1024x1024 where you defend your central position from increasing Demon numbers and tiers. I will see how that lava works though, lmao. Might be a bit too much :^)
"GUUUURRYYAAAA-UUUURRUUUU!! Hrrrrr-chuuuraaaaAAHHHHHH-haaa-CHRRUUUU!! GYYYAHAAAAAA!!"
"Huhu. Figures. You want to see a Portal and the ruins just have to be the home of a huge monster by now."
"Swararararararaaaa!!"
"Grhh... Hydras and other Dragon-likes... You are going to be somewhat magic resistant, but then a well aimed.... FIRE STORM!! Hraa!"
"Fuuuraihaa!!!"
"Mrrh... Haaaa! Twin-headed! Here I thought the Portal was going to be a fluke! Now we are playing, guardian monster!!"
"GAAARAHA!!! HU-HUUU-KRRRYAAAAAH!!"
"So that... is.. grrh... Ha! It is going to be a liiitle MORE magic resistant... Huhu, I admit... hreh... a proper Zehibirian swordhand would be a plus in this... grrh.... situation! Mmmhhaaaa!! HEAT WAAAVE!!"
"Hrrrrr... Gurugugugug-SYEEERAAAAHAAAAA!! SUUUURUUUU..!"
"Whoa! Watch where you swing that-"
"GARAYAAAA-HRUUUU!! Kuuuuhruu..."
"-head... Huhu. Sorry, Hydra, but these were man-made temples. Our ceilings to do not accommodate your kind very well. You need to wait until something befalls us and then you can move in!"
"HUUURYAAAAA!! GAAAAAARAAAAA-SUUURYAAAAAFUURAAAAAAIHAAAAAAAA!! Chrrruuuu..!"
"Hrrrh... You are not afraid of Magic, I can tell, but good enough concentration of it still causes a lot of damage. You are no Dragon in the end. I can understand. You are... hraaa... fighting something or somebody I remind you of. Huhu. Apologies, but... gghhg... your clan must have been too dangerous.
"SLUUUUUURYAHAAAAA!!"
"Ghhh.... That... did nothing so.. Hraaaa... MMmmmmmmhmm....."
"Harararararararaaaaa-KYYYARAAAA!!"
"Eeeeex-"
"GROOOOOOOARRRRRR-FUUUURYAAARYUUUU-Haaaa-BURURURURURUUUU!!"
"Kuuh... Not... there.... Hraa.. You know well how to push a Magician into a corner. Nice thinking. But I would be careful about opening that maw!"
"Guuuraaaaa-ryaaaaaahaaaaa!! Haaa-chrrrr-SWYERAAWAAAARARAAA!"
"Haaa... Kch. Hydra! I just need to check the Portal, but if I am going to Seggesmund next then I suppose I need to develop a more monster hunting mindset!"
"Gyyooo... hrruuuu..."
"Are you... mhaa... familiar with the Zehibirian saying that the size of a tree tells nothing of its fruit? Well, you know what Monster Hunters say? So what. There is always a bigger monster! You are a warm-up! It has been a while since my Magic saw this level of combat and... hrrh... for some of us there are no spare Demon Generals... Huhuhu."
"Gyooo! Gyo-gyo-gyo-gyo-gyoooooaruuuuuAAAASRAAAAACHRAAAA!!"
"Come on! Closer! Closeeeer!"
"Fuuurahahahaaaa-gruuuuuuuuyaaahaaaa!!"
"Pincer attack! That is your advantage, normally, but you are getting too close to a Magician! I have TWO hands! Come on!! Open wide!"
"Frruhuhuuuu-rururururrururrraaa!! SCHHHRAAAAAA!!"
"Sorry! I know someone who can summon an explosion of pure Astral energy. No elements. Nobody gets it and yet she passed it as common knowledge. I am afraid you will have to do with a... huhuhu... watered down version!"
"HUUUUUURYAAAA-RUUUU!! SYEEEEERAAAWAAAAA!!"
"Let me free you from your ancestral grudge. Mmmmmmhaaaaa.... Closer. Mmmmhhhhh... haaaa... EEEEEEEEX-PLOOOOOSSSIOOOOONNN!!"
https://youtu.be/9hY_IioeEH4
"Archmagia Selestina. It is good to see you unharmed."
"Lord Commandant Willfore! Y-You are so quick! Well met!"
"Please raise, Archmagia. It will only feel like a moment before we make decisions together. Besides... ghh... This just makes me feel old. Hmmf."
"Oh ho ho ho! I would feel the same. Lord Commandant, you are not here to humor me though."
