Chapter 8

A Dragon's Roar

"Dammit," Barnaby cursed.

"What do we do?" I asked, not at all ashamed of the slight tremor in my voice as I stared at the advancing burst linkers.

Barnaby didn't respond right away, which worried me immensely. Barnaby always had an air of confidence about him, but seeing him then, clearly afraid and uncertain, I couldn't help but feel scared.

The surrounding burst linkers silently closed ranks around us, stalking towards us like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey. Up above, the other three were slowly making their way down the cliff face, all while Topaz Warlock's cruel laughter echoed. We were completely trapped.

"Marcus." I jolted when I heard Barnaby speak. His voice was quiet and almost eerily calm, save for a slight waver to his voice. "I hate to say it, but things aren't looking good for us."

"Is there anyone we can call or something?" I asked desperately.

"With the time dilation? No, they'd have to already be here for anything to get through and even if they were, they'd never get here in time," Barnaby said grimly.

"So, what do we do?" I asked, flinching at a vicious grin one of the advancing burst linkers seemed to give me.

"We've got no choice but to punch our way out of this," Barnaby said.

"'Punch through them?'" I repeated incredulously. "That's your plan?!"

"Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of options," Barnaby snapped waspishly. "We need to force our way through their lines and get to a log out zone."

"You expect us to be able to get past all of them?" I questioned.

"Hopefully, Topaz Warlock decided to go with quantity over quality in terms of his…associates," Barnaby said, though he didn't sound very confident. "With luck, we'll be able to push past them and get to a zone. Either way, stay close to me."

"Luck," I repeated, slightly exasperated.

Barnaby gave a wordless nod, bringing up his shield and readying his lance. Gulping, I readied myself, slipping into the basic stance I had learned in karate. Behind us, the three burst linkers that were scaling the cliff were almost upon us while the others had formed a semi-circle around us. For several excruciatingly long seconds, none of us moved. We all just stood there, silently observing one another. Then, as if a signal had been given, they attacked.

I would love to describe what happened next as an epic battle where Barnaby and I defied all odds and defeated each and every burst linker attacking us, with timely explosions here and there, but I can't. In reality, much of what happened was nothing more than a blur of colors and echoes of metal impacting against metal.

Like Barnaby had guessed, it seemed like the burst linkers Topaz Warlock had brought weren't very good. This, of course, is relative considering that they were all level four, but, had it not been for the Unlimited Neutral Field' requirements, I would have pegged them for lower level players.

For one thing, the melee fighters had little to no actual form or tactics. They just swung their weapons around like a child with a pool noodle. Even I wasn't that bad when I first started. They should have definitely gotten better as the went up in levels, but clearly not. They also kept hitting each other by accident. I could sort of understand why, there were only two of us and almost twenty of them. Some collateral damage was to be expected, though not the level in which they were doing it.

I could only see two red avatars, aside from Brick Mortar who had remained at the top of the cliff with Topaz Warlock, but there seemed to be more than just the two of them attacking from a range. They weren't doing nearly as bad as the others, though that probably because they weren't doing much. Unlike the melee fighters, those with ranged capabilities seemed to be more careful and less willing to attack when there was a change of collateral damage.

However, despite the ineptness of our attackers, the numbers game was proving to be too much for both Barnaby and myself.

For the most part, all we could do was dodge the onslaught of attacks, hardly given the chance to strike back for fear of leaving ourselves open for attacks. Not to mention we had to constantly watch our backs so we weren't literally stabbed in them. Twice we tried to rush through their lines, once using Barnaby's shield, the other after I'd used Horn Rush, but each time we did, a missile, courtesy of Brick Mortar, would come screaming through the air and explode in front of us, forcing us back into the other burst linkers.

For the most part, most of the hits I took, aside from Brick Mortar's explosions, were glancing blows, but they were starting to add up. Not to mention the lack of pain dampeners made each hit feel like my body was being set on fire. After my initial fall from the cliff, I had lost about a quarter of my health. Currently, I had little over a third of my health. I couldn't see Barnaby's health, but, judging by the dings and scratches covering his armor, he was in a similar situation.

