Round Two

"Damn pests!" The black dragon screamed, incinerating a group of gargoyles as it closed to the battleships, allowing them to fire their cannons.

The dragon flapped its wings, throwing itself backwards, and dodging several crossbow darts.

It spotted various gargoyles reloading their crossbows, so it darted towards them before they could fire again, colliding and reducing them to pieces.

Another group approached with rapiers in hand, the dragon grabbed two in its paws and crushed them to dust, then spun its body, using its tail as a whip and tearing three more apart.

One last gargoyle flew toward its head, hoping to pierce its eye, but the dragon flew aside, dodging the blow and biting the monster, reducing it to dust.

"ISN'T THERE ANYONE HERE WHO CAN CHALLENGE ME?!" The dragon roared.

"Get out of the way!" A childish voice yelled.

The black dragon's eyes widened as it saw a mass of gargoyles clinging to something. Then, it moved away as it flapped its wings, creating a gale and blowing the creatures away, revealing a small white dragon.

The dragon reoriented itself midair and looked around, noticing the large black dragon staring at it.

"AAAHHH!" The white dragon screamed in fright.

"Why the surprise, never seen a dragon before?" The black dragon asked amused.

"No sir! Wait, I mean… Yes, sir!" The white dragon answered nervously.

"HAHA! What are you doing here young one? This is not a place for children like you."

"I am not a child, I am Mikhail, a big and strong dragon!" Mikhail replied, puffing his chest.

"And why are you here, Mikhail?"

"I'm here to get stronger so my friend will finally call me by my name."

"Seriously?" The dragon asked doubtfully.

"Yes! She always calls me a dummy or Hey you! But never by my name. She will only do it if I become a real dragon and I need to get stronger for that! She said I should start by sinking these ships!"

"Well, that would be a problem as my… associate asked me to help those ships." The black dragon responded, approaching Mikhail with bared fangs, making him recoil frightened.

"Hm... I-I d-don't want to fight you, but I need to do what my friend asked me to do!"

"A complicated situation, but I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?"

"Yes, you want to grow stronger, don't you? I propose you help me destroy these gargoyles bloating the skies."

"Yes, I will do anything to get stronger!"

"Then follow me young dragon, I will show you how to be a real dragon! ROAR!"

"Yes sir! Roar!" Mikhail roared, sounding more like a child's scream. "Wait a minute, what about my friend?! She will be mad if she finds out I left!" Mikhail asked while the black dragon looked towards the beach.

"Don't worry, I think your friend just met with my associate, they seem busy."

"Oh! So it's better not to interrupt them."

"I agree, so, without further ado, follow me!" The black dragon darted swiftly past Mikhail.

"Hey, wait for me!" Mikhail shouted, flapping his wings rapidly, trying to keep up with the black dragon.

-XXXXXX-

Zero's sword collided with Edric's shield, sending a shock wave across the beach.

"Why do you always stand in my way?!" Zero demanded with anger in her eye.

"I am not to blame, I just wished to visit the beach, swim a little, tan, and go to war. The gargoyles are a pleasant addition since they blend with the landscape." Edric replied, stepping forward, trying to push Zero away.

She gripped her sword with both hands, applying more strength and keeping the knight in place.

"War?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

They backed away from each other, dodging an invader trying to slash them with his Zweihander.

"Didn't you hear the word? Three and One have declared war on each other." Edric bashed the invader's chest while Zero slashed his neck, reducing him to red particles.

"HA! Looks like they've finally lost it, not that they had it to begin with!" Zero kicked Edric, who shielded himself, the strength of the kick sending his feet skidding across the beach, leaving lines in the sand.

"Look around you, this is no laughing matter, people are dying! You talk as if Three and One madness was expected!" He removed several throwing knives from his bottomless bag and hurled them at Zero.

She dodged most of the knives, one cutting her cheek, and some of her hair, and hitting an invader holding a dagger behind her.

"Don't go where you don't belong, there are things here that have nothing to do with you!" Zero dragged her sword in the sand as she approached the knight, throwing a sand cloud and blinding him.

Edric swung his shield, dispersing the cloud, but too late as Zero slashed his chest.

"AAAHHH!" Edric screamed, but he endured the pain and thrust his sword forward, piercing Zero's shoulder, receiving a pained cry.

The two fighters backed away and faced each other again.

"Bastard, you are hard to kill!" She yelled as her wound healed.

"Equally, but I'm wearing armor, unlike you, if you did not acknowledge." He advanced and tried to pierce her heart.

Zero leaped, passing over Edric, who stomped the ground, stopping his advance and turning around in time to raise his shield, blocking Zero's sword.

