The three Elders accompanied Lord Sebastian and Ezra to the clan’s training arena. It was a raised circular platform, floating ten feet off the ground. Around it were three rows of seats for the spectators. All duels and shooting initiations used to take place in this arena. However, since it was Dragon Claw’s private arena, only members of the clan were allowed to watch the duels. Ezra could still remember the humiliating words and laughing faces from his last training session, and he was glad that the townsfolk weren’t there to watch him today. Even though he had come a long way since then, and his arms no longer trembled, just the thought of being ridiculed by the commoners made him uneasy. Lord Sebastian was led to the high chair in the third ascending ring of seats to watch the training from the best spot while Flavius and Abigor took their seats beside him. Since Lord Cornelius was in charge of conducting the test, he accompanied Ezra to the floating platform. But just as h
Ezra fired a few shots around him at random, hoping to hit something, but his aim was way off. The power crystals were floating so far away that he had no hope of even scoring a single hit. Lord Cornelius watched with satisfaction as Ezra desperately struggled to hit anything. All his magic bullets kept flashing into nothingness as they hit nothing but air. “That is enough! There is no way even a Veteran Gunner can hit these targets while blindfolded!” Lord Sebastian exclaimed, rising from his chair. “Lord Cornelius, you are doing this on purpose just to fail my son.” Hearing Lord Sebastian’s furious outburst only made Lord Cornelius happier. Instead of getting into an argument with the Prime Patriarch, he calmly replied, “Your son has already cleared the first two stages with perfect points. I am only trying to test his mettle. Besides, he only needs to hit half the targets. That should not be too difficult for an E-level magic user.” “You are being partial toward him and intent
Lord Sebastian and the Elders returned to the council room to discuss how to deal with Zepheroth and his cultists, while Ezra was allowed to walk freely inside the Guild House and explore the place at leisure. Dragon Claw’s Guild House was an old manor house converted into a residential and educational building for the members of the clan. The most prominent room here was the private library with hundreds of books on different shooting techniques from different parts of the continent as well as detailed histories of the most widely-used firearms and enchanted bullets. There were also various training manuals to guide new Gunners about dungeons, duels, and monster hunts. Adjacent to the library was the Gunsmith’s workstation where he crafted customized firearms for the members of Dragon Claw and also forged bolts, daggers, and arrowheads. Just opposite that lay the clan’s special armory which contained a unique collection of blunderbuss rifles, muskets, multi-barrel nock guns, whee
Shocked gasps escaped from the crowd as the newly recruited Gunners started gossiping in hushed tones. They had been hearing plenty of rumors over the past few days about necrophages roaming the lands in broad daylight, and what this man blurted out before collapsing only made them more anxious. The Veterans, however, remained calm. Most of them thought the villager was delirious from his injuries and exhaustion and did not know what he was talking about. But Lord Sebastian and Aurelia knew something terrible had happened. “Move out of the way!” Lord Sebastian exclaimed aloud. “And don’t panic.” “I got this.” Flavius pushed through the crowd as it parted and made way for him. The other Elders slowly followed suit. Flavius crouched and sat beside the wounded man. He then carefully touched the man’s forehead with his right thumb and ring finger and uttered an ancient elven incantation. Seconds later, the tips of his fingers started glowing and emitting a pale green light. As
Jasenki and Iraka headed for Ishani’s shrine to enlist the help of the Goddess' chosen priests while the other Gunners followed Abigor to the training arena to hone their skills inside two training dungeons especially prepared by the Elders. The necrophage infestation around Ashgrove had already been cleared and even the villagers weren’t there to stir trouble. Jasenki and his partner were tasked with cleansing the deserted village and investigating the place to find clues about the whereabouts of the missing villagers. However, Ezra and Aurelia had a far more challenging task on their hands. Instead of being sent to a deserted village, they had been tasked with ridding Dewdale of the undead and putting an end to their dark ritual. Since Ezra had already fought the undead before, he knew it would be suicide to go in unprepared, so he first headed to the clan’s private library to learn more about the different classes of undead and the weapons and spells most effective against them.
