MAZE - The Endless Quest

Vulcan jumped towards one of the cloaked figures. They were on the taller side of the group and had an aura of heat coming from their body. At first, the idea was for Livy to face this person, but the Leviathan ended up getting tangled with the bald man. Brandishing the forging hammer, which was his original form, in one hand and Clay in the other, Vulcan attacked the demonic cult member. For now, he asked Clay to pretend to be a regular sword and not reveal the segmented blades of the chain whip just yet.

The first strike was enough to push the hood away, revealing a woman with dark and leathery green skin. Aside from the color, it looked a lot like someone who spent way too much time getting tanned. From the top of her head, there was a mane of long, flowing black hair with streaks of fiery red seemed to glow as she moved. After spinning, she whipped her armored hand, blocking Clay and causing the steel from her gauntlet to melt. That wasn’t something caused by the chain whip. Instead, the woman’s hands were ignited with deep red flames.

"I pity you. Of all the mistakes in your life, this is certainly the worst," the woman removed her cloak, revealing a simple gi that was burned at the edges, "You shall find no mercy, for my fire knows no such thing. Tell the name of your killer in the Underworld. Tell them all that Vrexira, the Soulflame, has sent you to the abyss."

"Why do all of you talk? I don’t care. Let’s just finish this," Vulcan groaned and dashed forward. He quickly tapped Clay with the hammer, triggering a fire resist buff of all things, just before he attempted [Grasshopper Slash].

The woman ducked under the attack and slammed her fist against Forge’s stomach. A burst of flames erupted from the point of impact, yet Vulcan didn’t flinch. His apron was able to withstand much stronger heat, forged for working with metal. Bringing down the hammer on Vrexira’s shoulder, he activated [Sacred Flame], making his own fire fight against the Orc woman’s.

She screamed in pain, feeling the heat sizzle her skin for the very first time and attempted to pull away, but Clay stepped in. He detached the segmented blades, taking his full form of a chain whip. Vrexira attempted escape, was blocked as [Crushing Grip] was activated, the weapon warping around the woman.

Unable to escape, and still burning thanks to the sacred fire from Vulcan, the Orc woman snarled and ignited her entire body, trying to out burn the flames coming from Forge. With a groan, he pulled Clay closer, making Vrexira fall to the ground, and started jumping on her chest. With each impact, he also added a powerful blow with the forging hammer aimed directly at her head.

Vulcan jumped again, and again, and again. His Daemonic Influence raising with each strike. The woman on the ground became a bloody mess, her face unrecognizable.

'That was a step too far,' Clay said in a way that only Vulcan could hear.

'She is part of the Demonic Cult, and just something from a dungeon. I haven't hurt anyone,' Forge huffed.

'Following that logic, neither are we. So Hera, or anyone else, can hurt us as much as they want, and it won't matter. Be it attacking us, or cussing at us, or breaking a promise. Which she hasn't done, in case you forgot.'

Vulcan groaned again, 'For someone who is usually quiet, you know how to be annoying.'

'And for someone who is a crafter, and puts an extreme amount of patience in each work, you are too quick to let your Daemon side influence you,' Clay added.

Forge refused to respond and instead focused on what Vrexira had left behind after dissolving. But instead of grabbing it, he just pushed it out of the way as he looked around for another fight.

At the same time, on the East side of the arena, Lurize slowly stepped to the side while carrying Shadow on his hands, his real form, the Zweihänder, resting across his back.

The reason for this particular grouping was simple: a scythe was very difficult to wield, and the Royal Tutor was the only one who had any sort of skill to assist with that. In addition, their enemy, Vaalor, the Bloodforged, emanated blood mana as their name suggested. This meant that the best way to fight him was to send in someone who didn’t have blood, or any of the court members, but also someone who could interrupt his control over the blood in the surrounding area.

Lurize moved slowly toward his enemy. Unlike most other court members, he wasn’t the type to rush into battle. Instead, he was more methodical, wanting to gauge his opponents before launching a full-on attack—or at least, that’s how he fought when he had a cool head. Vaalor, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. As soon as he noticed the Royal Tutor approaching, the Bloodforged opened his arms, pulling the blood spattered on the floor into his hands, forming one massive spiked club.

"Do you really think your armor can stop me?" Vaalor said with a mad smile.

Lurize chuckled. "Do you really think your toy can break my armor?"

'That line could’ve been better,' Shadow spoke up.

The Royal Tutor rolled his eyes. 'Really? What would you have said?'

'Funny, I don’t see anything that needs to be stopped. Just a child waving around a stick.'

'That’s too long. I like mine better,' Lurize huffed.

While they were having their conversation, Vaalor lunged forward. He stopped a few centimeters before the Royal Tutor and slammed his club against Lurize’s stomach, his red eyes glowing with madness contrasting his ashy gray skin. However, hitting the armored court member was like hitting a mountain. The impact sent shockwaves back at Vaalor, which caused him to tumble backward.

Once he looked up, the Royal Tutor had changed. His armor shifted, now with several thicker plates around his arms, shoulders, back, and abdomen, while his horn became longer and now had two prongs. This was the [Rhinoceros Form], activated to last for a minute, which was all the time Lurize needed to finish the fight.

Vaalor went in for another strike, but this time was parried by the scythe, which pushed him away as if he was nothing more than a small critter. Lurize continued his assault, using Shadow as a spinning staff, empowered with a different combat style thanks to [Whisper of the Ancients]. The blade, made of liquid darkness, struck again and again, disrupting Vaalor's skills. Soon, in just a few exchanges, the blood that formed his spiked club collapsed, unable to hold its form. Between the Alabaster heirloom [Whispering Ink] and the skill given by the Alabaster Dukedom, [Subtle Sabotage], in addition to Shadow’s own [Shadow Mastery] and [Cursed Edge] to deliver more powerful strikes, there was enough disruption to stop Vaalor from controlling his powers.

