After recovering for a couple of days, the group head back into the marshes. This time their journey takes them into a largely unpopulated territory to the east known as the Tyrant Woods. They continue to travel without the wagon or hoaram not only because of the terrain, but they don’t want to risk losing the hoaram to a tyrantaterror.

  “These things can’t be so bad right, it says there is only one of them,” Mateo states thumbing over the bounty.

  “An expedition of thirteen four and five talon adventurers took this contract before it was raised to nine talons, only one returned with most of his appendages,” Okami replies.

  “Terror doubts there is only one, actually Terror hopes there is more than one,” Terror says slamming his fist into the palm of his hand in front of him.

  “Come on Serenity, are these things really that bad?” Mateo asks.

  “Oh sweetie, we’re saving the details to see the expression on your face, if you thought the hoaram were nightmare horses I can’t wait to see your reaction to a Tyrant,” she replies.

  “What about you Natalia, you hazing me too?”

  Natalia lands on his shoulder and opens a menu in his peripheral.

  “Oh, I’ve got an unspent skill point, thanks Natalia you’re the best.”

  Natalia smiles and her wings flutter as she becomes excessively excited at Mateo’s praise.

  Ascension to five talons complete, available ability unlocks.

  Heart of ice: Ice wall- Create a barrier made out of solid ice. Barriers can be combined to create a prison or even a maze if the caster has enough mana.

  Reign of fire: Lakes of flames- at the cost of extreme mana ignite any liquid containing oxygen and/or hydrogen atoms, including but not limited to; bodies of water, precipitation, even human blood. Sticky liquids like blood cause a secondary napalm effect. While lakes of flames is active the user gains one stack of firewalker allowing the user to walk on any ignited fluid.

  Effect napalm- napalm causes constant fire damage for a period of time. This ability has a high mana cost.

  Mateo ponders for a moment. Stitches told him he should unlock Ice Wall, but. Setting shit on fire that shouldn’t catch on fire is too fucking cool to ignore.

  “Lakes of flames it is,” Mateo says aloud.

  The group rest at a small fire. Serenity schemes with Stitches as Terror entertains Jade. Rayo approaches Mateo now nearly the size of a house.

  “Hey buddy, what’s going on?”

  Rayo hangs his head giving off a sad cry as he nudges Mateo’s shoulder.

  “You miss Charlotte, don’t worry we’ll see her and Yasmina again,” Mateo says patting his snout.

  “Sup mediocre bed-play,” Beatrice says throwing her arm over Mateo’s shoulder.

  “Um, Serenity assures me that my bed-play is far better than mediocre,” Mateo replies.

  “Oh, she does, care to prove it, I’ll take you right here, right now,” Beatrice says with a grin.

  Rick grabs the collar of her open chested shirt pulling her away.

  “Damnit Rick, I almost had him!”

  “Not the time sister, someone else is in need of his attention,” Rick says turning his gaze toward Rayo.

  After Rick removes Beatrice from the situation Mateo turns his attention back to Rayo.

  “That was unnecessary, anyway, I can call Yasmina she has one of these strange tablets too,” Mateo says giving Rayo a positive pat on the snout.

  Rayo rubs his thick scaled cheek against Mateo’s shoulder longingly. Mateo taps a few runes on his tablet, and it hums. After a few moments a projection of Yasmina appears.

  “Mateo, it’s odd for you to be contacting me, is there an urgent matter?” She asks.

  “Rayo is a bit sad, seems he’s taken a liking to your cougar dragon,” Mateo replies with a smile.

  Yasmina returns a smile brushing her icy blue hair behind her pointed ear. Mateo finds this strangely arousing taking note that Serenity does the same thing when she’s being seductive. Then he ponders that he is also drawn to Stitches catlike ears. Does he have some kind of strange ear fetish or is it something else? Women’s hair perhaps. His absent-minded pondering is interrupted by Yasmina’s smooth and gentle voice.

  “Charlotte has been a bit down too; do you think they mean to pair?” Yasmina asks.

  “Pair?” Mateo replies.

  “Love isn’t just a human concept, dragons feel it too, among other creatures, do you think Charlotte and Rayo are lovesick?”

