The Ruby Magician

John felt fatigue wash over him like an uncomfortable wave. Which was surprising as his Resolve skill was working at all times to keep his endurance at levels no normal human could match, even for being a beginner Climber. That didn’t seem to matter now, though. Lionel wasn’t a beginner Climber anymore. And he sure as the hells didn’t seem like a normal human.

Each swing of John’s sword was met by a crude parry from Lionel’s own. Or, specifically, John’s sister’s sword. The very sword that was stolen from him.

John’s anger rose with each failed blow. It was one thing to be at a stalemate facing a monster, especially if he was out of his depth, but this was another Fighter. Someone who he’d sparred with, fought alongside, and beaten multiple times before. Only it wasn’t the same man. Whoever Lionel used to be was long gone. If there was even a shred of his old self behind the new, dense scales on his torso and arm and behind that freakish mask he wore, he wasn’t an ally or friend anymore. He severed that bond the moment he tried to end John’s life.

Another clang of swords crashing into each other jolted John’s arm. The lightning that visibly covered his sword lashed with small jolts at Lionel, but the flaming sword seemed to keep them at bay with its own wispy flames, two elements clashing but the stronger one winning out. The blow felt like John struck a metal pole, and Lionel didn’t seem fazed at all. When John would recoil Lionel would stand resolute. John’s ragged breaths were growing while Lionel looked strangely at ease and comfortable. The monster man’s attacks were still untrained and fierce, obviously more suited to an axe than a sword, but he was stronger, faster, and more resilient than John ever remembered.

John blocked an incoming punch from Lionel’s monstrous arm with his shield, and it caused him to stagger. It felt more like an impact from a club, and with similar strength, too. Lionel had an opening where he could’ve quickly stabbed John and likely secured his victory but ignored it out of pure egotistical confidence. John was too fatigued to keep his defense up, fear rising in him as he realized where their fight was heading.

John’s emotions fueled him but his strikes were sloppy and slow towards the end of their fight. His chest expanded and fell with each breath, sweat dripping from slick hair under his helmet as though he just stepped out of a bath wearing his gear. Energy escaped him, the only fuel remaining being pure emotion. His shield hung limply at his side, and it looked to be more of a burden at the moment than anything.

“You can’t win, John,” Lionel said, his voice rough and muffled under the porcelain mask. He kept his sword down at his side, not even standing in a readied stance. “Put down your sword and I’ll make it quick.”

John growled in anger. Nothing was going his way. This impossible enemy, his own shortcomings. What did all of his training mean if he would just give up and succumb to his own fate?

“Focus,” John said, and felt another wave of energy flow through him as he was coated in a red aura on top of the lingering Arcane Aura Tasha cast for the second time. He had enough mana for a few more skills but he needed to be smart about when to use them. Now seemed like the perfect time because he wouldn’t have any more time if he was dead.

The surge of power helped tip the scales as John pushed harder with his attacks. Lionel went more on the defensive, blocking attacks more than countering, but he still wasn’t taking any damage.

John feinted with an attack and bashed Lionel with his shield when he saw an opening, forcing him to flinch. He then saw an opportunity that hadn’t opened before.

“Defense Break,” John said, and slashed across Lionel’s chest. His sword glowed with a blue aura on top of the crackling lightning, and the blade sliced through Lionel’s scales. The transformed man recoiled and yelled in pain as lightning coursed through him, amplified by the elemental advantage after he absorbed the water boss.

John could hardly believe it. His attack worked! He then pushed harder with his assault, following up with a series of stabs and slashes, but Lionel’s fury escalated. He started moving in a manner more akin to a raging beast than a man, wildly punching and lashing out with his flaming sword. The attack was an onslaught, his new strength revealing itself in speed and power.

John mentally boosted himself with Guard Up, layering another protective aura on top of his rapidly diminishing one. He only had enough mana to use one more skill, and he saved that one in case of him losing. Like now. Lionel was too overwhelming, too much of a threat, too far gone.

Each hit made John retreat, forcing him on his heels and off balance. Every blow from sword, flame, and fist caused a chunk of his magical protection to disappear, and for the second time being a Climber he feared he wouldn’t survive, both times from the same person.

A heavy fist connected with his stomach when his aura was finally gone. Despite his physical armor the hit made him double over, and he was too slow to react to the knee he saw coming for his face. He felt his nose break instantly as his head jerked back, and a new, sharp pain caused by fire and blade across his lower stomach and hip caused him to drop to the ground.

This was it, then. He held on for as long as he could. Hopefully his friends could help where he failed.

