The battle ensues between our hero and the vengeful Rostoff member of the XIII, behind the line there stood a Sultan whose power rivals that or rather triumphs over all those who are present, he looks beside him and finds the ever so beautiful elven royal Reifa gazing at hero's back.
"Your Hero , is he?." He smirks and asks her
"Yes and he won't lose, nor follow your footsteps either." She say defiantly teeming with pride and a sprinkle of spite
"Every beast has his day, including those we deem mighty. I'd hold my tongue if i were you." He says smirking as his lion pride fight off projectiles
"When that day comes....I'll be there for him." She says determined to get rid of the weakness that plagues her.
"I look forward to it then!." The sultan said as he nonchalantly cut a stray sword in half.
Our blades clash in an arena devoid of joy, i try to filter out the doom and gloom that takes charge as the crowd scream in terror
Our dance continues on as we learn each others patterns, Rostoff prefers a hands-on approach and while i don't commit fully i deliver a few blows to keep him at his wits end, with Enthal covering his blindspots with projectiles i find it hard to fight toe to toe. As useful as Enthal might be , he still exhausts his contractee out of the corner of my eyes I see Rostoff breathing heavily, desperately clinging to consciousness.
We dragonkins aren't as susceptible to mana fatigue when compared to other races which allows us to perform feats deemed unachievable but Rostoff however is a whole different beast
"Get back you dog!." He howls at me
Like the past few minutes, i do not commit.
"You forgot, to say please!." I say lunging a strike at him and avoiding projectiles
"Enthal your iron armada now!."
Enthal roars mechanically as his metal encased body transforms into a structure resembling a ship albeit with limbs and wings intact , canons grow out of his back and thighs and his shoulders all pointed at me and those behind me.
Rostoff glares at me as he points a finger at me he inhales and exhales before ordering his partner
"FIRE!." The canons glow an ethereal red as they fire lazers at my position.
"This isn't good." I say to no one , well duh that thing can pierce a hole into me
I summon Salamander's mana around my feet and leap through the air , the fire propels my speed matching the lazers.
I look behind me and see the Sultan holding his own with his pride. I get it why they hype now, he doesn't look too well but hes standing tall. Damnit I'm supposed to be the hero.
With all the determination i could muster , i reverse my movement back to Enthal and Rostoff's position.
I look at my foes smirking. I'm not letting no one outshine me!
Rostoff took this as a sign of a challenge orders Enthal while gritting his teeth.
"Fire!, destroy them all!." Enthal roars as he shoots lazers from all his canons
I won't let him fulfill his wish ofcourse.
"Come forth, Salamander or whatever spunk you've left behind!." A magic circle appeared above me and from it emerged an astral projection of Salamander's.
From behind me I hear the Sultan shout with enough oomph to turn one deaf.
"KING OF LIONS!, SHOW THESE FOOLS THAT MY OASIS IS IMPREGNABLE!." He shouts with the pride of a nation as he projects lion shaped astrals forming an even bigger barrier than what he initially had, just how much power does he have in his possession!
"Salamander , Infernal flames!."
My Salamander projection proceeds to intercept Enthal's lazers while the Sultan's protects the crowd and Reifa from the rear.
My fires meet his lazers, for every 3 they cancel 4 make it past me towards the Sultan alas his pride won't fall easily.
Rostoff grits his teeth again as we've repelled his trump card
"Increase , the number of canons and production of weapons!." He barks at Enthal
Rostoff legs quake as Enthal follows his command , consuming more mana as rifts appear and Enthal's Iron encased body further changes shape
"Sultan you know the drill!." i say turning my head back
"You ask too much of me, though I permit it." He says giving me a knowing smirk
He shoves his sword to the ground and stands tall
"YOU DESECRATED MY LAIR , MY VERY OWN OASIS GAZE UPON MY MAGNIFICENCE AND BEHOLD MY POWER, THE LION'S PRIDE!."
The Sultan's chant echoes throughout the stadium as his astral pride form a shiel surrounding the stand and Reifa
"GO YOUNG DRAGONKIN, SHOW ME HOW THE EXTENT OF YOUR POWER!." With his show of force I'm assured that everyone would be safe.
So begins another clash between the hero(yours truly) and the vengeful dragonkin(IX/Rostoff.)
With solid determination , i jet towards my enemy with Salamander's projection trailing behind me
Enthal shoots his lazers, just as he does Salamander breathes his infernal flames cancelling his attack.
Using Salamander's exhaust smoke as a cover , I propel my body to reach Rostoff and strike
"You don't know when to give up." Rostoff says as he blocks
However thanks to my fire infused feet i send both myself and Rostoff flying in the opposite side of the arena.
"giving up?, oh i've given up more times than i can count."
There was the school incident, there was the court case and there was the thing with my parents. I've run away from them all, the scars may never heal but I know for a fact that if i fail here another soul more deserving than mine will bear the burnt alone and for that I'll fight!.
