Kono and the rest of the village of the Goldenleaf. The entire village except for a few who stayed home, lined the seats overlooking the platform. Kono and teams 1,2, and 3 sit at the very top part of the structure looking around wondering where Ray and Collin are. Down below on the platform sits the Duke, Vice Duke and a very large box.

“They still have about an hour. They will make it.” Sasha reassures Kono.

“What’s in the big box? Georgie asks. She sits next to Theo and Dayton.

“I am not sure, but wherever is in there doesn't look nice.” Dimitri said.

“Pledges, I want you all to pay close attention to this fight. Before it begins let's have a refresher quiz. Kimberly said, standing and looking at the seventeen. “Who can tell me the basic Archetypes and Classes for each?”

“Tank, Fighter, Healer, Archer, and Rogue are the basic roles that one can focus on,” Yugi explained.

“These can be any sort of class but they begin to overlap once you get to a higher rank.”

“Good, using that knowledge. What are The Duke and Vice Duke.” Kimberly asked

“The Duke looks like a Tank or a fighter.” Akota said.

“The Vice Duke could be a fighter or a support maybe?” Jacie added.

“He has no mana, and no bow. I would think he is a fighter.” Dimitri said

“All good guesses. Vice Duke is known as a duelist. He can use knives and swords and specializes in one on one combat. Dimitri, you are correct in that he is not magically adept. The Duke is a type of tank referred to as a brawler. He can take a lot of damage and fights using his fists mostly” Kim explained. “Now what are Lord Ray and Vice Lord Collin.”

“Ray is an Elementalist, so mage?” Simpy answered.

“He fights with a sword though. He is also good with a bow, and hammers and axes. Is he a tank or a fighter?” Lucas asked

“Collin used to wield shadows. He still can wield fire and air. I think he once told me he was a tri wielding mage but that he specialized as a rogue type.” Kono said, staring out onto the field.

“Kono, we are not testing your knowledge. We are supposed to be testing the kids.” Kim said giving him a menacing look

“Ray trained a bit in every class to ensure he was able to fit all roles as an adventurer. He can’t use healing magic, buffing spells, or affliction magic so he most definitely is not a support class.” Adam yelled back.

At this point, the entire village was now part of the conversation talking about what abilities they had seen before and what they think would be a good match up.

“Class, if you were the Duke and the Vice Duke, What would be the absolute best strategy for this fight?” Kim asked, ignoring the village in its prattle.

There was a long silence as everyone started thinking about what the best method would be. They knew when Kim used terms like Absolute or The Bestest that they needed to not just shout out the first thing that came to mind. Dimitri got up and went over to whisper to Yugi. Dayton Theo and Georgie were whispering also. Finally Yugi looked up to answer.

“Mrs. Kim, Vice Duke Wristbane and Vice Lord Collin are the only ones who made the wager right? They are the only ones with the new arm tattoos. They are also Prince’s to the throne if I remember correctly right?” Yugi asked hesitantly.

“Yes, go on, finish your thought.” Kim said encouragingly,

“Well Mr. Collin is Prince number two and Mr. Wristband is Prince number thirteen. He used to be Prince #12 but when Collin was found out to be a prince, the numbers magically changed. I remember learning about this in class last year when we studied the King. A bunch of princes and princesses became upset because their numbers went up. If I was Wristbane, I would want to kill Collin First. This fixes a wrong that the hierarchy feels was committed. Collin isn’t one of them. He is one of us. By Killing Collin, he could then help the Duke Kill Lord Ray. In fact, it is pretty safe to assume that the first move is going to be at Collin.” Yugi Explained.

This realization made the entire village worry a bit. The whispers began and they started talking about what they should do if this all went south and they lost the lords.

“Assuming that Lord Ray has come to this realization. What do you think would be the strategy moving forward?” Kim asked.

“Lord Ray is going to protect Collin. He will be put on the defensive while Collin goes one and one with Wristbane. Collin can take him. Ray just has to hold off the Duke long enough for Wristbane to be eliminated and then he and Ray can work on the Duke.” Dimitri said.

“Solid advice D!” Kim said. “Are we forgetting anything?”

