Chapter 5 – The Unbreakable Resolve of Red, Blue, and Green
16th of June, 2022
Mantine's Log
Well, damn. And just when I'd finally began to settle down and forget all that mess, too.
Three months had passed since I was betrayed at the Jigsaw Pincers Coast by my former friend, Kite. Do I really have to tell you what happened next? The ever-growing Guardian Force dispatched their best players to the three sanctuaries outside of Moonlight Shore Village. With little effort, they demolished Artis, as well as the Lord of Night, and the great mole Ahtoo in the Dangerous Caverns. From what I heard, they did manage to reach the Fell Witch Paris, but the barrier blocking the entrance to her tower was impenetrable. Not a single one of them could figure out how to get past... guess their smarts don't match up to their strength. As I was about to find out, they had yet to discover the next boss... how can you be so oblivious? If I hadn't given up, I could've told you where he was. It's kinda embarrassing...
Still, I had no real desire to leave here until...
"GHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man! Don't tell me it's really you, 'Azure Knight'! To think I'd see a legend like you in person... wow! What the hell're you doing here?! I mean, the inn's kinda nice... but I wanna go home!"
Mantine looked at the man, clad head-to-toe in striking verdant armor, like he'd seen an alien. His helm rested on a nearby table, allowing full view of his brown hair, short and spiked with generous anime flair. His most striking feature, however, were his rows of razor-sharp teeth! He must've went all-out in character creation. From the looks of it, he was a Knight just like Mantine, and only a few levels below him. He met the man's eyes for a moment before gazing down dejectedly.
"Huh. Now there's a name I ain't heard in a whole minute. Sorry to disappoint you, man. I don't do that knight stuff anymore. Fate told me I had no role in the liberation of this game and its people... so fuck it. Why don't you ask the awesome, badass Guardian Force to free us?" he said, hoping the stranger would leave him to his routine. "Who are you, anyways?"
"Whooo, boy, this place is great!" he said, raising a beer glass and ignoring half of what Mantine just said. "If he weren't tryna kill us, I'd totally shake the game dev's hand for making the immersion this realistic! I asked that bar lady for the strong shit, and I'm already feelin' it! I can get drunk without any repercussions! Fuck yeah!"
Mantine sighed. "That's... great, man. What brings you here anyway? You won't leave me alone, so I might as well get something out of the encounter. Really, you seem strong enough..."
"My name... my name is Rance!" he said, planting his gilded sword into the floor with one hand and pointing to his chest with the other. "An adventurer who seeks the truth, and the ultimate harem!"
Mantine did a double take. "Wait..." The man recalled a memory of something he was admittedly ashamed to know about. "Rance... Rance?! Seriously, you named your character after the guy from all those H games?"
"Of course! My hyper weapon will... will...!" he said, swishing his sword through the air.
"Then why aren't you out on the front lines?" wondered the blue-haired teen.
Rance scratched the back of his head. "Well... I mean, I... I'm no good at this game by myself! There, doesn't it feel good to admit that?! Yeah, you think really highly of me now, huh?!"
"Points for honesty." said Mantine flatly. "You really went all-out with the character, huh?"
"Damn straight! I love games like this, but I don't love 'em enough to be trapped and all that. …So yeah! I'm here to tell you, Azure Knight, that you're really worth something!" Rance jubilantly pointed at Mantine.
He raised an eyebrow, sure at this point that the man was a few fries short of a Happy Meal.
"Somebody of your caliber doesn't belong on the sidelines like this! Your victories inspired me – inspired all of us to keep going! Seriously, you took on the Water Temple all by yourself! And you beat Hookah, and Farrell, and-"
Rance's words echoed in Mantine's head for a moment. Someone of my caliber...? He shook his head fervently. "I got lucky, that's all. Soon as I got here, I tried to take on Artis, and-"
"Oh, that fuckboy?! Nah, forget him. The designers made him totally unbalanced! The GF had to over-level by like, seven just to beat him in a group! So you look here and listen, Mantine the Azure Knight! I'mma tell you this right now, while these fuckin' drinks are in me... I love you, man!"
Mantine was taken aback and very confused. "Dude... what? I think you've had one too many dranks..."
"Maybe, but I'm totally serious! Y'know, Mantine, they say drunken words are sober thoughts. Just lemme be your friend, at least!" begged Rance.
He looked away from the green-armored knight. "Friends? I don't have any of those anymore. Look, it's getting late. I'm gonna head to bed. I'm sorry you had to see your supposed hero like this, but... just try to forget it, okay?"
Rance gave a defeated look. He slumped over dramatically, watching Mantine ascend the stairs. "Grrr... okay, then... just try to put some thought into what I said, then! Sleep on it, literally!"
