Elementals: The Black Beast (IC, Sign-ups only)

[Minroz]

Kroisoto watched as the now drenched Gigarillach slammed its fists into the sand. Even though the shockwaves were directed towards the hotel, the powerful impact still send tremors everywhere else and raised huge curtain of flying sand. The nobleman had to shield his eyes for a moment, and as he looked around once the sand had settled down, he saw the Sahranjjite duo attacking, and his eyes were drawn to Aisha in particular. The warrior girl was blasting at the gargantuan beast with jets of fire, causing the water around its legs to evaporate. At this, the blueblood frowned. However, much to his surprise, Tristan did not seem deterred. In fact, he seemed to be thinking of a way to use it to his advantage.

"Temu, keep doing that! Aisha, just don't aim higher than it's legs, alright?" The white-haired boy shouted to the oriental duo, before focusing his magic, materialized around him in the form of white mist, in order to halt the monster's advance. Suddenly, the water that was still soaking the Gigarillach's arms and torso, along with the steam that had risen as a result of Aisha's fire attacks, was frozen over completely, restricting the beast's movement while the combined elemental attacks from Kroie, Aisha and Temu continued to drive it back, Lisoette joining in and throwing her bolts at the few wet areas in its carapace in order to maximize the damage of her lightning. They had bought a lot of time with their combined efforts, that much was certain, but the most important question was yet to be answered: how would they destroy the beast?

“Understood!” Temujin replied, he continued channelling his wind spells to slow down the Gigarillach, whatever his magical energy can spare. And the breeze of the boy’s wind magic is comparable to a tornado.

“Hmph!” Aisha made an affirmative grunt to Kroi, not keeping her eyes away from the monster. Once again, she conjured large streams of blazing flames at the Gigarillach’s legs. Spot-on! And her flames are much stronger than the last.

So far, the Sahranjjites are definitely helping their companions in taking down the gargantuan tin-can.

“Kroisoto, did you know it’s weakness!?” Temujin shouted after Kroi while maintaining his attacks.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Its weakness? No, I don't know what it could be. So far all we've managed to do is hold it back, but if we don't figure out how to take it down, it'll just exhaust us." The blueblood observed with a frown as he continued to manipulate the tides of the sea to push back the monstrosity that was advancing on the Gallian shore. Frowning, Kroisoto glanced at Tristan once more. "Tristan! Any more ideas?" He shouted. The Ice Elemental, who had been busy converting the water and steam to ice in order to further restrict the Gigarillach's movements, looked back at Kroisoto, shaking his head.

"I'm trying to think!" The white-haired boy defended himself. "But I'm not really supposed to be the smart one in the group!" He remarked, before hearing a very soft and faint voice speaking his name. Turning around, he saw Trish calling out to him while running towards him, Flacht trailing not far behind. The two girls soon reached him and came to a stop, both of them taking a moment to catch their breath, clearly winded, though Flacht appeared to be more so than Trish. The boy was about to ask the blonde girl if she was alright, when suddenly, he saw his fellow Ice Elemental holding out the shaft of his divine glaive, Fenrirtusk, for him to grab. Understanding what she wanted, Tristan took hold of the blessed weapon, gaining confidence as he felt the familiar weight in his hands. Though it ashamed him to admit that he had grown overly reliant on it, he was still glad to have it once again, more so because of the threat they were currently facing.

"Thanks." He spoke sincerely, directing a smile towards the white-haired girl, who merely nodded at him with her usual blank expression.

Just then, however, the Gorillach smashed one of its massive fists onto the beach once again, sending waves of sand flying through the air and causing tremors to shake the ground. Tristan himself was momentarily knocked off-balance, losing hold of Fenrirtusk, though he deftly caught the glaive and was in turn caught by Lisoette, who had managed to maintain her footing and jumped to action as soon as she saw her man falling.

"Trista-boo! Be more careful." The Daemonness said with genuine concern, even though Tristan had been in comparatively little danger. Tristan smiled at her, but was unable to say or do anything more, as soon he heard an urgent cry coming from Kroisoto.