*****

Wyn rushed to John’s side, his speed still increased. The two Fighters remained locked in a battle, but John was nearly done. His red aura was completely gone and a faint glow of magical armor covered only his back and legs. He was on the ground after Lionel brutally attacked him and Wyn couldn’t tell if there were any life threatening injures from that attack.

Wyn had to be ready for anything. Just how strong had Lionel become? And why hadn’t he finished John yet? Was toying with him part of his twisted goal, or was he truly just that deranged?

The moment Wyn entered the fight the entire dynamic changed. John groaned in pain and stopped resisting. Two loud clangs echoed through the room as his equipment fell to the stone floor. Not that it mattered, as the now-heavy sword and shield were only delaying the inevitable, but John still felt a sharp pang of shame for his inability to continue the fight. Even though he was slowly bleeding out and his vision became blurrier by the second, he was frustrated more than anything.

Lionel, though, seemingly sucked John’s anger and energy like he did the floor boss just minutes prior. Seeing Wyn made his eyes widen in fury, his knuckles growing white from clenched fists.

“You,” Lionel growled, swatting Wyn’s spear to the side with his scaled arm. “Damn Red Mage always interfering.”

“You,” Wyn said, recovering his spear and swiping at the man again. “Traitor and monster.”

Lionel raised his left hand to inspect it. His forearm and hand were larger and foreign, possessing short but sharp nails and a girth that didn’t seem to match the rest of Lionel’s body. It truly looked like he stole the body of the monster.

“I guess in a way I am,” Lionel said. “If that’s what it takes, then so be it.”

“Then I’ll do what I came here to do. You’re just another monster, after all.” He held out a hand and cast Feeble. The familiar runes activated in front of his hand but the skull that should have appeared above Lionel’s head faded into nothing almost as soon as it came.

Panicking, Wyn cast Flash next, hoping to blind Lionel. The man didn’t so much as flinch, unaffected whatsoever.

So his spells that could reduce Lionel’s abilities didn’t work. He wondered if his mask reduced Flash’s ability, but he had no idea why Feeble wouldn’t be effective. It was likely something with his new abilities but there was no sense in worrying about it now.

Wyn lunged forward with his spear to strike Lionel’s leg. If he could block John’s sword blows with the durability of those scales, then Wyn’s spear likely wouldn’t do much to Lionel’s torso and arm. But hopefully the rest of him didn’t have the same change. That was Wyn’s plan, cripple him and drag him down long enough for the others to join, or find a good opening and take his chance to kill him outright. He doubted he had the ability to kill Lionel himself since he looked stronger than his two allies and it took the rest of the group to help take them down.

But damnit if Wyn wasn’t going to try. Maybe, just maybe, he could hold out long enough for their victory. There was still the rest of his group, too. But he made up his mind then and there. He’d die before he let this traitor hurt one of his friends again.

*****

Marcy hoisted Tasha to her feet and wiped some dust off of her robes. She ignored the small puddle of vomit at her feet. It was harder to ignore the dead man’s body behind her but she willed herself to focus. There were more pressing matters right now. If she didn’t act and act quickly, there’d be more dead bodies, and ones that she actually cared about.

“Tasha, you need to get your shit together,” Cedric said.

The two women looked at the Wizard with shocked expressions.

Cedric pointed towards Wyn and Lionel with his scepter. “John is nearly dead. Again. Go heal him and keep Wyn alive.”

Tasha looked at John and gasped. Then she lightly smacked herself in the face as though she was trying to wake up from a deep sleep. “Alright. Of course.” Without another breath she ran forwards and cast several Cures on John, pointing her staff to the downed Fighter. A large runic formation appeared at her staff and bobbed in the air as she ran before releasing a pulsing wave of white light. The aura seemed to teleport to John as it enveloped him in a light that was thicker even than his stacked Fighter skills. When she got close she dropped her staff and pulled him back with great effort.

“I… won’t… let… you… die,” Tasha said, breaking between each word to grunt and drag his body away from the ensuing battle between Wyn and Lionel.

John started to laugh but instantly stopped after he only coughed up blood.

Tasha smacked him across the face then hugged him on the ground, never taking her eyes off of Wyn. She had a feeling he might need her soon, too.

Marcy half drew an arrow then stopped. There was no good shot at Lionel with him being directly engaged with Wyn. Even though Wyn wasn’t as close to him due to his spear’s reach, his fast movements made him just as likely to be hit as Lionel. He was unpredictable with his positioning and attacks, constantly feinting, stabbing, slashing, dodging, and rolling around Lionel like a one-man whirlwind. Unfortunately whatever tactic he had in mind made ranged attacking more of a liability than asset. That was likely why Cedric hadn’t joined him in attacking that betraying bastard.