Mantine retired to his bed and bundled up in the blankets. What he even meant by 'getting late' was nebulous, it was eternally night in Moonlight Shore Village, hence the name. In any case, it didn't take him long to drift off to slumber, just as his body was back in the real world. Dreams of his past adventures with the Mudkips danced in his mind, minutes turned to hours, and he slept peacefully, until...
"Rise and shine, Mantine! It's Rance Super King with the wake-up call, fam! Get up now, or I'll take all your gold!"
Naturally, Mantine was jolted awake, tangling himself in the covers. "Mmmh... go... go on somewhere, man... I'm goin' back to sleep..." he mumbled.
"No time for that! Today, I'm bringin' you outta retirement, even if I gotta drag you myself! Who the hell are those GF goons to think they can hog all the glory! We both had trouble playin' the game solo, so with the two of us... well, we're not solo anymore, right?"
Mantine writhed and lazily shook his head, firm on his decision from yesterday. "I told you, I'm done with that life. Go join the GF or something if you wanna-"
"Uh-uh-uh, Azure Knight! Wrong answer!" Rance roared with all the might of his voice, "MANTIIIINE! LET'S SEE YA GRIT THOSE TEEEETH!" the green knight summoned his strength into his fist, belting Mantine square in the jaw!
Though the inn was a safezone, he still felt the full force of the blow, tumbling back until the wall stopped him; the impact was strong enough to display the building's 'immortal object' popup. "...bro?" he looked up at Rance, acknowledging the reference he'd just made.
For a moment, a smile briefly found its way onto the Azure Knight's face, brought on by a warmth he had not felt in a very long time.
"I appreciate the gesture, but... where would we even begin?" he asked, dusting himself off.
Rance could hardly contain himself behind his elated grin. "Aww, yeah! So that means you'll do it?! I can make anybody feel good, I tell you! It's a new day, so let's attack it! C'mon! Let's just head out into the village for now. I'm gonna show you that this world ain't half as bad as it looks!"
"I dunno..." he said, still unsure of himself.
Rance produced a frothy mug of hazy golden liquid. "I got your breakfast right here! Don't worry, this one's on me, so drink up! This'll give you what you need, I promise!"
Mantine accepted the strange man's offer, taking a whiff of the brew before downing it. It was indeed delicious, nothing like the watery commercial beer he'd had small sips of back home. It didn't elevate him quite to Rance's state, but he felt good enough for a stroll around the village to see if he had any reason left to fight.
With his new acquaintance not far behind, Mantine toured the place thoroughly. He passed the graveyard, with mist and will-o-wisps floating just above the ground, and the grand monument in the middle of town; a massive bell with several fountains of water flowing out. He nearly got lost in the Village's serene, simple beauty until he crossed the bridge with the best view of the monument and spotted a familiar figure.
He crept closer, trying to confirm it was who he thought it was without them noticing. The wavy red locks were a dead giveaway – it was none other than Morana! With little choice left, and knowing he'd never hear the end of it from Rance if he backed out, Mantine approached his old friend and sat down on the bench next to her.
"Uhh... hey, Morana. Long time no see." was all he could think to say.
The red-haired woman looked up at him, genuinely surprised. "Never thought I'd see you again. What's up?"
The two spent a long time catching up, recounting the events of Kite's betrayal. Both of their tones notably lacked much emotion, both of them still feeling rather broken over what happened. Morana lamented that she couldn't have helped Mantine more during the conflict. After a while, the conversation steered toward more recent events.
"So why aren't you out there fighting with the GF?" Mantine inquired.
Morana looked away. "Shouldn't that be obvious? I had no intention to stay with those degenerates after what I saw. They had me fooled, but I'd rather take my chances alone than support that kind of crap. I left the first chance I got. Bastards would probably still be looking for me if they weren't focused on clearing the game."
Mantine smirked. "Mmm. Nice to see some people still have a sense of self-respect."
Morana produced an item from her pouch – some sort of biscuit, and began to eat it. She cringed visibly after just one bite, tasting its unpleasant dryness.
"It's no good, huh?" asked Mantine, noticing her reaction. "Lemme fix that for you, here."
He took the biscuit from the confused cleric, and rummaged for the item he needed.
"Mantine, what are you doing? ...I didn't come here to eat good food." she said coldly.
"Check this out. I've been outta the game so long that I actually had time to hone my non-combat skills in the inn." he held up a curved, green vegetable.
Morana looked intrigued. "Jalapeno?"
