Wings of Destruction
It had been nearly a week since the Spiria were first rediscovered. Celtic and his party were busy prepping for the next wave which, according to the Infinity Hourglass, was only days away. It was also by that point that each member of the party had acquired a Spiria for themselves, significantly boosting their power and strengthening their abilities. The other Heroes had learned about the Spiria and the fact that Celtic’s party all acquired one each which made them fume with jealousy, as the Spiria they tried tracking down wanted nothing to do with them and ran away before they could even catch them.
Inside the castle the party was hard at work. Celtic and Viola were crafting as many potions and medicine as they could, their respective Spiria helping them with the task. Viola’s Spiria would keep gathering the various herbs that she needed for her potion making, making the Arachne smile. Her Spiria was a forest green color, its body was shaped like a plant bulb, with short legs ending in feet that looked like tree roots, a long tail ending in a flower bud-like shape, a “cape” made from leaf-like structures, a pumpkin seed-shaped head with a crest shaped like a maple leaf, and bright pink eyes. As the Spiria continued to gather the needed herbs she asked it to, it seemed to have the power to enhance the herbs, thereby making her potions even more powerful.
Viola smiled as her Spiria collected and enhanced another set of herbs for her, “Thanks to my new Nature Spiria, Mint, and its ability to enhance plant life, my potions are even better than ever. Plus, now I have a new offensive ability because of it. Since I’m more of a white mage who relies heavily on my scythe and the Scythe Wind Cutter to deal damage, Mint’s ability grants me the power to summon spear-like thorny vines to stab my foes. That gives me another way of dealing damage to our foes. It can even hit flying enemies, which is very helpful to us.”
Celtic nodded as Gust helped him by carrying over some herbs with its tail, “Yes, every advantage we can get is something we can’t pass up on. And it’s good to see that our Spiria get along so well.”
As he said that, Gust and Mint used their tails in a handshake-like fashion, clearly happy to be around each other before resuming, making the duo chuckle. Leon suddenly walked in, carrying a crate of other medical supplies such as gauze wrap and ointments, a Spiria sitting on his shoulder. This one was rather lanky, bright red in color, a gold colored belly, short legs ending in narrow feet, a large tail shaped like a plume of fire, a round head with a forked crest and ocean blue eyes. As he put the crate down his Spiria nuzzled against him, making him smile.
“Thanks for your help, Fever,” he said. “You have a surprisingly good eye for quality items for a Fire Spiria.”
Fever puffed up its chest and lifted its head up proudly at the compliment, making Leon chuckle.
Celtic turned to him, “Good work, Leon. Hopefully that’ll be enough, though considering that Infinator’s attacks are almost akin to natural disasters, I still worry that we’re only scratching the surface despite our preparations. And, of course, the other ‘Heroes’ are still letting their status go to their heads and not taking any time to prep for the fight ahead. I swear, between them and Infinator, I worry about this world’s future.”
Leon nodded as he brushed some hair out of face, “I hear ya, Cel. Those four are walking disaster areas. Wherever they go, hell is sure to follow. I just wish they’d take this seriously instead of acting like this is all a game. I dread what it will take for them to finally see the light.”
Skye then walked in with Torrent on her shoulder, saying, “It’ll probably take nothing short of a disaster of epic proportions that they caused for them to finally put two and two together. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Viola gave a sad sigh, “Yes, I fear that’ll end up being the case. Let’s just hope to the high heavens that they get the message before that happens. But… considering how they’re stubbornly holding onto this RPG mentality; it may end up that way.”
Celtic could only sigh, “For them to see hell on earth caused by their stupidity may be the only catalyst that’ll break that mindset. On the one hand I want them to see their destruction first-hand, to show them that their actions have real consequences… but, as they say, ‘be careful what you wish for’. By the way, Skye, when will Rupert, Tyroe, and Zuzu return?”
Skye replied, “They shouldn’t be much longer.”
Just then the door to their room opened up, making them all turn around.
“Speak of the devil… huh?!”
Zuzu, Rupert, and Tyroe had returned but they were accompanied by Ike and a familiar group of soldiers and mages.
“Pardon us, but we have a request,” Ike said.
Celtic quirked an eyebrow, “Ike? And aren’t you lot the group of soldiers and mages that have helped us in the past? Why are you here?”
One of the mages stepped up, “We want to accompany you with this next Infinator wave. Because of you the lot of us have not only gained new, better homes, but better pay and food and are now part of Delgunner’s forces. We feel indebted to you for the fact that King Duskbane and King Alvin had us moved from the former Light Elf territory to here, giving us better lives in the process. We know that it was your memories of us that got King Duskbane’s attention, thereby granting us this new, better life. So, we want to repay you for that by helping you with the next wave. Delgunner and Shadoria are going to spread out their troops to the various areas where Infinator’s waves will take place next, but we want to accompany you to your particular battle. Will you allow it?”
