Phoenix Phire

by Stayrr

Nicholas Phire was sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of parole. Because of the mercy of a lonely prison guard, a new world is presented to him. Nix finds himself in the Virtual World of Colonial with a hundred-year assignment as Lifestyle player in the Gladis Hub. Will Nix stay in the remote village located on the polar Ice Cap? Or does adventure await for the man

3. 65 - 92

Phoenix Phire #Chapter 65 - New Allies - Read Phoenix Phire Chapter 65 - New Allies Online - All Page - Novel Next

Mina and her Aquarion Assault team were huddled closely together on the deck of the Phoenix. At the last minute, the Souza Accord leader had decided to accompany Nix and Jun Li.

"You're going to fall overboard if you keep trying to get at it like that." Nix had to grab Jun Li's arm when she nearly slipped over the rail.

Jun Li stared at the Phoenix figurehead in frustration. "Nix! You said you were going to tell us all of your secret upgrades for your ship!"

Nix had upgraded the entire fleet's sails and told them how to upgrade the cannons. The Soaring Phoenix head he would let them find out for themselves, although he had mentioned it in passing to Pon. "Where's the fun in that."

Phoenix Figurehead

Description: A terror of the

seas. The Phoenix soars above all others.

10 Fire Damage to cannons

30 Speed to travel. All effects

are stackable.

Jun Li finally gave up, "thanks for not letting me fall overboard."

Nix scratched his chin to hide the guilty look he was wearing. Letting her fall overboard had been very tempting. "No worries Junie."

Jun Li was wearing one of the armor sets that Moki had made for the guild. With the inclusion of the Kraken leather, it was a legendary set. Moki had turned the leather Kraken armor into a beautifully scaled armor that was vastly superior to any plate armor at the mid-levels. "It was nice of Fey to donate scales to the cause."

"She loses them monthly." Nix had discovered that the pond Fey normally soaks in was saturated with her scales. Drake scales had given them the punch to create a legendary set of Scaled armor. He glanced at Junie, the scaled armor had a reddish tinge, her long black braid and pale skin added together to make her a striking figure.

"I don't see Shae much nowadays." Jun Li tried not to sound like she was prying, but of course, she was. "Is everything okay?"

Nix didn't know how much to share, Shae had to constantly monitor Fajii's fire levels. The Aquarion chemist wouldn't have survived without the personal attention of the Salamander Nemesis. "Shae is in an important phase in solidifying her foundation. When she emerges, her strength will be terrifying."

"Like yours?" Jun Li was too busy during the assault to monitor Nix, but she had heard the account from others. She had also seen the streamed version. He had pulled the head completely off of a Water Lord while killing two Matriarchs. A few days after that, she had received written apologies from the guild leaders of Nottingham and Marauder. The apologies had come with a promise of non-aggression and a large number of credits. Jun Li hadn't been fooled by the gesture, she knew they were scared to death that Inferno was going to swoop in and finish them off.

"You were pretty impressive yourself Junie. I thought you were a DPS when we first met, but now you are tanking alongside Sharl and Banzi."

"I adjusted a few things so I could be used as an off-tank. Sharl is still the best tank at our level in Colonial."

Rhatia hadn't changed since Jun Li had led an assault team to save the black diamond in the King's crown. The capital of Neptia was a beautiful city with several cultural enhancements. Not the least of these was a university and a museum. The pale white stone streets gave it a heavenly appearance. Without a doubt, Rhatia was the cleanest city in Colonial.

Nix and Jun Li were welcomed into a large stateroom along with several heads of state. Mina and her team had chosen to stay on board the Phoenix.

/Guildchat: Nix: Junie, where are the other Kings?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: They won't be here for a simple signing Nix. Since they've agreed, their representatives will do the signing.

/Guildchat: Nix: Damn... This doesn't feel very historical.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: King Cray will be in attendance, as the host he will reside over the signing.

/Guildchat: Wind: For the record, I would like to inform everyone that the 'Gambler' has just made its first kill.

Nix smiled at the statement. The normally reserved Wind was slowly becoming more sociable. He had been given a Galleon ship as his flagship.

/Guildchat: Nix: Great job Wind.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: I am so glad we aren't in the Terran faction, those bastards are lame.

/Guildchat: Semmi: I agree.

The entire signing only took a few minutes, however, the discussion that took place before then was quite extensive. The other Kingdoms of Broyan had no real grasp of a non-monarchy government system. In the interest of moving things along, Nix had offered them Shae Balefire as the ruler of Glory Island. He had discussed the probability of this happening with her, although she was uninterested in ruling, she had no issues with being the figurehead.

An hour later Nix and Jun Li were boarding the Phoenix when the world-wide announcement was made.

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Colonial System Message: A new nation has joined the Broyan Kingdom Coalition. The Independent City-State of Glory Island has been formed.

[New Guild Options are available]

[New Glory Island Options are available]

[New Fire Palace Options are available]

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Can I be a princess?

/Guildchat: Sharl: Are we really sisters?

/Guildchat: Nix: Princess Ronnie? Hmm... I don't hate it.

/Guildchat: Semmi: It does have a certain ring to it.

Jun Li watched while Nix interacted with Mina and her assault team. The Aquarions had accepted the Inferno members as allies, but they treated Nix like family. It was evident in the way they were always touching him. Aquarions often showed their friendship by placing a hand on your shoulder when they spoke. If the relationship was close they would embrace or stroke the person's head.

Nix laughed at something one of the Aquarion males said and then turned his attention toward Jun Li. "What do we know about Resolute?"

Jun Li waited until he approached to answer. "Not much honestly. They are one of the few upper-tier guilds that don't have a mid-range branch."

Nix claimed a spot at the rail next to her. "What's their average level?"

"Mid-70s." Jun Li had to research them on the forums, most of her experience was at the mid-tier.

"Why would they be interested in an alliance with us?" Nix knew that the power difference between the mid and upper-tier was substantial.

"There are several guilds who have approached Resolute over the years. Until now they've shown no interest in alliances."

"They want something from us." Nix had given it some thought. "Why else approach a guild that is obviously weaker?"

"What could we give them that they can't get for themselves?"

"Not sure, but if it involves Shae in any way, the answer will be no." Nix had seen first hand how guilds were willing to double-cross each other if it meant getting their hands on a Salamander.

The Resolute guild was located in Espana. In the interest of speeding things along, the Phoenix returned to Glory island, leaving Nix and Jun Li to continue the mission with the use of portals.

The southern tip of Espana was called the Cattail peninsula, it was here that the guildhall for Resolute was located. The guild had a rather large navy of about forty ships, they also were part of the Sea-Farer faction.

There was no obvious guard but when Nix and Jun Li walked into the Guild's courtyard, several people approached them.

"Please state your business friends." A cheerful-looking man with curly brown hair and wide shoulders moved in front of them. Three others flanked the visitors, effectively sealing them off.

Nix didn't let the security bother him, unlike Glory, this place was easily approachable. "I am Nix from the Inferno Guild, this is my Raid Leader Jun Li."

The cheerful man bowed slightly, "Jun Li and Nix? Welcome to the Resolute Guildhall. I am Caza, one of the vice-leaders here."

Caza led them through a set of double doors into a large stone building. Nix thought it resembled an old fashion Fort. They stopped at a large round table where several members were sitting.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: This is like the Knights of Camelot.

/Guildchat: Nix: Agreed. So where is Arthur?

A rather plain-looking woman in leather armor looked up when they approached. Her short brown hair was faded to near blonde from the outdoors. Her face was liberally covered with freckles but it was her eyes that drew attention, they were the color of blood.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Okay, the eyes are freaking me out.

/Guildchat: Nix: I don't mind them.

"Nix and Jun Li? I am Sulane, the Guild Leader of Resolute." The freckled woman extended her hand and shook Nix's.

"Nice to meet you Sulane." Nix watched while she shook Jun Li's hand also. The small smile she had offered them both had totally transformed her face.

"I have to admit the recent announcement has weakened our bargaining position. May I be blunt?" Sulane gestured to two empty seats and waited until they obliged her before sitting down herself.

Since Nix had asked her to take the lead on negotiations, Jun Li jumped right in. "We prefer it that way also. Please tell us what you want and then we will start from there."

Sulane nodded and took a deep breath. "There's an artifact we are interested in attaining. The only problem is that it resides in a place where we can't touch it."

Jun Li shared a glanced with Nix.

/Guildchat: Nix: Mermaid City?

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/Guildchat: Jun Li: That would be my guess.

"A place where Resolute can't get to it? How is that even possible?" Jun Li smiled pleasantly and took a drink from the wine chalice they had offered her.

"We are restricted by level. The artifact we require is in Mermaid City." Sulane watched them both as she spoke. Neither showed any surprise. From all reports, the Inferno/Souza Accord alliance were far ahead of the competition in Mermaid City.

Jun Li nodded like she had expected it. "We have our own agenda in Mermaid City, but then you already know that."

"Resolute has been working on an important quest for more than two years. We stand at the last step, imagine our surprise when we found out that all of our members are now too high to finish the quest."

/Guildchat: Nix: We have to know what it is and what they are offering us.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: I agree.

Jun Li leaned over and pretended to whisper something in Nix's ear when he nodded she looked back at Sulane. "We aren't touching this quest without knowing what it is."

Sulane and her guildmates exchanged several looks.

/Guildchat: Nix: Think we are being talked about in their guild chat.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Very likely.

"It's called the Earth Pearl, through this quest we now have the ability to activate it." Sulane waited patiently while considered her words.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Holy shit Nix.

/Guildchat: Nix: Something important?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: If it's real, then yes. The Earth Pearl will open up the Earth Mage path.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Junie? Are you guys f*cking with us?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: No.

Nix had heard enough. "We agree, however, we don't agree to the terms you are offering."

Sulane turned toward him, Inferno's infamous Fire Mage finally spoke up. "You haven't heard our terms."

"I don't need to. The only thing we will accept is the use of it for three days." Nix crossed his arms to indicate he would be inflexible on this matter.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: It probably has a recharge timer Nix! Better to ask for usages.

/Guildchat: Nix: Darsi? If I give you a charged Earth Pearl, what can you do with it?

/Guildchat: Darsi: I can make a single copy, but it will be exactly like the original. I won't know what is required until I place it in my queue.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Fine, ask for three days then. Don't mention our ability to copy it.

/Guildchat: Nix: Obviously.

"We will agree to three days of usage." Sulane sighed heavily, "there's more. The two year limit to finish the quest ends in two days."

Jun Li smiled pleasantly, "that won't be an issue. Is there anything else?"

Nix frowned, something wasn't adding up to him. "Why can't you drop levels like Shank did when he took over Salamander?"

Sulane shook her head. "Part of the quest required a full raid into the Clam farm."

/Guildchat: Jun Li: The Clam farm is a 50 level raid, very difficult, but unlimited numbers.

Nix let his confusion show. "Why does that matter?"

"The entire guild has already dropped their levels down."

/Guildchat: Jun Li: The level drop only works one time on each person. They are stuck now.

/Guildchat: Nix: That explains why they are so strong. Let's do it.

Jun Li stood up and extended her hand. "We will agree to those terms. We will retrieve the artifact first thing in the morning. In exchange, once you charge it, you will lend it to us at Glory Island for three days."

Sulane also stood up, she smiled when she shook Jun Li's hand. "I will write up a contract and send it over immediately."

Nix nodded in satisfaction. "Come to Glory for lunch tomorrow. We will have it by then."

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Nix listened to Semmi give the Earth Pearl brief. It was located on the third stage of an unguarded section of Mermaid City. An old abandoned temple housed the Earth artifact. Lore said that Earth mages were once a very large part of the Aquarion civilization, but that slowly with the passage of time, the Water Mages ran them out.

Semmi brought up the only known map of the area. "As you know, there aren't many guilds at the third stage. We could expect interference from Salamander, but with their recent troubles, they've placed raiding on the backburner in the interest of protecting their resources."

Sharl was looking at the map, it seemed very straight forward, there were two approaches to the temple. "So two small raid teams? What is the thought process here?"

Semmi nodded, "A team of ten coming in the front, and a team of five trying to enter stealthily from the side entrance."

Jun Li was looking at the guild roster and trying to find their best options. This was too important to trust any of the new recruits. "The side team will be Nix, Chael, Wind, Semmi, and Milat."

Nix nodded in agreement when he heard the team. Milat was an Aquarion melee expert who had received a shadow bracer in the Trifelez raid. Since then he had fully embraced the silent kill methods of a stealth class. "Who'll be at the front then?"

Jun Li read the names she had picked, "myself, Sharl, Pon, Ronnie, Banzi, Gypsy, Tess, Mina, Donri and Nez."

Nix would have preferred Mina to be in his group, but he understood her dps would be needed in the front door group that was tank and healer heavy. "Will we be fighting Aquarions?"

Mina shook her head, "although many Aquarions had become Earth mages, the acolytes in the temple were a hidden race. No one knows what they were."

Nix glanced at two of the first people he had grouped with in Colonial, Nez, and Donri. Since joining Inferno with Sila, they had worked hard on leveling and were now properly geared. More importantly, Nez was a talented healer and Donri a steadfast tank. He had given Nez secret instructions, keep Mina alive at all costs.

Jun Li decided she liked the groupings, since Nix had appointed her Raid Leader, it was her call. "We'll leave from the dock portal in an hour."

Nix decided on a quick meal before the raid. It was a bit after the normal dinner time, but the kitchen was still open. He walked through the dining room and stopped in the kitchen doorway. "Why do you look so happy when you are cooking?"

Hyai looked up from the oven and quickly closed it before answering. "Cooking makes me happy. When you get older you realize it's the simple things that are nicest."

Nix smiled and walked in, she served him a bowl of stew and they talked in the kitchen while she prepared the baked goods for the next day. "Our trip to Jenza is going to be later than planned."

"It's fine hun, my daughter has prepared a room for us."

"Will I still be able to meet the Swordsman?" Nix had never really given the sword much thought. Guns seemed much more effective to his modern thinking. After raiding for a while, he felt something a bit more up close and quiet would also be nice. Hyai knew a master swordsman, more importantly, he was staying with her daughter and son-in-law in Jenza.

Hyai poured him some wine, then helped herself to the first drink. "He's a bit of an odd duck, but he will be staying the rest of the week."

Nix could learn the sword at any skill trainer, but Roaming Masters would oftentimes produce unexpected results.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: We have some new guild options Nix if you want to activate them.

/Guildchat: Nix: Wasn't sure if those were wanted. Do what you think is best Junie.

[Inferno Members may now send personalized communications to each other and other guild personnel that have this feature enabled.]

Unlike other VR games, Colonial didn't come with a built-in communication package. In the interest of expanding initial networking among beginner players, this feature wouldn't be added until they joined an advanced guild.

[Whisper: Semmi to Nix] First!

Nix looked up at the blonde-haired scout, she gave him a small wave without saying anything else.

[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] I wanted to be the first to send you a whisper!

[Whisper: Nix to Ronnie] Sorry... Semmi was first.

Nix was standing in the shipyard with Captain Delphi. He had directed her to enter the first berth in the Legendary shipyard and then to have everyone disembark.

[Legendary Shipyard Options] Which task do you wish to perform?

1) Build a new ship.

2) Copy an existing ship.

3) Enhance an existing ship.

Nix chose option three, he wanted to further enhance the Phoenix.

[Analyzing existing modifications]

Navy Frigate: Phoenix

Phoenix Figurehead

Description: A terror of the

seas. The Phoenix soars above all others.

10 Fire Damage to cannons

30 Speed to travel. All effects

are stackable.

Steel Cannon: Twenty-pounder

Customized Cannons

Description: Fires twenty pound

projectiles. Max Range: 450 meters.

Effective Range: 200 meters.

Accuracy 5/10, reload 9 seconds.

Phoenix Sail

Description: A beautiful white sail

emblazoned with the image of a majestic

Phoenix. 20 to Sail Speed. 10 to turn radius.

Craft Rating: Epic

[Do you wish to enhance the Phoenix?]

"Yes." Nix patted Captain Delphi on the back. "Keep an eye on things here. When I come back we are going hunt up some Terrans."

Delphi grinned and nodded. "I can't wait, sir."

An hour later Nix was huddled together with Wind, Semmi, Chael, and Milat." Both him and Chael quietly drank their invisibility potions since they were the only ones without natural stealth.

Nix glanced at his hud, Jun Li and her team would hit the front first. Hopefully, this would pull most of the aggro to the front door. His team would fight as little as possible. Get the pearl and leave quickly.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Here we go. Please knock on the door Pon!

/Inferno: Pon: It's a shame to f*ck up such a nice door.

The Fire Mage targeted the door, it looked like a pretty solid metal door. There were intricate carvings that showed the talent of a true artist.

[Balefire]

A blast of white flame passed through the metal door like it was paper, leaving a huge gaping hole through it. Bits of melted metal ran down the door.

Sharl, Banzi and Jun Li charged to the front. A few seconds later a dozen hooded acolytes burst through the doorway.

[Barricade: Sharl, Banzi, Jun Li]

[Shield Domain Established]

The three tanks utilized the same ability, by combining them they created a domain that must be destroyed before the enemy can implement any other strategy.

[Summon: Ducky]

Nix waited a few moments longer and then activated his tempory stealth icon. "Time to go guys."

The side door was locked, but Semmi and her support skills made short work of it. She noticed Nix's smile. "Dig a chick who can pick locks?"

Nix nodded, "who doesn't"

The other men in the group nodded in agreement. The group entered through the door and immediately came upon a choice, up or down? They stood in the landing of a massive staircase.

/Inferno: Nix: Crap... if we choose the wrong one.

/Inferno: Semmi: Let's split up, we'll take ten minutes to scout and then regroup.

/Inferno: Nix: Two down and three up. I'll head down.

/Inferno: Wind: Me too.

Nix and Wind headed down the staircase, while the other three moved upward.

/Inferno: Semmi: If anyone finds it, let us know. Don't try to take it by yourself.

Nix and Wind descended several flights of stone stairs, finally, they came to an exit.

[Whisper: Wind to Nix] I'll take this level.

With a flash he was gone, leaving Nix to continued downward. There were no other exits from the stairs, after several minutes the stairs ended abruptly in a large door with a barred window. To Nix's eye, this looked exactly like a dungeon.

[Command: Scout Area]

Ducky nodded in compliance and disappeared through the door. Nix followed along much more slowly. A low hissing sound made the skin on the back on his neck crawl. The sound came from all around him as he entered a cell area. The prisoners were all cloaked and covered from head to toe. For the most part, they were shackled either to the floor or the wall.

Ducky appeared a few minutes later. Nix checked his map, there were two red icons on it that were a bit further away.

/Inferno: Chael: I found the Earth Pearl! It's on the top floor and it's guarded by three acolytes!

/Inferno: Semmi: Great Chael! Everyone rendezvous on the top floor.

Nix looked around the dungeon, his thoughts seemed to slow a bit. Something was off, he really wanted to explore this area a bit more.

/Inferno: Nix: Change in plans Semmi, proceed with the Pearl Extraction. I'm going to investigate something.

/Inferno: Semmi: What if we can't handle the fight without you?

/Inferno: Nix: Ask the King to help, then run like hell. I won't be long. If you aren't confident, then wait a bit.

Ducky grabbed his arm when he headed to the door on the far side of the open cells. She shook her head, fear evident in her eyes.

"Something scary Ducky?" He patted her head gently and moved toward the door anyway.

The room he entered was much brighter than the one he had left. A single Aquarion sat on a huge throne. He was obviously male, there was a large broadaxe across his back and a whip in his hand. His eyes looked maniacal as he whipped the prisoner repeatedly from his seat.

/Inferno: Nix: The f*ck is that?

The woman was perhaps the most beautiful female he had ever seen, She looked like a bronzed goddess, her long light brown hair descended down her perfect bare back. Her wrists were bound with shackles and attached to a metal frame that forced her to stand. That absolute beauty stopped at her waist, where she turned into a snake.

/Inferno: Nix: There's an Aquarion here, and something else. Stay on the mission, I won't be long.

Nix shook his head to clear it, she hissed again when the whip cracked against her back. Her snake body started out the thickness of a woman's waist and then slowly narrowed to a tip. He estimated the snake part to be about ten feet in length. He recognized the race from Greek mythology, she was a Lamia.

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Nix waited until the Aquarion was in mid-stroke of his next attack on the Lamia before he attacked. He placed four strands on the surprised water creature, one around each arm and two for his neck.

[Fire Root]

[Flame Snare]

The Aquarion male was a melee, Nix stayed out of range until the man let out his last soundless scream. As fights go, he was weaker than most Aquarions. There were two chests by the throne, he stowed both of them in his inventory.

"Human..." The hissing words of the Lamia sent shivers down his spine, there was a complete absence of emotions in her words.

Nix moved a bit closer but was careful to stay out of harm's way. "What should I do with you?"

"Cut your own throat and then fall at my feet to be consumed." Her eyes glowed slightly when she spoke.

Nix felt an overwhelming desire to kill himself.

[Salamander's resistance, you have broken the Lamia's charm]

"Well, since you played it that way."

[Aura Ignition]

"A Salamander? Wait, Lord..." Her eyes panicked for a moment before Nix fully embraced her.

Jun Li slammed stabbed her sword straight through a charging acolyte. It faded into dust the exact same way all of them did once you killed them.

/Inferno: Semmi: We've got the Pearl!

/Inferno: Jun Li: Okay, gate out immediately

Jun Li raised her sword to defend against another acolyte. Suddenly the ground started shaking, she dropped her sword and covered her ears as an inhuman scream tore through the courtyard. The acolytes they had been fighting vanished into dust.

/Inferno: Nix: Enter the temple and loot everything that can be used.

Nix stepped away from the corpse. Dropping to his knees he vomited the remnants of his last meal. There were several fang marks on his neck and shoulders that were streaming blood.

[Combustion]

[You have Slain a Legendary Creature]

[Beast Slayer Title has been updated 2/6]

[Do you wish to skin the Lamia?]

"Yes." Nix looked at Ducky, "bring me a healer."

[One Complete Lamia Skin has been added to your Inventory]

[The Knights of Colonial have decided to send you more Troops.]

Tess and Pon found him a few minutes later, he had already passed out. Tess placed a hand on his forehead, immediately her brows furrowed. "He's fully healed, but there is some sort of poison ravaging him."

[Whisper: Pon to Jun Li] Come to the lower level at once.

Jun Li and Mina arrived a few minutes later, they had been directing the looting of the temple. Jun Li moved to his side, "Did you heal him?"

Tess shook her head, "I didn't have to. He was fully healed already. There is some sort of powerful poison in his body, it ignores both detox and cleanses."

"F*ck..." Jun Li was the first to notice the scroll hovering above the dead body a few feet away. "It's a temple deed... which means that was the temple lord."

/Inferno: Jun Li: This is a Lamia temple... Nix's been poisoned.

/Inferno: Wind: Let him die, won't that cure it?

/Inferno: Tessa: The poison description says 'Persistent.'

/Inferno: Sharl: Permanently poisoned? I've never heard of such a harsh poison.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Shae] Nix's has been poisoned by a Lamia. I'm not sure...

Shae appeared next to him before she could even finish the sentence. She placed a hand over his chest and closed her eyes for a moment. "How could this happen?" Shae scowled at the dead Lamia, "your race has long been dead, yet you strike at my mate?" She waved her hand and the snake-woman corpse incinerated.

Mina had been watching off to one side, she wasn't a healer so she didn't approach. Her eyes were filled with worry. "What can be done Shae?"

Jun Li placed a hand on his arm, "will he regain consciousness if he dies here?"

Tess shook her head, "I don't think so, one of the side-effects is loss of consciousness.

/Inferno: Semmi: We've taken everything worth taking. What's the plan, Junie?

Jun Li grabbed the temple deed from the air and then turned to Shae. "We can't stay here."

Shae nodded and picked Nix up in her arms. "I will bring him to the Fire Palace."

An hour later, Nix lay comfortably cocooned in the warm red flames of a Nemesis Salamander. He was partially submerged in one of her pools, Fey and Fajii were watching patiently.

"Do not worry, " Shae smiled at the two of them, "Nix is going to be fine." She placed a hand on his forehead and ignited his aura. The flames around him instantly turned from red to green and then to brown.

Fey watched for a moment longer, "Is forcing metamorphosis on an unconscious person the best way to proceed?"

Shae nodded. "A while ago he aided me when I was attempting to advance. He absorbed an impossible amount of meta flames. This is partially responsible for Fajii's condition and his own Salamander path."

"Are you going to join him?" Fey understood elemental metamorphosis, Shae had only recently become a Nemesis, to force herself to advance now would have deadly consequences.

"I wish I could walk him through it, however this time I can only watch from the side." Shae's light brown eyes watched him, "but if it goes badly and intervention is required, I won't hesitate."

Fajii stared at her sleeping friend, he looked like he might jump up at any moment. "What if the Lamia poison survives his metamorphosis?"

"It may do so in some shape or form, the process is about adapting your body through growth." Shae summoned a single fire cord and attached it over his heart. It was roughly the thickness of her arm and would serve as fuel for his flame. "I'm confident that even though he sleeps, he has an awareness of events."

"The flames are brown Shae." Fey wasn't overly worried about his advancement, however, she knew that brown flames were especially dangerous.

"It's not unexpected. Nix has a natural ability to control all types of flames, it's uncanny that a human like him exists."

Fey nodded as though she understood. "That's because he's a Salamander, not a human," she muttered under her breath.

The flames grew hotter, making the water in the pond boil. Fajii moved further away, the heat radiating off him was still difficult for her to handle. She watched him, the brown flames surrounding him grew thicker and darker. Fey stayed close, being so close to a powerful flame was a boon for her so she focused on absorbing as much of the residual flames as she could.

Most of the guild sat in the Kindled Spirit late into the night. Hyai kept the bar open, but she wasn't charging anyone. She kept her mind focused by staying busy.

/Guildchat: Darsi: A lot of my customers have been complaining that the portal here is private use only.

/Guildchat: Sharl: Understandable, they are used to instantly gating wherever they like.

/Guildchat: Darsi: Are we going to open up the portal to public use?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: No.

/Guildchat: Semmi: The ferry runs twice a day, that's more than enough.

/Guildchat: Sharl: Keeping the portal private lets us have better security.

/Guildchat: Darsi: I've been examining the special item you retrieved. Duplicating it will not be a problem.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: "They will charge it in the temple and then leave it in our care for three days.

Shae watched him closely, her mind lingering on his steadfastness. "I was expecting more struggle and discord." She shook her head in amazement, "this is the most peaceful adaption I've ever heard of. The poison has changed slightly and is being integrated."

Fey nodded, her scaled lids were half-closed as she basked. "The flame adores him."

The build-up of power started suddenly, Shae recognized it immediately for what it was. "Quickly, both of you retreat to the temple."

Shae removed the bodysuit that Nix had made for her and fully immersed herself in his flames. She mounted him quickly, her mouth seeking his as she vanquished the cord feeding his flames and used her own aura. The flames they made together were much much purer and hotter than they had been earlier. It was a testament that his own emerald flame had become more refined.

The brown fire aura continued to swirl around them, gradually forming a sphere. Shae could only watch and moan with pleasure. The sphere constricted around both of them, the pressure strong enough to make a Nemesis strain to withstand it. Then it exploded outwards in all directions, a wave of pure power that shook the flame world and the Fire Palace that was anchored to it.

Nix opened his eyes a few minutes later and found himself face to face with a smiling Shae. "Taking advantage of me while I was sleeping?"

Shae nodded, "certainly." She placed a hand over his chest. "A few small changes. Show me."

Nix untangled himself from her smooth limbs and sat up.

Nix

Level 50 [Locked: Actual Level 90]

Strength 85

Endurance 83

Intelligence 45

Dexterity 45

Perception 45

Mana 18000/18000

Cold Resistance 120 [Ice Blessing]

Fire Resistance 120 [Burning Aura]

Emerald Flame Strands 90 [Flame Snare] [Fire Root]

Fire Seed [Emerald]

Weapon Skills:

Primary: Path of the Fire Lord [Salamander]

Support Skills:

N/A

Primary Path Skills

Balefire

Meteor Storm

Combustion

Comet Strike

[Spirit Animal 3/4]

1: Soup [Royal Sea Turtle]

2: Ducky [Siren]

3: Fey [Fire Drake]

Skills:

Hunter 100

Leather Making 100

Tailor 100

Beast Slayer [Legendary Creature 2/6]

Description: You have slain two legendary

beasts in single combat. 10 to all Stats.

[Kraken's Strength] Your enemy's

first attack will be reflected back upon them.

[Lamia's Curse]

Your attacks add one stackable poison counter.

"Very nice Nix." Shae pulled him deeper into the pool. "I made you something nice, remind me to show you later." She closed her eyes and leaned heavily against him, her fatigue suddenly very obvious.

Nix wrapped her up in his arms and supported her. Unlike her, he had never felt better. "A present? I got you something too."

Shae opened her eyes, "really? Another dress perhaps? I hope it's red."

Nix accessed his inventory and removed the two chests that he had recovered from the Earth Temple. The first contained a large speckled egg, he handed it to her without saying anything.

"It's not for eating."

Shae took the egg in her hands and held it up to her ear. "A Lamia Egg?"

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/Guildchat: Jun Li: You really should be here Nix.

/Guildchat: Nix: Sorry Junie, busy at the moment.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] What do I tell Resolute?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Nothing, our contract says we let them take the pearl long enough to finish the quest and charge it.

