White sat on his throne, two large liches on either side acting as his judges—not Lesser Liches, but fully empowered summoners—Level 11, being just barely at the 3 Level mark beyond their own that they could see the red text above their names.
Morganrath, Unhallowed Bane of the Damned, and Ugara’signa’lura, The Sanctimonious Ruler of Ethics, being so ridiculous Sora didn’t even want to try and say it aloud.
“What do you think?” Aiden hissed. “Will he just charge us with them?”
Kari waved her hand before checking the straps to her fist weapon. “Naa. If anything, he’ll have them summon a ton of skeletons to attack us in phases like the other bosses.”
“Probably,” Sora agreed, checking her buffs. “Oh, I almost missed it—look!”
Behind the two liches were chained men, magical circles above their heads and wearing similar armor they’d seen on killed prisoners along the way here.
Liz’s expression tightened. “Why is this place so… Do people really do these things outside of the Vulpes Realm?”
Aiden forced a smile. “Unfortunately, this is all more cartoonish than the real evil that people can do to one another. I think you were right, though, Sora; those guys are from the Undead Hunters.”
“The first we’ve seen alive,” Kari noted, stretching out. “The others were turned into skeletons. We think they’ll be a part of the battle?”
“Possibly,” Sora nodded. “We’ve been getting hints they’ll show up soon. Liz, you can dispel the magic, right?”
“Eh—maybe. I leveled it to normal Purify, but it’s costly.”
Adjusting his shield, Aiden rolled around his shoulders. “I’ll try to take all the aggro while you position to free them; you got the chains, Sora?”
“Yup. Kari can help you handle the horde, but what if the lich turns around and one-shots them; should we get rid of them first?”
“Good point,” he sighed. “If it looks like you can free them… Wait, what about those prison doors on the sides—you see those, Kari?”
“Yeah… I could try to break them open, which could draw their attention?”
“A prison break!” Sora cheered. “Well… unless, heh, they’re empty.”
“Hmm. I can’t hear anything since my hearing is practically nothing here,” Kari mumbled.
Sora used Levitate to give her a bit more mobility and speed, sipping from a potion that granted a .5-second Cast Time Reduction buff for 5 minutes. “We’ll play it by ear. Ready, Aiden?”
“I’m on it! Liz, Kari?”
The two took their own potions and gave him a thumbs up.
“Let’s go!”
Charging in, they slowed as White’s dark chuckle echoed through the halls, pressing in around them. “Fools. You have done well to make it this far, yet it is here your bones shall rest for eternity.”
Ugara’signa’lura hovered forward a meter, a flaming aura cycling around her frame, sharp voice like fiery daggers. “Allow me to punish these deplorable creatures, Lord White; I will turn them to ashes in your name!”
Liz snickered. “Why do they call him White when he wears all black?”
“Irony, I guess,” Sora laughed, preparing herself, yet they paused as the man behind them struggled to lift his head.
Chains rattling with his movements, he muttered. “Please—second door… to your—”
“Silence, Wretch!” Morganrath snarled, turning to cause a spike of ice to hit the man in the leg; no blood was seen—like a child’s game—instead, ice crept out of the spot.
“Ack!”
Kari’s head snapped to the five doors on either side of the hall. “Oh, so it is important?”
White cut past her mumbles. “Hmm-hmm-hmm. I leave them to you, Ugara’signa’lura; show me some entertainment.”
“Yes, Lord! Hear my call, Servants of the Darkness! Rise!”
Sora followed her hands to the left and right of the ceiling, where bones poured down like liquid from openings to take the form of four Bone Abominations, level 9 Elites; they were reasonably powerful mini-bosses they’d fought throughout this floor, only one at a time.
“Damn,” Aiden mumbled, knowing the lich was more than likely invincible until the first phase ended. “I’ll need your help to keep up on this one, Liz.”
“Keep your guard up—I don’t need you suddenly dropping 30% HP in a single blow.”
“C’mon, Babe, they’re actually pretty fast, and they’re hard to follow with their insane Bone Spike attack.”
“I can dodge them.”
“You can fly with Sora’s help!”
“True,” Sora defended. “The spell breaks if you get hit, and he’s always getting pummeled.”
“Get good!” Kari snickered. “I had your buff the entire time last fight.”
“Unless there are AoE attacks,” Aiden added, “and seeing they’re green bones now—I’d say these have a new poison ability you’ll have to look out for, Liz.”
“I can handle the Mass Cleanse fine,” she dismissed. “If you get hit for 60% in a second, that’s the problem!”
