They had walked down to the gate from city of Sacretares and Jazmel stepped through, with Sadé just behind him. he could smell her still; her scent reminded him of a forest in the summer. As he stepped through the temperature dropped quickly and he looked around and saw he was in a darkened open space where the only light source was a single lantern hanging high above. What it was hanging above it what filled him with dread, he cursed quietly.
“Where are we?” he heard and turning quickly on a swivel he saw that he was with Sadé. This was not good news at all. He had entered a new fountain trial and this time, for the first time. The trial had allowed him to bring someone with him.
He quickly explained to her where they were. Where he had been before and she looked around and with calculated strength she willed two Mana tails into existence, her fox bounded out of her ring and yipped and snarled, clearly unhappy with the darkened space.
“How do we complete the trial?” she asked him, and he pointed to the fountain.
“We have to free the water flow and then we will have to defeat the fountain guardian.” He explained and she waited for him to do just that.
He looked around and the fountain had no chains this time, all that was a spout that was stoppered off. The sealant was being held by three different women and he noticed that they were grotesque forms of women in twisted shapes; he hadn’t noticed statues like this in the other fountains, but this time he was curious of them.
“We need to break that!” he pointed and before he could say another word she struck it.
Thunderfire!
He skill hit it and the sealant burst into pieces and the spout burst forth, the fountain having been held back for a long time the overflow was clearly backed up. The water drenched the statues and he waited, waited for the guardian.
DING!
YOU HAVE RELEASED THE FLOW OF THE FOUNTAIN!
…
BEWARE!
THE FOUNTAIN GUARDIANS HAVE BEEN AWAKENED!
Guardians?
He looked around as they usually always came through shadows but this time he heard their appearance a crack and then another in unison. He looked around and the three statues were breaking up, waking from their dormant guard.
The one to his left was covered in green and yellow scales and patterns, it reminded him of anacondas that he had seen back on earth. The second one was covered in darkened brown scales, they reminded him of mud, and they held no patterns but were smooth in design. The final one was covered in black scales, but some were darkened to purple, and he wondered if that meant she was venomous, but he was unsure.
DING!
WARNING!!
TIER III GORGON STHENO HAS AWAKENED!
…
TIER III GORGON MEDUSA HAS AWAKENED!
…
TIER III GORGON EURYALE HAS AWAKENED!
DEFEAT THE FOUNTAIN GUARDIANS!
Jazmel cursed, there were three named tier III monsters to fight, and it was him and Sadé alone. This was going to be difficult. But he drew Tsubasa and waited for them to free themselves before hissing and peering down at Sadé and Jazmel with sheer disdain.
The Gorgon was half woman half snake, its top half voluptuously and yet grotesquely scaled. The bottom half like a giant anaconda and the larger one was free first and hissed with spittle and fleck hanging from its hooked fangs.
From his ring sprang Paldane and he flew up stretching his wings, he was still the same size, but Jazmel could tell that the beast core he had consumed had matured his own core and the Mana swirling from it was much more mature.
“You ready Paldane?” he said, and the dragon yipped as it flew above his head.
Cleave!
He struck out and the lead gorgon with green and yellow patterns darted out of the way. Instead his strike hit the brown; muddy coloured scales as she tried to break free from the stone of the fountain. The attack damaged it but not by much.
Thunderfire!
Sadé followed up with her own strike and thunder arced across the body of the free gorgon and she wailed from the pain. Sadé threw thunder again and the gorgon coiled up her snake lower half and leapt forward in a barrel charge at Sadé. Jazmel caught her midair and slashed across her face, he missed her eyes, but she tried to enthral him.
DING!
GORGON SIGHT TO PETRIFY!
…
GLARE OF THE DRAKE HAS BLOCKED IT!
…
+2 WIL
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
+1 PER
He shook his head, a little dulled by the attack, the gorgons seemed to have a skill that could petrify their victims, but his eyes had saved him and not for the first time or the last. He landed deftly and a little off balance just as Sadé shouted his name. he didn’t see what she was shouting at but the yip from Paldane who flew above them made him throw up a guard quickly. He was struck on the side and knocked off his feet. He crashed onto the ground and groaned with agony.
WARNING!
HEALTH DOWN BY 13%
BEWARE!
YOU ARE INFLICTED WITH POISON!
…
AFFLICTION WILL GROW!!
Jazmel hissed and looking at his side he saw the scratches were the claws of the gorgon had caught him. He didn’t hesitate, he swigged down an antidote potion and then throwing the bottle at the oncoming gorgon, he rushed forward with skill welling up on the tip of his blade.
Fall of the black raven!
Storm Maelstrom!
He threw each attack with each slash and the gorgon with brown scales lost the hand that had dug its claws into him. he turned to watch just as the third one finally gained freedom from statue.
Thunder crown!
Thunderfire!
He listened as Sadé battered the first gorgon with thunder and Jazmel watched as it whimpered beneath her onslaught.
“Jazmel !” she yelled, and he knew she was giving him the final strike, he leapt into the air and when he was beside the face of the gorgon and whirling his blade around he flashed it.
Sunder
The skill leapt from the blade and cut through the neck of the first gorgon and removing her head as she died from his attack. her sisters mourned her and screeched! Both suddenly being bolstered with Mana, Jazmel watched with horror as their hair unfurled into hundreds of snakes who hissed and spat at both Jazmel and Sadé.
