Far from the surface of the Overworld, buried within the deep cradle of the Ravine, the distant echoes of a battle sounded violently into vacant, empty tunnels of rock. A desperate, rageful scream is silenced by the broad sweep of an Elven blade. The heavy thumps of feet are demolished by an earth-shattering quake. The first breaths of hollow life are snuffed out by the vicious squelching of flesh. The air smolders in the aftermath of a flame wall that ravages dozens, leaving only ashes and partially melted corpses behind as evidence of the attack.
Three individuals stood at the center of the desecration. Two Dragonkin, their imposing figures untouched amid the carnage. Both with expressions of boredom and lacking amusement as their yellow eyes took in the sight laid out before them. The third, a sharp-eyed Human Male clad in tight clothing, a cloak around his shoulders, with two Elven short swords clasped firmly in his clenched fists. Even he looked on with annoyance, leering down on the virus he just needlessly shared oxygen with. At their feet, the remnants of the nest slowly burned away as the Maedra’s broken bodies melted into the air, their mana hearts shattered, crushed, or outright obliterated.
Wordlessly, the Human Male tossed a piece of paper into the air. Just as it touched the floor, the glowing sigil inscribed on the paper expanded upwards and out to fill the open space of the nest. In seconds, the raw mana within the space purifies. Maedra that hid amongst their fallen brethren are suffocated by the refined mana and left to suffer as the trio left them to their fate. Another nest turns vacant in their shadow.
“That the last of them?” The Human Male asked, peering over his shoulder as he cleaned his blades of the fat and fluid clinging to the shimmering edges. Though well used, the Elven mithril had proven its worth. They hadn’t lost their sharpness even after dozens of battles. Truly a miracle metal.
“It is,” the Female Dragonkin answered. She sighed and gathered her collection of potions, herbs, and gems she had placed on a large blanket prior to their assault. Beside her, the Male Dragonkin huffed.
“For now,” he muttered.
“Quiet, you pessimist.” The Female Dragonkin slapped her tail against her brother’s backside, eliciting a grunt from the Male. “Would you rather there be more?”
The Male Dragonkin sneered and glared at the smoldering nest. The temptation to kick a few of the bodies tickled at his neck, but he refrained. “If it means leaving this foul place, no." He packed away his weapons and plucked his pack off the ground, slinging it over his shoulder before putting his arms through the loops. He cincheed down on the straps, binding the burdensome weight to his frame. The thick scales protecting much of his body and the ripened muscles barely flinch beneath its size.
“Good, then shut up.” The Female Dragonkin tucked away her magical tools into their designated pouches and picked up her pack. The sibling pair then turned toward their Human counterpart, who had just finished prepping as well. “What will you do now?” She asked, wondering what the man might do, now that his task had been completed.
The Human met their inquisitive stares for a brief moment, then looked towards the Maedra nest. Contemplation filled his eyes as his mind toiled over the future. It had been a while since he was forced to consider such and it made him hesitate.
This was the final nest within the Ravine that needed cleansing in order to eradicate the Maedra presence within the tunnels. Doing so crippled the creature’s ability to live within the Ravine, setting them up for extinction. It took four months to track them all down and destroy them. A tedious task. For four months since Ewana's fall, he had spent every day hunting and killing the Maedra for this very moment. Yet, as great an achievement as it was, he felt oddly numb to it all. As if everything he worked for meant nothing in the end. Though he knew just what an accomplishment this was and the resoundingly positive effects it would have on those living within the Ravine, something within him didn’t feel settled.
No matter how many Maedra he killed, the feeling of wanting redemption for his friends never faded. No matter how much pain he inflicted on the creatures, it didn’t fill the deep void in his heart. He was still without them and no number of kills would bring them back. It was something he had learned to deal with in these four months--No matter what he did, nothing could change the mistakes and failures of his past. The weight of that knowledge turned him cold to it all. He put aside the passage of time, focusing only on the task at hand. With that task completed and nothing left to occupy his mind, he didn’t know how to feel about it all anymore. As if, at some point, his emotions had become calloused.
He’d let himself sink into the depths of the Ravine and found himself uncertain of how to get out.