"It's preparing to fire again!" The nobleman shouted. Tristan immediately stood up with Lisoette's help and prepared to freeze the Gigarillach's mouth again in hopes that it would continue to stop the blasts of darkness that emerged from the beast. However, as it turned out, it was unnecessary for him to do so. An azure arrow raced towards the monster, and then another, and another, all of them hitting its face and some of them creating ice formations around its mouth, blocking the beam's path, another explosion rocking the beast, though once more it seemed to suffer more from the pain than anything else, letting out an incredibly loud and dissonant roar that left some of the heroes stunned.

Once he had recovered, Tristan looked back at Trish and Flacht. "Keep it up, Trish." He told her, before remembering that she was not yet well-versed in Gallish and repeating his instructions through gestures instead. "Flacht, help Temu and Aisha." He said afterwards, pointing at the Sahranjjite duo.

"Reit awa', sairr." The Fire Elemental replied with a snicker, before walking up to the oriental pair, glancing back at Trish one more time before blasting at the Gigarillach's lower half with all the fire magic she could muster.

"What are you going to do, Trista-boo?" Lisoette asked her boyfriend as she watched him hold Fenrirtusk in front of him, focusing.

"We need to kill it. I'm going to try to break its armor." He stated, before closing his eyes. Several moments would pass with him in this exact pose, white mist flowing into the glaive while the sound of battle raged all around. Eventually, he opened his eyes.

"Kroisoto, hold his arms!" Tristan shouted at the Water Elemental, who grunted something in response and began another one of his fancy incantations, about as lenghty and complex as the previous one. Once it was over, twin torrents of water emerged from the seas and slammed into the Gigarillach's arms, keeping them spread open. Seeing this, Tristan prepared to throw his glaive forward, but he was stopped by Lisoette.

"Let me help." She said with a steely resolve as she placed a hand on Tristan's, and though at first he wasn't sure, the Ice Elemental soon relented. Lisoette smiled and then grabbed Fenrirtusk, wincing slightly at the touch, but gripping the weapon nonetheless. With strength that was far superior to Tristan's, she tossed the divine spear forward, and it flew through the air before slamming right into the Gigarillach's chest. Upon impact, the ice magic stored within the glaive exploded outwards, and the myriad ice formations that suddenly popped up caused the beast's dermal armor to shatter, leaving its still beating, dreaded black heart exposed.

However, the beast was not quite ready to give up yet. With a roar far louder than the previous one, it flailed its arms frantically, beginning to overpower Kroisoto's fountain lances. Grunting, the blueblood turned towards the group. "Someone, take the left arm!" He shouted as he focused his efforts exclusively on the right one. Fortunately for the party, and unfortunately for the Gigarillach, someone heard the command.

"Aye aye." Flacht spoke back as she send the strongest streams of flame she could conjure towards the Gigarillach's left arm, temporarily able to stall him once more. For now, the beast's heart was wide open, but someone would have to deal the final blow soon, lest the monster break free from the hold of the Elementals.

---

The pale boy's grin only grew wider as he saw the old man deflect the firebolt with trained efficiency, and as he watched the soldier show off and take out two of the three remaining Gorillachs with a few swift strikes, his savage expression intensified, and when Eric finished his handiwork and came to a resting position, telling him to try out those fancy moves on the last remaining Gorillach, the lad merely snickered and then hurled his sword at the Gorillach, the force that carried the blade through the air causing it to pierce through the beast's chest effortlessly, the organic plates that covered it being woefully incapable of protecting its heart, the entire blade sinking into the abomination's flesh. The next moment, shadowy tendrils crept out from underneath the young man's sleeves and shot towards the sword, wrapping around the tendril and messily tearing the blade out of the Gorillach's chest, dragging it back to his eager, twitching hand.

"That's fine and all for weak people, old man, but I don't need any of those tricks. But if you say I wouldn't be a challenge, then why don't you prove it!" He spoke excitedly as he hurled a few more bolts of flame at the Halvefori soldier, though these bolts, unlike the previous ones, were laced with dark magic, making them far deadlier, if not necessarily unavoidable. At the same time, the lad hurled himself forward, charging at Eric with speed that was unexpected even for an Elemental.

Meanwhile, the entire area began to rumble ominously.