[Whisper: Jun Li: Nix] What if they try to take it?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Have Shae greet them, if they try anything squirrely she will stop it.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Fine. Then I just give it to Darsi?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Yep

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] She's a criminal Nix. What if she runs off with it?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] In three months Darsi will leave everything she's made with us.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Darsi is almost done?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] As part of her agreement with Gladis, her character will be reset to zero, along with her crafting. She'll be woken up and turned loose. It will be a few days before we see her again.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] You'll give her back her shop and all the credits?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Yes. It's a good deal all around. Being able to duplicate an artifact is pretty amazing. She hasn't said what she'll do when she returns.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] What should I do with the Lamia Temple Deed?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Give it to Shae when you see her.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Fine. Have fun in Jenza.

After grabbing a few hours of sleep, Nix had woke up just in time to grab the mid-morning ferry. He had insisted that Hyai take the day off so that he could keep his promise and bring her to Jenza.

Hyai stood at the rail of the ferry, it was the return trip back to Broyan, so it was completely empty. "Why didn't we just gate Nix?"

Nix shrugged, enjoying the warm sea breeze and the seagulls shrieking overhead. "You said you've never taken the ferry, it seems like a nice trip."

Hyai nodded and slid an arm through his. "Thanks, Nix."

Nix smiled, "you are helping me out by getting me an introduction to this mysterious swordsman."

Hyai nodded, "Bane says he's the real deal. Apparently he visits annually because of Bela's cooking."

Nix had originally been shocked to learn that Bane Ton was Hyai's son-in-law, he wasn't surprised that Bela was a great cook. "Taught her everything you know?"

Hyai gave him a wicked smile. "Just about cooking."

"Mind if we stop by Shana's before we head to the Provost office to meet Bane?" Nix had been wondering how the shop and Shana were doing.

"It's fine hun." Hyai took a deep breath and exhaled, "sometimes I miss the good old days."

Sulane was flanked by Caza, she had been directed by Nix to only bring one other person with her to Glory. She ran a hand through her short hair and glanced toward her companion. "That f*cking temple is amazing."

Caza nodded in agreement, "This is a Fire Palace, which of course dwarfs normal Temples." Caza was a Fire Mage, so of course, he had felt the buff the moment they arrived in Glory. He also felt a strong fire presence nearby. "The Palace Nemesis is definitely here."

They were greeted by an Acolyte the moment they entered the Temple, she was accompanied by an old Fire Mage. "Greeting friends. I'm Dervi and my companion is called Pon. He is one of the Inferno representatives."

Caza smiled at the old mage, they knew each other of course. "Pon, you old bastard!" He extended his hand towards one of his oldest friends.

Pon scowled and shook the offered hand. "I didn't realize that Resolute would let shitty Fire Mages join."

Caza pounded him on the back, "I was going to say the same thing about Inferno. This is Sulane, my guild leader."

Pon nodded toward her. "Please follow me Guild leader Sulane."

A moment later the two members of Resolute were standing in front of Shae and Jun Li. The Salamander was seated comfortably on her throne while Jun Li was standing to one side. Shae's long hair hung nearly to the floor, her red dress clung to her slim body. On the floor in front of her was a red cushion with a pearl sitting on it.

"Greetings Nemesis Shae." Caza bowed deeply, his heart pounding in the presence of the Salamander.

Shae stared at her guests, then gestured toward the pearl. "This is the Earth Pearl. As our agreement states, you will charge it and finish your quest. Then you will leave it in our hands for the next three days."

Sulane had been waiting to be introduced, but neither the Acolyte or her guildmate had done so. "It may not be possible to charge it successfully in Glory. I believe our chances are better if we take it back to Resolute HQ first."

Shae shared a glance with Jun Li, they had expected something like this. Resolute was reliable, but they wanted to keep and maintain possession of the artifact. "Charge the artifact or not, I really don't care which." Shae stood up and walked toward the duo, "however, no matter what. This pearl is mine for the next three days."

Sulane swallowed her words, she felt the aura of the Nemesis pushing at her. The two of them wouldn't be able to take it from the Salamander. Even with all of Resolute present, standing against Shae in her own territory would be suicidal. "Of course, please give me some room to work."

A few minutes later Sulane and Caza both left the Fire Palace together, neither one of them had spoken after it was charged. They were more than willing to lend the pearl to Inferno for their efforts in recovering it, however, they had wanted to maintain its possession.

Darsi pulled back her acolyte hood and moved closer to the pearl. Shae had asked her to pose as one of her people so she could ensure there weren't any slight of hands from Sulane. "May I examine it now?"

Jun Li nodded, "Please do, then I'll escort you back to your shop."

Earth Pearl: Artifact

Description: The Earth Pearl grants

the path of the Earth Mage when activated.

This may be done once a day. When placed

in an Earth Temple, the Earth Pearl gives

100 to Earth abilities, Resistance to Fire and Earth Wall.

Earth Wall: 200 to temple and

city defense.

Resistance to Fire: Base on a percentage of indivduals current resistance.

Darsi whistled softly, "it won't take long to duplicate it."

Jun Li glanced at Shae, "As soon as the pearl is copied, we'll return it to you."

"Don't bring me the copy. Save that for the members of Resolute."

Jun Li hid her smile, everything would be fine as long as the copy was an exact match. "Of course, we'll be back in a bit."

Shae waited until everyone but Fajii had left, then she pulled out the Temple deed and handed it to the Aquarion. "After you become an Earth Mage, you will activate this here and choose to integrate it into the Fire Palace."

Fajii nodded, she already knew that the fire within her was dangerous. If not for Shae's intervention she would have long been dead. They had been working on improving her resistance to fire in the interest of extending her life. Walking the path of Earth would probably solve her issues. "I understand."

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Resolute has come and gone Nix. Everything happened just as we planned.

/Guildchat: Nix: Great. Was there a recharge on the Earth Pearl like you thought?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Yes, it's once a day.

/Guildchat: Nix: Two volunteers to walk the Path of Earth?

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Me.

/Guildchat: Chael: I would like to also.

/Guildchat: Sharl: Don't even think about it, Ronnie.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Nix? I can, right?

/Guildchat: Nix: Earth princess Ronnie, I don't hate it.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Two of our range dps.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: It's fine, they can choose to move their primary to the secondary. Secondary dps comes with a forty percent penalty.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Ouch.

/Guildchat: Chael: Harsh.

Nix walked hand in hand with Hyai towards Shana's shop. Since he had been a total noob to Colonial, he had researched a lot of his questions. Secondary paths only did sixty percent of the damage the Primary did. When you choose the new Primary path, you have the option of moving the current path to Secondary. This saves a lot of time working talents, however, it is also very costly. Nix's circumstances hadn't given him that option.

"We should buy Bela something at your friend's shop." Hyai could see the sign in the distance, she was well aware of Nix's close relationship with the shop owners.

"I made both her and Bane something, but feel free. Everyone likes presents."

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"Didn't know you had a soft spot for kids, Nix." Hyai teased him as they walked toward the Provost Marshal's HQ. Shana had clung to him like a baby koala; the young girl chattered nonstop the entire time they had been there.

"My defense is weak," he admitted. Bane was supposed to meet them. Then he would escort them to his home. "Why are we stopping at the Provost? We could have gone straight to your daughter's house."

Hyai gave him a helpless shrug. "You're a pretty big deal in the Provost Office Nix. You are a high ranking member of the Knights of Colonial, the person who gave them the very profitable Manta trade and the Guild Leader of a City-State."

Nix sighed, "Am I being set up here?"

Hyai nodded, "only slightly. My daughter pushed it when she found out you were visiting. Bane is up for a promotion to captain. We don't have to go if you're against it."

"So sneaky." Nix smiled at her, "I'll say a few words if it will help. He was a big part of getting our friends back."

When they arrived at the Provost Office a few minutes later, Sergeant Ton was waiting for them. He was flanked by two men that were a head shorter than him. He bowed low to Hyai. "Nice to see you, Mum."

"Thank you, Bane. You remember Nix?"

Sergeant Ton nodded and greeted him with a crisp salute. "Colonel Nix, welcome to the Provost Office."

Nix returned the salute and then offered Bane his hand. "Good to see you again Sergeant Ton. I've been meaning to compare notes with you regarding the Aquarion raid and subsequent hostage rescue, your defensive formations were instrumental in holding the line against much stronger foes."

"Of course Colonel, I'd be happy to." Sergeant Ton gestured toward the man on his right. A slim older man who wore a bow like he was born with it. "This is Captain Belik, he runs the Jenzi office." Bane turned to the man on his left, "this is Director Chang, he is the district manager for the Northern region."

"Just call me Nix please." He shook both of the men's hands. "Nice to meet both of you."

Belik only nodded, but Chang put on a big smile and patted him on the back. "I hear your name daily Nix."

Nix laughed at the comment, "somehow I get credit whenever anyone from Inferno does something. The truth is I'm just a cog in the gear."

"I hear that the Fire Palace on Glory Island is very inspiring." Chang immediate shifted into political mode, unlike Belik who seemed very straight forward.

"Stop in and visit us, Director Chang. My reason for coming today is actually to offer Sergeant Ton a position at Glory Island."

"You are starting a Provost Office in Glory? That's the southern district, under Director Kleau." Chang shared a glance at Belik. "Sergeant Ton is a big part of the Jenza Office."

"We are considering a Provost Office, given Bane's leadership and experience. He's the obvious candidate to head it up."

Hyai placed a hand on his shoulder, "we should get going Nix. Bela is expecting us."

Nix bowed slightly to both men. "Nice meeting the..." An instant later Nix's head snapped forward and his body was thrown into the air to slam face-first into the outer wall of the Provost Office.

[Kraken's Strength: Reflection]

[Nix has been stunned]

Ton was the first to move, He pushed Hyai to the ground and blocked Nix with his body as he scanned the area. "ALERT, ASSASSIN!" Ton shouted into the building.

Belik shielded Hyai and drew back his bow, just as men streamed out of the door. "Bring her inside." Nix was just climbing to his feet, his eyes still dazed.

/Guildchat: Hyai: Someone just tried to kill Nix in Jenza, in front of the Provost Office!

/Guildchat: Wylie: On my way!

A woman's voice screamed out, drawing everyone's attention. Nix shook his head to clear it, immediately swallowing the taste of bile.

[Aura Ignition]

He quickly summoned Ducky while he sprinted toward the scream.

[Command: Scout Area]

A corpse lay on the boardwalk, the top of his head had been blown away. Even missing part of his skull, he was easily recognizable. On the ground next to him was a long sniper rifle. "It's Shank. The Guild Leader of Salamander."

Belik had followed Nix, while Ton quickly set up a perimeter. He threw a black disk onto Shank's corpse, his face showing anger. "An Assassination attempt in my town?"

[Charm: Target]

Tula has been charmed.

The sound of fighting caused Nix and Belik to duck through the nearby alley to the back of the building. When they arrived, Ducky was watching while two women were locked in a bitter melee fight with drawn daggers.

"The f*ck are you doing Tula?" Vera dodged her sister's slash and stepped in closer to drive her knee into Tula's stomach. There was no reaction from her other than to slash Vera across the face.

Nix raised a hand and four strands encircled Vera. Tula mercilessly stabbed her sister in the stomach several times.

Belik ran toward the combatants, tossing another black disk at Vera when she finally collapsed and then quickly tackled Tula before putting her in restraints.

Nix took a deep breath and looked at his map. Ducky's scouting had only picked up the sisters. He glanced at Belik who had dragged the shocked Tula to her feet. "This is Tula and her twin sister Vera, they are both officers in Salamander."

The sound of heavy steps announced the arrival of Sergeant Ton, surprisingly he was flanked by Captain Wylie and her Knights.

Belik's calm face was scowling at Tula. "Bring the prisoner and the two corpses inside the office."

Ton nodded and picked up Vera by one leg before dragging her through the street. The black disk that Belik had used was stuck onto her chest.

"Salamander again Commander?" Wylie's silver hair hung loose, she was wearing the gear that Nix had made for her.

Nix nodded, "Seems like the intel you found was accurate. Salamander was attempting to assassinate Director Chang."

/Guildchat: Wylie: Commander?

/Guildchat: Nix: Just go with it.

Wylie grimaced slightly, "good thing you were here sir. To try such a thing in broad daylight."

Belik raised a hand, stopping further conversations. "Let's return to the office and discuss this matter behind closed doors."

A few minutes later, Nix, Ton, Belik, Chang, and Wylie were sitting around a large table. The bodies of Vera and Shank were placed in a cell before being rezzed.

Chang's face had turned lily-white. "You think I was the target?"

Nix nodded, "more than likely. I was standing directly in front of you."

Belik was still scowling, "you mentioned intel?"

"Our sources inside Salamander said the higher-ups were planning the assassination of a high ranking member of the Provost Office." Nix smiled apologetically at Ton, "this was the real reason for our visit."

"If I may sir." Wylie interrupted him, "Shank took the shot from the top of the build across the square, he must have aimed low because of the elevation. The two sisters were waiting in the alley with their mounts."

Chang swallowed heavily. "Why isn't Nix dead?"

"I wear an artifact that deflects first attacks." Nix didn't consider it a lie just because it was actually an ability. "What were those disks you used outside?"

Belik held up one in his hand, "it prevents recovering corpses and gating."

Black Hand [Artifact]

Description: You feel a terrifying

hand grip your neck and hold you in place.

You may not gate or resurrect without the permission

of the person who used it.

"May I see that?" Nix held it in his hand, it was cool and smooth to the touch. "Luckily you have these or else all three of them would have escaped."

Belik nodded in agreement. "We only have a dozen of them, but you can have that one Sir."

"Thank you." Nix stared at the backroom where the Salamanders were being held. He couldn't bring himself to feel anger since he had been hitting them regularly for the last few weeks. "I do have other business to attend to. Mr. Chang, I recommend a full protection detail until we are sure the threat has been removed."

Belik stood up and shook Nix's hand. "The Director will return immediately to the district office. I must thank you for your actions today sir."

A few minutes later Belik and Chang watched as Ton, Nix, and Hyai continued on their way. The Inferno Knights had followed them.

"What do you think Captain?"

Belik grinned, "it's hard to say. Sooner or later Nix will have to stand in front of the Cabal."

"Do you think I was really the target?" Chang no longer looked shaken or scared.

"No, he made that part up." Belik's eyes glanced toward the holding cells. "We'll have to act accordingly anyways or our plans will be exposed."

"I agree. Give the Salamanders a quick trial and then hang all three of them." Chang smiled nonchalantly like he was discussing a baking recipe.

A few minutes later the trio was walking toward the Ton residence. Hyai would occasionally comment on something random, but for the most part the group was quiet. The events of the past hour had each of them thinking.

Nix was deep in thought. The truth was he hadn't considered a Provost Office, but the more he thought about it, the better it sounded. Glory was eventually going to be big enough to house a population of fifty thousand or so. At least that's what Semmi was counting on. She had taken over as the city planner for Glory Island. The Provost Offices was largely independent of each other. They were divided into four district branches, North, South, East, and West. They handled and investigated crimes in the city and the surrounding area on both land and sea.

/Guildchat: Hyai: What will happen to Salamander?

/Guildchat: Nix: Nothing probably, they'll pay for the release of their people and then come to me for payback.

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Bela was waiting for them by the time they approached the Ton home. It was a nice two-story house with white stucco walls and a red tile roof. Mrs. Ton was a petite woman with dark hair and an easy smile. At first, Nix couldn't see the slightest resemblance between mother and daughter, but when the younger woman introduced herself, it was there in her smile.

Bela gave her husband a quick kiss before hugging her mother. The brunette turned her eyes toward their visitor. "Nice to finally meet you Nix." She grabbed both his hands in hers and squeezed them warmly.

"Same here, Hyai has been wanting to visit you for some time." Nix handed her a box of Tailored goods, "these are for you and Bane."

Bela accepted the box with an easy smile. "Thank you Nix, please make yourself at home."

Hyai and her daughter disappeared into another room, leaving Nix alone with Bane. The big man glanced at the side door that led to their small courtyard. "Chiba is out there."

"Chiba?" Nix grinned at the name, he had a dog named Chiba when he was a child. [Prounounced-Cheeba]

Bane nodded. "He is the Sword Master that you've been hearing about. Just head out there and introduce yourself."

Nix stepped out into the brown bricked courtyard. It was a square about fifty feet across. Several wine bottles were scattered haphazardly around the yard. A squishy feeling under his feet made him look down. "That's just gross." His nose wrinkled just as the stench of fresh vomit assaulted his nostrils.

"HUHHH!" A moan right next to him caused him to start. An object Nix could have sworn was a shrub started to move and then staggered upward.

Nix stared at the vagabond. His clothes were tattered and one side of his face was crusted in his own vomit. The man had close-cropped gray hair and stood about five feet tall. "Master Chiba?"

"Master?" The man squinted at Nix, "I'm the master of your mum boy."

"You smell like the inside of a bottle, one spark and you'd be a bonfire." Nix was sorely tempted to turn the drunkard into a roman candle.

"You must be Nix?" Chiba was staring off into space, like a man seeing double and talking to the wrong image."

"Over here, Master Chiba." Nix waved a hand in front of the man's face.

"Right... Has my assistant showed up yet? He's a great Master and I can't teach properly without his input." Chiba rummaged through the shrub he had been passed out under and grabbed a long sword.

"I'm not aware of any other visitors sir." Nix gave Chiba the quick once over, he was standing barefoot in his own vomit. His brown eyes were somewhat dazed and he seemed to be having a conversation with himself.

"Baiter isn't here yet?" Chiba shook his head, "You must have run into him before you entered the courtyard."

"No sir, I didn't see a Master Baiter in the..." Nix stopped when Chiba started cackling. He had a creepy laugh that made Nix want to take a bath. "Very funny, Master Baiter... Are you a child or just an idiot?"

[Aura Ignition]

Nix felt an overwhelming urge to burn the idiot swordmaster.

"Woah there handsome, just calm down a bit." Chiba stepped closer, unfortunately the smell also advanced.

"Handsome?" Nix decided that Chiba would be better off dead, Hyai would be sure to understand.

Chiba nodded, "awfully quiet. I suppose it's not every day you see a stunning beauty like myself."

"The f*ck are you talking about?" Nix breathed through his mouth to ease his upset stomach.

Chiba grabbed his wrist and yanked it in a strong grip until it was against his wet crotch. Apparently the swordmaster had pissed himself when he was sleeping. "Feel that? Now you know what you are dealing with."

NIx yanked his hand away like it was on fire, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "You're a woman?"

[Balefire]

Having enough of the Master's antics, Nix decided to ash him on the spot.

A flash of a silver blade easily deflected the white-hot flame, it splashed harmlessly onto the bricks causing them to instantly glow red. Chiba smiled at him, "such a way to treat a fine woman like me."

"Right..." Nix raised a hand and six emerald strands shot out. The swordmaster blocked all but one, that one wrapped around the wrist of her sword arm.

Chiba grimaced in pain but calmly grabbed the blade with her other hand and sliced through the strand. "Very nice," she rubbed her wrist that was quickly starting to blister. "I like your temperament. What do you know about the way of the sword?" Chiba had put her sword away and had her hands clasped behind her back.

"Nothing." Nix let his Aura burn out, even though the urge to scorch the ugly woman was still very tempting.

Chiba nodded, her face looking quite pleased. "Perfect, nothing to unteach then."

Bela sat in the kitchen of her home talking with her mother. The sound of swords clashing outside told them that Chiba had decided to train Nix. "Mother... It's not really my place but."

Hyai smiled at her daughter's hesitation. "Nix and I are close friends."

"I see." Bela decided not to pry further, it was no one's business if she wanted to warm a younger man's bed. "You seem very happy. Are you enjoying Glory Island?"

Hyai nodded, "it's quite lovely. I love the warmth of the south."

An hour later Nix reentered the house, a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. "Master Chiba decided to clean up a bit before dinner." He took a seat at the table, even though no food had been served yet.

Bela noted with interested that her mother immediately fetched a pint for him. "Nothing fancy I'm afraid. Mum brought us some Kraken. Have you ever tried it?"

Nix nodded, "inside and out."

Hyai covered her laugh with one hand. "Nix killed the Kraken dear."

Bela's smile widened, "oh I see. I'll grab Bane from his study and we'll sit down to eat."

Dinner was a quiet affair with easy conversation, Master Chiba did not return until they had finished. She motioned for Nix to follow her into the courtyard.

Nix followed the swordmaster without speaking. Chiba had cleaned up but still looked like a man.

She pulled out her sword and gave Nix a hilt from her bag. "I want you to have this Nix."

Nix turned the hilt over in his hand, The was the barest nub where the blade should have been. "Not much I can do without a blade."

Chiba shrugged. "Is that right? That was once the most terrifying blade in Colonial."

Nix couldn't tell if the swordmaster was joking or not. He had discovered over the past few hours that Chiba had the humor of a teenage boy. "Where's the blade now?"

Chiba held her blade out in front of her with a very steady hand. "It's inside you, you just have to bring it out."

NIx sighed loudly. "If this is another masturbater joke, I'm going to kick your flat ass."

Chiba looked over her own shoulder. "F*CK... Is my ass flat?"

Nix grimaced at her and held the sword in front of him. He stared at it patiently, trying to focus his attention on the blade.

Chiba nodded in approval, "that's the start of it Nix. Feel where the blade should be, remember the flame aura you used? Try to push the green flames into your focus."

She watched in patiently, every once in a while she would nod to herself. Nix's forehead was beaded with sweat, his yellow eyes glowed. After many long minutes, the hilt of the blade began to glow with the lightest shade of green. A moment later a long thin flame shot out from it.

"This is critical Nix, focus now on shaping. Exactly 33.3 inches in length, 1.88 inches wide and a thickness of .15." Chiba placed a calloused hand on his shoulder, "concentrate on exact dimensions."

[Achievement Gained]

You've learned the rare skill: Spellsword.

[Do you wish to appoint Spellsword as your secondary skill]

"Yes." Nix let out a long breath, the blade vanished when he relaxed. He smiled in interest, a quick thought made it appear again. "Oh... that is nice."

Chiba clapped his back hard. "That's not even the best part."

Nix stowed the hilt and turned to face the swordmaster. "What's the best part?"

"Secondary skills come with a forty percent penalty. However, since your blade has the backing of your Primary skill..." She left the rest unsaid.

"Are you saying I can use it as a primary skill?"

Chiba shook her head, "better actually. So Nix..." She looked at him with expectant eyes.

"Yes?"

"Since I helped you out. Fancy a quick one?" Chiba winked at him.

"Oh god..." Nix scowled at her.

[Aura Ignition]

Nix and Hyai spent the night and left after breakfast the next morning. The mysterious vagabond swordmaster was nowhere to be seen.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Nix are you guys still in Jenza?

/Guildchat: Nix: Yep, about to take the portal back to Glory. Something up?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Nothing big, just that the Provost Marshal isn't releasing Shank and his sidekicks. They are going to stand trial!

Nix frowned, thinking of his own trial, the frown quickly was replaced with a smile when Glory popped into his thoughts.

/Guildchat: Nix: Isn't that normal for someone being charged with a crime?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Not in Colonial Nix, you get fined and perhaps a few days in jail if you can't pay.

/Guildchat: Nix: It breaks my heart when bad things happen to ass hats.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Darsi has completed that project you requested, Shae has it.

/Guildchat: Nix: Okay, I'll head there in a bit.

Nix escorted Hyai back to the Kindled Spirit. "It was nice meeting your daughter Hyai."

"Thanks for asking me, I don't get to see her enough." She squeezed his arm and opened the door to the Kindled Spirit, "will you make it for lunch?"

Nix nodded, "I'm planning on it, not sure when though."

"No worries hun, I'll save you something."

Nix headed toward the Fire Palace, spending time with Hyai always made him feel good. She was one of those people whose presence he found comforting.

Fajii held the Earth Pearl in her pale hands, it was smooth and warm to her touch. She glanced at Shae who nodded in encouragement.

[Do you wish to activate the Earth Pearl?]

Fajii inhaled deeply and let it out. "Yes."

The pearl expanded outward in a flash, trapping Fajii in a transparent sphere. The Aquarion started to panic slightly, pounding on the inner walls of the pearl She spotted Nix running toward her, instantly she calmed down. "Is this what's supposed to happen?"

Nix placed a hand on the outside of the enlarged sphere, "Not sure but I believe so Fajii. "

A cloud of swirling brown dust started to fill the sphere, it grew larger and denser, completely obstructing any view of the inside. A coughing sound could be heard from within. The cloud condensed into solid rock and then expanded further, causing Nix to take several steps back.

Shae placed a hand on his shoulder. "She is fine. It's not an easy process turning a water creature into an earth creature."

Nix felt the gathering of extreme power, suddenly Shae grabbed him and flashed away from the pearl. An explosion rocked them, tossing them into the air and skidding them across the smooth palace floor for several yards.

[You've been Stunned.]

Nix saw Shae bend over him, a smooth hand on his cheek. Her mouth was moving but he couldn't hear anything other than a loud ringing sound. "Can't hear you Shae."

Shae nodded and helped him up. They walked back toward Fajii, the entire area was coated in a thick coat of fine brown dirt. A tanned woman with light brown hair lay curled up in a ball on the floor.

Nix stared in shock, "Fajii?" He lay a hand on her arm and helped her sit up. "Woah..." Her eyes had changed into a warm brown, he noticed that her ears and hands hadn't changed. "Still Aquarion I see, although not like the others."

Fajii held up an arm and stared at it, her calm face showing a bit of shock. "I was never like the others anyway."

Nix patted her cheek, smiling widely. "Still beautiful Fajii." He pulled her to his feet, the ringing in his ears had faded. Fajii handed him the Earth Pearl.

Shae's laughter filled the empty palace hall. "Look what you've done to my temple Fajii!"

Fajii took a look around the hall, there was dirt everywhere. "Maybe do this outside next time?"

Nix glanced at the pearl in his hand, it couldn't be used for another twenty-four hours. "Next time we'll have access to the Earth Temple also. Are we ready to activate the deed?"

Fajii held the deed in her hand, her eyes held the hint of power. "I would like to see what I can do Nix."

Both Shae and Nix nodded in agreement. No one had any idea what an Earth Mage could do.

The darkest Aquarion in existence smiled brightly and held up the deed. "Fine, I'll do it your way."

[You have an Earth Temple Deed and there is an Earth Mage present. The following options are available.]

1) Activate the Deed at a different location

2) Merge the Earth Temple as a Subsidiary of the Fire Palace.

Fajii's clear voice was filled with anticipation. "Merge the Earth Temple please."

Fajii disappeared suddenly, leaving Nix and Shae by themselves.

Shae cocked her head to one side as she read something that Nix couldn't see, "It's a four-hour build. We should go outside."

Nix followed her out of the temple, she grabbed him by the door and floated easily into the air, there was a large pit in front of the Fire Palace that hadn't been there before. It was completely clouded over, Nix could feel the static of raging power in the air. "Earth magic is f*cking scary."

The Salamander nodded in agreement before putting him down gently on the far side of the trench. "Earth Elementals are by far the most powerful, however, they also keep to themselves and don't really involve themselves in the affairs of others."

"I've some things to take care of Nix, please stop in tonight after the merging is complete." Shae vanished with a quick smile, leaving him staring into space.

"Sure would like to know how you disappear like that." He turned toward the Shipyard, seeing two familiar faces walking together he sped up to catch them. Mina and Delphi both slowed their steps when they saw him approaching.

Captain Delphi gave him a respectful bow. "I was just heading to see how the Phoenix is sorting out."

Nix glanced toward the shipyard, he had received a notice earlier that the work had been completed. "I feel like teaching Salamander a lesson. They've been coming at us since Junie and Semmi left them."

Mina's pale face looked excited, "I really can't wait to see her."

All three of them stopped at stared at the ship. It barely looked the same.

Navy Frigate: Phoenix

Craft Rating: Legendary

The Phoenix soars high above its enemies, a terrifying

existence that seamlessly blends firepower with pure speed.

When the Phoenix is outnumbered, she receives a 20 Buff to

all stats for each ship going against her.

150 to Sailing Speed.

50 to Turning Radius.

500 to Defense

56 Elite Cannons [Dual Loads]

Special: The Red Lady

Effects: Unknown.

Captain Delphi ran up the gangplank. "Dual Loads? What's that even mean?" She ran into cannon alley and skidded to a stop, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Nix shook his head, each cannon had been intricately carved with the logo of the Phoenix, there were two side-by-side barrels on each one. "Doesn't that make this a 112 now?"

/Guildchat: Filamina: All Phoenix hands report at once to the shipyard.

Delphi grinned and nodded her head.

/Guildchat: Wylie: Something going on Nix?

/Guildchat: Nix: Shake out run, report to the dock.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Mind if I join you guys?

/Guildchat: Nix: Feel free.

Less than an hour later, all Delphi's crew had reported for duty. The Aquarion assault team along with Semmi, Wylie, and Nix were ready to go.

Wylie approached Nix with a rolled piece of parchment and handed it to him. "There are 50 more Knights being placed under your command. "

Nix glanced at the parchment, Wylie normally took care of these sorts of things. "How is Mariner training going?"

"Sir we've completed the first stage, as soon as the new recruits join us they will undergo the same training."

"I have a request, Wylie." Nix had noticed that nearly every Colonial Knight he had ever seen carried some sort of melee weapon as their primary offensive.

