Spiteful Healer

“Detect magic.” Synopse cast as he ran through the ruined streets, eyes upon the clouds above. A blue set of magical runes formed a circle around the rims of his eyes, causing the pupils to glow. Using the spell's effects, he carefully looked at the lightning being shot out of the clouds like a spear at the fleeing Abyssal dragon.

The game gave him item cards for the spell, including the caster - The Great Prophet of Zeus. With this information in mind, Synopse cast Fly on himself and levitated up into the air to get a better view of the city. Once above the rooftops of the nearby buildings, he could locate the Temple of Zeus easily. With no roof and just pillars on the flat, open structure built elevated above the nearby buildings, Synopse could easily see all of the players standing within - including Mikael and his guildmates standing guard around the chanting Great Prophet.

Synopse glanced from this scene to the scene of the Skyport, where Reapers were overrunning the walls and swooping down into the city streets just inside the walls, quickly spreading to move further inside. He soared out of the sky to land on the ground at the altar's base where Mikael, the Great Prophet, Jeremax, and Mightymira stood.

“Oh, look who it is. The cavalry has arrived.” Mikael commented sarcastically as they all watched him land.

“Your Great Prophet drove the dragon off?” Synopse asked to confirm.

“Someone’s gotta do something to protect this island from that walking apocalypse you brought here.” Mightymira replied while crossing her arms and glaring down at him.

“He’s under contract, it was just for the tournament…”

“We told you idiots he wasn’t going to play nice. Maybe next time, listen to the guys who’ve been containing him for you the past few months while you were prancing around playing hero on your streams.” Migthymira retorted with elevating hostility.

“Alright. Then, let’s stop him.” Synopse nodded at them anxiously, sensing the hostility coming from not just Mira, but every member of the guild surrounding him as well as the Zeus NPCs and Ryner’s former Airship NPCs.

“Knock yourselves out. Your boy Makaroth and all you other streamers said you’d handle him if he stepped out of line, didn’t you? So handle him.” Mikael replied, motioning in the direction of the swarms of reapers descending on the city, slowing making their way closer to the temple.

“The portal altar was destroyed. Only I was able to get through. They’re on their way from the dwarven city under the mountain.” Synopse replied as warmly as he could, trying not to anger them more than they already were.

“Of course it was.” Jeremax sighed, rolling his eyes.

“But, they’ll be here, don’t worry. We’ll put a stop to this.” Synopse tried to reassure them over this sigh.

“It’ll be too late.” Mikael shook his head at him.

“Too late? What do you mean?” Synopse replied, confused, glancing back at the swarm over the city once more to gauge the destruction. “Once he’s defeated a single time, it’s over, isn’t it?”

“Just like Zeus' priests were given a quest to destroy his sword for our advanced class, his sword gave him a quest to kill the Great Prophet of Zeus. That’s exactly what he’s planning to do, and why he wanted to have the tournament on Tarolas. It wasn’t an issue until you guys rolled out the red carpet for him to come here.” Mikael explained coldly.

“This is our fault, then?” Synopse asked quietly, pondering their words as he looked away from them to the destruction caused by the dragon.

“No shit.” Mightymira groaned.

“I’ll make sure nothing happens to the prophet, then. Until Makaroth and the others arrive.” Synopse decided as he turned to face the entrance of the temple.

“Just don’t get in our way,” Jeremax responded.

“They’re coming. Almost here.” A ranger player spoke as his familiar, a black eagle, soared down out of the sky to land on his shoulder, drenched from the rain - as we all of them now.

“Focus on protecting yourself above all else. You are his target.” Mikael turned to the Great Prophet, who finished his incantation and nodded back at him.

“The Dragon has fled the island. The thunder of Zeus is mighty, and it was no match for it. We will weather this storm and defy this sword of hatred.” The Great Prophet replied confidently. Not long after these words, a group of five players wearing primarily black armor and clothing could be seen walking quickly towards the staircase that lead up from the city streets below into the temple.

Synopse felt the tensions rise as everyone tightly gripped their weapons and aimed them toward the top of the stairs. Arrows were nocked, spells were charged, and blades were unsheathed.

“Aura of Thunder,” Mikael mumbled, chanting an aura that erupted outward from him, enhancing everyone's nearby weapons with bonus lightning damage. Following this, the other players cast several other buffs and auras, including Synopse in the aura, so he could also benefit from their effects.

Synopse was relieved to see that, at the very least, they were treating him as an ally. That relief didn’t last long as he watched Seraxus reach the top of the staircase and step onto the large, rectangular platform of the Temple of Zeus. Behind him came Hajax, Sylvie, Zuon, and Gambit, who all looked relatively unscathed.