We were currently pushed back close towards the cliff, the rest of the burst linkers forming a tight semi-circle in front of us. We had no chance of escape now and, if things continued the way they were, we wouldn't last much longer.

My thoughts shattered as pain erupted from my side. Without even looking, I swung around, grabbing the blade that had just pierced through my armor, yanked it out of me, and spun around to face my attacker. The burst linker, a wood colored figure with what looked like a metal dog's head, seemed to have been shocked by my action, but I didn't give him time to react. I smashed my fist into his face before letting go of his weapon, a short dagger that jutted from the top of his hand, and slashed him with my claws. The burst linker fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

Panting, I turned around, having heard someone getting too close and saw a blue avatar lunging towards me with some kind of curved sword. They were too close for me to dodge. Just as they were about to impale me, a familiar turquoise lance, spinning like a high-powered drill, carved through him, tearing off his arms and taking a chunk out of his torso.

I barely withheld a sympathetic wince when the burst linker screeched in absolute agony, the pain of losing their limbs most likely more than they could bear. Their screams, thankfully ended just as quick as they started as the burst linker, severed limbs and all, suddenly lost color and went still. They were defeated.

"Are you okay?" Barnaby asked me, his voice thick with exhaustion and aggravation.

"Y-Yeah," I managed to get out, barely managing to dodge a relatively slow-moving bullet.

Barnaby grunted, bringing up his shield to block a large claymore sword from turning him into a grease pot. I immediately began moving closer to the turquoise colored avatar, knowing that, since he used his special move, he would be without his lance for several more seconds until a new one spawned on his arm.

I plunged my claws into the flank of the one attacking Barnaby, a particularly large green avatar, causing him to shout and grip to falter. Immediately, Barnaby swung his shield, knocking the claymore away before slamming his shield into the avatar's face. Momentarily stunned, he was unable to catch himself as I lashed out at him with my tail, wrapping it around his ankles and causing him to trip and crash to the ground. He wasn't done, but he was dazed for the time being.

"Keep pushing!" Barnaby shouted to me, regaining his lance and stabbing at a burst linker that got too close. "We just need to take out a few more before we can—"

Whatever he was going to say was lost as a loud bang followed by a steadily growing high-pitched whistle echoed through the area. Before I could comprehend what was happening, something sliced through his arm at his shoulder.

Time seemed to come to a screeching halt. Bits of turquoise colored metal filled the air as Barnaby's right arm, lance and all, was severed at the shoulder. I could see Barnaby's glowing eyes widen from behind his mask in surprise as he stared at the place his arm used to be. All at once, time restarted as Barnaby's arm fell to the ground, and Barnaby cried out in pain.

Barnaby fell to the ground, clutching the stump where his arm used to be, his shield having fallen to the ground shortly after he was hit. I could only stand there, frozen in horror at the horrifying image of Barnaby laying there, his right arm laying a few feet away.

"What…?"

The sound of falling rock snapped me out of my temporary stupor. Turning, I saw Brick Mortar sliding down the cliff using his left arm to control his descent, his right arm shifting from a slightly slimmer design to its original cannon shape. My eyes narrowed. He had to have been the one who shot Barnaby.

Pulling my gaze away from the red avatar, I took note that our attackers were starting to move closer. With a growl I lunged forward, swinging at those that got too close. "Stay back!" I shouted, my claws leaving five long gashes across the chest of a beetle looking burst linker.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," the grating voice of Topaz Warlock rang out from above. Chancing a glance, I would have gaped had I had an actual mouth. The wizard-like burst linker was hovering just a few feet away above Brick Mortar, descending in tandem with the red burst linker. The yellow burst linker's entire demeanor read smug and confident, as if he knew he won, which, to be honest, it looked like he had.

A pained grunt at my feet alerted me to Barnaby beginning to move. I quickly crouched to help him, looping my arm around his non-severed arm. "Are you okay, Barnaby?"

"Obviously not," Barnaby grunted, slowly rising to his feet. It was clear that he was still in incredible pain, but he refused to let it show. He shrugged me off, his glowing eyes narrowing with obvious anger and defiance.