Everyone in the Shroud Hero’s party exchanged looks, seemingly understanding each other, before Celtic replied, “Sure, that would be a huge help. Since we now know that Infinator’s attacks are taking place in specific areas where previous dimensional gateways to the Demon Realm once existed, we suspect that this may be the final ‘test’ that Infinator needs to narrow down his searches to the areas where the dimensional walls are the thinnest. Having you lot backing us up will be very much appreciated.”
The soldiers and mages all smiled, with Ike stating, “Thank you, Sir Shroud Hero! What can we do to help?”
Leon examined their gear before saying, “I suggest you go get some better armor and such. Delgunner’s standard gear is solid, but it may not be enough, especially since the waves are only going to get stronger from here on out. Every bit of support can make a difference in these life-and-death fights. I just hope you can afford some better gear before then, as we’ve only got a few days left.”
Celtic picked up his Tek-Pak and ejected one of the large Mountain Roc feathers from before, handing it over to Ike.
“Here, Ike, sell this Mountain Roc feather,” he said. “It’ll fetch a good 50 gold at least, due to how valuable Mountain Roc feathers are. Use the money you get from the feather to buy yourself better equipment for this fight. If there’s any leftover money, divide it amongst yourselves. Don’t worry, I’ve got a few more feathers where this one came from, as we did have to correct the Sword Hero’s blunder when he killed a female Mountain Roc but didn’t realize its mate would go berserk, so we gathered up a few of the molted feather after that. After that, I suggest Danial’s blacksmith shop, as he's got good quality items for the price. We go to him for anything we need, so we know he has good stuff. After that I’ll register you as temporary party members so you’ll get transported with us when the time comes.”
Ike smiled, holding the feather, “Yes, thank you, Sir Shroud Hero. We’ll get right on it. And thank you for having us.”
Skye placed a hand on her hip, “You lot do good work, that’s for sure. And you’re considerably more helpful than the other Heroes, so it’ll really help us when the next Infinator attack comes. Besides, I’ve got a feeling that we’ll have to deal with a Demon General this time, as Infinator needs the data from his various waves to find out where the dimensional walls between here and the Demon Realm are at their weakest. As such, it would be smarter for him to dispatch a Demon General, as they’re far more intelligent than just boss monsters, even customized ones.”
Zuzu stated, “I can pretty much confirm your feeling, Skye. When I was spying on Infinator and Sylph, I learned that he does plan to send out another Demon General into battle upon his next wave. Which Demon General it will be I don’t know, but I’m willing to bet it won’t be Sylph. Hopefully it won’t be your trans-mutated mother, as that may hamper your resolve, though that would play in Infinator’s favor. We’ll just have to see.”
Skye’s ears dropped, “Don’t remind me. It’s painful enough that she’s in Infinator’s clutches, much less the fact that she’s being trans-mutated into a Demon General. Hopefully we can find a way to save her, as I don’t think I could kill her even if it meant ending her misery.”
Rupert then said, “We’ll find a way, Skye. But, for now, let’s focus on our prep work. You’d better get going, Ike, and sell that Mountain Roc feather so you can get the extra funds for better gear. Don’t accept anything less than 50 gold, as, from we’ve learned, that’s pretty much the bare minimum a Mountain Roc feather is worth, so don’t let a shopkeeper swindle you.”
Ike nodded, “Right, we’ll do that right away. And thank you again. We’ll be back when we’re all ready.”
Ike and his small band left with the Mountain Roc feather, eager to sell it, leaving the party behind.
Tyroe smiled, “That was good of you, Celtic, to give them one of the Mountain Roc feathers to sell so they can get better gear quicker. I’m a bit surprised you were willing to be that generous.”
“Time is of the essence,” Celtic replied. “Normally, I’d have them earn the money as a test so they can buy the needed gear, but we don’t have a lot of time. Besides, we already know just how far Ike and his friends will go to help us, so that’s pretty much enough proof for me to give them what they need myself with no strings attached. Anyway, we need to keep working, since I can pretty much guarantee that the Legendary Stooges won’t make the effort to do the same. Especially now that they’re so jealous of us because we all gained a Spiria and they didn’t. They’ll probably do whatever they can to upstage us in the upcoming battle. On that note, let’s get back to work.”
Nodding, the party resumed preparation for the upcoming wave, knowing that they were in for a big battle.
A few days passed since then. The time was upon them. Celtic and his party were outside the castle with Ike and his crew. Upon request, King Alvin granted the group a horse and wagon to carry all the supplies they had gathered and created for the upcoming battle. Ike and his crew were also donning new, stronger-looking gear. Celtic was making the final checks and preps as the mini Infinity Hourglass he had showed they only had minutes left.