"This is how we used to make 'em back in Texas. Somebody posted the recipe on the inn's notice board, and I perfected it. Have a taste." he combined the two items to make something new, and handed it back to Morana.
She hesitantly took a bite, immediately tasting the robust heat. Mantine could tell by the look on her face without so much as a word from her stuffed mouth. "Wow, it's... not half-bad!"
The two dined on the spicy treats for a moment, until a third voice suddenly burst into the gathering. "See, I told'ja! You two knew each other already, huh? If I'm being honest, y'all look really cute together! You ever thought about being a couple?! It's got all sorts of awesome stat bonuses in this game, really! I ship it!"
Morana looked up at the man with food still in her mouth. She swallowed and asked, "Who's this guy, then?"
"I'm Rance, you see?! I'm this guy's new hype man! B-but I'm a lot more than that, too! I'm puttin' on a show, and this is just the first act! For right now, I'm the guy who's gonna bring The Azure Knight outta retirement!" he gleefully announced, shaking Morana's hand.
"Who the heck names themselves after an H-game?" she said, giggling.
Rance huffed at her. "Like you're any better, knowing about it too! Those games weren't that popular, were they...?"
Though the wound Kite laid into him had finally felt as though it was healing, Mantine was still not entirely sure of himself. "This guy's somethin' else. I just ran into him yesterday, and he's over here beggin' me to fight on the front lines again. Seriously, Morana, after what you saw that day-"
"...he's not the only one." Morana interjected, making the knight flinch on the spot.
"How'dya mean?"
"Mantine... how do I put this?" she put one finger on her chin. "From that day that you parted with me after we defeated Hookah. I didn't want to admit it back then, but that move you made was so... bold. It was in that moment that I realized the game could never be cleared without you... without you being involved somehow. What I'm saying is, there's so much left for you to do, so get off your ass and fight!"
Rance rested a hand on the Azure Knight's shoulder. "See? It's not just me, fam. I bet a lot of people miss you! C'mon, isn't it boring just loafing around the inn all day? If you're tryin' to send a message to the GF, send it with your sword!"
It was then that the warmth Mantine had felt a few hours prior grew into the vestige of embers.
Mantine closed his eyes and smiled. "Man... you two, huh? You're lucky I like you, y'know? I suppose... let's give this comeback thing a try. If only... to rub it in that rat bastard Kite's face." he said, thinking back to a moment between them. "Y'all do realize... that if we meet again under any circumstance, we're sworn enemies, right? Even after what he did... what I said... I can't bring myself to take another life. I'll get back at him, all right, but I'll be creative about my method."
Rance appeared more stoked than ever. "I knew we'd get through to the big man! Let's liberate these fine people, and show the GF we don't fuck around while we're at it!"
"It's a good thing you're still the one calling the shots." chimed Morana. "I'd shove my staff right up his traitorous ass... and twist. For the record, people like him absolutely disgust me. Please don't ever turn out like that... Mantine." she punctuated her sentence with a wink and a smile, prompting the man to blush.
So cute! So cute I can't stand it! Rance wished he could say.
"Alright, so you got me. Question is, what's our first step? Three players is kinda puny, even compared to the Mudkips... and the GF kinda dwarfs us." asked Mantine.
"Isn't it obvious? We'll form a whole new guild! Better than either one of those, even! Way better! Not only that, but this time, to avoid any mishaps... we're appointing you leader, Azure Knight." said Rance, pointing to the blue-haired player's chest.
Morana flashed a thumbs-up. "No objections there. Let's start from scratch, and do things our way."
Mantine put his fingers on his chin, appearing deep in thought. "Easy enough, but what're we gonna call this new guild? I don't wanna use Mudkips again. This'll be our own thing. A representation of our heart and soul."
The three deliberated for a moment, mulling over their own ideas. Morana was the first to speak up. "Hey... what route was Mantine – I mean, the actual Pokémon found back in the old games?"
"Lessee..." Rance did his best to recall. "I'm still pretty drunk, but... 40, I think! Yeah, 40!"
It was actually 41, but they agreed on the number anyway.
"Well, seeing as how the two of you are knights... and we do have a sense of honor among us either way... how does 'Knight 40' sound?" suggested the cleric with bright eyes.
Mantine and Rance gave each other deep, intense looks that slowly faded into wide grins. "Then let's do it!" they roared in unison.
Mantine couldn't open the guild menu fast enough. The three took their time scrolling through guild emblems until the found one they liked – a gray cross tombstone surrounded by olive branches with a misty foreground. On the final screen, the gold fee appeared.
"Here, I know you're kinda low on funds. Ten from me!" Rance said, tossing him some gold.
