Vur’s ears twitched once. “The lords of the tower?” he asked and turned his head, facing the gathered crowd with a strange gleam in his eyes. “They’re all here?”
The man with red hair furrowed his brow and took half a step back upon seeing Vur’s expression. “T-that’s right,” he said before puffing his chest out and advancing forward again. “I’m the Flame Lord, Magnus, leader of the Eternal Flame guild.”
“Vur, wait,” Tafel said, placing her hand on Vur’s shoulder when he took a step forward. “I know what you’re thinking.”
Vur blinked at Tafel.
Tafel nodded her head as her horns glowed silver. The image of a clock’s face appeared underneath their feet, and the minute hand spun wildly, dragging the hour hand along with it. “Haste!”
Vur raised his arm and clenched and unclenched his hand, the motions happening in an instant.
“Alright,” Tafel said and took a step back, giving her husband some space. “Go wild.”
Vur blinked at Tafel before a grin appeared on his face. Then, he disappeared from her view, his movements so fast it seemed like he had teleported. Vur reappeared above the Flame Lord with his fist drawn back. Multiple runes shone on his body, and a layer of earth appeared over his hand. Flames swirled around his knuckles, and as he punched down, a gust of wind assisted him by pushing his elbow from behind.
Magnus barely had time to raise his head before Vur’s fist connected with his back, striking the Flame Lord directly between his shoulder blades. Magnus’ breath was knocked out of him, an audible whoosh escaping from his mouth moments before his face collided with the ground.
Tafel nodded her head and gave Vur a thumbs-up when he turned to look at her. Something tugged on Tafel’s sleeve, and the demon turned her head to see Mary looking at her with a pleading expression etched in her green eyes. “Me too,” Mary said. “Haste me too.”
Tafel glanced at Vur, who was now looking at the Martial Lord while standing on Magnus’ lower back. “It’s been a while since Vur’s had any fun,” the demon said. “Let’s just leave it to him, okay?”
Mary released Tafel’s sleeve and pouted as she crossed her gauntleted arms over her chest.
“That’s how a warrior should be!” Ouyang Feng said, his eyes glimmering as he met Vur’s gaze. “Swift and decisive! If I defeat you, join my guild!”
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Instead of responding, Vur puffed his chest out and sucked in a deep breath, his torso expanding like a balloon. A golden imprint flashed on Vur’s head as he leaned forward and exhaled, breathing out an icy storm accompanied by pointed icicles.
The Martial Lord’s eyes widened, and his body wiggled from side to side as he punched out with his fists, knocking the icicles away. The people behind him weren’t as skilled; they screamed as they did their best to defend themselves, holding up metal shields that were pierced through like paper seconds later.
“Get off of me!”
Vur glanced downwards as his body rose by several inches. He was still standing on Magnus, who was pushing himself up while glowing red. Vur narrowed his eyes, and thanks to the haste spell Tafel had casted on him, he polymorphed himself into a dragon in less than a second. Magnus let out a helpless cry as the full weight of a dragon pressed down on his back, and his eyes rolled to the top of his head as foam bubbled out of his mouth.
“Dragon!?” Ouyang Feng shouted, his eyes widening. “What are the rest of you standing around for!? Help me!”
“There once was an old dragon named Ben!” Jasmine shouted, her voice piercing through the din. “His siblings knew not where nor when!” Her brown eyes glowed with a green light as the wind whipped around her like a gale. “He would find his love, that fit like a glove.” The Wind Lord pointed at Vur, and for a brief moment, the wind was still. “But who’d’ve thought he would fall for a hen!?” Like a legion of men armed with spears, the wind surged forward, piercing towards Vur.
Vur stood in a daze, a confused expression on his face. Seconds later, the wind struck his body, multiple plinks ringing out as it collided against his scales. Vur shook his head once and glared at Jasmine before letting out an ear-splitting roar that caused everyone who heard it to take three steps back.
“Your limerick was awful,” the Earth Lord, who had been positioned closest to Jasmine and Ashley, said through gritted teeth as the last echoes of the roar faded away. “All you did was anger him.”
“Shut your pie hole,” Jasmine said with a pale face. “It stunned him for a brief second, didn’t it? Why didn’t you take advantage of that moment?”
The Earth Lord glared at Jasmine. “It stunned us too!”
Jasmine looked around to see everyone’s bitter expressions before running to hide behind Ashley with a sheepish smile.
The Earth Lord stomped his foot, and five pillars of earth rose out of the ground around Vur like the fingers of a giant hand. Vur snorted as the rune on his front-left leg flashed with a brown light, causing the earthen pillars to crumble apart like sand.
“Damn!” the Earth Lord shouted. “It’s an ice-breathing dragon that knows earth magic! Who designed this creature?”
“Where’s the administrator of the fifth floor?” Jasmine asked and pursed her lips. “With such a huge commotion, why isn’t he here to stop it?”
In the distance, a human-sized parrot was perched on the roof of a building, staring at the dragon surrounded by the crowd of people. As the administrator of the fifth floor, it was supposed to prevent death and destruction in the common areas. The root bracelet on the parrot’s leg flashed amber, and the bird squawked while flapping its wings. “No one’s dead. No building’s destroyed. Let’s watch some more, watch some more.”