[Ameriganastan]

The pale boy's grin only grew wider as he saw the old man deflect the firebolt with trained efficiency, and as he watched the soldier show off and take out two of the three remaining Gorillachs with a few swift strikes, his savage expression intensified, and when Eric finished his handiwork and came to a resting position, telling him to try out those fancy moves on the last remaining Gorillach, the lad merely snickered and then hurled his sword at the Gorillach, the force that carried the blade through the air causing it to pierce through the beast's chest effortlessly, the organic plates that covered it being woefully incapable of protecting its heart, the entire blade sinking into the abomination's flesh. The next moment, shadowy tendrils crept out from underneath the young man's sleeves and shot towards the sword, wrapping around the tendril and messily tearing the blade out of the Gorillach's chest, dragging it back to his eager, twitching hand.

"That's fine and all for weak people, old man, but I don't need any of those tricks. But if you say I wouldn't be a challenge, then why don't you prove it!" He spoke excitedly as he hurled a few more bolts of flame at the Halvefori soldier, though these bolts, unlike the previous ones, were laced with dark magic, making them far deadlier, if not necessarily unavoidable. At the same time, the lad hurled himself forward, charging at Eric with speed that was unexpected even for an Elemental.

Meanwhile, the entire area began to rumble ominously.

"Don't hurt him, Eric. He's just a stupid kid with a lot of power."

"I know that."

The bolts were easy to avoid. The kid was not, as him smashing into Eric actually sent him skidding back several feet.

"I think he's worth...oh, 30% seriousness."

"Make it 35%, just in case your knee acts up."

"Oh, quit worrying. Okay, Skippy. Sensei Eric is gonna teach ya a little something."

The kid charged again, bringing his sword down on Eric's with enough force to shake the room.

"Lesson 1: Deflection. From a wooden training sword to a mace, the strongest strike can be nullified..."

He titled his sword, the kids weapon sliding off of his as he jumped back a little.

"When you properly know how to deflect it. Lesson 2: Direction. Blind fury is well and good when you're fighting some thug. But against a blademaster like me..."

The psychopath flung several more fireballs at him, Eric deflecting them with his blade.

"It's like fighting a toddler with a stick. Lesson 3: Predictable unpredictability. To the untrained eye, your form seems erratic and random. But I see the pattern."

He charged, swinging his sword with reckless abandon.

"See, like that."

He grabbed the kids wrist in mid swing, lightly bopping his forehead with the hilt of Bella Lame.

"Every fifth swing, you go for the legs, coming from a downwards right angle. If I was dead serious, I'd have lopped that hand off."

He released the kids wrist, lightly shoving him away a few feet.

"Lesson 4: Stamina. You may be young and crazy, but even you'll tire out eventually. Me? I'm still full of energy."

The kid roared, summoning a spike of water and sending it right for his head.

"Lesson 5: Vision. These fireballs..."

He nonchalantly sidestepped the spike.

"And water spikes are flashy and impressive. But the size and brightness really hinder your vision."

He lobbed several more fireballs at him. He almost strolled through them, appearing in front of his face and tapping the kids neck with his finger.

"Boom, dead. Cause you put yourself at a disadvantage with flashy crap. Tsk, tsk."

The kid punched at his face, Eric spinning around the punch and whacking his bum with the flat end of his blade.

"Lesson 6: Anger. You clearly can't control it. And blinding anger in a fight can be your downfall."

He charged his fists with darkness, swinging at him again. Eric once again caught him mid-swing.

"Lesson 7: Non-lethal takedowns. More of a show than tell."

He dropped down, sweeping the little lunatic off his feet. Before he even hit the ground, Eric grabbed him by the arm, stopping him an inch before he would have smacked into the ground.

"Lesson 8: Honor your opponent. If you can, let a strong adversary live, so you can both fight again when you're stronger."

He released him, letting him gently hit the dirt.

"You have potential. A lot of raw power, that needs a little fine-tuning..."

"Eric, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I sure am. Congrats, kid. You're going to be the first protege of the great Eric Lumen. By the time we're finished, you'll be the fiercest blade in all the lands. And I'm gonna make sure of it."

[Kassaran]

Should I do this?