“I can’t get a clean shot,” Marcy said. “Wyn’s too damn fast and moving everywhere. If I use a magical attack the excess effect will hit him, too.”

“Then wait for an opening to at least distract Lionel,” Cedric said. “That could give Wyn an edge. You’re a far better aim than me.”

Marcy drew one of her magical arrows and patiently waited for that exact moment. In what felt like ages she finally saw an opportunity and released her arrow, aiming directly at Lionel’s back. The arrow flew with a slight trail of green following behind its fletchings. Right before impact, Lionel twisted his body and raised his left arm to block a blow from Wyn’s spear, which also unfortunately deflected the arrow.

The man turned his gaze towards the Ranger as his porcelain mask faced her but ultimately kept his attention on fighting Wyn.

“Damnit,” Marcy said. She started to draw another arrow but stopped. “This is taking too long. And in case you can’t tell from here, Wyn isn’t exactly the stronger fighter.”

“I know,” Cedric said. “I don’t know what else to do. I can’t attack for the same reason you can’t, even more so. Cal isn’t in his right mind to help, and he’s more of a liability even if I could convince him to snap out of it. We need someone else to help Wyn.”

Another twang of Wyn’s spear bouncing off Lionel’s scales echoed through the chamber. Marcy was tired of standing to the side. She’d let the newer Climbers try to gain experience and prove themselves all season long, helping when needed but mostly taking the time to mentally gather herself after nearly losing her friend. This time was different, though. Another friend was on the brink of death, and she actually had the means to make a difference.

She took her bow and quiver and dropped them on the floor.

Cedric jerked his head in surprise. “Marcy?”

“New plan,” Marcy said. She drew her kukris and took a deep breath. There was only one skill she had that could help her in direct combat as her others were all focused on her ranged ability. It was mostly used to keep her alive in fights where she needed to be at her peak of perception, even beyond what her Extrasensory provided her. She hadn’t needed to use it only climbing the first few floors. There was the occasional time when she activated it just for fun, but now wasn’t a time like that. This was an entirely different scenario.

“Keep an eye out for an opening,” Marcy replied. She started trotting forward towards the fight and mentally activated her Reflex Up skill. A green aura surrounded her as she closed the distance.

*****

Wyn felt his Speed Up was starting to fade so he willed it to reactivate. It came on just in time, too, as another wild slash from Lionel came far too close to his head for comfort. There was no need in watching his mana cost either - he had enough to spare in this last fight after the several uses of Shield to protect himself when his speed couldn’t. The only things keeping him from injury was his heightened speed, his protective spell, and Lionel’s ineptitude with a sword. Ironically, if Lionel would’ve brought even a basic magic axe, he probably would’ve been far more effective.

Wyn was thankful for Lionel’s hubris. It would ultimately be his downfall.

As Wyn dodged another attack and leapt to the side, he saw Marcy running towards them with two of her curved short swords. Hope swelled inside of him at that moment. Another warrior on his side would make the difference, and her skill at fighting would be more than enough.

Lionel tried to follow up a missed swing with a swipe of his monstrous hand but lurched forward instead. When he turned, Marcy stood at his back, already attacking with her second weapon. Lionel turned to block it but felt Wyn’s spear cut at a soft spot on the back of his leg, causing him to howl in pain.

Lionel activated the runes on his sword and lashed out with a wide swath of flames, causing both Marcy and Wyn to jump backwards in defense. They quickly returned to the fight, attacking on either side of Lionel to maximize their chance of landing another blow. Lionel’s attacks became even more chaotic than before as he twirled with his sword like an amateur or lashed out like an animal with his claws.

Wyn saw another opening and found purchase with his spear in Lionel’s thigh just below his hip. The man actually stopped and fell to a knee from the blow as Wyn withdrew his spear. Marcy stepped forward to attack when Lionel grabbed her ankle and held firm, his monstrous arm whipping out with lightning speed.

In her surprise and disrupted footing her sword went wide as she attacked.

Lionel stabbed his sword directly through her thigh as it was held in place, causing her to scream in pain. He twisted the sword as he yanked it free, spraying the floor with Marcy’s blood. He tried another stab but Wyn blocked it with a well timed and placed Shield. Wyn swiped at Lionel's face with the butt of his spear to try and yank him to the side and let go of Marcy’s leg.

The porcelain mask was lifted and pulled as Lionel jerked back and fell to the ground. It shattered on the stone floor.