He turned to Ike, “Okay, all the final preparations are done. You all will be transported with my party to our designated battleground. I admit I’m impressed by one thing, you actually managed to convince King Alvin to let us borrow a horse and wagon for this fight. While I know King Alvin is far more generous than people like Sludge ever was, I admit I was doubtful that he’d grant us this request. You continue to surprise me.”
Zuzu turned to him, “So, what’s the game plan, Celtic?”
“First order of business is to evacuate any civilians that may be in the area. We want to minimize the casualty count as much as possible, hence why we gathered up so many medical supplies. We’ve been fortunate so far that we’ve successfully kept the death toll down to zero in past waves, but our luck could very well run out soon. Especially since this may be the final ‘test’ Infinator needs to start narrowing down more specific locations for future attacks. After that, we’ll have to find the other Heroes and fight alongside them, as, given their track record, they will most likely have not flushed out our main enemy this time around. Now… it’s time.”
Celtic put away the mini Infinity Hourglass, as it showed there were only seconds left before he, his party, Ike’s group, and the horse and wagon were suddenly teleported to where the battle would take place. They arrived in a different location, with the ever-familiar red sky with swirling vortexes looming over them. They all looked around to see the other Heroes and their parties as well as a village nearby with worried villagers watching in terror. Several monsters started to pour out of the vortexes and began to make their way to the village. The other Heroes and their parties charged ahead, leaving Celtic and his group behind.
Celtic instructed, “Okay, let’s do this! Skye, Ike, you and the others evacuate the village pronto! Leon, the mages and I will hold the line and keep the monsters from getting too close! Move out! Protect the people at all costs!”
Everyone nodded and split up. Skye, Ike, and their groups started to shuttle the terrified villagers to safety while Celtic, Leon, and the mages stood their ground in front of the village, awaiting the monster hordes. The aerial monsters appeared first, prompting Celtic to switch his arm to Gatling and opened fire. Leon loaded up energy arrows and struck down several monsters while the mages summoned powerful area-of-effect spells to wipe out swaths of them. They kept this defense up until the rest of the group had returned.
“Cel!” Skye stated. “We’ve finished the evacuations, and much quicker this time, too. Now, let us fight!”
Celtic nodded, transforming his arm into Fighter Sword, “Right! We’ve dealt with the flying enemies, now it’s time for the ground ones. Battle Formation: Epsilon 7!”
Celtic and his party took a set formation, much to everyone else’s surprise. They nodded and mimicked the position, ready to fight. It wasn’t long before the ground monsters appeared, with both groups charging in. Slowly but steadily the monster hordes were whittled down as the two groups tore through them. After a while the waves of enemies died down, giving them a chance to catch their breath. Celtic looked at his stat vision’s timer and gained an annoyed scowl.
“Here we go again! We’ve been at this for two hours and those brainless lemmings still haven’t succeeded in their task. But I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Guess we’ll just have to show them how it’s done. Again. Ike!”
Ike ran up to him, “Yes, Sir Shroud Hero?”
“I’m leaving the defense of the village to you and your group. My party and I are going to find the other ‘Heroes’ and find out what’s taking so long. If this keeps up, more monsters will spawn, further endangering the village. I need you and your crew to keep any enemies out while my group checks on the other Heroes and see why they haven’t flushed out our main enemy yet.”
Ike saluted, “Yessir, Sir Shroud Hero! Leave it to us!”
Celtic’s face softened, “You and your comrades are good soldiers, Ike. I know we can leave this task to you.” He then turned to his party, “Move out, team! Let’s find those dodo brains and see why they haven’t succeeded in their task yet! Granted, at this point I shouldn’t be surprised, but the fact that this is a reoccurring issue is getting extremely annoying. Let’s move!”
“Right!” everyone said in unison.
The two groups split up, with Ike and his crew staying behind to keep the enemies out of the village while Celtic and his party charged ahead. As they did, Zuzu noticed something. She noticed what looked like a cluster of storm clouds hovering over a certain area, making her narrow her eyes suspiciously. They finally found the other Heroes. They were fighting against what looked like an extremely fast opponent, as every time they tried to strike the mysterious enemy it would just teleport to a different spot, almost like it was toying with them. It wasn’t long before the other Heroes noticed Celtic’s group.
“Why are you here?!” Lucas spat. “Go defend a village or something!”
Wench nodded, “That’s right! We don’t need an incompetent…” but was cut off.
“Who’s really the incompetent ones here, hmm?” Leon snapped.
“Besides, we’ve been there and done that already,” Rupert spat. “We’ve already evacuated the village while you’ve been playing shadow tag with this enemy!”