"I will admit," Topaz Warlock began, seemingly oblivious to Barnaby's glare, "I didn't expect either of you to survive more than thirty seconds against my little posy. Clearly, I was mistaken." Despite the wizard's jovial demeanor, I could hear an underlining threat in his voice. I must not have been the only one as almost all of the other burst linkers shuddered in fear, Brick Mortar being the exception.

"Regardless," Topaz Warlock continued. "I'm going to have to end this little confrontation here and now. Unless of course…you wish to get on your knees and beg."

I could feel the yellow burst linker's twisted smile stretching across his face. Beside me, a low growl escaped Barnaby's throat. "What was that?"

"Oh? Has the pain made you temporarily deaf?" Topaz Warlock asked flippantly. "I said, if you get down on your hands, or in your case, hand, and knees and beg me, I might just let you walk away from all this."

"And we're just supposed to believe you?" Barnaby snarled.

"What can I say? I'm in a good mood. If you appeal to my better nature, I might just let you two leave," Topaz Warlock said with an almost nonchalant shrug. I say almost, because I swear, he was grinning at us.

I didn't need Barnaby to tell me that he was lying. His very presence screamed malicious intent. He wanted nothing more than to see us humiliate ourselves before snuffing out our last ray of hope. This man…he was nothing but evil.

"You'll get no such satisfaction from us!" Barnaby shouted defiantly.

The yellow player didn't appear dismayed by Barnaby's answer. In fact, I would wager that he expected it. Topaz Warlock shrugged in an uncaring manner. "Ah well. I tried. Mortar."

It took me a second to realize what Topaz Warlock had just said and, by the time I realized it, it was already too late.

The red gunman raised his cannon arm, pointing it directly at me and Barnaby. For half a second, I thought it was a bluff. Their men were too close for him to fire a rocket at us and it didn't look like his arm was shifting to whatever form it had been when he shot Barnaby. There was no way he'd shoot.

This thought died before it could fully form.

Time seemed to slow to a snail's pace. A flash of fire and smoke erupted from the cannon and a red blur came rocketing out of the barrel. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed by shock. The projectile was racing towards me and I could only haplessly stare at it.

All of a sudden, I felt a tug on my arm and I was pulled to the ground, a heavy object landing on top of me. I didn't get a chance to comprehend what was happening, the Brick Mortar's projectile exploded.

-Rise of the Dragon-

My vision turned white and my ears rang like a gong had gone off in my head. A massive wave of concussive force ripped past me, bombarding my armor with bits of rubble and shrapnel. I most likely would have been sent tumbling across the ground had it not been for whatever was pining me to the ground. Then, just as quickly as it came, it all ended, leaving me reeling.

Slowly, the white veil began to give way to color as my vision began to return, revealing a world full of smoke and settling dust. The ringing persisted, leaving me disoriented and dazed. I groaned, pain racking my body. I rolled onto my stomach, unintentionally dislodging whatever had been on me.

Still dazed, I lifted myself up to my knees before trying to get to my feet. I stopped almost immediately as my vision began to swim and I nearly fell over. I closed my eyes, trying to recover my senses. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and tried again, this time making it to my feet albeit shakily.

I looked down at myself, taking note of several cracks and dents that now spanned my entire body. I wobbled slightly, noting that my head felt slightly lighter. Bringing my hand up, I felt that one of my horns was missing.

The ringing in my ears was beginning to diminish, allowing me to hear what sounded like soft groans. Turning me head, I saw several figures hunched over in the dust. Even with all the dust, I could see their brightly colored bodies moving in a disoriented manner. Sluggishly, my mind recognized them as the ones that had attacked me and Barnaby.

Barnaby!

I frantically looked around for the turquoise colored burst linker, only to stumble as my vision began to swim again from the fast movements. He had been right next to me when the projectile hit. So, where was he?

I took a shaky step forward in an attempt to search the area only to stumble when my foot caught on something hidden by the still settling dust. Just barely catching myself before I fell, I looked down to see a glint of dulled turquoise peeking out from the dust cloud. My mind, still not fully caught up to the rest of my body, took a while to comprehend what I was seeing.

