Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Things had gotten very bad, very quickly. The Dragon King had trapped the adventurers in a cyclone of thrashing wind and proceeded to rain down devastating blows, claw strikes, energy blasts and powerful slams bombarded them from above. The gunslinger was the first to be downed. He sacrificed himself to protect the bard and was stamped out of existence by the King's claw. The ai's broken body lay half buried in the sand. Seiko dodged as best he could but was still caught by a claw to the sternum. He went sprawling into the sand. As he looked up, he was just able to dive out of the way of a heavy foot stomping down on where he'd just been. He desperately tried to think of a way out of the horrible situation.

Dammit Oaklee! Why did you have to get us mixed up in this?

Seiko charged a shot from the great bow to its max power, then released it directly at the Dragon King's heart. The arrow ripped through the air with ferocity but ricocheted off the black scales without leaving so much as a scratch. Without even acknowledging him, the monster turned its attention to the samurai. It was all she could do to defend against the onslaught. Her feet were pushed deeper into the sand as she parried one vicious swipe after another, but she was losing ground fast. The bard, coming to her aid, blasted sound waves from his guitar that formed sonic blasts. The concussive attack exploded against the creature's side. The impact was minimal but enough to draw its attention. They weren't hurting it and at their level, and one solid hit from the monster would be the end of the adventurers. Oaklee was swept up in the moment, frazzled by the chaos. She felt a twinge of guilt at the base of her skull for getting them into this mess. She tried to cast a spell but the enormous spiked tail caught her in the shoulder, sending her careening into a nearby dune. Seiko saw the cloud of dust burst up where she impacted.

"Oak! You good?!" He said, still firing at the giant beast.

"Honestly? Not Really?!" Oaklee shouted as she activated shadow step and shot out like a bullet between the massive legs of the monster to join Seiko. Another volley of sonic waves crashed against the hardened black scales. The bard was on the full offensive. The sound of his guitar playing made the whole encounter more epic. He shouted a battle hymn at the top of his lungs, amplifying the potency of his attacks further while he played, burning through his mana. His hands and arms glowed brightly as the spell did its work and his guitar strings began to burn red hot from the friction of his furious strumming. The melody emanating from the adventurer filled the air around them until it drowned out even the sand storm. The song crescendo-ed as it came to its peak, and flashes of arcane energy flew off of the bard in thick bolts of crimson lightning.

"I hope you enjoy my solo!!" The bard cried as he thrashed the final chord.

"Reaper Scythe Melody!"

A roiling, fearsome torrent of blackish red magic ripped through the air itself. The attack moved faster than sound, carving a deep gash through the sand and melting it into glass as it raced towards its target. The Dragon King raised all four arms to brace for the impact as the bard's attack smashed into the beast. Seiko was amazed to see that the wave of magic began to push back against the dragon king. It cracked into its scales as the monster's feet shifted backward from the force. In a final, intense explosion, The Reaper Scythe Melody surged forward and sliced clean through the Dragon King's arms, carving a large bloody gash into its chest. They were all stunned for a moment. Dumbstruck by the aftermath. The samurai let out a boisterous shout.

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about, you dumb garbage lizard!"

Feeling a semblance of hope for the first time against the Dragon King, the party rallied for another attack. Oaklee fired arcane blasts at its fresh wound. The Samurai jumped into the air to strike at the creature's face. She screamed like a maniac.