“Can’t you brainless lemmings do anything right!?” Viola snapped.
Celtic then stated, “Watch and learn. I already know what this foe is. Skye, Leon, light things up with Light Burst!”
Both Skye and Leon nodded, started to channel magical energy before both stated, “Light Burst!”
They fired two spheres of light that combined and released a large flash. This caused the mysterious enemy to suddenly vanish, revealing that it was just an illusion.
“Didn’t you notice that your enemy had no shadow?” Celtic stated. “It was an illusion all this time. You’ve been shadowboxing with a fake opponent, which means the main enemy has been toying with you this whole time. That also means our enemy is hiding somewhere nearby.”
Zuzu then stated, “And I already know where. See those storm clouds just above us and off to the side? Whenever a wave hits, all the clouds and even the sun vanish, which means those clouds are unnatural.”
Celtic grinned, “Good work, Zuzu.” He turned to Leon, “Leon, fire a Thunder Arrow into those storm clouds and flush out or enemy.”
“You got it, pal,” Leon stated. He then loaded up an energy arrow before shouting, “Thunder Arrow!”
He fired the arrow directly toward the storm cloud. The arrow transformed into a multitude of thunderbolts that struck the cloud, causing a screech like an eagle to be heard. Something shot out of the cloud, causing it to vanish, swooped around quickly before hovering just above them.
“It’s a Mountain Roc!” Ryan stated.
“It’s not your ordinary Mountain Roc, though,” Tyroe stated.
The Mountain Roc was different than normal. It had two pairs of large wings that flapped in unison, almost mechanical legs and talons, a fan of tailfeathers ending with black flames, what looked like an army general’s tunic fused with its main body, drill-like horns on its head and bright red eyes.
“So, we just have to fry this turkey?” Eric said. “Piece of cake.”
The Mountain Roc suddenly said, “Don’t be so sure, incompetent one. I’m not your run-of-the-mill Mountain Roc. I am a Demon General: General Adelram!”
“Y-You can talk!?” Jerry sputtered.
General Adelram huffed, “I can do more than just talk, useless one. I am a trans-mutated Mountain Roc that Master Infinator created by taking a regular Mountain Roc egg and exposing it to the special demonic energies that he uses for the trans-mutation process. I’ve heard a great deal from Mistress Sylph about you four and your parties. None of what she told me was very flattering, so don’t think I’m here to praise you. She did, however, warn me about the Shroud Hero, saying that he’s the one to worry about. Seeing how he easily saw through my illusion decoy and so quickly flushed me out of my admittingly obvious hiding place, I can see that her fears are warranted. She also informed me that the Shroud Hero is the same infant that got away from her 20 years ago, the one that Master Infinator was afraid of. Looks like everything I’ve heard from them is true, not that I doubt either of them. You four so-called ‘Heroes’ and your parties are complete laughing stocks while the Shroud Hero and his party are far more intelligent and competent. And here you were calling him the incompetent one. I saw everything from my hiding spot, including how much more efficient the Shroud Hero is, having successfully evacuated the village and fended off my minions. Meanwhile, you four are complete disgraces who shouldn’t even be allowed to call yourselves ‘Heroes’. I’ve also heard of your past blunders, not just in past waves, but on your solo adventures. Heheheheheh, you four make for lousy Heroes, but could be very good villains.”
“Shut up!” Lucas spat. “We’re not going to take that from you, you overgrown Thanksgiving turkey!”
General Adelram somehow managed to move his beak to make a smirk, “Then, by all means, prove it. I’ll stand still, I promise.”
“You asked for it! Meteor Slash!” Ryan stated.
“Meteor Thrust!” Lucas roared.
“Meteor Slam!” Eric shouted.
“Meteor Shot!” Jerry spat.
They fired all four of their Meteor attack at the Mountain Roc Demon General. The attacks struck him, engulfing him in an explosion, only for the smoke to clear to see he was unharmed. He managed to smirk again at the other four Heroes’ shock.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked tauntingly. “I’ve had mosquitoes hit me harder than that.”
Celtic gained a disappointed expression, flatly stating, “You four always use those attacks, calling them your strongest moves, and yet they never even dent the enemy-of-the-week. Every time I see those moves I get more and more disappointed at you. It’s no wonder Infinator’s faction looks down upon you, seeing you as not worth their time.”
“Shut up, Celtic!” Lucas spat.
General Adelram merely chuckled, “The Shroud Hero is correct, you losers. You four continue to disappoint Master Infinator and especially Mistress Sylph. Considering she’s seen every generation of Legendary Hero since their conception, she’s got a point when she says you four aren’t living up to your titles the slightest bit. She’s got high standards when it comes to the Legendary Heroes, so you can bet she’s utterly disappointed in you four, calling the Shroud Hero the only one worthy of his title, thus is the only Hero she respects. Now, if we’re done casually putting you four down, it’s my turn!”