“Will Mace and Fil have to fight? Georgie asked.

“Mace might. I do not know about Fil. I have a feeling if they do they will have to fight whatever is in that box.” Jackson Leon said sitting between Kim and Simpy.

“Where are they?” Georgie asked. Standing up to peer over the side and the other side of the lake.

“There's a boat coming in really fast! Look!” Dayton said. The entire half of the stands stood up and rushed to the side to see a boat coming into the Island. Collin and Ray jumped off of it and walked up to the platform.

Ray

Ray and Collin met with Arthur and Wristbane in the middle of the arena. Two moderators walked up. Draconis was one of them. The Duke was a large man. About six foot four inches and three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He was clad in thick dark armor. Dragonhide? No, it looked much thicker than Dragonhide. It covered him. He had short black hair. He was holding his helm in one hand. There were a few knives on his belt, but other than that there were no other weapons on him. Wristbane was wearing a tight fitting garb of clothlike pants and shirt. It was complimented with a second layer of vest and chaps with extra padding. 2 swords were strapped to his back. There was a large cage at the far side on their end. Occasionally it would rumble and steam would come from it.

“Welcome Gentleman. I am glad you were all able to make it on time. I need to address a few items and then we will begin. First, this is a Royal Sanctioned Battle. You will fight until one side either yields or dies. Winner takes the loser's control of Region XI. forty-seven percent against twenty-five percent. The Duke has added his city and Dukedom in order to even the pot . If there is a loser who still lives, they and their family are banished from Region XI. You may use bonds, skills, titles and any other weapon or ability at your disposal. You may not have help from any outside person . Lorenzo here and I will be moderating. What that means is we will be protecting all of these people you see before you. Keep all attacks at each other and do not let anything go to the public. If I sense you not following the rules as I have laid them out, I will jump in and kill you myself. There is no time limit, If we are here for weeks then we will be here for weeks. Do we have any questions?”

“No sir.” Collin and Ray said together.

“Lord Ray, is your bond here?” Draconis asked “All bonds need to be present at the beginning in order to be usable.”

Mace popped up out of his sack and yawned. Fil popped out of Collins bag. Two other gnomes popped in beside them. “Yeah, everyone is here. This is Fil, Dil, and Lil.” The gnomes waved at Draconis.

“Four bonds? That is not possible. Even if they are small little midget things.” Wristbane complained.

“Draconis, You said all titles are allowed. Please review our stats and judge for yourself.” Collin said confidently.

Draconis pulled up his system. Collin and Ray gave permission through Tonya. He reviewed each skill title, attribute and looked up. “All is good. We may proceed.”

Draconis looked up at the King and gave a nod. Collin followed his gaze and stared at the King for a second before returning to business.

“Lord Ray is it? Have I met you before?” The Duke asked.

“Battle of Bishops Creek. We were the gliders who provided support.” Ray said.

“Right. You are good men. I will make this quick and as painless as I can.”

“Please Duke, there is no need to have pleasantries with these pieces of trash.” Wristbane said turning and walking away.

“What’s in the box Duke?” Collin asked.

“Last more than five minutes and I will let it out.” He replied, turning back and walking to his corner.

Ray and Collin walked to their end. They dropped their bags, opened up their system menu to switch from their travel gear to their combat attire. Mace jumped down and stretched. Fil, Dil, and Lil ran over and jumped around him in a circle. Dil and Lil were Fil’s older brothers. Dil and Lil stood about two feet tall while Fil was around a foot and a half. Fil wore a green hat. Dil wore a red hat and Lil wore a light blue hat. Fil stayed next to Mace and they walked to the far right. Ray stood in the center part of his area with Lil sitting on his back in a special platform that was attached to his back. Dil was to the left on a similar platform on Collin. Ray kept his sword sheathed and held his hands out to his side. Collin pulled out a dagger and held it in his right hand. Fil sat on top of Mace ready to charge ahead.

“Ladies and Gentleman, Let the battle begin!” an announcer said over some sort of magnification device.

“Tonya, do it.” Ray said before rushing forward.