  “Hold your rune tablet up to Charlotte and I’ll hold mine up to Rayo and let’s see how they respond.”

  Mateo holds up his rune tablet and Yasmina holds up hers. Upon seeing each other the moods of both dragons improve dramatically. Mateo moves his tablet back to himself and Rayo tries to force his way into the image. Yasmina does the same and Charlotte forces her way into the picture too.

  “I think that answers that question,” Mateo says.

  “We could meet up sometime, with lady Everbold’s permission of course,” Yasmina says.

  “I’d like that,” Mateo replies.

  “Are you sure your lady will be ok with us playing house with our dragons?”

  “I’m not doing this for me, this is for Rayo, and I doubt Serenity feels threatened by you, though you are both beautiful women Serenity has my trust, and my loyalty, as I have hers,” Mateo replies.

  “I understand, I’ll bring Charlotte around when you’re available,” Yasmina brushes her hair behind her ear again, “don’t be shy about contacting me, being a dragon knight can be, lonely.”

  The conversation ends and Yasmina vanishes from Mateo’s tablet. Rayo lays down beside Mateo letting off a disgruntled moan. Mateo pats his head.

  “It’s ok buddy, she misses you too.”

  Rayo’s eyes peer up at Mateo longingly. He opens his gnashing maw, and a few words escape in a subtle roar.

  “I love her.”

  “Hold on, where did you learn to speak?” Mateo asks.

  “He isn’t speaking, I’m translating dragon,” Natalia interjects.

  “Oh, that makes sense.”

  A warm fire lights the marshes near the Tyrantaterror’s territory. Okami and Terror are eager to learn what abilities Mateo unlocked after sparring with Ryukaze. Mateo stands raising his hand as three glyphs appear on the ground summoning his new familiars.

  Mana fills the air as Mateo’s blood boils. Two male figures and a female figure form in the glyphs. Creatures resembling demons stand at attention before them.

  “These are my familiars, Kobold, Furioso, and Zena,” Mateo says presenting them.

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  “Fascinating, I’ve not seen such a powerful summon for a five talon, and Zena is surprisingly attractive for a culmination of mana crystals,” Okami says rubbing his chin.

  “Down boy,” Mateo replies.

  “Terror is impressed, but Terror is curious what ability you unlocked with your skill point.”

  “That one will have to wait, it’s a bit of a display and uses a lot of mana,” Mateo replies.

  “The Tyrant will be an excellent chance to use it then,” Okami says approaching Zena. “Fascinating, familiars often take forms that they think their master will be more comfortable with, Zena has chosen to take a female form, and I am curious if she is stimulated in the-.”

  Mateo cuts him off with a loud sigh.

  “Okami, please do not try to ‘stimulate’ Zena, I am not responsible for any bodily harm that becomes of your ‘interspecies research’ into my familiars,” Mateo objects.

  “Fair enough,” Okami says backing off.

  “I could drain some mana from this one, I might find that stimulating,” Zena says.

  “No one is draining anything from anyone, and no one is being stimulated, is that clear?” Mateo replies.

  Okami rubs his hand under his chin contemplatively.

  “Okami, stop thinking about having your mana drained by my crystalline familiar, what is wrong with you people?”

  “I’m not a person,” Zena replies.

  Mateo steps over to her and places his hand on her solid shoulder. He gives her a quaint smile.

  “You’re a person to me, also, I’m going to put you guys away for now, it takes a lot of mana to summon all three of you.”

  “You could just put Kobold and Furioso away while I experiment with the dog boy,” Zena replies.

  Mateo sighs recalling Kobold and Furioso. He places his hand on Zena’s shoulder again.

  “I guess this conversation was inevitable, don’t siphon any mana without protection, actually don’t do anything with Okami without protection be it sheep skin or a small object that emits a lot of electricity.”

  “Don’t worry daddy, I can take care of myself.”

  “Oh my gods, Natalia!” Mateo yells.

  The moon rises high in the sky as Okami converses with Zena about the ins and outs of being a female familiar. It turns out that familiars can choose their projected gender but often like to be portrayed in the gender they had before becoming familiars. Okami takes note of this in his notebook as it contradicts current knowledge on the subject.