"I want all those with primary melee weapons to transfer it to the second position. All knights are to incorporate a firearm as their primary weapon. Unless that person is a mage of some sort."

"Nix... " Wylie's face had dropped at the news, she looked like a person attending their own funeral. "That seems rather rash sir."

"Those who don't wish to comply will be offered a transfer." Nix pursed his lips slightly, his eyes falling onto the Fire Palace. "Also I want a half dozen volunteers from the company to undergo Earth Mage training."

Semmi came running up the dock a few minutes later. Banzi was tagging along, both of them were fully geared. She was out of breath by the time she was standing in front of Nix. "Where are we going boss?"

"How big's the Salamander fleet and where are they?" Nix gave her an innocent smile.

"Salamander? They are scattered all over the place on different missions. There should be a rather large contingent in the Bay of Espana."

Nix caught Delphi's eye. "Set a course for Espana Captain."

/Inferno: Jun Li: Nix are you going hunting?

/Inferno: Nix: Just a quick shake-out run.

/Inferno: Sharl: I'm getting my ship, wait for us.

/Inferno: Wind: Me too!

/Inferno: Jun Li: Looks like we are all going.

/Inferno: Pon: Nix you cocky bastard, you better wait!

Semmi leaned back against the rail, "going to wait Nix?"

Captain Delphi was also staring. "Orders Sir?"

Nix looked around at the expectant faces of the Phoenix crew, even the Aquarions seemed excited. "Only prey waits. Let's go hunting."

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"Nix..." Mina was leaning against the rail next to him, a pod of dolphins was keeping pace with the Phoenix off the bow. The Aquarion was watching them with great interest.

"You like dolphins Min?"

Mina nodded, "quite tasty."

Nix stopped his gazing and turned toward her, "that's a joke right?"

"Why would it be a joke?"

"Nevermind." He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the ocean, the sun warming his face gave him the urge to take a nap.

"Have you seen Fajii lately?" Mina moved closer, her personal boundary was basically nonexistent.

"Earlier today, I'm afraid that you won't recognize your friend next time you see her."

"Does this have anything to do with the Earth Temple?"

"Yes." Nix gave up on watching the dolphins, the normally quiet Mina was too intent on talking.

"Do you find Aquarion women beautiful Nix?"

"Some of them are I suppose." Nix kept a straight face, "especially Fajii."

"What about Wylie and Semmi?"

Nix turned toward the pair she had referenced. Wylie was technically very beautiful, but her demeanor was a bit cold for his taste. Semmi, on the other hand, seemed like a handful for anyone. It would be hard to explain to an Aquarion that female avatars are almost always beautiful. They are the reflection of how they want to see themselves. His own avatar was an exact match for himself, he hadn't known enough about the game to change his features properly. "They are both very attractive. What's with the sudden interest?"

Mina shrugged. "What about me?"

Nix clucked his tongue at her, "I would say you are average. Nothing really special about you in the looks department." He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the expression she made. He didn't feel obligated to tell her the truth, not when she had repeatedly said how ugly she found him to be. Average was worse than being butt-ugly. For some odd reason, Chiba popped into his head, he shuddered slightly at the thought of her.

Captain Delphi wandered over during the tail end of their conversation. "This ship fast Nix, I've never seen anything like her."

"We are going to teach Salamander a lesson." Nix summoned Fey, Ducky, and Soup. He knelt for a moment and rubbed the giant turtles head. "Going to torpedo something for me again today Soup?"

Fey snorted, a bit of smoke coming from her nostrils. "Don't spoil her anymore Nix. She's hard enough to deal with as it is."

Ducky made a face at Fey and then promptly hid behind Nix when the Drake stared at her. Nix felt a wet hand stroke his hair. The Siren had a water creature's fear of Drakes, but Nix didn't bother her. She spent a great amount of her time playing with Soup in the Sea World, so they were very close.

"That reminds me, Fey, I need to shore up your defenses a bit." Nix took a seat on the deck and started setting up his craft.

[Fey] [Enhancement: Kraken Leather] [Thread: Ceramic twine] [Needle: Brimstone Hook] [Primary Material: Kraken Leather] [Secondary Material: Salamander Leather]

[Do you wish to process the Lamia skin?]

"Yes."

[13 Lamia Leathers have been sent to your inventory]

Lamia Leather: Legendary

Description: Anything made with this material

gains a poison counter with each attack.

200 Poison Immunity

100 Charm Immunity

Nix examined the queue again. "You don't really need the extra fire protection, so I'll just switch out Salamander for Lamia."

[Fey] [Enhancement: Kraken Leather] [Thread: Ceramic twine] [Needle: Brimstone Hook] [Primary Material: Kraken Leather] [Secondary Material: Lamia Leather]

[There are two legendary items in this crafting attempt, do you wish to continue?]

"Why mention that? It's not going to blow up or anything is it?" Nix queued up the recipe grimacing at the amount. "9 million credits for one attempt? That's f*cking highway robbery."

After one-click, he received a success notice.

[Primal Gear has been created. Please name the creation.]

"Death from Above."

[Primal Gear 'Death from Above' has been created.]

Death from Above [Drake: Fey Only]

Armor: Primal

Description: Tremble and Despair in the face

of certain death. A Primal beast soars the skies

and nothing is safe. Each successful attack places two

poison counters. Chance to deflect attacks. All-natural abilities have been greatly

enhanced.

200 Poison Immunity

100 Charm Immunity

500 Strength

500 AC [Armor Class]

100 Flight Speed

Even with Nix's high strength rating, it was a challenge slipping in onto Fey. When he finished the armor was barely noticeable.

"Nix!" Fey felt her strength surge, she raised her head spat flames. It was much thicker and hotter than her previous ones. "I feel stronger!"

Nix stared at her, his face unimpressed. "That f*cking thing was 9 million credits, I expect you to make it up to me."

Captain Delphi stood calmly, she kept glancing upward to the crow's nest where one of her sailors was keeping an eye out for enemy ships. "Make ready! Make half sails and open the cannoneer doors. We are closing on Espana Bay!"

Both Ducky and Soup slipped over the side and into the water together, they would keep pace with the Phoenix from below the surface where they would be much safer.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Semmi? Where are you guys now?

/Guildchat: Semmi: Almost to Espana Bay.

/Guildchat; Jun Li: What?

/Guildchat: Semmi: It's true Junie, the Phoenix has wings.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Nix! I want to be on your crew!

/Guildchat: Sharl: Forget it, you are stuck with me.

/GUildchat: Nix: I'll consider it princess!

Nix climbed onto Fey's back, the armor protection for her torso included a comfortably padded seat for the rider, it was positioned on her shoulders, just forward of the wings. He pulled out the hilt that Chiba had given him and poured his focus into it, a moment later the emerald flamed blade emerged, Nix took a few practice swipes in the air.

Mina was watching from nearby, she took a step back when he pulled out the emerald sword. It hissed in the air menacingly. She held up a hand to the other Aquarions nearby that had also retreated from the blade. "It's still Nix, our ally grows stronger."

A voice shouted down from the crow's nest. "Fleet spotted sir! Espana Bay dead ahead, more than thirty ships Captain!"

Delphi frowned slightly and glanced toward Nix. She was the Captain but it was his ship, he was always careful not to interfere with her command. "What do you think Nix?"

"I think they're a flock of sheep and the tiger has come down from the mountain!" Nix patted Fey's shoulder and without a word, she took to the air. She climbed much faster than she had previously, in a flash of brown she disappeared into the clouds.

Delphi stayed at the helm and steered the Phoenix directly at them. "All hands prepare for battle, cannoneers ready your weapons! Assault teams prepare the grappling hooks."

Mina put a hand on the rail and turned toward her assault team. "On me! We'll coordinate with Nix from beneath the surface." She dived effortlessly into the water, no splash marking her entry. A moment later her assault team followed.

"Captain!" The crow's nest sailor shouted out again. "They have a Dreadnought!"

/Inferno: Delphi: Dreadnought spotted Nix. Center of their formation, the big black ship.

/Inferno: Jun Li: We are ten minutes from the bay Nix!

"The Aquarions have entered the water Nix." Fey's enhanced vision spotted their allies moving toward the fleet. She hid in the clouds, just out of the enemy's view.

"Min, move to the group of ships on the left! We'll take the middle ships and slow down the Dreadnought's progress." Nix stared at the Dreadnought, three hundred 50-pound cannons, enhanced armor and a full contingent of Elite commandos.

He targeted the Dreadnought for a moment.

[Command: Attack my Target]

From the air, he spotted the trail of water moving toward the Dreadnought as Soup accelerated under the surface. He tossed down his last stealth potion and activated the icon. "Disappear Fey!"

[Command: Stealth]

"Are we going to hit the ugly black ship Nix?" Fey flew easily, her speed and strength-giving her added confidence.

"First we'll slow down the front so the Phoenix can operate without worrying about the Dreadnought."

/Inferno: Nix: We'll scorch the four ships in the front and create a blockade.

/Inferno: Delphi: We'll leave them be then, going broadside and hit the ships on the right flank.

/Inferno: Nix: Don't worry about the Dreadnought, for now, don't engage her.

/Inferno: Delphi: Understood.

Fey climbed steeply for several seconds before apexing, her form seemed to freeze in place at the height of her climb, then she corkscrewed and banked toward the front of the ships.

"Attack at will Fey."

"I love those words." Fey leveled off suddenly, Nix felt himself pushed further onto his seat by the sudden change of direction. From forty feet above the surface, she let them have it.

[Carpet Bomb]

Hundreds of tiny explosions rocked the decks of the first three ships. Fey's bombs shredded the sailors, she banked away from the fourth ship, but not before she felt Nix leap into the air.

Still stealthed, Nix landed hard on deck of the Neverwinter, the rolled nimbly to his feet and beheaded the nearest sailor who had sensed the hard landing. His head bounced across the deck like a ball, the sound was oddly loud given the noise of battle. There was no blood, just the smell of scorched flesh as his emerald flame blade instantly cauterized the fatal wound.

A woman jumped at him, her blade flashing through his defense to slash at his side.

[Kraken's Strength: Reflection]

The sword wielder gasped in surprise and leaped away, her wound dripping blood.

[Aura Ignition]

"An expert?" Nix crouched slightly and moved in a slow circle, the rest of the crew quickly giving them space.

The woman took one look at him, she wasn't the least bit scared. "I can tell you're new to the blade. Let this be your first real lesson."

Nix nodded wordlessly, she had moved so fast originally that he hadn't the time to react. Her silver blade was roughly the same size as his longsword, however, it was curved slightly. "Come at me then."

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Nix grinned suddenly and retreated toward the rail when she advanced. "You have rocks in your shoes? Why so slow?"

"You call yourself a man?" The woman swiped her blade once, Nix felt something impact his shoulder and side.

[Lamia's Resistance: Viper's poison has been resisted.]

"You handle a blade well, sadly I can't test you at this time." Nix ignored the woman and faced the rest of the sailors.

"You dare turn your back on Bree, the son of Calyph?"

[Bree has been Charmed.]

Nix glanced at the rail, Ducky was shadowing his movements from the sea. "Wait... You're a guy?"

Breland flashed into the group of sailors and started cutting through them, his face was a mask of anger and outrage. Apparently charm didn't extend to facial expressions.

"We'll come back to that." Nix targeted the Mainsail.

[Comet Strike]

Nix spotted the captain, he was still at the helm and barking orders. A thundering crash in the distance caused a lull in the fighting, everyone glanced toward the Dreadnought.

[Soup has taken critical damage and has been unsummoned.]

Nix moved from behind the blur of blades that Bree had become and sprinted toward the enemy captain. He raised one hand and six emerald strands shot out, completely immobilizing him. The captain dropped something he had been holding, it looked like an antique lantern. He sliced his blade across the captain's throat. "I'll take this since it looks important."

[Bree has resisted charm]

Nix leaped backward, narrowly avoiding a slash from the swordsman.

[Flame Root]

"You son of a bitch." Bree's long hair hung in his eyes, his overly pretty face was splattered with blood. The root held him in place, drool ran from the corner of his mouth as he howled in anger.

Nix shrugged, "I'm going to kill you too, but not until my Ducky has made you her bitch."

[Bree has resisted charm]

He stored the lantern and then sprinted for cannon galley. The deck was suddenly bathed in flames, announcing the return of Fey. Nix ignored the pleasant feeling flames and kicked down the cannon galley door. He quickly targeted the black powder loads.

[Comet Strike]

[Bree has resisted Flame Root]

Nix ran for the rail but was cut off by Bree. "Resistant bastard, ain't ya."

"DIE!"

[Leap Attack]

In a flash of silver, Bree appeared in front of Nix.

Nix dived to one side and used a magic attack to back him up.

[Balefire]

Bree blocked it easily, triumph written on his maniacal face. "Your tricks have been used up!"

[Bree has been charmed]

Nix swung his blade and neatly beheaded the swordsman, his silver blade clattered on the deck next to his head, with a quick grab he snagged the blade and jumped for the rail just as several explosions rocked the ship.

[You have been stunned]

A blast wave slammed into his back and tossed him head over heels into the air, a moment later Nix splashed into the sea. He lay motionless for a moment before a pair of arms grabbed him and pulled him beneath the surface. "Okay... that hurt a bit."

[Combustion]

Nix's pain and wounds were washed away in a faint green glow.

Mina released him but kept ahold of his hand. "Are you okay?"

Nix shook his head dizzily, he had used Balefire by mistake when he was pressured. "Doing noob stuff again," he quickly drank a mana potion.

/Inferno: Jun Li: We are five minutes out.

/Inferno: Pon: Damn you punk! I see the smoke from here.

/Inferno: Nix: Sorry Pon... Attack at the edges, we've disabled the front ships. The Dreadnought is temporarily out of the battle.

/Inferno: Delphi: She took some damage from your companion, but not near enough to sink her.

Mina pulled him with her, the Aquarion assault team following closely. "Come with us back to the Phoenix."

A few minutes later Nix and the Aquarions climbed back onboard the Phoenix. Fey was waiting for them.

Nix patted her scaled head before glancing at the helm. "Status Captain?"

"We've torn the right flank apart, four ships down, two more disabled." Delphi had turned the Phoenix away from the battle to come-about and make another strafing run. "Nothing can take our teeth!"

Nix noticed that Ducky had climbed over the rail, she looked lost without Soup. "Ducky you'll stick with me, Fey you can take a break."

Fey nodded her scaled head, "Thanks to my gear, I was able to fight hard for quite some time. I need some rest."

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Nix... We are being threatened.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] So? Someone is always doing that.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] It's Salamander Nix, they have made demands.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] F*ck Salamander. We are kicking their ass.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Wrong Salamander Nix, this is the upper level one. Level seventy and above.

Nix understood that both Sharl and Jun Li were once guild leaders in the mid-range guilds. The Daybreakers and the Salamanders both had at least one higher tier guild.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] F*ck Salamander.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] The Dreadnought in the bay belongs to them, they loaned it to their mid-tier guild. They have five more and they are all headed toward us.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] F*ck Salamander... Wait. Did you say they have five more Dreadnoughts?

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] Aye.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Can they do that? Higher-tier guild coming at a mid-tier like us?

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] It's against protocol, but usually mid-tier guilds have their own high-tier guild to protect them.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] What are their demands?

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] They want the unconditional return of the Silversword. Did you kill Bree? Calyph's son?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Is that the very attractive female that is actually a guy?

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] This is very complicated Nix, you should consider returning the sword.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] I'm sure it is. Let's dumb it down a bit. They want something we have and are threatening us to get it.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] When you say it like that, it makes us look like bitches if we give in. F*ck Salamander!

/Inferno: Nix: New plan, concentrate your attacks on the right flank. Let's take the Dreadnought.

Nix spotted Semmi standing next to Delphi, "I have a mission for you."

Semmi nodded, "I need something to do, we haven't even boarded anyone yet.

"I want you to scout out that Dreadnought from below. Soup hit it pretty hard, she was bound to do some damage."

Milat was standing close by and overheard the conversation. "I'll accompany her."

"Fine, stay stealthed and don't engage." Nix watched Semmi and Milat go over the side together. "Captain, find us a ship that we can board."

Delphi scanned the bay carefully, a good portion of the ships was still on fire. Counting the ships that Nix and the Aquarion Assault team had sunk separately, Inferno had put a half dozen ships on the bottom of the bay. A half dozen more were on fire but remained battle-ready. The issue was that they couldn't maneuver properly. She spotted a ship moving away from the battle and immediately steered toward her. "There! We have a runner."

Nix smiled when he saw one ship retreating, "Looks like one of them has some common sense."

Wylie was standing at the rail staring at him, the Knight Captain did not look happy. "Sir quit going off on your own."

"Sorry. You can be my battle buddy when we board this ship"

Wylie raised an eyebrow, she wasn't familiar with the term. "What does that mean?"

Nix grinned at her expression. "Nothing bad, just that we'll count on each other when things get dangerous."

"Of course Sir." She smiled suddenly, her cold demeanor instantly unfreezing.

/Inferno: Ronnie: We are here Nix! You are rescued.

/Inferno: Wind: Leave anything for us?

/Inferno: Semmi: Just scraps.

/Inferno: Nix: Focus on disabling the perimeter ships.

/Inferno: Pon: Nice of them to crowd together like this.

/Inferno: Jun Li: They were here to deter a fight with their numbers. Who would pick a fight with thirty ships?

/Inferno: Sharl: We would.

/Inferno: Wind: Damn straight.

The Phoenix cut through the water, easily overtaking the slower vessel that was fleeing the battle.

"Prepare the hooks, bring her in!" Delphi watched as a few dozen grappling hooks sailed into the space between the ships. She was quickly reeled in.

Nix was the first on the deck.

[Aura Ignition]

Unexpectedly the deck was suddenly filled with fully armored men streaming up from the hold.

Wylie was flanking Nix when she saw them. "Why would there be Knights on this ship?" She shook her head at the idiocy. Wearing such heavy plate armor on a ship was a sure way to end up on the bottom of the ocean.

/Inferno: Nix: Everyone pick your kills very carefully here, it looks like there might be a high-value target onboard.

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Nix sliced downward across the blade of a sailor that had rushed him when he jumped on deck. His strength caused his opponent's blade to be knocked to one side, a quick backslash opened up his throat. The pounding of heavy feet caused him to turn back toward the hold. Two knights were charging at him.

[Fire Root]

Both knights wore heavy red plate armor, the one who he rooted was carrying a shield and a mace, while the other closed quickly with a wicked-looking ax.

Nix backed away and allowed two of Mina's Vila to attack. He motioned for Ducky to come closer from the rail. "I need you to find someone, Ducky. They are in one of the rooms downstairs. Look for someone different than the rest. Do you understand?"

[Appear Human]

Ducky nodded, "Find someone different and bring them to you?"

"Do your best but also be careful." Nix watched her walk calmly away. She didn't have traditional stealth, more like an ability that caused others not to pay attention to her presence. Since she had been promoted to Siren, her abilities were much stronger.

Nix jumped forward just as Wylie used her staff to sweep the knight's legs, he didn't fall completely but he did drop to one knee. Nix grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him overboard like he was weightless.

[Flame Snare]

Nix slowed the knight attacking Min, her Vila were hard-pressed to deal with the other

two dozen heavy armorer wearers. The Aquarion was wielding a water mace that her opponent was fending off with a kite shield. The power of the strikes sounded like the beating of a drum. Nix was about to attack when an image of him leaping, spinning and striking appeared on his hud. "You kidding me? I'm not a f*cking acrobat." He leaped into the air, doing his best to imitate the movements of the tutorial.

[Flight of the Gryphon]

He leaped into the air and landed behind the knight, slashing across his back, he instantly brought him down. The emerald blade cut through plate armor like it was warm butter. Nix's emerald flame blade hissed as it burned off the blood that splashed on it. The sweet coppery smell made his eyes water.

"Was that a jump attack?" Mina finished the spasming knight off with a blow to the head. Her assault team and Vila were slowly clearing the deck of knights. Many of them took a page from Nix's book and chucked their opponents overboard, no one was going swimming with a hundred pounds of steel on them.

"Yes, unless I miss my guess, there should be at least one more." Chiba had told him that eventually, his repertoire would include a dozen or more attacks.

A moment later Ducky returned leading a young man dressed as a merchant. Nix could tell by his face that he was charmed. "Grab this guy Wylie and bring him back to the ship."

"Are you returning also?" Wylie was starting to understand how Nix operated, he didn't like to endanger other people.

"In a bit." Nix doused his flame sword and stowed it away. "Mina, bring your team and follow me."

He headed into cannon galley and started loading up on charges. The charges were made of very light paper and shaped like a cylinder. Each one held the exact same amount of power. "Grab as many as you can carry."

Nix picked up an entire pallet of charges and headed out. He entered the hold and moved down a dark walkway to the front cargo area located just under the deck. He sat the pallet down and turned back toward his Aquarion friends. "Let's pack this room full of these."

Over the next few minutes, they completely filled the forward hold full of the cannon charges. Nix took a few minutes to craft the largest shape charge ever attempted. By the time they were done, the rest of Inferno had logged several kills. The bay was a cluttered burning mess of wrecked ships. The ships that could still fight were boxed in and could only watch in frustration.

/Inferno: Semmi: We're back on the Phoenix Nix. You were right, Soup really hit that Dreadnought hard.

/Inferno: Nix: Is she taking on water?

/Inferno: Semmi: She was but not anymore. Her hull is compartmentalized, only a small area was affected.

/Inferno: Nix: Anything else?

/Inferno: Semmi: It would be an easy thing to enter the ship through the flooded compartment.

/Inferno: Nix: I am curious about what we might find in her hold.

/Inferno: Semmi: Me too. Are we going?

/Inferno: Nix: Head back there with Milat, I'll meet you there in a few minutes.

/Inferno: Ronnie: Can I go too?

/Inferno: Nix: No. I've got a special mission for you. I'm giving you a flagship.

/Inferno: Sharl: What?

/Inferno: Jun Li: What?

/Inferno: Pon: What?

/Inferno: Ronnie: Hey... Why so many?

/Inferno: Nix: Come to my location, Captain Ronnie.

/Inferno: Ronnie: Yes!

A few minutes later Ronnie was onboard and standing next to the helm. Her pretty, dark face was frowning at Nix. "You want me to ram the Dreadnought?"

"Yep, I'll leave you with a skeleton crew, just steer right into her." Nix placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't forget to have your manta out or you'll end up back at Glory Island."

Ronnie sighed heavily. "Fine, I'm a team player you know."

"Thanks, you handle this properly and we'll feed Salamander a big shit sandwich." Nix couldn't keep the smile from his face, Ronnie was someone who never put on airs, she said and did exactly what she wanted.

Ronnie nodded, her bright smile returning. "Count on me Nix."

/Inferno: Jun Li: Who is the prisoner?

/Inferno: Nix: Unknown at this time.

/Inferno: Jun Li: I tried talking to him, but he wasn't interested.

/Inferno: Semmi: Give him something to make him sleep, we don't want him communicating with anyone.

Milat led the way toward the Dreadnought, they approached the huge ship from a few hundred feet beneath the surface. The calm of the blue depths contrasting with the smoke-filled inferno that raged overhead. Nix felt the close presence of Mina as she swam next to him, lately, she seemed to always be closer than usual.

They stopped under the Dreadnought. She had an exceptionally deep keel, which meant she'd run aground in shallower seas. There was a dark hole about four feet wide near the forward bow. Soup had come from underneath her and angled upward. They swam into the damaged compartment, there was a three-foot space near the ceiling that hadn't flooded.

Nix activated his flame blade. "We'll go in here and take a look around. We'll give ourselves five minutes."

Semmi nodded, suddenly Nix brandished his sword and swung at the ceiling panel. "Hey, Nix! Don't do th..."

A hole formed and instantly all four of them were shot through it to slam into the ceiling of the room above. They bounced loudly on the floor, each of them struggling to shake off the bone-jarring collision.

Nix grimaced at Semmi, "I suppose you understand the physics of what just happened?"

Semmi nodded, "smooth move Nix."

Milat stealthed, "I'll scout a bit."

Semmi also disappeared, "you two wait here. Try not to break anything Nix."

Nix and Mina followed them at a distance, he was placing small traps in the doorways and tripwire in the darker passages. "Let me lead on the way back, or else we'll end up taking the shortcut home."

Semmi had come back when they hit a dead end. "Shouldn't you be marking the locations down? What if you forget where you put one?"

Nix winked at her. "It's like you don't trust me."

Semmi nodded, "it's just like that."

"Nothing is here." Milat had come back last, his pale Aquarion face seemed to glow in the near darkness of the hold.

"It was worth a try, let's head out and let Ronnie do her thing." Nix headed back toward the hole in the floor, everyone followed except for Mina.

"Wait please, " Mina placed her hand against one of the walls. "There's a water artifact on the other side of this wall."

"Hmm?" Nix walked over, had it been a fire artifact he would have sensed it the moment they entered the ship. "A false wall?"

Semmi winced when Nix slashed at the wall with his sword. "Please don't randomly slash things Nix. What if you break something valuable?"

"Oh? Did you bring a saw by chance?" Nix cleared away hole he had cut, there was a small room with a decent stockpile of weapons and a silver chest. He ignored the weapons and grabbed the chest.

/Inferno: Jun Li: They are opening up a path through the wreckage to get to the ship that we boarded.

/Inferno: Semmi: That could mean they don't realize she's been taken over. With all the smoke in the bay, visibility is shit.

/Inferno: Nix: Okay, let's head back. Ronnie, start moving toward the Dreadnought, it's likely that they won't even try to stop you.

The group swam directly toward the Phoenix, by the time they were back on board, Ronnie was moving steadily through a channel that had been opened up.

Ronnie glanced at the sailors that had been assigned to help her. "Okay guys, everyone overboard now and swim back to the Phoenix."

"You going to be okay captain?" An older man with bowed legs was the last to leave.

Ronnie's face lit up in a big smile, "I'll take it from here, thank you."

She summoned her manta and steered through the wreckage. Inferno had managed to do a lot of damage in a relatively short period of time. She sighed heavily, "this is a really nice ship too."

When Ronnie was within a few hundred feet, the Dreadnought crew finally realized something was wrong. By then it was too late. Ronnie jumped on her manta and summoned Wilo.

[Air Barrier]

Ronnie didn't look back, she kept her manta climbing steadily, the shield around them took several hits before she got out of range. A moment later a thundering explosion shook the bay as the Dreadnought was rammed head-on, a few tons of black powder, aided by Nix's shape crafting, completely obliterated the front of the Dreadnought.

Colonial System Message: Major Faction Event, the leader of the Terran faction has been taken hostage. All Terran factions will receive a substantial penalty if they fail to recover their leader. This event will take place twenty-four hours from now. A ceasefire is in effect until then.

Colonial System Message: Major Faction Event, the Sea Farer's have taken a high ranking member of the Terran leadership. All Sea-Farer ships are ordered to the vicinity of Glory Island.

/Inferno: Pon: Shit.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Now we know why there was a Dreadnought and an entire Armada just sitting in the bay.

/Inferno: Nix: All ships return immediately to Glory Island.

[The Phoenix has been placed as the Flagship of the Sea-Farer Faction. There are currently seventeen fleets responding to this Faction Event.]

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The mood was unusually somber on the way back to Glory Island. Pon, Wind, Sharl and Jun Li had all moved to the Phoenix to discuss the upcoming events.

Nix sat the silver chest on the deck and opened it. A pale blue stone the size of a fist was the sole occupant, there was a gasp of shock from the Aquarion's watching.

Mina approached immediately and knelt down. She picked it up in her hand as if to verify something. "Why would humans have a Reverence stone?"

Reverence

Water Element: Precious Stone

Description: A priceless blue-colored

stone.

Nix held his hand out, immediately he gave it back to her. The moment he touched the stone it felt like dozens of fingernails raking across a chalkboard. "What does it do?"

"It's basically an Aquarion promotion stone, simply put, it's a substantial increase in power." Mina sat it back in its place.

Pon stared at the stone but didn't touch it, it gave him a feeling of danger the moment Nix had opened the chest. "From the description, I would guess that no humans have guessed what it is."

Semmi nodded in agreement. "In the past, these stones were used as mounts in rings and crowns. They bring in a lot of credits if you decide to sell."

Nix closed the chest and handed it to Mina. "Its biggest value to us is in strengthening our allies."

/Guild: Nix: Darsi, how's the Ricoli duplication coming?

/Guildchat: Darsi: I don't have enough resources to make any. I did craft two dozen Black Hands.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Are those the black disks that prevent gating and rezzing?

/Guildchat: Darsi: Yes.

/Guildchat: Nix: We have a Reverence stone, see if you can duplicate it before one of our Aquarion friends activate it.

/Guildchat: Darsi: An Aquarion artifact? You just made my day Trip-7.

Jun Li opened a map of Glory, "no matter how you look at it, our town is going to be a battlefield."

Semmi was sitting against the rail, trying to keep from smiling whenever Ducky would touch her hair. The siren was apparently fascinated by blonds. "Let's put our different offenses on the table and devise a working strategy."

Nix opened his faction map, he was listed as Faction Admiral for the event. "The list of fleets has jumped to 22, plus our own ships."

Wylie seemed calm, the knight captain had the right temperament for battle. "We'll have one hundred knights by the start, fifty of them are trained Mariners."

Pon's wrinkled face wore a grin, he sensed a battle of epic proportions was approaching. "Glory has its cannon emplacements."

