Orkas was growing flustered. Yugal was weaker than him. Why was he still resisting? Orkas growled as yet another blow impacted the iron banded club, and then grunted as the giant used the absorbed force to aid a spinning counterattack. The blow shook Orkas and made him slide sideways three steps.
“You are indeed mighty, but next to lady Jade you are but a flat footed hobgoblin.” Yugal seemed surprised by the revelation himself. The long hours of brutal sparring with the god like Jade and the other awakened beings had indeed paid off.
The insult made Orkas charge furiously, launching a barrage of attacks meant to silence this impudent giant once and for all. Suddenly the attacks halted, and Yugal leaped several meters back. Something had just changed and the giant’s warrior instinct was screaming that he should be on guard.
“GRR! Not yet! I... can take him.” The voice of the general sounded strained. He was struggling.
Suddenly his arms went slack at his sides, and Yugal took a step forward. This might be his chance...
“White... Fury.” The voice coming from the helmet sounded very different. Yugal didn’t understand the change in tone and posture, but knew those two words all too well.
Yugal leaped high into the air, and began to swing his club as he fell in a mighty overhead chop. He hoped that the combined momentum of his two most devastating attacks might at least buy him a few extra moments.
As he fell something about the rapidly transforming warrior below made him ponder. He had seen the armor grow along with the general earlier, but that was common among highly enchanted items. This was different. Long spikes were growing from the elbows and shoulders of the red metal, and the helm was reshaping into something recognizable and terrifying. The armor was not an artificial thing at all. It was an exoskeleton and part of the general’s body as much as Yugal’s skin. Yugal had never seen such a creature, but the myths described them well. Orkas was no human, nor was he any natural denizen of this realm.
He was a Chitid, an insect-type demon of enormous strength. If something like that used White Fury... His club descended and then Orkas was simply gone.
Yugal came to his senses a moment later. His face was pressed against the cold stone, and he was lying in a puddle of something wet. A chill was creeping over him and his body was not responding to his commands to stand.
So this is dying. I would have liked to say goodbye to lady Jade and tell lord Gray that I loved him as my own brother, and let Niiya tug my beard once more...
Yugal relaxed and felt himself slipping into a sleep that he knew would never end.
“Now... to preserve his body. It is a worthy tool.” The faint voice of the general flitted through his consciousness.
The sudden crystal clear image of his own likeness being used to attack his beloved friends caused a burst of energy to flood through Yugal. He did not know where he pulled such strength from but his eyes flew open and he growled as his hands shakily moved to push himself up. He rose to his knees and looked up, ready to force his enemy to finish him off in a way that left nothing to use. He expected to see General Orkas and was instead face to face with lord Gray in his Fallen Dominion form. Yugal could not find the words and simply slumped in relief.
“Who gave you permission to die?” The man asked Yugal with the same ghost of a smile that he always wore, and could mean anything from light amusement to barely contained fury.
“You... survived the tyrant!?” Orkas was shocked by both the sudden appearance of the man and by the fact that he still lived at all. “No... matter. With this power I have surpassed Typhon and-.”
“Don’t interrupt.” The words were delivered along with a blow too fast to follow. It was a backhanded downward chop to the collar that smashed Orkas directly into a kneeling position where he stayed stunned in disbelief. “And don’t move.” Gray leaned in close to the blank mask and said the words calmly. “I can see all of you here. You little bugs might be invisible to everyone else, but I know exactly where you are, and how to snuff you out. So just be a good little freak and wait your turn.”
He turned back to Yugal, viewing the mortal wounds still pouring blood at an alarming rate.
“My brother, I am truly sorry.” Tears welled in Gray’s eyes as he spoke. “I should have given you this sooner. Please accept it now.”
Yugal’s eyes widened even as his vision grew dim. It must be too late. The last words he heard were baffling but made his soul leap with joy. He never imagined that he, a monster with so many sins might become worthy.
“Soul Brand.” Gray’s voice cracked on the last syllable.
