The middle-aged man nodded. "Understood. I'm Simon, sort of a supervisor here. Hand me your Magus Card. I'll get your monthly stipend and robe."
Dunce quickly passed over the card, gratitude evident. "Thank you, Mr. Simon."
Simon glanced at the card. "Ah, Fire Affinity, like me. We should compare notes sometime. Feel at home here. Oh," he added with a chuckle, cutting off Dunce's respectful address, "and drop the 'mister'. I'm not *that* old yet!" He turned towards a counter, delivering the card to an attendant and speaking lowly.
Nearby Magi, chatting in small groups, offered Dunce friendly smiles. He returned them politely. Among them were four or five radiating the power of Grand Magi. One, a Water Grand Magus, murmured, "The Setting Sun Coven's been quieter lately. Wonder what vile scheme those bastards are brewing now."
A burly Earth Grand Magus in ochre robes snorted. "Hmph! Scum like that should've been wiped out eons ago."
"Now, now," cautioned the Water Magus. "Even the Setting Sun breeds a rare few non-monsters. But if they push us again, I'd bet my staff the Northern Alliance will make them regret it."
A younger, clearly arrogant Fire Senior Magus named Stella scoffed. "As if the Coven could stand against us! Just our unique Magus Legion alone would crush them."
The cautious Water Magus shook his head. "Tandor't underestimate them. The Coven might lack our numbers, but those deals with the underbelly – assassins, thieves, mercenaries for hire – that's bought them influence and gold. More than we possess, frankly. All-out war? The scales wouldn't tip easy."
A heavy silence fell. At the mention of assassins, cold fury ignited within Dunce. "The Killer Ninja?" he spat, hatred raw in his voice. "What's so great about them? I'll destroy that guild someday!"
All eyes snapped to Dunce. Stella clapped his shoulder, impressed. "Damn straight, kid! That's the spirit! Killer Ninja are nothing but backstabbing shadows. Mark my words, Stella wastes every last one I see!" Stella declared, puffing his chest.
The elder Water Magus sighed. "Passion is good, young man. But recklessness is deadly. The Killer Ninja' reach is vast and deep."
Stella gave a dismissive grunt, respecting the elder's position enough not to argue.
Suddenly, an ice-cold wave of murderous intent washed over them. A black blur flickered at the periphery. A poisoned shuriken, coated in a lethal purple sheen, aimed straight for Stella's throat. Impossible speed! "Look out!" Instinct took over. Dunce's Sheng Sheng Qi exploded outward. He moved like lightning, intercepting the projectile mid-air. *Ting!* His hand, wreathed in solid yellow light, snatched the shuriken mid-flight. Its wielder, clad head-to-toe in tight-fitting black, eyes like frozen steel, stared back. He yanked hard, but the blade remained trapped in Dunce's crushing grip.
"Killer Ninja!" several Magi cried out.
Seeing escape impossible, the assassin released his weapon and surged forward, trying to tackle Dunce. The Ninja Killer insult burned white-hot in Dunce's veins. He met the charge with a thunderous punch. The assassin's body twisted unnaturally, erupting in a cloud of smoke. Gone! Dunce blinked. *Behind!* Razor-sharp wind cut through the air. Too slow! Dunce sidestepped like mist. A poisoned spike grazed empty air. "Pathetic!" Dunce snarled, pouring Sheng Sheng power into the stolen shuriken. Solid energy tendrils lashed out, locking onto the assassin like physical chains. Pressure slammed down. The assassin stumbled, trapped. Dunce pivoted, the poisoned blade resting cold against the assassin's throat.
The entire exchange lasted seconds. Stella, finally processing his near-death, paled, sweat soaking his robe. He fumbled for a spell, only realizing the assassin was restrained by a *warrior*.
Dunce, breathing hard, demanded, "Ninja Killer? Tell me where your guild's base is! Talk, and you walk."