Jun Li listed them as they were mentioned, "Can we count on Shae?"

Nix nodded, "No worries, she definitely won't sit this one out. Also, I can place mines wherever they are needed. " Mines fell under the traps category, as a hunter, he could make a wide variety of devices.

"Resolute has contacted us, they want to put a large land force on the ground in Glory." Jun Li gauged the reactions of the others, although they were paper allies, Resolute and Inferno were still not completely trusting of each other.

Nix shrugged, "they'll fight to protect their interest, which of course is the Earth Pearl."

"The members of the Souza Accord will be in full force. I will have my Vila there also." Mina and her assault team were normally the only ones who engaged in fighting, there were several hundred other Aquarions who could also participate."

Sharl studied the detailed map that Jun Li had opened. "The problem is that we have no idea how many we might be facing."

Pon swore under his breath, "everyone we've pissed off will be jumping on the bandwagon."

Unexpectedly, Nix started laughing loudly. The members of Inferno watched him with curious eyes, but he didn't say anything further. They didn't understand his thinking. Gather your enemies all in one place, and then wipe them out with a baptism of fire. He had utilized that method himself before his incarceration. The trick was staying alive long enough to 'stick it to the man.'

"How many mines can you come up with Nix?" Jun Li looked at their current assets. "We could use minefields to slow down their march on Glory."

"I can come up with five hundred or so." Nix was thinking about the event, "do we know the win/lose criteria yet? Besides losing our hostage?"

Semmi nodded, "there's a posting on the official forums already, it's counting down from four hours. At that time we will get the details of the event."

Nix noticed that Mina was staring at him, "Mina, I'll want you and your people in the water."

"Nix... I want to stay with you. We fight best together." Mina's normally calm face seemed upset.

"You and your people are water creatures Min." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I need you at your strongest."

Milat shook his head also, he had been standing nearby and was listening intently. He had gotten to know Nix since receiving the stealth artifact. "The Aquarion people prefer to fight alongside you."

Nix shrugged helplessly. "My decision is final, the Souza Accord will lend their strength where it is most needed, or they can sit it out in the Sea-World."

A few hours later, Nix was alone once again and walking toward the Temple. He stopped and stared the moment it came into view. The Fire Palace had been a beautiful white marble structure built into the side of a volcanic crater. The size of it was larger than any temple Nix knew of. He realized now that he should have been building forces for its defense. The steps leading up to its impressive doors now had two sets of stairs leading downward. He descended slowly, at the first landing the Earth Temple came into view. It was placed directly under the Fire Palace. It was a pyramid-shaped structure embedded directly into the volcanic foundation of the Fire Palace. Nix was immediately reminded of the Egyptian pyramids he had seen pictures of. In place of a Sphinx, there was a large statue of a Lamia.

"Do not be alarmed Nix." Shae's voice called out to him a moment before a half dozen lamia acolytes surrounded him.

Nix gave out a soft whistle. "What's going on here Shae?"

A movement from inside the sand-colored archway drew his attention. A tanned woman who moved with the lithe grace of an earth creature walked toward him. She had light brown hair and warm eyes of the same color. Fajii was all but unrecognizable, the webbing on her hands seemed to have shrunk a bit and her ears were starting to point slightly. "This is Nix. You will never harm him nor impede his progress, he is the Earth Temple Champion."

The acolytes nodded and hissed their acknowledgment before moving away. Nix stared after them, his mouth still hanging open. "Where did the Lamia come from?"

Fajii continued to approach him, "they are part of the temple build. Two hundred acolytes to protect the temple." She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the doors. In one hand she held the Earth Pearl. She stopped before a large stone altar and inserted it carefully.

Colonial System Message: An Earth Temple has been constructed on Glory Island. All Earth Mages receive 50 damage and a twenty percent increase in mana.

Shae stood off to one side, staring at the Earth Pearl. "I must show you something Nix."

Nix was staring at the Earth Pearl, it had the same mesmerizing effect that the Lamia Queen had. It was a challenge to look away. "There's more?"

A short while later Nix, Mina, Shae and the officers from Inferno were sitting in a circle on his houseboat. "You all need to see this." He used his hud to show them the new Earth Temple option.

[Earth Temple Upgrade Options Available]

Your Earth Temple has been combined with a Fire Palace. This gives you a unique upgrade option.

[Scorched Earth Temple]

Pon stared at the words. "So... not only do we have the only Earth Temple in Colonial, but we can upgrade it also?"

Nix nodded, "I'm not sure it's a good idea. We don't even know what other kinds of benefits our Earth Mages will have, and we have no idea what a Scorched Earth Temple is."

For once Ronnie was paying attention, she was next on the list to be given the Earth Mage path. "It has to be like it sounds right? An Earth Mage with elements of Fire."

Mina caught herself staring at Fajii, Milat was also captivated. "What if the Scorched Earth Mage is some hybrid that is actually weaker than the Earth Mage variety?"

"Why does that matter?" Jun Li had spent several minutes searching the forums, no one had ever heard of Scorched Earth Temple. "Our Earth Pearl won't change, even if the temple does."

Shae shook her head, "the option is only available when the Earth Pearl is placed in the altar. There is a strong likelihood that the upgrade includes the Earth Pearl itself."

Sharl looked around at the other Inferno leaders, only Fajii seemed relaxed. "We should put it to a vote since all of us could be affected."

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"Would you mind showing us your abilities as an Earth Mage?" Nix noticed that the Aquarion Alchemist was staring longingly at his hot-tub, some things never change.

Fajii nodded quickly. "I actually haven't assigned myself a path yet but I will show you what is available for Tier 1.

Earth Mage

[Three available Paths: Crowd Control, Defender, Assault]

[Crowd Control-1st Tier]

Earth Mire I: Area Effect

Your opponents are mired in mud and unable to move. Mire can affect

up to five enemies. 45-second duration. Cooldown=1minute

Dust Bowl I: Single Target

Your target is surrounded by a cloud of dust and unable to see. 60-second duration. No Cooldown.

Ground Quake I: Area Effect DoT [Damage over Time]

A sudden quake takes your enemies by surprise. You're at the epicenter and all enemies within

20 meters of you will take 1500 damage per minute. 3-minute duration. Cooldown= 2 minutes.

Silent Earth I: Single Target

Your target has breathed in a large amount of dust and is unable to speak or cast spells. 60-second duration. No Cool Down.

[Defender:1st Tier]

Rock Wall I: Mass Buff

Your allies receive a rock shield and will take no damage until the shield is destroyed. The amount

of damage a shield can take is equal to the allies hit points. Duration based on damage taken. Cool Down=5-minutes.

Earth Shield I: Single Target

Your ally receives a personal shield and will take no damage until the shield is destroyed. The amount of damage a shield can take is equal to twice the allies hit points. This effect may be stacked with Rock Wall. Only one Earth Shield may be placed by each Earth Mage. Duration based on damage. Cool Down=5-minutes.

Rock Blade I: Mass: Buff

Your allies' weapon is modified to do Earth damage. This effect stacks with whatever type of damage the weapon normally does. Duration: Persistent,

Earth Mother I: Single Target

The power of nature returns your ally to life. No Cool Down.

[Assault: 1st Tier]

Boulder Slam I: Single Target

A large boulder slams into your target. This strike causes no damage but the target remains stunned for 5 seconds. The effect may not be avoided or countered. Duration: 5-seconds. Cool Down-60 seconds.

Ground Spear I: Single Target

A deadly shard of rock shoots upward from the ground and strikes your target. This strike adds a poison earth counter. Counters stack up to ten times. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: 3 Seconds.

Rock Pelt I: Multiple Targets up to 5.

Hundreds of rock bullets pelt your target. Rock Pelt also damages gear and equipment. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: 15 seconds.

Rock Golem I: Summoned Pet

The Rock Golem is a front line tank. He has the ability to completely shield one target until he is destroyed. If Rock Golem is used as an attacker, he does half the damage of the owner.

Rock Coating: Self-Only weapon buff.

Adds a rock coating onto your current weapon. Damage is changed to Earth damage and increased by fifty percent.

Nix glanced at the Earth Mage 1st Tier stats. As someone who didn't have a gaming background, most of it went over his head. However, he was surrounded by experts. "Thoughts?"

Chael was staring hard at the Assault Mage path. "Rock Coating will enable me to use my rifle without the penalty of having it as my secondary path."

Semmi nodded in agreement. "There's a bunch of nice CC abilities, including a silence. However, the big hit is the Rez. Earth Mages have a real rez."

Jun Li had only needed to glance at it to realize that it was a powerful path. Comparably the 1st tiers of fire and water were much weaker. "It's nice, but not overpowering. I think we should consider the upgrade. They wouldn't call it an upgrade if it makes the class weaker."

Sharl was staring hard at the Defender path, "The Defender path will be huge in keeping tanks alive. It would be tragic to lose stackable buffs that effectively quadruple your life expectancy."

"Let's vote then." Nix looked around at the group, by their expressions he couldn't tell what they were thinking.

/Inferno: NIx: Change.

/Inferno: Sharl: Keep it.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Change.

/Inferno: Mina: Keep it.

/Inferno: Chael: Change.

/Inferno: Fajii: Change.

/Inferno: Shae: Change.

/Inferno: Semmi: Keep it.

/Inferno: Wind: Change.

/Inferno: Pon: Change.

/Inferno: Ronnie: Keep it.

/Inferno: Chael: Keep it.

/Inferno: Milat: Change.

Shae smiled at the results, they were split but the majority wanted to upgrade the temple. "The upgrade will take six hours. Fajii will need to initiate it as the Temple's Earth Mage."

Jun Li opened her hud and checked the countdown on the forums. "There is still a bit over two hours until we get the details of the event."

"I will initiate the upgrade in an hour." Fajii could feel the eyes of her Aquarion friends staring at her, she turned to face Milat and Mina. "I'm still me, perhaps even uglier in your eyes, but inside I haven't changed.

Milat shook his head, "You've become beautiful Fajii. I'm sorry for staring."

"Oh?" The brown-haired Aquarion raised an eyebrow and held up her hand. "What about my shorthand?" (Refers to the webbing that stops at the first knuckle.)

Milat looked at the ground without commenting. The Aquarion males had never paid much attention to Fajii, even though she was exceedingly good-natured.

Mina sensed that Fajii was being honest, although she hadn't commented in the past, the opinions of her people had affected her. "The changes suit you Fajii."

A few minutes later only Fajii remained. Nix assumed that she wanted to relax in his hot tub for a few minutes. "You don't have to ask Fajii, make yourself at home."

Instead, she approached and sat next to him. A brown hand touched his face. "What do you think Nix."

Nix shrugged, his yellow eyes catching the small change in expression. It seemed she was easier for him to read, less alien somehow. "Still beautiful Fajii."

The Aquarion leaned forward until their lips brushed softly, her light brown hair fell against his face. "Thank you for saying such nice things Nix. I know you actually mean it when you say that."

He tried to keep the grin off his face when her hand rested against his leg. "Are we having a conversation? Or is this going somewhere?"

Fajii returned the smile, "well... We could exchange pointers if you like."

Nix was sitting in the Inferno Guild Hall with Pon and Wind. The two of them, along with a dozen Aquarions, had volunteered to help Nix place the mines in the waters around Glory island. He pointed to the Northern part of the island. This is the only section we don't really need to worry about. The formation of the Fire Palace has made this area unpassable."

/Inferno: Jun Li: Nix, I believe we are going to be outnumbered at least two to one.

/Inferno: Nix: Not as badly as you think. As part of the Broyan alliance, we have allies ready to come to our aide.

/Inferno: Jun Li: They are going to help us?

/Inferno: Nix: Of course, that's what allies do Junie. Shae put in a request, we can expect three additional fleets.

/Inferno: Sharl: Let me know when the temple upgrade is finished. We need to get Ronnie spun up for this fight.

/Inferno: Nix: I wonder if her looks will change.

/Inferno: Sharl: I hope so.

/Inferno: Ronnie: You can't improve on this obviously.

/Inferno: Nix: I agree.

"We'll leave the bay itself open, but I'll mine the f*ck out of the rest of the shoreline, in the water and the beaches." Nix wasn't worried about winning the battle, his biggest concern was the safety of his Aquarion friends and the sacking of Glory. Like last time they would evacuate all non-fighters to the Sea-World.

/Inferno: Wylie: I just received a communication from Colonial Knight HQ. They are sending a battalion of Elites to aide us.

/Inferno: Wind: Expect the opposition to recruit a few heavy hitters also.

/Inferno: Semmi: I agree. They know there is a Nemesis here. I wouldn't put it past them to find their own.

/Inferno: Shae: There aren't any. However, if they were to gather enough Water Lords, it could present a problem.

/Inferno: Nix: Did you contact Severance?

The former water-filled crater in Lapu had been the domain of a dieing Fire Lord. During the mission, Shae and Nix had helped restart the dormant volcano. Severance had also received benefits. She had been silent since the operation. The crater was no longer dormant, it frequently rumbled and spewed molten rock high into the air.

/Inferno: Shae: Yes. She will be here.

/Inferno: Semmi: Okay guys. The Event details have been posted. Everyone meet at Guild HQ and we'll discuss it.

/Inferno: Nix: Finally, now we can start planning our strategy properly.

/Inferno: Shae: I won't be there Nix, I'm preparing to defend the Palace grounds.

/Inferno: Nix: No worries. I'll stop by after and give you the details.

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Nix stopped by the Kindled Spirit on his way to Guild Hall. As expected Hyai was still there. She was sitting at the bar with Sila, enjoying a pint. "I want you to stay on my houseboat until this blows over."

Hyai nodded and glanced at Sila. "You sitting this one out?"

Sila nodded, "My dps is crap right now, I am really considering a transition to another path."

"Let's talk about it after the event Sila, there are some options available." Sila had leveled up since joining Inferno, but she wasn't strong enough to do much in this fight. "I'll feel better if you keep Hyai company for the duration."

Hyai smiled and handed him a boxed dinner. "Make sure to eat something Nix. Oh, try and keep my Inn from being razed to the ground."

"I'll do my best. Don't wait too long before heading over to the Sea-World." Nix headed out the door with a quick wave. He was very curious about the event. Would there be some sort of compensation if all of Glory were destroyed?

"Hey, Nix." Wind's voice broke into his thoughts. The scout was heading toward the Guild Hall, Pon was with him.

Pon's face showed his excitement. "Let's take bets on who dies the most!"

"Hmm... that will be you obviously." The quiet Wind seemed to have been replaced with a more chatty version of the scout.

Nix nodded in agreement, "yep, it will definitely be you old man."

"F*ck you two clowns. I'm going to be standing on top of a mountain of Terran bodies when this is over." Pon radiated heat when he became angry. He was practically glowing when he began scolding the two younger men.

The long table in Guildhall was already crowded when the trio arrived. In the past Inferno had used the Sea-World for these meetings and the hall had gone mostly unused. There was an empty spot next to Jun Li waiting for Nix so he slid in while everyone was talking. Semmi was using her hud to copy down the requirements on a big wall screen in the front of the room.

After a few minutes, she was finished and turned to face everyone. She smiled at Nix, "shall I do the honors boss?" When Nix nodded she continue and the screen lit up with information. "Please read and then we'll discuss."

Major Faction Event: Keep the hostage from being rescued.

Event Start 1300 hours tomorrow.

Event Completion: 1700 hours tomorrow.

Event Location: Glory Island and surrounding area.

Sea Farer Faction

Hosting Guild: Inferno:

[Participating in Sea Farer Faction]

Resolute

Judgment

HOSS

Tea Leaf

Silent Night

Midnight Tea Party

Baker's Dozen

Scimitar

Daybreakers

Holy Infantry

Vesuvius

Red Riders

Bitchin Betty

Caretaker

Iron Palm

Street Cleaners

Tabula Rasa Lives

Unreasonable

Ghost Battalion

Widowmakers

Red Dawg

Stiletto

Nighthawk

One Trick Pony

Terran Faction

Hosting Guild: Salamander [Upper Tier]

[Participating in Terran Faction]

Salamander [Mid-Tier]

Thunderstone

Nero

High Speed

Quick Strike

Taiga Su

Defective Thoughts

Angel Blade

Potentate

Guardian

Kings X

Lion Heart

Focus

Zero Chance

Baca Noire

Lava Junky

Storm Riders

Fire Dome

Crazed Killers

Nottingham

Marauder

Jambo

Moza Forte

Blind Side

Rage

Tsunami

Edgewater

Arctic Blast

Phenom

Zeus

[Faction Event Description]

Sea Farer Command Intercepted a Top-Secret missive that alluded to the movement of a top Terran official in Espana Bay. Under direct orders, Inferno was deployed to ascertain the accuracy of the intel. During their mission, they inadvertently came in contact with the Terran VIP and proceeded to capture him. Against overwhelming odds, Inferno escaped with the prisoner and are now keeping him at their home base on Glory Island.

[MISSION: SEA FARER]

Assist Inferno in holding Shidai Oruk. You may bring ships to defend the seas around Glory Island. If you manage to hold off the Terran attack fleet for two hours, the mission will be successful.

In the event that the sea battle is lost, fall back and help defend Glory with your land troops. Hold the opposing forces until 1700 hours so Sea Farer HQ has time to evac Shidai Oruk back to Sea Farer HQ.

[MISSION: TERRAN]

Destroy the fleet surrounding Glory Island and set foot on its shores. You must accomplish this before 1500 hours. If you manage this you will advance to the second part of the mission.

Attack Glory Island with your land troops. Defeat their forces and kill the Alliance Commander. If you fail to accomplish this before 1700 hours, you will fail this objective.

[Mission Details]

During the Sea Battle, victory or defeat is decided if either side loses more than eighty percent of their vessels. No landfall is allowed until the defending fleet has been defeated.

During the land battle, victory or defeat is decided if either side has lost more than eighty percent of its land army. Additionally, the Terran force must kill the Alliance Commander before 1700 hours.

[Mission Restraints]

All ships, buildings, and personnel participating in the mission may take part until they are in critical condition. Upon reaching critical condition all assets will be moved to a holding area. When the mission is over, all assets will be returned to their previous location unharmed and in good condition.

Sea Farer Flagship: Phoenix [Non-Transferable]

Sea Farer Naval Commander: Nix [Transferable]

Sea Farer Troop Commander: Jun Li [Transferable]

Sea Farer Alliance Commander: Nix [Non-Transferable]

[REWARDS]

The First Tier of awards will be based on whether or not your faction won the Sea battle.

The Second Tier of awards will be based on whether or not your faction won the land battle.

The Third Tier of awards will be based on your role during the mission as well as individual contributions.

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] You've seen the Mission write-up in the forums?

[Whisper: Suland to Nix] Yes, it seems pretty straight forward.

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] Your choice, command either the sea or land battle.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] I'll opt for the land battle if you don't mind.

Mission Event Message: Do you wish to assign Sulane as the Troop Commander in place of Jun Li?

"Yes." Nix opened the menu and moved Jun Li to Naval Commander.

Jun Li was watching him work. "It's a good choice to bring Sulane in as the troop commander. She's a tactical genius."

Semmi was studying the screen, "more than likely our sea forces will lose. We must hold as close to the deadline as possible."

Jun Li breathed a sigh of relief, her first choice would have been sea battle commander. "Every minute we hold is a minute less they get to fight our land forces."

Pon laughed at Nix's expression. "You got a big target on your back now smart ass."

"I'll be standing next to Shae, so let them come."

Semmi started listing the individual fleets belonging to the guilds. "I'll get a list of commanders and send them to you Junie."

Wind was sitting back listening to his friends make plans, he continued to study the events closer. "The mission criteria means that our NPC friends are safe right? No permanent death?"

Jun Li nodded, "I'm taking it that way. Even an instant death strike should only result in a critical hit and them being moved to the holding area."

The group spent the next few hours coordinating sea and land forces. Sulane joined them in the Guild Hall with one of her vice commanders.

Suddenly the entire building shook, chairs and tables tossed about like a storm was raging inside. It continued for nearly a minute before it stopped.

Colonial System Message: A Temple of Scorched Earth has been completed on Glory Island. All members of Inferno receive 100 to Earth-based damage and 50 to FIre-based damage. All Inferno Earth Mages and Fire Mages receive a mana boost of 30 percent. These buffs stack with existing Temple structures.

Sulane read the notification, her lips pursed together tightly. "You've constructed a Scorched Earth Temple?"

Nix shrugged, "it's just a small upgrade to the Earth Temple we built."

The shock was written plainly on the Resolute Guild leader's face. "How did you manage to construct an Earth Temple?"

"We killed the Earth Temple Guardian and claimed the Temple deed." Nix gave her a vague smile, he didn't know Resolute well enough to share more details. "If you'll excuse me, I have a few things to take care of."

Nix trotted toward the Fire Palace, the smell of smoke and fire was much heavier than it had been earlier. He took the stairs down and stopped on the first platform when the Scorched Earth Temple came into view. The light brown stone was now much darker and cracked in many places. Those cracks oozed liquid rock and gave the temple a sinister look. The smell of sulfur and brimstone made Nix think of Shae's elemental world. He felt his strength surge and immediately checked his buffs. The combination of the two temples had essentially increased his mana by sixty percent and 100 to Fire Damage. It couldn't have come at a better time.

He felt a comfortable surge of warm air push against his face when he passed through the archway entrance. There was the barest hint of earth mustiness in the air, it reminded him of his parent's vegetable cellar. He spotted Fajii right away, she had changed once again. "Did you become a Scorched Earth Mage?"

Fajii nodded at him. "As the Temple's Earth Mage, I change with it."

Nix stared at his Aquarion friend. Her light brown skin might have grown slightly darker, there were dozens of red streaks in her hair that hadn't been there earlier. The biggest change was in her eyes. The light brown eyes now had verticle irises, like the Lamia Queen. "How do you feel Fajii?"

Fajii smiled the same friendly smile she always did. "I guess I'm quite ugly now." She held up her hand, the webbings were still there, but her Aquarion ears were replaced with a more human-looking ear that came to a sharp point.

"Still the same Fajii to me. Your eyes have changed by the way. " Nix wasn't carrying a mirror so he couldn't show her. "I like them."

"I'm next!" Ronnie had entered through the arch with her sister Sharl. "The conversion is quick, I'll need a few hours to get used to the new abilities."

Sharl had come with Ronnie to dissuade her, but when she saw Fajii she decided against it. She could feel the power radiating off of the Scorched Earth Mage, besides class changes in Colonial were quite common. "Let's do this so you have time to study the paths and choose one."

Fajii waited until Ronnie approached, then she led her to the altar with the Earth Stone. "Kneel on the altar and activate the Earth Pearl."

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Ronnie knelt on the altar, her Wind companion sat peacefully on her shoulder without moving. Wilo seemed to be worried and clung to a strand of the ranger's hair. "Go hang out with Nix until I finish this please."

Wilo frowned, her grip on Ronnie's hair loosened and she flew easily to Nix. "I shall be watching closely." The wind elemental had recently been promoted to Lord rank, no one, including Shae was sure how strong she was.

Nix grabbed Sharl's hand and led her away. "There's going to be a big cloud of dust and a release of power. He quickly ducked down behind one of the pillars with Sharl and Wilo.

The Earth Pearl expanded to include Ronnie, it had changed since last time Nix had witnessed the procedure. This time the swirling mass inside was a mixture of earth and fire. Ronnie pounded on the insides of the sphere, her voice muted slightly.

Several minutes later a cloud of dust and cinders were sent in all directions as the Earth Pearl released the remanents of its power. A lone figure lay curled up in the middle of the altar.

Sharl was the first to arrive at her side, she took one glance at her sister and swore. "Holy shit Ronnie."

/Inferno: Nix: Get Chael down here to the Scorched Earth Temple to undergo the conversion.

/Inferno: Jun Li: That won't work Nix, it has a twenty-four-hour recharge.

/Inferno: Nix: Good thing we have two then.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Damn it, that's right. Chael get down to the temple if you are still going through with it.

/Inferno: Chael: I am, be right there.

/Inferno: Nix: Both Fajii and Ronnie are now Scorched Earth Mages.

/Inferno: Semmi: I'm coming down to check it out. Wait for me.

/Inferno: Wind: Me too.

/Inferno: Pon: Same.

/Inferno: Jun Li: I can spare a few minutes.

While Nix waited for the rest, he pulled Fajii to one side. "You've chosen a path?"

Fajii nodded, "the paths are the same, Crowd Control, Defender and Assault."

Scorched Earth Mage

[Three available Paths: Crowd Control, Defender, Assault]

Nix stared at the Aquarion Alchemist, no one would guess she was a water creature by looking at her. "Which one?"

Fajii smiled gently, although her looks had changed dramatically she was still the same. "I want to defend my friends."

"The choice suits you. Once this battle is over, I'll start bringing you hunting so you can get used to the talent tree."

'Thank you, Nix."

Ronnie and Sharl approached them together. The changes in Ronnie were similar to Fajii. Ronnie had already been dark, but now her black hair was streaked with red and her dark brown eyes had verticle irises. Her small perfect ears were pointed, a fact that seemed to anger Wilo quite a bit. Her small voice squeaking in protest as she hovered close to her companion.

The group from Inferno arrived a few minutes later. They gathered around Ronnie to check out the Scorched Earth Talent Tree.

[Crowd Control-1st Tier]

Scorched Earth Mire I: Area Effect

Your opponents are mired in molten rock and unable to move. Mire can affect

up to five enemies. Target takes Fire and Earth Damage for the 45-second duration. Cooldown=1minute

Scorched Dust Bowl I: Single Target

Your target is surrounded by a cloud of cinder dust and unable to see. There is a chance that the blindness will become permanent. 60-second duration. No Cooldown.

Ground Quake I: Area Effect DoT [Damage over Time]

A sudden quake takes your enemies by surprise. Fire and Ash spew from the ground and damage all enemies within 25 meters of you. Target takes 1000 Fire and 1500 Earth damage every 30 seconds. 3-minute duration. Cooldown= 2 minutes.

Silent Earth I: Single Target

Your target has breathed in a large amount of dust and fire is unable to speak or cast spells. An additional Scorched Earth poison counter is added to the target. 90-second duration. No Cool Down.

Scorched Earth Battlefield I: Mass DoT [Damage over Time]

The Scorched Earth Mage sacrifices the rest of their mana and half of their current hit points to call a Scorched Earth Quake to their position. All Enemies in their vicinity take damage every 30 seconds until the amount of damage equals the mana spent for casting.

[Defender:1st Tier]

Flaming Rock Wall I: Mass Buff

Your allies receive a flaming rock shield and will take no damage until the shield is destroyed. Anyone who attacks the shield receives a Scorched Earth poison counter for each attack, no limit. The amount of damage a shield can take is equal to the allies' hit points. Duration based on damage taken. Cool Down=5-minutes.

Scorched Earth Shield I: Single Target

Your ally receives a personal shield and will take no damage until the shield is destroyed. The amount of damage a shield can take is equal to twice the allies hit points. This effect may be stacked with Rock Wall. Scorched Earth Shield is immune to Fire and Earth Damage. Only one Scorched Earth Shield may be placed by each Scorched Earth Mage. Duration based on damage. Cool Down=5-minutes.

Charred Rock Blade I: Mass: Buff

Your allies' weapon is modified to do Scorched Earth damage. This effect stacks with whatever type of damage the weapon normally does. A Scorched Earth poison counter is applied for each successful attack, no limit. Duration: Persistent,

Scorched Earth Mother I: Single Target

The power of nature returns your ally to life. Ally receives Flaming Rock Wall and Scorched Earth Shield upon revival. No Cool Down.

[Assault: 1st Tier]

Molten Rock Slam I: Single Target

A molten boulder slams into your target. This strike adds a Scorched Earth poison counter and stuns the target for 7 seconds. At the end of the duration, a second Scorched Earth poison counter is applied. The effect may not be avoided or countered. Duration: 7-seconds. Cool Down-45 seconds.

Flaming Ground Spear I: Single Target

A deadly shard of flaming rock shoots upward from the ground and strikes your target. This strike adds a Fire poison counter, an Earth poison counter, and a Scorched Earth Poison counter. Counters stack up to ten times. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: 3 Seconds.

Earthen Fire Bullets I: Multiple Targets up to 5.

Hundreds of flaming rock bullets pelt your target. Rock Pelt also damages gear and equipment. This attack adds a Fire poison counter, an Earth poison counter, and a Scorched Earth Poison counter. Duration: Instant. Cool Down: 15 seconds.

Scorched Earth Rock Golem I: Summoned Pet

The Scorched Earth Rock Golem is a front line tank. He has the ability to completely shield one target until he is destroyed. If Rock Golem is used as an attacker, he does half the damage of the owner. When the Golem is destroyed the pet owner receives Flaming Rock Wall and Scorched Earth Shield.

Scorched Earth Golem Bomb

The pet owner sacrifices his pet and all of his mana to damage all enemies within 20 meters. This damage is equal to the amount of mana spent. The bomb adds a Fire poison counter, an Earth poison counter, and a Scorched Earth Poison counter to everyone it damaged.

Scorched Earth Coating: Self-Only weapon buff.

Adds a Scorched Earth coating onto your current weapon. Damage is changed to Scorched Earth damage and increased by 60 percent.

Semmi stared at the talent trees. "Holy crap... That's a big upgrade.

Ronnie pursed her lips as she made her choice. "Going to go for the Assault tree. Stand back and bask in my awesomeness."

