Kashi glared at Xeimdem as he put down his bow. The skill he just unleashed originated from the

His attack came from the Realm Piercing skills he had obtained from the Ferulic quest.

Realm Piercing Technique 1 :

Arrows rotate in place, increasing penetration by 50%. Additional 60 Wind damage.

Cost: 300MP

Realm Piercing Technique 2 :

Drastically increases draw and arrow speed. Accuracy increases with each shot.

Cost: 500MP

Realm Piercing Technique 3 :

Aims for the targets' weak points with pinpoint accuracy. High chance of paralysis.

Cost: 600MP

Realm Piercing Technique 4 :

Increases arrows shot each round by 1. Max number dependent on technique mastery.

Current max: 7

Cost: 1000MP

Realm Piercing Technique 5 :

Grants full control of all equipped arrows. At high levels, you can combine arrows. Mana is consumed to 0. Will absorb health if mana is below 2000.

Cost: 2000 MP

Kashi named them [ Drill ] , [ Automatic ] , [ Hawkeye ] , [ Extra Round ] and [ Gilgamesh ] respectively.

"Kashi!" cried the weary warriors, faces bright with relief.

The daeben walked over to Leila, who was struggling to keep conscious and lifted her gently.

"What took you so long?" Leila asked through bated breath and a pained smile.

"Sorry. I had to make a few stops. At least you got a good fight out of it, right? Would have been a short one if I got here earlier," Kashi joked as he set her down close to the entrance. Her eyes closed, and her breath evened out as Yuna, and the others walked over.

"You guys okay?" Kashi asked.

"Nothing some sleep won't heal," replied Stryke.

Kashi checked with the others. They all had dangerously low HP and MP but had been smart enough to cease engagement once their bodies stopped obeying them. Like Stryke said, some hours of sleep, and they would recover most of their health. The more severe injuries could quickly be addressed with his first-aid skill.

Rumbling from behind alerted Kashi to Xeimdem’s recovery.

Kashi retrieved his remaining mana potions from his inventory and handed them to Yuna. "Drink these and heal the others. Keep a shield around yourselves till this is over."

Yuna nodded and downed the potions quickly, smacking her lips at its bitter taste. She cast [Healing Sphere] , and then [Armadello] . The first spell created a dome around her that healed anything inside of it. The second created a reinforced dome forcefield that blocked most attacks . Both skills drained MP over time, which was why Kashi gave Yuna so many vials .

"Good luck," Paris said.

Kashi nodded and turned around, Kira, by his side.

Xeimdem grip tightened on his sword and ax, eyes burning with anger. "Are you the one they call Kashi?"

"The very one," confirmed the daeben, as he casually walked towards the drakul king.

Xeimdem copied his actions, walking over to the daeben. "You have quite the influence. They really believed you would make a difference."

"Who needs faith when you have facts?"

"I'm sorry. It sounded like you said its a fact you'll best me."

Kashi squared off against Xeimdem, bodies all but touching. He matched the king's glare with one of his own, their breaths mixing in the close proximity. "It is what it is."

Xeimdem 's head rocked back in laughter. He bared his teeth in a toothy grin at his challenger. "Then come! Prove your worth and seize my throne with your hands!"

The daeben matched his grin with one of his, filled with base insanity. "Ah, that's the plan. I have no interest in your throne, though."

Xeimdem scoffed. What a lofty boast indeed. "Fine by me."

Xeimdem and Kashi turned around and took steps away from each other.

One... three... five!

Xeimdem suddenly turned around and swung his ax. Swoosh! Kashi dodged and then rolled to his knees. He released three arrows from his bow. Xeimdem smacked them with his sword then dashed at the daeben .

Bark!

Kira suddenly lunged at Xeimdem from his left and then sunk her teeth into his raised arm. Unfortunately, Xeimdem shrugged her off with a sharp swing that sent her flying in Kashi's direction.

Kashi caught her, and Xeimdem used the opening to strike again.

Kashi dropped Kira to raise his arms above his head. Boom! He barely caught the blade before it crashed into his skull, but he was forced down as he shouldered the blow's burden.

Before Xiemdem could recover its ax, Kira, bounced off the ground and then slammed the bulk of her body into the king's exposed midriff. The blow forced Xiemdem to stagger back, which in turn bought Kashi opportunity and time needed to push away the ax.

