Exploration of Chyribdys

The gang ran into Mebbas, Zelgram, and someone else that was dressed like something between a samurai and a kannushi. "Well well well, look at the freaks of nature. All you're missing is a cage and you'll be ready for the circus." Mebbas laughed, but G ended up bashing into him with a headbutt. Zelgram just looked at Merlin for a split second, and looked away from him. The other boy looked at Merlin with some confusion, but went to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm a Beastman of the City of Monstrukus, call me Rikusa. I just take a human appearance sometimes, but I'm actually a panda. Let's be friends yes?" he asked with a straight face and confidence. Merlin agreed and shook his hand, then went to Zel to shake his hand too. "Hey, no more hard feelings. Alright?" he asked, Zel started to smile a bit and agreed. Mebbas just looked annoyed, and checked his backpack for supplies, and ordered Zel and Rikusa to head to a Dark Lord Spire that was close by. "You losers can run around and do whatever, we're gonna get more powers and be badasses, see ya." he said as he went to the spire. Morgan suggested they followed just in case they botch it up, so the three went to the spire as well. The entire thing was just a pure black rectangle reaching into the sky and past the clouds. There were no windows, no doors, just the tower. "This is the tower of the Dark Lord of Dragons, Chyribdys Dragnew. If we manage to defeat him in battle, we'll gain the powers of a dragon, including the Dragon's Breath. However this isn't available for us. We're too young and we lack the magick necessary for this. We're only 10, we need to be at the Peak Condition." Rikusa said, but Mebbas just hit him in the stomach and walked in alone. "He struck me despite me telling him the truth. Seems my allying myself with him was the wrong choice." he said while looking at Zel. Zel reluctantly agreed and saw Merlin coming with Morgan and G, so he asked if they could go inside and get Mebbas out of there. "Part of me wants to let him get ejected by force. However I don't want to hear his bitching. So let's go. Just note we're not going to fight Chyribdys, we're getting the moron and leaving." Morgan said, with everyone agreeing and going with her into the spire like it was a wall of water.

The inside of the tower was illuminated with red light, and already there were large lizard warriors with clubs made of rocks, so they had to fight them. Zel learned more about his Zodiac Battle Art of Aries, and his Tarot of The Chariot. Rikusa was fairing well on his own, ditching the stomach armor and kimono top and going into his panda form, which wasn't very different to his normal self, minus the fur and the small ponytail. Once they were done, they went into the next room, which was just an oasis to relax in. G swam in the water and seemed very relaxed, mostly in part of him using a lot of water fighting those lizard warriors. Rikusa confidently stripped with the same normal expression on his face, and went into the water. Merlin was watching with his eyes wide, but then adjusted his glasses and sat down to enjoy the feeling of the steam. Morgan whispered to Zel and they managed to get him to strip to his underwear and get him in the water next to Rikusa. "Huh. You have very nice curves. I approve." he said in a monotone voice with a thumbs up. Merlin's face was completely red and he started blasting at Morgan for pushing him and stripping him down in front of someone so suddenly. Rikusa put his paws on Merlin's hips with a satisfied look on his face. "Such soft skin. You shall be my partner. I'll invite my friends and we shall form a team. Morgan and G can join as well." he said, still with the monotone in his voice. Merlin didn't seem to be paying much attention, as the heat was getting to him pretty quick and he seemed very spaced out, so Rikusa pulled him out of the water and put his glasses back on him. After a minute, everyone got back to looking for Mebbas, but found themselves in a Boss Room, full of over 3,000 ant beasts, each as big as a golf ball. Mebbas was in the room, on the wall and bleeding out slowly with small bite mark holes on his body. Everyone looked at him, then the ants, and figured that he barely got far due to the fatigue of the first room. He skipped the oasis and went right into this room. "Alright, so basically we have to beat all of these ants and book it. Alright, let's start blastin'!" G said, already making a massive water ball. Morgan, Zel, and Rikusa summoned weapons, however Merlin didn't know how. "Oh right. I'm an idiot. Use that black crystal I gave you to manifest a weapon. Its Weaponite Ore." Morgan said. Merlin took it out of his Grimoire, and thought of a weapon which turned out to be a pitch black scythe, with the blade's edge shining like a prism. He ran into the horde first, swinging his scythe like he mastered it before and taking out multiple ants. Morgan and Zel followed, with Morgan using a flurry of arrows, and Zel using a spiked hammer. Despite it's supposed weight, Zel swung it with incredible speed and accuracy. G used his tail and hardened it in chrome, then covered it in water to act as a whip, and he was swift as well. Rikusa had the most impractical weapon, a flying guillotine, yet was swinging it around like it was a normal weightless whip. All of them were closing in on Mebbas, slicing apart the ants in small groups. Merlin then summoned a massive fist of flames, and slammed it into the ground, whipping out a large amount of ants, and ran to grab Mebbas before summoning a road of ice and skated out with everyone else. "Dammit all, more ants are coming. We gotta get out of this room. How do we eject from this tower?" Merlin asked. Zel blasted a hole through the wall that led to outside, and everyone jumped outside before the hole closed itself back up. Morgan held Mebbas and healed him back up, with everyone catching their breath. Rikusa held Merlin's hips again, smiling as he did so and rested his head on his shoulder.

Mebbas woke back up, and saw that everyone was waiting for him to regain consciousness. "Huh? What the hell? Why am I outside the tower?" he asked, but Zel punched him in the head. "You actual dumbass! You thought going in guns blazing was a good idea, in a Dark Lord Spire? What if Chyribdys came early, and fought us? We'd all be dead, and all to save your stupid ass! Well that's it, we're done. Find your own group, do whatever you want, I don't care. Me and Rikusa are joining with Merlin as a sub team. I owe him, G, and Morgan. At least they have common sense. Come on Rikusa, we should go home now and regroup tomorrow." he said, with Rikusa nodding in agreement. He then hugged Merlin and Morgan, apologizing for what he had done when they first met. Merlin forgave him, and patted his back, meanwhile Mebbas was looking down in disbelief that he lost so easily to a pack of ants. Everyone left, and Mebbas went to his house, rethinking everything after being humiliated like that. Meanwhile in the tower, Chyribdys looked outside through a sort of magick mirror. "Get stronger little ones. Get stronger, and you shall be able to take on the worlds. I shall wait here for you, and your potential shall grow." he said in a deep growling voice, smiling and with smoke coming from his mouth and flipping a coin between his scaled fingers.