Pon shook his head, "even the rez is better. Back to life with Flaming Rock wall and Scorched Earth Shield? That's the best BR I've ever heard of.

"What's BR?" Nix ignored the grimace on the old mages face.

Pon scowled at him. "It's battle rez noob."

Jun Li handed Fajii the duplicate Earth Pearl so she could switch it out. "You still doing it Chael?"

Chael nodded. Nansu looked visibly upset, she kept looking at the physical changes the Scorched Earth mage path made in Fajii and Ronnie. She like her blonde haired boyfriend as he was. "It's fine Nan, I'll still be me."

Nansu sighed heavily, she was going to be sitting the fight out since she was a non-combatant by choice. "Sorry, Chael. I'm just being silly, I want you to be stronger. Go ahead."

Chael nodded and knelt on the Scorched Earth altar.

Nix followed Wind and Pon out of the archway. "The Earth Pearl can still make regular Earth mages, it needs to be placed in the altar setting to create a Scorched Earth mage."

Wind was still surprised that the two range dps in the guild both elected to change their paths. "How did Ronnie go before the 24-hour time limit on the original Earth Pearl?"

Nix shrugged, "It reset when the Temple was upgraded to Scorched Earth. We are using the duplicate to convert Chael."

Pon glanced at his two friends. "Make sure both of you get the Charred Rock Blade buff for this battle. It basically doubles your damage output."

"Right," Nix replied.

"Yep." Wind agreed.

Colonial System Message: All players participating in the Major Faction Event will now have their levels adjusted up or down to reach the mandatory level 50 requirement for this mission.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Looks like we caught a huge break.

/Inferno: Semmi: That's great news for us.

/Inferno: Nix: I like it.

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Mina stood on the deck of the Phoenix, she had her hand looped through the arm of her closest human friend. It was a sign of changing times when humans and Aquarions lived in peace. Her pale face was emotionless but inside she was unhappy. Nix stopped by to wish them well, but today he wouldn't be fighting alongside the Souza Accord.

"I'm sorry for being difficult about this Nix. I feel disappointed that you won't be part of the sea battle. "

"We can't take the risk that I could be finished off during the first stage of this event." Nix didn't want to miss the Phoenix's coming out party either. The Phoenix had already made a reputation for herself at Espana, today they would continue that by becoming the terror of Glory Bay.

The Aquarion smiled unexpectedly. "Did you know that a few of the Aquarion males are showing an interest in Fajii?"

Nix frowned at the statement, "they are just figuring out how great she is now?"

Mina nodded, "that doesn't make you happy?"

"It's nothing to do with me." Nix closed his eyes, the noise of the docks was oddly comforting in the calm before the storm. "If Fajii is happy, that's what matters."

Mina smiled gently, "I think so too."

"Today, if anyone receives a critical injury they will be transported to a holding area."

"If I survive the sea battle, then I will find you on the battlefield." Mina placed a hand on his head. "You must be safe until we get there."

"I see..." Nix didn't fully understand Aquarion intimacy, but he had seen Aquarions touch each others head like this often. It was a sign of trust. "Once you are there I can cut loose?"

Mina nodded, "yes of course. The Souza Accord will be sure to protect you."

Nix felt like laughing, the normally even-keeled Aquarion was being a touch dramatic. "Today is great training. Did you use the Reverence stone?"

"Yes, I am stronger than a Matriarch now."

"I won't worry about you so much then." Nix knew he didn't have to worry about her. With the enhanced Vila, not many humans would be a threat, unless they were able to gang up on her.

Mina watched as he walked down the gangplank, her expression complicated. The Aquarion's thought of Nix as one of their own. Without a doubt, he was the key to destroying the artifact in Mermaid City.

"Don't worry Nix! We'll take good care of the Phoenix."

Nix turned at the voice that called from the ship. Captain Delphi was waving at him from the helm. "I expect no less than a dozen kills today, Captain."

Delphi grinned, "as you say, sir. It's a fine day to hunt."

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] You guys get to safety yet?

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] Safe and sound on your houseboat hun. Good luck.

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] There's a nice galley on board, feel free to make use of it.

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] No worries, I'll feed you when you get back.

/Guildchat: Nix: All non-combatants make your way to the Sea-World now.

[Sulane has invited you to the Allied Command channel.]

/Allied Command: Nix: Thanks for the invite.

/Allied Command: Sulane: Going to assign you protection today Nix. Keeping you alive gives us the win.

/Allied Command: Nix: I have a Fire Nemesis and a Scorched Earth Mage protecting me already.

/Allied Command: Wylie: And an entire Company of Colonial Knights.

/Allied Command: Sulane: Fine, it looks like you are well-protected. Do you plan on fighting?

/Allied Command: Nix: Yep.

Nix walked casually to the temple. He still had plenty of time before he would see action. Most of the guild was not taking part in the sea battle, that would be the ships and the crew for the most part. Allies were gathering on key parts of the island. The Sea Farer fleet was spread out around Glory Bay.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] What's the plan?

[Whisiper: Jun Li to Nix] Still debating. Looks like the Terrans have placed their fodder in the front and their stronger ships to the rear.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] They probably have more fodder than the Sea Farers do.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] I'm tempted to match them up with our stronger ships, try and eliminate the garbage and create a two to one mismatch when we face their Dreadnoughts.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] Will our weaker ships really be able to contribute much? And what if our stronger ships are damaged taking down their weaker ones.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] All good points, Semmi mentioned them also. What do you think?

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] I think we are overmatched in the Sea Battle. The most effective tactic might be one they aren't expecting.

Nix arrived at the temple a few minutes later. Shae was wearing her red dress and leaning against the altar. Fajii was nowhere to be seen. "You don't seem dressed for a fight Shae."

Shae shrugged and grabbed his hand, "we are a few hours from the battle still and it only takes me a few moments to get ready." Without asking she pulled him into the elemental world and sealed it off.

"What's going on?" Nix let himself be pulled along, although in truth there wasn't much he could have done to prevent it anyways.

"We need to cultivate the brown flame for a while, it will heighten both of our powers." Shae eased out of her dress and placed it carefully on the ground.

"Um... we have time for this?" Nix started taking off the armor he had already put on.

Shae's long hair flowed down her bareback. She eased down into shallow water. "Of course."

Nix noticed a large egg nestled neatly on a nest of brimstone. "That the Lamia egg?"

Shae nodded and pulled him down beside her. "We'll talk about that when this battle is done."

Mina stood on the deck of the Phoenix. This time she was by herself. Her assault team was gathered together near the starboard bow while she took a few minutes to consider her plans. There were nearly four hundred Aquarions gathered beneath the surface of the bay. She would stay with the Phoenix, but her people would swarm enemy ships under the Command of Milat.

Colonial System Message: The battle of Glory Bay will start in one hour. All ships must leave the neutral zone at this time.

Time til Start. 59:59

Sea Farer Fleet Report: 23 fleets, 169 ships [100 percent]

Terran Fleet Report: 30 fleets, 214 ships [100 percent]

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: All ship captains, I've already sent you each a missive on what I expect from you at the start of this mission.

Mina joined her team and waited as the Phoenix slowly crept up through the ships. Jun Li had decided to risk her best ships by sending them into a mismatch. The Phoenix would break away and use her superior speed and handling to strafe the enemy.

/Inferno: Semmi: Do you still have that silver sword Nix?

/Inferno: Nix: Yep.

/Inferno: Semmi: Mid-Tier Salamander says they will abstain from this event if you return it immediately.

/Inferno: Pon: F*ck Mid-Tier Salamander.

/Inferno: Sharl: F*ck those bastards.

/Inferno: Nix: You heard them... I may even use it today.

/Inferno: Milat: There's a group of sea turtles moving toward our fleet.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Is this your doing Nix? The battle hasn't even started yet?

/Inferno: Nix: No... Use caution.

Mina ran to the rail and watched as the sea turtles moved quickly through the water, they seemed to be heading toward shore.

/Inferno: Mina: They are under us!

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: Do not do anything that will get us disqualified! If they are pulling a fast one, let them bear the penalty.

Mina crossed the ship, she couldn't see the sea turtles any longer, but given their speed, she could guess where they were. "What are they..."

A thundering explosion instantly disintegrated dozens of ships as water and bits of wood were thrown high into the air. The concussive blast sent Mina sliding across the deck of the Phoenix.

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: That was an attack? Stay in formation!

Mina picked herself up and walked back toward the far rail. The entire middle portion of their fleet was on fire. She wrinkled her nose at the fire and smoke billowing into the air. She turned toward her people, "prepare to investigate, do no enter the neutral zone no matter what."

Many of the ships were destroyed immediately, a few on the outskirts received minor damage. Jun Li was frantically trying to reach the event coordinators. The fires were eventually put out, and the huge gap in the middle was filled again.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] We've stepped in it this time Nix. The attack was by an independent party, so no penalty can be levied.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] That's complete shit.

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] That's not the worst part. Since the event hasn't started, the loss of ships and personnel cannot be recouped.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] We lose anyone?

[Whisper: Jun Li to Nix] No, I decided to move our forces to the front of the formation.

[Whisper: Nix to Jun Li] No worries Junie. Do your best and we'll bleed them when they come onshore.

Time til Start. 10:03

Sea Farer Fleet Report: 21 fleets, 144 ships [85.2 percent]

Terran Fleet Report: 30 fleets, 214 ships [100 percent]

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Delphi was standing at the helm, carefully monitoring the bay in front of her and the timer that was slowly clicking down. At the last minute, Ronnie decided to join the Phoenix, the captain was happy to have the newly minted Scorched Earth Mage.

[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] I'm going to personally protect your precious Phoenix. So I expect compensation.

[Whisper: Nix to Ronnie] I am open to reason.

[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] Can I borrow Ducky for a few days?

[Whisper: Nix to Ronnie] What for?

[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] Not telling.

Ronnie smiled to herself as she strolled across the deck to Mina and her Assault team. She wasn't especially close with the Aquarion but they did know each other. "I'm going to stay on board and protect this ship, Mina."

Mina looked up when she spoke, her coloring had changed only a little given that Ronnie was already dark-skinned. She personally thought that Ronnie was a bit silly but Nix had told her that was only an act. "We will board ships when we get the chance. Do you need me to assign you a Vila for protection?"

Ronnie shook her head. "I'll be fine." She pulled a hairband off of her wrist and tied her hair up in a top pony.

"You are quite beautiful Ronnie." Mina tried not to stare at the dark girl, the changes brought on by the new class only emphasized her dark beauty.

Ronnie took out the bow that Shae had made for her and stroked it lovingly. "Nix thinks so," she smiled slyly before wandering back toward the helm.

[Summon Rock Golem]

A moment later a huge titan made of brown rock appeared on the deck. He was easily seven feet in height and nearly half that wide. He held a shield and sword, both made from shiny black rock. Ronnie patted its rock arm. "You stand in front of anyone who comes at me."

[Command: Defend Me]

A movement at her shoulder warned her that Wilo was present. The tiny Air Lord immediately moved in front of the golem to inspect it. A moment later she returned to Ronnie, utterly unimpressed.

Ronnie laughed at the expression on her tiny face. "Try and get along Wilo. I need you to get to your post now please."

Wilo pulled hard on one of Ronnie's pointed ears, she still was unhappy about the changes. A moment later she flashed toward the mainsail and took a seat on the crossbar.

[Scorched Earth Coating]

Ronnie grinned widely when her bow changed colors, she could feel the power of earth and fire pulsing in it. She turned toward Delphi. "Today you have a Lord of Wind at your disposal, her name is Wilo, please treat her nicely."

Delphi nodded, A Wind Lord? She eyed the timer, only a few minutes until they started. A movement from up above them drew everyone's attention. A drake landed nimbly on the deck, her passenger stepped off quickly.

"Thank you, Fey." Fajii bowed toward the drake before turning toward Mina. "Time for buffs."

[Flaming Rock Wall]

Everyone on deck felt strengthened as a rock barrier instantly became part of their armament.

[Charred Rock Blade]

The weapons of everyone on deck became more dangerous as their weapons were instantly modified to do Scorched Earth Damage.

Fajii nodded to herself and jumped back onto Fey's back. "Those should last for the duration, good luck!"

Delphi watched the timer until if finally moved to zero. "Hoist full sails! Drop the port cannon doors!"

Wilo waited until the captain started giving orders, then she hovered close to the mainsail.

[Gale Wind]

The Phoenix accelerated off the line, even without help she was the fastest ship in the bay. Delphi charged right into the teeth of the Terran fleet. At two hundred meters he turned hard to starboard.

"Fire top cannons!"

The front ranks of the fleet hadn't space nor time to turn broadside yet as they were shredded by the Phoenix's guns. Delphi steered around the perimeter of the fleet as her crew alternated firing bottom then top cannons.

In twenty minutes they completed a near full circle.

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: Good job Phoenix! I want everyone to concentrate on putting the disabled ships down!

By the time they were behind the Terran fleet, a small gap appeared, and the Dreadnoughts could be seen. Delphi saw her chance and took it. "Prepare for deck fighting! We are going in."

The Phoenix threaded the small gap, her cannons continuing to fire as she moved in. The enemy ships didn't dare fire at first because of the fear of hitting each other. Someone must have given the order, halfway through the gap the ship came under heavy fire.

Ronnie shook her head at the forty Vila on deck, someone was going to have a shitty day when they met Mina's friends. Her rock golem moved surprisingly fast, raising his shield to block an attack from the air. A fire mage on a manta had tried a sneak attack on her.

"Good luck with that." Ronnie raised her bow and sent three quick shots into the manta. Apparently the water creature didn't react well to scorched earth damage, it turned upside and dived into the water in an attempt to escape.

Mina set one of her people into the water to ensure the Fire mage was dead. "Your pet is fast Ronnie."

Ronnie took aim with her bow and started targeted the sails of ships as they went by. Scorched earth damage caused everything it touched to burn. "He's immune to flame too, so he's a fire mage's nightmare."

Wilo moved away from the sail and hovered above her companion's shoulder. She was staring hard at Ronnie's bow. She landed lightly on her archery glove and lay both hands on the wrist.

[Twisted Wind]

Ronnie watched her for a moment, she felt the power of wind encircle her glove. She fired point-blank into a deckhand fifty yards away. He instantly exploded, causing the rest of his mates to freeze in horror. "Earth, Wind, and Fire? My little Wilo is the best!"

Ronnie ran up and down the deck one-shotting crew from enemy ships. The Scorched Earth mage's body count continued to climb steadily. Mina and her crew stayed low on the deck, waiting for their chance to board.

Delphi noticed that the Terrans were opening a path to the Dreadnoughts. "They want to deal with us. I can't go broadside with them Mina, they'll light us up!"

"Understood." Mina waited until the Phoenix turned again and fired at the Dreadnought that was still pointing away from her. "Now." Mina, her crew and 40 Vila slipped quietly over the edge.

1400 hours Update:

Sea Farer Fleet Report: 17 Fleets, 118 Ships [69.8 percent]

Terran Fleet Report: 20 Fleets, 144 Ships [67.2 percent]

Terran Dreadnought Captain Felix Sori cursed at the turning Phoenix. "Why is that ship so f*cking fast? The sound of claws raking the deck caused him to turn just before his entire head was chomped off by a Vila. The creature crunched away a few times and then swallowed it whole.

Mina stayed next to the rail and directed her Vila while her melee crew tore into the humans. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the brutality of it. Unlike most Aquarions, she had respect for human life. Except for Nix, it generally took at least two human fighters working together to subdue an Aquarion.

One of her team members speared a sailor through his chest and then flung him over the rail. It was Jersi, the Aquarion equivalent of a tank. He stopped suddenly and glanced toward the hold. Stark terror was written on his face as he spun quickly and charged toward Mina. "Retreat now, Mina!"

Mina trusted her people so she quickly vaulted over the rail of the ship. An instant later the heavy doors of the hold exploded outwards. A huge scaled head pushed upward into the air, it stopped about thirty feet off the deck. Its serpent-like body was greenish-brown and wider than the arm span of three adults.

Ronnie stared at the huge serpent. "The f*ck is that?" She opened fire with her bow, her arrows exploding against its skin didn't seem to do much damage but it turned its black eyes toward the Phoenix.

Delphi froze as the creature glided across the sea toward them. "It's a Leviathan!"

/Allied Sea Command: Ronnie: Big, big snake spotted. The Phoenix is in trouble!

Mina swam underneath the ancient beast. "It's going toward the Phoenix!" Without considering the idea, she flung herself at its tail and grabbed it with both arms. Seeing her example, the rest of her assault team did the same. They may as well have been gnats, the creature didn't slow at all.

Ronnie cursed her luck as she huddled behind her golem. "Don't feel bad if you can't stop that thing Rocky, a big ass snake like that is definitely cheating."

Its open maw pointed toward the Phoenix, the hundred-meter distance closed instantly. Before it could get to the Phoenix it suddenly reared up, thirty feet of its body came out of the water as the creature roared in pain. Ronnie ran to the rail, her jaw-dropping. Every Aquarion in the raid was clinging to the Leviathan. Many of them had impaled it with daggers or spears, even the Vila were clinging stubbornly to it.

Captain Delphi didn't need an invitation, she turned out of the creature's path, going broadside she opened up with her cannons at point-blank range.

Four hundred Aquarions weren't able to completely stop it, but they did slow it down. It twisted and coiled its body, crushing Aquarions by the dozens.

It roared again in anger, its wide mouth opening up showing razor sharp fangs that dripped with venom. Halfway through its roar, a creature appeared in front of it, breathing a thick stream of fire right into its mouth.

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Nix leaped from the back of Fey, he was aiming for the top of the leviathan's head but it reared back from the drake's flames causing him to fall short of the target, stabbing the silver sword and his emerald flame blade deep into the neck of the serpent.

"Nix!" Ronnie shouted from the deck of the Phoenix, her bow strumming constantly as she sent shot after shot into the beast. She glanced at her combat log, 32 scorched earth poison counters, "keep hitting it. The counters are doing damage."

Nix hung by his blades as the Leviathan reared back.

[Aura Ignition]

He plunged a tentacle into the beast and used it to scamper around to its back. He clamped all of his strands around the leviathan and continued to hack away at it with both swords. The beast was becoming frantic as the scorched earth counters from hundreds of attacks began to take a toll. "Keep it up!"

Ronnie caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, "Water Mages Nix!"

[Kraken's Strength: Reflection]

One of the water mages was tossed off his manta, half of his body crushed. The second mage followed up on the attack and a moment later a water orb the size of a horse slammed into Nix, tossing him into the air directly and at the Leviathan's maw.

Nix tried to shield himself, holding his blades out in front of himself to ward off the attack, but it never came. Instead, he plunged toward the sea, a swooping Fey just managed to get under him before quickly banking away. Nix glanced back, his jaw-dropping in surprise.

The entire inside of the Leviathan's mouth was encased in a ball of ice. A young girl wearing a white robe stood casually in the air. She waved her hands once and a half dozen ice shards shaped like spears plunged into the serpent's face.

Fey gained altitude and dived once again toward their target. "Who is that Nix?"

Nix stood on her shoulders, anchoring himself with his emerald strands. "That's Shi, the Ice Spirit of the Cyphix Temple."

[Balefire]

A white stream of fire struck the creature through one eye and continued out the back of its head. An exhausted Nix collapsed to one knee as Fey charged toward it and blasted it in the face with another round of flames. He downed a bottle of mana potion, his head clearing instantly.

The Leviathon gave out a deafening roar of pain and thrashed in the seas as it ceased fighting and struggled to escape.

"F*ck!" Ronnie cursed as the huge serpent came down on the stern of the Phoenix, half the ship instantly disappeared, including Captain Delphi. She sprinted for the rail as the spasming Leviathon continued its death roll. She dived cleanly in the water, almost immediately she found herself surrounded by Mina and her team. They had let go when the leviathan had been mortally wounded.

"Are you okay Ronnie?" Mina assigned two Vila to protect her since her golem had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: Nix! Get out of there now!

Nix was already flying back toward shore, shadowing the Leviathon as it finally collapsed, sending seawater spraying high into the air. Nix landed Fey on the beast and quickly jumped off.

[You have slain a legendary creature]

[Beast Slayer title has been updated 3/6]

[The inferno Guild has received 75 thousand Sea Farer faction points]

[Do you wish to skin the Leviathan?]

"Yes!"

[1 Titanic Leviathan skin has been added to your inventory]

[Do you wish to process the Leviathan meat?]

"Yes. Good thing I restocked."

[All of your available cans have been filled, 1800 cans of Leviathan meat]

/Inferno: Nix: You okay Ronnie?

/Inferno: Ronnie: Better than okay, I just received the Beast Slayer title.

/Inferno: Nix: Everyone who damaged it probably did. F*ck... we lost the Phoenix.

Nix noticed the loot icon, so he activated it.

You've Received the Thief Ring.

You've Received the Assassin's cloak.

You've Received the Leviathan Armor.

You've Received the Ice Seed.

"I now consider us even Nix." The young girl who had saved him from the jaws of death floated casually in the air, her long white hair swayed as if it were in the water.

Nix bowed low. "Thank you, Shi. It dropped an ice item. Perhaps it is something you can use?"

Shi moved closer and examined the item he held out. "An Ice Seed?" Shi sighed heavily, "I just removed our debt and now I incur another?"

Nix shook his head, "this is your earned bounty from helping with the Leviathan. I'm not doing you a favor here."

Shi accepted the Seed. "I'm going home. I shall help you again sometime if I'm able."

Nix nodded, "of course. Let me know if I can help you also."

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: Nix, bring Ronnie and get back to Shae.

/Allied Sea Command: Nix: I'm on my way, Junie.

Ronnie swam toward the Phoenix, its bow still partly out of the water. She pulled herself out of the water and stepped onto the wreckage.

"I thought you were going to protect my ship!"

Ronnie frowned at Nix. "This isn't my fault!" She held her head in both hands, the destruction caused by the Leviathan was passed any sort of salvaging.

Nix hopped off of Fey's back when she landed on the only section of the Phoenix still above water.

Ronnie shrieked at them, "Are you trying to sink us?" Wilo was hovering next to her, the Air Lord's tiny eyes still watched the Serpent.

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: Nix? What are you guys doing? The sea battle is all but lost.

/Allied Sea Command: Nix: Waiting, no worries Junie, we'll be there.

Nix stood on the broken bow of the Phoenix, he could still feel the last remnants of power within her. It was his ship, so of course, he knew what she could do. A glanced told him that the four Dreadnoughts in the middle of the Terran Fleet were moving toward them. "Where the f*ck do you get a Leviathan?"

Ronnie moved beside him and gripped his hand tightly. "What's the play here boss?"

Nix glanced at the vertical irises. They gave the already beautiful girl a certain degree of exoticism that wasn't there before. "We are going to send those Dreadnoughts off properly."

"I did well though. Right" Ronnie's full lips were curved in a smile.

Nix shook his hand loose from hers and patted her on the head. "Very impressive princess. Now get on Fey please."

He moved forward to the figurehead and placed his hand on the Phoenix that was still above water. He smiled and targeted the Dreadnoughts. "Here's a lesson for you bitches."

[Red Lady]

The beautifully carved figurehead moved slightly before it started expanding rapidly. Nix jumped onto Fey's back and escaped just as the beautiful red Phoenix took to the air.

Ronnie clung to his back, normally the drake wouldn't have been able to carry two but with the armor Nix had made, her strength was more than up to the task. "What is that Nix?"

Nix watched as the bird glided easily across the small space to the Dreadnoughts. "That's a Phoenix."

The ancient cry of the fire predator filled the air as the flames around her increased in brightness and heat. She glided over the decks of the Dreadnoughts, setting them on fire. She seemed invulnerable to attack as their crews onboard fired on her. She landed nimbly on the first ship, setting it ablaze before moving on to the next. When she took to the air a minute later, all four ships were raging with flame.

Nix thought she would self-destruct, but instead, she ascended easily into the clouds before disappearing in a flash of red. "Chalk up four Dreadnoughts to the Phoenix. Captain Delphi will love that."

Fey climbed steadily and headed toward the Fire Palace.

/Allied Sea Command: Jun Li: All ships... We are close to the limit on fleet loss. Let's stretch it out as much as possible.

Shae and Severance were standing together in the courtyard of the Fire Palace when Fey landed. Fajii and Chael were down a level just inside the Scorched Earth Temple archway.

"Nice to see you again, Palace Lord." Severance bowed slightly, her tone was much more respectful than the last time they had met.

"Thank you for coming, Lord Severance." Nix returned the bow politely before glancing around the palace grounds. "The city has stone walls, perhaps we should have done something similar."

"That's not necessary Nix." Fajii's soft voice spoke from the landing as she made her way up the steps. Lamia Acolytes were following behind her, two hundred of them in all.

"Can you do something about our defenses?" Nix noted how confident the Aquarion seemed, she nodded her head in greeting to the two Salamanders.

"As the Scorched Earth Temple Mage, I can set up a proper defensive wall." Fajii knelt on one knee and placed both hands on the ground. The power around her started to gather, causing the ground to shake and rumble. Rock barries started shooting out from the Earth, they were flaming, smoking barriers nearly twenty feet in height. In succession, they rose up on the perimeter, over the course of a few minutes a wall of scorched earth formed around the Fire Palace grounds.

Nix whistled, it was ugly but very effective. He could feel the heat radiating off the walls. "The sea battle will be lost in the next twenty minutes, more than enough time to gear up. Have the Acolytes line up please."

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Nix looked at the crafting queue he had set up for the Lamia Acolytes. Their robes just didn't have the necessary protection. The top acolyte was a Lamia named Sori, she was barely understandable, all of her words seemed to be drowned out by hissing. He examined the Leviathan leather before deciding to use it.

Leviathan Leather: Legendary

Description: Anything made with this

material gains 5 endurance and 5 speed

for every five minutes of continuous battle.

All incoming damage is reduced by 20 percent.

[Sori Dah] [Enhancement: Leviathan Leather] [Thread: Ceramic twine] [Needle: Brimstone Hook] [Primary Material: Leviathan] [Secondary Material: Kraken Leather]

Nix decided that since the acolytes had a high fire tolerance, it was better to add Kraken strength to their armor. Last time he combined two legendary materials, he made primal armor. Every attempt to create the recipe would cost 12 million credits.

[There are two legendary items in this crafting attempt, do you wish to continue?]

"Yes."

He received the success message after one try.

[Primal Gear has been created. Please name the creation.]

"Scorched Earth Defender." Nix decided that mass-produced armor didn't need an awe-inspiring name."

Scorched Earth Defender [Sori Dah]

Armor: Primal

Description: This armor is made for

long drawn out battles, with the passing

minutes the wearer gets stronger and faster.

50 Strength [Base Start: 5 every 5 minutes]

50 AC [Armor Class]

10 Speed [Base Start: 5 every 5 minutes]

He handed the armor to the Lamia acolyte.

Sori shed her robe in front of him and quickly put on the new armor. From the waist up she appeared nearly normal, her skin shimmered with a snake-like quality and her nipples appeared nearly black. At her waist she became completely serpent, she was about five feet tall with a few feet of tail sticking out from behind her. "SSSThankssss," her raspy voice caused Nix to shudder slightly, he was definitely not a snake fan.

Nix turned to face Fajii, somehow the verticle irises on her seemed warmer. "Line them up, we are in business."

Shae had been talking to Severence, she approached quickly and interrupted him. "Mind if I inspect Nix? I sense the Beast Slayer title has increased your abilities again."

Nix smiled at her, "be my guest."

Nix

Level 50 [Locked: Actual Level 95]

Strength 90

Endurance 93

Intelligence 55

Dexterity 55

Perception 55

Mana 18900/18900

Cold Resistance 120 [Ice Blessing]

Fire Resistance 120 [Burning Aura]

Emerald Flame Strands 90 [Flame Snare] [Fire Root]

Fire Seed [Emerald]

Weapon Skills:

Primary: Path of the Fire Lord [Salamander]

Secondary: Spellsword

Support Skills:

N/A

Primary Path Skills

Balefire

Meteor Storm

Combustion

Comet Strike

Secondary Path Skills

Flame Blade

Flight of the Gryphon

[Spirit Animal 3/4]

1: Soup [Royal Sea Turtle]

2: Ducky [Siren]

3: Fey [Fire Drake]

Skills:

Hunter 100

Leather Making 100

Tailor 100

Beast Slayer [Legendary Creature 3/6]

Description: You have slain three legendary

beasts in single combat. 20 to all Stats.

[Kraken's Strength] Your enemy's

first attack will be reflected back upon them.

[Lamia's Curse]

Your attacks add one stackable poison counter.

[Leviathan Speed]

During drawn-out battles, your attack speed increases

by 5 every five minutes.

"Hmm... very nice Nix." Shae leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I'm looking forward to this."

Nix grinned, "I'll protect you properly."

Shae laughed at his words before moving back to Severance.

Nix turned back toward the long line of acolytes. "Okay, let's get this moving." He set up the queue for mass production, all he needed to do was continually change the names to custom it to each acolyte.

Wind ran down the length of the wall that surrounded Glory City. The lean scout stopped at the southern wall. He ran his long fingers through his dark hair and frowned at the fire mage as he landed his manta next to him. "Aren't you the poor cousin?"

Pon's wrinkled face scowled at him. "The hell does that mean?"

"Just saying... A big bad fire mage rides a water creature?" Wind had grown close with both Pon and Nix in recent weeks. "The other fire mage in Inferno rides a ... well... let's just call it a badass Fire Drake, with stealth, fire breath, and great grammar."

