We fled the scene, and for once I did not bother to use my Longstrider. I cannot carry all of us, because of our new allies. Not that I'm inclined to complain too much, for between me and Flaze, we would've been totally helpless on our own against that foe.

A tall stream of lightning suddenly flashed to my side, and the approval I felt towards our current companions quickly diminished. I gave Arnold an incredulous look, for his wasteful usage of the Orlean Signal. Used for summoning a wild Orlean.

Flaze worded my own questions in a more diplomatic manner. "Why'd you use that? We would've escaped easily! In fact, we already have." We had traveled a long way down the street already at this point, our foes many blocks away from our current position.

Arnold spoke matter of factly. "I too am reasonably confident of that, but this is a Level 100 creature that is far too close to home. We've had orders to always signal their presence, and I would actually consider it a failure that I failed to ask for reinforcements earlier, and instead chose to engage the monster by ourselves."

Orders? I know Briella was in charge, but I do wonder what structure they have there. I'm quite excited to find out, but mainly I'm excited to reunite with them!

"Besides," Jalley added as she spun through the air. "Orlean and Halbert both asked us to field them the monsters we fail to kill ourselves. They too wish to get them sweet levels too, you know? And specially so from your stories, as Orlean can now solo these motherfuckers. So cool…"

That last part was said in a whisper.

Looks like Orlean has her own fans now, and well, good for her. I'd worry about it getting to her head and all that bullshitt, but that's for my friend to deal with.

I shook my head, and we kept making our way back to the college, our previous opponents content to wait around their cocooned leader. We'd only made it a block further when a voice from above suddenly stole my attention.

"Foul Beast! You will regret stepping foot into our lands!"

A man in tights and with a cape fell down from the sky. I had to take a sudden break and turn so that we do not collide.

What…? I questioned, once I could finally process things. Flaze was just as confused, but Jalley and Arnold were the picture of calm. They both walked towards this new arrival in an almost reverential manner.

"I have answered your call, proud soldiers. There is no longer any need to fear!" The voice thundered again, and I finally recognized who it was. My feet immediately carried me forward, but Flaze was faster, having immediately dropped off my back running towards this new arrival.

"Halbert!" She shouted, and I neighed the same name. The dust finally cleared and I got all the confirmation in the world that it was indeed my friend.

They both crashed into each other, Halbert at first confused until he finally realized who it was. "Flaze!" The man returned the hug, and I reared up to join the pile. But Halbert suddenly let go of Flaze upon my approach, casting a wary glance at me as I felt the weight of Identify.

I did the same to him.

[Hybrid - Lvl 95]

Okay, what is up with all these hybrid builds? Also. Wow. Very high level. Higher than mine by a few…

"Halbert, wait!" Flaze quickly waved her arms around in a placating gesture. I swiftly nodded my head, disappointed in my friend's sudden escalation into violence. Such a thing is very unbecoming and I cannot fathom why someone would act in such a way. Unreal! "This is Jackal! Jackal become horse! It makes sense!"

Halbert blinked. He lowered his arms, and then raised them again, unsure. He was dressed in far better garments than what Orlean told us, clearly some of her handiwork going into the light chainmail underneath the superhero costume. But it's still a superhero costume. What the fuck is he on and where can I get some?

Halbert opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Finally, after a long moment of contemplation, he relaxed and spoke with serenity. "Jackal became a horse. Okay. That makes total sense."

I'll take it as a compliment.

Halbert walked up to me after saying so, and then he wrapped his arms around my neck into a hug. See? It was indeed a compliment.

"Good to see that you survived, Jackal." He uttered with confidence, despite the tears that clearly flowed down his face. My mind lagged for a moment as he had a charisma that I'm sure he lacked before the world ended.

Likewise. I neighed after a moment, and patted him on the back with my hooves.

Flaze joined us a moment later, and we finally devolved into a pile of hugs and tears.

I'm happy.

I heard a fake cough. "There's still the monster–" Arnold began, but was swiftly cut off by a punch to the gut.

"Shut up! They're having a moment. It's beautiful." Jalley wiped a stray tear away as she admonished her boorish and inconsiderate friend.

"Right." Halbert said after a very short while. "I am happy to have reunited with my best of friends, but you must know. I am now a Superhero, and I must defeat that monster, as is my duty."

I chortled at his complete and utter seriousness, and Flaze couldn't help but do so as well, much as she tried to hold it in.

