CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
In a square stone room, where sparks flew, there stood a man in sky-blue armor.
The armor covered his entire body and appeared to be a robust and detailed design, with plates that seemed to be made of a highly durable metallic material, yet had a light, almost ethereal sheen, as if each plate reflected the light emitted by the torches.
He wielded a two-handed sword, so imposing that it looked both dangerous and beautiful. The blade was black as night but reflected bluish flashes when it moved.
Before him was what could only be described as a monster, swinging its long claws.
CLANK!
CLANK!
CLANK!
This being, over six meters tall, was an abomination that, despite being slender, was filled with muscle. Its skin was rough and hairy, a dark gray and earthy brown. Its limbs were exaggeratedly long, with arms that almost reached its knees, perfect for slicing and reaching its prey.
Its eyes glowed a bright red, and its hunched posture created a shadow that obscured its head, while its hair blocked any light from entering around its face.
ROOOOAAAR!
A roar made the knight in sky-blue armor take a reluctant step back.
Turning his head, through the slits of his helmet, his yellow eye lit up.
"Archivald-san, I need mobility!" A powerful masculine voice was heard.
"I understand... Magic archive: Agility level ten! Magic archive: Strength level ten!"
From behind, a man whose slender figure was covered by a dark blue robe, barely grazing the ground, raised his hands. In them, he held a dark, twisted, and aged wooden staff, with a rough texture that seemed to have been carved by nature itself. At the tip of the staff, a green gem glowed with an unsettling brightness.
The body of the blue knight lit up with a green color. He looked at his own hands, getting used to the energy flowing within him, and nodded decisively.
His left hand released the two-handed sword, and like a blue lightning bolt in the rain, his body vanished from where he stood.
SLASH!
SLASH!
SLASH!
The armored man reappeared behind the giant, but instead of wearing blue armor, it was stained red all over.
SPLASH!
The giant's right leg had been sliced in half.
The man turned to admire his splendid action, but upon seeing the monster's leg, he understood that the fight would be harder than it seemed.
ROAR!
With a roar, the monster's bone, nerves, muscles, and flesh quickly regenerated.
Beneath his bloodstained helmet, the man frowned.
"Buttonsmasher-san, I'm recharged!" A youthful voice resonated powerfully from the shadows.
A cloud of dust rose behind a young man who had leaped from his position to the giant.
The young man wore a cloak that fell to his ankles, a deep black, almost as if it absorbed light, with a white wolf fur trim. Beneath the cloak, he wore lightweight armor of a shiny silver color. Though not bulky, the armor had a detailed and elegant design, with smooth lines that followed the contours of his body.
His two green eyes sparkled with an unusual trace of confidence, and his mischievous smile only reinforced the impression that everything was under control. His hair, ruffled by the air, revealed his two pointed ears, like those of an elf.
"I-Idiot, I've told you a million times not to call me that here!"
The armored man vanished from where he stood and reappeared next to the young elf, who had landed in front of the giant.
"I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again, Buttonsmasher-san!"
"Y-You! Forget it. Do you have any plans, Valipher-san?"
Ignoring the armored man, Valipher turned back and said, "Archivald-san, use your enhancement magic on me!"
"I understand! Magic archive: Enhancement magic level seven!"
A purple light illuminated the elf as he raised his right hand.
BZZZZ!
Accompanied by a buzzing sound, a semi-transparent, glowing purple square appeared in front of Valipher's hand.
"Forge!" he shouted with all his strength, and text began to generate within the square.
[spell.forge::no_regeneration {
target: entity::Rakshasa{id: 9001};
duration: 10;
particle: {
lifespan: 2;
regeneration_rate: 5;
};
visual_effect: {
color: RGB(0, 255, 0);
particle: {
type: glow;
size: 1cm;
density: 50;
trail: sparkles;
};
};
effect: {
cancel_regeneration(target);
stop_healing(target);
};
on_cast: {
apply_effect(target);
trigger_visual_effect();
while (duration > 0) {
regenerate_particles(target);
wait(1);
duration -= 1;
}
};
on_end: {
remove_effect(target);
clear_visual_effect();
};
}]
"You have ten seconds!" exclaimed the elf.
"I understand." The voice of the armored man, like a whisper, disappeared into the air, along with his body.
Valipher closed his eyes and whispered:
"Letting you bear it all would be too rude of me, Arthur-san..."
'Forge!'
The magic square in front of Valipher was replaced with a clean one and began to write another code.
[spell.forge::physical_boost {
target: Gamespace.world.RakshasaDungeon02.Valipher_Vexaris_Lumnathir;
duration: 30;
properties: {
strength_multiplier: 5.5;
agility_multiplier: 5.0;
endurance_multiplier: 4.75;
};
visual_effect: {
aura: {
color: RGB(255, 0, 0);
intensity: high;
};
particle: {
type: glow;
size: 1cm;
density: 30;
lifespan: 1.5;
trail: sparkles;
};
};
effect: {
enhance_physical_stats(target);
boost_movement_speed(target);
};
on_cast: {
apply_boost(target);
trigger_visual_effect();
while (duration > 0) {
wait(1);
duration -= 1;
}
};
on_end: {
remove_boost(target);
clear_visual_effect();
};
}]
"Now!"
