Denizens of the Labyrinth

She was filled with Mana, and she could feel it in her fingertips as well as her Mana pool which sat in a place near her stomach. She had been preparing for this quest ever since the system had told the labyrinth that it had been done.

She had come with three of her best students. Witches of incredible Mana, they had been made to stay by the gate and were simply there to funnel Mana into her. So, she flexed her hand and in the air; drawing Mana points she began to draw runes in the air.

She drew three different runes and one by one a window into the spirit appeared and her summons appeared.

The first was one of her favourites, a brilliant red phoenix that landed on her shoulder and immediately began to draw Mana from the air around her. She squawked her awakening and ruffled her own feathers. She cooed her friend and waited for the others.

The second was her oldest friend, one of her first summons. The spectral body of a spirit knight stepped through the window. Though he was powerful, it took considerable Mana to summon him and here he stood now, ready to do battle for her.

The dragons had felt the Mana fluctuating and her summons had drawn their attention. They flew at her now and letting their flames torrent across the ground where she stood.

She whirled her staff around her body and using the end of it, she drew a runic circle around her. Three circles in one, the first boundary was a shield. The second was to draw power from the attacks that hit her and the third was protection. A last resort.

Her spectral knight leapt into the air and swinging his sword, he cut through the neck of the closest dragon and leapt from that body to the next, cutting through the dragons that were close enough to him. He disappeared under some flames and then appeared in a wispy form atop another Wyrm and cut off its head before shaking its shield and clanging it with his sword, a challenge to the dragons.

The phoenix screeched and leapt from her shoulder into the sky, to join the knight. A dragon noticed her and flashed flame on her, the phoenix bathed in it and the flame lit her feathers and she grew in size under the flames. Burning them for power and using it to boost her own, she burst in size and immediately clawed and pecked at the dragon, catching it off guard and dueling in the air.

The two windows had closed, the summons were present but the last had not appeared yet. She was holding back, the dragon she was saving it for had not shown its face yet and she would wait for it to come out.

She didn’t have to wait long, while her knight and phoenix dueled the dragons from the brood and seemed to fair well. She was doing her best to support them, by firing Mana and picking off wounded or unsuspecting dragons.

The roar she had been waiting for thundered through the sky, even the clouds shook, and she almost expected rain to begin falling. But she was not so lucky.

“Halo.” She said to herself, one of her skills and immediately a halo with three prongs appeared above her head. She felt it materialise and then felt her Mana grow denser, she looked up and her summons had been reinforced. The spectral knight had gained more substance, he was opaque now. Her phoenix had grown too, her feathers with a ghostly blue tint now. She was also as big as some of the bigger dragons and as she was immune to fire. Their attacks could do nothing, but their claws and fangs were dangerous. She was doing her best, floating through their clutches, and diving through their bites and swipes. The air was her home and even before dragons which were superb flyers. They were not as nimble as her.

The roar sounded again and then it appeared.

DING!

GRAVICH THE CALAMITY HAS APPEARED!

A calamity she thought. Yes, maybe it was. But she would overcome it tonight.

Its wings darkened the sky, and its roar shook the atmosphere. It bathed the area in fire, and everything burned, even in her safety circle. She felt her breath hot and burn the back of her throat. Heat seemed to burn the very oxygen around her.

“Spirit beam.” She uttered again and from the tip of her staff, a ball of Mana formed and grew in brightness and density, but by the time the dragons noticed it, it was too late. She aimed and sent it at Gravich. The dragon veered out of the way and the dragons behind it were shattered. They literally crumbled beneath her attack and their remains fell from the sky like leaves in autumn.

Gravich roared at the attack or at the lost. She wasn’t sure but it was aware of her now, she felt the dip in her Mana and then felt Mana replacing her loss, but not fast enough. The dragon calamity was rushing for her, and her phoenix dove for its face but was batted out of the way she careened and crashed into the clouds, and out of sight.

Her spectral knight appeared and slashed at the face of the dragon. He sacrificed himself but not without cost. He slashed his sword and scored the left eye of the dragon. Blood welled from the wound, but it didn’t veer out of the way. Instead, it clamped its jaws down and bit through the knight. In a split second he held, and then he was gone. Shattered and removed from the realm. She winced and bit back a whimper, the summon had cost her a lot and losing him cost her further.