"Barnaby!" I cried, instantly falling to my knees next to him. To my horror, his body was in a horrible state. Aside from his severed arm, his shield was broken in several places. His armor was missing pieces and heavily cracked. His left leg had been blown clear off and his face plate was cracked. What's worse was that his body was no longer the same vibrant turquoise as before and was now almost gray, indicating that he was 'dead'.

It took me another second to realize that he had been the one that had tugged me to the ground and covered me. He had sacrificed himself to keep me alive.

"Well then. That was rather…dramatic. Then again, you've always had a flair for that kind of thing, Mortar."

I felt my heart still with fear at the all too familiar voice. Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar stepped through the smoke cloud and stared at me. Topaz Warlock seemed to smirk as he saw Barnaby's unmoving body. "Well, that was easier than I anticipated. Though I am surprised you survived the blast," he added, looking at me. "I guess Metal Duel Avatars are indeed hardier than others. That or Brick Mortar here is losing his edge."

The red burst linker gave no indication that they had even heard Topaz Warlock's joke. They simply kept their cannon arm trained on me and I had no doubt in my mind that they'd shoot another rocket at me if I stepped towards them.

Unperturbed by Brick Mortar's lack of response, Topaz Warlock turned his attention back to those behind me. "Those of you that are still alive, get up," he called out.

"You shot us!" one of the burst linkers shouted in outrage. "You freaking shot at us!"

"Some of us died!" another shrieked.

"You were in the way," Brick Mortar spoke for the first time. His voice deep and heavy. Most likely that of an older man.

"You all knew what you signed up for," Topaz Warlock added. "Casualties were to be suspected."

"Not due to our own allies!" another shouted.

Topaz Warlock waved his hand dismissively. "It is of no consequence. They all had plenty of burst points left. None of them were at risk of the app being uninstalled. These two however…" He turned back to look at me and Barnaby's body. "These two will be losing the app by the end of today."

I felt a lump stick in my throat as I felt the gaze of every burst linker fall on me. I felt isolated and cornered, like a fox being surrounded by a group of hunting dogs. My health was already dangerously low and, to make things worse, Barnaby was out of commission for a whole hour.

I was alone. Outnumbered and, considering the sheer amount of damage Brick Mortar could do by himself, outmatched. It would only take a single hit to do me in and I'd be in the same boat as Barnaby: anxiously waiting for the moment I respawn only to be killed again and again until my burst points ran out. Which would be only two more times for me.

Around me, the other burst linkers began to rally, apparently setting aside their annoyance in favor of focusing on me. I brought my arms up, prepared to defend myself, but I knew it was hopeless. My health was hardly a quarter, my armor was heavily damaged, leaving me vulnerable to attacks. I noted that my special move gauge was full, but it wouldn't do me any good with my condition, but even so…

My fingers curled into tight fists.

Even if I knew I'd lose, I wouldn't just stand around and take it! If I was going to lose, I'd take as many of them down with me!

Resolve crushed my previous fear to the furthest corner of my mind. Determined to go down fighting, I opened the tab for my special move only to pause. The letters that made up Horn Rush were glowing brightly. Before my very eyes, the letters began to distort and rearrange themselves, creating a new move. Platinum Roar.

What the hell…?

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to dwell on this sudden change. "You should have joined us when you had the chance," Topaz Warlock said. He raised his right hand, his fingers poised to snap. "If it's any consolation, you won't remember any of this when it's all over." With that, he snapped his fingers and all of the remaining burst linkers lunged at me.

I didn't even hesitate, I didn't have the time to. I activated the new move, neither knowing what it did or how to fully use it.

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I watched my attackers strike at me all while I waited helplessly for whatever this attack was to activate.

Beat.

The melee fighters were getting closer, their various weapons less than a foot away.

Beat.

The ranged fighters had all leveled their weapons at me and had begun to fire.

Beat.

My confidence began to waver as I stared at the encroaching attacks that would no doubt finish me off, leaving a strange fluttering in my stomach.

Beat.