“No idea.” The man turned away from the nest and yanked his rucksack off the floor. As he adjusted it on his back, his body wobbling left and right until his balance was found, he led the way into the tunnel back towards civilization. “We still need to fight the Maudrake and secure the route to the surface.”
“Ah, right… That thing.” The Female Dragonkin muttered a response, as if remembering an offhand memory she had nearly forgotten. She sighed and pinched her nose, exhaustion pulling on her shoulders. She was so close.
Indeed, they had focused on cleansing the interior of the Ravine but that still left the main canyon to be dealt with. While the Maedra numbers within it would be heavily reduced since their numbers couldn’t be replenished from below, it still needed to be cleared out for the Ravine to be declared completely safe. The main canyon was the last bastion for the Maedra, now choked out from the underground tunnels. With nowhere to run or hide, trapped between poisonous mana and the scalding sun, they would be easy pickings for the trio. Among them would be the Maudrake the Human man battled with when he’d first come here. The one who stole away his Arachkin mentor.
“You said it was resistant to magic, correct?” The Male Dragonkin asked, as if already trying to formulate a way to defeat the creature. He looked to his sibling, watching as she tapped her nails together in thought.
“Yes, but I wonder if that was actually the case.” The Human man responded, scratching his cheek as he recalled his first encounter with the Maudrake. That detail had been bothering him and after learning about the capabilities of the Maedra, it bothered him even more. "Apart from the Maudrake, no other Maedra within the Ravine has shown resistance to magic. Not on the same scale, at least. So I wonder if it wasn’t so much magic resistance as something else?” As he asked, he looked at the Female Dragonkin.
Pausing. Thinking. Sighing, she silently shook her head. “There are a variety of ways to resist magic. Without seeing it for myself, I can’t answer conclusively." Her answer is light but the gnawing of her lip tells that she was still trying to find the answer. It was a puzzle and the final piece of it was missing. When she’d heard that the Arachkin Guardian’s magic had failed to harm the Maudrake, she was initially baffled. Yet after taking time to ponder, and after Jake’s own research in the Library, it seemed there was something else amiss with the creature.
The Male Dragonkin scoffed before a toothy grin stretched over his face. “A trial by fire then? It’s been a while. How exciting.” Unlike the other pair who were always so giddy to speak of magic and spells, He was far simpler. Brute force, strength, and raw grit. Those were his answers to most problems, and they’d got him this far.
The Human man chuckled and nodded. “I guess so. I can finally put all this training to good use.” However, the individual who strived to meld magic and strength together found common ground with both of the Dragonkin. The Human Male proved time and time again that he relied on neither too much to keep the battle in his favor. It had earned him the respect of the siblings.
The Female Dragonkin glanced at the two of them before rolling her eyes, another exasperated sigh fell from her glossy lips. One that was much lighter. “You muscle-brained idiots. Don’t come crying to me if you lose a limb.”
“Worry not, my dear sister!” The Male Dragonkin smacked his bicep as he flexed his arm. “My limbs aren't easily defeated.”
His joke wasn’t received with a laugh. Instead. it earned him a heavy smack by her tail. “Shut up.”
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Several days later, the trio stood in the Ravine’s maw facing down their sought after enemy. The afternoon was brisk, chilly, and the air thick with fog as the heat of the desert fell into the plunge of the rock. Visibility was limited because of it, but two of the three hunters could see clearly regardless due to their Sensory Magic. The third relied on his sharp nose and peerless ears to detect the foul stench and heavy footfalls of their target.
It had taken them two days to reach the main canyon from the Ravine’s underbelly. Then, three additional days to clear out the remnants of the smaller Maedra that had been lurking and scaping around. Finally, two more days of backtracking were required to find their main threat. The Maudrake was where they expected it to be; lurking near the entrance of the long downward tunnel that led to the Dragon Vein and the massive surrounding mana pool. This place was the last bastion of food and fuel that the Maedra could use to thrive due to how impossible it was to cleanse, unlike the rest of the nests.
Due to that, the Maudrake wasn’t the only Maedra to have come here in search of a place to survive. Several dozen had gathered, fending off death with pitiful desperation. It had been a grind to get to their target. However, with their target’s silhouette just barely breaching the screen of the fog, they were more eager than ever to tear it to pieces.