CRACK!
The ground beneath Valipher's foot shattered, and another purple square formed on his foot.
[spell.forge::speed_boost {
target: Gamespace.world.RakshasaDungeon02.Valipher_Vexaris_Lumnathir.body.rightFoot;
properties: {
speed_multiplier: 5.0;
acceleration_boost: 9.0;
};
visual_effect: {
particle: {
type: wind_blast;
size: 3cm;
density: 40;
lifespan: 0.8;
trail: wind_swirls;
color: RGB(135, 206, 250);
};
};
on_cast: {
apply_boost(target.body.rightFoot);
trigger_visual_effect();
create_explosion: air_force;
};
on_complete: {
remove_boost(target.body.rightFoot);
clear_visual_effect();
};
}]
Adopting a running position, the ground beneath Valipher's foot exploded with a mighty roar.
The elf drew a sword from a concealed place beneath the cloak on his back and prepared to support the knight.
SLASH! SLASH!
SLASH! SLASH!
SLASH! SLASH!
SLASH! SLASH!
In just fractions of a second, the giant had cuts all over its body.
Ten seconds later, only 2% of its body remained unscathed.
BOOM!
The air compressed by the cuts and the speed exerted by the pair of heroes exploded in the room, shaking it to its foundations.
The armored knight reappeared next to his companion Archivald.
"Without that bastard Valipher's spell, it would have been an even fiercer battle, Buttonsmasher-san."
A drop of sweat comically trickled down the knight's helmet.
"If we're going to start referring to each other by our usernames instead of our role names, I hope you don't mind later, Imurdady-san."
"Huh!?"
Archivald seemed regretful for having played along with Valipher, but he had no time to apologize; a shrill sound pulled him from his thoughts.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!
"That was a wonderful battle!"
Several silhouettes entered through a large door. Among the eight imposing figures, the one clapping at the front had a similar appearance to Valipher.
Differently, this person had a darker complexion, and the color of their clothing was inverted compared to Valipher's.
"It's a shame the door closed so suddenly. If we had all been there, that boss battle wouldn't have lasted even ten seconds," whispered another of the figures.
It was a slender and athletic woman with shining blonde hair that fell in soft waves to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a black armor fitted to her figure, designed to highlight her femininity without sacrificing protection. The armor contained organic shapes, with prominent shoulder pads and thinner parts on her arms and legs that evoked a lightweight black dress.
The same woman stared at the people in the room and scratched her head in confusion.
"Where is Valipher Vexaris supposed to be?"
The dark elf noticed this small detail and scanned the room with his eyes.
He spotted his friend behind the mutilated, blood-covered corpse. Archivald, Buttonsmasher, the woman, and he hurried over, while the others watched the scene from the other side of the door.
Upon arriving, the four noticed that Valipher had his eyes open but didn't seem to be in the game.
"Hey, bastard, did you go take a dump in the middle of the match or something?" asked the dark elf.
"..."
No one said anything for a few seconds, and a vein of anger appeared on his forehead.
"Tch! Idiot, this will teach you to at least send a written message when you're going to leave your character AFK... Forge!"
A green square formed in the dark elf's hand, and his eye glowed with malicious intense purple.
Before everyone, Valipher Valipher's appearance began to change!
After a few seconds, the youthful, handsome, tall elf had transformed into what appeared to be a developing teenager.
He now had long, silky white hair that gently fell to his calves. His face had become delicate and androgynous, with fine, pale features within a greenish color palette, slightly flushed cheeks, and perfect lips. With a pair of large, intense red eyes, speckled with yellow glints that shimmered in the light, he had gone from being tall to standing at 1.58 m, with a slender, agile figure and beautifully smooth skin.
"This will teach him..."
All the onlookers seemed somewhat confused, but the dark elf's movements began to make sense in their minds.
Another green square appeared in his hand, but this time it pointed to an empty space in the room.
A code appeared in the green square and quickly disappeared.
In the spot the elf was pointing to, there was now a giant block of ice, serving as a mirror.
At that moment, everyone understood and began to laugh.
"He'll get a big scare when he sees his powerful character in this state. Hehe~"
"Won't he get really mad when he sees you changed his appearance?" asked the woman, somewhat concerned.
He knew Valipher quite well. This would probably give him reason to put extra quotes and make the game unplayable for a few weeks.
"Don't worry, I made a backup of his appearance when I changed it; I'll restore it instantly before he starts whining," the elf said with a smile.
"If you say so..." The woman couldn't shake her unease, but she tried to enjoy the joke.
Suddenly, Valipher's pinky finger moved slightly.
"Here it comes!" the elf shouted, thrilled with his prank, eager to see the reaction of someone he considered his best friend.
But far from that...
Valipher's character disappeared into thin air, leaving a floating text where he had been.
[Error: Player disconnected]
"..."
Everyone was left speechless.