The open maw of the infernal portal lead into nothing but a veritable black abyss, nothing could be seen beyond it's threshold save for the winding and weaving of the nigh-imperceptible shades of violet and blue against the opaque night of the void beyond. He'd gone so far so as to see even this as an option, but was it really? A shudder lanced through the ground, dirt fell past his face and the distant rumbling of yet another set of passages crumbling into nothing rang in his ears as he tried to make his decision. No doubt what laid beyond was nothing but hardship, pain, and likely death. He was a Darkling, but foremost an Elemental and they would know the second he entered their realm he wasn't one of them, would he be accepted? Would he be killed? Would he be forced into a lifetime of servitude and bondage at the hands of his Patron, or would he simply be left to live? He certainly had no intentions of sitting on his hands in there so it would be assumed the daemons of this next realm would feel the same. It didn't matter though, he didn't have the time to think of the consequences.

Looking over his shoulder, another lance of pain spiked through his spine, arching through his lower back and jolting in a heated flash of energy through the soles of his feet it seemed into the base of his brain where the numbing sensation of staring into this infernal portal seemed to be residing. No doubt this was but a hint of the pain he'd feel in passing through, in crossing to the next world, but was that all he could do? The sharp metallic sounds from where he could hear the nearby swordfight carrying on had him bring his gaze down the tunnel with the suspect noises. He knew the old man was good, but that younger one, his foe had something off about him. It didn't matter though, what had all happened in the course of Erosen's short life lead to this decision and this point. He couldn't stop now, not like this with the possibility to learn to use his new powers to the fullest of their extents. He needed to learn in case his old Patron's feelings towards him never changed.

But if you do this, it might be the one that doesn't let you go back, and again he found himself hanging, if not teetering on the edge of the precipice dangerously close to passing through the portal.

---

10 Minutes Earlier

The breakfast had ended quickly enough, everything had come to a head with the nobles leaving the Darkling to his own devices and the Elementals to the same, but Erosen hadn't quite shaken the ludicrousness of the situation he was in. This was a resort, a resort for nobles no less, and he was here. He was the wildling, a Darkling, and most of all the least qualified person to be here. Not that he'd ever be allowed to forget by that one girl, whoever she was. She was gone now, disappeared with the night and as far as he was concerned it was for his best wishes that she remained far from him and vice versa. Pacing the lonely halls of the great resort though, he couldn't help but feel as though he was missing something as he listened to the soft sounds of his bare feet plodding along, their fain echoes reverberating softly in his periphery.

Eric had been going on and on about cooking that great beast of a fish, the two Sahranjanites were doing their own thing, Trish seemed to be in just fine company as it was and in the end he was left on his own to muse over his abilities. The small flexing of his muscles back in the cafeteria had been semi-intuitive, so the reflexive nature of his own ability had definitely become a part of him, but one could lift their arm without lifting anything else. Just how far could he go, just how far would he go? If this never left him and he never learned to use it, it would be the death of him, but at this rate it would be the death of him at the hands of one of his companions. They were a liability, and respectively so too was he a liability to them, the Lightning Elemental that had recently joined them had made that much apparent.

It was almost on that note though that something completely unexpected, and by unexpected, to any observer it should have been expected as he suddenly seemed to trip and fall. Well, fall wasn't accurate, he moreover flew and landed and skidded a foot or two on the glossed marble floors of the resort before turning around to see what had done it. A suspect crack in the floor made him think that perhaps his foot had caught, but the hint of Darkness made him suddenly recoil as a flash of energy leapt out from it and slammed into the ceiling. Plaster and marble flew in all directions as more and more blasts seemed to break through the floor and shortly thereafter a massive burst of energy somewhere on the scale of a volcano seemed to heave the entire corridor up into the air, Erosen within and set it back down roughly.

Arms raised in anticipation of the coming blows, he felt the rubble crash down around himself as darkness surged about him to protect its master. He might not have been strong, but at least he was resilient, and resiliency made it so darkness could continue to exist. If he could survive a blow from a archfiend on the scale of the one shortly before this day, he could survive quite a bit more. Shaking himself off as he climbed up and out of the heaps of stone about him, another blast sent him up and into the air as the ground near the resort seemed to erupt in a flurry of darkness and sand and up from the beach rose a great monster. Well, not that great, it was just a Gorillach, but the things were also notoriously hardy and looking on in awe, he watched it as it began it's terrific spree of destruction.

