By the time Julian and his party made it outside, one side of the crowd was the clear victor as particles of defeated Eidos filled the air, returning to their capsules. More people were pouring from the dormitory, bracers and Eidos at the ready to defend should the need arise.

Julian looked back towards the dorms, seeing families standing in the busted windows to watch what was happening.

“Damnit!” One of the tamers cried out as blue particles flowed towards his bracer.

“What’s this about now?” Andre called out as Dorffi trotted beside him, growing to his monstrous size with every step forward.

The defeated tamer looked back to see Andre and the others approach. “They’re back, and they’re pissed. We thought we could take them.”

The guard and her lion stepped forward, staring them down. “You costed us our safe zone. You’re either giving us the Admin, or you’re joining him. Your choice.”

Julian’s head turned to the side, thoughtful. Where did all this bravado suddenly come from? He stepped forward. “The tutorial is over. You saw the notifications, and you heard Monty. The safe zone was a tutorial protocol. It’s time we work together, and establish new zones for everyone. Do we have any reclaimers here?”

The crowd looked amongst themselves, but no one stepped forward.

“What the hell is a reclaimer?” The woman yelled across the yard.

One tamer stepped up beside her. He was scrawny and tall, but his Eidos clawed forward on all fours as a gigantic lizard waddled towards Julian and his party. “We got your back, Talia. Let’s take them down.”

Suddenly, the lizard started growing like Dorffi, matching his size on seconds. It’s tongue flicked out, tasting the air for its prey.

Two other tamers stepped up beside them. They wore their new bandoliers across their chest and shoulder. They tapped the capsules in the holsters and summoned their Eidos. Their bracers were hanging on their arms by their sides.

A large vulture appeared, materializing from silver particles into thin air, wings already spread to take flight.

Next, a torrent of brown and purple particles flooded the yard. Slowly, a large elephant like creature began to form before them.

As Julian lifted his bracer up, he received a strange pulse in his arm, almost a soft shock, that ran through whatever was injected into his forearm. No noise, no vibration. He was now one with his bracer.

[Eidos Identified]

[1 of 4]

[Panthera: Level 6]

[Affinity: Fire]

[2 of 4]

[Varanus: Level 6]

[Affinity: Toxic / Physical]

[3 of 4]

[Sarcoramphus: Level 5]

[Affinity: Air]

[4 of 4]

[Mammothus: Level 8]

[Affinity: Earth / Mental]

“Shit,” Andre whispered before looking over at the others. “That’s a freaking mammoth and a komodo dragon. Think we can take them?”

Julian dropped his bracer to his side. “If we don’t, we die and so does Monty.”

“That’s not happening,” Kiyoka said, glaring across the battlefield. “Let’s shut them up for good.” From her shoulder, Corona cawed in response, taking to the air.

Maria strapped her new bandolier over her shoulder and tapped one of her capsules.

Yellow particles flowed through the air as Penelope made her grand appearance. The large raptor roared across the battlefield, even getting a scare out of the onlookers.

The guard smiled across the battlefield “Anyone else want to join?”

Her lion roared in response as his mane burst into flames.

No one else stepped forward.

Julian looked over the battlefield, sizing up his opponents.

Obi, stay hidden. You’re going to be our trump card.

I mean, sure, but isn’t that cheating?

It’s a fight for our lives, Obi. There’s no such thing.

Aye. Got it, boss.

Julian felt Omen through their bond, feeling wolf was being patient, but was eager to start. Knowing this, he pushed through the bond, getting Omen to join with Dorffi’s shadow.

As the tension in the air reached its peak, the lion was the first to charge, followed by the komodo dragon.

The vulture caught sight of Corona dove after the raven.

The mammoth stayed put for now, watching.

“Dorffi! Now!”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At Andre’s command, Dorffi released a roar that shook the ground beneath them.

Even as Dorffi charged, Julian could see the bear’s fur bristle and harden while a layer of condensation coated his fur.

The vulture was suddenly distracted from pursuing Corona as it turned its attention to Dorffi, the biggest threat.

“Nice taunt,” Julian called out, smirking at Andre.

Andre was focused on the battle ahead, only giving a thumbs up.