There was a flash of light and Ray was on the other side of the arena completely transformed in his Berserker mode. He grabbed the Duke around his waist and slammed him down onto the ground. He followed it up with multiple punches to the face before jumping back to the middle of the arena. Collin followed up with a flurry of fireballs that made a direct hit on the Duke. Ray grabbed his sword and jumped back in to deliver a stabbing blow. The Duke rolled out of the way before kicking Ray in the back of the legs and knocking him over. The two began to exchange blows. Ray grabbed the Duke’s punch and rolled back, throwing him into the air. Collin used his air mana to summon a gust of wind that blew the Duke higher up into the air. Ray teleported to right above the Duke and kicked him back down to the ground with tremendous force. He formed a fireball and turned it white hot and throwed it down at the Duke who managed to land on his feet and jump out of the way.

“You dare to not consider me a threat? How dare you ignore me.” Wristbane said dashing forward to slice at Collin.

There was another flash and Wristbane was thrown back to the other end of the arena. He tried to get up but couldn’t. There, pinning him down was a beast as black as night. His teeth bare inches from Wristbane’s face growling. Fil popped over and waved before jumping down. Fil started punching and kicking wristband in the face which was not doing anything, but annoyed the heck out of Wristband.

“Not ignoring you, Vice Duke! You just ain't a priority” Collin said, turning to Wristbane. “Mace, let him up. I need a turn. Dil, go stand over by Mace and Fil”

Mace and Fil jumped out of the way. They checked to make sure Ray was ok before sitting at the edge of the platform where Dil had run to.

Flashback…

“How are we going to beat them?” You know they are going to come after me first right?.” Collin asked as they traveled to Simpson lake from Poorman's Harbor

“If I can hold off the Duke, long enough for you to kill Wristbane then we should be ok. I'm pretty sure one of our younglings could kill Wristbane and they know nothing. '' Ray said

“Wait! That’s it!.” Collin said.

“The pledges can’t fight in this. Just us.” Ray replied

“Us and our bond and any skill, title, or ability we may have. We let Mace and Fil fight him. No one will expect it and if we are quick enough, Mace could kill him before the match even begins. They don’t know he can change forms!”

“They might complain if one of us doesn’t at least beat him in combat though.” Ray said. “What if you kick his butt a bit and then Mace jumps back in and finishes it. I should be able to hold the Duke while you work on him.”

“Yeah, The King and his Court will want to see if the new #2 can hold his own with the old #12. I will entertain him a bit and then let Mace finish it, if you start to need help.” Collin said

“Mace, do you and Fil feel up to it?” Ray asked. Mason wagged his tail. Fil shook his head profusely. There was a pop, and 2 more gnomes were there. “Dil and Lil! Hey guys!”

…

“Georgie, you were right.” Mace was the answer to this strategy.” Kim said from way over in the bleachers.

“Mace is mean looking now. I don’t like it.” Georgie said, putting her hand over her face but looking through the cracks in her fingers.

“That must be his Silverback Form, ” Kono said. “It’s like what he did against that black Knight.”

Collin waited for Wristbane to retrieve his sword and stand up. They faced each other before giving the ceremonial salute one does before a duel. Collin focused a bit of mana into his lower limbs before rushing forward with a right to left horizontal slash. Wristbane parried and followed up with a jab narrowly missing Collin’s right shoulder. Collin spun clockwise ducking under the jab before punching Wristbane in the jaw with a left uppercut. He followed up with a shove using his left shoulder to the midsection creating some distance. Wristbane withdrew his seconds sword and rushed with a spinning slash at

Collin.

“Are dual wielders difficult to fight against? Theo asked the group.

“Not really. The concept of dual wielding is more of a statement to people watching. It's flashier and requires more movements and timing which a competition dueler like Wristbane would naturally lean to. People love watching it being used, however It is not very practical.” Jackson Explained.

