Chapter 703: Purple Moonstone

Chapter 703: Purple Moonstone

Dont be sad, little guy, Dallion said. Well see her again.

The reassurance failed to remove the blob of sadness that had filled Rubys body. The shardfly kept on fluttering close to the space where the portal had been, as if hoping that it would open again, or maybe even silently urging Dallion to cast the opening spell again.

Any other day Dallion would have sympathized and let him be. Right now wasnt that time. Despite the devastation Gleam had caused to the creatures in the realm, there were still more than enough of them to make things difficult.

Raven and the rest of the group below had gone on the offensive. The aether whales and scarabisks had reacted by grouping round the obelisk for their last stand. Everyone on all sides knew that this was past the point of no return. There was no point in strategizing or hiding powers anymore. The side that would win was the one that gave it all it had.

Mega spell circles quickly appeared. Raven, Cheska, and Iksa combined their efforts to compose something that was well beyond novice level. Dallion was too far away to make out the separate symbols, but he knew that a complex chain of three seven-circle patterns was no joking matter. Meanwhile, the other side cast a series of spells of their own. What they couldnt achieve through complexity, they made up for in quantity. Waves of water poured out from the whales while the insects charged it with electric bolts.

Lets go, Ruby, Dallion said firmly. Time to finish this.

The shardfly didnt react immediately, but a few seconds later turned around, returning to Dallions shoulder again.

What do you say we finish it in style? Dallion asked, then cast his copy spell on the creature.

You wont be able to do much with a few shardflies, Nil said.

Are you sure? Dallion smiled.

Dozens became hundreds, then thousands. Each shardfly copy was barely a bit stronger than an echo, but the enemies didnt know that; rather, they couldnt risk assuming that.

No sooner had the waves of shardflies swooped down in the direction of the crystal obelisk, than several hundred scarbisks broke off from the overall defense and flew up to meet them. Magic barriers were cast and almost instantly shattered by thousands of wind slashes that fell upon them.

Create a cone! Dallion shouted as he positioned himself behind. All he needed was a hole through the scarabisk defenses. That would stir things up, causing the whalesthe greatest remaining obstacleto decide whether to focus on Dallion or his group.Findd new stories at novelhall.comall clouds of jellyfish formed in the air. The aetherfish had caught sight of Dallions spell and decided to use it on its own accord. It was impossible to tell whether he was doing that for support or just out of a desire for fun, but either way, it helped create the illusion that Dallion was attacking with a well-established plan and a massive army.

Unfortunately, the illusion worked too well. As the waves of shardflies and scarabisks crashed into one another, the whales made a choice that no one expected. Instead of focusing their attention on one single group of attackers, they merged together, enveloping the entire obelisk. The changes didnt end there. Threads of light riddled the new formless whole, tightening and stretching parts until a general form began to take shape. The top of the blob extended, turning into a large neck. Limbs appeared on four sides It all seemed fascinating until two massive scaly wings popped out, stretching out as much as the constraints would allow them. At that point, icy chills ran through Dallion.

A dragon? He thought. They merged into an aether dragon?

Aether is a versatile material, Nil said. Its not particularly difficult to give it any form, more or less.

It wasnt the form that Dallion was worried about. He had already seen that even small creatures could defeat far larger ones based on the spells they cast and the speed at which they did it. What terrified him was his opponents reasoning. The only purpose such a transformation could have was to use aspects of the dragon that werent related to magic.

In the blink of the eye, the massive dragon split into instances. Fifty of them flew in the direction of Dallion, which the same amount darted towards Raven and the rest. There was no sign of the obelisk. The spot in which it stood had left nothing but a large hole.

Dal. Ravens voice reached Dallion. It was different from before, sounding like a whisper despite the distance and spell amplification. Give me an opening and Ill take care of the rest.

Against a dragon? Dallion asked. Hed only faced one and a half so farthe half being a dragons shadow. This one seemed many times more powerful than both of them combined.

Just give me the opening. Ill take care of the rest.

The final challenge. Raven started his way towards the fallen obelisk. Weve completed the realms challenges, but thats not all. Theres always one final step.

Dallion thought about it for a minute.

An exit guardian. He shook his head. It was obvious when thinking about it, also very sneaky. Just when the novices believed they had succeeded, after the most exhausting battle the realm offered, theyd have to face something else. Knowing the Moons, that guardian would likely be a lot stronger than the first.

Looking at the rest of the group, it was obvious they were not fit for that. All of them were exhausted. Cheska had even drawn a few endurance symbols on herself to keep from falling over. The only two people who could be considered in fit condition were Dallion and Phoil and Phoil hadnt shown to be of any use so far.

Whats the plan? Dallion looked at Raven. You use the sword to kill it?

That might be tricky. Besides, theres an easier way. Phoils a sacrifice.

Dallion stared at the large boy.

Why did you think they took me along? Phoil grinned. When could I get as good as you and Cheska?

To some degree Dallion had a suspicion that Raven was saving Phoil for something. However, he assumed that the boy had some innate skill that couldnt be used frequently. In a manner of speaking, that was true. Out of everyone, Dallion would have thought hed be the most likely to be sacrificed. The fact that he wasnt suggested there was more required to it.

Youre giving up the Moonstone? Dallion asked.

Says who? We get that when we leave the realm. The guardian wont kill me, hell just eject me from the realm. Yeah, Ill get a level penalty, but Ill still keep the tone.

That didnt sound particularly reassuring. Dallion considered his options. In all likelihood, he could take the entire group without trouble. That would defeat the purpose, though. Besides, if what Raven was saying turned out to be true, Dallion couldnt defeat the exit guardian.

Without a word, he went to the obelisk and put his hand on the crystal surface. Nothing happened.

Back to riddles again, Dallion thought.

Splitting into ten instances, Dallion drew different symbols. He started with the one for light. As it turned you, that was the right one. The entire obelisk lit up. A beam of purple light shot out from its tip, creating a circular tear in reality a short distance away.

A loud cracking sound came from the obelisk. Dallion split into instances and jumped back, the harpsisword appearing in his left hand. He was expecting a surprise enemy of sorts. Instead, he saw that five small chinks of crystal had fallen off the structure.

Thats Moonstone? he asked. Not what I expected.

Cautiously, he picked one up. At that point, he knew there could be no mistake. The energy that circulated through this small piece of crystal was comparable to that of Aether.

Its safe, Dallion said as he examined the Moonstone. It could use some polishing. Ironically, of all the skills, he lacked only that particular one which would help him do that.

One by one, the rest of the group claimed their reward. The reaction was as one would expecteven Ravens face lit up. Once more, they seemed like children that had received their first piece of candy. If only life was so simple.

Guess Im up, Phoil said, making his way towards the portal. There was an inhuman eagerness in his demeanor. See you on the other side.

A moment later, he was gone. Now all everyone else could do was wait.