Corona took the opportunity to hit the vulture with one of its beams of light, burning some of the feathers.

As the vulture turned back towards Corona, it was suddenly slammed with a lightening bolt that came out of nowhere.

Julian looked around the battlefield, finding Penelope using her enhanced speed to charge across one of the leaning trees and lunge at the vulture.

The vulture fell to the lightning strike with Penelope catching it in her powerful jaws, snapping them shut and forcing a cloud of silver particles to flow back to its tamer.

The tamer glared across the battlefield at Maria before hitting his teammate in the shoulder. “Good defense, jackass. Your buffoon of a mammoth did nothing.”

A loud impact got everyone’s attention as Dorffi and the komodo collided, claws digging into each other.

The lion pounced over the komodo, going for Dorffi’s flank.

Like clockwork, Omen shot out of Dorffi’s shadow, his claws glowing a deep shade of purple as Darkness Claw ripped into the flaming lion.

[Ambush Bonus Achieved: 2x Damage]

The lion roared with fury, forcing fire to burst from its fur. The flames licked at Omen, burning him.

Corona swooped in, releasing a burst of Healing Wave over the party, but just as they took to the air, they were suddenly ambushed by a pillar of flame.

“What?” Kiyoka gasped. “Where-”

Across the battlefield, the guard named Talia was launching flames from her bare hands.

“Warlock,” Julian realized out loud. “Watch yourselves, guys. We don’t know what else these guys can do.”

Corona crashed into the ground in a burst of white particles, returning to Maria’s bracer.

“Sorry, guys,” she whispered, reaching for Ember’s capsule.

“Don’t. Not yet,” Andre said, catching her hand. “We don’t know if anyone else will try something. Keep Ember in reserve.”

Kiyoka sighed, but nodded to Andre. “Kick their asses.”

Andre smiled. “Don’t worry.”

Dorffi roared again, using his Physical Affinity to push back against the komodo.

Tried as it might, the komodo wasn’t stronger than Dorffi, and started sliding back.

“Omen, Freezing Howl!” Julian called out.

Omen slipped from the flames of the lion, using the shadows the fire cast to get away easily enough, and appeared behind the komodo. He released a howl from his muzzle, shooting ice across the yard and causing the large lizard to slip.

“Finish it, Andre,” Kiyoka cheered.

Dorffi pinned the komodo down and clamped his jaws on the lizard’s throat. He shook his head violently, even forcing a torrent of water to erupt through his bite and into the komodo.

Red particles along with sickly greenish yellow ones burst from the komodo, the Eidos dissipating and returning to its tamer.

“What are you guys doing?” Talia roared, her hands still on fire.

Penelope suddenly appeared beside the lion, using her teeth and talons to carve into the beast.

The lion roared in pain as fire burst forth from its body, trying to burn the raptor, but Penelope was too quick, taking off at blinding speed to allow Dorffi his shot.

The bear released another torrent of water, the force picking up the lion and washing it away towards its tamer.

Orange particles began to float through the water and back to Talia.

“One to go,” Julian said, eyeing the mammoth that still hadn’t moved.

Careful, boss. She knows I’m here.

She?

Bertha, over there. She’s a hoss.

“Careful, guys. Obi said to watch out for this one.”

Omen prowled forward, eyeing the oversized mammoth as Dorffi and Penelope squared up with it.

Penelope snapped out a quick bolt of electricity, popping against the mammoth’s hide.

Suddenly, Penelope was launched back towards one of the broken buildings, slamming through the brick with incredible force.

Yellow particles flowed out of the crash site, returning to Maria.

“So, that’s what that’s like,” Maria whispered. “Remind me to give Matilda extra head pats if we survive this.”

The mammoth turned its attention to Dorffi, stepping forward.

Across the battlefield, Julian watched as the mammoth’s tamer stepped away from his arguing party members towards his mammoth.

“Battle Frenzy,” the tamer called out. His bracer glowed red for an instant, causing an aura to envelop him along with his mammoth.

As the aura faded, the mammoth released a trumpeting sound from its trunk, and charged Dorffi.

Dorffi’s defenses were still in place as he charged towards the mammoth, growing bigger to attempt to match its size.