He then flew a bit higher up, opened his beak, and started to charge up green-colored energy.
Celtic instructed, “Team, get behind me!”
His party complied, quickly gathering close.
“Scrap Iron Shroud! Scrap Iron Fortress Defense!”
The Shroud transformed accordingly, with the fortress-shaped barrier of scrap metal surrounding the party. It was at that moment Adelram finished charging his attack and fired it directly in the center of the five Heroes, creating a massive explosion that engulfed everyone. When the smoke cleared, the four other Heroes and their parties were scattered across the ground, dazed and hurt, while the scrap metal barrier remained unscathed. After a moment the barrier dropped, showing that Celtic and his party were unhurt, making the Demon General chuckle.
“So, that’s the extremely durable defensive Shroud form that Mistress Sylph told me about,” he said. “The fact it could withstand barrage after barrage of her Ballistic Bombardment, which is enough to wipe out an entire army in one shot say a lot about how sturdy it is. I can see why she’s so impressed with it. Now then… hmm?”
The other Heroes and their parties staggered to their feet, somehow still conscious. They managed to shake off their mental cobwebs before glaring at the Demon General.
Zuzu started to clap sarcastically, “Congratulations, Legendary Losers. You actually managed to take a hit and didn’t get knocked out of the fight instantly. That’s certainly an improvement from your past battles. You must be so proud.”
“Shut up, you demon nudist!” the four of them angerly spat.
“Zuzu’s got a point, you know,” Celtic said, completely deadpan. “This is the first time that you four weren’t wiped out in a single stroke, which is a major step-up from past battles.”
“You’re just asking for it, Celtic!” Lucas spat.
The Demon General chuckled again, “You are certainly amusing little ants. And yet the Shroud Hero speaks the truth. And… wait. Did you say ‘Zuzu’?” He looked at Zuzu, his eyes widening, “Aren’t you the Succuryn that Mistress Sylph beat a while back? The one who got her drunk with cask bombs prior to that? You’re on the Shroud Hero’s team?”
Zuzu gained a sinister smirk, “That’s right, you overgrown feather duster. And, I’ll have you know that I had spied on your side for a while so I could isolate Sylph. While the battle did me no favors, the fact that she spared me backfired on you. I learned a lot about Infinator’s plans, having relayed it to our side, which is why we’re better prepared than before. So, in short, Sylph screwed up by letting me live, as now we know more about your plans than you want us to.”
The Demon General’s eyes widened, “T-That means you know what our main goal is!” His eyes narrowed angrily, “I never thought I’d see the day Mistress Sylph would make such a costly mistake. Though I’ll rectify that today on her behalf.”
Zuzu got into a battle-ready pose, smirking, “Bring it. Celtic, let’s do what we did back with the previous Mountain Roc.”
Celtic nodded, smirking, “Agreed, Zuzu.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Adelram spat.
Zuzu suddenly vanished before appearing above the Mountain Roc, channeling energy into her fists.
“Here, have a knuckle sandwich! Close Combat Combo!”
She started to strike the Demon General rapidly while constantly moving around to avoid a counterattack. With each successful hit the power grew, and with each hit the Mountain Roc started to fumble in the air, surprised at her strength.
Celtic smirked, “You’re about to see how electrifying my personality is, Demon General! Thunder Silk Shroud!”
The Shroud transformed accordingly, becoming the Thunder Silk Shroud. At the time, Zuzu’s Close Combat Combo was getting devastatingly strong, much to the Demon General’s surprise.
“Y-You couldn’t have been this strong back when Mistress Sylph fought you!” he sputtered as another hit caused him to fumble in the air. “She beat you with ease that time!”
Zuzu grinned darkly, “True, I wasn’t. But thanks to Celtic I’m considerably stronger now than I ever was back when I was Level 100! Now, TAKE THIS!!!”
She slammed her fist down on top of his head, causing him to crash to the ground, dazed, the force of the attack being almost equal to a small meteor impact. Celtic took the opportunity to strike.
“Double Electroweb!” he stated.
He fired two electrically charged webs at both of the Demon General’s right wings. They wrapped around them, electrocuting him, causing him to screech like an eagle as his wings went numb.
“I-I can’t feel my wings!” he sputtered. “I can’t fly!”
Tyroe gained a smirk, “Looks like you’re grounded, birdbrain. Hey, Cel, mind if I use my newest trick on him? He won’t be around much longer anyway, so he won’t be able to report it to Sylph or anything.”
Celtic nodded, “Yes. I’d say the time is right. Put the freeze on this bird.”
Tyroe nodded, “Roger that. All right, then, Chill, let’s give this bird some freezer burn!”
