金瓶梅第2部

Tycondrius considered Lone a friend... his loyalty, unquestionable. Though he was unwilling to personally assist him with... that particular endeavor, he could cheer the young man on from the sidelines.

"Right," Tycon nodded. "Get up and... you can work on that... (on your own.)"

"But I'm... a loser..." A tear slid down the Lone Shadowdark's cheek... a tear that Tycon could not pity.

"I don't see how that's my problem... or yours. You have plenty of redeeming qualities."

"R-really?"

"According to probability, yes."

"Boss, I'm gonna-- ughhh... I'm... gonna hrk... die!" Lone blubbered, dry heaving intermittently.

"Oh, hush. You will not," Tycon scolded. "Just get up, before I beat you."

"C-can you help me get a girlfriend?"

"Why are you asking--"

"Bossss!!"

"Aughhhh!! ...Fine," Tycon conceded. "I will help you with... that."

⟬ ⌈Desire Trigger⌋ conditions met. Activate? Y/N? ⟭

« Yes, yes... »

⟬ Activating... ⟭

Within moments, Lone's pallor changed, color flooding back into his cheeks. Just as quickly, he shut his eyes and fell asleep... snoring in his typical loud and grating wheezes.

Tycon ungently nudged the Ranger with his boot, "GET UP, you fool!!"

Lone shot awake, rolling to the standing position, "Whuh?!"

"The enemy still stands!!" Tycon pointed to the gorgon Letalis had engaged with, "Will you do NOTHING?!"

"YES, SIR!!" Lone shouted, crisply saluting. "I mean-- NO, SIR!!"

Simultaneously, Lone's Dark Iron hammer flashed in a gout of flame. The Dark Iron wolf stood up on its hind legs, barking with the same ferocity and fervor as its human companion.

"Good!" Tycon returned the wolf's salute, "Now MOVE!! Both of you!!"

The two idiots sped off... Lone particularly leaving the Shatterspike on the Dungeon stones.

Tycon picked it up and flung it after Lone, "Your SWORD, you FOOL!!!"

Running at full speed and without looking, the Ranger reached his hand up, catching the whirling sword.

"Thanks, Boss!!" He called back.

Tycon's mouth twitched.

Such a skillful display was... the smallest, most minute hint that Lone could have the potential to be great.

He shook his head. No... it was certainly just wishful thinking.

...

Tycon had spent far too long dealing with matters of his own guild.

The oppressive flames of the Gold-Rank Rage Knight, Korr, and the protective winds of the Iron-Rank Librarian, Zenon, were enough to handle the Brightstars' gorgon.

Tycon turned and began to run, crossing the battlefield towards the Brazen Guard forward team.

Weaponmaster Bannok had been locked in combat for the battle's duration. His second, Legionnaire Karodin, could not easily take a Gold-Rank gorgon's heavy sword-- nor could he easily avoid its petrification breath.

Bannok had been fighting without reprieve.

Fatigue was weighing on the human, obvious by his heaving breaths and slowed reaction speed. Priestess Ariadne was little better, trembling as she and her healers cast their healing and defensive magics.

The bull-headed gorgon was in a similar, sorry state. A deep vertical cut had rendered his right eye useless and he'd suffered numerous bloody gashes on its metal-scale hide. But still... the magical beast was too stupid to be hindered by pain... or to grow tired from constant fighting.

Bannok raised his shield and cleaved his battleaxe down on the gorgon's wrist, cutting near a third of the way through... The gorgon's massive sword fell out of its hands and clattered heavily against the stones.

"GUHHHH..." The bull-centaur winced, groaning as if that was the first injury it had taken.

"Flame-taken cow!!" Bannok shouted, "Just DIE, already!!"

It was a deadly lapse in judgment, to taunt the creature instead of immediately drawing back.

The gorgon whipped its horns forward, smashing into Bannok's shield, launching him back.

The Weaponmaster's enchanted battleaxe fell out of his hand.

"BANNOK!!!" Aria shouted.

With a series of desperate hand gestures, a divine golden barrier appeared around her husband... and that barrier shattered when the gorgon leapt up and tried to crush the human underneath its front right hoof.

"(Not so tough without a weapon, are you, human?) Haaaaa...." The gorgon snorted.

With a deep exhale, Bannok was shrouded in its pale green breath.

Tycon and the Brazen Guard forward team watched in horror as Bannok's skin began to pale. The human had been fighting for far too long... physically and mentally exhausted... the petrification magic quickly took effect.

"Bannok!!!" Karodin of Emberhold ran at the gorgon from behind... but took a rear kick to the chest.

It was a strike capable of instantly killing a Bronze-Rank... As resilient as the Legionnaire was, Tycon doubted the man was in any condition to fight after that.

"Now hold yer GODS-DAMNED horses, you big PALOOKA!!!" Ariadne stepped forward, twirling her staff, "That's MAH HUSBAND yer F*CKING WITH!!!"

Tycon gulped. He had already used his strongest abilities multiple times in the encounter... but Bannok... Bannok was worth the overexertion. He activated ⌈Shadowfang Strike⌋ to hide his form and drastically speed his movement.

The gorgon stepped away, calmly approaching Aria, looming over the tiny dark elf. It crossed its muscular metal arms, sneering... "And what can you do, little elf?"

Tears sparkled down the Priestess' face... "I... I'll do somethin'..."

She was doing very well at distracting the idiot. Tycon only needed a few moments more...

"Perhaps in the next life," The gorgon raised up a domineering fist, prepared to smash the elf into paste.

Tycon wasn't going to make it. His legs ached, his lungs burned, his head felt like it was being crushed in a vise. He was sprinting as fast as he could in his chain and leather armor, his movement technique and the magic in his boots pushing him far past his limits.

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY WIFE!!!"

The grey-skinned Bannok shoved Ariadne out of the way, his shield raised.

The gorgon's fist fell upon a stone shield... cracking it... shattering it, along with the arm behind it.

"BANNOK!!!!" Ariadne screamed.

"CENTURION!!!" Karodin shouted. The Legionnaire leapt up and slashed his short sword into the creature's side, "⌈Power Attack!!⌋"

Cutting deep, the Dungeon stones at Karodin's feet grew slick with gorgon blood.