"Sometimes that is all we have, but to get back to what I want. Archmagia, the Captain filled me in on the details of your fight. Excellent work. The Demon General's army withdrew and we will honor the request of not pursuing them."
"Lord Commandant... He... Se- The Demon General, he fought... honorably."
"..."
"W-Well then, I..."
"No, I understand, Archmagia. I have been fighting Demons since the time I became a Knight. I do not understand what they are after, but I understand their mindset as confusing as it can be. At ease. I am sure they see it the same way."
"Thank you, Lord Commandant. Felling the Obsidian Dragon though, that takes-"
"Gah! Archmagia, I am also not here to exchange stories about myself. We all serve in our place, high or low, but what matters is being in the right place at the right time!"
"Indeed! Ahahaha! In that case, I need to make haste for the Crystal Tower. On my own if that is all right because... haaa... I have a lot to think about too... I... have never felt better and worse at the same time."
"Archmagia Selestina, if they ask then you have my vote."
"!!!"
"And they have to take your word for it for now. Which should not be a problem. Hahaha! Well, I am sure the other Archmagicians shall comply just the same. That leaves Grand Inquisitor Marcial, but I can speak-"
"Lord Commandant, thank you, but he is going to clean his glasses, give me a deep stare and then look at the floor and then at the ceiling and then just say: All right."
"Nwahahahaaaa! You do know him pretty well so I say the matter is settled. Goddess bless His Excellency's soul. He can be at peace."
"... I am sure he is... out there."
"Perhaps. Well now, if you require any Healing or Magic Potions then feel free to take some from my boys. Is there anything else you need, Archmagia Selestina?"
"As a matter of fact... I do need to request something."
"Do tell, Archmagia."
"Lord Commandant, please send a message to Archmagus Quint. He likes to politely boast about one of his student's progress and how we might be joined by another Archmagus. I have witnessed his talents, but also his own self. I would like Archmagus Quint to speed up that student's training. If he is truly that good then-"
"Tightening the grip a little should be well within his interest. By the Goddess, Archmagia!"
"Lord Commandant! That is it! Oh ho ho ho! Mmhm, perhaps you would do well, or your Paladins, to do the same sometime!"
"I can send a message by a Gargoyle, but Archmagia, I believe it is not going to be faster than-"
"DAMMIT!! Kasala durei! This is the SECOND POTION that ended up on my robes! Who bottled these potions!? Dra nabrak der kalah... Dammit..."
"Hrrh... Archmagia Selestina, those are emergency potions and therefore you are supposed to-"
"OUCH!! KESSELE NUBRA AJIT MALAR DER DUREI! It just hit me in the EYE! That is it!! I am taking sweetened Blue Jelly jam croissants instead! I know I smelled some around the camp! Lord Commandant, people really need to understand they are a GOOD healing alternative!"
"Grrh... As I was saying, Archmagia, I will send the message Gargoyle immediately. Hrhm. Please have a safe journey back. Even a low tier monster can surprise us when we expect it the least... Goddess bless, Archmagia Selestina."
"Mm... Goddesh blesh... mmhm... Lord, mhuum, Commandant!"
https://youtu.be/yGLh2CMvfYU
"SLLLLUUUUURRRRRuuuuruu... Giiiiiyiiyii-hyuu-rururururuuuu-krrrch...!"
"That is... one down. Wow."
"Gheh. Freighting, are they not?"
"Yeah... To think that Leviathans are a common sight too."
"Boy, you better get used to that if you want to stay on the sea. They are monsters and just as any monster they are here to stay. Common sight as Leviathans may be, nobody wants to encounter them. You are hardly alone at feeling that, boy. You can spend your whole life as a Captain and they will never be a pretty sight when you have passengers to protect. Goddess bless available Monster Hunters or any capable Knight or Magician."
"Those two were good, but I think they were performers doing their routine otherwise!"
"ANY strong fighter."
"Their eyes... They... Hrh... They unnerve me so much!! That... THAT GAZE!"
"Is terror what they want to instill in others or is it the gaze of a creature still locked in a fight it had long since lost?"
"Captain?"
"Look closely. They fight, but their eyes do not see the opponent nor their companions. It is a sad stare that sees a battlefield of some kind."
"What... do you m-mean?"
"Their heads. Do you not see it?"
"... They are ugly?"
"Boy!! What do you even know!? Hrrh."
"Kuuh... I-I KNOW that I do NOT wish to face one! C-Captain!"
"Gahahaha! Fair enough. Now look... Its head is all that remains of a former Dragon. The similarities are there and always have been. The rest is a grotesque sea monster. A shadow of their former might too."