A sphere of light appeared from Tyroe before revealing itself to be a Spiria. Chill’s body was somewhat oval shaped, ice blue in color, with a cream colored belly, short legs ending in snowshoe-like feet, a thick tail shaped like an icicle, a round head with spikes on top that gave it a vague snowflake-like shape, and bright red eyes. The Demon General’s eyes went wide.
“W-What!?” he sputtered. “Is that a Spiria?!”
The Naga grinned, “Yep, it’s my Ice Spiria, Chill, but you won’t be telling Sylph this. Now, Chill, let’s get him with your ability: Ice Hammer!”
He raised his arms up while Chill transformed into its energy form again, started to rapidly spin around him, causing ice to form from Tyroe’s lower arms, over his hands, and extending far past them, with the top taking the shape of a hammer. Tyroe reared back before slamming this massive frozen hammer down upon Adelram, hitting him hard before briefly encasing him in ice. The ice hammer vanished, causing Chill to return to Tyroe’s body to rest. The ice prison started to shake before shattering, the ice vanishing, which caused the Demon General to shiver. Everyone noticed that there were sparkles around his body that seemed to be weakening him.
“That Spiria’s attack just lowered his Defense!” Jerry stated.
Lucas gained a dark sneer, “Now you’re mine, birdbrain!”
He, Ryan, and Eric charged in, but Adelram narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not getting the drop on me, rodents!” he stated.
With his still functioning left wings he slapped the three Heroes aside, sending them flying and crashing in a heap. The three of them staggered as they tried to stand.
“That… didn’t… tickle…” Eric grunted in pain.
“Morons…” Celtic muttered. He then turned to Viola, “Viola, you use your Spiria’s attack ability, too! Skewer that chicken!”
Viola nodded, “You got it, Cel! Mint, let’s get our point across to this Demon General! Thorn Spear Strike!”
Viola’s Nature Spiria, Mint, appeared, before it channeled energy into her scythe. She then slammed the tip into the ground, followed by a brief quake, then several massive thorny vines erupted from underneath the Demon General, stabbing him. He screeched in pain before the thorny vines vanished, causing him to stagger as he tried standing. The energy around Viola’s scythe vanished, prompting Mint to fuse with Viola to rest.
“I’m… not licked yet!” he stated. “Hyper Stone Body!”
His body transformed into stone, erecting a barrier around him. Everyone could see healing energies swirling around him, alarming them.
“Zuzu!” Celtic stated. “Bust through that defense with your Spiria!”
Zuzu nodded, “Sounds good to me. Time for a barbeque! Jolt, let’s fry this bird with your Thunder Force ability!”
Jolt appeared before coating Zuzu in high-powered electrical energies. Lucas realized something.
“Hey! That’s the Spiria I was chasing in Crescent Moon Forest!” he protested. “You tricked me!”
Zuzu gave him a bored look, “Yeah, well, considering how easy you are to trick, it’s no surprise you fell for it. You should’ve at least been a bit more suspicious, but then again you never think so anything that would require brainpower you would fail at. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.” She then raised her electric-charged fist up before stating, “Thunder Force!”
Her punch easily smashed through the barrier and slammed down heavily on Adelram’s head, making him screech in shock as his Hyper Stone Body was instantly deactivated and took massive damage. This caused the electrical energy around Zuzu to vanish before Jolt fused with her to rest.
He glared daggers at Celtic’s party, “Not only are you as strong as Mistress Sylph stated, but you actually have Spiria to boot!? This will not go unnoticed by my Master.”
Skye smirked, “Oh, we’re well aware that Infinator will eventually learn of the Spiria returning. But, until he does, we’re going to use our new friends to help us win the war!”
General Adelram screeched in anger and started to generate more energy inside his beak, clearly taking aim at Celtic’s party. He then fired the attack at them.
Rupert stepped up, “Leave this to me! Clay, use your Earth Wall ability!”
A Spiria emerged from Rupert. This one had a very stocky body, mostly dirt brown in color, a tan belly, with short legs ending in cobblestone-shaped feet, a thick tail ending in a rock-shaped ball, soft spines on its body, a large head with more spines, and orange eyes. Its eyes glowed as a wall of earth and rock suddenly appeared and blocked the attack effortlessly, causing it to fizzle out harmlessly before the wall vanished. Afterward, Clay turned into an energy ball and fused with Rupert to rest.
“Like my Earth Spiria’s defensive ability, chicken wings?” Rupert smirked. “Earth Wall can block any attack, even defense-piercing ones, so you just wasted your attack.”
Just then the other four Heroes charged in to take advantage of the Demon General’s focus on Celtic’s party, all ready to win. However, the Demon General’s eyes gleamed.
“Nice try, you pathetic excuses for Heroes!” he stated. “Tempest!”