Sprays of sand and water rose up from about it and soon enough flashes of light could be seen arcing up and towards the beast as all of the other elementals present in the area began their counterattack. The creature was going to be sufficiently suppressed by them, no doubt, but there was something off about it. Why was their so much darkness tapped into it? Darkness like that required so much more in the way of a Daemon or an Infernal Portal present. He knew that much about his own ability that nothing he'd encountered save for something from the Netherealms, could generate it's own Darkness, it could only take and receive. He looked towards the beast's feet to realize that it must be taking through the ground and as the beast slammed massive abominable fists into the ground he could see the creature's own weakening in reaction to the attacks it was taking.

A portal!

Looking behind him, he knew what had to be done, the portal would close soon and he could escape possible death at the hands of his companions if he fled to the Deamon-realms, right? It was worth a shot, if it kept him alive then it was worth trying and pushing back in towards the complex it didn't take long for him to find an entrance into the series of catacombs now opening beneath the resort. All hell was breaking loose, and instead of running from it, he was running into it. It'd make for a pretty cool story if it didn't sound so lame that I was doing it to save my own hide. The thoughts flooding his mind though kept him preoccupied as he wound through tunnel after tunnel, moving towards where he could feel the now ebbing source of darkness. There was flashes of pain beginning to run through him from it, the malice and hatred of the netherealms, but it didn't matter.

Clang!

The sound of metal against metal, swords biting into each other in the darkness down here as he rounded a corner and witnessed Eric fighting a younger man, flame and darkness seemed to surge forth as Eric batted away his attacks with a seeming boredom. Erosen's face lit up, the old man was his friend and- a sound. He turned and saw it, a tunnel shifting as to expose a small chamber just beyond, and within that chamber a familiar dark blue light shone. The portal, it was open and it was still powerful enough for him to travel through!

Should I do this?

The open maw of the infernal portal lead into nothing but a veritable black abyss, nothing could be seen beyond it's threshold save for the winding and weaving of the nigh-imperceptible shades of violet and blue against the opaque night of the void beyond. He'd gone so far so as to see even this as an option, but was it really? A shudder lanced through the ground, dirt fell past his face and the distant rumbling of yet another set of passages crumbling into nothing rang in his ears as he tried to make his decision. No doubt what laid beyond was nothing but hardship, pain, and likely death. He was a Darkling, but foremost an Elemental and they would know the second he entered their realm he wasn't one of them, would he be accepted? Would he be killed? Would he be forced into a lifetime of servitude and bondage at the hands of his Patron, or would he simply be left to live? He certainly had no intentions of sitting on his hands in there so it would be assumed the daemons of this next realm would feel the same. It didn't matter though, he didn't have the time to think of the consequences.

Looking over his shoulder, another lance of pain spiked through his spine, arching through his lower back and jolting in a heated flash of energy through the soles of his feet it seemed into the base of his brain where the numbing sensation of staring into this infernal portal seemed to be residing. No doubt this was but a hint of the pain he'd feel in passing through, in crossing to the next world, but was that all he could do? The sharp metallic sounds from where he could hear the nearby swordfight carrying on had him bring his gaze down the tunnel with the suspect noises. He knew the old man was good, but that younger one, his foe had something off about him. It didn't matter though, what had all happened in the course of Erosen's short life lead to this decision and this point. He couldn't stop now, not like this with the possibility to learn to use his new powers to the fullest of their extents. He needed to learn in case his old Patron's feelings towards him never changed.

But if you do this, it might be the one that doesn't let you go back, and again he found himself hanging, if not teetering on the edge of the precipice dangerously close to passing through the portal.

Fate, as ever apparent as it was in his life made a show once again as it made his decision for him and a sudden jolt through the ground sent the young lad off of his feet and tumbling forward. He didn't scream, he didn't shout, he didn't even grit his teeth as the waves of pain and hatred and sadness washed over him, but rather he thought to himself as to the irony of this situation that perhaps the one choice a person should have in life was being made for him by a simple matter of chance and soon enough darkness washed over him as from head to toe he was engulfed in the Infernal Portal and lost to the Netherealms beyond.

[Minroz]

For now, the beast's heart was wide open, but someone would have to deal the final blow soon, lest the monster break free from the hold of the Elementals.

It wouldn’t take long for someone to do it. This means only Temujin and Aisha were only ones left in good position to make the final blow. Although the bespectacled boy is the smart man in the group due to his scholarly intellect, he was too preoccupied with fighting to think properly. He’s not much of a warrior like his foster sister. Aisha was too focused on fighting the monster to think quickly. Like the rest of the party, they wanted to stop the gargantuan beast so no innocent folks will get hurt.