The trio shed their packs a short distance from the expected combat area and then used rock magic to protect them within the wall. The Male Dragonkin armed himself with a massive labrys and waited as his sister inscribed several physical enhancement sigils onto his figure. They mumbled words of safety to one another, though they knew they wouldn’t be necessary. They had no intention to die in the pit surrounding them.
The Human Male prepared his Elven blades for the fight, tempered his mana flow, and triggered his Aura-magic to encase his body in a protective layer. Several sigils emerged within the thin second skin. Sigils that would enhance his speed, reduce his fatigue build up, and hone his focus. Though skilled and quick, his frame was still feeble compared to the Dragonkin siblings. Keeping up in an open fight would put a lot of strain on his body. Using magic to balance the scales wasn’t an option but a requirement.
The Female Dragonkin slipped a few mana potions onto her thigh pouch and downed one of them to boost her stores to their limit. As her mana flow bubbled over, she collected the excess mana into her staff. She preemptively prepared several paper sigils for expedient casting during the fight should she need them, half-expecting the battle to run longer than planned. They anticipated it would be quick and only a few minutes in length, as a long fight would put them at a disadvantage. So, the spells would be used to give them the opportunity to escape. Running away to fight again was better than dying.
Once they were ready, the trio set to their final effort. The Male Dragonkin led the way, charging ahead into the fog. The Human Male staggered after, waiting until his companion had some distance before giving chase. While the Dragonkin raced ahead, he utilized his Sensory magic to check for any hidden threats that they might have missed. The Female Dragonkin followed closely behind them both, her voice a soft whisper as she began her chants. The gems embedded within her staff glistened with power, conjured lights twisting into existence as her Words of Power took shape.
Their enemy, a towering four-legged Maudrake that wielded both powerful magic and terrifying physical strength, was their last true hurdle to fully declare the Ravine cleansed of Maedra threats. It had defeated a Guardian-level Arachkin and had spent months lumbering around the Dragon Vein. Skulking about in relative silence without being disturbed. However, as the Maudrake defied death and fed off the land like a cancer, the Human Male spent countless hours honing his skills. Developing those abilities for this precious moment.
“...Payback time,” he rumbled beneath his breath. His fingers clutched his twin swords as mana filled their hearts to the brim, the overflow oozing from their cores. The edges of the weapons shimmered to life, glowing brightly within the gray fog. Faint gray-blue slivers of craftsmanship. Blades birthed by the elegant fingers of the Elves with handles reforged by the brutish might of a Dwarf. Chimera blades. Blasphemous weapons. Fitting that they found plenty of use in such a lifeless, hollow underground abyss.
His feet were light. His heart was alive, pumping adrenaline and oxygen into his muscles. The mana in his flow bristled, the mana source in his chest thumping with anticipation. A sensation of familiarity burbled forth that set his hairs on edge. The Human could feel it. The intense emotion filling his body, a sensation urging him to settle the score. His teeth ground together and heat poured into his face.
As the fog cleared, revealing an overwhelming tower of flesh and rage, so did his mind.
There would be no third try.
The Maudrake, catching their scents on the back of a howling breeze, turned to face the trio. Its massive maw opened with a deathly scented gurgle. Its bile filled throat cleared with a hearty swallow and a loud, piercing shriek followed. A noise that ripped through the now desolate Ravine. Its massive legs moved quickly, defying gravity with their quickness, rotating its trunk frame about so that it could properly face the encroaching threats. Using its momentum and mass, the Maudrake rose its arm in threat. An arm that was formed into that of a massive spear. Coiled flesh wound to a fine point. It roared as it thrusted that savage arm forward, taking the first swing.
Meeting the foe with vigor, the Male Dragonkin swung his labrys, easily deflecting the heavily thrust spear-arm of the Maudrake to the side. Dense, refined muscles flexed with great effort. The burly frame of the Dragonkin hardly stuttered beneath the weight of the impact, the labrys sparking as the spear was forced aside. The spear-arm smashed into the ground, digging into the stone and scattering debris that harmlessly bounced off the Dragonkin’s armor and scales. The deflection opened the Maudrake’s side to a barrage of Fire Spears as the Human dove in. The spells battered the Maudrake’s flank, scalding and burning as the vicious explosions peppered the soft flesh.