The assassin's eyes glinted with icy scorn. He *snorted*. Then, swift as his attack, he jerked his head sideways, driving his own throat onto the blade's lethal edge. *Ssshhhk!* Blood sprayed. Dunce recoiled, his body shielded by shimmering Sheng Sheng Qi but nausea churning his gut.
Stella, face still ashen, stumbled to Dunce's side, breathing hard. "Kid… thanks. That slimy bastard… you saved my life."
The Water Grand Magus thundered, "Outrageous! The Killer Ninja dare strike *here*, at the heart of the Magus Guild?!"
Simon rushed back, eyes grim at the dead assassin. He thrust a bundle into Dunce's hands – robe, stipend pouch, card. "Tandor't move. I'll inform the Guild Master." He vanished towards the rear chambers.
Stella crouched, yanking off the assassin's mask. An unremarkable face stared back, already purpling, the neck wound oozing thick, purple blood. Stella rifled through the corpse's clothes. A small black metal token clinked to the floor. One character etched onto it: **忍** (Ninja). "A Ninja Killer!" Stella gasped. "But why target *me*?"
Another Magus eyed Dunce curiously. "Young man, aren't you a guild member? You moved like a trained warrior."
Dunce scratched his head. "My magic… it's weak. Just basic fire stuff. I joined the guild for the stipend, really. I'm a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Combat arts are my main focus."
Heavenly Sword Sect! The atmosphere shifted instantly. Respect replaced puzzlement. While Magi often looked down on warriors, the Heavenly Sword Sect stood apart – the Northern Alliance's bedrock. Their Grandmaster's status dwarfed even kings. A disciple commanded instant reverence.
Stella's color returned. "Heavenly Sword? No wonder you move like that! Stella owes you one, brother. Count Stella in! We Magi stand strong with the Sect." His earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by gruff camaraderie.
A cold, mocking voice sliced through the air. "The Magus Guild? A joke. The Heavenly Sword's half-baked techniques? Worse. You all die today."
Heads snapped towards the entrance. Over twenty figures in black spilled in. Five wore dark, sinister-looking robes. The rest mirrored the dead assassin – Killer Ninja. They radiated menace. The wizarded gatekeeper watched impassively, showing no alarm.
The Water Grand Magus frowned. "Who dares defile this guild?!"
Two assassins peeled off, sealing the doors. The rest advanced. The central black-robed magus hissed, "Defile? We come to erase you. To purge this blight from the land." He raised a hand. "Now!"
Over a dozen assassins erupted into motion, shadows darting for the Magi – denying them time to chant.
Dunce knew the Magi's vulnerability. He surged ahead, intercepting them all. A blazing yellow energy sword solidified in his grasp. He swept it in a blinding arc, its Sheng Sheng power forming an impassable wall. Three assassins leading the charge hit the barrier head-on. *THOOM!* They flew backwards, broken. No more holding back! Dunce's blade became a cyclone of destruction. He moved like a ghost, meeting every thrust, parrying every slash. Steel screamed against solidified energy, shattering on impact. A dozen broken blades littered the floor. But the assassins were prepared, drawing secondary weapons – sickles, needles, claws – weaving a deadly net around him.
Dunce planted his feet. The silver Jin Shen within his core blazed. Pressure radiated from him, forcing the assassins back, wary.
Suddenly, thick black fog roiled out from the two flanking dark magi. It oozed towards Dunce like living shadow. *Dark magic!* Stellatled, Dunce leaped back, slamming both palms forward. White Sheng Sheng Qi surged, meeting the fog's edge. The impact was immense, jarring his bones. *Ugh!* He faltered. The assassins attacked. Senses dulled, his movements slowed. The energy sword flickered. Desperately, the Magi behind him unleashed a volley of counter-spells – fireballs, ice shards, wind blades – at the encroaching fog. The spells hit the darkness and vanished with a sizzle. Useless! The fog's weight pressed solely on Dunce. *It was strong!* The Magi's hasty spells, mid-level at best, couldn't dent this potent Dark Miasma.
