The Tower (Part 2)

The wind beat heavily on Tide's face as he flew through the makeshift escape route with N1ght_Gh0st clenching onto his back. Below them, Tide could hear the sounds of screaming from the players and mobs alike. It seemed that Arch was holding on. After all, he was never one to give up. He would do everything he could to give time to Tide and N1ght_Gh0st. And they needed time to defeat the boss monster. They needed time to retrieve the Instruments of Creation without any interference.

Time was crucial.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tide and N1ght_Gh0st finally exited the makeshift escape. Unfortunately, it seemed that Arch had put just a little bit too much power into his throw. Instead of exiting the shaft and gently landing on the ground, they were now heading towards the ceiling at full speed.

"Tide!" N1ght_Gh0st screamed out frantically. "We're gonna crash int-"

N1ght_Gh0st went silent as they suddenly stopped midair. She stared at Tide inquisitively.

"Did you do that?"

Tide nodded, a smirk forming on his face.

"Yep. You can thank my wind magic for saving our lives."

Tide cancelled out his wind magic, causing them to plummet towards the ground below. Just before he crashed into the ground, Tide softened his fall using wind magic, landing lightly onto the stone floor.

As soon as Tide's feet landed on the ground, N1ght_Gh0st immediately squirmed herself off Tide's shoulders and landed on the cold stony floor beside him.

SLAP!

A sharp sting buzzed from Tide's right cheek. She had just slapped him.

"What was that for?" He asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"Idiot! What do you mean 'what was that for'?" She scolded, glaring judgmentally at him. "Don't you dare pick me up again without telling me! Ever!"

Tide stared blankly at N1ght_Gh0st, her eyes burning with anger.

'Seriously? She's angry with me over that?' He thought to himself.

A chuckle escaped his lips. After partnering with N1ght_Gh0st over the last few months, he knew N1ght_Gh0st would become irritated no matter how hard you tried to calm her down. After many unsuccessful attempts to quell her anger, he also knew the best way to deal with her.

Irritate her even more.

"I'm sorry, but you were going to die if I didn't do that." He said defensively, scratching the back of his head to appear nonchalant. "Besides, I won't do that again anyway. You're WAY too heavy to carry."

N1ght_Gh0st's jaw dropped. She pointed her finger to ridicule him, but it was already too late. Tide began walking away from N1ght_Gh0st and his eyes were already scanning the boss room. She harrumphed in annoyance but decided to stay silent. Internally, Tide applauded his wit. He had managed to get himself out of a sticky situation.

Tide began to scan the boss room without any distractions. It was massive. It was akin to a grand hallway, dimly illuminated by the torches latched onto colossal pillars that stretched endlessly towards the ceiling above. The air inside the hallway smelt musty and burnt, giving Tide the premonition that his hall was very ancient, perhaps even ageless, if such a thing were even possible. This premonition was confirmed as Tide's eyes were subconsciously drawn to the enormous mosaic spreading across the floor and beyond Tide's vision. Created from a range of vibrant colours, the mosaic intricately depicted epic battles and ancient rites of times unknown. It was majestic. Although Tide could not fully perceive the sheer beauty of the artwork due to the dim lighting, it entranced him. It was beautiful. It was made of stone, yet he could feel life from the mosaic. A pulsing life.

A life stemming from further down the hallway. Down where the boss monster awaited.

"This isn't good Tide."

Tide suddenly snapped out his trance upon hearing N1ght_Gh0st's voice. Concern marked her face as she looked behind them towards the front of the hall.

"What do you mean?" Tide asked in confusion. "We've reached the top of the tower first, right? What's there to worry about?"

N1ght_Gh0st grimaced.

"We might have got here first, but I think that other guilds are going to make it to the boss room very soon. We gotta move."

Tide's eyes widened.

"Already? I'm sure that Arch would hold them off-"

"Wrong." N1ght_Gh0st interrupted. "There are four staircases up to the boss room."

"What? Four staircases?" Tide exclaimed in astonishment. "There are other ways to reach the top of the tower?"

N1ght_Gh0st nodded.

"There is...unfortunately. On top of that, my senses are telling me that defeating the boss monster at the end of this hallway will be quite difficult."

Tide scoffed at N1ght_Gh0st.

"Difficult? You forget who you're playing with." He said sarcastically. "With me around, there's no chance that we will los-"

RAWR!

