Boss Rush: Painful Return

An LLS Production

Dedicated to Serpentdragon for 100th review!

The darkness of Water and Wind...

Lightning struck through the darkened skies of night, warm summer rain falling, right over the fields of battle. The sound of wings flapped over the winds of the Mist Valley, fires glowing bright against the dark of night as the Gusto took to the skies.

Winda, or Wynn as had been her name, was trying. Her powers consisted of channelling the power of the enemy, the Flamvell having tried to home in on the rick resources of the Mist Valley finding themselves meeting the cyclic defences of the Gusto. Others of the Gusto, Kamui, Reeze, Caam, Musto were still fighting overhead, it was not time for Gusto Gulldos to be awakened yet. The creatures of the Mist Valley fought with them against burning conflagrations and raging fires and hounds of fire, descendants of the Mist Valley tribes desperately holding their ground for reinforcements.

"Ah!" a scream rent through the air, the smell of cooked flesh prevalent as a warm body thumped nearby. Daigusto Falcos, or now just Falco, swooped about, crying out for its lost partner.

"Kamui!" She screamed at the familiar boy's face. "Kamui! Musto, please, help me!"

"No..." the Hope of Gusto, the young heir of the tribe, smiled wanly. "Winda... no, Wynn... take care of Falco for me."

"Kamui!" Wynn screamed as the boy disappeared in a rush of fine dust that was lost to the winds. Overhead, Gusto Falcos cried out in pain and loss.

Power to call upon the winds... this power will come at a great cost...

Somewhere from above, Petit Dragon cried.

"A sacrifice borne of pain..." Wynn growled as she aimed her staff at Falco. "Falco, be my sacrifice! Henceforth, I renounce the title of Winda, Priestess of Gusto! I will be the summoner of the Winds, Storming Wynn!"

The skies were cleaved as fire burned and the armies of the Flamvell continued, but the former Charmer stood her ground.

"I offer the lost familiar, Gusto Falco as a sacrifice!" Wynn roared. "Until thy cursed fate ends... thou shalt be servants of Wynn, gale and breezes! Simorgh the God Bird, I beseech thee! Answer thy call!"

Green wings spread, the cry of the birds roared, surprising the cavalry as armies of blue and green and dragons armed with riding winged creatures appeared from the mountains above the valley. The cavalry had arrived.

Gishki Noelia stood by, the infamously cold Spellcaster comforting the younger members of the Gusto. Caam faced the ruined and plundered Shrine of Mist Valley, her usual serene expression tinged with pain echoing the loss of the entire tribe. Winda, now Storming Wynn, stood strong, her old familiar of Petit Dragon moaning and trying to cheer her up.

A pair of laced sandals entered her view. She looked up to an individual with blue hair, a serene expression tinged with pain, and brown robes stained numerous times. Her staff was topped with an amethyst crystal, clearer than any other she had seen, and beside her the tiny Gigobyte lingered.

Wynn stared. "Eria? You too?"

"Yes."

"You Chose to become a summoner?"

"The Vylon attacked our tribe. It was either summon, or let the tribe perish."

Wynn gave a tired sigh. "I don't suppose that Doriado-shishou would be happy with our Choice."

"It doesn't matter. Not any more. Her people, the Fairies took my kind from me. The Gishki are going to side with Winter, to fight against those Summer bastards who did it." Eria was surprisingly eloquent.

"After this attack..." Wynn bit her lip. "Do you think that... that maybe, I could join Winter as well?"

"Come, then."

The Charmers of Wind and Water thus Chose the Empire of Air and Darkness.

The sacrifice of Fire and Earth...

Hiita laughed, enjoying her stroll through the Searing Land. Muspellheim was hot, and exactly the way she liked. By her feet, Fox Fire trotted along, yapping.

"Oi, I caught a Bunil... la..." the fat rabbit dropped to the ground as Hiita stared at the carnage that had been the camp of the Laval.

Sisters, the Forest Sprite and Volcano Handmaiden were chanting protective barriers, the Lancelord and the Dragons were being mobilised, every weapon of the Flame tribe employed to fight against insectoid demons of darkness that was interrupting the

Rekindling...

The Verz, Hiita realised.

It swept like a wave, the battle, and even Hiita herself had to fight, the Familiar-Possessed hardly enough to help against the strength of these beasts, fellow Laval slain and left to die and dissolve by the will of the Three Illusory Gods as blood spattered on charmer and familiar.

Tiny will o' wisps scattered from the remains of the Searing Fire Wall, a monster...

