Inside a private plane, Bahamut with her legs crossed is watching the clouds as the luxury private aircraft flies through the dangerous skies of Schon. The occasional Drake flock and Dragon sighting made life hard for the Pilots, having to weave through the airspace to avoid getting shot down or chased. Soon, the Learjet descends below the clouds, revealing a bountiful forest as far as the eye could see. It was more luscious and alive than any forest in Dark World, prompting the woman to look in awe of the beautiful sight and extremely far in the distance, she could see faint explosions and tracers flying into the skies.
"Mister Harken, are the frontlines near?"
"Oh wow, how did you know? Uh, it is yes. This land was recently taken, so you'd see a lot of skeletons roaming around, securing everything and making sure no combatants are left."
"And who am I expecting in the Labyrinth?"
"That I do not know yet, but we're hoping to get another Dragon in as we believe there's a Warlord Demon in its last floor."
"Hm, finally. This could be a worthy opponent. What is this warlord demon?"
"They call it the Dedatoru... or in English... Megademonus. This thing is said to be the reason the second Hero from the first Demon King met an untimely end. A literal force of nature and all its anger cobbled up into a ten meter demonic mass that wields an ancient sword."
"Anything else? Why do you keep so many secrets? If the Queen was here, she'd already given you all an earful. I've already gone out of my way to accept this mission from you."
"I apologize, but we're on the frontlines. Can't really say much till we're on the ground and in a secured location. Though I hope you'll be able to use your powers to help us. The Countess had done great to make you do this."
"Hmph. It's only that her books and Royal records said that a rare plant exists somewhere in this region. The Stars might've aligned but be reminded, I'm not doing this because I stand under your flag. The only flag I stand upon is my Masters."
"No worries, no strings attached as the Countess said. Just help us here and you'll be able to keep whatever plant or treasure is hidden in that place and we have our own thing to investigate and research upon and it doesn't involve the plant you're looking for."
Though Bahamut could smell through their fib, she has no choice but to follow through. Within the next minute, the Learjet lands on an open patch of land that was visibly just bulldozed and paved hastily a few hours ago. The rough landing made the fuselage rock like a rollercoaster and threw around books and cups that weren't properly kept on the final approach.
As soon as the aircraft stops and the door opens. Bahamut was the first to leave. Looking around, she's shocked at how little snowfall there was though there was build up, it was way too small to hinder anything and the quality of the air was far better than in the vampire city. Facing the hangar, she could see an old familiar face with a soldier. Wearing the greenest Knight armor she'd seen in her entire life and holding a mighty greatsword with one hand as if it weighed the same as a feather. The strange man turns around, revealing his bushy beard and buzz cut hair. Nonchalantly, he waves at her and Bahamut returns it with a light bow while in the background, one could hear the sonic boom of jets and artillery firing from a distant location.
"I see you know each other."
"Rah Lee... it has been long."
Meanwhile, Bahamut's face remains blank. Looking at the familiar person with her hands together.
"Go and greet him ma'am. I'll talk to the Colonel about transporting you two to the site. Seems that they renewed the offensive the moment we arrived."
She politely walks to the Hangar, two hands still tied together and with her head looking down a bit to not gain the attention of the players that know full well who she is. Getting close to the Knight, her hand was taken and the two shook hands.
"Ahahahah! If it ain't the almighty Over God!"
"Draco Lordl' Rah Lee, how long has it been?"
"Hundreds? Thousands? It's good to meet you again Bahamut of the Void. It's been too long, Goddess."
He had a rough but kind voice befitting of a warrior like him in such bulky armor, while Bahamut's more soft and motherly voice was gentle yet heeding of one's ears clashed outside the hangar, gaining the attention of the players who've never heard the voice of the Dragon God.
"Yes, it has been long and I see you've joined forces with the humans also."
"Hm, my Master is a small frail man but very kind, he summoned me as I lay in my forest sleeping. I've been with him for two years now, good man. I hope I can continue to teach him to be a better person."
"My Master is... he's him. I have no words to say about my Master. But I am content with how he acts and takes care of me."
With her arms crossed and a longing face, the Dragon Lord smirked devilishly at the serene face of his beautiful Goddess.
Though Bahamut was above average in her height, the man was a good five inches taller than her and the armor he wore made him look even more bigger.
"I can see you're still hiding that pretty face of yours. Haven't I told you in the forest back then that you shouldn't hide such beauty from the eyes of the mortals?"
"Humans and beasts alike would gaze at me harder than the Abyss and since I can feel the gazes of people, I do not want to always be looked at. And I believe it's a human concept to preserve one's beauty for the one they truly love. I'd like to continue to mimic it as my Master has already told me he loves how I look and I like how I look."
"I can't say if he is lucky or unlucky, knowing how much of a needy woman you were-ARGH! STILL!"
He didn't even see it, but Bahamut had punched him in the gut. Though it didn't bend the armor plating, the shock was more than enough for him to feel the pain and the man gruntled from it.
"Grrrrrr... I assure you I also return my neediness by my companionship and wisdom. I also assure to give him the necessary amount of rubs and skinship."
Bahamut pouts, and with her crossed arms tighter, she turns around.
"Aw, don't be like that now. We Dragons are prideful creatures. Aahahahah! I expected no less of a reaction from our great Dragon Goddess! But for you to go this far for him, you must truly have found your reason with humanity finally."
"Hmph, let's get this over with. That Countess must be leaking herself having the opportunity to keep my Master all to herself."
"Countess? Oh, you're really getting invested in this world! To think you've changed this much! That Human must've greatly influenced you to be this different! A great era is upon Dragons if you've truly changed to this degree."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She starts walking back to the ATC where Harken went to. Leaving the Knight and the soldier alone. "And Rah Yee, it's a pleasure to meet you again... and you might have a point. Meeting that human might have given me the reason to settle with the mortals."
Waving her hand, the woman disappears from his sight and Thorbolt walks to the Hangar with his Master who sat down on a spare wheel for a C-130. Staring intensely at the swaying hips of Bahamut as she walked away to the busy tarmac full of skeletons refueling and rearming jets and helicopters.
"You see that Santiago?"
"Yea, she is a beauty. I thank God the Sun has no clouds blocking it. She carries those straight bangs perfectly and she walks with a lot of pride. It's almost as if it's natural for her to be like that always."
