Phoenix Phire

Eron has cast [Twisted View][Flash].

The breach disappeared suddenly, Ethoryst skidded to a stop, his eyes widened in disbelief. An instant later, a brilliant light flashed.

Ethoryst has resisted blind.

Toxin has cast [Poison Chains].

A thick, linked, black chain shot forward from the Su'Dhassi's shield. It wrapped around the torso of Ethoryst, binding him in place.

[Poison Chain] has added three poison counters onto Ethoryst.

Morti turned back toward the dragon and charged with a roar that shook the cavern. The dragon seemed to freeze in place for a moment.

[Summon: Dragon Armor][Absolute Shield][Quick Heal]

Critical Interrupt!

Mortimer charged through the dragon, impaling him on one of his shoulder spikes before slamming him into the wall. He pushed the dragon away from him with a swat that spun him around, splashing blood onto the rock floor when his spike was wrenched free. "BEAR SLAP!"

Ethoryst has received a mortal wound.

Ethoryst has been stunned.

[Summary Execution: Silver Dread Flames]

Nix appeared at the side of the spatial dragon with a single silver flamed blade. Striking through the target, the blade flashed outward before burning out. Ethoryst's eyes went wide with horror for a moment before rolling back in his head. The dragon's head fells slowly backward and landed on the cavern floor with a loud thump. The body stood for several seconds before it too collapsed.

Ethoryst the Dragon has been slain by Nix.

You have recovered Ethoryst's Rubicon.

All members of your raid have been given the Dragon Slayer title.

All members of your raid have learned a new ability [Escape].

[Escape]

Spatial Spell: Dragon Race

Description: Escape doesn't require mana and may be used while under the influence of controlling effects. The human variant of this spell requires the caster to sacrifice all but one of his health points. This spell returns you to your binding point.

Nix read the description; like everyone else in the raid, he was smiling.

/Alpha: Nix: It's an Oh shit, spell.

/Alpha: Eri: Oh shit?

/Alpha: Pon: Yeah. Oh shit, I'm getting my ass kicked. Time to get out of here.

/Sand Killers: Toxin: What was that?

/Sand Killers: Brell: Chain stuns, dread flame, and a Titan Tank.

/Sand Killers: Eri: Now we know. Inferno can kill dragons.

The air shimmered on one side of the cavern, the illusion covering the breach faded away.

/Alpha: Nix: That was an illusion?

/Alpha: Eron: Of course. I can't counter a dragon's spell. I merely created an image in front of it. He was so rattled that he didn't realize it.

Nix bent down and picked up the head by the hair. "This fight would have been different if he had summoned his armor right away. Come with me, Morti. The rest of you stay here."

/Alpha: Semmi: There's more loot on the corpse. I'll delve it out.

/Alpha: Nix: Make sure our new friends benefit. Good job, Sand Killers. You passed the interview.

The gate had been opened in front of the Council building for a handful of minutes. Students were crowding around, talking loudly amongst themselves while the council was being notified.

Maric leaned on his elbows, enjoying the sun on his face and a moment of peace away from his roommates. His once large room had been effectively divided in two, with dividers put up for privacy. He'd been watching the event since the breach opened up. That particular area would be considered off-limits for breaches; most dragons would know that.

"Hey, Mar!" Lulu slid open the door that led to their dorm room and stepped onto the balcony. "What ya looking at?"

"Don't call me, Mar." For a brief moment, Maric considered ignoring the orange-haired troublemaker. "Someone opened a breach in front of the Council Building."

"Think it's the Rat-King?" Lulu budged in beside him, jostling him even though there was plenty of room. "Has anyone come out?"

"No. The breach has been there for several minutes." Maric was about to leave the balcony when the doors to the Council Building opened up. Three dragons headed down the marble steps toward the breach.

"Seti is the one in the middle. Not sure about the other two." Lulu brought up her Academy hud and started reading. "It's Crahz and Picoli; both of them are fire heads."

Seti stopped at the base of the steps, two meters away from the gate. She studied it for several moments. Gates were unique to dragons, although the Breach Commander ability could have human variants, even that was easily discernable. "Dragon made, most likely by an expert Spatial Mage."

The breach shimmered slightly as two figures exited. The effect on the surrounding crowd was immediate. A monstrous-looking bear with bone spikes jutting out of its shoulders towered over his companion, a dark-haired man wearing green armor. The two stood motionless in front of the council members for a long moment.

"I better not hear anything else regarding, Fey the Silver." Nix tossed the horned head of Ethoryst onto the ground in front of them. "Come after my family again, and I won't stop with a couple of dead dragons and some lost dragon marrow."