Noticing their occidental friends conjured their magic powers and trapping the monster, the Sahranjjites knew straight away it’s their turn to attack. Moreover, both Temu and Aisha can see the others have opened up the monster’s weak spot – the heart.

“Aisha, let’s combined our powers! We’ll bring this fiend down that way!” Temujin told his foster sister, already thinking up his idea.

“Alright, little brother.” Aisha gave a quick nod in response, smiling. “With us together, this abomination is definitely no match against our powers.”

The boy nodded before facing the Gigarillach, eyeing the monstrosity with steely resolve. Closing his eyes like a meditative monk, he muttered few words in Sahranjjite, bringing a gust wind around him.

Exhaling herself with a big huff, Aisha clenched her fists. Streaks of flames then appeared around her arms, swirling like hissing snakes, she is undoubtedly conjuring up her fire spells for the ultimate attack. While her little brother, he started flailing his arms around like a graceful crane, creating a raging whirlwind around his arms. Fuelled with determination and yearning for swift justice, Temujin and Aisha put together their special attacks.

“Raaaaargh!!!” The two roared. They’ve finally unleashed their spectacular display of magically powers against the Gigarillach, aiming straight towards its exposed heart with the intent of ending its existence under the very destructive blend of wind and flames. The sight of the duo’s powers was like the wrath of the heavens.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The spear of flame and tempest streaked through the air above the waters of that once peaceful beach as they headed towards the heart of the enormous black beast that threatened the resort, the waves parting under the sheer force of the gale. The giant creature struggled mightily against the chains of fire and water binding its arms, but it was for naught, for though it was a powerful creature, far stronger than any that the Elementals had ever faced before, they were determined to stop it, Kroisoto using the beach to his advantage and causing the fountain lances to push constantly against the demon's forearm while Flacht used all of her power to hold back its arm with powerful jets of flame that were swiftly draining her. Thus, unable to defend himself, the gigantic Gorillach was forced to receive the attack directly, the combined elemental blast passing through the cracked dermal plates that Tristan's magic attack had destroyed, melting what little ice remained around the gaping hole in the creature's chest before slamming into its heart. At first the thick beating muscle did not falter against the powerful attack, though the Gorillach roared in pain nonetheless, now flailing wildly due to the burning agony it felt. Though it held strong for a moment, the fire soon began consuming the heart, and the razor winds began opening a myriad wounds. Soon, black blood poured out of the creature's chest and down into the waters below, corrupting them, a black blot spreading throughout the sea. With one last cry that tore apart the sands of the beach and the waters of the sea, the black beast died.

However, there was an entirely new problem to deal with once that was done. That problem was the fact that a twenty-four feet tall and quite heavy Gorillach was now about to collapse on the beach, right on top of everyone present. Needless to say that would be less than ideal for the health of the group of young Elementals, and they noticed right away. "Everyone, let's go!" Kroisoto shouted as he began to sprint. What would usually be considered a battle cry was instead a cry of retreat, and the Elementals took heed and scrambled.

"Flacht!" Trish shouted as she ran towards her Fire Elemental companion, seeing her falling to her knees, completely out of breath and out of energy after holding back the Gigarillach's arm. The Ice Elemental was frightened; for some reason she could not quite express--not that she could express a lot in the first place--she was quite fond of the blonde girl, perhaps more so than the only two people in the group who could understand her well, and so, she was deeply concerned about her state. Saying nothing, for she wouldn't have known what to say in the first place, Trish simply took Flacht's arm and placed it around her shoulder, trying to help the other girl up. Her worried stare told Flacht more than enough, and so she, too, made an effort to move away, but she was spent after the battle.

"What are you two doing? Hurry up. Trista-boo will be sad if something happens." Spoke a voice behind them as Lisoette used her strength as a Daemonness to pick up both Flacht and Trish and run away from the area where the Gorillach was bound to crash into. Not far behind, Tristan was rushing towards the shore, not keen on losing his divine glaive; it was both a powerful weapon that was instrumental in fighting off creatures like these, and a gift from the tall lady who had saved him from a beast all those weeks ago. "Just weeks...?" The young man thought, mildly surprised, though he soon shoved those thoughts aside, as this was not the right time for that. Instead, he focused and used his magic to freeze the water around Fenrirtusk, which had fallen to the beach after causing the Gorillach's chest to burst open. Then, using his powers over ice, he retrieved the frozen glaive from afar and then ran after Lisoette and the others, not eager to learn what it felt to be crushed underneath a smelly black monster.