"Mhm, that's Bahamut for ya'. She is a needy woman, but I think most of it is just companionship. She does what she wants, but I'm glad a human is enough to control her."
"What makes you say that?"
"Even back in the days of yonder when Legends and Myths roamed the lands of Tur, she was always all by herself. Having fought so many battles and killed so many, she never got along with the other Dragons. Worse came when many of us decided to mingle with the humans and cast our scales which made whatever Dragon that was still giving her tribute to leave and settle down. I never knew I'd see the day for her to be roaming around in that form as if she belongs in it. She never liked to not have wings, that woman loved flying and the freedom it gave her."
"General Paul is her Master right? A Death Knight from Eldwood."
"Yer, ole' laddy really did it now. Having to take care of her must be a pain. WAHAHAHA! But seeing her like this, the two must've formed a bond that is far beyond that of friends, it might've surpassed any natural form of love we have known of."
"Yea.... a Dragon Goddess and a human man. That relationship must be on a whole other level that no one could ever understand but them." the man in OCP uniform stands up, stretching a bit and taking his M4A1 assault rifle. "C'mon, let's grab some Beer. The soldiers told me there were some in the Barracks."
"Alrighty. And can I keep one of those can openers? Those devices are truly handy!"
She walks to the ATC building where the G-man she was with can be seen talking to some soldiers in Woodland ACUs and one wearing a Beret pops out of the door and asks the man to go head inside. Seeing that things are still busy and her tummy rumbling for food, she wanders around the hastily built airbase for anything to eat. Transforming to her small Dragon form to move around easily, the buildings were made out of prefabricated parts and built like a Lego set. Skimming through the barracks, there were packs of MREs but they were all not cooked and were still sealed.
Roaming around even more and encountering the Mess Hall, no food was being served and the trash bin behind it was already long emptied of contents. Finding nothing of interest, Bahamut's head looked down. Dejected by the lack of actual meals in the military base and starts to aimlessly roam around the base. Sneakily slithering around the muddy soil below the tents and smelling the air where she finds a certain scent South of the Airbase.
Having a direction, the dragon weaves through the army of mindless skeletons wandering and patrolling the base. She sees a Kamaz 5350 was about to leave and forcibly enters the passenger seat as the players guarding the door just ignore her. Not wanting to deal with the infamous Dragon God. The driver on the other hand just shrugs his shoulders and drives on. Though disappointed, the seat he just cleaned was once again dirtied by the muddy black armored dragon.
"Do you know where I can get food?"
"Food? We'll be passing a village. There should be a place there for eating. Pleased to meet you, names' Corporal Hernandez. I'm a Slime."
"A Slime?"
The Corporal changes his form to that of a Werewolf, and then to a skeleton and back to his human form.
"Slime."
"Oh so you're that type. Interesting one you are."
"Yeah. I kinda picked this so that I could fit into the Dungeons and Labyrinths and be very hard to kill. Never knew I'd be using it to drive trucks and unload heavy crates without the need of a forklift."
"Hm. And exactly where is this village?"
"A kilometer or so South of the Airfield. It ain't much but there's stalls outside on the main road where they sell food."
The path they took no longer looked like it was meant for carriages and was a wide dirt path and the Main Battle Tanks passing them by would billow an insane amount of dirt, the road was very lively with all sorts of military vehicles heading to and from the frontlines. Most of it was nothing but skeletons behind the wheel and inside the hatches. Far barred from actual players controlling their actions and was left to do whatever they ordered on repeat. Following the given path and orders as they lifelessly rolled to the frontlines.
"Yeah, the offensive is going very well. We're nearly about to reach the Vitas' borders. I feel better knowing the almighty Bahamut is with us."
Ignoring the man, Bahamut has opened and touched everything she could, curious about the features of the Soviet built army truck. Even putting down the windows and then putting them up again, messing with every little thing she could get her claws on inside the cab. After getting bored, after a few seconds of respite, she opened the window and poked her head out to smell the air and her spiky tail waggled as the scent became more and more thick.
"Just a minute or two now, we're nearly there."
The olive coloured Kamaz stops at a village, its dirt path that cuts the settlement in two intersecting the wide one meant for the armored vehicles of the Outworlders. The four buildings next to it would frequently rumble and dust blows to them as the military vehicles from the various Guilds participating in the offensive would disregard the speed limit imposed on them and would race back to the frontlines.
"We're here. Try the local Inn on the right. Gotta make a run now from the main FoB. Good luck Bahamut."
Exiting the military truck, Bahamut sniffs the air and couldn't smell anything but death and deuce though she could visually see the stalls with food on them. Looking around, apart from the stalls on the road selling food to the few players sent to oversee the Operation and the actions of the skeleton army, much wasn't happening apart from the annoyingly frequent rumble of the heavy armored vehicles passing through.
As a T-80BVM leading a convoy of Leopard 2A6s flying flags from differing guilds speed along with a large dust cloud accompanying the heavy main battle tanks, Bahamut in her small dragon form starts lurking through the village. Invading the homes of the villagers as no building had glass and most were opened to let the cold air in their well built wooden houses. She then lands on the muddy soil and sniffs the ground for anything that resembles an edible thing. Sulling her glistening black scale armor with the brown mud of the soft wet soil.
On the other end of the village, a vampire player with an elf player sees a familiar silhouette as they smoke a cigarette. Their difference could be seen as the two sat right next to each other with their rifles between their legs. The vampire had pointy ears but not long and could still be human but with a pointed angle, and his height was taller and built perfectly while the elf had long pointy ears and normal eyes and had a more lanky but built body.
"Oy, three o clock. White haired man is back."
"Jesus fuck, I'm going to lose my shit if that guy destroys another tank. Not even my vampire powers can keep him at bay."
"Yeah... get your gun. This is gonna be a long ass day."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
The two throw their cigarettes into a brownish pool of muddied water and their dirty combat boots make contact once again on the eroded soil. With his AK-105 slung close to his neck, the man halts the seven foot tall man. Handsome and flamboyant with noticeable features. His aura immediately overflows the two soldiers with their hands up, stopping him in his tracks.
"Demon Lord, please go back."
"Huh? What is this bloodsucking creature trying to do? Stop me and my beautiful and great wives?"