Pon sighed heavily, the scout had hit a sore spot. Nix's mount was about as cool as a fire mage could hope for. "I'm so jealous of that young punk."

Sharl and Chael joined them a moment later. Sharl had her fire spear in one hand and a large kite shield in the other. "You guys get some of Fajii's buffs?"

Pon nodded, "we went there first."

"This a private party?" Semmi smiled at her friends. They had all been assigned the south wall. It was likely that this would bear the brunt of the attack; Gypsy, Tess, Banzi and Jun Li accompanied her.

Sharl grinned when she saw the clerics. "You brought healers and more tanks!"

"We were just pointing out how much Pon admires and respects Nix." Wind said it with a straight face, ignoring the Fire Mage's sudden intake of air.

Banzi nodded, "he has a beautiful Salamander that protects him too."

"You think Shae is beautiful?" A voice spoke from behind him, a green armored knight with silver-colored hair approached the group.

Banzi was tempted to reply but decided not too. He had been spending a lot of time with the Knight Captain. "You're on the wall with us Wylie?"

Wylie smiled, the effect of which froze all the males in the group. The Colonial Knight barely ever smiled. "I was only teasing Banz." She patted his arm casually but the rest of them understood the message. They were an item.

Wind shook his head in disbelief. Banzi was is best friend but not someone who was good with females. Somehow the giant tank had stumbled through and found a girlfriend. He stole a glance at Jun Li and Semmi. Both of them were attractive in their own way, Sharl seemed unattainable somehow. Maybe he should take a page out of Nix's book and start hanging out with Aquarions. "Where are the Aquarions setting up?"

Jun Li was studying the landscape in front of the South wall. They'd come with ladders and try to scale. No other way to do it quickly. "Mina and her assault team went to the Temple to help Nix, the rest of the Aquarions are guarding the harbor side in case we see an attack from that direction."

Wind shook his head, "right... because Nix needs more protection."

Semmi grinned, she had lobbied to join the Temple defense, "200 hundred Lamia acolytes, Severence, Shae, Fajii, the Aquarions, and Ronnie are all there now."

Pon scowled, that little bastard always had a backup. "Don't forget the Fire Palace acolytes as well."

Jun Li pulled out her sword and swished it through the air. She smiled at the hiss the blade made when it cut through the air. The Inferno group was placed in-between two cannons that would alternate firing. Their job was to plug the 100-meter gap between them. "As long as Nix stays alive, we will win the event."

Semmi stared at her friend, "Junie... Isn't that the blade Nix stole from the Caliph's son?"

Jun Li nodded, "yep, he handed it to me when I went to see him." As soon as she touched the blade, she wanted it for her own, Nix could be very accommodating with his friends. "We decided we'd keep it and Salamander could f*ck themselves sideways."

[14:52 Faction Event Update]

The Terran Fleet has won the sea portion of this event. All hands prepare for invasion.

Semmi placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "The cheapshot at the beginning and the leviathan tipped the scales, Junie, even so, we hung on for almost two hours."

Sharl moved toward the wall. "I'll take the center if no one cares." The tall dark woman smiled at her friends, without a doubt she was the top tank at Inferno.

Jun Li nodded in agreement, "I'll go left of you."

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Sulane rode her Manta over the south wall of Glory city. She was stunned at how big the city had grown and how strong its defense was. One guild would have no chance of staging any sort of coup. She brought up her wall defense menu.

[Allied Command: South Wall Defense]

Sharl

Banzi

Jun Li

Wind

Pon

Semmi

Gypsy

Tess

Wylie

[Lock in this Defense?]

"Yes." Sulane liked the class breakdown, three healers, three tanks and three dps. After locking down the South wall defense, the wall couldn't be breached until all of them were dead or had retreated from the wall.

She turned her manta back toward the north wall. She had elected to put the elite from Resolute there, the rest of her guild was entrenched in makeshift bunkers outside of the walls. Their job was to slow down progress and create havoc with the invading force. More then anything, she wanted to see what her new allies were made of. She had tried to inspect the Temple defense but Shae ran her off.

/Allied Commander: Sulane: The hoard is gathering, be ready! The first few waves will be the hardest.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Let's use the Inferno chat for local comm so we stay off the allied channel.

/Inferno: Sharl: Shields Up!

[Allied Shield Wall x3]

All damage is now routed through the shield wall.

Pon inhaled deeply and then let it out, his mana pool was almost double what it normally was. Given the existence of the Fire Palace and now the Scorched Earth Temple, on Glory Island, Fire Mages ruled. "Time to burn shit."

All nine of them jumped when the cannon to the left of them fired, a second and a half later the right one caused the same reaction. There were smiles all around at their own reaction. They fired every three seconds, which meant every 1.5 seconds since they were alternating. They watched the hoard slam into the entrenched guilds, their allies did a surprisingly good job of limiting the numbers that were able to pass by.

Nearly a hundred from the Terran faction made it through the lines, the firing cannons shortened their range and continued to weed them down as they sprinted toward the wall carrying long ladders and ropes.

A flying creature unstealthed right above the battlefield.

[Carpet Bomb]

The entire area was blanketed with small explosions. Fey dipped her wings and then banked back toward the temple.

Sharl squinted at the Drake. "Was Nix flying?'

Pon shook his head. "It was just Fey. Bastard's using his companion to sop up some extra kills. Shameless."

Wind laughed at the old man's posturing, "now's your chance."

Pon stood behind Banzi and raised his hands, they instantly burst into flames.

[Volcanic Tribute]

A wide swath of land the size of a soccer field burst into flames, screams of agony and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. The old man laughed maniacally and shouted at the charging crowd. "Welcome to Glory Island Shitheads!"

Four ladders started to go up at once, a moment later they burst into flames. A gold armored knight managed to scamper up the ladder and make it to the wall.

[Balefire]

A white flash of flame took the knight through his visored helm, he fell lifelessly to the ground below.

Wind frowned at the fire mage. "Hey... don't be so selfish, we want to get a few hits in."

Semmi nodded in agreement before stealthing, Wind smiled at the spot where she had been standing and followed suit.

"Damn stealth classes," Pon muttered under his breath.

/Inferno: Jun Li: First wave and we only experienced light contact.

/Inferno: Sharl: Really light.

Over the next half hour, three more waves of fighters charged the South Wall, only to be wiped out by Allied defense. Finally, on the fifth wave, a dozen Terrans made it on the wall.

"COME ON!" Sharl met the charge of a group of four heavily armored Assailants, Banzi moved with her while Jun Li hung back with the clerics.

[Fire Field]

Pon has cast Fire Field, all nearby enemies receive a fire counter that deals light damage every thirty seconds.

The entire area around them burst into flames, the low-level AE didn't bother the armored fighters but it exposed a stealthed fighter moving toward the healers.

[Natures Sanctuary]

Wylie has cast Natures Sanctuary and all nearby allies are healed for half of their existing health.

[Divine Armor]

Tess has cast Divine Armor on Sharl. Divine armor continually heals ten percent of target health every 30 seconds for three minutes.

"Bree!" Jun Li moved to intercept the swordsman, her silver blade flashing out to parry his.

"You bitch! That's my blade." Bree ignored the target and attacked with multiple slashes, driving Jun Li back a step.

/Inferno: Pon: Should we help her?

[Backstab]

Semmi has landed a critical strike on Bree.

[Backstab]

Wind has landed a critical strike on Bree.

Jun Li leaped in and removed Bree's head with a casual swipe of the silver sword. "This is my sword now bitch!"

/Inferno: Wind: Bree is a guy right?

/Inferno: Semmi: Aye, a very pretty one.

/Inferno: Nix: Bree is there? Do you need help?

/Inferno: Jun Li: Why would we need help?

Sharl slammed her shield upwards into the chin of one of the attacks, her spear flashed instantly and opened up his throat, spraying her nearby teammates with blood.

/Inferno: Semmi: Oh god... that's not coming out.

/Inferno: Tess: Kinda gross hun.

The tank laughed and used her shield again to stun an opponent before running him through with her spear. She kicked him off the wall a moment later.

"That's my son's sword you have there Inferno bitch!" A handsome middle-aged man in leather armor walked carefree down the wall toward them.

/Inferno: Semmi: Bugger... It's Calyph.

/Inferno: Jun Li: We are going to need that help Nix. He'll wipe us all.

The slender man stood ramrod straight, every movement seemed impossibly graceful. "I gave that sword to my son, whom you should never have touched."

/Inferno: Jun Li: I'll hold him off as long as I can. Finish the rest of this group!

Jun Li circled Calyph warily, suddenly jumping in with her sword. He casually went to block it with his blade but was forced to leap back and defend her shield strike.

"Very nice feint. You have potential." Caliph smiled at Jun Li, "hand me the sword and come with me. I will be your master!"

"Sure..." Jun Li leaped forward again, attacking quickly both high and low before landing a kick that spun the man slightly.

"Who taught you the sword young lady?" Calyph stopped retreating and moved forward, his blade flashing faster than the eye could follow. A moment later Jun Li screamed and the silver sword fell onto the wall along with her hand.

[Go no further]

Gypsy has cast root and bound Calyph in place.

Banzi grabbed Jun Li and pulled her back toward the group, she grabbed the silver sword before he did so.

Jun Li pried her own fingers loose from the sword and switched it to her left hand.

/Inferno: Jun Li: We're in trouble here Nix, this guy can take us all.

/Inferno: Nix: Don't worry, help is coming.

[Disclaimer: In Colonial, the non-fatal loss of limbs cannot be healed by normal means. You can be fully healed, but the missing limb won't be returned unless you are rezzed or restored by game events.]

The root wore off and Calyph advanced on the group. All three clerics tried in vain to reroot him.

"Should you really be picking on the younger generation?" A slurred voice spoke from behind Calyph. An old man in bare feet and greasy gray hair stared at the immaculate swordsman.

"Whoever you are, you'd be best served by not interfering with me." Calyph's smooth voice held all the arrogance of a Swordmaster.

"I was looking for the master who sometimes helps me resolve issues like this one. Have you seen Baiter?" The speaker held a half-empty bottle of wine in one hand and a sword in the other.

"I haven't seen any Master Baiter, please die without speaking further." Calyph moved forward and flashed his blade quickly, he immediately jumped backward in retreat, a deep gash opened on his cheek.

/Inferno: Semmi: Oh god... Did that old man just make a masturbation joke?

/Inferno: Nix: I'm sure she did.

/Inferno: Pon: The f*ck you say? She?

Chiba finished off the bottle and tossed it to one side. "Come then, pretend master." She flashed toward the shocked swordsman and attacked.

Calyph stopped the first two slashes but was run through the chest when he tried to retreat. He collapsed to his knees in shock. "Who are you?"

Chiba shrugged and picked up the blade Calyph had dropped. "You blocked two of my attacks, so in your honor, I will keep this blade."

/Inferno: Jun Li: I didn't even see the attack.

Chiba turned back toward the group as Calyph's critically hit body vanished. She stared at Wind for a moment. "Are you Pon? Nix said you would take good care of me." The old woman licked her lips suggestively.

Wind shook his head and pointed to the Fire Mage. "He's Pon."

Chiba wrinkled her nose, "the old ugly guy?"

Both of Pon's hands glowed with fire. "You're an old ugly guy!"

Chiba sighed unhappily. "Fine, after we finish this mission I'll shag you properly. It's obvious you've never had a woman as hot as me."

Wind turned away to hide his laughter, he wasn't alone. "Please take good care of Pon."

Jun Li put the silver sword away and hoisted her shield in her hand. "Looks like I'm all defense now, let's get ready for the next wave!"

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Sulane rode her Manta high above Glory City, with less than an hour remaining, the Terran forces hadn't managed to breach the tall walls of the city. She admitted to herself with some jealousy, after today the popularity of Glory City would skyrocket. People wanted to work and live in a secure place.

/Allied Command: Nix: Hey... Are they coming yet Sulane?

The guild leader from Resolute ground her teeth, initially hundreds of riders had stormed the air around the Fire Palace. However, when Shae floated upwards and made her presence known, the water creatures that served as mounts disobeyed their rider's instructions and retreated. Since then there had only been a few small skirmishes in front of the walls. Nix had taken a group of Lamia acolytes over the wall to fight several times.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] Please say within the temple walls Nix.

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] As you say, commander.

Sulane frowned as he left the walls again a group of Aquarions.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] You say that but then you cross the walls anyway?

A smile came to her face when he stopped and looked around. She was aware that something odd was going on with him. Each passing battle saw his effectiveness increase. It wasn't just him, many of the defenders seemed to get faster as the minutes ticked by. She frowned suddenly as a large group formed once again in the ranks of the Terrans. She pulled out a spyglass to zoom in on them.

The large force was mounted on giant water horses, they were easily three times the size of a standard warhorse. They needed to be in order to carry the giant Ashobel. Although technically not Ice Giants, those actually existed but were exceedingly rare. The Ashobel lived in the Polar regions of Colonial. They usually stood around eight feet in height and weighed triple what a man typically weighs. They were covered in long thick fur that ranged from white to light blue. With the long claws and teeth of a predator, they were the primary reason no one bothered to explore the Icecaps. Normally if they used weapons, it was a club or spear.

/Allied Command: Sulane: Incoming Charge Nix, they are Ashobel!

Shae had stood in the courtyard of the Fire Palace all day. There were Water Lords present, she could feel them. For some reason, they hadn't shown themselves yet. She rose slowly off the ground until she could see the charging force.

/Inferno: Shae: Careful everyone, the Ashobel are riding Ceffyl Dŵr.

/Inferno: Nix: What?

/Inferno: Shae: Ancient water horses, unlike other water creatures they don't fear fire. Don't be fooled by them running, they are also capable of flight.

/Inferno: Nix: Fajii have your acolytes man the walls.

The Lamia acolytes all carried daggers and bows. The weapons they carried had an especially potent Scorched Earth poison.

Nix joined Mina and her assault team. "Ever fight Ashobel Min?"

Mina shook her head, "I know of them of course. They don't bother the Aquarions much. Occasionally one of us will wander into their territory."

"I see." Nix eyed the group that was charging toward them. "How do you fight them?"

"Fight them?" Mina stared at him like for a moment. "We don't fight them Nix, we retreat as fast as possible. They eat humans and Aquarions!"

Nix summoned Fey and climbed on her back. "You know of these Ceffyl Dŵr?"

Fey's scaled head nodded, "don't be fooled by the ground charge, they can fly."

"So I hear." Nix downed an invisibility potion and had Fey stealth. "Let's expose them then."

Fey climbed quickly into the air then banked hard and broke into a steep dive.

[Carpet Bomb]

The mass of charging giants were suddenly covered in tiny explosions, immediately a handful of them flew into the air and gave chase. Fey stealthed again and banked back toward the pursuit. This time she raked them with her flames.

Nix kept low on her shoulders, several spears were chucked at them but Fey's constant maneuvers kept them fairly safe. She retreated toward Glory City, this time she didn't bother to stealth. "What you doing Fey?"

He could hear the Drake laughing as if something were funny. A moment later the wall cannons of Glory started firing. "Hmm... smart move Fey."

/Inferno: Nix: Move into the temple ground Min, the walls aren't going to stop them.

/Inferno: Mina: Please hurry.

With the pursuit taken care of, they headed back toward the walls. Fey easily overtook the Ceffyl Dŵr mounts and landed long enough to drop Nix off before taking to the air once again.

Nix could feel the charge under his feet, the temple grounds shook with the pounding of heavy hooves. There were only about twenty but it sounded like an entire army bearing down on them.

The Ceffyl Dŵr cleared the Temple walls easily, immediately the air was filled with the shrieks of agony as the Lamia acolytes fired arrows directly into the soft underbelly of the water horses. Nearly every giant who crossed the wall found himself on foot. The Lamia archers concentrated on killing the mounts first as the Aquarions intercepted the Ashobel.

All forty of Mina's Vilas were summoned into the courtyard. A group of three Ashobel recognized Min as a threat and headed towards her.

/Inferno: Nix: Let's take one and leave the other two for your Vila.

Nix extended one hand and six emerald strands shot out, three around each arm. The Ice creature roared in pain as his long fur burst into flames. Normally Nix wouldn't even feel resistance when he had six strands on something, but the creature yanked his arms back and jerked him into the air.

Mina moved fast, her long spear stabbing into the side of the creature while her Vila attacked the other two. Fire and arrows filled the air as the forces from the Fire Temple responded under Derva's command.

Nix dug his heels in and held the strands with one hand.

[Flight of the Gryphon]

Nix leaped into the air and slashed at the neck of the creature with all of his strength, unexpectedly the large furry head went flying, a look of shock on its face.

"Watch out!" Mina dived into Nix, knocked him to one side just as a massive war club landed where he had been standing.

The giant club didn't move, its owner stared at Nix with malevolent eyes. He held up a hand and his warriors stopped fighting.

Nix climbed to his feet. "Stand down." Immediately the Lamia and Fire Acolytes stopped fighting.

The giant was the largest of the group. A feathered headdress from some huge predator adorned his head. He pointed at Nix. "You, Me!"

/Inferno: Mina: He's the chieftain Nix, most likely he can use magic also.

/Inferno: Nix: Thanks for the tip.

"You want to challenge the Fire Palace Champion?" Nix glanced over at Shae who hadn't bothered to fight yet. She smiled and nodded like she was taking an evening stroll. "Fine then."

/Inferno: Nix: This is a diversion Shae, they'll strike at you soon.

/Inferno: Shae: I shall remain on guard.

Fighters from both groups formed a large circle as a temporary cease in aggression was initiated. Nix stared across the circle at the Ice giant. Nine feet tall and four hundred pounds of muscle. His long fur was the color of snow, huge fangs grinned at Nix as he switched out his club for a large ax.

/Inferno: Nix: Shae... there's something off about the six Ashobel closest to you.

/Inferno: Shae: Of course dear, they are water lords.

/Inferno: Nix: Let's kill them then.

/Inferno: Shae: Don't worry. Well done, by the way, even Severance didn't catch it.

Nix nodded to himself, a hand on his shoulder caused him to turn around.

"Please be careful Nix." Mina had her spear ready, "I don't like this."

"No worries Min."

Nix moved away from the perimeter of the circle. He stared at the Chieftain and advanced toward him a few steps. "I'm Nix, the Fire Palace Champion."

The chieftain growled at him before holding out his ax. "I'm Glacio, Ashobel Chieftain." His voice was deep and raspy. "Prepare for your death human."

[Aura Ignition]

Nix's aura burst into flames around him, all the Ashobel took a step back, including Glacio.

Glacio roared and charged in with his ax.

[Ice Roar]

[Your opponent has attacked you, but you are immune]

Nix raised a hand and six-strand encircled the ankles of Glacio, causing him to fall heavily onto the ground. Nix flashed in and slashed at his back, just managing to dodge the ax as the Chieftain spun on the ground to attack again.

Light blue blood splashed on the temple courtyard. The Ashobel howled at the sight of their Chieftain's blood.

[Flame Snare]

Chieftain Glacio has been slowed.

The Ashobel Chieftain paused, ignoring the pain from the DoT snare. [Damage over Time] His hands glowed slightly.

[Snow Blindness]

[Your opponent has attacked you, but you are immune]

"F*CK! I can't see!" Nix screamed in agony and clutched his eyes with one hand, he waved his sword madly in the air striking at everything.

The Chieftain took three long slow strides forward and brought his ax downward at Nix's head. At the last moment, Nix dodged to one side and stabbed his emerald sword deep into the chest of Glacio. He leaped backward as the ice creature tried to clutch at him.

[Balefire]

A white-hot flame took the Chieftain in the chest and sent him sprawling. Nix followed up and raised his sword for the finish, the other Ashobel howled in protest.

The six Ashobel nearest Shae raised their hands. Their skins seemed to fall away from their flesh and land on the ground in loud bloody flops. Even the other Ashobel seemed shocked.

Fajii was the first to respond as she cast magic in rapid suggestion.

[Earth Mire]

All nearby enemies have been slowed.

[Ground Quake]

All enemies within 20 meters will take damage for the next three minutes.

The remaining Ashobel grabbed their Chieftain and retreated from the battle.

Ronnie moved beside Fajii, her bow raised. "Let's work together!"

[Summon Rock Golem]

Shae walked calmly toward the Water Lord group, a flaming blade held in each hand. The marble of the courtyard melting under her bare feet. "You dare enter this Fire Palace?"

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Nix drank a mana potion to steady himself, the Ashobel were carrying their Chieftain toward the walls, they'd only moved a few steps before his wounds caused him to disappear. "Shit..."

[Temple Champion Challenge Complete]

[You have received the First Blood Medal]

Mina moved beside him, but the leaderless Ashobel decided to flee rather than fight. She called the rest of her Vila to her, only twelve of them still survived. She assigned six to defend Ronnie and Fajii, the rest followed her. She pointed to the Water Lords. "Summoning circle Nix!"

A dozen emerald strands shot out and wrapped themselves around two of the Water Lords. He yanked backward with all his strength, the surprised Water Lords flew towards them.

[Flight of the Gyphon]

Nix dropped the strands from one of the lords, they met in the air as his emerald blade sliced neatly through his waist. Blood splattered the ground, his upper and lower body going in different directions.

[Water Clense]

Berik has broken free of your control

[Water Spear]

Berik has flung the might of the seas at you.

Nix felt the other six strands he held collapse, he leaped to one side just as several water spears impaled the marble tile he had been standing on.

Fey unstealthed in mid-dive and slammed into the Water Lord, her sharp teeth clamped down on one shoulder, the weight of the Fire Drake pinning him down.

[Summons; Ducky]

The Siren appeared next to him a moment later.

Berik has been Charmed.

Nix leaped at the charmed Water Lord and removed his head with a quick slash. Relying on Ducky to keep a high-level Water Creature charmed was too risky, better to take the opportunity to attack. "Help Fajii and Ronnie!"

Severance was locked in a vicious air battle with a Water Lord, her fire colored blood dripped onto the floor.

[Meteor Storm]

Nix has cast Meteor Storm, all enemies within 30 meters will take damage for the next three minutes.

[Comet Strike]

You have struck a critical blow on Verazi

The Water Lord fighting Severance grimaced and retreated away from the fight. Her watery eyes found Nix. "You dare attack me little Salamander?"

[Flight of the Gryphon]

Nix leaped toward Verazi, the distance was too far. He quickly sent a half dozen emerald strands around her neck and arms, dragging her to the ground while she screamed in agony.

"Watch out!"

Nix heard Mina's warning and turned as a water spear blurred toward his chest. Two strong arms pushed him to one side, the spear taking her through the neck. She collapsed onto the ground, her pale lips opened and closed a few times before pinkish blood oozed out of them. "Mina!"

She vanished just before Nix reached her. He stood there for a moment, staring at the bloody tiles where she had been. His vision started to blur, his flame aura darkening.

Shae tore the culprit in half with her bare hands an instant later, both Water Lords she had faced were at the summit of their class. She scanned the area, Severance finished off the last one. A power spike drew her attention to Nix, her eyes widening in horror. "Nix!"

She closed the distance instantly but didn't touch him. His emerald aura had flecks of deep brown. "Nix! Push the brown flames away! She's fine, our friends will be rezzed after the fight!"

For a moment the brown flames threatened to spread, but slowly they faded until Nix's aura returned to normal and flamed out. He collapsed to his knees afterward, gasping desperately for air.

Severance watched him from a few meters away. This was the younger version of herself, deep blue hair and an ageless face. "You are too weak to wield the brown flame Nix, even your mate can't do that yet. You'd only burn yourself into an empty husk."

The sounds of fighting drew their attention to the walls. The Lamia and Fire Palace acolytes were fighting off the last desperate charges of the Terrans.

Colonial System Faction Event Message: Sea Farer Headquarters has succeeded in evacuating Shidai Oruk to an undisclosed location. All Sea Farer participants receive a faction promotion of one level. All Terran participants receive a faction demotion of one level. Guild and individual awards will be compiled and given out at 1800 hours. All resources and assets will be restored at 1800 hours. Individuals who were critically injured during the event will now be revived at their binding point.

Sulane breathed a sigh of relief when she read the announcement. She glanced at Glory City and the South wall. A few minor injuries and a mountain of bodies, Inferno was a tough nut to crack.

/Allied Command: Sulane: Great job everyone. This event will change the power structure in the factions for years to come!

Nix excused himself quickly and ported directly to the Sea-World. It was irrational, but fear gripped him. What if Min wasn't revived? He ran towards the front door of the cottage, his steps slowing when the door opened and an Aquarion dressed in black stepped out.

"Nix!" She hugged him tight for a long moment. "I was so worried about you."

Nix grinned at his Aquarion friend. "Really? You were stabbed in the neck."

Mina shrugged, she had moved when he was in danger. It was an instinct because he was important to her. She stroked his dark hair with one hand, a smile on her face. "I care about you Nix."

Nix nodded, his expression turning serious. "Same here."

Mina gave him a small smile and stepped away. "Am I prettier now?"

Nix laughed, she seemed less alien than she had ever been. "I was only teasing you when I said your looks were average."

Mina frowned at him. "You weren't serious? That really bothered me!"

Nix shrugged and patted her shoulder as he turned back toward the portal platform. "You are very beautiful Filamina."

"Thank you, Nix." She called after him as he walked away. "I wasn't kidding though. You are quite ugly!"

He laughed in response and took the portal back to the Temple. The courtyard was empty, but the signs of battle remained behind. Nix walked into the open doors of the Fire Palace. He opened his inventory and took out the medallion received.

First Blood: Fire Palace Temple Champion [Nix]

1 Victory, 0 Defeats

All stats increase by 1.

Description: A champion's medal that keeps

track of wins and losses. Each win earns a stat increase.

Each loss results in a stats decrease.

Upon death, the Champion returns to the temple altar.

At that time he has the option to return immediately to the place of his death.

Wind, Pon, Semmi and Jun Li were standing around Shae's throne, they were all wearing smiles. Nix glanced around the room. "Severance leave already?"

Shae nodded from her seat. "Well done today Palace Champion."

Nix stopped next to his friends and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your support." He realized that she was hampered by the need to protect her allies. She could have vaporized half of Glory and killed the Water Lords without much effort, however, that would have killed all the acolytes and her allies. It was like fighting with one arm.

Shae stood and approached him. "Don't we always stand together Nix?" She kissed his forehead, one hand picking up the First Blood medallion. "To really get the most out of this, we should start challenging the champions from other temples."

Nix shook his head, "maybe down the road sometime." He took out the drops from the Leviathan.

Thief Ring: Unique

Grants the ability to open

any nonmagical lock. 50/50

"Time for presents." He handed the ring to Semmi. "I'm betting Darsi can recharge that if you need it."

Leviathan Armor: Primal

All stats are increased by 10.

The wearer receives a bonus of 5 agility

and 5 speed for every three minutes

while in combat.

He held the armor in his hands for a moment before handing it to Wind. "This should come in handy."

Wind stared at the armor and then promptly equipped it. "Thanks, Nix!"

Nix shrugged, "gotta keep you alive so you can keep me alive!"

Assassin's Cloak

Description: All range damage is increased

by 20 percent. All critical hit damage

is doubled.

Additional Description: Wearer may stealth for three

seconds while in combat.

He tossed the cloak to Pon, whose old face scrunched up with joy. "Mine?"

"Yep." He patted the old mage on the back. "Figured you needed all the help you could get."

/Inferno: Nix: Let's meet at the wharf at 1800.

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] Everything going good?

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] My staff and I are using your galley to cook up a celebration dinner.

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] Hey... I've got a ton of Leviathan meet.

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] Hmm... Better bring it over and we'll see what it's like.

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] I'll be there in a few minutes.

Semmi's smiling face appeared in front of him. "Thanks for the ring Nix. It's a bit soon, but then I'm not getting any younger."

Nix grimaced, "well the last part is true."

/Inferno: Jun Li: See everyone at the wharf. Great job Inferno!

/Inferno: Ronnie: Yay me!

Shae pulled Nix toward the altar. "A moment of your time Nix."

Nix nodded and followed her. A moment later they both disappeared.

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Nix followed Shae through the long grass of her world. For a Salamander, Shae had a high appreciation for forest land and all things green. She slipped her clothes off and walked into one of the steaming pools.

Nix stopped at the edge and disrobed, he tested it with a foot. It seemed comfortably warm. "Did you cool the pools down Shae?"

She shook her head and eased herself into the scalding water. "Your tolerance for heat improves every day."

"Maybe so," Nix smiled noncommittedly and sunk down into the water with a contented sigh. He ducked under the water and then surfaced to slick his black hair back with both hands. "Something on your mind Shae?"

Shae moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her soft breasts pushed against his back. "Does something need to be wrong? A friendship like ours needs to be tended carefully."

Nix laughed when she kissed his shoulder. He leaned back against her and closed his eyes. "You are right of course."

She leaned against his back and sighed contently. "Am I missing something in my world Nix?"

"Some wildlife would be nice. You'd have to allow a few cooler pools for that though."

"There are a couple of them south of here."

"If you are interested in creating a habitat, then ask Fajii to plant things here. This dark volcanic soil is great for growing things."

Shae shrugged against his back, "I don't know much about gardening."

"My mom and sister loved to grow things in our back yard when I was a kid." He smiled at the memory of them, "I secretly grew ghost peppers," this time he laughed aloud.