Kashi fired three arrows in retaliation, but to his dismay, there was no visible damage after hitting Xeimdem head-on as a result of its armor.

Xeimdem, however, did stagger back, and Kira seized the opportunity to bite away at its armored belly . Angered by the direwolf’ s persistence, Xeimdem slapped her with all his might, sending her flying .

“You!” Xeimdem sensed danger and looked up to see Kashi with a fully drawn bow. He swung his sword at the daeben but he vanished.

Puchi!

Three spinning arrows drilled into Xeimdem’s back, causing him to roar in anger . He spun around and then lunged at the daeben while swinging his weapons like a madman.

Trapped between ax and sword, Kashi was left with no quick exit. He barely dodged each attack by a hair's breadth and parried those he couldn't avoid with his bracers. He chose to carefully wait out the onslaught until he found an opening.

“Coming!”

Kira gave him exactly that.

The direwolf’s loud barks gave the king pause as she lunged at his back . Xeimdem gritted his teeth. He realized this was a rare opportunity to kill the daeben, but he could not risk exposing his stomach to the direwolf. Ultimately, Xeimdem chose preservation over annihilation and thus redirected his blades to strike down the direwolf.

Poof!

To his shock, however, Kira’s puffed into smoke and harmlessly phased past its arm. Before Xeimdem could recover, the direwolf solidified behind him and then sunk her teeth deep into his armor.

Crack!

Iron, blood, and flesh exploded as Kira tore out a significant chunk of his calf. Buoyed by her success, she snapped at Xeimdem’s ankles, but a solid kick to her jaw forced a temporary retreat.

"Hey!"

An enraged Xeimdem moved to follow up, but Kashi’s shout drew his attention. He turned to see the daeben's bow fully drawn, with dark energy gathering at the tip of his arrows. Xeimdem’s eyes narrowed as he spat, "It's useless. Your puny arrows can not pierce me."

Kashi smirked as he let fly. "You think?"

Boom!

Xeimdem cried out in pain as the missiles tore clean through his shins and swept his legs off the floor. The daeben swiftly followed up with arrows through its shoulders and chest, releasing them at blinding speed.

The drakul king couldn't manage a scream as the relentless barrage suspended it in mid-air. The armor could only take so much punishment, and soon enough, it began to crack in several areas.

Kashi did not miss this opportunity . He used [Hawk Eye] to lock in on the cracked areas, nocked seven arrows at once, and then fired [Drill] . The spinning arrows smashed through the cracks, then ripped right through the monster.

Xeimdem fell to the floor with streams of blood pouring out of gaping holes around his body. He forced itself to his knees, while it engaged in a futile struggle to stem the blood .

Soon enough, Xeimdem understood that he could not recover from these injuries. If he had stopped the warriors from killing his mages, then maybe they could have healed him. Alas, his arrogance would demand the ultimate price.

Xeimdem, rather than cry or weep, sat upright, and then said with a wry smile, "So, I finally meet my end ?" He looked up at his executioner with hate-filled eyes as he challenged, "Will you kill me now? Bring my head to your people and claim, ‘ Justice is Served!? ’ Huh ?! *cough* *cough*. ” Xeimdem’s heart bled with anger as he recalled the drakuls’ pitiable state during the Daeben Wars. “ Your stupid wars forced us from our land, and now you come back to claim this one with a pretense of righteousness!?"

Xeimdem forced himself to stand amidst a pool of his blood. Despite his dire situation, the drakul king’s eyes held a burning fire that defied all its attackers stood for. "I will never surrender this land to hypocrites like you!"

Kashi sighed and then wrapped his bow over his shoulder . "Then you need not fear. I am far from a hypocrite."

"Ha, that is what you all say," Xeimdem managed through short rasps of breath. "I know your kind. Humans, Elves, Dwarves... you're all the same. You take what you want when you want, then justify it with fancy words."

"You're certainly right about one thing," replied Kashi as he took a step toward the fallen king . "I do take what I want when I want it. But you know, I won't give any excuses. Personally, I have nothing against you. So your people were slaughtered, and you took over this city in turn. That is none of my business. You killed the citizens? You won the war, so it is your right. No, I did not attack you because of some sentiment over past wrongs, nor I am here as a little loyal soldier 'fighting for his country.'"