Seti stared at the head of Ethoryst. He had been a talented Spatial Mage, but not especially dangerous as a fighter. Gharon the Black was a different story though, the formidable dragon had been torn apart, and his heart consumed.

Morti reared back on his hind legs, causing the crowd to retreat several steps. "They aren't agreeing. We should swat them."

Seti held up a hand, a slight frown on her pale face. "You have made your point, Guild Leader Nix. Consider the matter dropped."

Nix nodded and turned back toward the Breach. The Titan cub waited to make sure no one moved before following.

Nix paused at the Breach and looked back. "You got rid of the bells? Too bad... They were kinda fun."

"Bells?" Seti's hand touched one of her horns. She didn't wear them often, mostly because Gharon had told her they were unbecoming of a dragon.

The duo exited through the breach; a moment later, it closed, leaving the entire courtyard in silence.

Lulu covered Maric's mouth with her hand, in case he was tempted to speak out. "Don't say anything until we get inside."

***********

"You have Ethoryst's rubicon? May I see it?" Sinfaya leaned forward slightly, her face showing obvious excitement.

Nix nodded and handed it to her. It was appeared to be a small metallic cube. "What's it for?"

"You'd love it." Sinfaya turned it over in her hand, studying the surface. "It's a personal space, time runs much slower in these."

Nix shrugged slightly. "Why would I care about that? I suppose I could nap in it..."

"Nap? This is for crafters! I'm not sure what the time ratio is since Ethoryst was very talented, it's probably 5:1." Sinfaya smiled suddenly. "May I take a look?"

Nix nodded. "Sure. Better you than me." The sentence had barely left his mouth when Sinfaya disappeared from sight. Neither she nor the rubicon was visible. He checked her guild status; it was listed as 'unavailable.'

Sinfaya reappeared two minutes later, her face showing disgust. "It's full of rats, Nix. You should get rid of them."

"Rats? What are they doing?"

"Nothing. Sitting there quietly while waiting."

Nix pursed his lips slightly. His rat army was in the rubicon. "Tell me everything I need to know."

Sinfaya took a seat at the kitchen island. Nix had asked her to meet him at the Turtle House. The only other person in the home was upstairs sleeping. "You can spend an hour a day in the rubicon. While one hour passes on the outside, it will be five hours for the person inside."

"Ethoryst stayed a lot longer than that." Nix frowned at the words; no one would be happy if his rat army were set loose in Haven.

"The rules are different for Heroes. Ethoryst could stay longer because he made it; he could likely stay more than a month."

"So I'm limited to an hour a day, which will be five inside. What about the rats?"

Sinfaya shook her head slightly. "It's likely they'll never leave unless you make them."

"Huh? No limit?"

Sinfaya handed him the rubicon. "Since they aren't sentient creatures, their stay might be indefinite. You should claim ownership immediately."

Nix nodded and held the rubicon in his palm.

[Do you wish to claim ownership of Ethoryst's Rubicon?]

"Yes."

Nix's Rubicon: Bound

Description: A small space made for crafting. This rubicon was created using higher magic. The inside dimensions measure one square kilometer. Structures may be built inside, non-sentient creatures may be stored for up to 30 days.

"Shit... That's not permanent."

"I guess not," Sinfaya shrugged helplessly and held out her hand.

Nix looked at her hand and then back at her. "What?"

"Now that you claimed it, only you can access it. There should be an icon on your hud." Sinfaya kept her hand extended. "Now, I can't enter unless you bring me with you."

"Oh." Nix gripped her hand and activated the small rubicon icon that appeared on his hud. "Let's go then."

Nix found himself standing near a large pond, green grass extended outward for a dozen meters before leading to a dense forest. "That looks further than a square kilometer."

"It's an illusion. If you walk in one direction, you will eventually end up where you started."

Nix laughed suddenly. "So no running into walls? I can put a workbench over there near the water, me and the old bastard can drink... I mean do some crafting."

"You'll have to enable outside communication. Otherwise, we won't be able to contact you until you leave."

Nix grinned at the thought. "I see. No pests bothering me for five hours. Woah..." He had missed the rats when he first glanced because they were sitting in taller grass. They stood in four equally divided groups with a single large one in front. "Looks like a formation."

Sinfaya stared at the Inferno Leader. She quickly learned that he joked quite a bit. The problem was that it was nearly impossible to know when he was serious. "You should evict them at once."

Nix shook his head. "Know what a million rats could do? Whatever the fuck they wanted." He laughed maniacally for a moment before calming down. "The Rat-King is mighty."

"So the rats are staying?"

Nix nodded. "Gotta get more, maybe promote a General. Bet the General is bad-ass."

"We have to hold hands again when exiting. Otherwise, I'll be stuck here until the timer runs out."

Nix held out his hand. "Thanks for the help."