A massive windstorm formed in front of the other Heroes and their parties, effortlessly sweeping them up and whipping them with Wind energy before roughly depositing them onto the ground. They struggled to stand, clearly at their wits end.
Zuzu stated, “Celtic, I’ll finish him off! I’ve got an idea.”
Celtic nodded, “Let him have it, Zuzu!”
Zuzu nodded and started to channel demonic energy.
“From the depths of the Demon Realm I call upon thee! Entrap my foes in your cold virgin ore embrace, piercing them from all sides, their cries muffled, as your bloody iron spikes skewer them until death beckons them! Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath!”
Thunder boomed, the wind swirled around above them, followed by a portal opening up, revealing the demonic iron maiden, much to everyone’s shock. The iron maiden opened up, revealing its inner cavity of spikes, ready to bring the unlucky victim into its deadly grasp. Adelram’s eyes widened in horror.
“N-No! No!” he sputtered.
Zuzu then channeled dark energy into her arms, creating massing claws. She then grabbed the Demon General, effortlessly hoisted him off the ground and hurled him into the awaiting chamber of the iron maiden.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
As he got inside the iron maiden, Zuzu closed her fist, causing the doors to slam shut around him. The demonic woman’s head on top started to cackle as lightning struck the chains and dark energy poured out of the cracks. The Demon General screeched in pain as he was assaulted from all sides before everything went silent. Zuzu then snapped her fingers, causing the demonic woman’s head to cackle one last time before disintegrating, revealing the corpse of the Demon General as he plummeted to the ground. He crashed in front of everyone, clearly dead, with several loose feathers scattered about, before his body started to fossilize. This also caused the wave to end, turning the skies back to normal, indicating it was over. Celtic then realized something.
“Zuzu!” he called up to her. “Bust his body open and gather the Inferno Core and Flame Shards he has. Remember, Sylph is after an Inferno Core, so we need to keep it from her.”
Zuzu nodded, “On it!”
She channeled more dark energy into her right fist, causing it to become larger before slamming it down upon the dead Demon General’s now-fossilized body, effortlessly breaking him apart, revealing the Inferno Core and Flame Shards. However, Zuzu noticed something.
“Wait a second! These look different from normal.”
The other Heroes quickly tried to grab them for themselves but Zuzu was faster, snatching them with her enlarged claw before they could, bringing them close to her.
“Hey! That’s ours!” Lucas protested.
“Oh, shut up,” the demoness stated bluntly. “These are not your everyday Inferno Core and Flame Shards. No, they’re something much different.”
Celtic said, “Let me see, Zuzu.”
Zuzu nodded and lowered her enlarged claw down to him, allowing him to pick up the Inferno Core, his eyes widening.
“This… isn’t a normal Inferno Core,” he said.
The Inferno Core was a dark purple color with a black flame inside of it and a different symbol on it. He then picked up one of the Flame Shards and noticed that they were different. They were also the same purplish color with what looked like swirling energy inside them. His party gathered around to see.
“This Inferno Core and Flame Shards… they look… like they have Wrath Fire in them,” Leon observed.
Viola picked up one of the Flame Shards to take a closer look, “Yeah, that does seem to be the case. Do you think these items were also affected by the trans-mutation process?”
“I can see that as a very distinct possibility,” Celtic said. “They might be too dangerous to hold on to. I’m going to take them to King Duskbane for his advice. Maybe he and his scientists can use them to crack the code on the trans-mutation process. Maybe it’ll give them the info they need about the trans-mutation to see if it can either be reversed or at least give us some insight on the process itself. Considering even the Shadokor know nothing about the trans-mutation process, as this is clearly Infinator’s newest plan, if these items can crack that code we may be one step closer to ending the war, as it could tell us how to counter the process.”
He took out a small sack from his Tek-Pak and started to put the Inferno Core and Flame Shards in it, much to the other Heroes’ fury.
“Hey! Who said you can have them!?” Eric stated.
Celtic gave him a bored look, “I never said I’m keeping them. I said I’m taking them to King Duskbane, as they might be too dangerous to keep in any of our possessions. We don’t know what these items are other than they are some sort of Inferno Core and Flame Shards that were affected by the trans-mutation process. If the Shadokor scientists study them, we may find out more about Infinator’s plans and how to beat him. For all we know these items could be ticking time bombs just waiting to go off. It would be better if they were to be handled by those who could do so safely, just to be certain that they’re not dangerous. And considering that Sylph is after an Inferno Core, if she got ahold of this one she might be able to still use it for Infinator’s plans even though it’s not a normal Inferno Core. These items would be safer with the Shadokor than any of us, as they could be dangerous. So, whether you like it or not, these are going to King Duskbane for his analysis. Besides, you can still take something valuable from the Demon General as your ‘drops’, you know.”