"C'mon man, it's already a Friday. Let us rest. I wanna sleep tonight without having to remember you kicking our asses."
"Absurd that you seem to have been notified of my presence!"
"Dude, your absurdly manly face is literally plastered on the FoB's billboard with a big bolded title of "TELL HIM TO FUCK OFF" and you've already encountered us. This is the fourth time this week alone!"
"I don't dare remember the faces of ugly mortals and immortals. Now outta my way!"
Though not apparent through his dark red nobleman's uniform, the soldiers could see the man had more muscles than any normal human as they're shoved out of his way as if they weighed nothing. Along with him were five beautiful women, three in Knight armor belonging to Gareth, James, and the Holy nation of Anthony while the other two were wearing a mage's robe.
"OY! Someone stop that man!"
"This is Bravo Two Five, requesting back up immediately! Annoying Maou has returned! We might have to stop all Main Battle Tanks crossing the Village of Ekri!"
"Negative Bravo Two Five! If we do, that's going to break the momentum! Just delay him! The last Main Battle Tanks of the Rostock Groups had already left the FoB!"
Behind the two soldiers is Bahamut in her small dragon form, slithering around like a snake through the mud, going around the buildings and criss-crossing the dirty road as Demons and Hybrids get spooked by the fast and agile armored lizard sniffing the ground for something to bite at. Bahamut would then make a ruckus by passing underneath the stalls and taking with her whatever fruit she finds. Gombling it up in one fell swoop.
"Dammit!"
The two soldiers scramble to try to stop the man as he notices the tanks passing by through the middle of the town.
"Goodness! If it isn't those metal beasts once again! Elf! Where are the large flying metal birds akin to Cornelians that follow them?!"
"WE GROUNDED THEM SINCE YOU'VE BEEN SHOOTING DOWN SO MANY, NOW STOP! AND WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH SO QUICKLY ANYWAYS?! AND WHY THE BRITISH ACCENT?!"
"Command to Bravo Two Five, make sure Annoying Maou is not to walk one inch closer! We have an airbase set up not so far away and it's active! We cannot lose any of the aircraft here, we're too far from the mainland and any sort of replenishment will take weeks if not, months! And we do not have months!"
"Copy Command! We'll try our best!"
Even with the strength of an Elf and a Vampire putting all of their weight in front of him to stop his march to their passing vehicles, they were unable to do anything as he nonchalantly continued walking forward.
"Op op oppo!"
The white haired man suddenly stops and with extreme precision, picks up Bahamut by the scruff who had an apple in her mouth. The dragon just looked straight as it ate the entirety of the apple and began to feign ignorance by turning its head away from the handsome, his jaw was wide and sharp, with a big hand, the man put the dragon closer to his face.
"A four legged dragon? Gods beseech me once again. I haven't seen your kin for thousands!"
Bahamut then fired fireballs into his face but it merely made him smile as the two soldiers couldn't believe who it was.
"Ba-bah....bah..."
"Hmmm? Do you foreigners from another world know of this creature?"
"BAHAMUT! THAT'S FUCKING BAHAMUT!"
The two men scramble into cover, flipping a Demon lady's stall and letting her produce scatter the muddy path as they aim their rifles at the small dragon.
"H-HOLY FUCK! WYATT! DO SOMETHING! AREN'T YOU A SUN PROOF VAMPIRE?!"
"THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? AREN'T YOU AN ELF? YOUR SHOOTING SKILLS SHOULD BE WAY ABOVE MINE!"
Surprised that her fireballs didn't do anything as the man merely smiled. Bahamut then fired a continuous flow of violet fire into his face. But that also didn't do anything, only leaving his face darkened from the heat which he promptly cleans off. She then puts her two front legs on his eyes. Her claws digging into his eyebrows.
"My! Bahamut ehy? You'll make for a good pet!"
The two players know how volatile a dragon is when it's met with a touchy stranger. Taking cover and preparing for the worst. Bahamut looks around and weighs in her options as the strangely strong demon man had no problem taking on her flames. As the clueless man was about to touch her belly, Bahamut stops squirming and just looks at the man's golden coloured eyes. Her thin slit pupils expanded out of nowhere, and was fixated on the man.
"Demon... only one human may touch me there and only one human is allowed to hold me by the scruff."
"Woah! That's one alluring voice you have for a small itty bitty dragon."
"Let me warn you. One. Last. Time. Let go of me or feel the wrath of a Dragon God."
"A Dragon God? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! C'mon, I'll go feed you okay?"
Bahamut's scales suddenly lit up to the point that he had to let the dragon go. She makes space and as a tank rumbles though and the dust cloud with it crosses the town, she turns into her humanoid form inside the dust cloud.
The dust cloud billows down and slowly, the Dragon God of the Abyss has revealed herself once again. The players could clearly see her In full glory, a dark gothic funeral gown and a dragonic crown that has a veil attached with only her two shining gold eyes seen behind it. The two players nearly fainted as the others on the other side of the town were panicking from seeing her in the final form that they broke down the wooden doors of the Demon's houses and took cover. Many started praying while others in sheer panic accidentally ran into each other.
"H-holy fuck Wyatt..."
"OY! OY! OY!"
The Elven player stumbles his way out of the cover, dropping his M4 into the mud as he raises his hands. Surrendering to the Demon Lord.
"Farxcious... my man."
"It's Demon Lord Farxcious to you Elf. Know your place."
"Okay, okay, okay! Demon Lord..." Bahamut just looks at the stuttering and shaking Elven man, with her hands on her hips. She blankly stares at the player trying to deescalate the situation. "My guy, you don't want to do this. Please, if you're gonna do this, do it on another Continent. Just not here!"
"Huh? Why would you foreigners be so afraid of this beauty? Look at her, her perfectly V shaped chin, thin figure and with good busts? Bahamut, not even that veil of yours can hide your beauty from me."
"D-DU-DUDE! It took thousands. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS EVEN! Of players to even half her health! Do you seriously wanna do this? You'll take us with you! Heck! You'll take the entire Eastern side of Schon with you!"
Seeing that the Elf wasn't lying, the man turns his head to the pretty Knightly and Robed women following him. "Go, take the citizens far away from here. I'll be sure to conquer this lady." he winks at them and they nod back. "If you truly wanna be my husband, you better stay alive. Hmph!" They run and start collecting the villagers and warning them of what's to come in their local tongue.