Halbert blushed a little, a complex tapestry of emotions on his face. "Uhm. Look." He shifted about like he once did, but he quickly straightened himself back up and spoke with renewed confidence. "I know it's probably weird to you. I get all the jokes, and we can all laugh about them later. But I am serious about this. It's all I ever wanted. So…"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Flaze ran forward upon hearing those words and grabbed Halbert's shoulder. I promptly followed behind her, a worried and apologetic frown on my horse face.

"Hey, hey…" she said, gently. "If it's what you want, then that's totally worth pursuing. We're sorry for laughing. We didn't mean to make fun of your convictions. It was just… such a gap, to how you were before. But we're not belittling you at all!"

Yeah, yeah. What she said! I quickly nodded my head, for Flaze mirrored my own thoughts exactly.

"Well, maybe Jackal is. He's an ass like that."

Hey! I neighed right at her face. Am not!!

Halbert laughed. "Yeah. Thanks guys. And I don't mean for you to not joke about it! I totally get the comedic effect. As long as you know and respect that I'm serious…"

"Yep. We absolutely do! Now go out there and show them what Super Halbert is made of!"

Wooo! I also cheered, rearing up.

The Superhero ran off towards his mission with our hopes and dreams pushing him on.

Jalley mocked wiping a tear away. "Ah. So beautiful indeed. I can't believe you wanted to stop this, Arnold."

Arnold sighed. "I didn't. And there were more important things–"

"What's more important than friendship? Our settlement is even named after it. Friendom."

"I don't think that's relevant…"

"Yes it is. But I guess you just cannot appreciate art." Jalley got back on her broom and flew up and up.

"I don't think you should be classifying personal moments like that as art–"

"What was that?? I cannot hear the prattlings of the poor from up here on my ivory tower." Jalley's chiming laugh echoed as she found a great vantage point to watch Halbert's show.

Arrnold just sighed, and found a place to sit for himself.

I turned away from their antics, and focused back on Halbert, just about to make contact with the limbs. The cocoon still grew layers upon layers of carapace menacingly, but it remained rooted to its spot.

Shouldn't we help him? I tilted my head at Flaze.

"Maybe. If he can't handle himself. But we already know he's tough, so let him show off, yeah? And if he can't take it, then we help him. Without sass."

Wow. You're advocating for the more dangerous and unnecessary option? I smirked.