  As a yaksha, or demon familiar, Zena was once an ordinary woman overcome by a desire for revenge after her husband was murdered by the emperor of some dynasty Okami has never heard of. Her hate and anger were so great that the lord of the void granted her the powers of a yaksha. After attaining her revenge, she became lost. Unable to overcome her lust for violence she slowly became the demon whose power she had used to obtain her revenge.

  When Mateo finally falls asleep Zena fades back to the void, his mana pool no longer sustaining her existence in this realm. Okami puts away one of his notebooks and blows out a candle retiring into the cool night air of his tent.

  Day breaks with the howl of strange half lizard eagles crowing atop the canopies of the marshlands. The bioluminescent plants fade into colorless foliage as the light of the moon leaves Gottes.

  “Alright guys, we are only half a mile from the territory of this Tyrant, there is no turning back now,” Mateo says looking over his party.

  They seem determined, Rick and Beatrice more so being of higher rank. Mateo leaves Rayo to watch Jade at the camp. Can’t have him soaking up all the experience being a now overpowered dragon.

  “Alright, let’s head out.”

  The group pass the corpses of half eaten slaughtered cowlligators as they encroach on the Tyrant’s territory. Trees covered in claw marks seem to have bowed under the weight of a massive carnivorous predator. Mateo grows a little weary of a giant lizard monster that uses trees as a scratching post.

  After an hour they come across an open clearing. Marsh with no trees. Just swamp lands surrounding a small island with one large rock in the middle. The muck they tread through ranges from shin to knee deep as they approach.

  “We’re down wind, this is good, that is the creature,” Okami says pointing at the large rock in the center of the clay island.

  “Okami, that’s a boulder,” Mateo replies.

  The wind changes direction and the group smile. The boulder rises into a beast far more disturbing and terrifying than a hoaram. A massive tyrannosaurus-like creature with long arms and thick scales sniffs the air before turning its cold dead eyes in their direction. Mateo turns to the group.

  “You didn’t fucking tell me about the fucking long armed T-Rex because you thought it would be funny, what the hell is wrong with you people!” Mateo yells.

  “That’s not even the worst part,” Serenity says snickering.

  The creature having caught their scent crouches down on all fours like a cat ready to pounce. Mateo’s eyes grow wide as mud kicks up from behind its hind legs and it rockets through the swamp on all fours like a cheetah.

  “What sick twisted deity came up with this monstrosity!” Mateo yells in horrified disgust.

  Galloping toward them like a cheetah the nightmarish Tyrant begins its assault. Mateo’s group ready themselves for battle. Wards are raised as the long-armed T-Rex approaches on all fours. Leaping into the air it slams down on the ward covering Mateo.

  “What the ungodly fuck is this thing, Natalia, give me some info on this,” Mateo yells retreating.

  “You got it boss, just remember this when you are buying snacks,” she replies, and a window appears in his periphery.

  Tyrantaterror- a large tyrannosaurus like creature covered in plate scales. Tyrant scales have a fifty percent resistance to fire and electric damage. The flesh under their scales has a fifty percent weakness to fire and electric damage. Tyrants are territorial creatures except during mating season when they bunch up to compete for females.

  Mateo and his companions regroup as the large creature gives off a loud roar. Rick and Beatrice have rejoined them after a brief absence to fulfill their own agenda.

  “Balli,” Mateo says.

  “You can call me Beatrice, or sweetie, or baby,” Beatrice replies to Serenity’s disdain.

  “Ms. Osmund,” Mateo says.

  “Fine, call me Balli,” she scoffs.

  “Balli, I need you to concentrate on its scales, have Rick distract it when possible,” Mateo says before entering the void to dodge the creature’s attack.

  The group disperse as the monster plows into their short-lived huddle.

  Beatrice uses her ballista strikes to knock off the creature’s scales while Mateo and Rick run distraction. Serenity shadow jumps hitting the Tyrant’s exposed flesh for bleed damage before the scales grow back. Terror uses his earth essence to turn the muck into quicksand slowing the creature.

  “The Tyrant is using its life force to replenish its scales, it has a very large health pool too, Serenity’s bleed effect isn’t doing enough we need another strategy,” Stitches yells.