Collin ducked the slash, and kidney punched Wristbane before sweeping the leg and rolling out of the way. Wristbane stumbled from the sudden pain in his side and fell forward face planting into the marble floor. His swords tumbled to the ground in opposite directions. Wristbane got up and withdrew his knife in his right hand. Collin withdrew his knife also, holding it backwards in his left. They circled forward and began exchanging blows one after another. Collin with a left cross. Wristbane dodging and throwing a right stab. Collin blocked by stepping inside and using his right hand to deflect the jab while grabbing Wristbane between the head and shoulder and thrusting a left knee deep into his gut. Collin shoved him back and Wristbane fell over on his back gasping for air.

“You could always yield, Give us our share. I'll even let you and your family stay in Manchester. What do you say?” Collin said

Wristbane got up and lunged back at Collin trying to stab the knife into his chest. Collin sidestepped to the right ducking and grabbing Wristbane by the wrist. Using his momentum, Collin turned and flipped Wristbane over his shoulder slamming him into the ground.

“Last chance Wristbane. We still have the King’s competition we can fight over. Don’t let #14 take your place out of pride.” Collin tried.

“Where is the Duke? He was supposed to kill both of you quickly.” Wristbane said looking around.

At that moment, Ray and Arthur were 300 feet to the far left. Their hands were clenched by the others and both were trying to throw the other. The Duke switched directions and caught Ray off balance throwing him into the air. He teleported behind the duke bringing both hands down on his back forcing him to the ground.

“He’s preoccupied. Wristbane, I need an answer. Will you yield?” Collin said.

“No, I will not yield. Our plan would have been perfectly executed if that stupid mutt hadn't gotten in the way.” Wristbane said. Mace started to growl and took a step forward. The Gnome trio pulled out some very small knives and looked like they were about to pounce.

“Alright, Well you stay here. I am going to go help Ray.” Collin said, turning and heading off towards the 2 behemoths rolling around in the mud.

Wristbane picked up his 2 swords and stared after them. He remembered the cage and ran towards it. Before he could get there he heard a loud Roar from behind him. Wristbane turned to see the Gnome Trio rushing forward alternating their positions before jumping forward to attack. Mace rushed forward passing Wristbane and stopping between him and the cage. The gnomes continued their assault and Wristbane frantically tried to block and dodge and stab with his own swords. Lil summoned water out of thin air and launched it forward in a rushing geyser hitting Wristbane in the chest. He was launched towards the middle of the arena. Before he could get up, Dil teleported next to him, slicing his left leg. Fil appeared behind punching him in the back of the head. Wristbane spun to slice the gnome and they were gone. He looked around wondering where they were going to come from next. He stopped to see Mace walking forward.

“I am going to enjoy killing you mutt” Wristbane said. Pulling out a veil of reddish black liquid and pouring it down his throat.

Wristbane jerked a bit and then his muscles began to bulge and he grew 3 foot taller. His clothes ripped and his body hunched over slightly. There was a rotting section of puss forming on his forearm.

“Activate Form Alpha?” Mace heard Tonya ask. He Growled in confirmation before transforming.

Growing in size, Mace stood up on his hind legs. His body turned from animalistic to almost humanoid as his front paws became like furry hands with claws and his shoulders grew wider. He manifested crimson armor and a sword. Mace did not have a helm but he did have pants. They were cut off at the ankle and were held tight with a large belt. His usual floppy ears were now long and pointed. HIs fur was somehow darker than it was before and the King’s bond glowed in a pearly white color. The 3 gnomes stood there on the ground next to Mace. Mace let out a small growl and the 3 looked up at him and frowned. There was a moment of unspoken communication between the four before the gnomes teleported away. They reappeared to the far side of the platform heading to help Ray and Collin.

“Why doesn’t Mace want their help?” Lucas said.

“This may have always been Mace’s fight. He doesn’t always get to do these sorts of things alone. Maybe he wants to prove that he can?” Kono explained.

“His new werewolf form is so cool!” Theo said. “He has pants!!”

“I want Puppy Mace back. Georgie said, starting to cry.

Over in the Royal Tent, The king pulled up his system. “Draconis, What is this grotesque thing before us?”

“It appears Vice Duke Montague has drunk some sort of elixir. Possibly demonic in nature. I am unsure without testing the contents of that vial.” Draconis replied.