The Elven player just swallows his saliva. Amazed and at the same time, dumbfounded at the immense determination and courage of the man. His vampire friend drags him away through the other side of the town.
"Now! I shall tell you! Give up! Become my wife and serve next to me as I rebuild the Demonic Legions of Vitas!"
"HUH?! Are you out of your mind? As if I will do that! I do not have time for this, I merely came here to eat and return for my Master needs me."
"Oh my, already had your heart taken by another man? Then, I shall please you so much that you'll forget about his scent! His face! His body! His soul!"
"What did you just say you little squirm?" Though Farxious was an inch taller than her, Bahamut wasn't about to let it slide. Her angering presence overwhelmed his place in the small village. "I'll have you know that no amount of pleasure or power will replace the five years I've had with that human. Take a hike buddy."
"A human? BWAHAHAHAHAH! Of all things! You've been felled by the most inferior species with the stupidest and funniest cultures and traditions! Heavens guide me, you are one funny Goddess."
"You truly wanna go through this? I think I've wasted enough of my mouth to politely ask you to FUCK. OFF. There, I even wasted the effort to talk to you in a more local tongue."
"Geez, don't have to be so vulgar now. Come! I shall make you my wife! I assure you that you will no longer have to starve or have the need to sniff this dirty muddied town to find nourishment! I shall be a Master worthy of your love!"
Bahamut's black and rusted lantern then appears on her left hand as her gown and its design started glowing a dark red as if Magma was flowing inside it. On the other side of the villager house made out of flimsy wood where a Sergeant and the Lieutenant in charge of the patrol sees her turn into her true final form.
"I'm getting legit flashbacks from her Global Event."
"SHUT UP SERGEANT AND TELL EVERYONE TO HIDE! HIDEHIDEHIDEHIDE!"
The Platoons' worth of soldiers and a company of mindless skeletons with them takes cover. Bahamut then opens her right hand, a longsword made out of ancient steel and its blade burning as hot as her fire. Slinging the lantern to her gown, on her left hand, a violet transparent claymore burning of ruby red. With a swift slash with her ancient longsword, the two are transported into an open Labyrinth deep inside a massive blood red cave where one can hear the deafening sounds of the screams and cheers of the dead, those in pain and in joy.
Accompanying it was the rumble of a machine, as if they were inside a ginormous cave that was moving in all directions by massive gears. Any normal human or creature would've already gone crazy just from the sounds. But the man in front of her remained calm, with his fists clenched and a grin on his face and demonic horns visibly growing from his silky smooth hair.
"I see that you've brought us to Hell... but this isn't the Hell that I know of."
"This is the Hell of Tur, made by the fallen Angel of the one True God."
"It's good to see how the other Hells are doing. They have good decor, love the sound."
Bahamut picks up her Lantern and swings it. Opening dark portals around the man as shadowy horrifying mangled beasts and the mouth of a giant monster came out of it. But they were all punched and kicked back into their portals with no effort at all, the Demon man just fixed the tightness of his white gloves after punching the powerful monsters of the Abyss like they were nothing.
Taking advantage of the moment, Bahamut swings her swords at him. The man lifts his arms up in a cross and to her surprise, she only managed to shallowly scratch the man and soon, the wounds healed. Undoing all of her damage in a matter of seconds. He then returns with a swift punch which the woman blocks with her blade. Though he was faster, Bahamut had her conceptual swords with her, protecting and blocking all of the man's attacks, absorbing all of the blows as she's constantly sent back.
Around them were 12 large dark pillars akin to her earrings, from its top was blood spilling down into the fiery bloodset pool that spans all throughout the seemingly endless place of eternal punishment. Seeing that Bahamut wasn't playing, the man rips his cravat and vest off with his bare hands, his hair lengthens to his waist as he proudly taunts his perfect muscles on the woman with his beautiful long flowing hair blown by the incessant wind in the red cave.
He then goes into the offensive, throwing jabs and hooks at Bahamut who was inches from getting her head torn off by the immense power of the man's fist. Each blow would create a circular blastwave that would reach the cave's walls. Tearing down bits and pieces of it as it falls down into the pool of burning blood below.
Seeing his strats, she commands the burning flames of Hell to rise from the floating arena and her eyes change colors with thin red spirals around her pupil, inside the sclera. The Demon Lord feels the endless Mana around them all flowing to her, to combat it. He also takes it, halving everything. "Tsk! You annoying creature! I'll be sure to make you meet your Devil!" The burning flames of Hell arrive from below like a pressure hose was turned on and pointed at him, the scary flames that were emitting the sounds of eternal damnation squashes the man and overflows into the floating arena with Bahamut parting the demonic magma apart as it flowed to her.
With sheer strength and power, the man walks out of flowing hellish magma. With his skin perfectly intact through with a bit of a tan. Bahamut's eyes squinted and his entire body was lit aflame and his white hair became a mess as she combusted the air around him. But he was even more powerful than before, and with a quick left hook. Smashes Bahamut's face into the ground as she leaves off a grunt from the sheer power the Demon Lord was exerting with one singular blow. Her pretty face making contact with the arena floor left a small crater.
"I didn't want to do that, but damn you're tough. The heck are you made out of?"
As the woman stood up, she pointed her longsword at him as roars of Dragons could be heard from afar. Farxious runs to her again, and this time, Bahamut blocks his blows and slashes him back. Leaving a large wound on his chest, even then. He was still grinning and smiling as it slowly healed.
"Your fucking dead! My great ancient swords Darkarth and Core shall turn you into mincemeat!"
Bahamut pins her transparent glasslike claymore into the ground and bursts of explosions come from the point of contact, throwing the man on the other end of the arena. She then points her longsword at him as he recovers from the sudden explosion.
"Nar'dl lee."
A giant blue laser comes out of the tip of her bright red longsword, punching a massive hole into the walls of Hell. She smiles but it was taken as she sees the man's long flowing hair right next to the tip of her sword, he had dodged it entirely and was right in front of her in a matter of a second. "Tsk!" Her attempt to turn her weapon was far too late and with his hand, pushed its direction downward. Her laser destroying the floating arena they were on prompted the two to pop out their wings.