  “Beatrice, Terror, keep at it, Stitches buff my mana I’m going to need a lot of it,” Mateo yells.

  Spell activated: Beyond the Grave- beyond the grave siphons mana from the world around the caster causing the target to exceed its maximum mana capacity. Mana replenishment in a large area around the caster will slow causing mana pools to recover more slowly until area mana levels return to normal.

  Mateo glows in an azure light as mana fills his blood. His veins boil as excess mana forces its way into them surging through his body. He raises a hand summoning Zena and Furioso without uttering a word.

  The Tyrant isn’t impressed by his ability to cast spells without chanting as it grips him in large talons. Mateo grasps at the creature's wrists struggling against it as it lets off a loud roar shaking the air around it.

  “Mateo!” Stitches yells.

  “Don’t falter, keep up the attack,” Beatrice says firing a large ballista that shatters several scales on the side of the creature.

  “Right, he’s counting on us, I know what I need to do,” Stitches says raising her staff.

  The massive creature goes to snap its gnashing maw down over Mateo’s head when Serenity jumps from the shadows pressing a dagger into its left eye. The creature cries out in agony tossing Mateo into the thick marsh.

  “Thanks Serenity let’s finish this,” Mateo says standing.

  “What’s the plan?” She asks.

  “Terror, slow it down, Balli and Rick, break those scales, I’ve got a surprise for this bitch,” Mateo yells.

  “Terror summons the will of the broodmother that land is turned to sand and his enemies are absorbed by it,” Terror chants.

  The marsh beneath the Tyrant turns to quicksand and it sinks half into the earth unable to move from its position.

  Balli and Rick pluck scales from the beast with ranged attacks. Half sunk into mud and surrounded by knee deep marshes the Tyrant cries out in futility.

  The creature now near bare skinned on its left side struggles against the muck as Mateo approaches.

  “Natalia, I can’t cast this spell without a chant, what is the incantation?”

  Words appear in Mateo’s periphery, and he chants them aloud.

  “Heavens darken above us as we fall through the world into the land beneath, the underworld where water is fire, I summon the power of that world to this one, bring forth unto my foe, Lakes of flames.”

  The marshes ignite into an infernal abyss. The Tyrant screams in agony as its unscaled flesh boils in the raging flames of the marsh. Mateo steps over water lit aflame toward the creature. Still unsubdued, it lashes out against him.

  “Mateo, stand back, I know what I must do,” Stitches says.

  Mateo stops just out of the creature’s reach as his mana drains to near nothing. He recalls his familiars and Stitches empties her blood gauge raising her staff.

  “I offer the blood of the fallen, lend me the power of death so that I may reap the life that my foe so desperately clings to,” she chants.

  Effect activated: Harvester of Gore- Instant Death. Expend the Harvester of Gore’s blood gauge to activate Instant Death and instantly dispatch an opponent of equal strength with one blow. Targets of a higher rank will take a large amount of damage, but may remain alive.

  Stitches rises into the air as the blade in her staff extends. Hazy black smoke surrounds her, and her figure transforms into a large reaper-like creature giving off the menacing glare of the afterlife. She bolts forward slashing the tyrant and draining its life force until there is nothing left.

  Finally, the creature stops struggling and slumps into the mud, dead. Mateo’s flames die out and he descends into knee deep marsh.

  Wounded and exhausted they rally together sharing potions and healing spells in an effort to regain their strength.

  “We did it, we killed a tyrant,” Mateo says panting.

  The air is still and silent as a light breeze rustles the vines of the trees around them. Rick returns to a fighting stance as does Terror. Serenity hurries to Mateo taking his measure.

  “What’s up guys, we killed the tyrant,” Mateo says downing a potion Serenity handed him.

  The calm air erupts into a violent symphony of loud roars as the earthquakes and the trees shake. Okami turns to Mateo with worry-stricken eyes.

  “That was a female Tyrant,” he states.

  “Yeah, so?” Mateo replies.

  “It’s mating season.”

  The tree line breaks as several larger male tyrants step into the marsh. They sniff the corpse of the dead female before turning their attention toward Mateo and his companions letting out a loud roar.

  “Well shit.”