Ryan placed a hand on his hip, “Oh? And what would that be?”
Skye replied, “His feathers. Mountain Roc feathers fetch a small fortune, at least 50 gold apiece, and anything made from them is extremely valuable. Gather a few of his remaining feathers and you could have a small fortune sitting in your pockets later.”
Jerry quirked an eyebrow, “Is that true? His feathers are actually worth that much?”
Leon nodded, “Yes, they are, and thanks to that Iron Maiden of Demon’s Wrath that Demon General lost a lot of them. Gather those up and sell them and you could be sitting on a pile of gold. And if you sell them to crafters who can make something out of them then they’ll fetch an even higher price.”
It as if the eyes of the four other Heroes became money signs at the thought of that much gold. They quickly scampered over to gather up as many feathers as possible, not noticing that Tyroe had snatched a few while they were talking. Celtic rolled his eyes as he saw this.
“Figures,” he said. “Anyway, back to business. Leon, Viola, go around and check on Ike, his party, and the villagers to see what the status of their injuries are. Rupert, Tyroe, Zuzu, you go and gather up anything of worth from the other monsters, even if it’s just repeat items like Skeleton Solder gear. I think I saw some new species this time so try to gather a few samples from them for my Shroud. Skye and I will see if there are any more monsters left so they don’t become invasive species to the area like the Mountain Trolls became. After that, gather up Ike and his crew and meet us at the front of the village.”
Everyone nodded and split up while the other Heroes fought over the Mountain Roc feathers, having seemingly forgotten about the Inferno Core and Flame Shards for the moment. It didn’t take long before Celtic and Skye were waiting by the front of the village, having taken care of any straggling monsters. Not long after Leon, Viola, Ike, his group, and the horse and wagon approached the duo.
“Status report,” Celtic asked.
Leon replied, “Well, we’ve got good news and bad news.”
Skye’s ears dropped, “That’s not a good sign.”
The redhead sighed, “Give me the bad news first, that’ll give me something to look forward to.”
Viola replied, “Well, the bad news is that there were worse injuries this time around. A couple of people suffered broken bones like ribs and arms. While all the medicine and our healing magic patched them up, it is a clear-cut indication that these waves are getting worse, as the injuries are getting worse.”
Skye’s ears perked up, “So… that’s the only bad news? Whew, I thought we had suffered our first casualty. That’s a relief. I take it that’s the good news?”
Leon nodded, “Yes, we still managed to keep the casualty numbers down to zero, so everyone survived this wave despite the worse injuries this time around. It’s a good thing we stocked up as much as we did, since it was just enough to heal everyone.”
Celtic looked up at the sky, “Still, that’s cutting it close. Looks like we may need to prepare even more for next time, as I’m certain that Infinator has gotten the needed info to start narrowing down his targets from this wave. When those waves come it could get even uglier. Still, at the same time, the fact that it was still enough to keep everyone safe is a blessing on its own. It may have not been totally ideal, but I’ll still take it and call it a win.”
Just then Rupert, Tyroe, and Zuzu approached the group, all carrying sacks.
“Got anything good you three?” Skye asked.
Rupert nodded, “Yep, got some good stuff to sell, including a few feathers from that Demon General that Tyroe sneaked past those moronic Heroes. Zuzu gathered up all the new stuff so it won’t get mixed up with the old stuff. I guess it’s time to head back to Delgunner, right?”
Celtic nodded, “Yes, everything is clear on our ends, so we might as well head back to Delgunner and report our success. We’ll let the other Legendary Stooges fight over the Mountain Roc feathers. At least it’ll allow us to get these strange items to King Duskbane for his analysis. Now, then, if everyone is ready. Skye, if you’d be so kind?”
The Light Elf smiled, “Gladly, Cel. Warp!”
The Shroud Hero’s party, Ike’s group, and the horse and wagon vanished before reappearing at Delgunner’s gates. They were greeted by the guards there.
“Sir Shroud Hero, you’ve returned!” one said. “I take it you won the most recent wave?”
“At least on our end, yes,” Celtic nodded. “Not to mention Ike and his crew here were incredibly helpful. He and his band definitely deserve at least a pay raise for how helpful they were in this wave. Couldn’t have done it without them. Unlike the other ‘Heroes’. I’m going to have to have a talk with King Alvin about their increasingly lackluster performances. I also need to talk to King Duskbane about something else. But, in any case, the wave is over and Infinator is down another Demon General. But I know that the worst has yet to come.”
Zuzu placed a hand on his shoulder, “That’s true, but we’ll be ready. Infinator better watch out, as we’re still not defeated yet.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement, ready for the next fight.
Next Chapter: Clowning Around