"Get your hands off of me!." Rostoff yells out as spikes propel from his iron armor
Answering his demands i drop him to the floor , he looks up unamused and angry.
Meanwhile Salamander faces off against Enthal, the fire breathing dragon scratches and claws as it clings to Enthals frames
The dragon roars in discomfort and summons a plethora of weapons, however the weapons pierce themselves in Enthal as well.
Salamander gnaws, scratchs and tears at the dragons body. Enthal reaching its limit cries out and produces lazers at Salamander.
The projection endures as it priotizes tearing its enemy apart, this continues until both collapse on the ground.
Rostoff looks at his fallen comrade and sighs
"Enthal, Iron armor"
With a weak roar it dissipates into mana , the stream flows into Rostoff and transforms into armor
Salamander projection also dissipates reuniting itself with my body, which i used to enchant my spears
Growth pain assails Rostoff as pikes appear from his shoulder's , his boots shred as nails and scales replace them his shoulder blades twitch as two gigantic iron wings emerge his turquoise scales are soon replaced with grey and his horn grows larger as his eyes grow sharper he gazes at me contempt all the more clearer.
"This is the end, my thirst for revenge won't be sated for as long as you stand in my way."
Rostoff says coolly
"Like a broken record , you say the same shit. How about we talk like ya know normal people." I reply shrugging
"I have nothing to say to a lout like you." He says spitting ire
He flies and calls out his eery Enthal's tail
Salamander howls a dying roar as he turns back into mana infusing himself into my spears
And thus we clash for the third time
He swings his sword horizontally aiming to disembowel me to which i block with my spear's pole
Not giving up the opportunity , i thrust my other fire enchanted spear towards his shoulder his left wing blocks my strike
Molten iron falls from where my spear connected , he cries out and slashes another strike. We exchange heavy and light attacks simultaneously not giving each other space for maneuvering we fly accross the arena like a meteor shower.
Eventually we had to break the stalemate , kicking him away I put a 100 meter distance between myself and Rostoff. Rostoff himself doesn't mind seems like great minds think alike afaik his mind isn't all there now.
I ready my spears and lunge forward, he does the same as he thrusts his sword forward, alas my reach is superior as It only took a moment for my spear to connect and pierce his left shoulder. He ignores the pain and pushes his body towards me right until he reached a preferable strike zone.
He smiles as he thrusts his sword into my right shoulder. I cry out in pain as my right hand drops my 2nd spear.
I grit my teeth breathing heavily as I look at Rostoff to find his wound mend, flesh replaced by iron. I hate how he regenerates!
Yanking the first spear off his shoulder i put some distance between us , and to not lose blood i use Salamander's fire to burn my flesh closing my wound as I hold onto my spear.
"Must be nice to have a drive." I say to myself, I was like him once. Lived only for my dream and nothing else.
"Should have lived for myself not that scholarship." I say self depricatingly, as a i reminisce i look at my enemy with pity
"...." he says nothing as he hurridly swings his sword
In response I swing my spear as if it were a sword and we clash again, my head bumping into his
Gritting my teeth , i bump heads with him again.
Thoughts spiral in my head everytime we bump into each other
I have to overcome him, i have to end his dream, it's either him or her!.
"Graaaaaah!." I shout as adrenaline bumps into my body ,pushing my spear forward his sword drops and i stab his abdomen
Iron quickly moves to cover the flesh and just like that my spear is firmly rooted in his abdomen
He shouts in return
"Graaaaaaah!." And tackles me
Its a straight brawl from then on, between me and Rostoff. Nothing as sophisticated as maneuvers
His iron encased fists vs my fire enchanted fists
We stay in the air as he connects a punch i hold onto him and give him a knee to his stomach
Vomitting he involuntarily backs away
But i proceed to lay it on him
All the frustrations I've had, all the days I've wasted, all the guilt I've shouldered. I unloaded everything as i pounded him heavily
It wasn't long before he regained his footing unloading his own series of punches , frustration behind evey jab.
He howls in anger and says
"YOU WON'T TAKE MY PURPOSE IN LIFE, I WON'T LET THOSE WHO'VE ABANDONED THE VILLAGE LIVE, I WON'T LET YOU, ESPECIALLY A LOUT LIKE YOU TAKE IT AWAY AGAIN!." He delivers an impactful strike after his rant
Not willing to let him have his way I lunge back and deliver a heavy strike in return
"PURPOSE OF LIFE?, DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH SMELL THE COFFEE YOU FREAKIN LIZARD , YOUR VILLAGE DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE. QUIT BEIN A SORE BITCH AND FOR ONCE LIVE FOR YOUR DAMN SELF !." I yell at the top of my lungs as i prepare a powered up punch , to which Rostoff does the same.