She leaned over his shoulder and looked at his face, "you're very handsome when you laugh Nix." She paused long enough to kiss his lips. "What's a ghost pepper?"

"It's a pepper so hot that it burns your mouth."

Shae clapped her hands excitedly. "I want some Nix!"

"Might be tough to find, but I do know a chef." Nix's eyes fell on the egg he had retrieved from the Earth Temple. "How close is that egg to hatching?"

"Hmmm... less than a week I would say. It's not a Lamia egg like we thought though." Shae closed her eyes, her red hair floated on the surface of the water.

"Not a Lamia?"

Shae shook her head, "I thought it was at first, but in the last few days I discovered I was mistaken."

Nix stared at the egg, he had no idea what kind of egg it was. He had assumed it came from the Lamia Queen. "What then?"

"It's a Naga."

The term sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. "What's a Naga?"

Shae moved away from him and submerged herself in the water for several moments be surfacing. Her light brown eyes watched him with unhidden amusement. "In simplest terms, it would be the male version of a Lamia."

"Oh, I see..." Nix pondered her words carefully, Shae's senses were better than anyone he knew. "I had thought it was the Queen's egg."

"It probably was, it's valuable Nix. For whatever reason, there were no Naga in the temple. That may have been some long-forgotten law. Whatever the reasoning, this Naga needs to be bound to someone."

"You mean as someone's companion?"

Shae nodded.

"Not me, I only have one slot left and I'm looking for something a bit more stout." In his head, Nix considered something like a bear. "Why does he have to be bound?"

"If he's the last of his kind, which I assume he is. Then his life is quite precious."

"Right, binding to a companion grants him life protection." Fey had admitted to Nix that this was the reason she had wanted to bind with him. If a companion was slain, she could be revived three days later. A drake in the wild would die and probably end up as armor.

Shae walked to the shore, her skin dripped with water for only a moment before it dried. The air around her shimmered for an instant as her form changed.

Nix knew he was staring but he couldn't help it. Of course, he realized that Shae utilized her human form because she liked it best. He was also aware that Salamanders weren't human. She was nearly nine feet in length, her smoothly scaled skin reflected every color in the spectrum, the glow around her looked like a rainbow. He approached slowly, not because of any threat but because he wanted to soak in every detail.

Her voice sounded soft in his head. "What do you think Nix?"

"I've always thought your human form was beautiful." He stroked her back with one hand, "this is real beauty."

A warm feeling flooded his senses, she was pleased by his words. "If I were to take this form during a fight, all of Glory would be in ashes."

Nix nodded, "thank you for showing me Shae."

Her bright eyes closed slowly and she rolled over on the brimstone rock that lined the shore. "You are the only one I would show."

Nix was still smiling when he exited the elemental world. Shae had fallen asleep and not moved. He claimed the Naga egg and ported directly to the Sea World. It was her aura that had kept the Manta mounts from coming near the Fire Palace, keeping it extended for such a long time had tired her out.

[Do you wish to bind with the Naga companion?]

"No." Nix looked toward the wharf, of course, there seemed to be a group of people hanging around the top deck of his houseboat.

"Nix!" Ronnie waved when she saw him, she was leaning against the rail between Pon and Wind.

On the second floor, he ran into Hyai and one of her assistants. "Anything I can do to help Hyai?"

Hyai nodded, "let's see the Leviathan meat."

He handed her a can which she sat on the counter and quickly opened. She broke off a piece of the white meat and dropped it in a pot of boiling oil. Hyai fished it out a minute later and took a small bite before offering some to Nix.

"Oh my... That's really good. Barbecue?"

Hyai nodded in agreement. "Barbecue. Head on up Nix, I've work to do."

Nix grinned at her and unloaded two dozen cans of Leviathan on the counter. "Thank you, Hyai."

She waved at him as he headed up the stairs. "Cya hun."

There were four people in his bedroom when he exited the stairs. Nansu was holding Chael's face in her hands. It was obvious that she wasn't pleased with the changes the Scorched Earth path had brought. Nix took a closer look, his hair and eyes were still the same. The only real change was his pointed ears. "Looking good Chael!"

Chael grinned at him. "She hates it."

Fajii and Sharl were sitting on his bed. There were dozens of bottles of potions spilled everywhere.

Nix frowned at them. "You selling stuff from my mattress?"

Fajii gave him a small smile. "Yes."

Sharl laughed at the face Nix made, Aquarions didn't understand sarcasm. "Sorry Nix, we'll clean it up."

Nix handed her the Naga egg. "This is for you Sharl. No strings attached, please take good care of it."

Sharl's dark eyes stared at the egg. "Is that the Lamia egg I've heard so much about?"

"Yes and no. It's actually a Naga egg, the male counterpart of the Lamia."

She held out her hands, instantly a soft web of light connected her and the egg. She must have accepted the binding right away. Fajii already knew what the egg was, but was surprised that Nix had turned it down.

Sharl stroked it softly for a moment before stowing it in her inventory. "It's counting down Nix. The timer says it will hatch in 3 days."

"Why is everyone on my boat again? The party is on the wharf!" He motioned the four of them toward the sliding door. "Out, out! I'm going to change."

Nix changed into a swimsuit and t-shirt before heading down the stairs barefoot. On the dock, Hyai already had a large barrel-shaped barbecue going and a table full of food. When she waved him away, so Nix headed toward the end of the wharf and sat down.

A beautiful song caught his ear and caused him to peer under his seat. Ducky was playing under the wharf with her sisters. Unlike her, they were still water nymphs. She reached up and grabbed his foot when she noticed him.

"Ducky... Don't even think about it." He gave her a stern look that lasted all of a second before he was pulled into the water.

"Nix play..." Ducky laughed and circled him with her sisters. A sudden movement from underneath caused them to scatter in all directions. Soup had arrived.

"Very heroic Soup." Nix complimented the sea turtle before pulling himself onto its smooth back. "Let's relax a bit."

Soup swam slowly away from the wharf, keeping on the surface. He ignored the Nymphs but would occasionally move closer to the Siren so that she could stroke his smooth head.

Nix watched the interaction for a few minutes. "You're kinda popular Soup."

Ducky slid easily onto the turtles back and settled down next to Nix. She had taken her human form. "Soupy is good."

The siren slid off a few minutes later when Nix started to fall asleep. The gentle sway of the ocean coupled with the warm sun made him drowse off.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Ronnie's voice pulled him out of his sleep.

Soup had circled back and came ashore when Nix fell asleep. Ronnie and Mina were watching him.

"His head is sleepy?" Mina looked confused.

Ronnie shrugged, "it's an expression. Nix is cute when he sleeps."

Mina pursed her lips together and considered it for a moment. "No... He is not."

"Bring that guy to the tables Sis! We're starving." Sharl shouted at them from the wharf, she was wearing the swimsuit that Nix had made her.

"Right." Ronnie grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on lazybones, girls gotta eat."

Colonial System Event Message: Congratulations to all participants of the Faction Event. Results are as follows.

[Victorious Battle of Glory Bay]

All Terran fleets receive 50 thousand faction points.

All Sea Farer fleets receive a reduction of 50 thousand faction points.

[Top Five Ship performances]

Phoenix; Inferno: 39 kills

Venture: Inferno: 23 kills

Scimitar: Inferno: 19 kills

Crane: Inferno: 19 kills

Star Fire: Kings X: 15 kills

Notable Performances: Inferno defeats Leviathan.

[Victorious Battle of Glory Island and Faction Final Event]

All Sea Farer guilds are promoted one faction level.

All Terran guilds are demoted one faction level.

[Top 5 Individual Kills]

Nix: Inferno: 337

Caza: Resolute: 115

Ronnie: Inferno: 106

Gideon: Salamander (Upper Tier) : 98

Sori Dah: Scorched Earth Temple: 95

[Top 5 Individual Contributors]

Nix: Inferno

Gypsy-Rose: Inferno

Saintess: Inferno

Sharl: Inferno

Fajii: Inferno

[Notable Performances]

Chiba defeats Calyph

Nix defeats Glacio

Top 3 Guild Contributors]

Inferno

Resolute

Silent Night

[Glory Island has received the Golden Settlement Expansion Award]

[Inferno has been promoted: New Guild Options are available]

[All Inferno Sea Captains and crews are promoted to Elites]

[You have received the 'Unstoppable' Title]

[Your Champion Metal has been upgraded]

[You have received an invitation to Shangri]

[You have received a letter from Morgan Bolo]

/Guildchat : Nix: Great job everyone!

/Guildchat: Ronnie: We win, we win!

/Guildchat: Pon: Bullshit! There's no way Ronnie topped a hundred kills!

/Guildchat: Sharl: I agree.

A half-hour later the small group was sitting at a long table that they had assembled on the wharf. Semmi stood up and raised her pint. the small blonde had already finished two of them and was starting to talk loudly. "Cheers everyone! Let's give it up for the lovely Hyai who prepared all of this food for us!"

Nix raised his mug, he was sitting between Hyai and Banzi. "This is even better than the Kraken."

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Anyone get an invite to Shangri?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Everyone in Inferno did.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Oh... What is Shangri?

/Guildchat: Sharl: Read the letter Ronnie, it explains everything.

Tess and Gypsy were sitting on the other side of Hyai, they were toasting each other.

Tess's smile continued to widen after each pint. "Finally, the healers get a little bit of love!"

Gyspy nodded in agreement, for the fifth time. "I worked hard keeping Pon alive!"

Tess covered a yawn with her hand. "I know right? A total glass cannon."

Banzi laughed at their teasing, even the normally volatile Fire Mage took it in stride. "Thank you for the magnificent job healing us."

Wylie noted that she was included in the thanks, she smiled and nodded her head. "I've never seen such great teamwork."

Hyai slid an arm through Nix's. "Did my Inn take any damage?"

Nix shook his head, "the Terrans didn't step a single foot in our city!"

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Nix opened one eye and then promptly shut it. Someone had opened the blinds next to his bed, he grabbed a pillow to cover his face and drifted back to sleep. Nearly an hour later he woke once again, he could hear the clinking of dishes coming from the galley below. "Sleepy..." He mumbled to himself as he slowly descended the stairs to the second-floor galley. A woman was washing dishes in the sink, her faded red hair was tied up in a ponytail while she made her way through a tall stack of plates.

Hyai looked up when he stepped into the room. She gave him an apologetic smile, "sorry if I was too loud."

Nix shook his head and hugged her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. Hyai always smelled like cinnamon to him. "You always work so hard," he mumbled into her neck making her laugh.

They stood like that for a long moment before Nix released her and moved next to the other sink. "You wash, I'll rinse and dry."

Hyai nodded at him, she pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face with a suds covered hand. "Thank you, Nix."

An hour later Nix escorted her back to her Inn, they stopped short when it came into view. The entire Inn was surrounded by a soft golden glow. Nix frowned when he saw it, "the hell is this?"

Hyai nudged him gently and pointed toward the dock shops, all of them were surrounded by the same glow. "It's everywhere Nix."

/Inferno: Nix: Where you at Semmi?

/Inferno: Semmi: Having some breakfast. Why?

/Inferno: Nix: Something odd is going on with the town.

/Inferno: Semmi: We'll be there in a sec.

Nix and Hyai walked down to the storefronts together, Nansu, Chael, Kyla, Fajii, and Nova were standing in a circle staring at the dock shops.

Nix smiled at his shopkeeper. Nova had moved into the second floor of his Tailor shop. "Any idea when this started?"

Nova nodded her head, she was wearing a blue work uniform that Nix had made for her. "It was 0700 sir. I was organizing today's product lines when I received a message telling me to exit the shop."

"It's not just the dock shops either." Semmi's freshly washed face smiled at the group, her hair was still wet from a morning bath. She managed to roust both Wind and Pon to accompany her. "Every building in Glory, including the Temples. Even the shoreline is covered with that golden haze."

"The forums say anything?" Nix knew that Semmi read the forums daily, she knew just about everything that was going on in Colonial.

"Not yet but I don't need the forums to guess. We were given the Golden Settlement Expansion award, this has to be it." Semmi was looking through the forums for any reference to Golden Settlement Expansion.

Nix walked closer to his shop and examined it closer. "There's a progress bar here, a bit under four hours and it will be complete."

Nova frowned at his words, she kept all her things on the second floor. "I'm going to head to Jenzi to pick up some supplies then, I'll be back before it finishes."

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] Inferno was very impressive yesterday. Resolute is looking forward to working with you guys again soon.

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] We feel the same way. You may pick up the Earth Pearl tomorrow at noon.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] Any idea how we can construct an Earth Temple?

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] Find an earth-based elemental I guess.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] Want to share anything about the Scorched Earth Temple?

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] Do you really need one? You'll be able to make all the Earth Mages you want with the Earth Pearl.

[Whisper: Sulane to Nix] We could establish some sort of sharing, limited use of our Earth Pearl for the Temple details?

[Whisper: Nix to Sulane] Pass.

The group sat on the dock and started talking amongst themselves. Nix took the opportunity to take out his letter from Morgan Bolo.

Greetings Inferno Member,

On behalf of the Sea Farer faction, I would like to thank you for your valiant effort in capturing and detaining Shidai Oruk. We would like to invite you to visit us in Shangri. Shangri is located in a remote mountainous land on the Western Continent of Jhabi. Shangri is located in an instance, so it is impossible to access without the invitation you have been given. You must be carrying this invitation on your person. We look forward to seeing you.

Morgan Bolo

He finished reading the letter and took out the Sangri Invitation. It was a flat circular stone, carefully engraved with a sea frigate. He noticed Semmi watching him, "so we all got these invites?"

Semmi nodded. "Even non-combatants like Hyai and Nansu."

He glanced at Hyai who looking somewhat pensive. "Feel like taking a trip?"

Hyai nodded when Kyla nudged her with an elbow. "I'm not up for any kind of real fight Nix."

"I am." Nix smiled innocently, "I seemed to remember two charred corpses laying on the street in front of your Inn back in Cyphix."

Semmi brought up her hud and opened up the world map. "Soon as the upgrade finishes, we could take the entire fleet. Make it a low key guild event."

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Did you receive an invitation to Shangri?

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] We all did, no idea what it is.

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Can you take a three-day trip with inferno?

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] Sure, we regularly work ahead so we can take a few days off here and there.

[Whisper: Nix to Darsi] Have everyone who is interested come to the dock today at 1500.

[Whisper: Darsi to Nix] Will do. Thanks, Trip-7.

The hours passed slowly, the group sat on the docks talking, as time went by more and more members of Inferno arrived.

[Golden Settlement Expansion has been complied with: Glory]

All one-story buildings are now two stories.

All two-story buildings are now three stories.

Individual building managers may now allocate the bonus floor space.

Glory Island has been expanded outward by 30 percent.

Nix whistled and started walking toward his shop. He brought up the building menu allocated the second floor for business and the top-level as living space. By the time he arrived at the front door, he had already finished. The first floor was exactly the same, so he took the stairs up to the second floor. It was a wide-open space with display tables and lots of windows, he didn't bother to go up any further. He had given the top floor to Nora. "I'm going to have to do to way more crafting."

He walked slowly toward the Inn, the Kindled Spirit's first floor was dining and the second floor had been lodging. He found himself curious about what Hyai would do with the extra space. He found her leaning against the bar, studying the hud menu.

Hyai's pretty face showed her excitement. She looked up at him and shook her head. "I'm not sure what I should do."

Nix leaned over her shoulder. "Well, the top floor is lodging no matter what right?"

Hyai nodded and allocated lodging on the third floor. "The first floor is dining for sure." She paused for a moment, "the thing is I need more dining and more rooms."

"Lots of space on the second floor since there no kitchen. Can you split it?"

Hyai started trying different options, a smile growing steadily on her face. " I can split it! I can add six more rooms and still double my existing dining space."

Nix clapped his hands together. "My work here is done!" He waited until she was finished and then walked with her up to the second floor.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Guild event today, we are taking the fleet to Jhabi. This is designated as a non-combat event.

/Guildchat: Semmi: All officers need to attend. There are several governing decisions regarding Glory that need to be made.

Nix frowned and continued to follow Hyai as she went up to the third floor. "Did Bane get that promotion at the Provost Office?"

Hyai shook her head. "They brought someone in from Wisteria and promoted her instead."

"Do you mind if I offer him a job here?" Nix opened the door to his room, nothing had changed.

"Not a bit."

A few hours later, four ships from the Inferno fleet headed west for the continent of Jhabi. Nix was aboard the Phoenix along with the officers from Inferno and a few others. Captain Delphi stood at the helm, her face still wearing a smile. Although she had gone down in defeat, the Phoenix had taken entire fleets with her. Delphi and her crew had been promoted to elites because of their efforts. An elite crew would fight harder and perform their individual jobs better.

Pon, Wind, Sharl. Mina, Nix, Jun Li, Semmi and Ronnie relaxed at the rail near the bow of the ship.

/Guildchat: Semmi: A few governing items need to be addressed. Let's start first with town security. Crime isn't a problem yet, but as our population grows we are going to have to offer some sort of deterrent against crime. Suggestions?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: We do have a lot of Colonial Knights on Glory, could they handle the task?

/Guildchat: Nix: I'd prefer to keep them as part of our military.

/Guildchat: Pon: We could hire our own private security force.

/Guildchat: Wind: You mean like mercenaries?

/Guildchat: Semmi: That might work short term, but I think we'd do better thinking ahead.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: There are two hundred acolytes at the Scorched Earth Temple... Surely they don't need all of them.

/Guildchat: Sharl: Please stop talking now. People would be freaked out by them.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: I think they're cute.

/Guildchat: Nix: We could open a Provost Marshals Office. I know just the guy to head it up.

/Guildchat: Semmi: That's a great long term solution, but there's a lot involved in bringing them to Glory.

/Guildchat: Nix: No worries, I have close ties to the Provost Office. Oh... did you check out the build menu for new constructions in Glory?

/Guildchat: Semmi: No. Has something changed?

/Guildchat: Nix: The Golden Expansion bonus is permanent. All new constructions will come with the bonus.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Damn... that's really going to bring in new businesses. Let's shelf security for now. The Artesian Guild wants to build a headquarters in Glory.

/Guildchat: Nix: I'm not familiar with them.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: It's a guild made up of expert crafters. They try to regulate prices so that prices in one town don't significantly rise or fall when compared to other places.

/Guildchat: Sharl: I hate that idea. Have you seen the gear that our crafters make? I'm okay with being overpriced.

/Guildchat: Pon: Letting someone else regulate our economy seems like a horrible idea.

/Guildchat: Semmi: I agree but we do need some sort of Economic Advisor. The last thing on our agenda is land sales.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: There have been inquiries regarding the purchases of land plots on Glory, both in and outside of town. Our town policy is lease only.

/Guildchat: Nix: We've worked hard for every acre of Glory Island. Let's keep it in our possession.

/Guildchat: Wind: I agree. If we offer land plots to outsiders, it can only hurt our security.

/Guildchat: Pon: It also prevents future expansion of the Town.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Okay... Let's Vote on bringing in the Provost Marshals Office. Aye or Nay. I say Aye.

/Guildchat: Nix: Aye

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Aye

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Aye

/Guildchat: Sharl: Aye

/Guildchat: Wind: Aye

/GuildChat: Pon: Aye

/Guildchat: Mina: Aye

/Guildchat: Semmi: Next vote. Inviting the Artesian Guild to Glory. Nay.

/Guildchat: Nix: Nay

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Nay

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Nay

/Guildchat: Sharl: Nay

/Guildchat: Wind: Nay

/GuildChat: Pon: Nay

/Guildchat: Mina: Nay

/Guildchat: Semmi: And finally selling land plots in Glory. Nay.

/Guildchat: Nix: Nay

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Nay

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Nay

/Guildchat: Sharl: Nay

/Guildchat: Wind: Nay

/GuildChat: Pon: Nay

/Guildchat: Mina: Nay

/Guildchat: Semmi: Nice and painless when everyone agrees. Will you get the Provost Office started Nix?

/Guildchat: Nix: Yep.

After the meeting ending Nix moved to the Starboard Rail where Fajii, Nansu, and Chael were standing.

Fajii offered him a smile. "If you are looking for your Inn Keeper friend, I saw her board the Crane with Sila, Nez, and Kyla."

"I was looking for some herb advice actually. I figure the two guild alchemists might point me in the right direction."

Nansu's pretty face broke into a smile. She normally wore her short black hair slicked back, but today it was spiked. "We are at your service Mr. Nix."

"I'm looking for the Colonial version of ghost peppers."

Nansu nodded, "many herbs and plants from our world are here in Colonial Nix. You are looking for Bhut jolokia, it's the actual name for ghost peppers."

"I did not know that."

"I have a contact in Jenzi, I'll pick you up some, or even get you the seeds if you want to plant your own."

"Thank you Nansu. I'll take both." He grabbed Fajii's hand and pulled her away from the pair. He stopped when they were near the Phoenix figurehead. "How is everything Fajii?"

"Things are changing fast for me." Fajii tightened her grip on his hand and took a seat on the edge of the anchor.

"I can see how it might be difficult."

Fajii shook her head, "It's the opposite, I feel like I'm becoming part of something."

Min had told him that Fajii had never really fit in with her own kind, the Aquarion alchemist was always by herself. "What are the Lamia like?"

"Sori is very nice and talks to me often." Fajii realized Nix didn't know the Lamia by name, "she's the High Acolyte."

Nix nodded, "I remember, she's quite fierce too. Hey, did the Earth Temple expand also?"

"Yes, our bonus floor appeared below our main level. The Fire Palace added a second story."

"You needed the extra space, two hundred acolytes is a lot," Nix recalled that the Fire Palace Acolytes didn't have anywhere near those numbers, but then they had a Nemesis protecting the Temple.

"Remember your words Nix. You said we'd hunt together." Her brown eyes watched him, even with the verticle irises, her gaze seemed warm. She had decided to wear her light brown hair down for the trip, the red streaks stood out like tiger stripes.

"I wouldn't forget, although Milat seems to be interested in spending some time with you." Nix noticed that the Aquarion was watching them from mid-ship and seemed to want to approach.

Fajii caught the Aquarion's eye and waved politely "He's known me for years, but has never looked in my direction. Suddenly he sees me, I'm not sure what to think."

Nix shrugged, "it's hard not to see you Fajii."

"You don't have to worry about me when we hunt Nix. If the worse happens and I'm slain, I will revive at the Scorched Earth Temple."

Nix breathed a sigh of relief. "That does make me feel better." He understood that the reason she was a top-five contributor in the faction event was due to her buffing everyone. As an alchemist, her fighting experience was limited.

The Inferno fleet arrived at Jhabi a few hours later. They were given directions to take the Jhabi river directly into the mountains from the bay. Everyone stood at the rails as the river narrowed and the mountains quickly rose up on either side of them. The mountains were covered in a blue leafed tree that filled the air with vibrations when the wind blew them. The river itself seemed to have been carved directly into the rock, the sheer walls rising up several hundred feet.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Morgan Bolo will be waiting for us a few miles upstream. He's waiting at the entrance.

A few minutes later the river widened and the mountains retracted to form a cozy valley. A large dock with several berths waited for them.

Nix waited until the Phoenix was tied up and then glanced at Delphi who gave him the thumbs up before walking down the gangplank. A large white-haired man dressed in gold robes was waiting for them.

Although the man was quite large, he did not appear soft, he bowed slightly. "Greetings Travelers, I am Morgan Bolo."

Nix politely returned his bow. "It's nice to meet you, sir, I am Nix."

After introductions, they moved quickly away from the dock so that the rest of Inferno could disembark. Morgan Bolo led them down a narrow path to the entrance of a second valley. He stepped up on a large boulder and raised his voice so everyone who followed could hear. "We have invited the Inferno Guild here for one very simple reason. The Sea-Farer Faction feels that the awards given to you were insufficient. Although you are a mid-tier guild, we feel that as you continue to rise, our faction will rise also. We are bound by faction rules and can only do so much. In front of you is the entrance to Shangri. Before you enter you will have to choose the area you wish to explore. Travel between areas is possible, but also highly dangerous and time-consuming. Please choose from the following."

Nix studied the menu that popped up in front of him, everyone seemed to be experiencing a similar thing.

[Shangri Exploration Areas] Disclaimer: There are no guarantees that you will come away with anything. The benefits you discover here will depend on your fate and ingenuity. If you die in Shangri, you will respawn at the entrance and be unable to re-enter.

1) Area One is the place to look for rare skills. Main path skills and support skills of all rarities can be found here. This is the most dangerous area of all. Non-combat personnel should not enter.

2) Area Two is the home of a legendary gambling hall. Depending on your luck, you may win weapons, armor or even rare spells. You are only allowed to win three items. This is a non-combat area. Good Luck.

3) Area Three is where the greatest library in all of Colonial exists. The crafting section of this library holds long-forgotten techniques and many rare treasures. You will have to be good at riddles to come away with anything. This is a non-combat area.

4) Area Four is where you will find many different creatures. Looking for a flying mount?

Or perhaps a companion that can heal? Then your mission is clear. Find the one you want and convince them to follow you. This is a combat area, it is recommended that you travel in groups.

5) Area Five covers many special treasures. Want a world seed? Or your own set of wings? Many strange and wondrous things exist in Area five. This is a combat area and you must enter alone.

Morgan's voice could be heard as all of Inferno read the choices. "How you earn these items is going to vary greatly. Some may require a quest, or rare knowledge, while in others you might have to slay a powerful adversary or win a game of chance. As long as you stay alive, you may continue to try your luck. You have eight hours from the moment you enter."

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] Where are you heading?

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] To the library section in area three. And you?

[Whisper: Nix to Hyai] Not sure yet, one of the combat areas. Good luck.

[Whisper: Hyai to Nix] Thanks hun, you too.

Fajii pulled on his arm, "Mina says that she is going to Area One with Milat."

"Hmm..." Nix stared at the choices, "Area four is my preference."

Fajii nodded in agreement. "Let's go there then."

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Nix stepped onto the riverbank of a densely forested area. The clear water of the brook flowed gently, immediately Fajii stepped toward it.

Nix grabbed her elbow gently. "It looks harmless enough, but remember to check your surroundings before relaxing."

Fajii bent closer and watched the clear water flowing; after a minute she spotted the nearly invisible silverfish that darted back at forth under the surface. There were hundreds of them, coordinating their movements by instinct. Her hand flashed and a moment later she held one of the fish up to the light. It was only the length of her hand and quite narrow, it had both upper and lower teeth meant for the tearing and rending of flesh. "I've never seen anything like this."

Nix took a closer look, its teeth looked suspiciously like those of a pirana. If his Aquarion partner didn't know what it was, then it was likely native to Shangri. "Me neither, let's avoid the water if we can."

[Flaming Rock Wall]

Fajii has placed a protective barrier of rock and fire around you.

[Scorched Earth Shield]

Fajii has given you a Scorched Earth Shield

"Thanks, Fajii." Nix smiled at the weaponless Aquarion. "What kinds of weapons can you use?"

Fajii shook her head, "I haven't used any combat weapons. Unless you count spearfishing, I did bring a spear."

"First Tier Defenders don't have a heal, so basically you are a buffing class that is equipped with a BR." (Battle Rez) Nix glanced at his health bar, it was substantially longer than it was before the buffs. "Are the multipliers fixed on the target's original health points? Or does it use the buffed hitpoints?"

"It uses buffed health as the multiplier."

[Example: For information Only]

Target's unbuffed HP is 1000. Rock wall adds protection up to that amount. It does this by increasing your HP to 2000. Earth Shield adds protection up to twice your current HP. If Target is buffed with Rockwall, then adding Earth Shield multiplies that number by two. (2000HP x 2 = 4000HP) Since the buffs stack, the resulting HP should be 4 times higher than the initial. This is the reason why Tier 1 Defenders don't have a heal.

"A small heal would be nice, maybe that's included in Tier 2." Nix took a moment to examine their surroundings, while Fajii rummaged through her bag. "We should do some scouting."

[Summon: Ducky]

The Siren appeared before them an instant later.

"I need to talk with you Ducky."

[Appear Human]

Ducky shimmered and took on a near-human form. "Yes, Nix?"

"We are looking for Spirit Companions. Could you do some scouting?"

Ducky nodded, "What type?"

Nix scratched his cheek, not sure what she meant. "Type? Like Water or Fire?"

Ducky shook her head. "Control type like me, or flying type like Fey."

"Oh I see, something sturdy like Soup but not a sea creature."

Fajii listened to the Siren speak and then made her own request. "I would like either a flying type or one that heals."

Ducky disappeared a moment later.

Nix was smiling at Fajii, "You want to fly? I can get you a manta."

Fajii wrinkled her nose in disgust, "they smell funny." She handed him two small bottles from her pack.

Golden Elixir: Potion

Description: Heals half of your

health immediately.

Nix held them up, the liquid inside looked like honey. "Guess you don't need heals if you can make these."

"Those are really expensive and difficult to make. I only made those two for research." She equipped her spear, "may I ask you a question Nix?"

"Sure, let's head north along the river bank. I want to explore a bit until Ducky gets back." He equipped the spellsword hilt and focused his emerald flame into it, a moment later the cackling blade sprung to life.

Fajii followed along, fascinated by the flame blade. "Why are you so strong Nix? I don't mean the flames, your physical strength seems impossible for humans."

Nix glanced sideways, "I'll tell you the story. If you let me buy you a pair of earrings." With her pointed ears, the temptation to adorn them with shiny things was overwhelming. Aquarions never wore anything on their ears.