With her dark glistening armored wings out, Bahamut sporadically looks around for the man and finally finds him as roars of Dragons come closer and closer. The man was flying around at lightspeed with nothing but mere magic. Giving chase, the two's fight ends up deeper into the caves of Hell where the hands of those sent to punishment reach out to grab them.
Soon, the caves rumble as a horde of skeletal dragons came barreling through the entrances and exits, all of them aimed at him like a rocket. Seeing the Dragons, the Demon Lord twists and does barrel rolls, passing through the undead dragons that came to the call of their Goddess, inches from getting his lower half completely bitten off. Soon, the dead Dragon Lords appeared, planning on ending this once and for all as the golden and godly eyes of the mighty beasts locked onto him.
As he is in a humanoid body, the Demon Lord flies straight into their mouth and with a singular punch, turns their bones into dust. The giant undead dragons were unable to bite him and the smaller ones collided with each other from the lack of space as he was slowly getting piled on by the mighty beasts that even after death, proudly followed the order of Bahamut.
"Dre Vogh Umft Freaya!"
A massive flow of explosions then came, like a super volcano went off. The Demon Lord was unable to escape it as he was burnt to the bones for a few seconds. The undead dragons fall into the pool of burning blood below, screaming to their Goddess "Bahamut! Tundus Droh! Droh Ceanlus'shush! Frorr Dre Depus 'ftte Rah korre! Harr ma' ror!" with the last of their souls, the mighty dragons proudly roar to show their eternal fealty to her.
Bahamut then hovers right above their sinking skeletons and bows in respect. "Drohuss, Il ket cou hou dre kreitz 'ft."
"Ahhhh... Bahamut... Reite' ift hum!"
As their skeletons sank, Demon Lord Farxious crossed his arms, all healed up and as manly as ever. As if he was standing on solid ground, je spread his legs. "My turn. True Demon Magic, Arts of Hell. Awaken, Megademon, Asunder to me!" The very cave of Hell shakes and awakens was a five hundred foot tall demon from the burning blood pool.
"You fool! Why have you awakened a Demon that took thousands of Dragons to kill!"
"Then give up now. Even here, the Demons know of my authority."
"As if!"
As she flew to him, the Megademon was fast and clipped her wings. This prompted her to dig her two swords into its metallic chest. Its giant hand quickly enclosed her, like a man squishing an annoying mosquito. Bahamut, seeing no other option, jumps from its chest as Farxcious dives to intercept her midjump. But her reflexes were just as fast and dodged him as her fist made contact with its giant hand.
"RAHHHHHHH!"
Her scream echoed through the cave as it slowly pushed the Megademons hand away and with her magic, summoned her two swords back. In the nick of time to block the Demon Lord's renewed attacks. His combination was far too quick now, with his legs, elbows and hands all working to overwhelm her. With the powerful ancient swords, the Dragon God speaks once again. "Sunnd'Urt!". A blinding flash of white light was omitted from where her two swords met as it blocked the Demon Lord's hand, what followed afterward as an explosion that shook Hell itself.
The explosion was so powerful that the ground was cleared of Hellish Magma and a large circular crater was created where everything was annihilated in a microsecond. Knowing her opponent, Bahamut looks around and finds the Demon Lord all alive but burnt to a crisp as the Megademon had only its sizzling legs left from the fission explosion.
She rushes to him just for the Demon Lord to punch her straight into the stomach out of nowhere, still having much of his immense strength with him. This sends her to the ceiling and the man flies to her, punching her again and this one was so powerful that it sent her flying deeper into the ceiling of Hell. This was then followed by another punch, the strong Devilish fist of the Demon made her vomit sparkling and glistening red blood and through the eternal darkness outside of Hell, the two were then transported into an endless sky with clouds everywhere.
Farxious is taken out of the fight as Bahamut is gone. Panting heavily, he revealed his black vulture-like wings, the striking middle aged man looked around and was met with nothing but an endless sky and for the first time in a long while. He felt at peace, the atmosphere was enough to overtake him and he relaxed his clenched fist as a flying kick hit him from behind.
Bahamut's dress has changed, and she looked far more radiant than ever. With a bright white gown and a holy crown and a transparent veil, fully showing her pale skin and Godly beauty. The woman was hitting three times heavier and the Demon Lord was having a harder and harder time to dodge and protect himself from her hands. She then followed it up with combinations, bruising the Demon Lord to the point his healing was slowing down.
The woman with her power all out for the angels and Gods to see was diligently and enthusiastically beating the living shit out of the Demon Lord. But even at this form, she was unable to fully disable the man as he found her pattern and quickly blocked her successive attacks. He then forms his hand as if he was holding the handle of a sword and appears as a shadowy greatsword and Bahamut pulls out Core, her transparent claymore and the two's blades sent massive blastwaves as if two immovable objects met each other at lightning speed.
Clouds from all directions were sent far away from the powerful blows from the two inhuman creatures. Clearing Heaven of its clouds and leaving the clear sky for the two to continue their Godly fight. Bahamut was relentless, swinging her sword and letting flying blades of ruby red fire hit the man.
"That's the spirit Goddess! I never knew I'd be in Heaven once again! To the Twelve remaining Gods of Threa! Look upon this beautiful and wonderful woman and her power! Know that your strength is not eternal and far more powerful creatures are out there! You shall not play the world of mortals to your sways, your faith are all sealed like the ones before you!"
"SHUT UP!"
Bahamut's voice has changed to that of a Goddess, her tone and appellations carried weight and the utterance of the word when heard by one's ear commands the very soul to obey and kneel to her demands.
"Hah! I love women like you!"
Their blades collide once again, causing another blastwave to be sent. Out of nowhere, Angels wearing golden armor with golden wings come to the two, disturbed with the two fighting it out in their realm.
"HEAR ME!"
With a face of eternal youth, the Angelic Knight embeds his sword on top of a cloud he bought and the shockwave was enough to take the two's attention.
"Why hath thou trespass into this holy realm? BEGONE!"
Back in Threa, the only evidence of them left was the footprints of their shoes. Demon Lord Farxious' boots and Bahamut's heels. One of the soldiers touches it with his combat gloves and shakes his head.
"I think we lost Bahamut, Lieutenant."
"What? Do you know how useful she'll be when the End comes?!"
"The footprint is a bit hot but that's all there is to it. I think it's a write off."
