NameLess

Pushing the doors of the Parthenon open, Kruger stepped inside quickly, moving with a purpose as he headed over to the back of the building. Having spent almost half his life researching and perusing the innards of the ancient Aramlian library, he already had a good idea on where to begin his search. Of course, it also helped that he had spent the last few weeks flicking through everything Parthenon had to offer, from its Artifacts to the near illegible scrolls that had faded with the passage of time. While not having gone through all data contained within the infrastructure (there being far too much information for anyone to actually finish 5% of it, even if given 100 years time), Kruger had studied just enough of the right information to have a good lead.

”It should be somewhere around here,” the young Fennelis muttered, slipping back into his native tongue unknowingly. ”Hopefully a Scholar didn’t misplace it.”

Shifting over to some rows of organized books, extremely old ones bound together with green leather strings and hard covers, Kruger pawed a few of them before settling on one in particular. Pulling it out, the young Fennelis quickly eyeballed the front of it. There, etched deep into its cover, were large and rather frayed letters written in the Ornerian language.

THE WORLD OF NOXTA - V11

Giving himself a small affirming nod, Kruger grabbed another two books similar to the first. The only difference that set them apart from each other were the numbers V10 and V8, sets that identified and further organized the necessary information. Spinning on his heels, the young beastfolk borderline sprinted his way towards a large wooden table situated near the back end of the Parthenon, moving carefully so as to not drop anything. Setting them down, Kruger spaced them out side by side. Without any further delay he opened up V8 and began skimming through for what he wanted.

The books, like a lot of things within the Parthenon were unique, one of a kind specimens that dated back many millenia ago, during a time where Aramlians came and went from Ard Araml in search of knowledge. A time period long before Information Orbs existed, where everything had to be documented by hand. Written in snow white ink, the pages were a light evergreen and frayed around the edges, like the leaves of some sort of plant. As Kruger turned the pages, various paragraphs, drawings, and even rough sketches of locations and landmarks could be seen.

If it was important enough to take note of, the old Aramlians made sure to gather the data and jot it all down.

Kruger rapidly sifted through the pages. Or rather, as swiftly as he could without overlooking anything or damaging any of the sheets. Due to the sheer amount of information contained within each volume, it would’ve been far too easy to skim over important information if one didn’t pay the utmost attention.

Luckily, this wasnt the case. Kruger managed to find was what he was looking for around the 15th page.

There, scrawled over the green leaflets, was the image of a monster. Even through the limited sketch portrayed within that particular volume, one could see just how grotesque it was. It was wrapped in layers of moss and dripping with some strange liquid that Kruger was unable to identify. It’s arms and legs were thicker than tree trunks and it’s fingers were stubby and gnarly, completely disproportionate from the rest of its body. It was easily the grossest thing Kruger had ever seen.

And he had already had the immense displeasure of seeing it in person. Only now, he had a name to go with the face.

It was a MossHead.

Running a single finger over the page, Kruger assured that it was the same MossHeads he had encountered around the World Tree. Once he ascertained that it matched the abilities and descriptions, he moved away from that particular page and continued his search.

He found his next match two pages later. A monster he had encountered during his run from the Parthenon, a overly large lizard with razors for teeth and vegetation growing out of its back. If it laid down, it would no doubt blend into the surroundings as some sort of bush.

A Poison Gecko.

This pattern continued a few more times, Kruger recognizing a whole slew of ferocious beasts that he had met during the last few hours. Vine Goblins, Water Trolls, TrenchFigs, Orgbucs, Wengthers. With each monster identified, if became clear that it wasn’t just a coincidence.

”They’re all from the same world!! Then that must mean-”

”Young Lord. May I be of some assistance?”

Krugers head shot up from the book, hues zeroing in on the new arrival.

It was the Equenik from before, the one that had questioned whether or not to turn back and help the Adventurers. Beside the beastfolk was Knox the Vox Lion, looking totally at ease despite the overwhelming severity of the current situation. Trailing behind them were a number of other Aramlians, all of who looked the worse for wear but otherwise unharmed.

Without closing the book, Kruger moved to stand before them.

”Jugram. What’s the status of those who came with us?”

The Equenik smiled faintly. ”No casualties. Some have severe injuries but none that can’t be healed with the proper magic. By all accounts, this was a victory. No matter how small it might be.”

The young Fennelis let out a small sigh of relief. Though everything was still in dire straits, some comfort could be extracted from the fact that everyone had made it back safely. Thanks to the Adventurers of Red and Blue, the ray of hope continued to shine through the pitch black storm clouds. All that was left was to gather the necessary information and then leap back to the aid of their young human allies.

”Tend to the wounded and gather everyone together. Calm them down as best you can. Make sure those that can fight remain steadfast and strong.”