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This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
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!!CONDITIONS DETECTED FOR LEGENDARY EVOLUTION!!
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I watched the evolution tendrils flood down from the sky like a thousand black tornadoes seeking Yugal. The world went dark for a moment, and when light returned a being unlike anything else in the world was revealed.
Yugal appeared on one knee with his head bowed. The transformation was just as startling as the listed effects led me to expect. Half of his hair was a darker shade of red, and glowed hypnotically like smoldering embers, while the other half had turned white as snow. A crown of ice and sapphires now rested on his head, and it was clearly of at least Legendary class. Likewise the immense greatsword on his back seemed to be comprised entirely of magical fire. He had always been a hyper muscular guy, but now those muscles seemed far more dense, and his skin had had been divided into themes of ice and flame. The largest change was to his arms. His left arm was deep blue, and a chilling mist emanated from it. His right arm was much like the surface of cooling lava, obsidian black with glowing cracks all over it.
Behind Yugal, a great wolf with striking blue eyes sat with its head bowed in deference to me. That must be Frosthowl. It was nearly as impressive as Yugal himself. I could sense the presence of the beast called Cinderwyrm as strong as the wolf beneath us. It must swim through the stone.
I say this with absolute certainty. I hope I never have to fight something like Yugal.
“Welcome back.” I put a hand on his shoulder, and could feel the unbelievable power within him. His right hand engulfed the hand I rested there, and I also felt something reassuring that damn near made me cry. He was still the same old gentle Yugal.
“Now, I just need a minute with our friends here.” I turned away and blinked forward to stand before the asshole that caused this mess. He barely noticed me as he directed his full attention at Yugal.
“Where are my people?” I asked him simply.
“Banished to the hells... lost to you forever.” Orkas turned his full attention to me. “I ask that you allow me to die in battle against that one. I have lost interest in this realm, I would return to my queen.”
“Lost to me forever?” I echoed. The rapidly rising fury in my gut was doused by a thought. Fine. I focused my mind, directing all of my willpower into my next words. “X’lyssa, X’lyssa, X’lyssa. Appear before me overfiend. It’s time for our date.”
I felt an enormous tug on the root of my soul, and then a portal appeared and I suddenly understood something terrifying. The power coming through from the other side of that pitch black oval was on an entirely different scale than I had felt from the overfiend when I had first encountered her on the day we defeated The Warlord. Oh no. Oh shit! I remembered something from the game then.
Demons could manifest as she had done originally through any random gate between worlds, and that was akin to simply seeing their shadow - a tip of the iceberg.
When summoned truly, they were called incarnate demons and came with their full power. In other words I may have just royally shit the bed.
She stepped through and I experienced an instinctive terror that began at the base of my spine and radiated through my entire frame. I wasn’t afraid of the destruction she might cause as much as the instant infatuation I felt for her. I wanted her in every way. Unlike her beautiful gown from before, she was now dressed to kill in the worst ways imaginable. A single black strip of cloth wrapped around her chest. She wore a hooded fur shawl that hid her face except for the glowing eyes and perpetual smirk. She was sex appeal incarnate.
As if to remind me of her true nature, a scythe appeared in her hands, the handle of which was literally dripping lava. It smoked and scorched her flesh as she held it but she only smiled.
Before I could open my mouth in greeting or prepare a defense, the blade of the wicked weapon was behind my neck. It cut in just slightly as she used it to yank me toward her. A lesser being would have been decapitated.
I suddenly felt the softness and firmness of her body pressed against me, her scent was sweet spice and an impossible to define intoxicating musk. She allowed me no time to protest or even breathe as she slammed her lips onto mine in a violent kiss. I tasted blood as she bit down on my bottom lip and then just as abruptly shoved me backwards.
“How dare you make me wait so long for that.” As usual she was in immediate control and I was off balance. “Now tell me what you have planned for our... date. You mentioned dinner?” Her eyes settled on a now visibly shaking General Orkas, and then she licked my blood from her lips.
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