Their tips, laced with dangerously bright runes, explode on impact to cause those pops. The Maudrake reels from the initial impacts, caught off balance. It takes a heavy step to the side, smoothly cutting the inertia of the hit to keep it from toppling entirely. Through the smoke, a pair of elven blades thrust forth, their mana-laced and hyper-sharp edges carving deep seams through its sturdy flesh. Pain erupted from the wounds, earning an enraged scream from the Maudrake as green liquid oozed from the deep cuts. Utilizing his proximity, the Human Male noted the lack of burn damage from his spells. Though effective in knocking the Maudrake off kilter, they hadn’t inflicted the damage he desired.
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Before the Maudrake could respond to the side-attack, the labrys in front of it swung heavily at one of the forward planted feet. The long edge of the two-headed ax carved out a chunk of flesh, opening a massive gash just above the Maudrake’s knuckled hoof. More green liquid spurt forth and the Maudrake staggered further backward. The Male Dragonkin took a defensive stance, repelling another thrust from the spear-arm. Once more, the deflection opened its side to another strike from his companion. Another barrage of flame with secondary explosions upon impact, but yet again--to no effect.
The Maudrake snarled and swept the spear-arm across the air, forcing the Dragonkin to backstep out of the way. Airborne and in the path of the moving arm, the Human was similarly forced to avoid the strike. His feet tapped the air, seemingly bouncing off a disk of conjured wind as he hopped over the top of the dangerous limb. However, rather than retreat he advanced. The Human’s feet once more touched stone and he pushed forward, sprinting beneath the beast’s legs.
Sliding to a knee to support himself, the Human anchored into the stone. His eyes and attention turned upwards, coiled power bursting outward from his fingertips. The fog was dispersed, pushed away by a sudden uptick in temperature as dozens of glistening towers of flame emerged from the earth. He unleashed a barrage of explosive Fire Spears on the Maudrake’s exposed underside, pelting the soft flesh in search of an opening in the creature’s defense. The tender underbelly was scorched and scalded by the intense heat, the impacts certainly showing some form of effect. The Maudrake screeched in agony as smoke billowed out from beneath it.
However, the Human noticed his attacks again failed to leave lasting damage aside for minor burns. The skin was slothing away but there was no blood or any semblance of scarring. Something was off. There was pain and recognition of damage, but no sign of impact. The Human escaped from the anchored position as the Maudrake moved to try and stomp him. Backing out, the Human collected himself and moved back to the safety of the Male Dragonkin’s side.
As the beast turned to face them once more, its eyes quickly searched for the Human, its crystalized right arm glowing as mana gathered within it. The sign of a spell being charged--an opening. The Dragonkin Male slammed his labrys into the ground to shield himself. To his left, the Human Male instinctively drew stones up from the ground to create his own protective wall. The Maudrake, concentrating on the two threats in front of it, failed to realize their defensive posturing wasn’t due to its own magic.
No, it was to protect them from the caster it hadn’t noticed standing just out of its line of sight.
“Dan’na, eridum mir las paryim. Polyaris, yi orest an bahkmatula. Fir vest madris. Fir vest fatim. Fir mir Ioris. Casim dir stellaris ack mir ereskitum! Alda! Miz! Lyris! O’ Laurdrasim!” At the feet of the Female dragon kin, a massive purple sigil spread outwards. With each word of power she spoke, it glowed ever brighter. With each finished sentence, an additional ring of strength added to the sigil until six of them were perfectly stacked on one another. The lines contained within those rings were sharp and straight. Drawn efficiently to make the most of every drop of mana fed to the spell. Four circles within the much larger sigil were formed by those lines, with even smaller circles coiling to life within them. As the sigil completed, a matching circle appeared at the Maudrake’s feet, establishing a caster-target connection.
The moment the purple circle appeared beneath it, as if sensing the change of pressure in the air, the Maudrake’s eyes suddenly shifted left towards the true threat. A realization made too late.