My fire enchanted punch clashes with his iron encased punch, as we clash an explosion ensues.
I click my tongue in frustration as my push proves to be no match for his and for a split second i thought i would be the one to lose.
Thats when I seen her Ivana or rather Lithea 'smiling' giving me a push a small gesture but it was more than enough to blow away Rostoff
Blown away Rostoff armor cracks amd shattters revealing his turquoise scales as he lands on the ground a heavy thud is heard followed by a big crater from the impact of his fall.
"Time to end this , as you say." I give Rostoff one last look of pity before summoning my 2nd spear.
When suddenly Necrosis stands in my way, breathing his ghastly purple smoke
"Tch, I told you not to make my mission harder than what it seems." Says Ozwald as puppet carries Rostoff unconscious body
I summon the last of Salamander's fire to blow the smoke off my vicinity and in my peripheral i see the spear that ruptured Rostoff abdomen and Necrosis riding off with V and IX.
"Zephyr!." Reifa yells as she runs over to me
I wobble on my feet as Salamander's mana leaves my body entirely along with the cool pair of wings , its hard enough to stand let alone walk but i have to...
"Don't, you've done enough." She says embracing my collapsed body
"You sure your lordship." Asks the announcer talking to the Sultan , who nods affirmatively
The announcer appraoches me as I'm stuck (willingly) in Reifa's embrace
He clears his throat and pivks up his magic voice enhancer
Breathing in and out he speaks to the dumbfounded crowd
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE TOURNAMENT OF THE OASIS HAVE REACHED ITS CONCLUSION. WE'VE SEEN THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SWEET WINS AND BITTER DEFEATS OF OUR CONTESTANTS, WE'VE ALSO EXPERIENCED A LIFE THREATNING SITUATION AND HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE VALIANT EFFORT OF HIS LORDSHIP AND THE ONE WHO FOUGHT BESIDE HIM, WE COULD HAVE UHH... DIED!. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE MATTER OF OUR WINNER, WHO'S DESERVING OF OUR SULTAN WISH, THE HERO HAD FORFEITED HOWEVER THAT DOESN'T NEGATE HIS WIN AGAINST ROSTOFF, AND SO WITH EVERY OUNCE OF GRATITUDE WE THANK YOU HERO ZEPHYR AND PROUDLY ANNOUNCE AS THE SOLE WINNER OF THE OASIS TOURNAMENT!."
The crowd regaining their vigor chant my name, my name?, no that's not my namae. My name is ..... t-they chanted it too. They chanted it too and a day after the incident those same people jeered at me.
"No make it stop." I sob to myself
Long after sobbing i hear a gentle soothing voice accompanied by a tight embrace
"I know you don't like to talk about yourself, however know that I'm here for you as you were for me." Under her tight embrace i remain hiding from their view sobbing and holding onto Reifa for dear life
"I'm sorry I know I should be stronger." I say whistfully before she shushes me
I continue sobbing until i regained a semblance of stability
"Thank you Reifa." I sniffle as i say
"Hehe, you're most welcome." The girl that I love replied beaming a mesmerizing smile.
I regain my footing and stand tall Reifa lends me a shoulder as we move towards the Sultan.
He gives me a knowing smirk, something about it pisses me the freak of. But for the sake of Oraia I decided not to divulge.
"What now, I won so what does this mean?." I ask both Reifa and the Sultan
"For now, we are allies and I will withold my claims for Southern Oraia." He says
"For now , that is. We won't know when the Sultan would rescind his alliance and attack Oraia again."
"I have a worthy cub and a mighty dragon slayer , if i don't test my might against promising youth then who will?." He says laughing heartily.
"*sigh* you see Zephyr thats the kind of man he is." She says facepalming
"I'd hate to be the one facing him." I say truthfully, although he looks weakened without Lithea's blessing I might as well be above the best of npcs but comparing myself right now with the Sultan at my current state . I doubt i'd last long, not to mention that guy Belial...
-meanwhile-
-The Underworld : Dragon's rest-
-Floor 25-
Belial and his 3 adolescent dragon cpmpanions have reached another floor
"You three, what have i told you about slowing me down." Belial sighs at his 3 companians
"Sorry Belial, I couldn't just leave treasure sit there all alone." Flamma replies remorse evident in her tone
"It's dragon instincts, not even the most rational is immune to it. To us greed is your mortal equivalent of lust." Ignis says matter of factly and partly coming to his sister defense
"Mortal, we leveled up quite a bit in that encounter alls well that ends well right besides slimes are weak." Ifrit says nonchalantly
Belial brows twitched in irritation as he remembered the goo explosion coming from the chest
"You lot don't wear clothes, not that it matters anymore we've reached our destination " He says sighing
Following the established law from the 15th floor, the 25th possess a theme of its own. This time it is a maze of mirrors and the dragon in this floor is Ludere the trickster dragon.
To be continued