Chapter 49

  With the latest turn completed, it was time for the newest Mun Mikael had summoned to act. Based on its speed, it hadn’t gotten to go during the last turn when it was summoned, since it needed to wait for the new turn order apparently. Which… continued to baffle me, appearance wise. Mikael’s Muns made no sense. How the hell was the Titanic Wall-Rus the fastest Mun on the battlefield right now?

  Just like everything else that had been summoned so far, it was obnoxiously large. Not as big as the Wealth Cashfish, mind you, but of greater size than the Herculean Diamond Beetle had been. As its name implied, it was derived from a Walrus… if the arctic type mammals were covered in metal plating, had massive shield like portions on its front flippers, and tusks made of pure ice. Looking over the creature, a strange mixture of like, ship style grey steel, and ice and snow, given the tusks, its tail flippers, and what looked like the ice protruding from its back… I half expected Celine Dion to start singing in the arena.

  At this point in time, I didn’t expect Mikael to speak, and of course, he didn’t disappoint. He just pointed, directing his Muns silently, wordlessly, almost devoid of emotion. As if this battle was just an annoyance he needed to complete, before he could leave. Was he trying to avoid the cult? Or did he have other reasons for his strange mannerisms and clothing choice?

  Either way, the battle didn’t give me time to ponder. The Wall-Rus brought its front flippers together, creating a massive wall angled in a way that reminded me of the ice breaker ships used in the arctic circle. Beneath it, a layer of ice formed under its body, in preparation for its attack. A second later, the Wall-Rus, with a might slam of its tail into the ground, was hurtling towards the Wealth Cashfish. It’s mighty front smashed into the gem covered fish, and stone fragments were sent scattering left and right following the collision, making it rain literal wealth all around the arena. The force of the blow rolled the Cashfish’s blobby body, but it managed to right itself with one of its bladed fins. I couldn’t see its health, but between the blowback from the explosion, the hit from the Fortoise, and now this, I was pretty sure it was hurting.

  The turn order shifted to the Lion King. Speaking of looking worse for wear, the poor regal creature had looked so… refreshed when it came out of the Wealth Cashfish, and yet now its head hung heavy, its breaths coming in pants, as saliva dripped from it’s open mouth. The poison was no doubt doing its work.

  “I’m sorry old friend,” Julius said to his Mun, as he surveyed the battlefield, “but I need to push you a little longer.” He made his decision. “King’s Mane Blast.” This time, the attack was directed towards the AX-Olotl. The Keeper was no doubt intent on keeping that Mun from using its devastating attack again. As before, the Lion King glowed as it channeled its power, before releasing the mighty attack at the AX-Olotl. The blast sent the creature flying back into the wall of the arena, where it’s wood covered body sent splinters flying, as a few of its axe’s shattered. When it hit the ground, it wobbled, clearly on its last legs, but, not yet finished. Somehow, that thing was both ridiculously tanky, and capable of causing a ton of damage.

  Julius frowned, glancing from the AX-Olotl to Mikael. But, he didn’t have time to say much, as Mikael’s Shifting Serpent was up once again, and he was already issuing it an order. It slithered away from the Wealth Cashfish, shifting smaller and smaller as it neared Julius’s newest Mun. Once it was barely the size of a bicycle, the serpent struck, biting into the flesh of the Mun, it’s tiny fangs penetrating flesh, to pump poison into this Mun as well. Though… unlike last time, the new Mun’s name didn’t turn sickly green, meaning it had resisted the poison.

  “Not a bad plan,” I said as I continued to watch. “Apply damage over time to eat away at Julius’s team, while also using attacks that hit multiple Mun’s per turn. It’s a solid strategy.”

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  “It is,” Guy agreed, as the Wealth Cashfish became the next Mun up. It once again gobbled up the Lion King and started to glow. Could it heal the Lion King of the poison? Or, was this just an attempt to keep it alive long enough to allow it use it’s powerful attack one last time? “Though I have a feeling neither has utilized their trump cards yet.”