“EN TOMBERUS!” The Female Dragonkin’s eyes flared purple as she slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground. The ground cracked beneath the impact, the coned tip stabbing into the stone. The air thundered through the Ravine as the massive volume of mana collected into the spell triggered. The sigil around her collapsed into a singular point at the base of her staff. Its power focused into the small point. The mana flowed up, utilizing the staff as a medium, and shot up through the wood before a massive ray of concentrated mana fired out of the top. In the air around the Maudrake, four additional circles of mana appeared and swirled slowly around the beast, facing inwards as they created a twirling cage to contain it. Out of each of them, similar beams of concentrated mana fired inward at the creature.
In unison, the five rays of power smashed into the Maudrake, tearing through its skin and decimating its body with overwhelming magical power. The gathered mana in its arm dispelled, the crystal glistening with light and color. Color that flickered and steadily waned.
Though it withstood the initial barrage, its body failed to keep up with the onslaught. Soon, it howled, screaming in agony as its body was cut apart by the massive rays. Black lines carved into its body, slothing off large hunks of meat and cauterizing the wounds instantly as the flesh evaporated on impact. Though its arms flailed helplessly to protect its body, its feet remained anchored in place. Stuck. The purple circle beneath it flared brightly with every tug of its massive frame, rooting the beast in place.
At the other end of the spell, the Dragonkin clung to her staff, struggling and sweating as the spell burned through her reserves. She held out for nearly twelve seconds before her strength wavered, her concentration withering under the spell's heavy toll. Unable to withstand the immense pressure, her focus hit its limit and her body gave out. She collapsed to her knees and she pulled her staff free from the ground, severing the connection and dispelling the remaining mana. The purple circle beneath the Maudrake shattered, as did the four floating sigils in the air. The mana rays ceased, their lights blinking out. The spell ended with a feeble snap as the rooting circle fell apart.
Though the Female Dragonkin was on her knees, her partners immediately shifted back to the offensive, pausing only to assess their foe's state. In anticipation of their follow-up, the Human conjured several Fire Spears, staging them over his shoulders as he waited for the smoke to clear. The Male Dragonkin moved swiftly to his right, positioning himself between the Maudrake and his kneeling sister. Even with the prospect of an attack, he placed her safety above all else. When the smoke cleared, the experiment’s results were clear.
The Maudrake’s right arm, the crystalized club where mana collected for casting its large spells, was now dark and lacked any form of color. Upon closer observation, one could see several cracks splintering along its length from where it had taken excessive damage. From his position, the Human Male stared intently towards that arm, his eyes glowing a soft blue as he triggered his Sensory magic. He searched the arm from tip to elbow, searching for any signs of mana within it, or the lack of it. As they thought, there was none. The arm was void of mana. To his trained eyes, it was black and hollow. Effectively dead. Additionally, the Maudrake had taken damage that it wasn’t recovering from. Evidence that the spell had done the job.
When brainstorming the different types of magic resistance, the party concluded that there were three potential types of resistance they may have to contend with. The first was the naturally evolved or developed resistance to a specific element. Such resistances were naturally gained from living in certain conditions, an example being fire magic resistance due to living in volcanic regions. The second type was an active resistance where the caster created a barrier to protect themselves for a short period. The third type of resistance was channeled resistance. By linking their mana flow to their body, the caster could passively defend themselves from spells and attacks. This was so long as they had mana to maintain the protective layer. The Human’s and Dragonkin’s Aura magic worked in a similar way.
They ruled out the first option immediately as Maedra had no natural resistances. One might say the entire world was out to kill the creatures as without mana, Maedra simply rotted away. They had also largely ruled out the possibility of the second. During their initial bout, the Human hadn’t seen the Maudrake erect any barriers. After further discussion, they decided that there was only one remaining option. While they couldn’t be certain, they decided to test the theory should the opportunity present itself. Utilizing a powerful channeling spell with enough strength to overwhelm the beast from the start, they would put its protective abilities to the test.
