Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)
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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START---
Sitting on their bench atop the hill of snow and ice, the Trifecta hear growls and snarls coming from the hill directly in front of them.
Between these two hills was a valley, neither mound was very tall, only two stories at their peaks but just enough to hide anything approaching from the other side, just enough to prevent them from seeing the incoming monsters.
Rising over the hill, a pack of three massive wolf-like monsters. Easily more than twenty feet long from nose to tail. Blue scales covering most of its body, reinforced yellow scales on its claws and large flat tail as well as horns and other spikes along its shoulders and back. A large white mane of fur crackling with blue lighting. As the monsters stand by each other the arcs of blue lighting leap between them, harmlessly bouncing from mane to mane. Together they bare their fangs at the adventurers.
"Don't move," Yang says as he sees Welf about to raise his sword. The smith immediately halts and relaxes back into his seat.
"What are they?" Thalie asks.
"Zinogre, a pack... Zinogre doesn't form packs. The dungeon is filling in the gaps in their nature to better use them for the dungeon. See the lighting on them, shining blue and always crackling?" he asks.
"Yeah, the lightning that's making me question why the hell I'm even here," Welf says.
"Yeah well, that means the dungeon skipped their regular forms and threw them right into supercharged states. They don't even have the lighting bugs giving them the energy it's self-generated power---"
"Because they're probably enhanced species from eating other monster crystals," Thalie says.
"Exactly, immune to lighting, resistant to fire and dragon. Weak to ice and water. Acrobatic like squirrels and really damn strong for their size, good lighting control too..."
"Why are they just having a staring contest with us?" Welf asks, finding it weird that the monsters are just watching them talk.
"Because deciding when to strike isn't their job, they aren't the boss of the pack," Yang explains.
A few moments more of staring at each other from atop their respective hills. One of the monsters scratches the ground before preparing to pounce, the adventurers prepare themselves for a fight, only for a new growl to cause the monster to stop.
Walking over the hill, more muscular than the other members of the pack, a new Zinogre rises. Light black scales paired with deep black reinforced scales, red lightning crackling across its body as its eyes and paws glow in the same color. As its lighting jumps to the other members of its pack they whimper and back away to make room as he walks between them. His power and presence parting them like Moses and the red sea.
"That's the boss... Stygian Zinogre... that's not lighting on it," Yang says.
"Dragon energy?" Welf asks.
"Yup, these things killed who knows how many monsters before we got here, definitely at least high level 5, Stygian is probably level 6 at least, dragon energy alone is a problem from what Freya and Loki familia reported..."
"Then I recommend you don't hold back," Thalie says.
"I need to know how dragon energy works first, you guys deal with the regular ones I'll deal with the big guy," Yang says as he finally rises to his feet, hoisting his weapon onto his shoulder as he takes a step forward.
The alpha gladly matches his step and releases a deafening roar.
"Uh-huh," Welf nervously looks at the intimidating red and black monsters, "that one is definitely all yours, have fun."
As Yang takes a second step the monster rushes forward. The other members of the pack simply wait their turn as their leader challenges the enemy.
"Ok, let's make some space," Yang says as he breaks into a light jog.
As the monster reaches close to him it does one powerful leap. Dragon energy crackling on its right paw as it swipes down, only to just barely miss.
With a burst of strength from his legs and help from his mage armor, Yang rockets toward the monster, breaking through its guard and getting in its face to deliver a dropkick directly to its jaw.
A sudden burst of heat melts the surrounding snow and a deafening explosion is heard as the Stygian Zinogre is sent dozens of meters. Seamlessly passing between the members of its pack and landing back in the direction they approached. The other monster only crane their heads back before turning their attention back to the adventurers.
As the monsters look to the adventurers they see Yang only thirty feet away, casually walking with his weapon slung over one shoulder. They were completely caught off guard by such power. They've never faced any adventurers before, these were the frontier floors for a reason after all.
Their surprise didn't dull their aggression, but they allowed him to simply stroll between them as they too walked past him toward his teammates. The monsters nor the man even move their head to steal another glance at each other as they walk by, they knew who their opponents were. Interrupting an alpha's challenge was worthy of death after all.
"Dragon Energy really is something else," Yang mutters as he approaches the monster. Stygian Zinogre already getting back on its feet, shaking its head to get rid of the dizzy spill Yang knocked into it.
Wiggling his toes in his boots, Yang tries to get some feeling back into his foot. Feeling the numbness already fading away he can't help but think about the boost Dragon Energy must be giving this monster.
As their eyes meet once more, both combatants break into a full sprint toward each other. Meeting in the middle the monster launches into a superman punch with all its might. Coming down with a flying paw swipe.
Reacting immediately Yang decides to go low, dropping into a slide and moving below the monster, raising his weapon high to slash its tail as he moves across the snow. His mage armor evaporating the ice and snow beneath him as he moves.
He cracks the reinforced tail of the monster but some of the dragon energy leaps down onto him, following the metal of his weapon to his arms.