Morana followed suit. "Our new leader needs all the cash he can get... until we get rich, that is."
With the tap of one last screen, a new era was ushered into the world of Dragon Saga – Knight 40 was officially instated, under the leadership of the Azure Knight himself, Mantine!
"...and don't worry about guild colors this time." Mantine said with a faint smile. "Our symbol is enough. Wear whatever lets you makes you who you are."
"Loud and clear!" Rance said, pumping his fist. "In honor of my namesake hero, it's all green for me!"
"Tch... why you'd idolize such a character... you worry me already." Morana flicked at her interface until her robes turned a scarlet hue. "I've always really loved red... I'm gonna paint my room like this when I get back!"
Mantine flipped his hair, and fastened his helm on. "In that case, you know me. Blue ocean, blue skies!"
Indeed, we all put our faith in you, Knight 40! Go! Go out and do what the Mudkips, and even the Guardian Force cannot! Your story did not end here, rather a new one began at this very moment! For the liberation of Dragon Saga, we believe in Knight 40!
The three shared a group hug, basking in their first moment of triumph since the old days. However, for Knight 40, it was already time to rise!
"'Kay, that takes care of the guild. My question is, where the heck is that next boss everyone's been talking about?" asked Morana.
Mantine rolled his eyes. "I coulda figured that out forever ago." his response made their jaws slightly agape. "C'mon."
He lead the two over to the graveyard as mist crept around them. Before he could show them what he meant, the gravekeeper NPC called out to them. "Another group, huh? I bet you think you've figured this place all out, huh...?"
All three gave the black-hooded character a confused look.
"You won't beat a real dragon in your current state. Only the Knight of Knights can enter here, by order of me, Larell!"
Rance scowled at him. "Just who does he think he is... we're not good enough? Mantine, quick! What's the meanest dialogue options I can give this guy?!"
Mantine chuckled. "Say whatever's on your mind, Rance. Most of these NPCs' data was cloned directly from the brains of people in the dev team. It's awesome, huh? They can do just about anything but fight for us, ain't that a bitch?"
Rance pointed at Larell. "Alright, edgelord. Whadda we got to do, then? Answer quickly!"
"Aren't you something?" he said dismissively. "if you're so brave, then... go to the Dangerous Caverns west of this village."
"That place?" asked Morana. "What's the point? The GF already killed Ahtoo, I saw it."
Larell shook his head at the group. "And yet, he lives. To truly exterminate that troublesome mole, you'll have to take the reverse route. If you think you're up to the task, I happen to have the last ticket."
"I don't buy it!" Rance protested. "Like Morana said, somebody from the GF had to have checked you out at one point and... uhh..."
Larell smirked at them. "I'm giving it to you because... you asked nicely. ...and because those guys totally ignored me, but that's besides the point. Here, just take it!"
Mantine snatched the black scroll of paper imprinted with a skull from the hooded man's hand. "I'm nobody to turn down a free gift. So we just use this item when we get to the boss portal?"
"Now you're starting to get it, good for you." he condescended. "Just watch yourselves. The reverse path is a lot tougher than normal. I mean it."
Heeding the Graveguard's warning, the trio stocked up on supplies, and departed Moonlight Shore for the bluntly-named Dangerous Caverns.
"You guys do know we only have one shot at this, right?" asked Mantine, looking Rance and Morana in the eyes. "If I burn through my items like I did back at Artis, we'll all be tapped out."
They all peered up toward the gleaming cavern walls, embedded with gorgeous jewels and crystals. Small streams of water striped the stones, echoing throughout as they poured. Clearly a former mining operation, the place did look beautiful despite what lurked within. Scurrying about the cave were – what else – giant moles. Their jagged claws tore into the ground like drills. Among them were gaunt, rabid raccoons scouring the ground for a meal. Reaching the boss portal would be a considerable climb, but they had one saving grace – running past these enemies would be fairly simple, and they wouldn't have to waste valuable resources.
Strangely, all the enemies seemed to be drawn to one location – a small outcropping just short of the boss portal. It didn't take long for their target to cry out more than loud enough for Knight 40 to hear!
"Scheisse! Why here, now?! Come on, recharge! I'll summon something to toast you all, do you hear me?! Don't come any closer!"
The voice had a thick German accent, and as the horde of moles converged on its source, bright purple orbs shot out in bursts, gunning them down one by one!
Acting quickly, Knight 40 rushed to the top level of the caverns, carving through everything in their paths! Luckily, the enemies seemed so focused on this other player that they made little effort to fight back. With the incredible leaping ability the game provided them, it didn't take them long to reach the distressed player and clear the remaining moles... but they were all a bit surprised by what they saw.
