Chapter 111: Anemone

Wounds cover her body. Some are old, having long since turned into scars, but most are recent. She ignores them as she calls upon her mana and creates an enormous windstorm in which only her kind can maneuver. The [Gale Wyverns], unaffected, seize the opportunity to attack the [Blaze Wyverns] that are struggling in the storm.

But, that only puts the young ones on equal footing. The real problems are the three [Inferno Wyverns] and the single [Incinerator Wyvern].

The last one is the biggest hurdle. The [Incinerator Wyvern] is at the same rank as herself. It hangs back from the fight, periodically targeting the mountain below with a blue flame that, should she not deflect it, would glass the mountain below and cook all the young [Wind Wyverns] inside.

She knows it is buying time, waiting for her to tire out from fighting all the smaller wyverns. With only Deros to assist her since Nyxina is still pregnant, she doesn’t believe this is a fight she can win. If she truly does fail, she will be forced to abandon her home and many of the young as well. The thought of doing so is horrifying to her, but she will do what she must to ensure her species’ survival.

“Schreeeeee!”

Her eyes move, watching Deros and an [Inferno Wyvern] get entangled in a violent fight. They both crash down onto the island. The sound of wings breaking can be heard. Now, she is alone. She turns to the two remaining [Inferno Wyverns] who have already begun diving towards Deros, ready to help their comrade.

With a release of mana and a flap of wings, she prepares to strike them with a powerful blast of air.

“Rooaaaaarrrrrr!”

Unfortunately, she is forced to change the direction of her magic to block the [Incinerator Wyvern’s] attack. Its blue flame is powerful and deadly, but the nature of her defense redirects the attack to empty air.

And then she hears it, a roar coming from beneath the island. She had been too busy defending her kind to notice anything. Only now does she understand that the [Incinerator Wyvern] was not trying to weaken her.

No, the truth was far worse.

She looks down with growing dread as another [Incinerator Wyvern] joins the fray. Its own flock of a hundred [Blaze Wyverns] flap upwards alongside it, though not yet joining the fray. They’re waiting for permission. The new [Incinerator Wyvern] roars, and now she realizes she is surely outnumbered.

Both [Incinerator Wyverns] begin to slowly glide towards her. She is outnumbered and the fight is truly lost. The only option available is to retreat.

She raises her head and takes a deep breath to give a signal for retreat, but before she does, another roar is heard; a roar in her own language.

“I have come, Mother.”

She stops and turns her head towards the speaker. Nyxina has arrived with a flattened belly, a sign that she has given birth. But, what truly captures her attention is that something is riding on her back.

With a blink, she focuses her eyes upon them. She sees that it’s two bipedal creatures, though neither of them are Garuda.

Her gaze now moves to those following Nyxinia. She spots a [Gale Wyvern] with another creature riding it and two [Blaze Wyverns] following behind. That's when her hope is rekindled. [Blaze Wyverns] are very aggressive and would never voluntarily take orders from another species, not even Garuda, unless said Garuda had the [Beastmaster] class.

She has numerous skills she has obtained over her long life from those she had served. But, she cannot use them as they are locked out from her. However, if she can create a bond with a [Beastmaster], then the battle may very well not be lost.

She now turns back towards the incoming wyvern flock. She calls upon half her mana reserves, concentrating it to a point before letting it rapidly expand outwards in front of her. After releasing it, she begins to swiftly flap her wings. The mana whirls around, joining with the already turbulent air. It only takes a few seconds for a massive tornado to form. With an internal chuckle, she flaps once more and her spell begins to move.

The two [Incinerator Wyverns] blast it with their flames, but that does not slow her wind. Instead, it turns into a maelstrom of blue flame. More than half the [Blaze Wyverns] are suctioned into the tornado. Whether they live or die will depend on the heat of the flames.

She does not wait to see the results, instead, she dives towards Deros who is in serious need of help. The two [Inferno Wyverns] have already landed and are forcing Deros to retreat. To her extreme surprise, Deros killed the one he had landed with, albeit after sustaining a large degree of damage himself.

Just as she nears to attack the [Inferno Wyverns], Nyxina gets into range and opens her mouth. A purple breath emerges from her maw and rapidly travels down to strike one of the [Inferno Wyverns]. When it hits, it explodes strongly enough that she halts in surprise to inspect the aftermath.