Every step the daeben took toward Xeimdem sent shivers down his body. Kashi's dead eyes made the king’s skin crawl, and the daeben's voice quickened its beating heart. "Then, why?"

"Why, you ask? It's simple .” Kashi ultimately drew abreast with the king. He raised his head and then looked at Xeimdem, the drakul king in the eyes, as he declared, “ You are in my way."

Kashi 's declaration froze the proud king in place. His voice caught in his throat as he tried in vain to stave off the daeben’s immense pressure . Determined not to lose to the intimidating elf, Xeimdem rose to its full height . With a self-deprecating chuckle, he muttered, "I do not understand."

Kashi, in reply, stated with a deadpan delivery. "I am going to unite this chaotic world under my flag. You are in the way of my ambition."

The corners of Xeimdem's lips curled up in a wide grin. "You, you are insane."

Kira walked up to and then sat at Kashi’s side. She looked at Xeimdem and nodded. “Can’t argue there.”

Kashi ignored Kira’s jibe and replied with a shrug. "The greatest men are always insane."

“Well, don’t know about great, but you are, how did that man put it again, “Missing a few bolts” at least.”

"Ha, Hahahahaha!" Xeimdem's laughter echoed around the palace grounds. "That is true! Fine then, I concede this defeat. My people and I fall under your mercy."

Kashi held out his hand with a confident smile. "Welcome to the Hopeful Maggots."

Xeimdem grasped it. "It is my ho-"

"This damned idiot!" a figure shrouded in darkness cursed atop the castle roof. "I invested too much in you for you to fall this easily. Do you have any idea what they’ll do to me if you fail?" The figure pulled out a soul stone, which it held in gloved hands. "Delusion to Seclusion, Dreams to Reality, The wish of the fool be granted that he might regain enlightenment."

The stone cracked, then disintegrated to dust, which was swept away by the turbulent winds.

"Gaaah !" Xeimdem suddenly cried out as he fell to his knees, his expression contorted in tortured pain. The kind clawed at his chest and then glared at the ceiling through bloodshot eyes. "Wait! Please, stop! This is not the agreement!"

Kashi, stunned by the sudden development, crouched by Xeimdem and asked, "Hey, are you alright!?"

"Run," Xeimdem managed between cries of pain.

"What's wrong?" Kashi asked, placing his hand on Xeimdem's shoulder. He regretted it.

BAM!

Xeimdem slapped Kashi halfway a cross the room and through a pillar. Kashi almost struck the wall, but Kira chased, and then caught him before that happened.

The drakul king rapidly punched the earth, drawing blood as its other injuries begun swiftly closing up. The king’s cries grew even louder and more strained as several bones shattered, and his flesh stretched out to assume a new body.

Rumble…

Kashi shook his head as he exited the rubble, only to freeze at what he saw.

Where Xeimdem once stood now sat a lesser drake . Drakes were like dragons, but rather than four legs, they had two, while their ‘hands’ were joined to their wings. Generally, they were smaller and much less intelligent than dragons. Most significantly, however, drakes, unlike dragons, could not use magic.

Xeimdem’s pained howl echoed throughout Riven, drawing the attention of every soldier present.

Bang! Boom!

The deranged Xeimdem dashed forward and slammed itself into several supporting columns, then smashed out of the debris from the balcony that fell on it.

Kashi watched with worried eyes as it randomly spewed fire, narrowly missing Yuna's party on several occasions. Its agony was plain to see as it randomly smashed and burned everything - including itself. The daeben squeezed his fists, severely annoyed by the events. Someone had just robbed him of a critical ally, and they would pay. But first, he had to prevent the dragon from doing irreversible damage.

Stepping out of his hiding spot, Kashi called out to the beast. "Hey! Over here. You want to fight something? Try me on!"

The lesser drake whirled around, eyes fixed on the daeben. It lunged at him, teeth bared.

“ Kira! ”

Kira launched a sneak-attack on the drake’s tail. Crunch! She sunk her teeth deep into the drake’s tail, causing blood to spew around her. The drake roared in pain and then whirled around in an attempt to throw off Kira . Eventually, the drake swung its tail towards its body .

