Polynya

Chapter 11: Surprise Attack

 

 

It can’t be, Ryuk thinks as he scrambles to get closer to the action. The Mitherfickers have spawned, Enway too, and they are currently going toe-to-toe with the two warriors, whose dragon circles in the air above them. He hears the clank of swords meeting as Tamana and Zaena go at it, the Thulean in her death dance and Tamana the betrayer using her buster sword to block each incoming attack.

Tamana Nakamura Level 15 White Warrior

HP: 410/410

MANA: 389/389

ATK: 117

DEF: 134

MATK: 149

MDF: 108

LUCK: 6

She wears a type of red armor he’s never seen before and a skull-shaped helmet. It’s clearly her, from her ironing board of a sword to the way she swings her weapon at Zaena.

Ryuk swallows the emotions coursing through him, hits another terrace, and drops and rolls.

He comes up with his triggerless Marble Gun aimed and ready. He’s almost in range, and as he scissors towards the final terrace, he changes his trajectory to the other fighter, the one currently engaging FeeTwix and Enway.

Tomas Romero Level 51 Shield Warrior

HP: 2167/2167               

ATK: 593          

MATK: 10

DEF: 740

MDF: 555

LUCK: 21

The Shield Warrior has a weapon that looks like a cross between a trident and a double-bitted ax.

Where do I know that name? Ryuk stops dead in his tracks. Isn’t that …

“Fick you, Tammy!” Hiccup runs at Tamana with his spiked club. While blocking the latest attack from Zaena, she manages to fire off a white magic missile at Hiccup. His shield takes the brunt of it, but the gaseous goblin is tossed backwards into a well, where he cracks his lower back, and nearly falls in.

“Yeooooooy!” He balls up like a baby and jams a healing potion in his mouth.

The mirrored dragon screeches and comes in to lay down some fire. It suddenly jerks up, spitting a mirror-like substance to the right, where it melts through FeeTwix’s hovering auto-drone and also melts a single black sheep too foolish to run to the other side of the pen like its brethren.

What the hell? Ryuk notices a collar around the dragon’s neck, a collar akin to the handcuffs Tamana had when they went for her at the guild. Knowing that he’ll get a better shot with his slingshot, he holsters his Marble Gun, comes up with his slingshot, and makes the split second decision to go with his molten marble over an explosive or sword marble.

Steadying his breath, Ryuk tracks the mirrored dragon as it circles overhead. A red reticle appears, he takes a short breath in, steadies the reticle just a bit longer and …

The dragon flinches and dips towards the ground as the molten marble strikes the collar around its neck. The lava spreads instantly and the collar snaps off and crash-lands in the midst of FeeTwix’s battle.

Free of its restraints, the dragon rears back up just in time, releases a burst of silvery fire, and flaps its wings, whipping dust and debris around the battlefield. Once the mirrored dragon has steadied itself, it spirals higher into the air and gets the fuck out of Dodge.

New skill learned!

LUCK +1!

Skill: One in a Million

Level One: Use your slingshot and any marble of your choosing to take an impossible shot. Odds of connecting increase with each point you gain in LUCK.

Requirements: Level 10 Mage, LUCK > 10.

 

“Wait a fickin’ minute! Mirror!” Hiccup uses his arms to press himself up. “That’s the dragon, Marbles! The one we sent that bitch Tammy’s handcuffs to! Mirror! Shit, she’s gone. Wait … You don’t think we sold her out, do you? Well, if we did, she’ll be pissed. Better to have her fly off, in that case,” he says under his breath. “Okay, back to nursing my healing potion. Fick you, Tammy!”

Ryuk glances from the goblin to FeeTwix and Enway. The Swede has equipped an ax made of machine parts that is easily the size of Tamana’s buster sword. He uses all his might to swing it at Tomas, and even though his eyes are black, Ryuk can tell by the look on his face that he doesn’t know what to think. Tomas was the reason FeeTwix logged into Tritania in the first place.

And to face him like this …

FeeTwix swings again and cracks his machine ax against the ground, sending more dirt into the air.

For her part, Enway stands back as white magic ripples around her hands.

As soon as Tomas lands a strike on FeeTwix, Enway heals him. Seeing an opportunity here, the Swede with the damn near infinite list of killer toys brandishes two Uzis and unloads a wall of metal fury at Tomas, who narrowly blocks them with a red scutum that matches his armor.