"Oh great, we lost one of the only existing Dragon Gods of Tur. Nice job everyone. This is going to be a pain to write a report on."
The ground then shakes and a dark portal opens, it spits out the two. All ragged and full of scratches.
"I concede!"
"G-good! You stupid Demon! For I need to rest!"
Bahamut was the first to stand up, walking to the road and picking up all of the produce that was left. She turns back into her dragon form and gobbles it all up. In a matter of minutes, she's eaten all of the food that was being sold. Regardless of its quality, she then spits at the still resting Demon Lord and flies to the top of a speeding M939. The vampire and elf soldier looks down on him.
"Well, at least you tried."
"I thought Dragons love to fight... My back hurts, vampire."
"That's the thing though. Since Bahamut already has a Master, it doesn't really matter. Unless you can truly one up her Master, which I was already questioning since he's a General or something."
"So... what should I do to make her mine...?"
"Defeat her Master. Though the Generals are mostly max Level Legend Titled. So that would be a very hard fight I'd imagine Annoying Maou."
A smack comes from the back of him. "WHAT THE FUC- Oh, General."
"That's General Davis to you nitwit. Back to your post. Are you aware that Bahamut's Master is a Five Star General?! Do you know what that could mean? Fuck off my face Lance Corporal."
"SIR YES SIR!"
He then squats right next to the wounded and shirtless Demon Lord who seems to be contemplating his life.
"Don't EVER, try that again. I swear, wherever you go. You fucking bring trouble Farxious. Do you know the amount of paperwork I had to do?! You're lucky we don't know how to kill you, and adding the fact that not even Bahamut can just means we'll have to treat you like the force of nature you are."
The well groomed General in his ACUs stands up. "Please. Stop being an asshole to my tanks and attack helicopters. If you want a fight, I can send you to a place or two."
Back at the airfield, Bahamut walks to the ATC and waits on its step for the next hour. The door opens and she awakens. Met with her G-man Harken with a high ranking officer next to him.
"Bahamut, meet Colonel Alexander. He is the commanding officer of the Third Joint Mechanized Brigade."
"Nice to meet ya'. Names Alex, I'll get you folks there without a hitch. Most of the Labyrinth has been cleared anyways and the city all but dead."
"City?"
"Oh, I forgot to add that tidbit. But the Labyrinth was merely an entrance to an Ancient Dark Elf City named Iax. Now, don't quote me on that pronunciation. Dakian isn't really my specialty, even the Demons of the surrounding villages don't know how to pronounce it properly."
"Please just get on with it... I'm... I'm a bit tired."
"Okay okay, well. We have two problems. Two BIG problems actually. The Grand Hero Prince of James, Sigured is in there with the Great Hero Knight of the Wood Elves Sir Tresiua. As their titles said, they are both Heroes, same as the Sword Saint Elizabeth from our world."
"And I am guessing you want me and Rah Lee to fight them?"
"Rah Lee? Oh you mean Thorbolt. Ah well, if you can, yes. But we'd like to not level half the region. With snow fast approaching, and the mud mixing with it. We're expecting the entire offensive to grind to a screeching halt within the next few days. So if possible, just tell them to fuck off and let us do our job. They're being pricks and not letting anyone in."
"And would I be allowed to keep whatever I find?"
"Yes, please feel free to do so. It's not like we'll be here forever, so take whatever you want and scoot."
"Good."
The trip took thirty minutes. The road was in an extremely bad shape, the occasional corpse and mindless skeleton patrol was everywhere, the hybrids weren't standing a chance but there were abandoned M1A2 Abrams and T-90Ms on the sides of the road with their crews assessing the damage they've taken. One path even had a blown up M2A3 Bradley that was getting moved by a Wrecker. The road was so bumpy and full of craters that the MTVR would rock so violently, though the soldiers around Bahamut didn't complain. As her lump chest would bounce up and down and jiggle inside her tight gothic gown, making the trip less harder for the soldiers even though all of them were equally getting thrown about like toys but with a blush underneath their shemags.
Arriving at the site, armored Excavators and Bulldozers were working around the clock, manned by skeletons. Toiling away at excavating the site for any more entrances and ruins. The horses used by the Heroes entourage were getting rattled and spooked by the sight of the machines. Making a mess of the contents inside some of the carriages. Dropping the tailgate, the soldiers exit out. "Get away you mindless troglodyte!" Everyone's attention was taken by a man wearing a clear white robe with midnight blue lining who shoved a skeleton rifleman out of the way. The boneless man just stared and saluted.
"By the Gods! You are absolutely beautiful..."
"O-oh, thank you for the compliment."
Bahamut was shocked by his forwardness and lack of ability to read the room. Two Knights wearing the same armor of the Kingdom of James had to forcefully take him away, dragging him far from the truck as the group disembarked.
"Thorbolt, what was that about?"
"No idea Master, let us go. Bahamut, you too."
She nods and follows the two as the Colonel was saluted too by players and skeletons alike. Bahamut on the other hand could see big piles of golden vases and artifacts scattered outside the labyrinth doors. Already, she parts from the group to start ogling at them. Amazed at how shiny they are even after being left for years.
"As you can see, we're emptying this Labyrinth of all its belongings. After thoroughly going through the first and second floor, we guarantee all of your safety. Now, the third floor is the problem. We also think it's the last one."
Helicopters fly over them, heading straight North into where Bahamut heard and saw fighting.
"Now, your objective is quite simple." The young Colonel turns around and he immediately notices that Bahamut is far in the back, picking up a Chalice and filling it with rare Elven Rubies. "HEY! STOP THAT!" she was midway into getting another ruby when she stopped. "DROP THAT, AND GET OVER HERE!" the Colonel had to take his handkerchief out and start wiping his forehead of sweat. "Jesus Christ."
Bahamut joins the group again, in front of the five pillars of the giant structure, built into the side of a hill. The man in the white robe also joins with the two Knights. "Hey, you-" the Colonel angrily points at the robed man. "Yes you foreign son of a-" he shakes his head. Not understanding the language. "M-me no speak... no speak English." the Colonel just facepalms and continues with his briefing.
"Now, the objective here is to kill the Megademonus on the Third Floor."
"HUH?! AGAIN?!"
Everyone looked at Bahamut.
"I-i apologize. Carry one Colonel."