The central dark magus chuckled dryly, raising a bony finger towards the assassin's corpse. He muttered harsh syllables. The dead assassin's body jerked upright, eyes vacant purple holes. Arms outstretched, it stumbled stiffly towards Dunce!
Horror gripped Dunce. Under the brutal assault, he snapped. "**Heaven Net, Earth Web!**" The yellow sword vanished. Arms became blurs, drawing intricate patterns in the air. Whip-thin tendrils of solidified golden energy – pure distilled power from Sheng Sheng Bian – shot forth, weaving a shimmering net across the hall! Killer Ninja scattered like roaches. One too slow was caught. The net pulsed. *CRUNCH-SPLATTER.* The assassin ceased to exist. The reanimated corpse met the same grisly end, shredded instantly. The corrosive black fog recoiled as if scalded by sunlight, dissolving rapidly wherever the golden filaments touched. *Proof indeed,* Dunce thought grimly, recalling his master's words – solidified Qi devoured magic. The net surged relentlessly towards the five magi at the door.
This Heaven Net, Earth Web was one of his Grandmaster's life-saving techniques. At his current level, Dunce could barely muster 30% of its true power, yet it remained devastating.
The lead dark magus hissed in surprise. From his robes, he drew a black orb veined with sickly red streaks. Clasping it, he formed an intricate seal with his other hand. "**By the Void, Answer!**" The orb cracked violently, disgorging a torrent of crimson vapor. The vapor shrieked with the sound of tormented souls, colliding head-on with the oncoming net.
*SSSSIZZZZZZZZZ!*
The energy net dimmed visibly. The crimson vapor dissipated. Agony ripped through Dunce as the collision resonated through his core. He tasted copper; blood sprayed from his lips. He barely reeled in the tattered remnants of his power. That desperate strike had cost him half his strength.
The dark magus leader snarled. He barked orders. The four magi beside him chanted rapidly, unleashing barrage after barrage of dark energy bolts – searing orbs of negation. They hissed through the air, forcing Dunce and the Magi into desperate defense. The remaining assassins held back, guarding the magi. The leader traced a claw-like symbol in the air. A jagged black tear opened like a wound in reality. From it, he withdrew a staff. It was grotesque – crafted from a single bone shaft taller than a man. At its apex sat a human skull, its empty sockets glowing with malevolent emerald fire. Unbeknownst to Dunce, this was the dreaded **Staff of the Unquiet Grave**.
The onslaught of dark bolts pinned everyone down. The Magi, though powerful, struggled. Their innate magic was inherently weaker against pure darkness. Each bolt dissipated sapped their reserves. Only Dunce's Sheng Sheng Bian energy shields held with some stability. The four chanting dark magi seemed inexhaustible.
Drained by the Heaven Net, Dunce felt his core dim. He formed small yellow Qi shields in each hand, bearing the brunt – shielding the Magi. 70% of the bolts hammered against him. He couldn't spare focus to stop the leader.
*"GRRRROOAAAR!!"*
Two furious bellows erupted outside! Seven or eight assassins peeled off to intercept the newcomers. Dunce glimpsed Rock and Dunce Power bursting onto the scene! They swung heavy weapons infused with battle rage, carving paths through the Killer Ninja. Impressive, but vastly outnumbered, they could only hold a bloody stalemate at the entrance.
The lead dark magus seemed oblivious. Slowly, ritualistically, he raised the Staff of the Unquiet Grave. A guttural chant, thick with power and blasphemy, echoed:
*"Souls trapped in shadow's deep embrace,*
*Heed my call from blackened space!*
*By dread Tistarel's baleful name,*
*Poured your hatred, stoke the flame!*
*Manifest! Feast! Claim this place!*
*GORGRON THAAL!"*
The staff's skull eyes blazed green. Sweeping the staff down, he inscribed a searing black pentagram onto the guild floor. Winds howled like lost spirits. Grotesque shapes clawed their way up from the inky symbol, drawn by the unholy chant. A skeletal warrior, bones stained black, clambered out first, wielding a jagged femur-sword. More followed – shambling zombies oozing corruption, then a towering dead warrior clad in phantom plate, crushing stone underfoot.