Marcy crawled away as quickly possible, her leg unmoving and pouring blood with each push.

A crack of lightning blasted through the room in a boom louder than anything Wyn had heard before. It struck Lionel and lit up the chamber in a bright light as though he cast Flash again. Lionel screamed in pain as visible streaks of lightning ran across his body from Cedric’s attack, and he coughed blood once he took a breath. He clutched his smoking chest and stared at the Wizard who was already readying another attack.

Lionel burst forward with his flaming sword lighting his way with a speed that matched Wyn’s after being enhanced. When the deranged Fighter came closer, Cedric could see a raging bloodlust in his eyes. One hit would likely kill him outright, and he had absolutely no desire to be injured again. His circlet began to glow as he willed it to activate, and he tapped his boots on the stone floor at the same time. Instantly a red aura enveloped him from his boots.

Lionel continued his advance and swiped at Cedric, hitting only air. The spot where the Wizard just stood was now empty, and he appeared a short distance away closer to Wyn. His circlet still glowed but was dimmer than before.

“You damned Mage!” Lionel yelled. “Fight me like a man!”

“I’m fighting you like a Climber fights a monster,” Cedric said. He raised his scepter and launched another spell. Four small arrow-like streaks of lightning flew from a large yellow rune that formed in the air, all curving directly towards Lionel. The unmasked man jumped to the side, dodging one, then feebly blocked the rest after activating a large blast of flames from his sword. The sword’s fire evaporated and the weapon went dull, the magic used. But the elemental effect still washed over him like a painful static charge, and he was stunned from the pain.

Wyn rushed across the room as fast as he could. Tasha was already sending a healing spell to Marcy, so at least she was safe. But the threat was still ever present. Lionel had to be stopped, and he needed to be stopped now. Whatever the cost.

Another arc of lightning boomed as it struck the stone floor directly beside Lionel, missing him. He lunged at the last moment to avoid Cedric’s attack, then turned his rage to the Wizard. He gained the distance far too fast, but the Wizard teleported backwards again before being hit. Luckily he passed Wyn as he teleported and the Ruby Magician clashed with Lionel once more.

This time, Wyn had an advantage. Lionel was more chaotic and hurt, showing openings with each swing of his sword in his blind rage. Wyn’s speed was more than enough. The only problem was his inability to pierce his scaled torso.

Except, now his chest was scarred from Cedric’s lightning attack. It was his weak point. That’s where Wyn needed to attack.

When an opening presented itself seconds later, Wyn stabbed his spear deep into Lionel’s chest at the scarred point and held it. The spear head was completely buried, and unless Lionel could heal himself, it would be a fatal wound.

Lionel clenched his teeth in anger and pain and pushed himself forward on the spear, digging it deeper. As he did, he lurched forward with his sword awkwardly and stabbed Wyn deep in his stomach.

Wyn had never felt pain like that before. He instantly felt blood pool in his mouth, and he coughed it out subconsciously. The move made his stomach twitch causing more pain. Reflexively he cast Regen on himself. Despite his uses of Speed Up and Shield, using the mana potion before let him have enough to cast it. Wyn was confident it would keep him alive but the pain was still shocking.

Lionel dropped the sword and grabbed Wyn by the neck. A strange sensation started to cover Wyn, almost like a magical blanket stemming from Lionel’s hand. The man laughed, his eyes large and feral. Wyn could feel his magic leave him, the white aura around him dissipating far faster than it should. Worse of all, he felt the healing at his stomach stop.

“I can take your energy and make it my own,” Lionel said hoarsely. “Then I’ll kill each of your friends. Prove myself to be powerful and worthy!”

Wyn’s mind scrambled. The damned monster was stealing his healing aura for himself. Unless he was killed right here and now, Wyn was as good as dead.

“Cedric!” Wyn yelled, his voice strained from Lionel’s grip. “Kill him!”

“I’ll hit you too!” Cedric yelled back. “I can’t!”

Wyn looked over at the Wizard. Fear was uncharacteristically plastered all over his face, but his scepter still glowed with a bright yellow light.

Lionel’s grip was tightening and Wyn couldn’t speak. His mouth formed a plea and he hoped that Cedric could see him. That he understood the seriousness of the situation. He knew it had to be done. He’d much rather be the one to die rather than any of his teammates. Rather than his friends.

A bright light filled Wyn’s vision and he knew Cedric was casting a spell. Good. At least it’d be over soon. The last thing Wyn saw was Lionel’s face changing from anger to fear. It was that moment that Wyn knew they’d won.

Then, darkness took him.