"I was wrong. I didn’t even need a full minute," Lurize shook his head.

Using [Winged Boost], the Royal Tutor dashed toward Vaalor. Shadow activated [Shadowstep Strike - Enhanced] to close the gap even faster, allowing Lurize to attack with a single upward swing, empowered by [Venom Blade] and [Grasshopper Slash] before Valor could even react. As a result, the member of the Demon Cult was cut clean in half, a flood of blood spilling out in a much greater quantity that someone that side should have. Those were the reserves Vaalor didn’t even have a chance to use during the fight.

Outside the arena, but still int he summit, Yulan and Yuwei dashed through the bleachers. Behind them, a figure walked slowly, keeping a moderate pace. Even several meters behind the two women, he was able to attack them again and again using floating weapons. Malrok, the Iron Tyrant, had spent years in hiding, perfecting the ability to control metal with his Qi, and now each of his daggers moved as if wielded by an expert. His large frame was accentuated by an even larger set of armor beneath his robes, everything made of pitch-black demon-forged iron. Spikes and jagged pieces of metal protruded and pierced through the cloth.

His steps were casual and without a care in the world, but his deep brown eyes stared at the two Orc women with intent. Malrok enjoyed the chase. More specifically, he enjoyed the helplessness and despair that scarred the faces of those who realized all their efforts were in vain. It was quite simple, really. No matter how far they ran or how fast they were, as long as a single piece of his metal was already on his target, he would never lose track of them. This was very much the case now. In the initial outburst, after the giant dragon-like creature pushed the demon cultists away, he noticed the two Orc women getting closer and recognized them from the rumors. The Sun Flower and the Vanishing Lake. A famous pair for their age, people who believed they were stronger than the average warrior. How sweet their screams would be once they realized where they truly stood in the world.

From the corner of his eye, he saw how his companions seemed to be struggling against their opponents. It was a shame, but Malrok wouldn’t be able to enjoy his prey like usual. After all, they had a job to do. With a flick of his wrist, the entire arm of his armor turned into a chain that moved like a snake. The metallic creature rushed away, reaching the two women in a split second. Yulan saw the incoming attack and created a portal, trying to send the metal away. Unfortunately, she wasn’t at the level where she could close the portal, cutting someone’s limbs in the process, which forced her to keep it open until the metal chain came flying back toward Malrok, only to return for a second attack.

This time, Yuwei answered. She ducked under the tip of the chain, narrowly evading the strike, and focused her energy into the tips of two fingers, which quickly turned white with heat. In a swift motion, she used her hand as a blade, melting part of the chain and splitting it in two.

If her opponent had been anyone else, that would have been a good idea. But for the Iron Tyrant, it meant nothing. What was once a single moving chain became two, each aiming to capture the two Orc women. Yulan created another portal and jumped through it, closing it before the chain could follow, but not before the meta struck her back like a whip. Unfortunately, Yuwei didn’t have the same chance as the metal bound her arms and legs, turning from a chain into thin metal wires that dug into her skin, causing droplets of blood to emerge. She dangled in the air, watching the demon cultist get closer.

"I guess your little friend abandoned you," Malrok smiled as he approached. Feeling that Yulan wasn't able to even escape the arena, even if she was on the other side now.

"And I guess yours are dying," Yuwei tried to turn her head to the arena, but the metal wire stopped her. She could hear that a couple of the fights were already over, while others still continued. But there was no doubt in her mind who was winning.

"A shame, but I am more than enough to deal with the rest of you." Malrok called all the metal he had sent out back, reforming the armor around his arm while keeping Yuwei trapped in the metal wire.

"You’re not getting away with this. We’re going to stop you. All of you," Yuwei snarled.

"I would love to see you try. What can you do now that you’re trapped, hidden from the sun? The special constitution you’re so proud of is worthless here," he gestured to the shadows that covered this section of the bleachers. The Demon Cult spy network was very good, and they discovered that Yuwei could only use her special Qi if she was in sunlight.

"True, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a card up my sleeve."

"And what, pray tell, is that card?"

"My ability to stall," Yuwei smirked just as a portal appeared directly above Malrok. From it, a thick blob of tar dropped, covering not just the Iron Tyrant but all the metal around his body. With the added weight and stickiness of the black liquid, his ability to control the small and fine pieces of metal waned, and he struggled to move even a gram of it.

At the same time, three more portals appeared, one on each side and one behind Yuwei, all of them pointing directly at the sky, or, more specifically, the sun. All of them created by Yulan, who was on the other side of the arena watching through a small gap. Every ounce of strength left in her body focused on keeping the portals open. The energy coming from the star washed over the Sun Flower, whose entire body started to glow white with pure heat. The temperature rose so much that the wire holding her up melted away, burning her body in the process but also freeing her from her temporary prison. Taking advantage of Malrok’s situation, she gathered all that energy into her fist, which for a moment became even brighter than the midday sun. With a shout, she put all her weight behind the punch that struck the man square on his face just as it was cleared from the tar. The impact created a solar flare, one that was met by the exact same move coming from below. The twin attacks incinerated Malrok, who became entombed in his own metal armor as he was cooked by the intense heat.

Yulan and Yuwei had just won, having faced one of the generals of the Demon Cult, and survived. But the fight wasn’t over. Nimbus and the spear in his hand were still fighting somewhere on the floor below, just as some of the other court members still faced their foes.