DING!
TIER III GORGON SISTER STHENO KILLED!
…
He dismissed the screen away before it could tell him anything, he was more focused on the evolving of the two remaining sisters. He ducked beneath a wad of poison that shot forth for him and he realised that Euryale had been the one to spew it, great. Venomous poison.
“be careful, she spits poison!” he yelled at Sadé who was doing her best to evade medusa who was trying her best to pin her down. Sadé had released all her Mana tails now and Jazmel was watching her literally glide around the fountain averting all the claws and swipes of medusa.
He turned to Euryale just as she was heaving more spit for him. He reacted quicker and slashed at her face. She blocked it with an outstretched hand, but he had been hoping for that.
Sword maelstrom!
A small tempest of sword Mana cracked her arm scales, and they hung limp at her side as he bloody face was battered by the easing storm. He rushed forward and she wailed as she watched her oncoming demise.
Fall of the black raven!
Black Mana erupted from his sword and hitting her fully in the chest, he watched as it burst, and she fell to ground her life’s blood riveting from the great wound in her chest.
DING!
TIER III GORGON SISTER EURYALE KILLED!
…
He dismissed the system notice screen as he heard Sadé scream. He turned to see that medusa had finally caught her and bit down into her neck. Sadé had taken this opportunity to stab with her short sword deep and repeatedly into the back of the head and the neck of the final gorgon. Its hair snakes fell from her attacks, but the gorgon simply bit down harder. Sadé was weakening and he could tell.
Rushing forward, he attacked the back of the remaining gorgon, and she screeched before letting Sadé go and turn on him. medusa dropped Sadé into the fountain and Jazmel hoped with all his heart she didn’t lose conscious and drown. But now she was slithering towards him, and her gaze told him she planned to kill him with everything.
Cleave!
Sunder!
Cleave!
He threw each attack at her and through sheer willpower she shrugged through them and propelled herself towards him. he skirted around from her; her blood seeped from the cuts inflicted by both he and Sadé. She was dying but slowly. She swiped out at him, and he dived and rolled out of the way, she rushed towards him, and he tried to skirt around her, but she had thrown her body towards him. he ducked a swipe, parried a stab with her clawed fingers. They hit his sword blade, and he grunted beneath the strain, but he didn’t falter, they pushed against each other, exerting their strength. Then their wills and he was being pushed back. She smiled when she saw him sliding against the soles of his boots.
From the water, Sadé burst forth. All five of her tails were out and she was seething, absolutely drenched she placed her hand on the head of medusa and uttered her skill.
Thunderfire!
He watched as both thunder and fire raged within the body of the gorgon, and she screamed, wailed in death. Something Jazmel hated hearing from people and monsters, beasts too. The gorgon died, body burned by fire and thunder.
“Hated her.” Sadé spat and stepped from the water and fell to the ground to sit down. Jazmel slipped down beside her and drank a potion and handed her one too. She thanked him and then drank deeply from it, so she rested, and he rested beside her. He remembered all the notifications that had been popping up and now that they were safe he checked his.
DING!
TIER III GORGON STHENO KILLED!
+3 STR
+2 AGL
+2 DEX
…
TIER III GORGON HEART GAINED!
…
TIER III GORGON EURYALE KILLED!
+3 PER
+3 VIT
+2 INT
X8 TIER III GORGON SCALES GAINED!
…
EXP ACCRUED!
LEVEL UP!
EXP ACCRUED!
LEVEL UP!!
…
TIER III GORGON MEDUSA KILLED!
…
+3 END
+3 WIL
TITLE GORGON SLAYER EARNED!
…
GORGON SLAYER CAN PETRIFY YOUR ENEMIES!
…
WILL YOU MERGE TITLE GORGON SLAYER WITH GLARE OF THE DRAKE?
Y/N?
Of course he would accept, he did, and the system blurred as it worked before a new notice popped up.
TITLE EARNED!
PETRIFYING GLARE OF THE DRAKE!
When Mana is focused through the eyes, all will be enthralled, petrified, or struck with fear!
He was happy with that and to be honest, he was grateful for the changes he had earned with his body. He was nearing 100 in all his stats he wondered what that would do for him, but he still had almost 40 points to go.
He turned to Sadé who was watching her fox eat heartily from the corpses of the gorgon, guzzling the meat from their bones. Paldane had landed on one also and was swallowing down pieces of meat from the bodies and engorging himself.
DING!
COMPANION LEVEL UP!
LEVEL FOUR REACHED!
As the system notice faded out of sight he noticed the blue ridges of scales that ran down the back of Paldane’s spine were shining with Mana, the glowed for a moment and then dulled in brilliance. He had grown too, his body was the size of a lizard now, he could lay across both Jazmel ’s shoulders and he long enough to wrap his tail too. Jazmel wondered if he could evolve.
“Time to leave.” He rose up and then offered a hand to help Sadé up. She was tired, he could tell but she had also grown stronger, her Mana had grown denser, and he could see two types settling into her core, thunder, and fire swirling in harmony.
“Get anything good?” he asked, and she smiled tucking a stray hair from her eyes.
“I have gotten all my stats to the high 80s now, I earned another Mana tail too. The system rewarded me with a gorgon beast core, but I gave it to Kazumi.” She motioned to her fox, he looked over and noticed that the fox had gained a third tail.