Kira let go, allowing the momentum to propel her onto its back. She then dug her claws into its scaled back and began ripping through it.

The drake trashed about in pain in attempts to toss the dire wolf off its back. However, even crashes into walls could not usurp the determined dire wolf. But then something strange occurred. The drake froze in place, scales rattling as if scared of something.

Kira released her grip on its back as she too felt the scary pressure .

Both she and the drake slowly turned; trepidation forced the drake steps backward as it did so. Its eyes rested on the source of its fear: Kashi, enveloped by dark miasma, had his right hand outstretched at the beast. His bloodlust and aura had tripled, which forced the drake to gasp for air.

Ferulic Spirt Activated !

Bloodlust Activated!

"Ye who writh e s in pained anguish," Kashi chanted while the miasma shrunk, then concentrated around his quivers, "To dust ye shall return." His arrows, controlled by the aura , floated out of the quiver s and formed a rotating dome around the drake. "That ye shall rest eternally."

Kira jumped off the drake as the arrows spun in place, emitting a foul screech akin to mad birds.

Kashi closed his outstretched hand. “ [Gilgamesh] ”

Six hundred and seventy-three arrows drilled through the drake in unison, ripping off limbs in the process. Blood splattered across the throne room as the drake crashed to the ground. Its impending death must have reversed the curse because the drake ’s body morphed back to Xeimdem amidst its pained cries.

The king of drakuls lay on his back, struggling not to choke on his own blood. He looked over to the daeben who had defeated him and smiled wryly. "That... was a... nice... fight."

Clutching his right arm, Kashi knelt beside the proud king. He frowned when he saw the extent of the king’s injuries. This was not something a potion or healer could cure. Xeimdem was only alive through sheer force of will. Kashi shut his eyes in regret of what could have been. "Ah, it was an honor."

Xeimdem looked up at a mural on the ceiling that depicted the great tree Yggdrasil and the many races beneath its loving embrace. "You know, I... used to hate that painting. Humans, elves, dwarves... If you... are not born of... those... races, you are not even seen as sentient. There was never a good god who would watch over our kind to make sure we stood on equal footing. No, we had to work ten times as hard as the others just to live. ” Xeimdem coughed up blood as his eyes narrowed with crazed excitement. “ I wonder, if not a god, then why don't I bet on the devil!"

Xeimdem grabbed Kashi's arm and sunk his nails deep into the daeben’s arm . "I bet the life of my people on you. Raze this mad word and give them the home they seek." Xeimdem released his grip, but his nails remained embedded in the daeben's arm . Within moments the nails melted, into Kashi's bloodstream, leaving nary a scar.

Kashi frowned and looked at his arm. "What is this?"

Xeimdem forced a weary smile. "My people will follow you. They will live and die by your order. Such is the way of the drakul."

Kashi inspected his arm. A tattoo of a wingless dragon rose from the ‘stab point’ and then curled around his forearm, seemingly asleep. The daeben shook his arm. When the tattoo did not respond, he pushed it to the back of his mind and then said to Xeimdem, "Then, so be it. Your sacrifice to my path shall be rewarded."

"You have my gratitude," Xeimdem whispered, his voice giving way to the slumber that called. He stretched his hand to the ceiling, eyes fixed on the fabled tree. "Tell me, what was I like as a dragon?"

Kashi grasped his arm. "Splendid. You are a magnificent dragon."

"I see... That is goo —" Thud . The fallen king, having fulfilled his wish to grant his people a future, ultimately breathed his last .

Kashi stood up and saluted the proud king. "As proud in life as you are in death, may Aethir grant you a better life on your return from the circle." He looked at the tattoo on his arm. "Though your soul may rest in peace, your body still has work yet to be done... Kira."

The daeben stepped away from the body and then watched Kira devour t he once proud king.

Once Kira was done, Kashi’s legs buckled, and he fell to the ground, exhausted from the battle. The final skill had depleted his MP to 0 and his health to 600. Considering he'd been fighting non-stop all night, it was a wonder he'd lasted as long as he did.

Kira sat next to him and rested her head on his lap. He stroked her ears and heav ed heavy sighs of relief. "It's over. It's finally— ”

!!!

Kashi and Kira suddenly sprung in opposite directions.

BOOM!

It proved to be the right decision as f ragments of a broken pillar smashed into the earth where they had been seconds ago.