  That was a fair assessment. Some people back home liked to open a battle with their strongest members of their team, to try and devastate and control the momentum from the start. Others saved their best for last, opting to just try and weaken their opponents enough that once their ringer came out, they could finish the battle with ease. I knew Guy was in the know when it came to Julius’s Muns, meaning he was definitely speaking the truth about the Keeper. But what about Mikael? Honestly, his AX-Olotl seemed like a pretty crucial part of his team. Was that not his best Mun?

  My pondering slowed as Julius’s fifth Mun was up. The one the Shifting Serpent had attempted to bite, yet failed to envenom. It was a in equal size to the Ancient Fortoise, though there was no siege town on its back. Instead, the Mun, called a Shimmering Snapper, had a shell that shone like a disco ball, so brightly that it actually hurt my eyes to look at it too long. It looked like a snapping turtle that someone had dipped in a freaking vat of prismatic paint, and then polished to a crystalline shine.

  “Radiant Flash,” Julius called out as he gave his Mun a command. It’s shell glowed brilliantly and began flashing strobing bits of light in all different colors. The rapid flashing effect was enough it should have come with a seizure warning, and bright enough it made everything seem like it was moving in that strange, stop-motion stutter style that was common in clubs and movies and haunted houses and such filled with darkness and strobe lights. Needless to say, I instantly began developing a headache but refused to look away.

  The skill’s effect was a no brainer, but proved to be a wise choice a moment later, as the AX-Olotl, which was definitely hurting, but not out of the fight, curled into its ball of death. It spun dangerously as it hurtled, rapidly and yet in a weird, slow motion way, towards the Wealth Cashfish. It cut into the Mun, but then, as it shifted and tried to find its next target, it completely missed the Shimmering Snapper, and instead crashed into the wall, forcing it to uncoil, and flop to the ground, dazed, and likely not long for this battle.

  The turn-order reset once more, and the Titanic Wall-Rus opened its shield like arms, reared back, and drove downwards with its ice tusks, looking like it intended to take a bite out of the Cashfish… before it missed. I knew first hand from a Halloween party a few years back that those damned strobe lights could really fuck with your depth perception. Beer pong, plus strobe lights, was the dumbest fucking idea ever…

  However, the strobing effect, while powerful, wasn’t broken. And Mikael didn’t seem worried about the attack. His shifting serpent struck again, and between its small stature, and its location practically underneath the massive snapping turtle, it had no trouble finding the mark. The Shimmering Snapper’s name turned green, and just like that, the Shimmering Snapper’s life was on a clock. The question now was, would Julius be able to finish off Mikael, before either of his two-poisoned Muns succumbed, and he had to bring out his final one?

  The Wealth Cashfish opened its mouth, letting the slightly refreshed Lion King out, though it was clear it was still hurting from the poison, though once again ready to attack. It just needed to survive till it’s next turn. Which also meant, Julius needed to deal with the AX-Oltol. Now.

  “Diamond Crush.” Julius ordered, and the Shimmering Snapper’s head shot outwards, extending much further than should have been natural, in the way snapping turtle necks strangely did. Unaffected by its own strobing back, I watched as the head practically blinked halfway across the battlefield to crunch down on the AX-Olotl. The mun was severed in two, it’s pieces fading into light that was returned to the crystal on Mikael’s gauntlet. With only one Mun left in reserves, Mikael didn’t even get a timer, his gauntlet glowed, and his sixth, and final Mun, was summoned.

  I blinked, as it took form, and blinked even more, my eyes watering from the strobing arena, as I read its name. Frost Fox. And then, I stopped blinking, as my eyes went wide. Because the turn order wasn’t done. It hadn’t reset. Somehow… some way… the Frost Fox was up. How… by all that made sense… was a Fox, which was the size of a, well, actual white fox, the slowest Mun on the battlefield?

  “Allow me to introduce,” Mikael began, his voice cold enough to send shivers down my spine, as a smile, a genuine smile, crossed his face. “my Ghost.”