“Get rid of it.” The King said. There was a growl in his ear, the king jerked to the side but nothing was there. He looked back at the platform and saw Mace staring directly at him. A low rumble echoing throughout the benches. “Draconis, stand down. Let the Beast handle it.”

How dare he challenge me. The King thought to himself

Mace tightened the grip on his sword with one hand and allowed void energy to encase his other hand. He rushed forward to attack the deformed Wristbane. Parrying his sword and bringing his claw down in a vertical slash. Wristbane caught the attack with his bare hand and slung Mace upward, rotating mid swing, Mace kicked with his hind legs and bit down on his arm, ripping it clean off with his teeth as the rest of Wristbane’s body was thrown to the ground. Race recovered and ran forward. He grabbed his sword with both hands and brought it downward in a powerful shadow strike. Wristbane was cut clean in 2 from his left shoulder all the way to his outer right thigh. There was a howl and the remains of wristbane were blasted to the other side of the island. Mace turned back into his puppy form before trotting back to the bench where Ray’s gear was. He hopped up on it. Spun around and went to sleep. The Village of the Golden leaf absolutely lost their mind as they cheered for their little pup.

Collin felt the burning on his arm begin. His red chains were starting to lift off of his skin and fall to the ground. He looked back to see what was left of Wristbane being blasted off to the edge of. The island.

“Duke, We know this was not your idea. Give up and you can still be the Duke. We didn’t ask for this, He started it and he is gone. We do not have to fight anymore.” Ray said

“It’s too late for that gentleman. Unfortunately, We have to continue. My honor and title are at stake. Without them I am no good over there.

“The wager is done though. He is dead, you can be the Duke. We will go on to be the baron and we can make this work.” Collin pleaded.

“I underestimated you boys, but time is up. I will probably be killed for allowing him to bring my bond. Demons are not supposed to be in this Kingdom” The duke said. “I believe it is time you met Tina.”

He punched Ray in the face, throwing him back against the edge of the water. He then turned and with 1 leap made it to the cage. Collin tried to stop him but was swatted away. He made it to the catch and pulled a series of levers that caused the doors to open.

“Tonya, get ready to analyze and form a plan once we see what Tina is.” Ray said, unsheathing his sword and walking back up to the group.

“I’m ready guys! By the way, Mace is currently in cooldown and you have about three minutes left on your transformation. Mana is good. Fil, Dil, Lil; Gaerick says to stop playing and be useful.” Tonya replied. She was keeping track of all vitals, mana, and cooldowns so they could focus on fighting.

“Tonya, deactivate transformation.” Ray said. Reaching where Collin, Mace and the gnomes were standing.

The cage opened and smoke filled the arena. A beast exited at a slow rhythmic pace. There was a low rumbling almost like the earth was trembling followed by a slow subtle hiss. The beast made its way out to the middle of the platform. The smoke is still concealing its true form. It was at least nine feet seven inches wide and about ten feet long. It was thick. When I say it was thick, it’s muscles budget and inward and outward. Each step it made out an imprint into the marble.

There were screams from above, people started running to the very top part of the stands.

“This is getting annoying. Collin said, forming a ball of air in his palm, spinning and bowling it towards the beast.

The spinning orb sucked in the smoke while traveling in a gliding motion upward and to the left. Collin let go of the connection and it blasted apart clearing the way. Out bursts raging Lion with a mane of golden hair. its front legs and paws were the size of tree trunks. The gold color faded to black as you look to its rear where there are hooves instead of paws and an extra long tail with a serpent head at the end of it.

“CHIMERA!!” Ray yells, grabbing Mace and the triplets and rushing to the side. Collin follows and they narrowly miss a powerful fire blast erupting from the lion's mouth.

“Chimera? Here? NO! It’s not supposed to be this far East. King! King! What do we do?!” The many voices scream as people rush to get out of the stands and off the island. Draconis rushes up the stands to try and secure the King.

“What the hell are you doing Duke?! That's a demonic beast.” Collin Yelled across the platform.

“This is Tina, My bonded Beast. Isn’t she lovely? This is how we have been fighting the demon horde. I have raised her from a cub. She is my secret weapon!” The Duke yelled in triumph.