That fluttering feeling persisted. In fact, it began to build up, crackling within me like lightning yet warm like fire.

Beat.

It continued to build up, surpassing my stomach and climbing up my throat, pooling in my mouth.

Beat.

The closest burst linker was mere inches away, their weapon positioned to sever my head from my shoulders.

Beat.

I couldn't take it anymore. Whatever was in my mouth just kept building and building. I couldn't hold onto it any longer. I had to release it.

Beat.

Just as the burst linker before me was about to strike, the robotic jaws of my Duel Avatar snapped open with a hiss and a brilliant blast of silvery energy erupted from my mouth.

I could see the eyes of my closest attacker widen in surprise before they were engulfed by the beam. Soon, burst linkers and projectiles alike were swallowed up by the massive beam that had erupted from my mouth. Stunned by the ferocity of my own attack, all I could do was continue to push the energy that was pooling in my stomach outward.

After several seconds, my special move gauge was emptied and my beam ended. Steam soon billowed out of my mouth in place of the energy beam before my mouth snapped shut. Not that I noticed. My eyes were glued to the devastation I had left.

Before me lay all of the burst linkers that had just tried to attack me. All of them were on the ground, their armor heavily cracked and scorched. A few of them were groaning, either unable or unwilling to get back to their feet. The majority of them, however, had lost the most of their color, indicating that they had been defeated.

I…beat them…

I actually…

"Impossible!" Thoughts of victory fled me as quickly as they came. I turned around to see Topaz Warlock staring at me, unrestrained fury glittering in his eyes.

"H-How…?!" he spluttered, seemingly unable to speak. Even Brick Mortar appeared too stunned to properly react.

I knew it wouldn't last, however. It was only a matter of time before they overcame their shock and finished me off. I had to strike at them before they could recover!

However, before I could move towards them, or they could attack me, a horse's whine cut through the air. Turning around, despite my better judgement, I saw another burst linker, a red one with an old-fashioned cowboy-esk look about him, riding a pitch-black horse with a main and tail that burned with a silvery fire charging towards us.

I saw the new arrival pull out an actual gun, not a futuristic one, but an honest to goodness revolver, and took aim. I tensed, thinking that they were targeting me, but I was proven wrong as the figure fired their weapon and the bullet whizzed past me and hit Topaz Warlock in the shoulder.

"GRAH!" the yellow burst linker roared in pain, clutching his shoulder. The horseman continued forward, firing more rounds at Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar.

"Dammit," I heard Brick Mortar curse, bringing up his canon arm to defend against the bullets.

"Interfering bastard," Topaz Warlock hissed, wincing as yet another bullet tore through him. The yellow wizard turned to give me a final glare. "I'll remember this."

With that, he and Brick Mortar both began to glow a blinding yellow, forcing me to shield my eyes. The light only lasted a second before it died down, revealing that both Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar had vanished.

I had survived.

A loud snort and the feeling of warm breath tickling the back of my neck reminded that I wasn't alone. I slowly turned around, coming face to face with the silvery eyes of the black horse. Had I been in any other situation, I would have marveled at how realistic the horse was, but I was more concerned about its rider.

The red burst linker stared down at me, their gun, a six chambered revolver by the look of it, still held tightly in their hand. Now that they were closer, I could see that their avatar had a distinctively feminine appearance. They had a black lines running along the inside of her legs and arms. The top of their helmet was shaped like a stereotypical cowboy hat with a gold star in the center. A green vizor served as her eyes.

I swallowed thickly, preparing myself for the impending attack, only to be stunned when they sheathed their weapon and slipped off their steed. "Are you alright?"

"H-Huh?" I replied dumbly, not comprehending the question.

The red burst linker chuckled at me. She then reached out and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm Cherry Marksman. Barnaby sent a call out and I came as quickly as I could. I'm here to help you."

I could have collapsed in relief. We were saved.

-Rise of the Dragon-

"That was incredibly irresponsible of you, Barnaby," Ashton chastised. His voice was calm and low, but there was an undeniable edge of anger in his voice.