During the first fight, the Arachkin Guardian had attacked the Maudrake with magic. There was no doubt about that. However, he failed to do so consistently enough to fully drain the Maudrake’s mana stores. Whenever he did cast, the Maudrake was quick to make it difficult. As if aware that it couldn’t fully expend its mana lest it fall victim to those spells, the Maudrake kept the distance between itself and the Arachkin short. The confines of the Dragon Vein made that task easy, as Chul had little space to work in. The Maudrake relied on the close exchange of blows and kept the Arachkin off balance to ensure it always had mana on hand in case a spell was cast and thrown its way.
Having cracked the shield, its secret had been exposed.
There was no hiding it now.
“Jake!” The Male Dragonkin’s voice cracks the air, spurring the Human Male to life.
Channeling magic through his blades, the boy leapt forward, wind cracking at his heels as he launched himself toward the Maudrake. Beneath him, the prepared Fire Spears screeched into the crystalized arm. Their twisted tips dug several inches into the upper layers of the arm, allowing the explosive sigils to ignite beneath the surface. Exploding from within, the spells obliterated the hardened crystal, shattering the arm and blasting away massive chunks of the dead limb with every fiery eruption. The Human continued to pelt the arm even as he tumbled over the beast, leaving no opportunity for it to hide the limb. Knowing this was his only opportunity, he tore it to pieces.
The Maudrake roared in a mix of rage and agony, stumbling to the side, turning and flailing with its surviving arm in an attempt to swat the pesky Human out of the way. The Human avoided every swing, desperate and panicking as its primary source of defense was ground to dust right before its eyes. The swings grew more desperate, more frantic, as the crystal dwindled to a nub. When there was so little left that the Human might be able to shatter the rest with his blades, the Maudrake took a violent and final swing, one last vicious swat to try and splatter the man against the Ravine’s wall.
Utilizing Wind Magic, the Human nimbly caught his weight and accelerated down to the floor. Avoiding the flung spear-arm as it harmlessly flew over his head. The motion exposed the Maudrake’s chest. Seeing a window, the Human took his chance.
The Human’s feet touched stone and he knelt. Raising his hands, he conjured six Stone Breaker spells, three to a shoulder, and drilled all six directly into the Maudrake’s chest. At near point-blank range, it was impossible for the Maudrake to move its arm quickly enough to defend itself. The spells, refined and more heavily developed after the four months of harsh combat in the tunnels, easily blew through the Maudrake’s thick outer shell in a single, thunderous collision.
Massive gouges were blown open as entire pockets of meat were reduced to bits. The Human sent them all at once in two stacks of three, similar to the sixth side of a die, to damage as much surface area as possible all at once. The weakened meat, heated and already threatening to fall away after the Dragonkin’s spell, blew apart without much resistance. In doing so, the Human revealed the location of the massive crystal within the Maudrake’s core.
Locked on, he grinned. “Got it!” He shouted, twirling his elven blades as he shifted from his knee to his feet. Leaning forward, he shot into the gap between the Maudrake’s feet, avoiding a downward stab from the beast’s heavy spear arm. Green blood splattered on the floor at his feet. Hunks of discarded meat sizzled and burned as they dissolved.
“Good!” The Male Dragonkin filled the rear gap behind the Human and brought his labrys down on the spear before it could be pulled away. He sliced off the pointed tip in a powerful cut, effectively blunting the weapon.
Green ooze spurted out of the open wound, spraying the area as the Maudrake recoiled from the injury. As if unaccustomed to so much pain, the beast shrieked and staggered about, its body bleeding and burning all over from the excessive damage it was taking. Though the fight had been short thus far and the trio hadn’t performed many offensive attacks, the difference in combat experience was clear. The trio was efficient and targeted the key weaknesses of their enemy, operating at a level only refined teamwork and planning ahead could warrant. The Maudrake, on the other hand, relied too much on its supposed impenetrable shield. Without it, it was just like any other Maedra. Soft. Squishy. And-
“-a waste of fucking space.” The Human Male stopped beneath the Maudrake once more and raised his hands upwards. Around himself, he conjured eight Stone Breakers, their tips aimed directly at the joints connecting the four legs to the main body. As they formed, the battle mage adjusted their attributes. He sharpened their tips and added additional fins to the back ends of their cylinders for stability. He then tilted the fins, making strong angles that would cause them to violently spin during flight. Once they were formed, the mana within them stabilizing, he launched them in unison.
