Radical-9

CHAPTER 23: DELTORA

February 24^th, 2022

12:35 PM

We're back in Novus Callus. I've asked Klein to subdue me if we don't make it to him in time, to Siolence. He's agreed, but only to subdue, he knows that Athena would absolutely wreck him if he did anymore. I'm happy I can think to myself again. Happy to move inside of my own body. We've found the pedestal in the residential district, since we didn't seem to find it last time that we were here.

“Y’all ready?” Klein asks.

“You're not western,” I say.

“Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood,” he says.

“It's not working,” Athena says.

“Jeesh, sorry,” Klein says.

“I'm just joking, mine's called making a joke,” Athena says, smiling.

“You're bad at jokes,” Klein says.

I step up to the pedestal and open my inventory, “I've still got three teleport crystals, so we should be good,” I say.

“From those bats back in the cave?” Athena asks.

“Yeah.”

“I've got two on me, I say once we're done here we go stock up on some more,” Klein says.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Within a flash we're gone, the familiar white surrounding us. I take in a deep breath. Don't worry, it was a one time thing. We're not letting him come back. I'm not letting him come back.

The world reconstructs itself in front of us, large sandy dunes stretch out as far as the eye can see. They overlap one another and form almost sand mountains, the sky is almost a tinted gray. It has shades of hunter green mixed in with it.

Athena, Klein, Jen, and Sam materialize right next to me. Sam looks out, cupping his hands over his eyes like binoculars, “It's like an ocean in here!” He calls out.

“Almost,” I say, staring out.

“Okay, we're starting to get back to some familiar territory,” Klein says.

“Really? How so?” Jen asks.

“Back in beta the second floor dungeon was a sort of temple in a desert. I didn't go to the actual desert because the pedestal brought me right to the temple, but I'd wager that this is that desert that hosts that temple,” he says.

“Okay, we're still in the dark in actually finding that temple,” I say.

“That and Siolence,” Athena says.

“Did I mention that is a very stupid name?” Jen asks.

“It's a very bad pun,” Klein says, beginning to step off the pedestal. “I mean, an assassin who is silent and incurs violence? It's almost an insult to punnery.”

“You are so idiotic sometimes,” Athena says, following him off the platform.

“I take pride in my puns, and when others take that art form to a new low...man, I just can't...sand it,” Klein says.

Athena groans.

“I think I'm deserting you for that pun,” I say.

“Not you too, Andy,” Jen says.

“I can make pun too! It's sandy out!” He says, laughing.

Athena begins laughing, “It's better than Klein's,” she says.

“Psh, punnery is a very fine art that just simply isn't appreciated in our time,” he says.

“Well, maybe-” The ground below our feet begins shaking. In the distance I can see a large ring of fire tear through the sky, through the middle of it I see a large creature. It is the eight-headed dragon I had seen before. It's got as many tails as it does heads, it doesn't have any arms or legs, so it is really more like a snake than anything. It screams out as one of the heads gazes in our direction.

“Guys, I don't think we have a chance at outrunning that thing,” Jen says.

“It has a Keystone, so we're going to have to take care of it sooner or later,” I say.

“What about Siolence?” Athena asks.

“Klein, can I ask that you help me if he manages to take back over?” I ask him.

He nods.

The beast lunges in our direction, closing the distance in seconds. It's information window pops up, its name is Orochi.

I pull out Flintlocke and aim my sights down, the beast flies over our heads and the wind forces me to take a knee as I lose my focus. One of the heads lets loose a giant stream of fire, it falls onto the ground near and around us. It makes an already hot desert even hotter.

I fire two shots, one which hits the beast in one of its tails, and the other smacks one of its faces. Orochi takes some damage as it begins flying deep into the sand, burrowing underneath the surface. Three of the heads pop up around us, reaching madly for the air, letting loose a fiery hot breath. I feel a shaking underneath me, before I can react I see a pair of jaws rising over me, rising faster and higher. I dig Flintlocke into the soft inner hide of the creature, it sticks and I rise with it, holding myself up as the head continues to rise until it's reached its length.

A bolt of lightning sprays right through the head right below me and it travels up the side of the head, splitting it open. It falls over and shatters into pixels. I roll into the ground, switching back to a gun and taking a shot at a head near me. I catch a glance at Jen, who nods at me and continues firing lighting at another one of the heads. Sam is clutching her leg right behind, ducking down when the lightning comes out.

“Hey, Andy!” Klein yells. I look to my right and see him running up to one of the heads. “Come and let me give you a boost up!”

I nod and begin running towards him, switching back over to a blade. Klein jumps and thrusts Mitsurugi into the side of Orochi's head, it lurches in pain and lets out another stream of fire. Klein's hanging off of the side of the creature just as I had inside.

“You're going to have a really small window to work this out man!” He says.

“I've got this, don't worry,” I say, running up and grabbing his outstretched hand. He tosses me up and I throw everything into nailing the side of the creature with Flintlocke, dragging it down and letting gravity do its work. Flintlocke comes loose about halfway down, but the damage is done. Pixels gush out of the neck of the beast and the rest of it goes with it.

“Andy, watch out!” I hear Athena call out.

I land and turn behind me, the head I'd killed before begins re-materializing, and alongside it the one that I'd just killed as well.

“What? But they're supposed to be gone!” I call out.

“Damn it, they really went there?” Klein asks.

“What is it?” I ask.

“It's like a Hydra, you cut off one head and more take its place,” he says.

“So, what do we do? There's no way we're getting all of these things simultaneously,” Jen says, running up, Sam at her side.

“Bad Snake” he says.

Then a flash of white. Time begins to slow, there is a searing pain wanting to scratch out the innards of my skull. I can see inside of my own eyes, my reflection, and then his. His becomes mine, and I put my hand up to my head slowly, an even brighter piercing light shines out and my vision goes dark.