A tall, slender woman bearing long, purple hair with wavy bangs... but what struck them as odd was her skin. It was a light violet hue, covered in runic tattoos. Even her dense hair could not hide her distinctly pointed ears, either.
Of course, a seasoned enough player would know that you could choose to play as the near-human race known as Dragonkin, and that was exactly what they were looking at. They were rare to encounter, largely because their playstyle, as well as their entire skillset, was very complex and unwieldy. Word on the street was that this class was intended for advanced players only, and reserved for secondary accounts of people who'd already progressed far as a human.
"No way!" Rance exclaimed. "Who the hell plays as Dragonkin?"
The tall woman planted her weapon, an Aquatic Gunstaff, into the ground. "Only the really good players, obviously."
"Clearly, given how y'handled that situation..." Mantine teased.
She puffed her cheeks a bit. "Hey, now! I'm... still getting the hang of the Summoner class. I can call in some seriously badass monsters to help me, you see?"
"Whoa! Now you've got my attention, lady!" said Rance. "What's your name?"
"Call me Yuuki. I just thought it sounded cute, don't you?" she introduced herself.
Mantine nodded. "Digging the anime flair."
"Unless my ears deceive me, you're from Germany, right?" Morana noted. "I've always wanted to visit there."
"Yes, well-" began Yuuki, only to be drowned out by Rance's shouting.
"Enough small talk, the recruitment drive starts here! Hey, Yuuki! How would you love to be an honorary member of the newest and most badass guild, Knight 40?! If our whole guild consists of gorgeous women like you, my dream harem is well on its way to completion! So are you in, or are you in?!"
Yuuki was completely speechless and gave a discomforting look.
Mantine extended a guild invitation. "Ignore my friend's, err, strong words. We'd really love to have you, though. I noticed you're not with the GF, and we're kinda trying to compete with them a little. A rare class like yours would be a strong asset, dont'cha think?"
She hesitated for a moment before relenting, tapping 'accept'. The gray emblem appeared above her head. "This is all so sudden, but... to be honest, I was never much of a fan of the GF. Just, I did not like the way they handled things. I only joined this game to play with my boyfriend, and I have yet to run into him. After all this mess happened, I assume the worst... I just want this to be over now."
Mantine shook her hand. "Lucky for you, we just happened to have started a business in getting things over with. Are you cool with taking on the area dungeon right now? We could double back if you-"
"No, no..." Yuuki firmly shook her head. "Really, I'm wondering why you three are here? Didn't the GF already clear this area's boss?"
"I'm tired of having to explain this, so listen good, lady. The hooded dude down at the graveyard gave us a ticket to the reverse path! Apparently we gotta take it if we wanna kill this boss for real. Somethin' like that." Rance was visibly annoyed.
"Sorry, I didn't know..." she said dejectedly.
Mantine wagged a finger at Rance. "Careful, man! You're gonna scare her off!" he turned his attention to Yuuki. "Anyways, now that you're partied up with us, we can head into the portal. The NPC was really goin' on about how much harder this version of the dungeon was gonna be, so stay on guard! I, for one, can't wait to see your class' abilities in action!"
Mantine initiated the dungeon instance, and turned in the ticket Larell had given them. The next thing they knew, Knight 40 found themselves within the depths of the mole's tunnels... and each and every color had been inverted! Indeed, the entire dungeon had been reversed! The objective pointed them left instead of right, and even the music and text displayed backwards!
The four descended deeper into the caverns, their usual dark walls displaying near-white. For the first few minutes, they were met with little resistance, and took the time to get to know each other. Yuuki began to discuss her love of anime, which lead to her and Mantine getting into a short, heated debate over whether Zeta or G Gundam was the better series, with Rance diffusing the argument on the grounds that both series are great because they have so many hot waifus, prompting a laugh from Morana. Their conversation did well to pass the time, and they'd reached the boss portal before they knew it... but they also knew it couldn't be that easy – light tremors through the cave jolted Knight 40 on their toes, and they all drew their weapons!
Emerging from the soil were four Razor Moles, just as threatening in this strange, new color scheme! They hissed at the intruders before burrowing back beneath the ground, surely in an attempt to attack!
"All right, this is my chance now!" shouted Yuuki as she took a deep breath and planted her gunstaff into the ground. "Let me prove that you did not recruit me for nothing! Now wait until my mark!"
Mantine, Morana, and Rance all did as she asked. The rumbling got closer and louder until...
"...JUMP!"
The moles' golden claws fell inches short of the players as they leapt in unison! A blinding light emitted from Yuuki's gunstaff, causing something else to emerge out of the ground! "Here's my first example!"