...that could grow stronger.

Hiita held onto her torch-staff. "A sacrifice borne of pain... be my sacrifice! Henceforth, I renounce the title of Raging Flame Sprite! I will be the summoner of the Fires, Blazing Hiita!"

The skies were cleaved as thunder clapped and the Verz advanced.

"I offer the Laval monster as a sacrifice!" She roared. "Until thy cursed fate ends... thou shalt be servants of Hiita, flame and conflagration! I beseech thee! Answer thy call! Fire of hatred, Goka, the Pyre of Malice!"

The flames of her people were solidifying... the Pyre of Malice, Goka, she recognised from her studied with the Elemental Mistress. The souls of hatred of the Laval would be borne on its remaining successor as her familiar grew in length and growled.

It was then that swords rang, clashing as insect, warrior and beast-warrior alike charged.

By the end of the battle, many of the Laval were dead, and Hiita had collapsed by a nearby stand. A staff, topped with magical stones glimmering like crystals, met her view as she glanced up into a face blocked by thick glasses. "Aussa...?"

"You too," Aussa stated in answer.

"You too," Hiita noticed the Demon Beaver chatting with her familiar. "So, you Chose?"

"Yes."

"Dammit," Hiita swore, with more feeling. "If the old bag were around she'd really yell at us."

"The X-Saber are with Summer," Aussa murmured. "We can get you sanctuary with Queen Titania. The tribes are all moving to either Titania or Maeve already, let's hurry."

"Which side are the Verz with?"

"Erm, Maeve. Winter."

"I'll stand on the opposite side," Hiita snarled. "No matter what. Those bastards will pay."

The Charmers of Fire and Earth thus Chose the Kingdom of Land and Light.

The path which is Light and Dark... we enter the present age...

A Charmer of Doriado... both of you. From young, six gifted children of the different tribes entrusted a child to the Elemental Mistress. She taught them all to charm and ally with monsters of their own Attribute, from the Gishki to the Gusto to the warriors to the Flamvell... and the children who would guide chaos...

Fate decreed you would come to this city, and here two paths will open. What you do will lead your choice. One, is that you and that girl will become martyrs of the chaos that Milla will call upon. Another, is that, against all odds, you will kill Celestia, and finally... the hold of the Lightsworn will be over...

Dark eyes opened as Dharc awoke.

Meda Bat flapped its wings. "You're a pretty useless master, you know?"

"You say that all the time, so why are you here?" Dharc muttered as he walked up from the fairly comfortable bed to the window, the open portal giving a view of the Luminous Spark and the far-off Realm of Light from the Shine Palace itself. It seemed so long that he and Lyna had been working as serfs, enduring secret teaching from the Shadowpriestess of Ohm before it got too dangerous to remain any longer. They had escaped, and, against all odds...

Let's suppose we call your enthusiasm an endeavour. By relying on the kindness of others and being a nuisance, is that your way of living? I'll say it again. Those who can't grasp their own fortune are bugs. We can't call the ones who continue being bugs as people.

"...please... turn us into people."

A bug... that ceased to think... and gave that treasure to someone else... No matter how comfortable that path, anyone who abandons it will turn into mere bugs. I won't become a bug... because I am a person! No matter what the Lightsworn believe, even for a lowly Dark Attribute monster such as I... I am free! Free to stand here and say, and ask; what kind of Light this is, that would exalt only itself and not the rest of the world it illuminates!

"What are you thinking about?" Meda Bat rumbled.

Dharc chuckled as Lyna ran up to him. "Nii-chan! Breakfast is ready!"

"Thank you, Lyna," Dharc mumbled.

"Oh, and Kuraz-sama says that he finally has a job for you!" Lyna added before running off happily. "I'm going to find Milla-nee!"

"I wonder... how are the rest of them..." Dharc mumbled. "Wynn, Eria, Hiita, Aussa... are they happy?"

"Who knows," Meda Bat mumbled as Dharc entered the great hall of Kuraz the Light Monarch to come face to face with a familiar sight.

"Eria? Hiita?" Dharc mouthed.

"Dharc!" the other Spellcasters answered.

Dharc glanced at the two of them, their stronger familiars, and felt a stab of pain. "You..."

"We Chose," Hiita's jaw set. "Ice-Statue and I are messengers of Queen Winter and the Summer monarch respectively. Aussa and Wynn are with her and me respectively. When did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Dharc mumbled, touching the cuff on his right wrist. "Lyna is here as well. So... shall we?"

So the Six Paths gather once again.

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