Tide jolted back as he felt the guttural roar rumble against the stone walls.

THOMP!

THOMP!

Out of the darkness, a monstrous beast came into view. Tide froze.

'Shit. Just kidding. That's a fucking dragon.'

Majestic red scales extended across its entire body, glimmering under the faint light emanating from the torches. The dragon was enormous. His wings were currently furled beneath his underside, but Tide was certain that if those wings unfurled, they would collide into walls on both sides of the hall. As the dragon came closer to Tide, he began to see an icon flashing above its head.

[HP: 967283/967283]

Tide's jaw dropped.

'What the fuck! That's way too much HP!'

Before Tide could complain, a metallic ting sounded in his ears.

TING!

A semi-transparent screen suddenly appeared before Tide's face.

[Boss Monster: Dragon King]

[Quest: Defeat the Dragon King to end the Ranker Game]

[Reward: TITLE (Dragonslayer)]

Tide's heart dropped.

"What the heck!" He shouted out loud. "How are we supposed to defeat a monster with that much HP by ourselves?"

Hearing the sound of his voice, the dragon stared at Tide's avatar, his ruby red eyes gleaming with hatred and pride.

"Shit Tide!" N1ght_Gh0st said. "You've caught its attention!"

Tide cursed himself internally, but it was already too late. The dragon had opened his jaw wide, and a bright fiery light began to shine from deep inside its throat.

"Get behind me N1ght_Gh0st." Tide shouted. "You're gonna get pulverised by its flame!"

N1ght_Gh0st sprinted over to Tide, but the dragon had already amassed enough heat in its belching throat.

'Shit...she's not gonna get behind me in time. I need to improvise.'

Tide dashed over towards N1ght_Gh0st using his own physical enhancement magic to speed himself up.

'Dammit, I hope this works.'

Fire erupted from the dragon's throat. Tide suddenly leaped in front of N1ght_Gh0st and a transparent shield covered his body. Pivoting onto his right leg to stop his momentum, the fire collided into Tide's shield. Its force was incredible. Tide was forced to quickly gain balance on both legs, his feet sliding backwards across the stone floor as he struggled to hold back the fire thrusting against his shield.

"Shit. This fire is too powerful." He shouted as N1ght_Gh0st cowered behind him in fear.

Tide tried to ground his feet into the floor, but the force of the fire was too powerful. They began to create a crevice in the stone floor as they slid backwards.

"I can't hold this back forever."

Tide grimaced. The fight had only lasted a few seconds, but he already knew the outcome. They could not beat the dragon on their own. Just a single attack from the dragon had placed them inches away from death. The dragon was just too powerful. It was impossible for Tide and N1ght_Gh0st to defeat a monster with an almost god-like attack power and HP.

CRACK!

A crack suddenly appeared on Tide's magical shield. The shield was braking from the force of the dragon's fire breath. It was only a matter of time before they were pulverized by the fire.

CRACK!

It was only a matter of time before they were killed.

CRACK!

"TIDE! THE SHIELD IS ABOUT TO BREAK!" N1ght_Gh0st shouted frantically.

Tide grunted in response. He was focusing all of his concentration on maintaining the shield, but his effort was futile.

CRACK!

How were they supposed to retrieve the Instruments of Creation if he could not fend off one single attack from the boss monster?

...

Wait!

What if?

"N1ght_Gh0st!" Tide suddenly shouted out. "Read out the quest details to me! I think I've figured something out!"

She took no time to question Tide and began to immediately read out the quest details.

"The quest says to defeat the Dragon King in order to end the Ranker Game. But how-"

N1ght_Gh0st stopped speaking as she heard a triumphant cackle erupt from Tide's lips. He had figured it out.

"Crafty game. The quest never intended for you to defeat the boss monster."

N1ght_Gh0st's eyes light up in shock. She opened her mouth to question Tide, but he always already engrossed in fending off the dragon's flame.

CRACK!

Tide scowled. The shield would only last a few more seconds at most.

'Seems I have no choice but to use this spell now.'

CRACK!

Tide began chanting a lengthy spell. Intricate magic circles began to appear on his shield, with lines shooting out to connect each circle to one another. Soon enough, an enormous octagram of magic circles covered his transparent shield.

Tide smiled triumphantly.

The spell was ready.

[Reflection Magic]