She watches with pure bafflement as one [Inferno Wyvern] dies from grevious wounds caused by the attack. The other [Inferno Wyvern] notices. It looks around and then roars at Nyxina. It raises its head and inhales deeply, preparing to attack, but is interrupted as its dead comrade raises its head and bites into the [Inferno Wyvern’s] neck. The attack is interrupted and a fight between the two begins.

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“Nyxina, nice job avoiding the head. That was good aim,” Quasi says as he controls the [Undead Inferno Wyvern], having it continue to attack the living one.

“Nyxina, land me next to him,” Jessica says, pointing at the injured [Cyclone Wyvern] that looks to be barely standing up.

Nyxina swoops down and lands near the wyvern and mate, Deros.

“Deros. This one will heal your wounds. Protect her with your life.” Nyxina states as she lets Jessica dismount

As soon as Jessica’s feet touch the ground, Nyxina summons a gust to quickly take flight once more.

Jessica looks at the injured and heavily bleeding wyvern. He stands at his full height, ready for battle. Though he is wounded, he would never allow pain to impair himself, his pride would not allow it. Jessica sees his wounds, the worst of which are on wings out of her reach.

“Get down,” Jessica says with a glare.

Deros stares at her. Unlike his mate, his understanding of the language is very limited.

“Now!” Jessica yells, infusing her voice with her aura.

His legs involuntarily bend and he flops to the ground. He blinks in surprise at his reaction. He attempts to stand.

“Stop Moving!”

He stops. He growls as Jessica’s hands begin touching his wounds.

“Shut Up!”

His growling does stop, though the pain continues. He is not sure what exactly is happening, but he feels rather powerless to stop it.

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“I am Anemone. Which one of you is the [Beastmaster]?” the [Tempest Wyvern] asks as she nears the two mounted wyverns.

“Mother, it is the four legged one,” Nyxina says and angles her head at Alba.

Anemone looks to where her daughter is gesturing and sees the centauress. She takes a moment to observe this new species before once again speaking.

“You are the [Beastmaster],” she states more than asks.

Alba smiles and nods, ”I am a [Beastmistress].”

“Good. I request a contract. I will serve you as long as you protect and safeguard my kind.”

Alba nods, “I accept.”

Quasi just stares at the conversation between the two and just rolls his eyes.

“Oi! We have a war going on! Less talk, more fight. Come on Nyxina, let's go join Mule.”

“Yes Master.”

Anemone watches Nyxina fly off, but she keeps her concentration on Alba. She feels a connection forming, an unanswered question, an invitation. She accepts the contract and the connection between them solidifies. The centauress is low level, so the pact takes a while to form, but eventually, it does.

“Oh, wow,” Alba says, and then yelps in surprise as wind gathers around her. She is lifted off the [Gale Wyvern] and then placed upon Anemone.

“Ride on me,” Anemone says.

She then beats her wings and flies towards the [Incinerator Wyverns].

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“You created him. That is incredible,” Nyxina speaks while looking over Mule with a critical eye. The glowing, floating undead flies through where the fighting is at its worst. His disks are spinning through the air at incredible speeds. They swerve through the air, abruptly changing direction on a dime as the gravity manipulation affecting them causes them to accelerate and halt nearly instantaneously. The [Gale Wyverns] are unharmed, but the [Blaze Wyverns] are sliced apart as the disks cut through skin and bone. It doesn't take long before the [Gale Wyverns] begin to use Mule’s position as a safe haven. Some are even going out of their way to lure many of the enemies to his location.

“Yeah. He’s also an annoying prick,” Quasi rolls his eyes before looking around, “Nyxina, try to fly lower. We’re going to need reinforcements.”

Nyxina tucks in her wings and dives downwards before extending her wings and gliding over the island and the large number of corpses littering it.

With a practiced hand, Quasi begins raising the dead. His focus is on those that look to be able to fly.

[Gale Wyverns] and [Blaze Wyverns] with fatal wounds rise once more. They flap their wings and then take flight behind Nyxina. It doesn't take long for an army of the dead to fly behind them.

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“Alba. If you have skills to enhance my abilities, use them now. This will not be an easy fight.”

Anemone roars as she nears the [Incinerator Wyverns] Her mana is fully recovered, hermuscles feel stronger, the wind responds more readily to her demands. Her white scales shine brightly with unnatural hardness.