“Yo, long time no see!” Seraxus cheered excitedly upon spotting Mikael. “Guys, our wardens from Puagas are here to take us back to our cells.” He chuckled, and his party members laughed along with him. “Yo Synopse, these guys ain't VGN. You probably don’t wanna be associated with ‘em.” Seraxus turned his attention from Mikael to Synopse, who stood at the center of the Temple between the two.

“What’re you doing? You said you’d play along until the tournament. But you’re destroying everything.” Synopse motioned to the ruins, and smoke rose nearby from the dragon’s destruction.

“What, that? That wasn’t us. A dragon did that.” Hajax replied jokingly.

“Yeah, we’re totally innocent on that one.” Gambit laughed.

“This is a joke to you? Do you not comprehend the consequences of your actions?” Synopse snapped back at them.

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“Relax, bro, it’s just a game. We’re just playin’ it.” Hajax shook his head at him with a condescending tone.

“Ain't our fault that everyone else in this game is so weak.” Sylvie shrugged.

“Listen. Synopse.” Seraxus cleared his throat and stepped forward, brandishing his black sword as he did so. “Ya’ll wanted a bad guy. Right? To put on a big show? That’s what I’m doin’ here. This is what your boy Makkie wanted, so you have no right to complain.” He then pointed the tip of the blade forward in Synopse’s direction. “We’re supposed to have our big showdown in the tournament. So, I suggest you get outta the way. It’ll be bad if you make me kill you early.”

“Yeah, buzz off. We’re trying to do something here.” Hajax joined in. Synopse eyed the desperate faces of Schadenfreude all around him without directly breaking eye contact with his opponents ahead of him. Rather than reply, Synopse moved his hands to hold his artifact staff out in front of his body, the head of the staff giving off a bright blue glow.

“Aint no way…” Zuon whispered mockingly as they all watched Synopse take a fighting stance.

“Aight, have it your way.” Seraxus shrugged.

Makaroth and the others rushed out through a large stone staircase and found themselves standing in the middle of Stormtop. The rain continued to pour down, and the sound of rabid, screeching reapers could be heard as they took over the skies above.

“Damn, what the hell happened?” Calikgos said in disbelief as they took in the destruction.

“Where’s Synopse?” Lilya asked.

“He’s not replying.”

“Seraxus’ livestream… he went to the Temple of Zeus.” Daehyun commented as he had his livestream viewer open, but his eyes were wide and jaw was dropped as he saw the destroyed buildings and rising smoke all over the city.

“Alright.” Makaroth took a deep breath. “Feng, can your guild secure the Skyport and wipe out the reapers?”

“Easily.” Feng replied in annoyance. “But I don’t take orders from you.”

“Let’s just work together to sort this out quickly, alright?”

“Fine.” Feng sighed, then motioned to his nearby guildmates to follow him as he ran in the direction of the port. They immediately began firing off spells and ranged attacks up at the skies, taking out the swarming reapers en-masse.

“Everyone else,” Makaroth turned to look at his guildmates, as well as all of the other gladiator participants that’d accompanied them down to the dwarven city, “Let’s head to the temple and put a stop to this.” Makaroth finished by taking off sprinting in the direction of the temple of Zeus. An army of gladiators followed behind him - all manor of player races and classes, all high level, and all very well equipped for PvP combat. Each of them had fought their way through the preliminaries for the right to participate in the tournament, and were eager to prove themselves against Seraxus while being shown on Makaroth’s stream, in front of millions of viewers.

Within moments, Makaroth arrived at the stairs up to the Temple of Zeus to hear the sound of strained shouting. He rushed up the stairs and when he arrived at the top, he saw only 6 players standing there. The temple itself was in ruins, with several pillars destroyed and laying on their side.

Hajax was standing over Mikael, with his foot on his back pressing him down onto the temple's ground - the source of the angry shouting. Sylvie stood bewildered, eying the artifact staff in her hands that Synopse had been wielding as he inspected its item card.

“Hey, this staff is pretty neat,” Sylvie commented as she read through it, not noticing Makaroth and the others' arrival. Within seconds, the temple was filled with gladiators and high end players from Sages of Destiny, including the rest of Synopse’s gladiator team.

“Yo, Seraxus, we got company,” Zuon called up to base of the altar at the far end of the temple, where Seraxus stood, curiously looking around himself. The blacksword in his hands was now glowing with a deep purple hue, and a pair of black wings made of abyssal mist were extending out of Seraxus back. He was spinning around, eying the wings and moving them around curiously.

The sound of the many footsteps from approaching players took a bit to reach him due to the heavy rainfall, but once it had, he stopped fiddling with his new wings and turned to look at them and saw Makaroth’s glare.

“Oi, listen, about the wizard guy. We told him to leave, but he wouldn’t listen.” Seraxus apologized insincerely, motioning to the staff in Sylvie’s hand.