Once the spells were shot, the Human vacated the space, clearing the Maudrake’s body as the spells slammed into its limbs. The Stone Breakers buried into the joints, their high speed rotations causing them to dig deep into the meat and churn into the midpoints of each joint. Upon impact, the timers built into sets of explosive runes lodged their spells’ tips began to tick. Mana lined the runes and began to bleed in, feeding them with power gradually rather than immediately.
When the required amount of mana had been fed to each rune, one by one, they ignited. Having dug deep into the limbs, the explosions ripped through the Maudrake from the inside. The flesh on the surface expanded outwards before shredding apart as the tension hit its ripping point. The violent gusts, unable to be contained, sheared the tender inner meat apart. The flesh splattered all along the walls and the floor of the Ravine. Ripped sinews snapped and flapped in the wind, the torn tendons and muscles falling apart as they were severed. Unable to hold the weight of its heavy upper body without those muscles and anchors, its legs caved in.
Shrieking in agony, the Maudrake collapsed to the ground in a massive heap.
The Human Male and the Male Dragonkin maintained a safe distance from the creature, even in its weakened state. They both watched the Maudrake flail helplessly on the ground, powerless to move. Unable to protect itself. Unable to do anything but cry and howl for help. Help that would never come. Not a single other Maedra answered its cry. It was all alone. The Ravine did not offer any solace for the beast. Its howling would reach no friendly Maedra ears and there was no escaping the inevitable.
Gripping his massive ax, the Dragonkin took a step forward at first. Yet, he stopped as he remembered why they chose this method of fighting. He looked to his right and took in the expression of the Human compatriot he fought beside. Unlike the Dragonkin, who was content with finishing things as they were, the Human seemed to find joy in those cries for help. The Dragonkin wasn’t fond of slowly killing an enemy or purposefully inflicting pain, but he knew this man had his reasons. Though they were fighting together, the Human didn’t do it to rid the world of Maedra.
Slaughtering the Maedra beneath the surface was revenge. He killed them because of the agony they made him feel when he lost his friends. Oryx named Yae and Tul, a Dwarf blacksmith named Hulgrok, and dozens of others during Ewana’s collapse. Hunting them. Killing their nests in the harshest ways possible. Suffocating them by poisoning the air they breathed. It was all done out of extreme, unfiltered hatred for their kind.
But this... felt different. Something in the Human’s eyes told the Dragonkin that this fight was different. The joy in those eyes wasn’t out of a fondness for violence.
“Ah…” he muttered, squeezing the blades in his hands. The Human stepped forward, maneuvering himself to the front of the Maudrake’s line of sight. In a moment of clarity, the Human’s excited expression softened to that of a light smile. For a slight moment, he felt pity for the creature.
The Maudrake swung at him weakly, unable to reach the man because of its position. With a simple cast, the man blew apart the spear-arm, destroying the limb up to the elbow with a pair of Fire Spears and an accurately thrown Stone Breaker. Thus, he severed the last weapon the Maudrake had. Unable to do anything but flail its nubs for arms, the Human watched it cower as he stepped forward. Staring down that face of retribution, the Maudrake panicked, screeching desperately, and leaned away in terror. Its feeble, broken limbs clawed at anything to try and get it away from the Human.
Yet, those footfalls drew ever closer until the Human was directly in front of the Maudrake’s very heart. He raised a hand, directed his mana forward, and his eyes flashed with a soft blue color.
“...This is for Chul.” After those final words, Jake destroyed the Maudrake’s crystal with a barrage of stone breakers, crushing the massive jewel in an overwhelming display of fury and months of pent-up emotion.
Even when the crystal was broken and the howling was silent, the spells did not stop. Only when there wasn’t even a shard left of the crystal did the spells finally end. The Maudrake’s husk slumped to the side, lifeless, expended. Destroyed to such an extent that it would never disturb the Overworld with its horrific presence again.
At its feet, Jake sheathed his twin blades and let out a long exhale. His shoulders slackened as the tension fell away.
The heavy burden that had pulled at them for so long finally washed away.
His fight in the Ravine was over.
…Finally.