Alba slowly stands up on Anemone. Her own body feels stronger and easier to control. She feels as though the wind is but an ally now and it consistently keeps her grounded.

“Of course,” she says, “[Enhance Companion], [Haste of Hare], [Invigorate], [Unbound Strength: medium].”

Anemone listens to the initial skill used and it is, as expected, unspecified. A [Wyvern Beastmistress] would have skills specialized for a wyvern that would be able to improve not only her physical ability, but her magic as well by a significant margin.

The two [Incinerator Wyverns] begin to glow blue as their bodies heat up. They both open their maws and release a stream of dark azure flame. The attack targets Anemone instead of her home. So, she calls the wind and it blows from behind, making her faster. She dives, spins, and glides away from the attack while increasing speed. The two [Incinerator Wyverns] see this and both brace with a barrier of solid flame as she soars directly at them.

At the last second, Anemone rolls, avoiding the [Incinerator Wyverns] and passing them by.

The two wyverns turn around to try and face her once more, before suddenly screaming as the wind propelling Anemone flays their backs. The attack strips away scales and draws blood. But, the wounds are superficial.

Only now does the fighting truly begin between the powerful monsters, all with levels exceeding three hundred. Missiles of air and fire, bladed cyclones, flaming explosions, and burning aerial geysers collide and mix in the air, creating a chaotic collision of oranges and reds in the sky around the three combatants.

To any watching the fighting, it looks like a brilliant, pyrotechnic lightshow. None dare go close to the battle unfolding for fear of being annihilated.

Well, almost none.

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“Is this wise?” Nyxina asks a question that many have asked when dealing with the [Hero]. She finds the question especially pertinent considering said [Hero] is standing up on her back despite the danger and laughing maniacally.

“Being wise doesn't win wars, Nyxina. It takes the out of the box thinking that comes with a healthy dose of insanity.”

Nyxina has a lot of questions regarding that statement, especially the last part, but she will have to put them on hold as they are now close enough to the battle to feel the heated air. Her mother fights against two enemies who are proving to be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Since [Incinerator Wyverns] are more than happy to latch on to an enemy and drag them into the molten lava below, Anemone is not willing to get too close to either of the two and has to continue kiting them or fear being unable to dodge the stream of flames.

Quasi taps her neck. “We are fine. Just go above the fighting and release an attack. I’ll handle the rest.”

Nyxina nods. She summons the wind and increases her speed. The [Incinerator Wyverns] notice her, but don’t treat her as a threat. It’s a mistake that they will pay for dearly.

As she flies above the battle, Nyxina calls up her mana and focuses it to her lungs and mouth. A purple fog begins to spill out of her maw before condensing into a solid ball of violet energy. The energy seems to hum with destructive potential. She then aims her head and releases the potent projectile.

It accelerates down and strikes the arm of one of the [Incinerator Wyvern]. It detonates, destroying scale and bone in a shower of blood.The [Incinerator Wyvern] cries out in pain as it looks at the useless remnant of its arm. If the projectile struck its wing, then it may have been knocked out of the sky.

The two [Incinerator Wyverns] stop following Anemone, and instead turn to Nyxina. They stare up at her in anger as they begin to gather mana within their mouths. A grave mistake.

Several dozen undead wyverns that were gliding slightly above the molten ground of the floor had been rising vertically since Nyxina joined the fight. Under Quasi’s direction, they swarm the two wyverns from below, latching on to all parts of the body. Some attempt to scratch or bite through the scales, but they lack true penetrating power.

Quasi leans forward, moving as close up to Nyxina’s head as possible without restricting her maneuverability. He then points to the two struggling and surprised wyverns.

“There is a fine line between wisdom and insanity. I have weaponized that line. [Corpse Explosion], [Corpse Explosion], [Corpse Explosion], [Corpse Explosion], [Corpse Explosion].”

Like explosive mines, the undead latched onto the two [Incinerator Wyverns] explode one after the other; flak of flesh and bone rip through the [Incinerator Wyverns]. By the time Quasi runs out of minions, one of the [Incinerator Wyverns] falls from the sky, dead before it hits the lava below. The other is barely staying in the air; wounds covering its body while its blood drips down to the volcanic sea.

Nyxina gazes at the remaining half dead wyvern. She looks at its wounds, none of which are on the wings. “Why are you allowing it to live?” she asks.

Quasi chuckles before answering.

“The more intact they are, the better undead they make.”