Begalir Kingdom

The kingdom of the dwarves has seen its ups and downs and a peaceful nation thriving on its skilled craftsmen who made the best weapons and contraptions known to man, elf and beast kind. But it wasn’t all peace. The dwarves face everyday dangers in their very own kingdom. Which is embedded deep underground. And thus that’s why heroes or what they’re normally called adventurers are for.

Simply the Begalirian military cannot deal with these creatures everyday. That is why heroes are meant for, to answer the call of dealing with various threats too insignificant for armies to deal with. But too great for an average villager to deal with. The underground is a dangerous place and that is the reason why the Begalrians operate one of the biggest hubs for guilds.

“And your quest is to kill 150 Dirtlings, 20 Golemites, 30 Spirebats, 15 geospawners, 40 Pebbleslingers and 40 Stoneburrows right outside Malaria.” A guild quest giver instructed.

“So almost 300 monsters huh that’s a lot.”

“This is why this quest is a A+ so you’re up for the challenge? I assume your team can handle it, your five are S class Adventurers. The Silver Stars.”

“And you are correct my friend, allow me to introduce myself, the strongest swordsman, I am Callam Lancaster, leader of this fine group.” He proclaimed

“And I am Dukrael Jadehide, and I run this front desk and my life is miserable and I get paid 12 Ironmarks per hour.” The receptionist replied before nonchalantly handing the quest papers.

“Callam you are stupid.” The archer Rurnyl Midira reprimanded her team leader Callam. “And you call yourself a swordsman.”

“Well I am a swordsman!” Callam defended himself, however his other teammates disagreed.

“Callam I can see the double bladed spear that is not a sword, these are swords.” Another hero, the assassin Mariot Sartre, a Valkyren, pointed out, pulling out a real sword, a dagger from her scabbard.

Callam then turned to his friend to defend him the Alchemist, a wolf beastman named Caineghis who was cleaning up his custom made potion and bomb crossbow launcher nicknamed Wolfstrider.

“You’re not.” Caineghis adds not even looking up to Callam.

“Oh come on! How about you Mitsuzane?” Callam then turned to the mage and frankly the nicest person in the group, a halfling of a human and a squirrel beastman. Mitsuzane Ryla.

“You are a swordsman.” The mage replied, wagging her squirrel tail and readjusting her magical bracelets.

“Yes!”

“Of course.”

“Anyway I think we should get this show on the road! Mitsuzane!” Callam exclaimed as used her hands to create a portal taking them to the location. The city of Malaria, around 8 kilometers away from their current location. And directly into the battle, an abandoned mining cave 2 kilometers away from the city.

“Enemies ahead!” Callam called out as Mariot carried Callam by the arms then threw him into the middle of the swarm of Dirtlings.

“Treacherous Spin!” Calling out his attack move, spinning his double bladed spear mowing down the Dirtlings in a single move. And then he threw his blade, mowing more down Dirtlings as his weapon came back to him like a boomerang.

“Callan look out!” Mitsuzane exclaimed as a massive 8 foot tall Golemite descended on Callam, fortunately Rurnyl came with the clutch and landed an arrow headshot to the Golemite.

“Mariot there’s summoners in their back line!” Caineghis called out shooting his crossbow launcher, blowing up a few more Dirtlings from a makeshift bomb, even taking out some Stoneburrows. Before some rocks hit him. “Ow! Rurnyl Pebbleslingers!”

“I’m on it!” They both acknowledged.

Mariot then took to the skies going 80 miles per hour dodging cave stalagmites, stalactites, columns and even rocks from Pebbleslingers. Ducking under arches. Then she saw the enemy, all 30 of the Spirebats flying towards her.

“I’ll take you all on!!!” She cried out pulling out both of her daggers.

She then body slammed the first Spirebat taking them both to the ground and then she threw her first dagger at the second the flying back at it to receive her weapon before taking the same spirebat and throwing at a Geomites which then crushed some Dirtlings and Stoneburrows.

“Mitsuzane! Some support would be nice!”

“I’m working on it…..Kha’dran thol vyrak! Stones of the deep, awake!” She clasps her hands together, bracelets clinking as energy sparks between them. spreading her fingers apart slowly, as if pulling threads of energy from the air. With both hands, she traces a glowing circle in the air.

Mitsuzane then slams her right fist through the circle, shattering it into floating shards of light. She lifts her arms, palms upward, as if raising something heavy from the ground. The ground beneath her trembles, and stone begins to coalesce into the form of a golem. She then brings her palms together sharply, then spreads them wide, causing the golem’s glowing eyes to ignite.

“By the bond of earth and spark, I forge you for the fight! Arise, my unyielding guardian! Heavy support is here guys!” She replied as two 12 foot tall stone golems then went forward.

“Aegisthar!” She cried out creating a giant frontal shield protecting Callem, Rurnyl and Caineghis using her right arm to cast the shield and her left to cast a healing and an empowerment spell Callan who was hit by a rock thrown at him.