"Armors are nothing to me, I can tear through steel like paper." She slashed Edric's shield repeatedly, putting him on the defensive.

"So you've never found armor made by a real blacksmith." He found an opening in one of Zero's strikes and tried to pierce her again, but she stepped away from the strike that hit another oncoming invader.

"Argh! What are those things?!" Zero watched the invader stand again with a hole in his chest.

The invader hit by Edric's throwing knives also stood to his feet as he removed the blades from his body.

"Vengeful spirits that returned to life and individuals that inhabit other worlds." He dodged the invader's ax blow.

"What do you think I am? A five-year-old?!?" Zero dodged a dagger strike from the invader hit by the knives.

"You have the maturity of one." Edric blocked an ax-wielding blow from the invader.

Simultaneously, Zero and Edric finished off their opponents, she cut off the hand that held the dagger and then the invader's head. The knight, on the other hand, deflected a blow from the invader's ax, then pierced his heart.

Zero and Edric faced each other again. Unfortunately, for Zero, she faced Edric's catalyst, who cast Ignite, unleashing a short-range fire blast at her face.

"AAAHHH!"

Taking advantage of the opening, the knight approached Zero and covered her body in cuts, one of them aimed at her neck, but she ducked at the last second and tripped Edric, knocking him backward.

She jumped and fell with her foot aimed at Edric's head, intending to crush it, but he rolled away, getting on his hands and knees as the blow created a small tremor followed by a sand cloud.

Suddenly, the Intoner left the cloud and landed a mighty kick to Edric's armored head, bringing him to his feet due to the strength of the attack, the resulting noise similar to a bell.

The blow left him disoriented and unprotected to Zero's sword piercing his heart.

"Can you finally die now?!" She screamed, covered in healing wounds and drying blood due to her regeneration.

The knight winced as the sword pierced his heart, he dropped his sword and shield, both falling with a heavy thud.

The answer to her question was unexpected, as instead of dropping dead, Edric grabbed her sword arm and pulled her closer, driving the blade deeper into his body, to the Intoner's surprise and horror.

"I would shame all the hardships I've faced and friends I've lost if I died to this!" He grabbed Zero's shoulders and delivered a head-butt, knocking her back with a bloody broken nose.

Grabbing his talisman, Edric cast Recovery, healing most of his wounds while the magic ring cared for the rest.

"What are you?" Zero asked as she stood up.

"A Slayer of Demons."

"A Slayer of Demons? Is this what I am to you, a demon?"

"You haven't proven otherwise so far."

"Hump! Maybe I am one." She ran her hand over the flower in her eye.

"Are you talking about the flower?"

"How… How do you know about it?" She asked surprised.

"A dragon told me."

"Of course, who else would know? You didn't sit around doing nothing after what happened in the cathedral."

"I would be a fool if I had. Listen, this fight is pointless, there's an ongoing war, the Land of Seas is under attack and Invaders are everywhere. Let's stop this madness and discover the truth behind what's happening here."

"HAHA! Don't give me that hero talk, you're just waiting for the right moment to kill me. What do you want, fame and glory for killing the terrible Intoner Zero? Money? Or do you want to hand me over to my sisters? Take one of them to your bed perhaps?" Zero mocked.

"No, I just can see the bigger picture, moreover, I made a promise."

"Promise, what promise?"

"That I would give your sisters a chance, a chance to show that they are not a threat to Midgard."

"What an idiot, you made an impossible promise because I will kill them all, no matter the cost."

"I won't allow that as I need the truth, I would despise to kill your sisters and discover my wrongdoings in the end, but I also promised that I would act if they revealed to be a danger."

"Meh! It looks like you put some thought into it."

"Unlike you. Therefore, what is your answer? Can we stop and find the truth behind all this chaos?"

"It is an interesting proposition, but I'll have to refuse, you'll be in my way and I don't like that. I'll kill my sisters, and nothing will change my mind." She pointed her sword at the knight.

"A shame, for a moment I thought you were reasonable." He retrieved his sword and shield.

"You will find that I am anything but reasonable."

"It's not the first time I've dealt with people like you."

"Seriously, who was the first?"

"Why don't you come over here and find out?"

Suddenly, several invaders appeared on the fortifications before they could fight, aiming their arrows at both fighters in the middle of the beach.

"Shit!" Zero screamed.

"Certainly." Edric completed.

Then, the invaders pulled their bowstrings.

"Mikhail/Dragon!" Zero and Edric screamed simultaneously.

Fireballs rained from the sky, hitting both fortification and burning the invaders to ashes.

"Hey Zero! I made a new friend!" Mikhail shouted, hovering above the beach.