“It was one time.”
“Where you had 1%!”
“Uh, guys,” Sora chuckled, “I think they’re done with their showy animation.”
“On it!” Aiden said, positioning himself yet hesitating on which side he should go. “Left door or right, Kari?”
“Always go right!”
“Got it!”
Sora floated after her, with Liz keeping close enough to provide heals; Aiden’s job would be to try and use the monster’s bulk to maneuver to avoid getting surrounded while keeping at most two in range to attack.
Kari was the fastest one with her new items and potion, reaching the door quickly before pounding on it with her fist to show its health bar; as they’d feared, it was pretty substantial, meaning Aiden and Liz would need to work together in the drawn-out fight to keep her resources and buffs up.
“Aiden, kite them a bit; I’ll try and maintain a slow on two of them—easy game!” Sora cheered, splitting her focus to sending an AoE to keep them lumbering around in circles while Liz tried to keep at a safe distance, dodging the random bone spikes that jetted out of the ground.
Sora was at a distance where the spikes always went after Liz, allowing her to fire spells at the door and giants to keep them locked down.
“Do you think your paltry tricks will save you?” the lich roared, raising his hands to telegraph a circular light.
“Sora!” Liz called out.
“Got it!” She sent a bolt of lightning that temporarily silenced the lich; it seemed it was one of those fights where they needed to keep one spellcaster locked down. “I won’t be able to help you much, Kari.”
“No problem! I can almost get this combo down in time for the first strike to come off cooldown—you just focus on slowing those things.”
“Biah—the arrogance to interrupt me!”
“Sora!”
“I’m ready!”
Triggering the focus part of the phase, she darted around the fiery darts he cast from the trigrams appearing overhead; they were low-tier spells that didn’t require chanting, so they couldn’t be interrupted—yet Levitate made it easy.
After thirty seconds, Kari’s fist smashed through the heavy wooden door, shattering it to pieces and revealing the dark interior for both the Fenris Wolf and Sora to balk in shock.
“Eyia?!” Sora squeaked, tossing out another silence before rushing to the doorway as Kari tried to break her shackles.
“Mmgm… Sister—eh, no… Queenly Sister, the… the Undead Hunters have whispered throughout the halls of your passage. Free me, and I will support you against these foul abominations…”
“Hehe! Queenly Sister…”
“Have I said it wrong?” she questioned, seemingly looking at an invisible prompter. “Be weak and imprisoned… say you will offer aid…”
“No, hehe,” Sora mused, and Kari snapped her shackles with Liz calling out from the other room.
“We could use some help here, Sora! Aiden keeps getting pushed around, and they’re throwing him to a corner.”
“Coming! Can you heal Eyia?”
“If you can take some pressure off Aiden.”
“Would be—ugh—would be nice because these things hit like a truck! Oh, no—”
“Aiden, stand your—oof…”
Sora rushed to the door to see Aiden smash against the wall beside her, having taken a brutal knockback blow.
“Ergmm—I hate Crushing Blow… Going to trap them in the corner and activate Firewall to buy you time to heal Eyia!”
“Sounds good,” Liz hissed, throwing out instant casts to bump up Aiden’s lost health.
Sora rained stars down on the abominations’ heads as Kari tried to help Eyia out of the room—the Valkyrie pretending to be hurt and weak—for her to break character and glare at the Fenris Wolf until she backed off, allowing her to proceed.
“Fine—I get it… I won’t touch you,” Kari mumbled, rolling her eyes.
“I do not need the help of a wolf… Ahem… No, my people have been imprisoned and put through such horrors. You must support me, Queenly Sister—release them and restore to me my equipment!”
Sora puffed out a long sigh, vision shifting to Kari while interrupting the mage again. “Here, allow me to help you, brave commander of the Undead Hunters.”
Kari went to the other doors, attempting to break them open with a short shake of her head in exasperation at Eyia’s continual hatred toward Fenris Wolves.
Using Levitate on the Valkyrie, she saw Aiden use his Flame Charge ability to dart around the slowed Bone Abominations, position behind them, and create a wall of fire that trapped them in a corner.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Liz flipped to an AoE HoT spell before boosting up Eyia’s HP, which was more than ten times their own; unfortunately, Sora missed a silence in supporting Eyia, and a rain of fireballs broke across the field to drop Sora’s HP to 30% and blocking one door from Kari.
The DoT fire damage remained for several seconds, forcing them to reposition, and Sora took up the offensive on the barrier Kari couldn’t get to as she went for the others.