"By the Ancestors!" a voice choked out. "Demonic Call! You… dare utter that profanity?!"
The lead dark magus cackled, sounding more demon than human now. "Northern fools! Death awaits you all! Tistarel's wrath claims you! 'Profanity'? Here, *I* am the profane god! Pray to your pale deities now! They'll offer only dust!" He sagged, only held upright by an assassin. "The Abyss consumes your souls! Eternity in torment! HAHAHAHA!" The laughter was pure madness.
The first skeleton reached Dunce. The dark bolts ceased as the creatures advanced. Survival instinct flared. Dunce channeled blinding white Sheng Sheng Qi, forcing back the clinging dark aura. He drove his fist into the skull. *CRACK-POWDER!* Little Little Boneexploded.
But more poured forth. Seven, eight abominations clambered free.
*Whooooooosh!*
A wave of searing *violet* flame cascaded down from above! Intense heat scorched the emerging horrors. Foul smoke choked the air. The creatures turned to charred cinders. Dunce turned.
Near the rear entrance stood six elderly Magi. Their robes were immaculate, colors diverse. Fury etched deep lines on their faces. Power radiated from them like a physical force – **Grandmasters!** They chanted in low, resonant unison, preparing something colossal.
The lead dark magus paled beneath his hood. His assault had been meant to cripple the Northern heartland before Grandmasters assembled. Dunce's interference had been disastrous. And now, the Master and his Five Pillars were here? The tide had turned brutally.
"RETREAT!" he rasped. Killer Ninja surged to shield the five dark magi. Turning to flee, the leader hurled one final surge of corrosive green energy from his staff into the still-pulsing pentagram. "NOW!" The withdrawal was frantic.
Dunce saw his chance. Pure hatred for the Killer Ninja who'd shattered his world ignited a furnace within him. He lunged. Pouring every scrap of remaining power from his core – forcing the fading silver Jin Shen to blaze – he unleashed streams of solidified yellow energy. Lassoes of power snaked towards the fleeing backs!
*THUD!*
He forgot the pentagram.
He leaped straight over the seething portal.
From its depths, *something* enormous surged up. A massive skeletal *head*. Dunce had no time to react. It smashed directly into his chest.
***CROOOAK-CRUNCH!***
The impact was world-ending. Focused entirely on the attack, his defensive Qi was thin. The collision crushed the air from his lungs, agony blooming through his ribs. The protective White Guardian Ring flared, shielding him from the bone-crushing force but unable to soften the blow itself. His enchanted serpent-scale breastplate saved his bones, but the internal shockwave was brutal. He *crunched* sickeningly *into* the solid stone archway of the ceiling like a nail. Blood sprayed from his mouth. The silver Jin Shen within him pulsed faintly, a desperate lifeline against the crushing darkness encroaching his senses. He hung limply. How could he be so battered… so soon after his power surge?
The colossal horror from the pentagram landed. A **Little Bonedrake!** Seven meters of gleaming, malevolent bone. Wings, ribs, skull – radiating pure malice. It shook the great hall. Its empty gaze had found Dunce mid-air. *Its* strike had secured the escape of the dark magi. Several Killer Ninja snagged by Dunce's energy streams flew helplessly towards the dragon. With a contemptuous *skreech*, the undead titan snatched them in bone claws. Green fires flared in its skull. *Riiiiip! SPLATTER!* Limbs tore, gore showered the hall like obscene rain. Magi retched at the carnage.
The Six Grandmasters finished their chants. A kaleidoscope of pure elemental might – water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and stark light – coalesced into layered barriers, slamming down towards the Little Bonedrake and the abyssal pentagram. The minor horrors caught in the blast vanished instantly to ash.