“Duke, don’t you know Adrielle is connected to each Demon. Doesn’t matter what it is, they came from him so they are connected to him.” Ray said, manifesting a shield in time to miss a spit of acid from the snake. The shield began melting instantly and he had to discard it.

“Of course he knows. He's a lieutenant colonel.” Collin said to himself. “Something isn't right.”

Collin rushed over to the other side of the island where Wristbane’s shredded body lay. He checked him over and found the puss mark on his forearm. Although, it wasn't a puss mark. “Black Pawn!” Collin screamed through his mental connection. “Ray, the duke is one of them.” Collin formed a fireball and set the remains on fire, just in case.

“Tonya, We need help. Ask Gaerick how many gnomes there are able to teleport. We need to get these people off of the island.” Ray said. “Fil, Dil, Lil Start transporting people. Start with that stand over there. He said pointing in the direction of his people. Mace, Can you help them?”

Mace nodded and teleported away. He found Georgie and the younglings. Tonya’s voice came up and told everyone to touch Mace. They did and he Teleported to the nearest boat. Fil, Dil, and Lil doing the same with as many people they could muster. They began repairing the process carrying five to six people at a time.

“Gaerick says he is sending fifty gnomes. They will be here in two minutes.” Tonya said.

“Collin, You hear that?” Ray mentally said. “Tonya, tell Team One to help evacuate and be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Yeah, hang on. Give me a bit to think.” Collin said, answering Ray’s question. He took a breath and started thinking. What was the goal? What was the priority? What can we do?

“Tonya, connect me to Draconis’ Magiflex. We need to coordinate. Ray, Stall until we get everyone out of here. Once your cooldown ends, Transform and kill that thing. Draconis, Draconis do you hear me?” Collin said.

“Vice Lord, What is going on?” Draconis said.

“Get the King out of here now. Wristbane was a Black Pawn. I am not sure what the Duke is, but this seems to have been their plan from the beginning.” Collin said.

“King is secured. We have to evacuate the people, Collin.” Draconis said.

“I know, I have Gnomes coming. Another minute and they can start teleporting people to the boats.” We need to handle the beast and the Duke before they can get off of the island. How the hell did he get the cage here without anyone noticing?”

“We checked it. It had a Lion in it. We never suspected anything else.” Draconis admitted. “He is one of the top brass. We.. We never thought..”

“Do we have any help coming to deal with this?” Collin asked

“Possibly, I am working on it. Hold them for as long as you can.” Draconis said.

“We will try. If we get out of this, I recommend you have the King clean his house. There appears to be some issues inside.” Collin said before ending the transmission.

“Tonya, did we obtain anything from defeating Wristbane. Beacon Keys maybe?”

“Nothing yet. The Duke must have them.” Tonya replied

“Ray?” Collin mentally said.

“I heard her.” Ray said in between punching the Duke while avoiding the Chimera who was spitting acid from one end and fireballs from the other.”

“Gnomes have arrived boys. They have begun evacuating people. Calculating time…. Estimated time until evacuation complete: Eight minutes. Starting timer.” Tonya said. “Mace Fil, Dil and Lil are on their way back to help.”

The four popped out of nothing in front of Collin. He grabbed Dil and Lil and teleported to where Ray was distracting the duke and the chimera. He landed with a thud and directed Lil to attach himself to Ray. Mace landed a few seconds later with Fil.

“Tonya, What are the cooldown statuses?” Colling asked.

“Mace’s Cooldown is complete. He can go Alpha for ten minutes, Beta for twelve minutes, or Gamma for fifteen minutes. Ray has three minutes left. He will be able to transform for ten minutes. “ Tonya said.