"Hmmm, I shall consider it. Tell me the story first."

He laughed at her expression. "Fine. I assume you have criminals in your world?"

Fajii nodded, "Normally if someone does bad things, they are sent away or in some cases beaten badly or killed."

"I was an arsonist on my world. I destroyed many valuable properties and in the process killed a number of people."

Fajii didn't say anything, she understood there was more.

"I was a fugitive for a long time when I was finally caught and sent to trial I ended up being sent to this world to work for a very powerful organization as a crafter." Nix felt it was okay to only touch on the highlights.

"And the strength?"

Nix shrugged, "I was supposed to spend my life as a Tailor at the Gladis Hub in Tunis. We were all given special enhancements that are unavailable to others. I didn't realize this until I escaped the Hub and started down a fighting path. I'm a mistake that wasn't supposed to happen. The people who paid for my enhancements have since decided I'm not worth the trouble of recovering."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, as they headed north the forest grew thicker and the river wider.

"Why did you do those things Nix?" She stopped and grabbed his arm, her face showing curiosity, not judgment.

"My parents owned their own Tailor shop. In all honesty, it's something I never aspired to, nor did I have any real talent for it. We had a nice life in a small town. I was attending school out of state when people in our town started getting really sick."

"Why were they getting sick?"

"A large corporation built a factory near our town about two years before I left. They were dumping waste directly into the river. Later on, we discovered that they buried toxic materials in landfills without proper containers."

"It started slow? The illness?"

Nix nodded, "the first case was actually my younger sister Lisa. Hers was the most severe, she died four months after she started feeling bad."

"And your parents?"

"By the time my mom was sick, there were already a dozen cases in town. The factory was forced to shut down so they could correct the pollution problem. They hid the buried toxins from everyone. That didn't come out until my trial."

Fajii listened quietly, "and your mother?"

"She was sick for a long time. I guess she got tired of it because one day she killed herself, no note or anything." Nix had long since locked only the good memories of her. She loved to bake him cookies, and always called him sweet Nicky.

"And this started you on the path of fire?"

Nix nodded, "my dad moved out west to live with my older sister. They never spoke or contacted me again."

Fajii raised a hand, the smallest amount of power radiated from it.

[Charred Rock Blade]

Your weapon has been modified to do Scorched Earth damage. One poison counter is added to each successful attack.

"You loved your family Nix."

Nix nodded with a small smile. "Still do, even the ones who aren't alive. That doesn't change the fact that I did many bad things."

"Bad things to bad people."

"Not all of them were bad. I was dealing out vengeance, not justice. There were innocents who were caught up in the crossfire." Nix frowned at the memory, "in the end I was no different than the ones who killed my sister."

"And now?"

"I've been lucky. Somehow I managed to let go of my anger and retain the good memories of my loved ones. There's a certain freedom with that, I probably don't deserve it."

Fajii laughed at his expression, 'Is that why you do whatever you like?"

"Who says I do whatever I like?" Nix opened his hud and brought up the map.

Fajii's smile widened, her hand gripped the spear tighter. Her hand flashed forward thrusting the spear towards his chest.

Nix caught the movement from the corner of his eye and managed to lean to one side, the spear impaled his shoulder, the point punching through the other side. "F*CK!"

Fajii's expression turned cruel as she jerked back on the handle, before she could tear it from his shoulder he clamped both hands on it.

[Charm}

Ducky has charmed Fajii.

Nix poured his will into the hilt that had flamed out, the spellsword cut easily through the shaft of the spear. He frowned at Ducky. "Pull this out please."

The Siren nodded and moved behind him, with an easy motion she pulled the spearhead all the way through. "It's close, but I can't pinpoint the exact location."

He stepped closer to the Aquarion, her eyes were absent of expression and she stared into space unmoving. Nix looked down at his shoulder, the wound was already closing up. "That strike should have been reflected back to her, perhaps it was because she's an ally who has been charmed?"

"Found it! There NIx!" Ducky pointed to a small patch of flowers, a beautiful turquoise colored butterfly fluttered its wings from a stem.

[Aura Ignition]

Nix's flames exploded outward, scorching the nearby vegetation. The butterfly floated quietly on the air, unaffected by the flames.

[Captured Spirit]

Veridian has attempted to charm you but has failed.

[Flame Snare]

Veridian has been slowed.

"Release her at once, I won't ask again." Nix heard the sudden intake of air as Fajii collapsed to her knees.

[Veridian has requested a spirit bond with you]

NIx shook his head, "no chance of that happening."

Ducky cocked her head to one side like she was listening. "This is Veridian, she says she is sorry for the attack."

Fajii climbed slowly to her feet, the anger on her face was evident. "You made me attack him, I will never forgive you!"

"You okay Fajii?"

She shook her head, "I am not." Fajii stared at the ground, suddenly unable to make eye contact. "I am sorry Nix. I will return to the docks."

Nix waved the idea off. "You are taking it too hard. I knew it wasn't you the moment I saw her expression." He scowled at the butterfly, her expression had shown cruelty. Something that Fajii was incapable of, it had looked completely alien on her face.

The Aquarion stepped closer to him, her hand reaching out to hold his. "I let my guard down while we were talking. I will do better next time."

Nix pulled her into his embrace. He felt an overwhelming desire to scorch the butterfly. He stayed like that for a moment, stroking her hair the same way Mina liked to do to him. "We should continue."

Fajii's smile returned, "you stroked my head." She laughed when she said it.

NIx nodded in agreement. "I did. Let's keep going. Any bears here Ducky?"

"Yes, there is one bear, only..." Ducky gave him a pensive look.

/Guildchat: Wind: We're done, the three of us just wiped.

/Guildchat: Pon: Heh! Young punks should have come to the casino with me.

/Guildchat: Wind: I guess.

/Guildchat: Semmi: I guess. Be careful everyone, so many hidden dangers.

/Guildchat: Jun Li: Damn it... I wanted something nice.

/Guildchat: Nix: We were just attacked by a butterfly.

Fajii bent down and picked up her broken weapon. "You broke my spear Nix."

"It was too long for you anyway. Fits better this way."

Fajii took a few swipes in the air with the two-foot length. "If you say so."

Ducky led them northeast on a narrow trail that wound its way through the thick forest. They had walked for several minutes when they heard a deep wailing.

Nix turned his ear toward the sound. "Is that the bear? Maybe he's fighting something, let's check it out." He broke into a trot, Fajii followed on his heels while Ducky slowed down.

The Siren followed them at a slower pace, shaking her head sadly. "He's not fighting," she muttered under her breath.

Nix skidded to a stop in a small clearing next to a large cave. "The hell is this?"

A large creature lay on the ground in front of the entrance, he was blubbering like a child, huge tears running down his face from his bloodshot eyes. The animal was completely devoid of any hair.

When Ducky joined them a minute later, they were still staring in silence. "This is Mortimer, the cave bear."

"This bald wrinkled thing is a bear? Bull shit! That thing is a mole."

Mortimer looked up, his droopy skin followed him as he made an effort to stand. After nearly a minute he managed to climb to his feet, he was wheezing like he had been running for an hour. "I am a bear!"

Nix glanced at Fajii who only shrugged at him. "Nope... You're a fat, bald mole."

"Bear!"

"Mole," Nix disagreed quietly.

"BEAR!" Mortimer reared back on his hind legs and slammed his front paws onto the ground sending a wave of sheer power in all directions.

You have been stunned.

Fajii has been stunned.

Ducky has been stunned.

Mortimer turned his back on them and sat back on the ground, after a moment he resumed his crying, this time a little quieter.

The group recovered after a few seconds, their surprise was evident as they glanced at each other.

"Don't cry, Morty." Ducky walked closer and stroked his enormous back with her hand. "Perhaps we can help you."

"I don't want his help! He called me a mole." Mortimer's deep voice caused a cloud of dust to rise into the air.

"Hmm. What if he says he's sorry?" Ducky continued to placate the bald bear.

Mortimer turned to face Nix, his reddened eyes staring. "He doesn't look sorry."

Nix had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing, this was a waste of his time. A nudge from Fajii caused him to speak up. "Sorry Morty, I shouldn't have said that. You are obviously a bear."

Ducky nodded in agreement. "See? He is sorry, now tell us what is wrong?"

"A spirit fox has snatched part of my spirit. I have lost my will to go on." Mortimer looked like he wanted to start crying again, but instead, he settled for drooling as his enormous mouth opened in a wide yawn to show some very impressive teeth.

Fajii approached the bear also, she knelt down on one knee and placed a brown hand on his bald head. "Losing part of your spirit caused this?"

The big bear nodded.

"Oh come on... "How can losing part of your spirit result in hair loss?" Nix was losing his patience, time was passing quickly.

"A few days after the spirit fox left, a Salamander came to challenge me. A despicable creature who could breathe fire. When I wouldn't fight he burned all my hair off." Mortimer collapsed on the ground and buried his head under two gigantic paws.

Nix sighed heavily. "Ducky, what kind of creature is this Spirit Fox?"

"He is a healing creature." Duck smiled sweetly, she understood that Nix had decided to help.

"Awesome, two birds with one stone maybe. Bring us to him." Nix glanced at Fajii, she had said she wanted a healer.

Ducky broke into a trot, continuing the direction they had been traveling. "He's not too far."

Nix and Fajii followed without commenting, the bear's wailing started up again as soon as they left the clearing.

/Guildchat: Hyai: I need help with a riddle, its the third of three and I can't get it.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: I'm great at riddles, tell me, tell me!

/Guildchat; Hyai: I've already got the first two right. I need to answer within 10 minutes.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Yeah... Spill it!

/Guildchat: Hyai: Okay, thanks.

[Riddle # 3]

You are stranded on an island covered in forest. One day, when the wind is blowing from the west, lightning strikes the west end of the island and sets fire to the forest. The fire is very violent, burning everything in its path, and without intervention the fire will burn the whole island, killing you in the process. There are cliffs around the island, so you cannot jump off. How will you survive the fire? (There are no buckets or any other means to put out the fire)

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Summon your manta and fly into the air. Easy!

/Guildchat: Sharl: How did you get through grade school sis?

/Guildchat: Ronnie: I gave her the answer!

/Guildchat: Sharl: If she had a manta, she wouldn't be stranded on the island.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Ask for a hint!

/Guildchat: Wind: Sorry... No idea.

/Guildchat: Nix: Grab a piece of wood and light it using the fire on the west end of the island. Quickly run eastward, when you can see the eastern end, start a new fire. The wind will cause that fire to burn toward the eastern end and then you can take shelter in the burnt area.

/Guildchat: Hyai: Thanks hun, you were right of course.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Well yeah, that was just common sense.

/Guildchat: Nix: No worries. Get something nice?

/Guildchat: Hyai: Yep, Master Chef crafting token.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Cook us something nice when we get back!

/Guildchat: Hyai: I will!

Ten minutes of running and they arrived at a huge tree next to a small burrow. Ducky stopped abruptly and pointed toward the hole. She carefully moved closer. "Would you come out and talk with us?"

Nix watched as a black nose sniffed the air cautiously before its dark head peered around.

/Guildchat: Nix: You want this guy? The black fur is kinda cool.

/Guildchat: Fajii: Yes.

Fajii's voice was gentle as she approached. "Would you like to bond with me?"

The black fox exited the burrow completely and cocked its head to one side. "Aur dilis vai coc'rais?"

/Guildchat: Nix: Some help here Semmi, we have a spirit fox speaking gibberish to us.

/Guildchat: Semmi: The fox envy finally got to you?

/Guildchat: Nix: Um... No. Fajii likes him.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Him? Did you say him? It's a black fox?

/Guildchat: Nix: Yep, black as night.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Bend down on one knee and say. Fura dilis vai coc'rais. Do it now before you lose him!

Fajii approached and bent one knee. "Fura dilis vai coc'rais"

A glow formed around the black fox and Fajii, a small web of light connected them for a brief moment before disappearing.

The fox leaped at Fajii, landing neatly in her arms. "I am pleased. Your beauty has captured me. I am Eron."

For some reason Fajii's brown face blushed deeply, "Thank you Eron, I think you are very beautiful also. My name is Fajii."

/Guildchat: Semmi: Did you get him?

/Guildchat: Fajii: Yes, his name is Eron!

/Guildchat: Semmi: Eron? The Eron?

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"Let's head back to the mole." Nix turned without saying anything further, both Ducky and Fajii frowned at him.

Fajii carried the fox, he seemed to shrink slightly to make it more comfortable for her. Her brown hand stroked the soft fur on his head, Eron's half-closed lids showed his contentment.

When they arrived back at the cave, the fox had hidden his head in Fajii's hair, nuzzling her ear with a wet nose. The Aquarion was all smiles as she bonded with her new companion.

/Guildchat: Nix: Ask Eron about the mole's spirit Fajii.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Oh god... It's Eron the spirit snatcher? Do you realize what you have there?

/Guildchat: Nix: Another rat, this one is black. Tell us later Sem.

/Guildchat: Pon: BOOM! New Fire Spell for the win!

Fire-Nado: Parchment

Description: Learn a spell that

wraps up to five players in a whirlwind of

fire. Fire-Nado lasts thirty seconds and drains

10 percent of its target's health. This health is

then siphoned to the caster.

/Guildchat: Wind: Damn... That's really nice, its a vampiric spell. You can use it to self-heal.

/Guildchat: Semmi: Awesome Pon!

/Guildchat: Jun Li: I'm so jealous.

"Eron... I am trying to make Mortimer's spirit whole." Fajii continued to stroke the fox's head. "Can you help me?"

"Of course." Eron stared at Mortimer, his tiny black eyes started to glow.

After a few moments, a ball of light the size of golf ball appeared in front of Eron, it moved slowly until it hovered in front of Mortimer. It descended and touched the huge bald head, it bounced once and then rolled into the dirt.

Mortimer covered it with a huge paw and pulled it back to him. "It's mine!"

The fox continued to watch, "I'm sorry Fajii. They have been apart too long."

The bear no longer cried, but lay there calmly, one paw covered his splintered spirit and the other was over his eyes.

"Let's get going." Nix glanced one last time at the bear and turned around. "There's nothing else to be done here."

The bear lifted his huge head, watching them as they left the clearing. "Thank you, this lessens my pain."

NIx slowed his step and then stopped. The letter his family had received after the civil settlement said the same thing. "I hope this lessens your pain." It was accompanied by a large check, but in reality, did nothing to lessen their anguish. "Wait for me at the river, I will catch up."

He waited until the group left then he approached the bear and opened his bag. "Let me see what I can do for you." He sent Mortimer a friend request.

The bear sat its head on one big paw. "You want to be my friend?"

"Yes, let me use your spirit splinter. Do not worry, I will return it." Nix pulled the spirit from under the bear's paw and placed it in slot Two.

[Mortimer] [Spirit] [Kraken Leather, Leviathan Leather, Lamia leather]

He looked at the queue, impressive line-up with three legendary types of leather. Nix shook his head, there was nothing bearish about it. "Oh, that's right." He dug into his inventory and pulled out Bulo's pelt. He had wanted to make something nice out of it, but never got around to it. "Do you like this Morty?"

The bear sniffed the air. "That is a fine fur."

"One of my first groups, it was even bigger than you." (Bulo was the bear Nix helped Nes, Donri, and Sila kill.)

[Mortimer] [Spirit] [Bulo's Pelt] [Kraken Leather, Leviathan Leather, Lamia leather] [Dragonbone needle] [Camel Hair Thread]

You are using three legendary items, one epic item and an Infinity Spirit to craft Mortimer's Fur. Do you wish to continue?

Nix looked at the recipe and counted the zeros necessary to create the item. It had more zeros than Nix could count. "Shit... That's way more than I have." He was just about to start over when he received a message.

[Notice: All crafting costs in Shangri are waived.]

"Maybe I should remove one of the legendary skins?" Nix shrugged and hit the create icon. A moment later he felt like someone hit him with a pillow and then he blacked out.

/Guildchat: Fajii: Nix? Where are you?

/Guildchat: Mina: Something wrong?

/Guildchat: Fajii: The entire area we were in exploded. Ducky, Eron and I were all killed.

/Guildchat: Mina: He isn't with you?

/Guildchat: Fajii: No... We were waiting for him to catch up.

The entire forest was flattened as far as the eye could see. A large black bear stood on his back legs, he radiated power as his keen eyes scanned the surroundings. In the distance, he spotted a booted foot sticking out of a pile of trees. The ground echoed with the lumbering gait as the giant bear ran toward the pile.

"F*ck me... that hurts."

[Combustion]

A soft green glow settled around Nix, healing his dangerously low health.

"Nix?" A deep, powerful voice spoke his name, the debris he was covered in was torn away as powerful claws pulled the rocks, tree limbs and dirt away from him.

Nix stood up slowly, although his health had recovered his ears were ringing and his vision seemed slightly blurry. He squinted his eyes at the huge bear in front of him, soft fur from its enormous head nudged against his chest.

[Mortimer has requested a Spirit Bond with you]

"Fine, okay."

Nix saw the light settling on them, it grew bright and then finally dimmed.

[You have bonded with a creature ranked substantially higher than you. His abilities will be mitigated to your level.]

"Higher than me?" Nix shook his head, the cobwebs that seemed to cover his senses finally clearing. "You are big." The bear's shoulder was at Nix's head. "Were you this big before?"

Mortimer nodded, "Of course."

"I'm going to inspect." Nix scratched the bear's ears roughly.

Mortimer: Spirit Companion, Lord Ranked.

[Abilities]

Ground Pounder: Stuns all creatures with 10 meters. Duration: 3 seconds

Absolute Defense: Blocks half of all incoming damage from one target.

Absolute Challenge: All enemies are forced to change their targets to the challenger.

Bear Intentions: First Strike.

Rage: Unknown Effect. (Use of Rage results in companion sleeping for three days.)

[Bad Memories] Past experiences have made this companion immune to fire.

[Charmless] Immune to all charm effects.

[Fearless] Immune to fear and control effects.

"How did you help me reclaim my spirit and fur?" Big brown eyes stared at him before the head lowered and bowled into him. "You're my friend. My very best friend."

Nix struggled to breathe as the enormous head butted into his ribs. "Easy there Morty, I'm more fragile than you."

"My fur is mine again. Although it's a bit darker now."

Nix scratched his head, "well... I'm not sure about that one. I'm going to have to research using spirits as enhancements."

/Guildchat: Nix: Fajii? Where you guys at?

/Guildchat: Fajii: Dead Nix. The entire area blew up.

/Guildchat: Nix: I'm kinda done here I guess. Do you need any help Min?

/Guildchat: Mina: Yes, I could use a Fire mage right now. There's only 20 minutes left.

/Guildchat: Nix: Holy crap... How long was I out?

/Guildchat: Fajii: It's been a few hours since we exited.

/Guildchat: Nix: Just summon me, Mina. You have one too right?

Allied Spirit:

Ring: [Trial of Strength]

Description: Call Filamina to your

side in times of need.

/Guildchat: Sharl: Where'd you get that?

/Guildchat: Jun Li: That's from the trial of strength?

/Guldchat: Mina: Yes. Thanks, Nix I forgot about that. Bringing you in.

Nix glanced at Mortimer. "Call you to my side in a bit."

You have been summoned by Filamina. Do you accept the summons?

"Yes."

A cold blistering wind hit Nix in the face, the temperature was below freezing. "Holy crap... Warn me first!"

[Aura Ignition]

Emerald fire bathed Nix in flames, instantly warming him. He spotted Milat and Mina. They were standing in front of a huge black rock. "What's the mission guys?"

Mina couldn't keep the smile off her face, Nix was someone she adored. "We already retrieved one item for Milat, however, the trident I want is encased in that." She pointed to the large black rock.

Nix examined the rock closer. He could see the image of a trident inside. "How come I can see through this rock?"

"It's black ice." Mina sighed heavily. "It's immune to every type of damage we have. Since it's a type of ice... I thought perhaps you could melt it."

Nix took a few steps back.

[Balefire]

The object is immune to Fire damage.

"This is going to be a tough nut to crack."

Mina frowned at the object. "Let's just go Nix. Sorry to waste your time."

Nix shook his head. "We haven't tried everything. Let's see if it's immune to bear.

[Summons: Mortimer]

A moment later a 12-foot bear appear on his hind legs, sharp claws extended as he roared loudly. He stopped after a moment when he didn't see any enemies. "Was I scary?"

Nix nodded, "Very." He pointed at the black ice object. "Can you open that?"

Mortimer dropped to all fours and lumbered up. "It's cold here. I like it." He sat on his enormous butt and swiped at the ice with one huge paw. An instant later a cracking sound like glass breaking could be heard.

"Wow... You are strong." Milat had struck the block several times. He watched as the bear pulled its paw back again, this time the block of ice shattered into countless pieces and the trident tumbled to the ground.

Mina grabbed the trident and stood up. "I'm Mina, thank you for your help."

Although the big bear was still sitting, it was taller than all of them. "I'm Mortimer. Are you a Water person?"

Mina nodded, "my people are called Aquarions."

Sea Scepter: Legendary

Description: While this is equipped you are

protected by a water shield that blocks

30 percent of incoming damage. All Water

abilities are enhanced by 30 percent.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Score! Look what I got!

Corvette: [Gunship: Legendary]

Description: Very fast and maneuverable,

this ship has 24 guns and has berths

for 50 crew members.

/Guildchat: Nix: Wow... that's really nice princess.

/Guildchat: Ronnie: Just call me Captain.

/Guildchat: Nix: Aye Captain.

The event ended after eight hours, a few of the stragglers like Pon were finally forced out. Nearly everyone came back with something but there were a few unlucky ones. Morgan said goodbye to everyone and with little fanfare sent them on their way.

All of Inferno opted to gate back to Glory, leaving the captains and crew to return with the ships. Nix unsummoned Mortimer and ported directly to the Fire Palace.

Shae had resumed her human form and was soaking in the hot pools. She looked up when he approached. "Were you successful?"

Nix nodded, "I brought home a nice tank pet. I thought I would introduce him."

Shae walked out of the water and equipped her salamander suit. "Is it a bear?"

Nix smiled.

[Summons: Mortimer]

Mortimer appeared once again with a deafening roar. He stopped when he saw the Salamander. He sat down on his butt. "You're very strong."

Shae hid the alarm she felt. "So are you. I rule here, my name is Shae. I require you to make an oath of loyalty if you are going to remain on Glory."

Mortimer glanced at Nix who only nodded. "I promise to take good care of you and everyone here. And do my best not to break anything."

Shae laughed at his words and approached him. "That's a very good oath. In return I shall aide you whenever I can, you may consider this your home."

Mortimer stuck his foot in the nearby pool, immediately he yanked it back. "That's way too hot Shae."

"There are some cooler pools south of here." Shae pointed in the general direction.

Nix watched him waddle away. "He's awesome right?"

Shae waited a few moments before replying. "Nix... You do realize he's a Titan right?"

"A Titan?" Nix thought back to the crying bald thing that Mortimer had been a few hours earlier. "Are you sure? Isn't he a bit small for a Titan?"

Shae nodded, "of course. He's only a cub."

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"Yeah... He's gorgeous." Jun Li was sitting on the beach watching a few members of Inferno play in the water.

"Gorgeous and fluffy, I want one of those." Semmi wore a one-piece white swimsuit that Nix had made her.

"Raaawwwr" The huge bear splashed through the surf, his shaggy fur sending droplets of saltwater in all directions. Every once in a while he would plant his butt down and swipe at the water with his huge paws. The result would be a massive wave of water being sent at his playmates. Mina and an Aquarion healer named Saji were laughing loudly while they played with him.

"Where's Nix?" Jun Li had been watching the events for half an hour, as of yet, there was no sign of the Inferno guild leader.

"Sleeping it off I assume." Semmi had witnessed a certain young Fire Mage sleeping on his deck. "Nix, Chael and Wind decided they could drink more than Pon."

Jun Li snorted, "no one can drink more than that old fish."

Semmi nodded in agreement, "he put them all to sleep."

Nix opened one eye, someone had helped in into his bed. The last thing he remembered was sleeping on the deck. He sat up slowly and noticed a person sitting patiently on the edge of his bed. She handed him a glass of ice water, which he gladly accepted. "Thank you."

The young blonde looked like a college kid, she wore a white t-shirt and cut-off jeans, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "We should talk Nix."

"Sure... You start." Nix stood up and stretched, he was shirtless but thankfully wearing a pair of boxers that he made. He shuffled slowly to the bathroom, intent on washing his face.

"I've received notification that I'm being released a bit earlier than planned." Darsi watched him wash up, she wasn't usually impressed by avatar physiques because you could choose whatever you liked. She had the feeling Nix hadn't changed anything.

Nix dried his face and grabbed his toothbrush. "How much early?"

"In few days. I'm actually unhappy about it," she admitted.

Nix felt she wanted to say more, so he began brushing his teeth without comment.

"I'm a hacker Nix, that's my reason for being incarcerated." She smiled when he had no reply, "not just a regular hacker, I specialize in infiltrating stasis facilities."

Nix finally stopped and looked up, his yellow eyes expressionless as he rinsed his mouth. "That's remarkably specialized."

"How much do you know regarding Gladis Corporation's legal battles?"

"Nothing. I didn't even know there was an issue." Nix had never spent a night in the Gladis Crafter Village, and he never read the forums.

"They have their hands in dozens of VR games and Worlds, it has reached the point where other companies are feeling the heat."

"Is the government stepping in? As far as I know, Gladis has strong ties to the government. That's how they were able to land all the convicts."

"The government is obligated to follow up on charges of monopolies and tampering."

"Tampering? As in giving their lifestyle players certain enhancements?" Nix grabbed a fresh shirt and slid on some pants. "This have anything to do with why you are here?"

Darsi nodded, "I was part of a group hired by an unknown entity. They paid me more money than I'd ever made."

"What for?"

"We were to look for evidence of foul play. Any kind of smoking gun or money trail that could be used as leverage."

"And?"

"Their cybersecurity measures were too high. I suspect they have an AI running it." Darsi frowned at the memory. She had dived into the Gladis Server virtually, she should have been invisible; instead, she had been immediately discovered before she could even do anything.

Nix raised an eyebrow. "An Ai? That's illegal, isn't it? And very risky."

Darsi shrugged, "there's a fog over everything Gladis does, no one seems to be able to prove anything.

"It's ironic that you ended up working for the company you tried to hack."

"I've thought the same thing myself." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. " I want to tell you something important, but you mustn't share it with anyone."

Nix nodded, "not a word."

"Gladis is going to be targeted again."

"How do you know?"

"I was part of a team, the only one who got caught. They are making sure that I'm in the loop."

"Are you still with them?"

Darsi nodded, "I don't know the specifics. They can't give me any details while I'm still here. It's going to be different this time Nix."

Nix stood up and started gearing up. "Different how?"

"Less finesse and more force." Darsi stood up also and handed him a small token.

Nix glanced at the token. "You won a first aide token?" The first aid support skill was the most sought after of all the skills.

Darsi smiled, "don't get attached to it. Just hold it for me. Once I'm released, it will be a while until I'm able to return."

"Are you suggesting that Gladis hub might be shut down?"

Darsi shook her head, "I doubt anyone could pull that off. However, it may come to the point where they aren't ignoring their lifestyle players so much."

Nix frowned, he definitely didn't want to leave his friends. "They might come after me?"

"That's about all they can do. They don't own Colonial, nor do they have access to the server. I suppose they could threaten you."

"An ultimatum? Come back to the hub or we'll wake you up?" Nix still remembered the corporate ass who informed him that Gladis was done with him.

"Not sure. This is all speculation on my part." Darsi moved toward the door, "don't lose my token. When I return I'm going to get my shop back and start leveling up!"

"Thanks for the info Darsi. Count this as me owing you one."

Inferno spent the next few weeks recovering and prepping. Nix successfully brought in the Provost Marshals Office with the newly promoted Captain Ton in charge. Ronnie and Wind were racking up quite a few kills with their new ships. The Corvette was smaller but worked well when paired with the larger Galleon that Wind used. Darsi disappeared, presumably because she was released. The small mid-tier guild continued building their strength.

/Inferno: Nix: Enough laying about, everyone report to the guildhall. Time for a raid. Mina has a shortcut for us and we are pushing ahead on the Onion Quest.

/Inferno: Semmi: A shortcut in Mermaid City?

/Inferno: Nix: No spoilers.

Within a few minutes, the guildhall filled up. Donri, Sila, and Nez were finally going to join a raid.

Mina waited until everyone sat down. "As many of you know, Inferno is currently on the 5th floor of Mermaid City. Recently I was able to save a gate location to the 3rd stage of this floor."

Semmi was reading the information that Nix had downloaded regarding 5.3, "this is the Pinnacle raid?"

Nix nodded, "we are also doing Onion, we will be dividing into two forces for this one. As long as the division is viable, you can sign up for whichever one you like."

Ronnie's hand shot up. "Which one are you doing Nix?"

"Both." Nix and Mina switched their Deep Blue bracelets. After he was done with Pinnacle, she'd use her ally ring to summon him to The Onion quest. "Sending everyone the details of Pinnacle, you can make your decisions after you read it."

[Pinnacle]

Although Pinnacle is located in Mermaid City, it is not a water zone. A multitude of pumps keep fresh air coming in and the seawater out. Why is there an Air Zone deep in Mermaid City? What are the Aquarions hiding there?

Destroy the pumps, clear the zone and solve the mystery. Most Importantly, continue the march upward.

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