“Revithar!”

“Great job Mitsi!” Callan commented, making the squirrel mage blush a little as Callan’s double bladed spear glowed with magical force and his bruise injuries healed up in a minute.

“Aww…thanks you’re sweet.”

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“Uh you lovebirds shut up and fight!” Caineghis yelled as he grabbed a gas potion from his bag and loaded it in his crossbow, shooting a tunnel gassing an entire section of the mineshaft, keeping any more Dirtlings coming in.

And while that was happening Mitsuzane’s golems took the frontline and crushed Dirtlings, pushed Golemites out of the way and slapped Stoneburrows. Rurnyl on the other hand used her elf archery skills to then snipe the Pebbleslingers that were targeting Mariot.

All while Mariot herself was going ham at the Spirebats stabbing and throwing them around to reach the Geospawners. She is more of a brawler than an assassin, although she claims she is an assassin type. In reality she is not.

“Yah! Come on!” She yelled as the rest of her team caught up to her as she spun around and used her sharp wings to then cut the head of a Golemite. At the same time snapping the neck of geospawner.

“Quite the sight Mariot.” Rurnyl added shooting down the final spirebat.

“I’m a Valkyren, it's expected that I am brutal.” She smiled.

“And you call yourself an assassin. You’re clearly a brawler.” Caineghis replied, spilling the truth to the Valkyren. Not before she flapped her wings letting out some of her knife feathers almost hitting Caineghis.

Since unlike Callam she doesn’t take criticism well, especially when her race is a rare and nearly extinct species. Which was known in the past for very heinous war crimes.

“Ah jeez, calm down, we just finished up here.” Caineghis defended himself as he started to hear something.

“My beast sense is tingling.”

“More enemies?” Rurnyl asked.

“A boss.” Callam answered as the five then prepared a battle stance.

Rurnyl aiming her bow, Caineghis loading a disposable potion, Callam spinning his staff and keeping his staff in an armed position. Mariot popping her hidden blades in her gauntlets. While Mitsuzane did her magic.

Mitsuzane then waves her hand in a sweeping motion and shouts.

“Illumivare!”

The air shimmers briefly as a wave of light spreads outward, revealing the boss monster right behind a wall and not long after the monster bursts through the wall. It was a Gravemaw a 20 foot tall monster class S threat.

“A Gravemaw!” Caineghis exclaimed as the creature then burrowed its way towards the party immediately consuming the two golems Mitsuzane conjured making it to 30 feet.

“Move!” Callam ordered as the group dived out of the way as the Gravemaw surfaced, Callam rolling out of the way. As the monster came and rammed Mariot out of the sky.

“Sol d'l'uuuniloh!” Rurnyl yelled in her native language and immediately taking out a potion pouring over her eyes and arms. Seconds later she was outputting 55 arrows per second, pumping as many arrows into the Gravemaw the potion supercharged her senses.

“Popping the super abilities huh?…alright my turn.” Mariot replied, stabbing her own hand with her dagger and yelling. All while Callam and Caineghis watched since they don’t have super abilities.

“Spüre das Zorn der Engelsklinge!”

In her native tongue, and right after a transformation occurred she grew an additional wings, from two to four wings, her wingman increasing from 18 to 30. And her body growing from a mere 5’1 to a 7’5.

“Mariot throw me!” Callam ordered as the transformed Valkyren then used her incredible strength to then throw Callam directly at the Gravemaw, launching forward directly at the monster’s face stabbing it in the eye making it wail and cover its face as Callam’s spear was wedged into its flesh.

“Now!” Callam ordered.

A moments later Mariot then spun her body around throwing as many feather blades at the Gravemaw in addition of slashing at it with her arm blades at 400 miles per hour since the transformation increased her speed, Runeyl doing the same as the potion wore off and her quiver running low on arrows.

Caineghis then threw some poison potions and exploding potions using his crossbow while Mitsuzane pulled out her ultimate attack, the strongest attack in all of the party.

“Gravimagnus!” She shouted.

In an instant she waved her arms throwing purplish like energy to the Gravemaw which slowly made the monster to be squished between gravity itself as the monster then was crushed by gravity. And thus the monster was destroyed.

After the monster was defeated, Callam then retrieved his spear while Mitsuzane then flopped on the ground completely drained and tired, Mariot clenching her hand as she transformed back into her normal self, and Rurnyl screamed her heart out as she poured water on her eyes.

“Ahhhhhhh!!!!” Rurnyl and Mariot screamed.

Turns out using their super abilities has really nasty consequences after use since Mariot stabbed herself with her dagger, the knife completely going through her flesh hand. And Rurnyl basically poured chemicals on her eyes.

Mitsuzane has a reasonable consequence since it drained all of her magic power and now she had fallen asleep.

“And quest completed, and now the difficult task, getting everyone back to the guild.” Callam said.

