Chapter 18: The Emerald Inferno
Sam tried his best to will himself to regain control of his body, but he just floated there helplessly as the elf continued to use his blood magic to crush Sam’s heart. The pain was unbearable, and he couldn’t help but scream in agony as his cylinder was quickly becoming red. He lost his grip on his sword as it clattered to the floor.
He’s smiling as he does this to me, Sam thought to himself as he saw the elf smirk. That sick fucker...
Not knowing what else to do, he desperately tried to picture the green mental campfire from the day he started training with Koga. He closed his eyes and forced himself to envision the fire exploding with as much force as he could possibly imagine. He reached deep down inside himself, abandoning any sense of caution as he tried to unleash his full potential at any cost...
And then, he felt it. A deep reservoir of power that had been laying dormant within him. It exploded out from his body in a shockwave of emerald flames that cracked the floor, ceiling, and walls of the stone corridor and sent the elf flying backwards, slamming into the far wall.
Name: Samreon Qhousalar
Race: Dracozian
Class: D-Rank Dragon Warlock
Specialization: Undefined
Current Mana Power Level: 1,350
Max Mana Power Level: 1,350
Sam now had control of himself again, his aura burning brighter than ever, his eyes glowing green. The instant his feet touched back on the floor, he charged forward at the elf, leaving a trail of emerald flames behind him.
Before the elf could try to use his blood magic again, Sam began unleashing rapid-fire punches to his chest, arms, and stomach, moving almost as fast as the speedsters. The elf tried to kick Sam, but Sam grabbed his foot and swung him in a circle a few times at high speed and then threw him right through a wall into a side room.
Sam jumped through the hole into the room, and saw the elf’s cylinder was quite red. Sam also saw his name on his vest as he stood up: Ladarsa L’Suvius.
"Well, Ladarsa, this is where your time in the dungeon ends," Sam declared as he held out a hand, calling upon the residual Mana in his sword to summon it. The blade flew through the air, in through the hole in the wall, and firmly into Sam’s grasp.
Ladarsa began laughing. "I actually agree with you!" He then held up a black oval gem in his hand. "This room you threw me into had one of the Triggers! Ha!"
The elf squeezed his hand on the gem, causing it to begin glowing green. Then a magically amplified voice began calling out a countdown from ten.
"No!" Sam charged forward again to snatch the gem away, but Ladarsa quickly willed blood from his open cuts to pool out and form a cocoon around himself. Sam struck his sword frantically against the hardened blood shell, but it seemed unbreakable.
"Damn it!" Sam yelled out as the countdown got to zero.
"Find another Trigger if you want to finish this fight in the Tournament Phase!" the elf’s voice rang out as he vanished in a pillar of light.
Sam rushed out of the room and resumed his search for one of the Triggers. He narrowly escaped a trap door, dodged a volley of wall spikes, and was nearly eaten by a mimic pretending to be a chest. But finally, he found his own Escape Trigger and felt himself surrounded by a pillar of light. A moment later, he was back in the wardrobe and stepped out to a cheering crowd.
"That power up was awesome!" Lazula said excitedly as they pulled him into a group hug. "I mean, the spider thing at the beginning was kinda lame, but then you kicked ass!"
"We’re so proud of you, Sam!" Calista added with a big smile.
"Not bad, kid!" Koga said with a thumbs up.
Suddenly they were approached by two men - Sam immediately recognized one as Ladarsa, and the other must have been his father, because he too was an elf with light skin, red eyes, and long white hair.
"Lucifer L’Suvius," he said as he extended a hand. As Sam shook it, he noticed a tattoo of a nine-tailed fox demon on the back of the man’s hand.
"Samreon Qhousalar," the teen replied. "That’s a very interesting tattoo."
"This signifies my status as one of the Nine Tails of the Kyuubikuza," Lucifer explained as he tapped the tattoo with his other hand. "We are an alliance of nine pirate captains who oversee a great deal of organized crime throughout the Unseelie Blue. You showed great potential when you faced my son. I look forward to seeing you both fight again in the Tournament Phase. Do not be surprised if I approach you again afterwards to present you with an invitation to join my crew."
"Um, thank you, sir," Sam said with a nod. He wasn’t sure how else to reply.
Lucifer and Ladarsa went back to their seats, and Sam sat down with Koga and the girls. Over the next few minutes, others escaped the dungeon, and they had their official line-up for the Tournament Phase.
"Great job, everyone!" the announcer said. "Rest well today, and then return tomorrow for the tournament! The viewing screens will show the brackets momentarily!"
Sam looked up once they were displayed.
[Ladarsa L’Suvius] Vs. [Salamir Eventaed]
[Marmalade Brightrun] Vs. [Mallowa Cloudstep]
[Mephista Lilly] Vs. [Deanna Zapparoy]
[Samreon Qhousalar] Vs. [Konnis Eltar]
Interesting... Sam thought to himself. So Ladarsa and I will need to win both the quarterfinals and the semifinals in order for us to fight each other in the final match...
After that, everyone began pouring out of the Arena.
"See you back here tomorrow," Koga said with a nod as they went in separate directions.
As Sam, Calista, and Lazula headed back to their room at the Honeydew Inn, the girls looked at each other, grinned, and then looked back at Sam.
"We got kinda turned on watching you fight," Lazula confessed.
"You’re probably tired, but we know you have it in you for a good fucking once we get back to the room," Calista added, blushing.
Sam just grinned and laughed heartily as he put an arm around each of them. "I’m never too tired to get my dick wet!"
They all laughed again as they picked up the pace heading back to the Inn...