Channeling his mana, Ray formed a wall a hundred and ten feet high separating the stadium from the rest of the island. He used the water elements around him to create a wave coming inland. At the last second He dropped the temperature. A forty foot ice wave formed on the other side. Having now boxes everyone in. He rushed toward the Duke. Summoning his hammer and imbedding it with Air and water He slammed it down making a direct hit on the duke's left shoulder. He teleported behind him and smashed him in the lower back. This did not hurt the Duke in the slightest, however ice began to form all over his body slowing him significantly. Collin took out his sword and rushed towards the Chimera, sliding under a fire blast and cutting its left front calf before rolling out of the way. He jumped over the beast, blocking a strike from the snake half with the flat end of his blade and stabbing his knife into the second and third rib before having Dil Teleport him away. Mace laid down out of the way conserving his energy. He knew he was no help right now, but would need to be ready when the chance arose. Fil used his ability to control nature mana to reinforce the wall and provided traps for the beast to get snagged on. This allowed Collins to get more hits. Most of which were healing before he could land another. They had to hold on. Few more minutes.

Kono

“Everyone sit down! This boat will take off as soon as everyone is on.” Ray yelled at the people.

They had about three boats left to load. Most of the others were already across the lake. The issue with having a demon so close is the odd chance that it summons a hoard. As far as anyone was aware, the smallest of demons were capable of creating a portal in which other demons could transport themselves through. So far so good though. Kono ran back to help more people. He saw Simpy and Sasha helping an older lady onto the boat. Theo and Dayton were helping teleport others on board along with about 50 Gnomes.

Man, those guys are awesome. Dimitri and Yugi were up on the stand looking out for anything weird. The King was one of the first people that got the hell out of there. Draconis got to him and they were just gone. Kono wasn’t sure if it was a teleport ability or something else. It didn’t have the same vibe as teleporting so he was hesitant to define it as such. He got up and saw that there was now a wall cutting them off from Collin and Ray. Vines and trees began to form.

“Kono!,” a voice said. It was Annie and her family. Jacie and Akota were helping her mom walk past to get to the boat. There was another guy there too. He looked familiar but Kono wasn’t sure.

“Annie, Tim, You have to get on the boat and get out of here.” Kono said, directing them to the nearest one.

“What is going on? We came back from the bathroom to Mass chaos here.” Annie asked.

“Wristbane and the Duke brought a damn Chimera.” Kono said.

“Oh my Lord, Where is the King? What about Lord Ray and Vice Lord Collin?” Tim said

“Bro and Ray are on the other side of that wall stalling. The King is gone. He should be safe. Look, we really have to get out of here. It might open a portal at any moment. We don't need to be here with hundreds of demons swarming.” Kono pleaded.

There was an explosion and the wall crumbled in the center, a body was blown through it and hit the stands directly to their left. Ray got up brushing the dirt off of his torn shirt.

“Ray!” Kono and Annie yelled at the same time. Ray looked down seeing them. He was stopped there for just a moment before summoning an air and fire orb and blasting himself back across the wall. “Kono, get them out of here. NOW!!” he yelled lingering just a bit longer on Annie before going back to work.

Ray

Few more people. Ray thought as he slammed himself into the side of the Chimera knocking it on its side and into the Duke. Few more minutes. Ray brought his sword down stabbing at the beast who was laying on top of the Duke. The snake was trying to strike him with every jab. Few more moments. Ray jumped out of the way missing a spit of acid.

“Ray, Cooldown over. Last boat's leaving now. Mace is ready also. The gnomes are searching the area for any additional demons. There are also six figures approaching at a high rate of speed from the North. They appear to be the King's reinforcements. “ Tonya said

“Mace, Don’t hold back this time buddy. We have to kill them. We have to protect the others.” Ray said, initiating his transformation into the Berserker King. Mace followed, going straight to his Alpha Form.

Ray’s hair grew out and changed from brown to ghost white. Crimson armor and helm manifested and he grew in size. Mace turned dark at night, His body began to grow and a similar Armor was manifested on his person. Both of their chess piece tattoos radiated energy. Pearl colored veins appeared throughout their body. Fil and Dil jumped off of them and ran to help Collin who was dodging strikes from the duke. Dil threw a fireball at the Duke's face scoring a direct hit but not doing any damage. Fil grew some more snare traps from the ground to try and hold him in place. The Duke just ripped them in half with his bare hands.

“Collin, switch out. Ray and Mace are coming in hot.” Tonya said.