"Stop." She lightly pushed at my shoulder, eyes still trained at our friend just as the clash commenced. I know it was serious, but I kinda wished I had popcorn. The world had just become so cinematic.

~~~

Halbert POV

Jackal and Flaze are alive. That's great.

The joy washed over me as I approached the hostiles. I worked through my emotions in a hurry, to clear my head for the upcoming battle. I already knew how dangerous it was to approach a battle with anything less than my best.

The things I do to be a hero.

Jackal and Flaze weren't exactly wrong to laugh. I myself think it's stupid. But when I saw the world end, when I saw everything burn; I felt such despair for what was lost, that it circled back around to glee for what may be gained. I hated to think in that way, but it's true that I was just going through the motions at that point. I empathized with how Jackal's dream died, but mine had long suffered the same fate.

For that was why I turned to writing. I was limitied, terribly so, and in my limitations, I recognized that I could be no hero.

I can only pretend. I can only create fakes.

But now, this right here? It's all real.

I commenced the battle with a charge, the snake-like things near the house-sized cocoon did not leave its side. I immediately realized such behavior to be one of a guard, hovering protectively over something.

I decided to take full advantage of it.

I reached my first foe, and I quickly punched it in its screwdriver head. Wind coated my arm and it rocketed past with greater force, prompting a further explosion of wind upon impact with the monster's pitch black skin. The creature reeled, and then one of its brethren with a club for a head slithered through the air to try and smash me. I dodged the attempt aided once again by the very air around us, and so began our dance.

I fell back and gave a good punch to those that drew near, I used the few seconds of flight I had to dodge and maneuver to what I assumed were more vulnerable targets. More snakes came after me, but I only positioned myself further away, until they grew worried for the cocoon they protected. I was able to lure them away, to battle only less than half at a time.

I built up the wind flowing through and around me as I kept on attacking the enemies that slither every which way. I could feel no bones nor internals on any of them, but I could tell the creatures were weakening with every blow. I managed to build up enough power and took flight once again. I used it all up for one charge into the air before descending with righteous fury, enough to snap one of the black snakes in half with an epic stomp.

[Wind Impact: Level 2]!

The two severed parts wiggled and thrashed, like fish on land, before finally going still. A crater was left by my attack, and the remaining enemies circled me around it. I took a deep breath and adapted a defensive position for I have used up too much power for that one. A supercharged version of what I normally use, unlocked only by the level up.

The fight continued, and I chose not to do that earlier maneuver again. It used too much of my mana, and the stamina of my body. I shouldn't really have done that, so early on in the fight too… But it's fine! My Second Class, Regenerative Fighter, is built specifically for endurance. Jackal and Flaze certainly didn't have a problem with my efforts when they stared mouth agape at my heroics!

Not that I was aiming for it. I'm just glad they're back.

The following brawl was a long drawl of me running around and damaging my enemies whenever the opportunity arrived, slowly chipping away at their energy. It took quite a while until one of them could no longer fight, and the second one followed soon after.

I took many wounds during this time, but they visibly began to heal immediately after. I made sure to avoid my vitals, and to always keep on the move, a Gale Dash ready for whenever I was caught out. The immense amount of mana I used earlier steadily replenished, my stores actually rose as the fight went on, meanwhile the enemy lessened in number over time. I moved on to the rest of the snakes guarding the still growing cocoon even after the time I'd spent fighting. I tried to give it a good punch, but as expected, I came up short. I'd rather work on it slowly later after all of its helpers are gone.

It wasn't too hard to take care of the rest. With fewer numbers, they were more wary, more likely to stay by their charge. I took advantage of their hesitation, lured only a few at a time, or flew around the cocoon to have them hesitate.

In the end, there was only one left, and I once again used the second level of my Wind Impact to smash one of the dark noodles right into the cocoon it was protecting. The former was split in half, and the latter was dented, but to only suffer that much from my strongest attack spelled a whole lot of trouble.

Oh well. I'll just keep at it until the thing breaks.

I stepped on the cocoon, and walked up to the dent I made. I punched it again. I knocked on it over and over, winds aiding my every strike, my very body enhanced by stats and Skills, particularly that of my second Class.

I made progress, the dent sunk deeper and deeper with every strike. The shell shuddered, I felt some feedback from what should be on the other side. I was close, and I could feel it, so I gathered up what energy I've recuperated in this time. Wind coalesced around my fist, and I released it all along with my punch.

[Wind Impact: Level 2]!

The shell collapsed on one point, a tiny hole appeared. The force of my strike traveled further and punched into the tough flesh underneath.

I felt a shudder. The cocoon under my feet shook. I jumped up and flew away, just in time for the entire shell to explode into pieces of large splinters.

One the size of a door caught me by the foot, and the other like a bowling ball crashed into the arms that I've crossed in front of my face.

I was sent flying because of the momentum. Several of my bones broke sending white hot pain into my mind. I remembered when during the first days of the apocalypse, I hesitated because of such little things, leading me to have been unable to save orphan children. I was but a child like them, wanting to play the hero. And they paid the price, for trusting in me.

The memory brought with it self-loathing greater than any of the pain I faced. I took a deep breath and tried to control my landing as best I could. I still crashed into a heap, coughing blood and with my arms broken. But it was no trouble for the flesh was quickly mending, the bones righting themselves. I staggered back to my feet, and suddenly the healing hastened. My body has listened to my quiet resolve, to face all these enemies alone.

"Neigh."

I blinked, hearing the whine of an animal right beside me. My head turned, and I saw a horse of both angelic and demonic appearance. Right. That's Jackal now. Very fitting. And… the healing was from him. Not sure how fitting one that is, but I guess I'm grateful.

"Thank you, friend. You can leave the rest to me."

Jackal snorted, but I clearly saw the worry in his shaking head. Somehow the latter hurt more than the former. Do they not believe I could do it?

"Main body is back. It could be dangerous." I recognized Flaze's voice. She too was worried. "Maybe… we should help?"

What am I doing, trying to show off? We don't take care of Level 100+s solo, not even me, but I just thought it might be possible by now…

"Fine." My voice was more aggressive than I wanted it to be, and I felt guilt for treating my friends this way. "Let's go give a performance greater than any that have come before."

No script. No imagined settings. Only action.