The creature she'd managed to summon was indeed fearsome; it took the form of a giant demon's head, scowling in shades of blood as the many horns on its back curled and twisted like serpents! The apparition lunged at the mole that had targeted Yuuki, tearing it in half with a single bite!
The remaining three moles retreated underground! It was likely their AI pathing, but the others wanted to believe they experienced fear. The demon's head snarled, and three of its gnarled horns extended in the blink of an eye until they pierced the ground! Within a fraction of a second, it retracted the horns from the earth, revealing three thoroughly skewered moles! They faded into light fragments, awarding the group some EXP. With its task complete, Yuuki recalled the demon's head to conserve mana.
The other three were, naturally, left in amazement. "Dude..." was all that managed to escape Morana's lips.
Rance grinned with pure elation. "Badass! Yeah, that's it, I'm totally maining that class when all this is over!"
Mantine nodded approvingly. "We really lucked out on our first recruit, eh? I guess I still know how to pick 'em. In any case, is everyone ready? Eat up, and get all your buffs set to go. I'm willing to bet Ahtoo's got more of those moles waiting with him. As far as the boss itself, it's likely just an enhanced version of the original. More HP and damage output, maybe a new move in the mix. Don't let him get under you. Rance, you and I should both use our Storm Blade Burst when he's airborne."
"You got it, fam! There's another new skill I've been wanting to try too. Try not to get too turned on when you see it!" said Rance proudly.
"Jeez, Mantine." Morana scoffed. "You sound so professional all of a sudden. The GF is the last thing I wanna be reminded of, you know?"
Mantine gritted his teeth for a moment. "I see your point. As for you, though... just try to keep us alive. Wouldn't mind seeing a few of those meteors of yours either, though!"
"Aren't we demanding?" she said with a sly smile. "I'll keep things under control for you, then. Just watch your back."
Knight 40 collectively held their breath as they entered the boss portal. On the other side, their footsteps produced hard echoes – the floor was solid rock! To the unassuming player, it might strike them as odd that the room appeared empty, but this was what the four heroes had come to expect by this point.
"You can come out now." said Mantine, growing impatient with the boss' age-old trick.
Thump
From deep below came a light rumble, creating a trickle of dust from the cave's ceiling.
THUMP
Next was a heavy quake, loosening several rocks from the natural walls.
TH-CRACKKKKK!
Exploding from the solid stone strata was a hulking, gargantuan mole, its unkempt shaggy fur in shades of sickly green and bright blue. Its eyes made the starved wolves from before look tame, their crazed stare only supplemented by the beast's jagged, drooling grin! It loosed a long, raspy snarl as its name displayed on the players' HUDs.
Ahtoo – Atrocity Unearthed
Knight 40 steeled themselves for the rodent's rampage! Just as Mantine had predicted, a whopping eight moles spawned in a circle around Ahtoo, ready to defend him with their lives! Some burrowed like before, while others charged headlong toward the heroes!
Very quickly, the guild's coordination had fallen into disjointed chaos. Yuuki once again summoned her Demon's head, taking out three moles just as before, but two more rushed the summoner and tore the head in two! She charged her gunstaff and shot several bursts at her attackers, stunning them just long enough for Morana to get a quick heal in!
The cleric's mind was in overdrive, doing her best to keep an eye on her team's health as she defended herself from afar with spells of every element!
Rance put his tanking abilities to use, drawing the rest of the moles toward him and slashing away at their hides! These were indeed stronger than their normal counterparts, as all but the strongest assaults merely chipped away at their health!
Meanwhile, Mantine took it upon himself to engage Ahtoo head-on! He spent the first minute of the fight purely on the defensive, narrowly evading the beast's vicious digs, stomps, and tackles! He'd yet to swing his blade once!
"You sly fox!" Rance quipped, picking up on what his new friend was up to. "You're learning his patterns, aren't you? That's our leader!"
Mantine cracked a smile mid-leap as stone shards flung from the great mole's claw. "Don't give me too much credit. It's just that-" he took a hard dive left, evading a headbutt, "-we only got one shot at this, y'know?!"
"Oh, I know!" affirmed Rance. "That's why I gotta show this off now!" The green knight's golden blade alighted with a fiery glow as two moles closed in on him! "STABBING RANCE ATTACK!" Of course, this was not the attack's real name, rather a sword skill that even Mantine hadn't learned yet. It manifested as a flurry of stabs, shredding the vermins' health to nothing!
The other three were visibly impressed. "I like it... but don't you dare outshine me, Rance!" shouted Yuuki, once again planting her staff into the ground to summon a familiar. "I suppose the only way for these moles to learn their place is to show them how much better a summoner can do!"