Moments after all of the Elementals had cleared out of the area, the Gorillach finally landed with a loud crash that send shockwaves all over the beach and the resort, accentuating the damage that the resort had suffered already. However, the danger was finally over... or so it seemed.

Tristan was swept off his feet by the quaking, but once more, he was caught by a slender pair of arms, his head winding up dangerously--or perhaps pleasantly?--close to the bossom of a certain Daemonness. "Trista-boo, are you alright?" Lisoette asked him, concerned and clearly either unaware or indifferent to his proximity. After a moment's delay, the Ice Elemental stood up on his own, though he used his free hand to hold Lisoette's, smiling at her and nodding.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I guess I owe you for catching me twice now." He grinned a little, before looking at everyone else. Thankfully, they all seemed to be alright as well, Trish staying right by Flacht's side as the latter lay on the ground, and Kroisoto sitting down on the sand to catch his breath and directing a thumbs up at the Ice Elemental. It seemed that all was well now.

But the last thing Tristan saw as he looked up was the sky turning black.

---

The young boy who had fought against Eric in the underground was enraged. Having been humiliated by the old man, and quite easily at that, he was engulfed in an aura of dark magic that seemed to blot out what little light reached the basement. All around, the already weakene structure was shaking violently, but the boy did not seem to mind this at all, his attention set completely on the Halvefori soldier, whose offer he ignored completely.

"I'm not some toddler!" The boy cried out, as a tendril of darkness suddenly shot out and grabbed Eric by the neck.

But before anything else happened, the tremors from the fallen beast outside had finally reached the resort, and so, a piece of the ceiling came loose and fell on top of the tendril, severing it completely, causing the boy to scream in pain. At the same time, more parts of the building began to collapse. Some distance away from them, the same portal that Erosen had used to slip into an Inferno, the one that the Watchtower scientists used for their foul experiments, suddenly began glowing brightly, before exploding outwards, sending a pillar of darkness into the sky and covering it with a thick layer of black smoke. Strange hellish lights began glowing all throughout the beach and the resort, blinding everyone...

---

"What in Caelstion's name was that?!" Kroisoto shouted out in alarm as he managed to open his eyes. Strangely enough, no response came. He called out to his friends again, but was once more met with only silence. Finally, he looked around, and was faced with a most strange and unsettling revelation: whereas he had once been with his companions by his side after having defeated the enormous black beast... now, he was alone on the beach, completely alone, with nary a soul in sight, with only the corpse of the massive Gorillach keeping him company.

The only other person nearby was Charlie, who ran out of the resort towards him after having missed most of what happened. As she arrived by his side, he put an arm around her and pulled her close while looking up. Far above him, the sky was beginning to clear, the sun shining through once more.

[Ameriganastan]

"Anyone get the number of that carriage?"

Eric laid facedown in the dirt, not really making an effort to get back up. His recently acquired apprentice was about 10 feet away, out like a light.

"Guess he wore himself out...why is it so chilly?"

With a great bit of effort, Eric hauled himself up. And found himself not at the warm, inviting beach of the resort. No, he appeared to be...

"On a damn mountain. Of course. Looks like Eresiln's mountains at that."

He walked over and jabbed the kid with his foot.

"Even better. I'm gonna have to haul his ass to the mountain monks monastery...least I hope I can. If that crazy ass portal dropped me on the wrong peak, we'll probably just freeze to death. But hey, nothing like an isolated mountain to train this crazy little bastard. Ain't that right, Belle Lame? ...Hello?"

Eric patted his back. His sword was gone.

"Oh, give me a break! Least you could do is give me my sword!?"

As he said that, something erupted from a nearby snowbank. A very annoyed looking woman.

"Will you stop shouting? That trip gave me a headache...wait, head?"

She looked herself over. As did a gobsmacked Eric.

"...Belle Lame?"

They both stared at each other in confusion.

"...Well, this is an interesting turn of events..."