He sees the blue flames of his mage armor actually flicker in a small spot as the bolt of Dragon Energy hits it.
"huh..." he cuts his thoughts short while avoiding another claw swipe, this time landing on his feet before the monster rebalances itself and slashing horizontally at the limb.
The monster roars in pain as he cuts into the scales and reaches the muscle beneath, for the first time since this expedition began his weapon can't cleave through a monster with ease.
'I'll actually have to put my back into this...finally,' he thinks to himself while jumping away, a grin on his face, his blood pumping more and more as the challenge gets his adrenaline flowing.
In a flurry of blows, both fighters clash again and again.
The monster gets more and more damage with every missed strike. Capitalizing on the large sweeping movements Yang takes the chances to get close and deliver heavy blows to the monster's weaker scales when he can.
Every scar, every cracked claw and scale, every chunk of missing flesh and large cut... Yang pays a price.
Whenever his weapon sinks into the fur-covered areas of the beast the Dragon Energy would arc along the blade, the powerful bolts would make holes in his Mage Armor, it would overpower his own magic.
His flames would do their job and lessen the blows but they weren't as useful as he'd hoped.
Eventually, the monster releases an ear-splitting roar, Yang flinches, caught off guard by the assault on his level 6 ears. The monster spins around and slams its wide flat tail into his side, knocking him through the snow and ice as he tries to tumble to his feet. Digging his axe into the ground to steady himself.
As he rises to his feet the monster is already rushing toward him, seeing it go for another tailspin attack he stomps his foot on the ground, up to his ankle is buried in the ice-covered floor as he pours magic into the area.
'Control Water'
Ice and snow immediately melt, moving like a living creature and catching the monster in mid-air. He freezes it solid with the tail still outside of the ice sphere, still wiggling and struggling as the monster whips it around.
Seeing a blinding red light slowly building in power within the ice prison, Yang leaps forward and swings down with all his strength.
As the Switch-Axe is arcing through the air, the axe blade slides down to the point of becoming a hand guard as the half greatsword blade swivels around the shaft and connects with it. Before the weapon strikes the magic he poured into it quickly transformed it into greatsword form, allowing it to cleanly slice the tail off.
The ice prison immediately explodes in a massive storm of dragon energy in response to this. The monster finally losing control of the absurd power and releasing it all.
Yang is caught in the blast before he can even reach, feeling his flesh burning for the first time in months, searing pain wrecks his body as he sits up in the snow.
Noticing the monster drunkenly hobbling about, its injuries and cuts slowing it down as it paints the snow red with blood.
Taking a deep breath Yang ignites his mage armor once more, forcing himself to his feet.
At this moment he's thankful for the borderline torture...no, definitely torture that Thalie put him through and called training. Allowing him to ignore the pain and focus only on what he has to do to survive this fight.
As if sensing his determination the monster shakes its head and meets his gaze, it's Dragon Energy flaring up once more, Yang could see it visibly pulling the monster's wounds open. Its body struggling to contain it with all these injuries, it was betting everything on this.
With a massive leap, pouring all its power into the legs the beast soars through the air, coming down with the most powerful paw swipe of its life.
Steeling his will and ignoring what felt like boiling water being poured into open wounds on his body, Yang pushed his fire magic into his weapon. The greatsword forms once more from the axe as he swings upward, the blade glows red for barely a moment before it erupts into an all-consuming dark blue.
The monster's paw is cut in two as their attacks meet, it lands and Yang passes below it. The alpha monster spins around to lash out and make one last desperate bite, as it turns around and lunges forward. A blue, burning 6ft blade splits its head vertically, instantly killing it.
Yang cuts a line down the beast with that one swing, once more from nose to tail both halves and cleanly divided, just barely missing the crystal.
As his magic stops flowing and the weapon shifts back into the great-axe form, he rests it in the snow, handle up and head down for it to stand on its own as he takes a deep breath.
"Ahh," he winces at the searing pain, touching his face where he can feel the blood flowing out. Looking down at his Battle Mage clothing he sees holes and slashes in it, burnt flesh underneath.
Taking another breath he retrieves a Hi-Potions from his inventory and uses them on his injuries, closing the bleeding wounds and forming small flames on himself to keep the healing going.
"That shit went through my mage armor and my enchanted clothes... fucking Dragon Energy," he mutters while walking between the two halves of the monster corpse to retrieve the crystal.
As the monster becomes ash and falls into two piles, he sees quite a bit of fur from the mane as well as some claws, fangs, and scales remaining.
Storing them into his inventory he looks toward the sound of ongoing fighting over the hill.
"Definitely level 7..." he thinks aloud, reflecting on his first encounter with Dragon Energy.
"Fuck...that was level 7!" he immediately takes off running toward his team, ignoring the pain in his body, his muscles and nerves still burning from dealing with the Dragon Energy. Not sure what state he'll find the levels 4 & 5 in...
END CHAPTER---
ZINOGRE! Some people have been asking for this for months and I literally had this encounter planned before I wrote chapter 1...