However, a barrier of purple energy appeared out of nowhere, slamming in front of Dorffi and stopping his charge.

He was a sitting duck as the mammoth slammed through its own barrier, trampling over Dorffi. Its large tusks pierced the bear as mental energy continued to pummel him.

Red and Blue particles began to appear, and Dorffi dissipated, returning to Andre.

“That thing is raging. It literally used its mental affinity to hold Dorffi in place while stampeding over him. It’s a force all on its own,” Andre grumbled.

“That’s why it stayed put during the opening fight,” Julian said, watching as the mammoth raged around the battlefield. “It needed the rest of its party out of the way or it probably would have attacked them, too.”

The mammoth charged after Omen, who took off running.

The wolf slipped under one of the fallen trees as it dove to the shadows for refuge.

The mammoth latched onto the tree with its trunk, tossing it to the side with ease.

Omen was nowhere to be seen.

The mammoth stomped across the battlefield, enraged.

“You can’t hide forever!” The mammoth’s tamer called out, smirking across the battlefield at Julian as the rest of the jerk’s party laughed.

The onlookers watched silently, waiting to see what Julian and Omen would do.

Julian sighed, trying to think.

Boss, what about Izun’s thing?

What?

The chosen thing? It came with an ability. I’ve been curious about it. I know Omen did some damage to me with both ice and shadow. Let’s see how the mammoth likes it.

Julian smiled. Obi, you’re the best.

I’m still salty about the ice and shadow by the way. I expect reparations.

Julian laughed at that.

“What’s so funny?” The tamer called out as his mammoth charging around the battlefield, tossing debris around, trying to find Omen.

Julian looked over at his opponent. “Just remembering some gifts we were given.” He looked to the mammoth, watching as it made it to the center of the battlefield.

He found Omen through his bond, knowing the wolf was hiding within the mammoth’s shadow. It had become their go-to.

“Omen, use Elemental Fusion. Freezing Howl!”

Julian’s bracer glowed softly on his forearm, a shade of light blue and grey.

[Chosen of Izun: Elemental Fusion imparted to Omen]

[Ranger Ability: Affinity Boosting Activated]

Omen released a loud howl as a large pillar of ice and shadow erupted from underneath the mammoth. The ice was a shade of black as shadowy tendrils merged with it.

Omen’s singular attack was now two different elements at the same time.

[Ambush Bonus Achieved: 2x Damage]

[Affinity Boost Achieved: 2x Damage]

[Elemental Weakness:]

[Frost 2x Damage]

[Darkness 2x Damage]

Julian felt dizzy, stumbling into Maria as his vision blurred and knees weakened.

“Julian!” Maria cried out, catching him.

“I’m okay,’ Julian said, watching as Omen completely encased the giant mammoth in what appeared to be shadow-ice.

Omen shifted out of the shadow, looking over the mammoth as he appreciated his handiwork. Slowly, brown and purple particles began to drift through the ice as the mammoth slowly dissipated back to nothing.

The mammoth’s tamer stood speechless, his jaw hanging open. “That was just one attack. What the hell is that thing?”

The rest of his party stood behind him, dumbfounded.

Before Julian could answer, a loud cracking sound filled the air as the campus trembled under their feet.

“Look!” One of the onlookers called out, pointing to the sky.

A familiar red barrier as falling back into place, covering the campus once more.

Julian’s bracer pulsed.

[Safe Zone Established by Monty Dupont: Reclaimer]

[Battle Suppression: Active]

[Returning all Eidos to capsules]

Glowing particles of all colors began to fill the evening air as all summoned Eidos returned to their capsules.

Not cool, boss. I like it out here.

I’ll talk to Monty. You’ll be back, soon.

Better be. REPARATIONS!

Obi’s voice faded as he returned to his capsule.

Julian smiled at Omen, sending a wave of pride and appreciation to the wolf.

The wolf’s tail wagged across the battlefield as he trotted towards Julian before dispersing into glowing particles and returning to his capsule.

The crowd cheered not only for Julian’s victory, but also for the return of the safe zone as celebrations filled the air.

Julian felt this knees buckle slightly, but remained steady. “Come on, let’s go check on Monty.”