"Who is it!" cried Kashi as he whi rled around to face the entrance.

Clad in red, Absalon's eyes bore unbridled anger. "I gave an explicit order. The king was to be left to me!"

Although he had never met this man, Kashi instantly knew who this mage was. "I take it you are Absalon? ” The daeben’s eyes grew cold as he rose to his feet. “ Sorry, but in case you forgot, I am not part of your army; hence I have no obligation to follow your orders .”

Absalon frowned. Indeed he did not have any recollection of this daeben. There was no way he would not know of someone this powerful if they were in his army. "Who are you? State your name and affiliation."

"I'm nobody. ” Kashi snorted. “ My name doesn't matter, and I belong to the go-fuck-yourself guild."

Absalon's eyes clouded over as he raised his right hand. "Know your place."

A mandala appeared under the daeben . Wuooong! A powerful gravitational force pulled Kashi to the ground, and he almost fell to his knees .

"Kneel !" Absalon ordered as he increased the strength of the spell.

With gritted teeth, Kashi forced his head to stay up as he resisted the tremendous gravitational pull. "I will never bend my knees to anyone!"

As if galvanized by his words, Kira burst out from behind piles of rubble. She had needed a few seconds to digest her last meal, time which Kashi bought for her. A drake’s lifeforce was immense, and it ultimately showed in her rapid growth. She had almost doubled in size. Her paws were larger than human's face, her teeth the length of fingers.

With an angry bark, Kira charged Absalon, who sent debris flying in her direction. Kira, however, easily dodged the missiles, and t hen lunged at him.

A forcefield blasted out from Absalon, and then slammed into the direwolf, sending her flying away from him.

"Quite the magnificent beast. ” Absalon smiled at the snarling Kira and then looked at Kashi. “ I will have you tell me where you obtained such a rare creature ."

"Idiot, you haven't fought enough," Kashi said through laughter as the tattoo on his forehead begun to glow. With a loud shout, he forcefully expelled aura from his body. The magic circle shattered beneath the daeben, and he grinned, despite the torrents of sweat that drenched his body. "You have little experience dual-casting. Or did you think only mages could counteract magic? Thanks to your outburst, I now know your abilities: Gravity and telekinesis. Judging by the fact I'm still standing, you haven't learned how to reverse gravity, nor can you control living beings with your telekinesis."

Realization dawned on Absalon, and he frowned in contempt. "Then earlier..."

"I possess neither hate nor contempt for my adversaries. ” Kashi’s cold eyes taunted the commander. “ I simply riled you up to know what your abilities were."

"I must admit, you had me completely fooled. ” Absalon wore a stiff smile. It did not feel good to be punked by an unnamed brat. “ Again, I ask: who are you?"

Kashi retrieved the elixir he got as a reward from his inventory and then put on a pair of gloves. He downed the drink and then smiled as his HP and MP returned to maximum, which, in turn, healed his previous injuries.

Kashi then tossed some potions to Absalon , who, after identifying the contents, also drank them. Both men were restored to their maximum health and mana, each with his own agenda for the city.

Kashi looked at Kira, who was watching him with an incredulous gaze. “Kira, you mind sitting this one out?”

However, rather than answer, Kira asked, “Why did you heal him?”

“A fair fight.”

“Since when do you care about that?”

Kashi chuckled. “Some things can only be gotten by sacrificing something or taking the necessary risk.”

Kira snorted, but ultimately walked to the side, and then sat down. “Do what you want.”

Absalon looked at the sitting direwolf, and then at Kashi. “You. What are you planning?”

"Come," Kashi beckoned with a smile. "A lot of people have been waiting for this."

Absalon's staff materialized in his right arm as he eyed his opponent.

Beneath the watchful eye of the great tree, the final fight for supremacy over River began.

Above the palace, a figure stood in the pouring rain. He glared at the roof like he could see through it as he raised a knife. "Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots; you have been marked. The [Chaos Order] s hall make sure you pay for your interference." The figure looked turned to the north. And then said through gritted teeth, “Brother, may we meet again in the halls of Chaos.” It paused, and then chanted, “In the name of Razznik the Destroyer.”

Puchi!

The figure disappeared, leaving a bloodsoaked robe on the roof as its only proof of existence.