Eventually, the wall of flames fell, and she had to support Aiden again, using another cooldown to mitigate damage, cycling them to always have something up.
Kari discovered the repository of the Undead Hunters that White had confiscated; the Fenris Wolf armed them, and Liz restored their HP, her resources dropping significantly, yet once Eyia’s spear was in hand—wearing blue and gold-themed armor that included boots, a plate skirt, circular shield, and helmet—phase 2 began.
An ice nova exploded from the Valkyrie, freezing the abominations in place and encasing the Fire Lich. “At last, I am free, White the Terrible!”
“Did his name change?” Liz asked, massaging her throat.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm. Eyia, The Blizzard From Frozen Wasteland… You lost to me once; what hope do you think you have now? Entertain me.”
“What hope? It is not I that is the fool, Black Knight of Oblivion! My Queenly Sister is by my side, and we have the support of the Undead Hunters. You should have killed us when you had the chance!”
“What fun would that have been? Morganrath, show the Queen of the North what frostbite feels like.”
“He-he-he. As you command, Lord—rise, Ice Fiend of the Abyss!”
A magical circle appeared below the lich for colossal blue claws to close around the surprised creature. “What—no, you are under my—ack!”
Kari and Sora lifted an eyebrow as it was dragged inside; it sealed, leaving everyone in question.
“Huh.” Sora mused. “Guess that’s why you don’t summon above your weight class.”
“Why’d the guy with the semi-okay name get taken?” Kari sighed.
Eyia roared with laughter. “What fools you have, White! To call upon forces you cannot control.”
“Humph. Morganrath, you weakling. Fine. I will entertain you, Northern Queen!”
Getting to his feet, he swung his sword to release a large wave of black energy, Eyia holding up her shield to create a shell that absorbed it—the walls and abominations weren’t so lucky—stone eroded on contact, blowing out the stage to give them more room.
The Fire Lich broke free from her bindings, raising his hands to form a circular inferno to trap them inside. “You will not leave this place!”
Eyia gave Sora a small smile. “I will hold the Black Knight off while you handle the lich; we cannot harm him so long as she lives.”
“Understood!” Sora grinned. Kari stood off to the side with Liz, not finding the collaboration as much fun as she had up until this point with the Valkyrie’s prejudice. “Good luck, Eyia!”
The shell broke, Eyia darting forward to shove White through the back wall and battle him beyond sight.
Kari dodged the hailing fireballs as Aiden drew aggro, charging through the fire with his high resistance; it wasn’t as bad as Sora thought. He had an interruptible one-shot Kari and she had to take turns interrupting, a Fivewave they had to get behind Aiden to absorb—having to move away from their tank after, to avoid the Firebreath she spat in a frontal cone at them.
Sora waved her wand and applied her debuffs to slow the lich’s attacks; Kari did the big numbers, chunking her Mana Shell and keeping behind their target.
On the downside, because they had to save their interrupts for the one-shot, the female lich was able to cast Mind Control on their Undead Hunters, who had a pretty important job.
The Undead Hunters helped by building up a Shatter Undead Barrier that broke the monster’s secondary invulnerability shell, and if Liz didn’t dispel the control effect, the Hunters would kill one another, and they’d lose.
Eventually, when Ugara’signa’lura, The Sanctimonious Ruler of Ethics, ran out of mana, the Hunters charged to help them finish the drained lich off, and she turned into a classic tank and spank.
Just before she died, Ugara’signa’lura lit with a ruby aura. “You—fools… Wretched living… I am… a God… immortal! I will not… submit to… Die a thousand deaths!”
“Behind me!” Aiden shouted, yet just as the flames gathered, a blast of ice shot out of the ceiling; Eyia struck the lich, sending her flying against the wall as their enemy’s final spell collapsed.
Surrounded by a faltering aura of ice, Eyia struggled to get up. “Mmgm… I… I held out as long as I could, Queenly Sister… He had help.”
Sora chuckled, seeing Luna and Rayla floating beside White; the Black Knight had lost his helmet, much of his armor broken in places. “Hmm. So weak.”
“M-Master… I am not done…”
“Humph. You are done.”
Sora clicked her tongue. “You aren’t…”
“He totally is,” Kari laughed. “Isn’t this a classic?”
“What?” Liz asked, looking at Aiden.
“Haaa… You’ll see.”
“Lord, I can still…”
“You are useless…”
Black bolts shot out to destroy the lich, yet Eyia jumped forward to block them. “You would attack your own people?! Ack!”