“I can keep the staff though, right?” Sylvie asked with a hopeful gaze.

“I mean, he dropped it, so…” Gambit shrugged.

“You’ll be returning that staff to us.” Makaroth said in a deep, angry tone that he scarcely used on the stream. Millions of viewers were now watching them as all eyes followed the many streamers present inside the temple.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Seraxus raised his hands in his direction. “You threatenin’ me? You wanna have this showdown now? All gladiators fight against me at the same time? S’abit unfair, don’t you think?”

“Do it. Kill him, put an end to this shit.” Mikael shouted out from under Hajax’ foot.

“Why’re you holding him like that?” Lilya asked with a worried look.

“Oh, this guy? He’s been such a pain in our ass these past few months. I wanted to make sure he watched as I killed his stupid ass prophet. He was tryin’ so hard to protect him.” Seraxus explained.

“So he completed his quest…” Daehyun mumbled, worried.

“That’s pretty twisted…” Calikgos replied to Seraxus.

“It’s ‘cause he’s a fucking psycho. Kill him and destroy the sword right now. You’re all gladiators, aren’t you?”

“Tchaa, so noisy.” Seraxus sighed before jumping down from the altar, gliding somewhat due to his wings, and landing beside where Mikael was being held. He quickly stabbed his sword of hatred downward nonchalantly into Mikael’s back, killing him immediately with an insanely large red damage number. “I’m down to brawl, but I think a showdown in the arena would still be more interestin’, don’t you?”

“I can’t let you walk around this city anymore. You’re too dangerous. Look at what you did.” Makaroth motioned to the ruins surrounding them.

“S’all good. Promise not to do anything else. Look, Hajax, call off the reapers.”

“Alright.” Hajax shrugged, quickly waving his scepter through the air with dark magic emitting from the end of it.

“See? No problem. The city is saved thanks to your heroic arrival.” Seraxus smirked, causing his group members to chuckle along with him. “Sylvie, give ‘em the staff back.”

“Huh? Why?” Sylvie pouted.

“‘Cause they need it.” Seraxus shrugged.

“But, it’s pretty cool. I kinda wanna keep it.”

“Just give it back.” Seraxus sighed in annoyance.

“Fine.” Sylvie huffed, then chucked the staff towards Makaroth, causing it to land on the temple floor at his feet after rolling along a bit. Watching this disrespectful act made it hard for Makaroth to hold back, and he refused to lean down and pick up the staff himself. Thankfully, Liyla stepped forward to grab it on his behalf and added it to her inventory while Makaroth remained glaring at Seraxus, and the other players began to slowly spread out over the temple around him, preparing for a fight.

“There. All good, right?” Seraxus asked with a shrug, locking eyes with Makaroth. Anger got the best of him, and he quickly moved his hand to the hilt of his blade preparing to draw it out, but he was stopped by Calikgos who quickly shot his hand up and grabbed Makaroth’s to prevent him from unsheathing his weapon.

“This is a lose-lose situation.” Calikgos spoke up as he stepped forward. “He only wants to make us look bad. If we don’t fight, we look like cowards who allowed the destruction of Stormtop. But, if we do fight, he’ll mock us for teaming up on him, and his warlock and bard have already been preparing spells for them to escape. Most likely portal stones, linked up to a portal altar from one of the surrounding villages on the island.” Calikgos explained.

“Oooh, smart cookie.” Gambit looked at Calikgos, impressed. Makaroth took this all in and pondered for a moment, briefly eying his massive livestream viewership as he tried to consider the best course of action.

“I prefer the second option.” Makaroth tilted his head to the side and drew out his blade, dashing forward with incredible speed as blue magic erupted around it, while simultaneously, 3 cinderbolts appeared all around him.

Seraxus reacted by aiming a sword swing down at where Makaroth was dashing, but Makaroth easily sidestepped the swing and cut outwards at him, slashing his sword through Seraxus’ body and causing it to pass through, dealing 2,035 damage. The damage put a look of shock on Seraxus’ face and caused him to jump backward while Zuon fired arrows at Makaroth, but all arrows were deflected by his cinderbolts.

“Spellblade, really interesting class. Never fought one before.” Seraxus said with eyes of excitement, drawing out the rest of his weapons as if preparing to fight. He quickly changed his mind when he saw the army of other players rushing towards him up from behind Makaroth.

“We bailin?” Gambit asked.

“Yep.” Seraxus nodded back, and as Makaroth dashed forward again to strike Seraxus again, 5 black domes of magic quickly appeared around each of them, compliments of a spell cast by Sylvie. A second later, the domes disappeared, taking Seraxus and his party away from the temple to an unknown location.

Their disappearance caused the charging players to halt, allowing Makaroth to turn around and meet eyes with Calikgos and Lilya, who returned stares of concern.

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