Rising from the glowing circle around her staff was a pair of moles identical to the ones they were fighting! Their colors matched Yuuki's, with purple skin and streaks of white fur! At her command, they locked claws with Ahtoo's followers, and after a short struggle, overpowered them, piercing their chest with their metallic white claws!
Ahtoo himself found that all of his attacks fell increasingly wider, and Mantine was able to score a cheap hit or two, punishing each miss with better timing on every swipe! Slowly but surely, Mantine had gained complete control of the battle. I'm back! I'm back for real this time! The Guardian Force ain't got shit on us! Now let's wrap this up... rage on, rage on, rage on!
The Azure Knight had whittled Ahtoo down to a little under half of its health bar... and as if reading his mind, the subterranean beast had entered its enraged state, engulfing its body in a bright aura and turning beet-red! A warning flashed across all of Knight 40's HUDs, as Ahtoo let loose a roar that shook the cave enough to nearly make them lose their footing!
"This doesn't matter!" Mantine assured his team. "We've got him on the ropes, so give it your all!"
Morana found herself with a moment of breathing room, now that the others were fully healed. She held her staff high, combining her spells! "Let's get it over with! Freezing... Meteor Crush!"
A rugged ball of rock and ice careened from above and struck the raging beast, but...
...it was unfazed. Its health bar had indeed decreased, but the monster did not so much as flinch! All at once, Knight 40 found themselves filled with a deep sense of dread. They steeled themselves for the worst.
With all the rage of its fallen brethren, Ahtoo charged at the group! They quickly split off in different directions, but the fearsome boss retaliated by calling forth another pack of razor moles from below! They engaged Morana and Yuuki head-on, leaving Mantine and Rance to deal with Ahtoo!
"Don't panic, Rance! It's just the same pattern! Might be a little faster, but there's no way he can manage the both of us!" assured Mantine, trying to suppress his friend's fears while hiding his own. Both knights charged the hulking mole, charging their swords... but their advances were simultaneously ground to a halt! Ahtoo's reflexes had heightened, as he was able to stop one knight in each claw, grabbing them like toys! He viciously dragged the heroes against the stone floor, his gleaming claws spinning like a pair of drills! Ahtoo ended the assault by flinging them into the walls hard enough to shatter entire chunks of stone loose!
Rance recovered, the attack only fueling his anger! "Nobody cheaps me out like that! I'll handle him for ya, Mantine!" once again, he charged at the mole with all the speed his legs could muster!
"Not by yourself, ya won't!" Mantine screamed, readying his own sword as he sprinted toward Ahtoo!
"Knight's Holy Lance!"
"STABBING RANCE ATT-"
Ahtoo effortlessly swatted them both away before either attack landed, spinning his body around as though he were walking on air! This time, Rance impacted the stone wall hard enough to leave a gaping hole!
Morana and Yuuki were powerless to help, still overwhelmed by the enraged moles that demanded their attention!
Mantine dug his sword into the rocks, forcing himself to his feet. "Buddy, you didn't let me finish." his blade transformed into a lance just as it had during the battle with Endairon. "I said KNIGHT'S HOLY LANCE!" The jagged spear dug into Ahtoo, shaving off even more of its health despite how unfazed it appeared!
Ahtoo growled, and retaliated by charging up energy of his own, and striking his claws into the ground! A violent quake ensued, sending a shockwave of stones directly to Mantine! The attack brought him to half health, and knocked him flat on his back!
His rage reaching a fever pitch, Ahtoo stomped toward Mantine and began viciously digging his claws through the layers of blue armor. Each attack reset his hitstun, and took a generous chunk of his health! His armor slowly depleted along with it! Yuuki and Morana made desperate attempts to come to his aid, only to be halted by the spawning of more moles! Rance remained stunned, giving it his all just to rise to his feet!
Stuck without recourse, Mantine could only watch as his health slowly depleted. Each vicious strike deepened the red tint around his HUD, further obscuring his vision. Ahtoo backed up for a moment, then curled his body into a ball! Spikes of steel emerged from his back, and he became a rampaging wheel of destruction barreling straight for Mantine! This was like Artis all over again, and this time, there would be no teleport crystal to save him.
I lost again, huh? ...I guess I was right to think I had no role in our liberation. Goddamn it, I hate being right... If I'd just stayed in that inn... if I hadn't listened to these guys, at least there'd be a chance that...
As much as he didn't want to, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, waiting for the end.
Then, through fading vision... he saw... Rance?!