“Eyia!” Sora called as the electricity hit the girl, causing her to collapse.
Rayla’s mouth dropped open. “She saved her enemy!”
“She’s crazy!” Luna giggled. “Isn’t she, White?”
“Hahaha! Look at you, Northern Queen. Pathetic… What is this?”
Sora’s gaze went to the Fire Lich as her pained voice carried up to them, a magical circle swirling above the three. “Lord… I gave you everything, and this is how I am repaid? I curse you!”
“Oh, one of these twists!” Kari clapped. “What kind of—huh?”
Fire surrounded Rayla and Luna, white flames destroying the collars around their necks. “Ha-ha-ha! I may not be powerful enough to stop you, Lord White, but I can release the Fairy Princesses from your hold with the last of my power!”
“No! Traitor! I will see your spirit burned to ashes, Ugara’signa’lura!”
“No, Lord White—I will go out on my own terms! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
The lich’s bones lit with runes as she self-immolated, the twins blinking as their garb and hair turned bright green, showing off a fairy-like dress and wings—Fairy Vulpes—and their fur mirrored the color.
“Rayla?”
“Luna?”
““We’re free! Uh-oh!””
They giggled and spun their hands for a silvery wind to encompass them, blocking a supernova that erupted throughout the area.
Not feeling particularly threatened, Sora folded her arms next to a recovering Eyia, smiling up at the twins, floating between White and them.
“Prepare yourself for justice, Fiend!” Rayla cried, making trees grow out of the stone around them.
Luna nodded, adding flowers and grass to the mix. “You hold no power here!”
“Ugh… You may have won this round, but your influence is limited, Spirit Twins! If it weren’t for my meddling minions, you would have all died—such fragile creatures, to rely on, eugh… friends for your strength!”
The irony wasn’t lost on Sora as their party laughed, and Eyia’s head tilted to the side.
“Sister—erm, Queenly Sister?”
“Yes, Queen of the North?”
“Did he not rely on all of his Undead and minions throughout your campaign? Did he not rely on friends?”
“Friends? What need have I of those that would betray me—naturally, I knew I could not rely on these… weaklings! It is all for my entertainment.”
“Having fun?” Kari snickered.
“Silence!”
Liz hummed. “Is it just me, or does that not have the same weight as before?”
“Yup, losing steam, White!” Aiden chimed. “Ready to call it quits?”
“Hah! You think yourselves triumphant?!”
“Didn’t he say that before?” Sora asked, and the others nodded.
“Bah—I will destroy everything—ugh!”
Rayla and Luna took each other’s hands, a green aura forcing him to hit the ground, flattening the grass.
“Lady Queen of Vulpes!” the younger called.
“We will stop his evilness!”
“Destroy the armor!”
Aiden jumped forward. “Getting aggro!”
“I will turn your bones to dust!”
“I’d first try my shield!” Aiden laughed, plowing into White to send him tumbling back.
“I got his back!” Kari shouted.
Sora joined the battle and rained her cosmic stars and hearts down on White’s head, laughing maniacally with the others as he struggled to contend against their blows. Honestly, with Rayla and Luna weakening him and the damage Eyia had already done, the fight was relatively straightforward.
Basically, dodge the big sword swings, get behind Aiden on the giant Dark Pulse attacks, and slowly break the armor to reveal his tight shirt and shorts underneath that had Liz blushing like a schoolgirl; once his breastplate broke, he collapsed to the ground, hand over his chest.
“I… I’m free… I can no longer hear the corrupting voice of the armor in my head.”
Aiden hummed, backing away and looking at Sora. “I thought it would be a lot harder than this, but the beginning was the worst.”
“Speak for yourself!” Liz groaned, dropping to her butt and trying to get moisture in her throat. “I think—I’m losing my voice… You kept letting yourself get hit!”
“Sorry! Sorry!”
Sora had the same opinion. It was far too easy, and the answer came in a rip in space, Seiōbo exiting in her magnificent magician’s dress. “How boring… I had high hopes for you, White, yet consistently, your leadership has been… lacking.”
“Seiōbo,” White teared up. “You… tricked me—I thought…”
“Thought what? I had feelings for you? Hah! You were nothing but an innocent puppet on strings.”
Sora could definitely tell the storyline was written by a twelve-year-old, but it was her twelve-year-old.
Gasping to play along, she shook her head. “No! How could you play with White’s heart like that? He was one of our greatest knights, and you turned him against me!”