Aurelia climbed on top of her spotted white stallion while Ezra mounted his chestnut brown one. The townsfolk steered clear as the Romanov siblings rode across town, heading for the western gate. As the two reached the western wall bordering Aranor, Flavius peeked from the watch tower and yelled, “The coast looks clear. No undead in sight.” Aurelia raised her thumb in acknowledgment and approached the gate, but Ezra seemed puzzled by the casual way in which Flavius shouted about the undead. “Shouldn’t we try to keep this a secret from the public at least?” he asked. Aurelia shook her head. “We have been hiding things from them for quite some time, but things are getting out of hand now.” “But Aranor is protected by Goddess Ishani, and the undead cannot tread upon hallowed ground,” Ezra retorted. “That used to be the case before Zepheroth was freed from his shackles, but now we cannot be so sure. The Lord of Decay is more than capable of corrupting these lands and weakening Ishani
Gunners were trained to hunt monsters and track down and eliminate rogue mages and sorcerers, but fighting the undead required special knowledge and skills possessed only by the witch hunters. However, the last witch hunters had hung up their boots over a hundred years ago when the last necromancers had been killed. Now, all that remained of the fabled merchants of death were their tales of adventure and their fading journals. No one would have expected the undead to come crawling back out of nowhere and blight the lands around Aranor, but Zepheroth’s awakening had unshackled the forces of evil. Left with no better options, Lord Sebastian had been compelled to send his own children to deal with the undead threat. No Prime Patriarch or Elder would even think about sending a newly inducted Initiate Gunner to fight a horde of undead, but Ezra had earned his badge of honor by killing a Behemoth. And with Aurelia by his side, he would always have someone to watch his back and pull him o
Aurelia wasn’t expecting to run into a Slasher when she entered the village since these ghouls were extremely rare and usually avoided leaving their dinghy hovels during daytime. While the smaller Corrupted Ghouls could easily be killed with a shot to the head or a few bullets to the chest, the Slashers could soak a good amount of damage. And what made them even more challenging to deal with, was their regenerative ability. Slashers were capable of feeding on decaying corpses to regenerate lost limbs and they could also grow additional armor plates and become beefier by consuming other ghouls. In fact, they were one of the few necrophages with extreme cannibalistic tendencies. However, when out of combat, these oversized ghouls preferred to prowl their hunting ground and feast on the leftover carcasses, sucking the marrow out of their bones and gorging on their intestines. The presence of a Slasher made Aurelia’s task much harder. Ezra could take out the smaller ghouls with his bo
Spotting an Infernal Lich on the battlefield was one of the worst things anyone could imagine while fighting an army of undead. Marlin knew this wasn’t a horde of mindless zombies, but an organized group of attackers.“What is an Infernal Lich?” Ezra questioned as Sir Galahar flew past him and landed atop the Tower of Justice.“An Infernal Lich is an undead sorcerer who has mastery over dark magic and is adept at necromancy as well. Unlike the Elder Lich, the Infernal Lich can travel between realms and even command troops from the void,” Marlin replied.While Ezra was surveying the situation from high up in the sky, Sir Galahar was organizing the soldiers of the Imperial Army into a battle formation as they marched down the streets armed with muskets and hand cannons.Since the Imperial Army could only be mobilized by the Crown, Princess Aleena had given the orders to get them battle-ready. And with Duke Carrington deposed of his authority, the rest of the nobles supported her decisio
The tangled mass of crimson threads choked the city like corrupted blood vessels as they descended upon the guard towers and clogged their windows. They eventually spread across the streets, branching into root-like projections that suffocated the low-lying cottages and corner shops.Marlin’s cursed eye widened, and his chapped lips trembled as the bloody threads coiled around the children lying unconscious on the street and started wrapping them into cocoons.“We need to save them,” he urged. “That eye resists elemental damage. I have to get close,” Ezra replied before downing a healing potion and shooting up at full speed. He knew the only way he was going to destroy the eye was by using the divine scrolls, but for that, he needed to get within striking distance.While the demonic eye was engrossed in spreading its tainted roots across the city, Ezra soared through the skies and quickly closed the gap. But as he neared the eye, the dark clouds rumbled with thunder, and Spectral Wra
Sir Galahar and Servius had been preparing for this day ever since they heard about the Flame Demon sighting outside Avondale. The city’s guard towers had been repaired, and the walls fortified with magic. But the threat marching toward the capital was much greater than they had anticipated.What made things worse was the appearance of the Eye of Doom over the city, which caused widespread panic among the masses. People scurried out of the Arcadium like insects, and those out on the streets rushed homeward to seek shelter within the safety of their houses.Ten squads of City Guards were immediately dispatched to man the walls, and the sirens were sounded from the garrison, spurring the snipers into action.The Mech Defenders were ordered to clear the streets and reinforce the gates while the adventurers were tasked with protecting the guild houses.Servius surveyed the undead army through the magic windows and quickly understood their strategy.“This is not a skirmish. They are going