"D-Dragons?? How... Whoa... What do DRAGONS have to do with Leviathans?? Old buddies??"
"Hrrh... I do not know. Tales speak of a powerful ancient warrior who banished an entire Dragon clan under the seas... and eventually what we call Leviathans emerged as almost mindless monsters."
"I-I see... And now we are paying that price... Huh."
"Boy. Perhaps a lesser price of what could have been if the clan was left rampaging the lands. That warrior probably made the choice he could."
"Captain..."
"Gah! It is all sea tales, boy! Do not get so worked up! Gahaha! One good thing is that if you beat them, the rest will leave you or the coastal town alone. For a while anyway. But you do need to kill them. Leviathans, they seem to remember their encounters and with a grudge. They will be back, relentlessly, for the ship or the town until one side wins."
"A Dragon's grudge..."
"Mrhm. Indeed. Perhaps."
"HLUUUUOOOORUUU-GYIARHAAAAHAHAAAA-SLUUURKRRRCHRAAA!!"
"W-What!? Water magic?? They... Khh... They can do that?"
"What? Do you think they are going to flail tentacles around whole day and let themselves be blasted by our Magic?"
"Kcch... It is just... too much."
"Gahaha! Well, some level of Water magic anyway. Water, Ice and toxic breath too. See that shiny large gem? That is how they do it."
"Magic stone?"
"Gheh. Sensible guess, my lad. But no. Something... else. They have been recovered before from dead Leviathans for study, but... They turn to foam quickly and seem to have no special use for us. However... they always looked different. Like each such gem is unique."
"Captain... Um... Well, that reminds me of what you um, said about-"
"CAPTAIN!! Guwiglys aboard!!"
"Here is your sword, boy. We need to leave the Archmagus to his own work now."
"Captain."
"If you survive an encounter with a Leviathan or two-"
"Or three..."
"-then that is nothing more than life on the sea. It should not be the same for those you ferry. You will do well to remember this."
https://youtu.be/V9p40zrpg7c
"Four months... It is not going to be four months, is it? Haaa... I wish they were not so tight-lipped on these matters. I am supposed to ask questions, but it loses its point when you are not supposed to get answers...
Pchh... He could have been well on his way to become the next Excellency and now he is... away. Far away. There is not... even much information on the place. Some very old Lizardfolk ruins? Allegedly very dangerous or that is what everyone says anyway. Am I supposed to take dead Monster Hunters as proof? The lot of them can be very crazy and take all sorts of risks!
Haaaa... Tt tt tt...tuuu... I do not know. Mmhmm... Her Excellency suddenly wanted to accelerate Lemrey's training back when she returned from the battle. He says it was surprising and he did everything as necessary, but... something tells me she learnt more than she should have. I admit... Haaa... I can understand why she would prefer to let Lemrey on a little more and now he was the best candidate to go... there. Where? Ruins? Nobody could explore them since the old times, but why now of all times?
I cannot even ask the Sage anymore. They say her mind cracked a little since mastering both Magic and Shamanism is such an absurd task to do well. She knew she was going to die and they thought she was just her. A misled warrior will kill her. Suddenly, she is dead and it was clear Her Excellency could no longer ignore... something. Mourn not my death as it will set us on a different path. Kch... I can understand why they thought the Sage was a little... off.
Come to think of it... She also had some interest in Mysticism. Was that her next target? Hrrgh... These people have nothing better to do. What would even happen? There is not a single record, as far as they go, that would mention anyone ever mastering all three. Impossible? Fair to say. Just like Miracles? Hm. It is not like I can ask the Goddess or... the Demon King.
His Excellency also apparently had interest in Mysticism later and he disappeared! Sheesh! There is either some relation or we are truly cursed by catastrophic coincidences.
If... Hmmmrh.... If they had named me the Excellency or at least the Region Inquisitor, I am sure I would have already cleared a lot up! Mmmmrhha! I should also further review the man's executions and circumstances surrounding them or anything similar that was going on at the time. Now we know it was the same person so... HOW!? If there ARE answers in this world, they might not always lie in Magic or Shamanism or anything close. He was driven... or is. There is no reason it stopped.
I feel like that moth. Maybe the light is right in front of me and I just keep bumping into something unseen. Like it into the magic stone lamp. Hrrh.
I am better than most and I do not make mistakes! Okay... I make SOME mistakes, but few and far between compared to practically anyone! Mmhm.
So I know I made the right choice and he is going to be fine. That is just the kind of guy he is. He would say: Of course, Lia. He knows I am right! Because I AM right!!
... Shame we can no longer use the title that once existed..."
https://youtu.be/T9T17pdMhrY
"Hoy-hoy! Wait up, cute face!"