After Cherry Marksman had chased off Topaz Warlock and Brick Mortar, and taking out the burst linkers that had survived my attack, she had slung Barnaby's 'dead' body on her horse, which she explained was actually a lower tier NPC that she had tamed, and took us to the closest logout zone. Once we had returned to the real world, Barnaby quickly called Ashton to inform him of what had transpired. Needless to say, the sophomore was less than thrilled.

"What possessed you to have Cadmus use nearly all his burst points to reach level four then take him to the Unlimited Neutral Field?" Ashton demanded, careful to keep his voice low as to not arouse attention from the patrons of the coffee bar they were sitting in.

Barnaby kept his head down, unable to meet Ashton's eye. "I hadn't intended for any of this to happen. I felt that it was pertinent to show him the true dangers of Brain Burst and what he would be up against should he join the guild."

"So, you took him to the Unlimited Neutral Field?" Ashton asked incredulously. "You couldn't have just explained it to him?"

"Ashton, he couldn't have known all that would happen," I said, feeling that it was unfair that Barnaby was being blamed for something he had no control over.

"Don't try to defend him, Cadmus," Ashton said, giving me a sharp look. "Even if he couldn't have anticipated you would be attacked, taking you to the Unlimited Neutral Field unprepared, not to mention with such a small amount of burst points, was not only risky, but foolish as well."

"But…"

"No. He's right, Cadmus," Barnaby interrupted. "It was irresponsible of to put you in such a risky position, ambush or not." The blond finally lifted his head to look up at Ashton. "I apologize for my actions."

I was floored. Never, in the entire time that I had known him, had I heard Barnaby apologize. He was far too prideful, yet here he was. Giving a sincere apology.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Ashton replied coolly, his hard gaze never leaving Barnaby.

To my absolute shock, the glasses wearing teen turned to me and bowed his head. "Cadmus, I apologize for putting you at risk."

Okay, I had to be dreaming.

"I-It's fine," I managed to stammer.

Ashton sighed tiredly. "It's not fine, but we currently have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

"You're referring to Advent's Fall," Barnaby stated.

"Precisely," Ashton responded. "The fact that they knew that you and Cadmus would be in the Unlimited Neutral Field when you were tells us that they most likely know your identities."

That's right! It hadn't occurred to me at the time, but the only way for Topaz Warlock to have planned his ambush was if he had known of our conversation the day prior. He, or one of his cronies, would have had to have heard us!

"Then what can we do?" I asked, remembering how Ashton stressed the importance of keeping our identities a secret.

"Unfortunately, there's not much we can do," Ashton said. "Nothing short of forcibly uninstalling Brain Burst from Topaz Warlock's neuro linker would remedy this situation."

I flinched. Just thinking about getting Brain Burst getting deleted reminded me of how close I was to losing it. Being forced to forget everything about the app, and everything that stemmed from it was terrifying. I don't think I could wish such a fate on even my worst enemy.

Not that Eric Cho had Brain Burst, as far as I knew.

Barnaby sighed tiredly. "What's worse is that, by the way he spoke, Topaz Warlock isn't even the one in charge of this guild."

"That is troubling," Ashton agreed. The dark-skinned male slouched slightly in his chair. "If we are to take Topaz Warlock's threat seriously, then I fear the entire guild is in danger." He then turned to me. "If you wish to back out, I won't hold it against you."

"I told you before, I owe you too much," I said adamantly. "I'll stand by you and your goal no matter what!"

Ashton nodded, almost hiding the small upturn of his lips. "If that's the case, I believe it's time to make this partnership official."

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about.

"Wait, really? Are you serious?!" I asked excitedly.

Ashton smiled genially. "I am." He held his hand out across the table, offering me a handshake. "Welcome…to the Knights of Dawn."

Author's Notes:

Hey, AuraFighter23 here. I just wanted to apologize for the amount of time between updates. My current job makes it so I really only have time to write after 11 at night. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often in the future. Also, I did change the bit in chapter 7 where I said Cadmus had a second special move slot. I felt that Horn Rush actually changing into Platinum Roar would be better. Again, sorry, and thank you for all of your support. Feel free to leave a review.