”It will be as you say. May the Arcane guide you well, young Lord.”

”And for you as well.”

As the older Equenik turned to leave, Kruger shifted his attention over to Knox. The Vox Lion didn’t seem to be in any hurry to take orders, taking a leisurely stretch before plopping down where he stood. It appeared that the only one the Lion would bother to take orders from were the Adventurers themselves. So, without giving the beast a second thought, Kruger glanced over towards the Aramlians that had wandered in with Jugram.

”As for you three.” Kruger walked backwards, eyes still fixated on the arrivals. Stopping in front of the other books involving Noxta, the Fennelis smoothly pulled out V7. ”Come and give me a hand.”

Shing! Boom!

”Flame Manifest: Red String”

”Water Manifest: Blue Shockwave”

Explosions of pressurized liquid. Arcs of crimson flames. A battlefield littered with the slowly dissolving corpses of slain monsters. Within this chaotic, mana-filled area, Jak and Mako pressed forward, obliterating everything that happened to be in their path. Nothing escaped as the duo danced around, weapons claiming lives with every swing and every strike.

Still, despite how strong the two were and how easily they combed through the ranks of the plant based entities, there was seemingly no end to the veritable sea of monsters charging forward. For every dispatched MossHead, another four would appear to take its place. For every Posion Gecko or Vine Goblin slaughtered, dozens more would move in to fill the gap. It got to the point where it was almost pointless to continue fighting.

All it would do was wear the duo down as time marched on.

With that being said, Jak and Mako pushed on regardless, formulating a plan with one another as they decimated the opposition.

”It’s like they never end!!” Mako complained, pushing another wave of monsters back. ”It’s getting ridiculous!!”

Jak internally agreed as he let loose another Red String, pulverizing a horde of Vine Goblins that wandered in too close. They had been fighting full tilt for the last hour with nothing to show for it. No matter what option they had chosen, it had lead to naught but dead-ends.

Attempting to cut down the monster hordes. Ineffective. Trying their hand at slicing through the vegetative dome covering the Nature Spirit in order to continue their fight with her. Unsuccessful. Attempting to outrun and outright ignore the problem altogether by climbing up onto the World Tree’s roots. Negative. All it did was entice the monsters to follow the bright haired duo up the root and pick a fight there instead of just on the floor. With so many failed plans, the situation looked pretty grim. Especially when taking into account that the Nature Spirit was able to buy herself some space to recuperate. No doubt to increase her strength to the point where Jak and Mako were no longer a problem. It was quite clear that all she wanted was to stall for time.

”Take a breath and keep your cool. Idiot.” The fiery redhead leapt over a TrenchFig and landed next to his compatriot. ”Every spell has a weakness. We just need to calm ourselves and analyze.”

Mako twirled his staff, giving his friend a side eye. ”Right. We figure it out. Beat this woman. Go home. Hit the Golden Tavern.”

”Exactly.” Jak summoned a line of dense magic to his blade as a new swarm of monsters closed in. ”Drinks are on you though.”

”HA! Not a chance!” The blue-haired Rookie let clear liquid coalesce at the end of his staff until it was reminiscent to that of a naginata. ”I’ll have you know-”

GROOOOAAHH!!

A MossHead slammed it’s hand downwards, a meaty fist aimed straight towards Mako’s unsuspecting head. However, before it could make contact, a flash of crimson flickered across the monsters whole body in one swift motion. Before the beast could process what happened to it, the being collapsed in on itself, flaming and smoking body parts falling every which way.

”Focus.” Jak continued onwards, slashing passed other beasts.

”Got it. Much appreciated bonehead.” Mako launched himself into battle. ”Now. For the spell. Magical Capacity?”

”It’s using the Dungeons as it’s source. Cutting it off from them would be difficult, if we even knew how to go about it. I don’t think you’re sadi-melon girlfriend is going to let us pull it off. Unless we cut off the roots?” - Jak

”Too many of them. I doubt that we’d have the time before the hot Spirit lady woke up from her power nap. Obviously, that leaves us with....” -Mako

”Yeah. Only one choice left. Think it’ll work?” - Jak

”One way to find out.” - Mako

As the two Adventurers went back and forth, they defended their positions, ensuring that they kept a sizeable area clear of any and all monsters. This allowed them to possess a bit of breathing room, no matter how small it turned out to be. Thus, when they wrapped up their critical thinking, they had around a minute to ready themselves before the next wave reached them.

Mako let out a slow breath before plopping down onto the ground in a crisscross position, staff pointed straight up into the air.

”I’ll be the starter. I need you to buy me some time. Think you can handle it?” Mako gave the redhead a small smirk.

Jak glowered slightly. ”I’ll cut you.”

”Let’s try and cut the monsters for now,” Mako teased.