“Was he?” Rayla mumbled, looking at her sister.
“Yeah! Didn’t you see the drawings Emi made?”
“Huh? It only showed him having silver armor.”
“Because… he was a knight of the Queen’s kingdom!”
“Oh… So that was it. You’re so evil, Seiōbo! Eh… Bobo, the Great Sage of Magical Despair!”
Sora had forgotten entirely about her title. “What dastardly plots do you have for us now?”
“Dastardly?” Liz mumbled, scooting closer to Aiden to explain the word.
Kari pointed at the dark-furred Vulpes. “I challenge you to single combat! I bet you can’t handle—”
“And why, might I ask,” Seiōbo interrupted, “would I fight you? No, I have a better idea… Scatter to the ends of the world!”
“Shit…” Kari mumbled, glancing at Aiden as he forced a laugh.
“See ya in a bit!”
Liz ran her fingers through her hair as the violet light encompassed them. “What am I supposed to do by myself?!”
“I’ll be right there, Babe!”
“You better!”
Seiōbo made a flourishing motion with her dress to focus them back on her. “In the name of my beloved, ahem… beyond beautiful… totally righteous and gorgeous—didn’t I already say beautiful?”
“Shh! I’m both!” Nari hissed in the empty space to Emilia’s giggles.
“Ugh… Ahem, beyond beautiful… totally righteous and gorgeous—evil and righteous… okay… eh, above the heavens and stars, mmh-hmm-hmm, Divine Lady of Chocolate Supremacy, Seiōbo!”
“Mia-ha-ha-ha! Wait, no, me, Bobo! Not you!”
“Hmm-hmm-hmm…”
“No! No! The whole thing, Big Sister Slave!”
“Alright, alright… By Nari, eh, the Sweets Queen of Existence, you have all been banished!”
“I am the greatest! Praise be to the Sweets Queen of Existence!”
“Indeed… the greatest sweets, heh, glutton of Existence.”
Emilia’s squeal came soon after. “You’re so awesome, Aunt Nari!”
“I’m the evilest chocolate lover ever! Mia-ha-ha-ha—oh, let’s have some hot chocolate while we wait—I’ll make a blizzard to set the mood!”
“Yay! Oh, bring Rayla and Luna so we can watch Mom!”
“You heard her, Slave Bobo!”
“Your wish is my command,” she said, trying to be peppy for Emilia’s sake.
Sora smiled as the woman across from her puffed out a long breath of air—it showed how much the annoyed Vulpes had changed since they were last together—and a bright violet light came over everyone but her, and in the next second, they were teleported away. “Oh, no… What did you do to all of my friends? You’ll pay for this…”
“Humph… They have been sent across the tower; free them if you can, yet the chocolate soldiers cannot be stopped!”
“Oh, a story change?” Sora questioned, watching the stiff, nutcracker-like dessert-themed soldiers exit the hole Eyia had made. “Finally, we’re getting to the conclusion; here I come!”
As could be expected, every chocolate soldier burst into chunks of sweet delight on a single attack; Nari was just having fun at this point, and new gear popped out of the creatures.
[Vulpes Queen’s Rayment]
[Max Stats]
[Invincible]
[Unlocks All Restrictions]
Sora held up the designer red dress with its lower triple-layer and shoulderless design; it came with silver heels, earrings, and a hair clip to keep her bangs out of her way, Emi knowing her chakram would do the rest.
“Aww, it’s beautiful… Well, Mama’s coming!”
Her mortal enemy—mind-controlled aunt—gave her a soft smile. “Lovely.”
Holding it up to her breast, she phased into it, her old outfit dropping to the floor as Seiōbo left with a wave, giving her a thankful smile; it would be ending soon now that she was using her actual powers.
Hair becoming a raging liquid flame, she floated into the air and scanned the area as if looking through a menu; everything around her was food to be consumed, and she found Kari, unlocking her own Fenris abilities.
Well, let’s see what everyone looks like in their new clothes! Hehe. Did Emi give Kari a dress? We’ll see! Emi is so silly, and Nari is playing to that so much; she must be cracking up!
Sora looked up with a giggle as Nari’s overzealous voice rang throughout the halls. “Soldiers of Chocolate! Minions of the unfathomable sweetness! Hear the calls of the High Lady of Desserts! The Queen of Vulpes has been released from her bindings! Show no mercy!”
A flood of chocolate monsters rose out of the floor; working around her neck, Sora stretched her fingers high overhead, three chakrams leaving the base of her three tails to hover around her. “Bring it on!”