“Ah crud unfortunately, ahhh heaven’s my foot!” Caineghis yelped, stubbing his toe on a sharp rock. Callam meanwhile strapped Mitsuzane to his back and wrapped a bandage around Mariot’s hand again.

“Don’t try to be slick and pop that super ability.”

“I know shhh…it hurts as usual.” She replied clenching her bloodied fist.

“And once again apply pressure, and Rurnyl you good? It’s been a while since you did that.” Callam asked, Rurnyl sticking her head up from the water.

“Absolutely.” Before she put it right back in.

She was not okay. What she did was pour an entire potion of enhancement on her eyes, chemicals and frankly she had her head in a cave lake for minutes already.

“Yeahhh…this is why I don’t cast magic on myself or drink potions.”

“And yet you’re the alchemist.”

“Yes, the alchemist who refuses to drink his own potions and instead to throw them like some bombardier which I am.”

“Let’s get back to town.”

“Well alright then, now the worst part.” Marriot mumbled to herself, wrapping one last bandage on her hand.

“Walking?” Rurnyl replied who returned with a bandage on her eyes.

“It's not the end of the world if you can still fly.” Callam replied bluntly.

“Yeah that’s the worst part.” She replied with a clear irritated face on her.

Frankly Mariot wasn’t fond of taking the long way even though she flies faster than most average Valkyrens who usually fly at mere 50 miles per hour she goes 80 to a 100 she’s complaining since Mitsuzane was their only way of instantaneous travel and since she used her strongest attack it was likely she’s going to be out for the next day or two.

Callam then sighed since he dealt with this issue of Mariot complaining about this same situation but since Mariot was technically the second strongest, Callam can’t really complain on what she complains.

“Alright how about we just get home and I can deal with anything that is bothering you.” Callam complied.

“Tavern, Ironbrew.”

Sigh “Of course.”

“Looks like you’re losing some money today Callam.” Runeyl chuckled as Caineghis helped Callam strap Mitsuzane onto his back.

“Ahhh, I will unfortunately that is inevitable as the leader of this fine party it is my sole duty to take care of all of the paperwork and needs of all you.” Callam replied as he handed a small healing potion to Runeyl as the group then turned back to the city that the guild is located. Galalank.

…

Galalank

After four arduous days of traveling, the party finally returned to Galalank. After getting a room at the local inn, Callam suggested they go to Mariot's favorite tavern with the party, saving on expenses since it was just the two of them. Mitsuzane joined them but still recovering from the previous exertion of magic did not drink. Meanwhile, Caineghis stayed in the potions shop to replenish his bomb and potion stock, and Rurnyl was at the blacksmith restocking her arrows.

At the tavern, Mariot nursed her usual mug of Ironbrew, relishing its strong flavor, while Callam skimmed through the latest newspaper. His brow furrowed as he stumbled upon a noteworthy article.

"Hey, listen to this," Callam began. "We’ve finally got news about that kingdom helping Elijah."

Mariot, mid-swig, arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? I figured they'd cave and legalize guilds by now. Those elves are just too stuck-up for their own good." She set her empty mug down on the counter. "Server! Another drink!"

"It's a relief they're getting help, though," Mitsuzane added gently. "That war sounded devastating. So many lives lost. any aid must be a blessing."

Callam nodded and continued reading, but his train of thought was interrupted. "Ugh, this paper's got a hole in it. Cheap print. Anyway. seems this new ally, the United States of America, is making waves in the Elijah Kingdom. They're pushing back against. wait, here it is! The Queen might be considering legalizing guilds."

Mariot sat up straight. "Sounds like an opportunity. Maybe we could snag a big contract there."

Callam's expression turned a shade grimmer. "One thing—they don't exactly love humans."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem," Mariot quipped, her tone as sharp as the edge of a training sword.

Callam rolled his eyes. "Wow, thanks for your overwhelming sympathy, Mariot."

"You're welcome," she said, feigning sincerity.

"I was being sarcastic!" he snapped.

"What's sarcastic?" Mariot asked, actually baffled.

Mitsuzane grinned and patiently tried to explain. "When someone says the opposite of what they mean, like to be funny or mean something sharp.

"Ohhh. yeah. No. I don't," Mariot confessed with a roll of his shoulder. "Anyway, you think Elijah is the next stop in our kingdom-hopping odyssey?

Callam threw up a hand in distress. "Perhaps. First, though, we've got a contract in Aetheris Spire.

"Aetheris Spire? That's my homeworld!" Mariot wings quivered at the thrill.

"Yep. So enjoy your drink, because we’ve got to head to Mount Falcon soon to catch the pegasus carriages to Zephyrael."

"The floating continent?" Mitsuzane asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"That’s the one," Callam confirmed.

"Alright," Mariot said, raising her mug. "But I’m getting one more drink."

Callam sighed. "You owe me fifty gold coins after this."

Mariot smirked. "Totally worth it."