But the window behind her suddenly shone and she smiled. Her final summon had come.

“You summoned me spirit child.” The dragon that appeared from the window. He was magnificent, and it cost her three quarters of her Mana pool. Even now the three other witches were exhausting themselves trying to refill her massive pool but now she had, had to use her last card.

“I must overcome that dragon.” She told the dragon.

“We know Gravich, he is a calamity and fallen. I will do what I must. Kyralis will do what is necessary.” He said and buffeting her with wind, rose himself from the ground.

Kyralis was a tier IV dragon summoning that she had not used but they had communed before. He was costly. His scales were grey and white, ghostly, and grey like clouds in a storm. His underside scales were dark and mottled grey, like stone. all of his underside was like that while the top was lighter and gave him the look as if he were spectral and ethereal, he was really quite beautiful. He bore two horns on his head and small spines around his ears and jaw line. As he flew into the sky to meet the calamity, he exhaled his own flame and brilliant blue fire, almost ghost like bathed Gravich.

He screamed beneath the violent stream of flame and ducked and rolled to try and escape but Kyralis would not let him flee so easily.

Other dragons, the last of the brood were approaching, hearing the screams of their leader. But she would not let them. from her storage ring she pulled three cards and looked them over. she smiled at her pick of the deck.

“Spirit chains.” She uttered and the card burst in a flash of Mana and chains appeared around the last dragons. Banding their legs and wings. Many of them fell out of the skies, crashing to the ground chained up.

“Angel.” She called and another card disappeared and this time a being of pure light appeared. He was taller than her and his wings were made of light and Mana. Just being near him let her feel soothed but she focused her will and the winged soldier flew to where the dragons were and began slaying them. the chained dragons could do nothing as their chains were not breakable.

Gravich and Kyralis still fought in the sky and at this moment Kyralis was mauling Gravich around the throat.

“Time.” She whispered, her last card and one of the most powerful. Time stopped for a full thirty seconds, for all those who were not in her party and that included summons. Gravich stopped fighting and Kyralis bit down deeply into the throat of Gravich, below the jaw where the scales were weaker. She heard the vicious crack where he broke the neck of the calamity dragon and roared his victory as he let the body fall from the sky.

“You are the victor, spirit child.” He uttered to her as he landed in front of her, and the angel floated to the side of him but off the ground.

DING!

YOU HAVE OVER COME THE CALAMITY!

ONE OF THE FEW!

REWARDS WILL BE GIVEN!

…

EXP STILL ACCRUING DELAYED

…

They system was working overtime, she looked up and Kyralis was looking at her intently.

“My name is Kyralis, you; spirit child. Are blessed by Mana and spirit. If you have need of me again, I will answer.” He offered and dipping his head, using a claw he tore space and the realm of spirits and light opened before him. The angel floated in first and then Kyralis crawled in. it closed behind them.

He had just offered to become a personal summon for her! She was incredibly surprised.

DING!

…

YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE FLOOR AND CAN NOW PASS THE THRESHOLD AS A MONARCH.

WILL YOU UNDERGO TIER TRIBULATION?

She accepted immediately and her body convulsed beneath her, she fell on her knees and dropped her staff.

This was going to be painful she could already tell.

EXP REWARD CALCULATED

…

LVL 200 REACHED!

She had finally hit it, nothing she had done previously felt like it would push her up to that but now. She knew that only by beating this floor would anyone be able to hit this level.

MONARCH TIER OPTION

WILL YOU ACCEPT?

She accepted, but not having any tier tribulations for this rank she didn’t know what to do but the system pulled the body of the dragon before her, and she watched as the system read more information to her.

MONARCH TIER TRIBULATION BEGUN;

ANCIENT HIGH DRAGON HEART (MIND)

ANCIENT HIGH DRAGON BONE (BODY)

ANCIENT HIGH DRAGON BLOOD (SPIRIT)

ANCIENT HIGH DRAGON MANAHEART (SOUL)

WILL YOU ACCEPT?

She sighed and let the system do its job, she would survive, and she would continue on. She would be the first female monarch.