After those final words, the blue-haired Rookie closed his eyes. A soft blue glow enveloped the youths body, the atmosphere surrounding him spiking in pressure with each passing second. A few feet above the tip of the staff a ball of water phased into existence, spinning rapidly as it grew in size. Jak took a second to watch as the blue-haired haired rookie before ultimately switching back to the task at hand.

Defending his compatriot from the ensuing hordes of vicious monsters.

As the fiery individual leapt back into the heat of battle, Mako kept pouring magic towards the ever growing sphere of water, molding the large quantity of mana to the best of his ability. With such an enormous amount of magic gathered into one place, it took all of Mako’s external control to not only keep it maintained but to also morph it the way he desired. Ergo, he couldn’t do it while fighting or he would run the risk of a spell backfire or wasting a large quantity of his own mana. He needed the utmost focus.

The churning bubble of liquid soon became a roaring typhoon around the size of a fifteen story building, the sound of rushing water filling the immediate area. It got to the point where the pressure coming off the turbulent sphere of mana was almost unbearable, causing some of the weaker monsters within its proximity to outright pass out. The other monsters Jak had been keeping at bay halted their forward assault, remaining where they were.

The redhead immediately leapt on the sudden hesitation and retreated towards Mako, of whom had stood up and opened his eyes some moments prior.

”Is it ready?” Jak asked as he slipped Masamune back into its sheath.

”Almost. Took about half of my mana reserves though.” Mako narrowed his eyes in concentration as he lowered the staff and raised his hand. ”It’s time you did some work as well bonehead.”

The fiery haired Adventurer let out a small breath as he also raised a hand up towards towering sphere of liquid. ”My external control isn’t up to par with yours. I’ll do what I can.”

”Just shut up and give me your mana.”

CRACK! CRACK!

The sound echoed throughout the area, prompting the two Elemental Rookies to glance towards the direction of the sounds source. As it so happened, it was right in front of them, beyond the hive of hesitating monstrosities. Namely, it had come from the cocoon the Nature Spirit was currently hiding in. Jagged lines began forming around the cocoons center, spreading outwards along the dome’s smooth slope.

Time was up. Now that the true monster was making her appearance, things weren’t looking very hot for the two youths.

Nevertheless though, they didn’t let it deter them in the slightest.

As Jak continued to channel his mana into the churning water bubble, lines of crimson flames burst into existence along the spheres surface. The newly born inferno mixed and intermingled with the water, causing the globe to steam and bubble as the liquid spiked in temperature. With the rising heat and further increase in pressure, the sphere began to shift into an entirely different shape. A mouth with steam for teeth, flaming eyes, a long snout, an elongated neck.

It had morphed into the head of a dragon, coils of crimson fire circling it’s long neck.

CRACK!

From the innards of the cocoon, a head of neon green appeared, followed closely by the rest of the body. Though, the appearance of the green-skinned woman was a bit different than how it had been originally.

Gone was the head of hair that looked similar to vines, replaced by long locks radiating a color of the brightest mix of green and yellow. It also looked quite a bit longer and radiated a sort of power that hadn’t been there before, moving and squirming every which way despite the strong gusts of wind. The diamond situated in the middle of the woman’s forehead had grown slightly larger by a few degrees and a number of lines had begun to snake their way along the Nature Spirit’s face, protruding from the diamonds four points. Clutched in woman’s left hand was a staff that looked to be made of twisted wood with a sharp axe-shaped plant attached to the top half.

Two words came to mind when looking at the newly emerged Nature Spirit. Battle ready.

While the green-skinned woman rose up from her now destroyed dome, Jak and Mako took the opportunity to finally put their plan into action.

”Flame Manifest” - Jak

”Water Manifest” - Mako

The blazing water dragon let out a roar, one that caused almost every monster nearby to turn tail and run. The area shook with intensity, the mana pressure only increasing as the seconds ticked on by.

Though the Nature Spirit didn’t react, the dual Rookies didn’t retreat.

”Dragon Shot!!” - Jak and Mako

Pointing their arms in the direction of the tree, the towering dragon shot forth, it’s overwhelming presence obliterating everything in its immediate path. Monsters, buildings, plants. Whatever it’s mere aura touched was shredded beyond recognition as it instantly traced a path to the World Tree.

Then, before it could properly make contact, the Nature Spirit rose up into its path, looking extremely calm. Completely unfazed by the proceeding spell.

Without a word, she raised her hand. The Dragon made contact with her outstretched palm a millisecond later, coming to a dead stop the moment it did.

It looked as if it wasn’t going to work.

At least until the Dragon instantly broke apart, slipped passed her, and then reformed within the same millisecond it touched her palm. The Nature Spirit, and even Jak and Mako could only look on in surprise as the Dragon pushed forward and plowed through the tree as if it was made out of butter.