"...how dare you... HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT MY... STABBING RANCE ATTAAAAAAACK!"
through ringing ears, he witnessed the green knight soar across the battlefield directly at Ahtoo!
Mantine's eyes jerked away from his sliver of health to see Rance bowl the mole over with his body! As it crashed to the ground, Rance flashed a thumbs-up! "Can't let you do that, Mantine! Otherwise, I'd be hyping you up for nothing! Now let's dance, Ahtoo! Do you really think I'm gonna let our fun end here?!"
Just then, he felt a warming sensation as a comforting glow blanketed his body. "Don't you dare even think about it, Mantine! We've got a long way to go, you hear me?! So you'd bet your ass you're gonna stay alive!" Morana had cast her strongest healing spell... but how?!
"Leave the fodder to me, everyone! No better time to prove myself as a Knight!" Yuuki yelled, directing her own moles into the enemies that remained. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but... everyone, stay clear!"
The Dragonkin waved her staff at her familiars, prompting them to give off a bright glow! Gathering energy, they rushed into the remaining group of minions, and in a blinding flash, self-destructed their bodies to clear them out for good! The moles were reduced to ash, and the resulting falling boulders violently crushed the stragglers!
Reinvigorated thanks to Morana, Mantine rose back to his feet. The sight of the stunned Ahtoo gave him one last idea. "That spell from a minute ago... you got enough mana to use it again?" He asked.
"Just enough!" Morana summoned another frozen meteor, and Mantine leapt on top of it! "This is it! Launch me, Morana!"
The cleric targeted Ahtoo's head! "You got it, honey!" With Mantine in tow, the meteor roared through the air as the knight held his sword out, clinging for dear life with his boots dug in! The knight screamed until his throat was sore, and try as he might, Ahtoo could not recover in time to evade the devastating attack, finding himself completely ran through!
At last, Ahtoo had been bested! He exploded into a shower of light, displaying victory on Knight 40's HUDs!
"Oh, hell yeah!" Rance quite literally jumped for joy, basking in the light of the great mole's destruction. "You see that?! That right there is the power of Knight 40, and Rance Super King! How's it taste?! Did you see that, Yuuki?! Your clones were all like, KABOOM, and then Morana launched Mantine at the big guy and he was all like CRASHHHH! And let's not forget my STABBING-"
Yuuki patted the harem knight on the back and grinned. "It was... so much fun fighting with you! Now... now I am sure we can get back to the real world!" The summoner high-fived Rance and laughed.
As they celebrated, Morana realized the impact had damaged Mantine as well, and rushed to his side. He slumped against the cavern's wall, meeting the scarlet-haired girl's gaze. "...You okay?" she asked with a modest smile.
"...I can't believe you went for that. The impact coulda killed me, and we woulda done that all in vain." he said through his own smile.
Morana shook her head. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda. We won, isn't that what matters? Besides, that was your idea."
He nodded firmly. "It is, and... that was so cool! Promise me we'll do it again?!"
"Mhm. So tell me, is that faith of yours restored? Was coming out of retirement worth it?" she asked.
Her words reminded him that the battle had given him just enough XP to level up, and that he could use his new equipment now.
Equipped [[Cape of Faith +4]]
"Y'know..." said Mantine softly, "I wasn't entirely sure until just now. I want to see us grow. Rance, Yuuki, but most of all... oh, screw it. I'm no good with subtlety. You're such a badass, Morana! I feel like... like I have to do even more things to make you happy. Someone like you deserves my best. I... think I might love you."
Morana visibly blushed.
"...a-and your legs look really nice in that outfit, I mean it!"
Her expression reddened even more, and she covered her mouth for a moment.
"...silly boy." she said as she removed her hood, embracing Mantine warmly. He met the gesture, wrapping his arms around her as they shared a passionate kiss.
Rance looked on at the scene with uncontainable elation. Aww, hell yeah son! I knew it would all be worth it just to see this! It's so friggin' adorable! I've still got the magic! Count your blessings, Mantine, because this one's all yours... but the rest? They're all gonna be part of my harem! Best believe that!
Yuuki observed them as well, flashing a warm smile as she approached the exit portal, bringing Knight 40 back to Moonlight Shore Village.
Mantine's Log
17th of June, 2022
It was on that day that I had my greatest realization yet. The realization that I had something... someone else to fight for... and she was a damn good reason, if I do say so myself. Morana, thank you. Thank you for helping me understand how much more there is to all this. I know we still have a world's worth of work ahead of us, but... right now, if I'm being honest, I couldn't be happier. Don't you worry, everyone. I'll get you all out of this mess, and I'll live to tell the tale to boot. This I solemnly swear.
And Kite, I'm coming for you.