Shocked gasps escaped from the people in the crowd as Ezra revealed who he actually was. The news of the brutal massacre in Aranor had made its way to the capital many weeks ago, and it was common knowledge that the Romanov family had been wiped out.But seeing Ezra standing there as the living proof of his bloodline subverted all past notions.This white-haired boy had once been hailed as a prodigy across Valaria, but his name had quickly faded from their memory after his tragic accident. But it seemed fate still had one last die to throw, and with the final toss, it had restored his fortunes.The only ones in the Arcadium who knew about the masked devil’s identity beforehand were Tanya and her father. Ezra had revealed his secret to them just last night, but it was a complete shocker for everyone else.Even Queen Guinevere and Princess Aleena had been completely clueless about Ezra’s identity up until now, and this unexpected revelation left him speechless.“So…the dragon still lives
The Duke’s shocking confession turned the whole narrative on its head, spreading further panic among the crowd. Not even Ezra had suspected him to be allied with the necromancers.“Is this another trick of yours?” Tanya questioned, still struggling to make sense of the whole situation. It seemed absurd that a high and mighty noble like Duke Carrington would willingly worship Zepheroth and kneel before the necromancers.But the Duke was quick to clear her confusion. “There is no trick in what I say. I do not worship any Gods, but I understand Zepheroth’s powers cannot be matched by mere mortals. We must kneel before him if we are to survive his reign,” he replied.“So you lied to all of us?” Marquis Desmond’s voice boomed from the distance as he marched into the arena, ready to confront the Duke. “We thought you wanted to protect the king and help the people of Magaravia fight this darkness.”“Fight? How can anyone fight a God?” Duke Carrington retorted in a mocking tone. “Are you even
The spectators who had once eagerly supported Ezra now seemed to regard him as the greatest enemy of the kingdom. The sudden change in their behavior shocked him.“How did they believe him so easily?” Ezra asked, unable to believe what had just happened. “Something is not right.”While it was common for the gullible commoners to be duped by the cunning words of the influential nobles, the change seemed to be too drastic this time. The same crowd that had been cheering for Ezra had suddenly changed sides, almost on a whim, and even the other nobles seemed to be siding with the Duke.Marlin was also surprised by this twist. It was as if Duke Carrington had bought their allegiance with a snap of his fingers.Queen Guinevere stood up to reason with the spectators. “Listen to me, good people of Magaravia. Your beloved Duke is lying to you. King Reginald never intended to sell you to the Lord of Decay. While I agree he may not be the bravest, he is certainly not a traitor.”The Queen though
The Spectral Phoenix let out a piercing shriek that carried its voice across the city, dispersing the gray clouds and illuminating the sky with a brilliant golden radiance.Ezra channeled his magic energy outward and boosted his flying speed, breaking away from the phoenix as it surged toward him.“I have never seen a Spectral Phoenix before. These spirits are primal manifestations of the fire element and are regarded as the most challenging ones to tame. Their flames are undying, and if you get touched by its feathers, it will burn you to ash in the blink of an eye,” Marlin cautioned.Ezra continued flying backward, keeping the phoenix in his sights. But he was so focused on the spectral bird that he forgot all about its owner.Duke Carrington took advantage of this distraction and replenished his magic power with a couple of Superior Magic Restoration Potions before warming himself with the phoenix’s Thermal Radiance ability.Finally free from the numbing effects of the frost, Duke C
Duke Carrington fired a round into the sky to celebrate his victory and turned to the crowd expecting a thunderous applause. But instead of being greeted with cheers and shouts of joy, he was met with a stern silence.“What’s wrong with you all? Are you not happy I vanquished that rookie and offered you a glimpse of my true powers?” he yelled at the top of his voice, staring at the mute spectators. “I am the Champion of Valaria, and I promise Magaravia will be safe in my care.”“So, what are we celebrating?” A voice questioned from behind, wiping the smile from Duke Carrington’s face.“Over there!”“He is alive!”The crowd went berserk with shouts and howls as they spied their favorite Gunner flying near the clouds, holding a sniper in his hand.Duke Carrington clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palms, and turned around to face his opponent.“How did you survive that?” He muttered, trying his best to restrain his rage.“I have been stabbed in the back plenty of times before
Duke Carrington’s eyes widened as he heard the accusation. He could already tell his plans had been leaked, but he could not understand how a stranger could know about his ambitions.“Who are you?” he demanded, staring daggers at Ezra. “The dragon of Aranor,” Ezra replied, staring right back.Before either could speak again, a set of stone slabs and pillars shot up from the ground, redecorating the arena with obstacles and separating the two contestants.The crowd erupted with wild cheers as the brass bell was hammered in the commentary tower, declaring the start of the round.“I don’t care who you are, but that mask is coming off today!” Duke Carrington shouted with full-throated fury, unleashing a devastating volley of Disintegration Rounds from his Rapid-Firing Six-shooter.Ezra ran across the arena, moving from cover to cover as the stone slabs in front of him were punched full of holes. “There is no point running from me. You can’t survive!”Duke Carrington reloaded his second g