"Now, as I was saying. I advise you, most of all the two Dragons here, one Dragon Lord and one Dragon God to please. Do not level the entire region of Charai. If you can, keep the fight contained there. That is all. Follow the path with the Cones, it'll lead you to the last room with the two dunces holding off our soldiers."
Bahamut raises her hand.
"What?"
"Is this a Megademon like in the ones Tur?"
"No. It's something far scarier. At least the ones in Dark World were made by Hell and the Devil. This one was made by the Gods. Now, on me."
I thought things were bad enough in Tur. GAH! What is with this world?! But nonetheless. I must carry on for my Master's health. I cannot let this tire me, I've fought for a thousand years straight. This day shall be no other from when the great conflict of dragon and demon was happening. Now, how do I deal with this white robed man ogling at me? My senses have been detecting his gaze for the entire time now.
The group with some escort soldiers and the robed man walks into the Labyrinth. Inside, they met with a large lobby with Bobcats bulldozing fallen pillars. Its concrete wall had bullet holes and craters on it, while on the floor. There was dried blood and spent casings along with various melee weapons scattered everywhere. Walking to the middle, she could see it was the same one in the desert. After an hour of nonstop walking, they've only reached the second floor. The robed man the entire time was following them but with some distance. He suddenly gets a burst of confidence and walks up to Bahamut who was picking up random artifacts that have still not been picked up by the skeletons working on the labyrinth.
"Hello, my name is Scholar Greslou Lobry of the College of Archibald from the Eastern side of Grandure. I came to join His Majesty's Prince on his expedition to Schon. I mostly study Daemonium Insipiens but have taken a liking to Draco Sapiens, though the ones that call themselves Lords or Gods."
He puts his hand out, ready to shake hands. Bahamut could visibly be seen through her veil that she's trying hard to ignore the man. Though his height only reached her forehead, he was very forward with his soul and even the Dragon God couldn't resist his advances and shook the hand of the man. Dropping some of the artifacts she has collected.
"Bahamut, Dragon God of the Abyss, the Great Dragon that lies within the Void with breath that is death, and claws as sharp as a sword that's been folded for a thousand times and wings that could envelop entire mountains and valleys."
"W-wow! A real Dragon God! Can you answer some questions for me."
"Aaannddd... here we go. If they don't run for their lives, they ask questions. Alright, hit me."
"For someone wearing black gloves, your hands are very soft and your slender fingers too, your body, complexion and overall look seems to have been carved by the Gods themselves."
"Thank you for the compliment. But please do not touch my hands."
"So, so, so... uhh yea." He swings his pouch and opens it. Bringing out a notepad and a quill that he dips on an ink bottle that's somehow stayed upright after all the walking. "So, what's your age?"
"Don't remember."
"Okay, powers?'
"Too many."
"How many inches are those heels?"
"Four."
"Uh huh."
"Wait, how is that relevant?'
"Is that black gown you're currently wearing the only thing you have?"
"No, I have many others. White ones too."
"And are those stockings or pantyhose?"
"Stockings with a garter."
"Uh huh."
"Was that question relevant to me being a Dragon God?"
"Does having those straight bangs right above your eyes impede your sight?"
"No, because I can actually fight with my eyes closed as I mostly use the air to find out the location of my enemies."
"Favorite food?"
"Beef with Gravy and Carbonara."
"What's a Carbonara?"
"It's a Pasta from my... just get on with it."
"Do you know your current height?"
"Six foot five, six foot nine with heels."
"What's your opinion with the current status of the world?"
"None, as long as it doesn't impede me and my Master, I am happy."
"If you were to put your relationship with humans in one word, what would it be?"
"Mixed."
"And your Master?"
"Absolutely adore him."
"And what can you say is your weakness?"
"My pride."
"Pride? But how can you have pride when you're under a mortal man?"
"I do not give up easily. I also voluntarily applied to be under a mortal."
"What're your thoughts on the Vampires and the Demons?"
"Vampires smell good, I have no problem with them other than their egos. Demons don't smell good. Their villages and towns are also very disgusting and their food... well the vegetables taste pretty good and there are those who have tried to battle me and make me their wife which I hate even more."
"And what do you think of the current Pope and his stance of making an alliance with the Demon race and employing their powers to help us in the upcoming awakening of the forces of Hell?"
"That's a thing? Hmmm..." while walking forward, she puts her hand up her chin and starts rubbing it. Her hand then moves to the top of her head, scratching the top of her head. "I think it's a good move... but this is more complex than just that. I've traveled for months with my Master and two Vampires and from all I've seen, there is too much of a divide in this world to create just a union. The Pope, who may be doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but he cannot win over the majority and might also get his own power and position exposed and overthrown."
"And as an Outworlder, why do you think there is so much division between the many races of Threa? Do you think humans may change this?"
"Same as back in my world of Tur. There are differences in power, lifespan, and capability. Humans by all means are the weakest of all the races but their determination and willingness is unmatched and their numbers usually dwarf all of the other races."
"I see, I see."
"And if I was going to be truthful, a human would be the least on my list of potential Masters. They die easily and are fragile meatbags. Unlike the Vampires, Dragons or Elves. But they have something the other races don't."
"Really?"
"Love. Love beyond that of normalcy. Though the Vampires may also be like this, human love has something pure and unrefined about it. As much as there hate and anger and when my Master complimented how I looked when I was in the desert... it made me feel bubbles in my body. It was very strange, but I do not detest it. Human morals and cultures are very... weird."
The man in the robe could see Bahamut's big smile underneath the veil and just nods in approval.
"And what underwear do you use?"
"A black high waist thon- Wait a sec..."
Thorbolt butts in between the two, calmly looking back with a big smile. As if he has been watching a show for the last few minutes.
"Alright you two, we'll soon be arriving in the city. Don't touch anything, the Colonel said that it might still be booby trapped. And most of all, follow the path. This city is a complex cave system that has still not been fully mapped and might never be."
"Finally! I loathe that snobby rich Prince! How dare he not let a scholar in!"
"He was just concerned for you. I'm sure."
"How can you tell?"
"You literally walked up and conversed with a Dragon God without respect. You know, back then doing such a thing would immediately mean a fight which is instant death. The fact that out of all the Dragon Gods, it's Bahamut whom you did that too, I'm just surprised how soft she's gotten."