But the Little Bonedrake? It roared defiance. An Earth Magus summoned sharp spires that scraped its bones, a minor annoyance. Other magics – jets of fire, spears of ice, slicing wind – glanced off its ancient skeleton like rain. Masters paled.
Enraged, the Little Bonedrake lashed out. Its skeletal tail slammed into the guild wall. *KABOOOOM!* Dunce and powerful wards shattered like glass. Dust and debris filled the air.
Embedded in the ceiling, blood trickling from his lips, Dunce groaned. Deep in his ruined chest, the **Dragon's Tear** – the pendant housing Holy Evil – pulsed violently.
*Awake!*
It was calling him, reacting to the monstrous undead abomination below. Holy Evil! His battered mind grasped the thought. He needed help. He couldn't fight like this. Ignoring the shock his companion would cause among the Magi, ignoring protocol and fear, Dunce focused his pain, his fading consciousness, onto the pendant. He rasped the ancient draconic syllables.
*"Lii-raxan ven Tear! Solus!"*
A cobalt light erupted from his chest.
The sound that followed shook the very foundations of the Guild.
Not a roar.
A **SHOUT**. A declaration of draconic sovereignty.
***KRRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGH!***
The Little Bonedrake's head snapped up, green pinpoints flaring with something like… recognition? Fear? A blur of silver-grey scales shot downward from the cloud of dust near the ceiling. Four meters of sinuous muscle and primal fury slammed into the undead dragon like a meteor.
***CRASH-KLANG-KRACK!***
Little Little Bone splintered. The Little Bonedrake bellowed in unthinking agony as it was hurled backwards across the great hall, crashing into the central hearth, scattering bone and stone like kindling.
Standing defiantly, wings spread wide, tail lashing, fangs bared in a snarl that promised oblivion, was **Holy Evil**. His scales shimmered silver-grey, tougher, more vital than before. The seven golden horns crowning his head gleamed like judgmental stars. Golden eyes, burning with cold, ancient fury, locked onto the broken skeleton rising from the rubble.
The Little Bonedrake, even stripped of mind and flesh, felt the truth. Before it stood not just a dragon, but one touched by potent magic, radiating an aura that screamed *PREDATOR*. Though physically smaller, Holy Evil's draconic *presence* dwarfed its own decayed existence. It scrambled unsteadily, a low, grinding rattle escaping its ribs, its movements suddenly stiff, cautious. One rib, snapped clean through by Holy Evil's impact, dangled uselessly.
Holy Evil felt Dunce's pain like his own. This rotting mockery of draconic majesty had hurt his bonded companion. His **sibling**. He drew breath, the air crackling with static charge. Another roar tore from his throat, less challenge, more sentence of execution.
***ROOOOOOOAAARGH!***
He launched himself again, a silvery bolt of vengeance. Speed. Pure, terrifying speed the clumsy Little Bonedrake couldn't match. Holy Evil's head darted forward, jaws clamping onto the dangling broken rib. Muscle surged beneath silvered scales. *He yanked!* The Little Bonedrake staggered, lifted partially off its feet! Holy Evil spun, using momentum like a god's hammer. *WHAM!* The Little Bonedrake was slammed spine-first onto the flagstones. Dust exploded upwards. Before it could react, Holy Evil's golden eyes narrowed. Thin beams of pure, scouring **Sacred Light** lanced out.
*ZZZZZAPPP!*
Straight into the terrified green infernos burning within the Little Bonedrake's skull.
***SKREEEEEEEEEE!***
The shriek was soul-rending, the sound of pure darkness violated by purifying fire. The Little Bonedrake convulsed violently. Every bone trembled. Its skeletal form curled inwards, limbs drawn tight like a terrified insect. The arrogance, the malice of moments before vanished. It lowered its massive skull almost to the floor, the green flames dimming, pulsing erratically. Utter, cowed submission. Waiting for the end.