Colling rolled out of the way missing a fire blast from the chimera. He hit the wall hard and laid there for a minute trying to catch his bearings. His mana was getting dangerously low and he didn’t have enough time to absorb a full crystal. With renewed vigor, Ray and Mace zoomed forward. Their bond showed just how fluid their movements were with each other. It was like an elegant dance. Almost like a battle trance of some kind. Ray was striking at the duke before rotating to the Chimera. Mace was within the rotation switching to the Duke at the same time that Ray switched over. They never collided with each other despite being so close. Ray’s shared mana sight activated and he saw the energy radiating from them. It ebbed and flowed as they moved. Delivering strike after strike. The intensity, ever increasing. Sparks were literally forming in the air and Ray was embedding his blade in it, striking the duke within a bit of flame while a shadow cut into the Chimera.

All of the elements came forward. And engulfed the small box that they had formed. Ray dodged under the Torso of the beast while Mase leaped over scratching the Duke. Collin saw an opening and jumped into the fold. His mana senses showing him where to go and what to do. He soon was in the Battle trance with them. No thought, just instinct and action. The three revolved around each other striking the two unfortunate souls in their path. The ambient mana is beginning to increase around them. Collin could feel the pressure rising. The air was thick in mana. The duke manifested a sword and started swinging wildly at whoever was closest. Such Sloppy work, Collin thought to himself. He parried the horizontal strike as Mace came under his arm punching the Duke with a right cross. He rolled with the punch as Collin grabbed his sword and swung it around burying it deep in the shoulder of the Duke. Ray teleported behind him stabbing his sword and threw his back. Collin and Ray held the swords in place. Mace, still moving around, punched the chimera in the jaw before rolling under him and backflipping over the top of the beast landing on his sword and biting down on the Duke's head. There was a muffled scream followed by a crunch. Mace jumped back to attack the Chimera as both Ray and Collin let go of the swords. The headless Duke was blasted with a combination of White and Blue flames burning so hot that the three gnomes had to teleport to the other side of the wall to get away from it. Lil’s blue hat did not making it out in time.

“Rewards obtained. We got the keys. The Island Beacon has left Manchester and will be in the middle of the platform in 5 seconds.” Tonya said.

“Collin, go activate it.” Ray said, giving him a boost over the wall.

Collin managed to get to the middle of the platform just as the beacon was appearing. Throwing his mana into the rock. He manifested the key and shoved it into the hole. “Activate you Son of a Bitch.” Collin yelled.

The beacon activated and Tonya took control changing the landscape around them using her terrain modification skill. The platform was shot into the air before stopping suddenly and catapulting Ray, Mace and the Chimera further up into the sky.

Still in their trance, Ray and Mace stabbed the beast again and again. Mace used the beast as a stepping stone while Ray teleported from one end to the other. Ray saw an opening and, embedding his sword with a white hot fire orb, he slashed the snake tail forcing the blade to penetrate and go through as the tail was decapitated from the main body. The Chimera screamed in agony and Mace bit down on his Neck causing the jugular to tear. Mace pulled free just as Ray came down with his still lit sword, severing the Lion’s head from its body and sending it back towards the ground. Ray and Mace were forcibly transformed out of their forms having no Mana left. They were still about three thousand feet in the air. Mace was completely passed out and falling fast. Ray glided over and caught the pup in his arms, giving him a tight squeeze before landing hard on the platform.

Collin

There was nothing he could do about Mace and Ray’s fall. The three gnomes teleported as fast as they were able, sending ice and nature upward to cushion the fall. Ray landed hard on his shoulder. There was a pop and a crack and Ray was out cold. Mace lay in his arms, breathing but unconscious. Collin ran as fast as he could to them but was stopped mid way by a shrieking noise. He turned to where the Chimera’s body lay. There below it, pulling it into the ground was a circle of intricate markings. Collin had nothing left to give. He dropped to his knees as a hoard of zombies, goblins, and Banshees began to exit the circle. They immediately noticed them and were charging their way.

“Tonya, I do not know what to do.” He said.

“Three seconds Mr. Collin. The six are almost there.” she replied’’

Completely out of mana, Collin did not hear Tonya’s reply. He fell forward and into the void.