"Are you done with your little fight, human?" The black dragon asked right after.

"Are you guys done killing each other yet?" Eupherbia asked startled, stepping from behind a rock.

"You bastard, do you have a dragon?" Zero demanded.

"Have, is a strong word, it only accompanies me as long as I feed it." The knight replied.

"Mikhail, get away from that dragon, he is our enemy!"

"But Zero, he's so cool, he helped me fight those stone things and get stronger."

"Patience young one, this rush will kill you on the battlefield. And you, human, don't talk to me like I'm a pet." The black dragon said.

"Yes sir!" Mikhail answered.

"Whatever, I've wasted enough time! You, tinhead! You can come with me, but get on my way and I will fucking kill you!"

"I'm glad you finally heard the voice of reason." Edric answered.

"Stay with me long enough and you'll see that reason is not my strong point." The Intoner headed toward a tent on the other side of the beach, which didn't match the war around her, and read a note resting on its counter.

"Dear customer, welcome to the Patches Wondrous Emporium, where you'll find all the items you need to venture into these perilous lands, all legally acquired of course! Unfortunately, I cannot stay to offer you the best service, I have to care for my dear sick mother, so place your order for the items listed below and leave the required souls at the counter, your item will be delivered immediately."

-Signed Patches, The Hyena, The Trusty, The Spider, The Unbreakable, The Untethered.

-Item List-

"Half Moon Grass"

"Late Moon Grass"

"Full Moon Grass"

"Fresh Spices"

"Archstone Fragment"

"New Moon Grass"

"Dark Moon Grass"

"Sticky White Stuff"

"Stone of Ephemeral Eyes"

"Heavy Dart"

"Heavy Arrow"

"White Arrow"

"Cat Ring"

"Fragrant Ring"

"Barbarian Clothes"

"Barbarian Gauntlets"

"Barbarian Leggings"

"Souls? Is this some kind of joke? I've also never heard of anything this guy sells."

Edric read the letter over Zero's shoulder, approached the counter, and raised his hand.

Small blue particles gathered on his palm, forming a bright sphere that he placed on the counter before it disappeared, revealing pieces of grass of different colors and vials with strange liquids inside.

"What is that?"

"Grass to heal wounds and spice to restore magic." Edric stuffed the items into his bag.

"Does it work?" The Intoner crossed her arms in doubt.

"Yes, I would be dead if it weren't for them. Here, eat this." He offered her a piece of grass.

"Are you calling me a cow?" She frowned.

"You are fat like one." Edric replied, only to receive a punch to the helm, sending him flying across the beach.

"HAHAHA! Worth it!" He screamed through the pain while Zero ate the grass with an angry grimace.

"It's not that bad after all, it tastes sweet." She swallowed the grass, noticing all her wounds healing. "Who knew, you were speaking the truth, I hope you don't mind if I need more." She smiled sardonically.

"As long as you pay me later." Edric stood to his feet.

"Dream about it. Tell me, what did you use to pay for these things?"

"Souls."

"If you don't want to tell me, then just keep your mouth shut, but I can't judge, we're anything but normal."

"This is one of the few times I agree with you."

The gate across the beach opened and a horde of invaders entered.

"Look who's back for more, hope you can keep up." She sang, activating her Intoner Mode.

"Don't underestimate me, I rarely feel tired." Edric cast Cursed Weapon and Warding.

"I will put that to the test tonight."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll find out, I just hope the thing underneath that armor is as big as the sword you used in Cathedral City."

Edric grunted irritated, understanding what Zero meant. Therefore, the two allies? Maybe yes, maybe no, advanced, destroying the horde of invaders on their way to Five's sanctuary.

-XXXXXX-

Report Number 4: Edric and Zero meet each other again, and the branch strays more and more from its original form. None of the other Recorders claim to know anything about the Nexus, the Monumental, or what the title of Slayer of Demons means. The option to confront Edric directly still stands, I wonder if I should do that. On another note… Who the hell is Patches and what is he doing overtaking my shop?!? When I find him I will...

Black Phantom… Bartholomew Steelfist has invaded this world.

Black Phantom… Slaughter Vyktoria has invaded this world.

Black Phantom… Shatterer Martron has invaded this world.

Continuing the report, beings known as invaders appeared in droves. From what I hear from Edric's conversation with One, they are spirits of the dead or people from different worlds/timelines/branches. They shouldn't appear in abundance, something is calling them here.

Black Phantom…

Black Phantom…

Black Phantom…

I will end my report here, the presence of invaders prevents me from leaving this branch, so I will have to eliminate them as before.

End of report.

END OF CHAPTER