"Ree Yah, it doesn't matter. I've settled into Human nature and their overt friendliness to dangerous things. And also annoying ones, I have only my Master to thank. Seeing him deal with all sorts of creatures with patience has helped me control mine."
"Ahahahaha! For a Fossil, you sure have gotten in love with the humans."
With her arms crossed, Bahamut stares intensely at Thorbolt. Making him feel the shivers she was sending down his spine. His body goes into alert. Making him involuntarily look forward and act like nothing. Going down a massive spiral staircase with chains and metal bars, the group reached the outskirts of the city. It was located in a massive underground tunnel that could easily fit a modern city.
The structures were rectangular but didn't go higher than three floors. The only structures that surpassed them were the guard towers that were also made out of a strange black metal that doesn't shine but also doesn't rust. Many of the houses still had their lights on, even though they should've been long abandoned.
"Okay. Follow me, and only me. Do not wander off anywhere else." the Colonel looks at Bahamut which catches his stare. "What?" After a sigh, the Colonel stares back at her. "Do not touch or take anything shiny." The tired Officer then walks to the back and grabs the Professor by the collar of his robe. "HEY! LET GO OF ME!"
Dragging the man, his Knights didn't even protest and let the Colonel do his thing. Dragging him through the stonepath as they crossed into the underground metropolis. Bahamut was amazed by it, knowing that only the humans from her world were capable of such builds. But the Dark Elves of the old have seemingly mastered it and even beyond.
"We still have no idea how the lights are turned on. By checking the interior of one of the structures, you can find circular shaped glass on the ceiling, like the ones we have with electric light bulbs. The difference here is that the lights can be turned on by a flick of your finger."
"Colonel sir, is there by any chance that the Dark Elves have mastered technology beyond that of the High Elves?"
"Well Sergeant Santiago. That may be the case, but talking to our Elven players. They've reported something similar in the cities of the Empire. One could theorize that these two races had some sort of a relation... technologically."
"And their economy?"
The Colonel points at the walls far far away where shimmering light could be visibly seen.
"Rare Earth materials. This cave system that we might never truly map out as its vast and a true maze that will take us humans months to walk through. Mapping it will be a whole other basket of apples and oranges. Apart from that, they also seem to be in the Wine business as we found underground Vineyards in some of the areas. But unlike the Vampires that transports them through barrels and lets the current deliver it. These Dark Elves have used piping that reaches into unknown labyrinths."
In the back of the group, Bahamut couldn't help staring at the various shiny objects inside the houses. There were rings and earrings left behind by the former habitants of the city. Never to be returned to its owners. Seeking inside one, she takes one shiny stone and proceeds to hide it inside her personal warp portal.
"Okay, from here, we'll be turning right. Keep close as this place is crazy."
The Colonel turns, following the signs and cones laid down by the skeletons. The city was large, and the cave, even larger. The stone path was properly built, able to withstand years and years of neglect as moss and leaves try to seep through the cracks unsuccessfully. And a familiar sight hits Bahamut, the street had lampposts, properly lined up, ten meters apart and through the ceiling, some parts of it had large openings that let the natural light pass through.
On the West of the city was a cave Port that has wrecked iron boats and ships, all sunken due to being left behind and never maintained. Soon, the Colonel takes them to a service tunnel with labels written in Ancient Dakian. Walking through the narrow path sends them to the heart of the city. Where skeletons in construction uniform complete with hard hats and high visibility vests slowly dig out the remains of what seems to be a large ornamental ball with floating spheres around it.
"And this here, we call the Core. But don't confuse it with the Mana Cores back in our cities and ones we used to shit out mindless goons like the skeleton army. This is an entirely different beast. This is not a construct of Mana only, but something that uses a smaller power source but through mechanical energy, multiplies it into a large enough source to power this entire city that is by the way, three miles long and two miles wide."
One of the skeletons opens a bulk door which leads them further down and through the destroyed defenses comes skeleton soldiers. With ragged Kevlar vests and dusty M4A1s. The mindless constructs just stared and saluted at the group as they passed them.
"Now, this part seems to be a continuation of the Labyrinth. It seems that the Dark Elves built that city up there in the mid section. Now here we are, on the Fourth floor I guess. But we call it Third since there aren't really any signs that say it's a lower floor."
After weaving through some armored corridors with bronze and the strange dark steel used as walls and ceilings they arrive in another open cave. It was so large that far above the ceiling were rays of light punching through the soil and rock above. Water was also flowing through the cave, dividing it in two and on the end of it was a large metal door with defenses set up. The cave seemed to be a world of its own, a beautiful and sacred place that's been built on by imperfect hands. On their side were sandbags and spotlights while on the other side were transparent walls made from magic. Skeleton soldiers had .50 M2HBs set up with SMAWs while the Heroes had their mighty and powerful companions guarding the entrance with them.
"And there we have Grand Prince Sigured in his blindingly shiny Knight armor and his lackey Tresiua equipped with an also stupidly shiny golden chainmail. Good luck, Imma sit down on this trusty ole Military grade plastic chair and some beer."
The Colonel veers off and sits down in front of a tent with a pack of Beer while the group continues walking down. He puts his right feet above his left leg and cheers the group with his bottle. Passing the bridge and into the frontline between the two groups.
"Miss Bahamut."
"Just call me Bahamut mortal."
"Okay, how long have you known Thorbolt?"
"Thorbolt? Ah, why must you make me reminisce. When was it? In the Garden of Folly? Or was it on the boundary of Life and Void?"
"Neither, we met at the base of a volcano island. You were depressed about Dragons changing into human form and I gave you a visit. Wahahaha!"
"N-no it wasn't... it surely wasn't..." shocked at her memory failed her. She starts thinking immediately, her head looking up and down from the shock. "Am I... getting old?!"
Santiago could only look with a blank face. "N-no. You're a Dragon God..."
"Bahamut, as I say, you're practically Fossil!"
"GRRRR..." Bahamut once again intimidates Thorbolt. Making the man playfully run in his suit of armor as the Dragon God reveals the four fangs in her mouth. Two on the top jaw and another two on the bottom jaw. They were incredibly sharp, but were compact enough like that of a Vampires. Way behind the group, the Professor sneaks out of the tent as the Colonel laughs at the show.