"..."
"... Hraaaah!!"
"..."
"I said WAIT so... What. Part. Of WAIT is hard to understand!?"
"What do you want? Seems that you are not a Heretic after all."
"Bwahaha! I am whatever I decide to be when I wake up from a hangover, kiddo! Daaaaa-aaamn! You are CUTE!! That is the face of somebody hooked on the good stuff... but not my stuff. Landturtle milk?"
"Look, I have no time for this. Is there a point?"
"Grrrhaaaah!! Point? Huuhh? POINT?"
"You can slam the tree, but you do not scare me. I have no possessions you would want."
"Heh... Ooooh! Magic trinket! You are one of them! Bwahahahaaa! Another mage!"
"Perhaps I killed one and felt like wearing it."
"Suuuure you did. Honey, I was not born in sewers. That crap is personalized for all of ya and if you try something else you end up coughing up more blood than a milk-face trying out Zehibirian ale! I saw plenty of dimwits trying that out. Gah! Your Goddess sure sleeps around! Bwaahahaaa-haaa! How about you turn yourself into a frog or something? I would GLADLY turn you back! Bwahahahaaa!"
"I know no such transformation magic. Besides, Lady, what turns one back is the sudden surge of emotions or embarrassment a normal frog would not display. Nothing would happen if said frog was, let's say, NOT interested."
"... Ghh. Whatever, kiddo. Why are YOU even here? Should not... hrrh... Her Ex-whatchamacallit Cynthia? Tia?"
"Se-"
"Celestia! Should she not be the one here right now? What? Killed her Demon husband and now it is all paperwork? What a waste! I would have cared for him. Mmmhrh! You guys just end up dead."
"My apologies, but I have an immunity to Princesses."
"Ghh!!"
"That is no ordinary sword, Lady. Sure, you butchered the hilt, but that is a Upean royal weapon. I was not born in sewers. I was stationed in the castle for a while in the past as an instructor. Beautiful fruit gardens. Never saw anyone from the royal family, nor was allowed to wander inside, but I did see the royal weapons. Pure magic stone goodness. That alone does not carry a warrior though. Hmm. SOMEBODY disappeared and with that somebody one of the swords vanished too. No ordinary thief could have just slipped past that barrier."
"Youuu... Kuuuh!!"
"So how is it going to be, Your Highness? I have the strangest luck indeed. Oh! You do have me cornered. I can tell that if I make one bad move my bones end up twisted more than a Tartar's horns. However, I am an Archmagus. Combat specialist. I only need to lift my finger to vaporize you. I can also detonate this attuned magic stone and take a chunk of this clearing with us, but... but that would be a waste. Of the stone a special somone gifted me. On you."
"... Bwaahaha... Bwahahahhaaaaa... BWAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAA!! HAAAHAAHAAAAAA!!! Boooooooy! You have BALLS-"
"I do."
"-TALKING to me like this!! Graaahahaaaa!! Haaaa... Haaaa.... Kiddo! They are there all right. I do not know if they are functional, but they are there! Ghhh. I would not be much of a warrior if I could not see you got me beat on that. Bwahahaaaa! ... Gehehe. So where are you headed, Frog Prince?"
"Seggesmund."
"Come AGAIN!?"
"Seggesmund."
"WHAT!? Girlfriend left you and it is time to kill yourself or something!? Dimwit! Why is Tia's excellent ass not out there!?"
"Do you really believe that I would disclose anything more?"
"Hrrrh... Something is going on. I can tell. And it is not the alcohol that is terrible these days. Bwahaha. I will never understand you guys so I do it the right way. MY WAY. She told you to kill yourself, hon."
"Are you done?"
"Krrrgeh! Whatever. I tell you what. What ELSE is there to do anyway? Sounds important. I am looking for a Zehibirian badass and, allegedly, his just as powerhouse deranged Magia companion. I owe him. I want to lend my blade to his quest, but... Bwahahahaaaa!"
"Hm?"
"I will be there, kiddo. Do not die until then. AAAAAND when I arrive, I will bring... BY THE DEMONS... I will try to bring him along. You are getting the cavalry! Bwahahhaaa! Then we can all go in the blaze of glory! Gahahahaaaaaa!!"
"... I will not refuse the offer, but it is your choice, Your Highness."
"Grhh."
"Deal."
"Bwahahaaa! Now THAT is how we say it in Upea! DEAL!"
"Time is wasting as the Crystana saying goes."
"... See you around. Gehehe. You are banned from dying until then. See ya there, Frog Prince."
https://youtu.be/EPRKqA6gofM