(Part 3 Evening the Odds)

Book1, Volume 5

Chapter 48

“I … can't... breath!” Michael's muffled voice cried out as his face was pressed into the newcomer's abundant mounds with his arms flailing out at the sides due to the newcomer's overexcited embrace. What is this girl thinking!?! She doesn't even know me... and we're in the middle of a battle! And it hurts! The scales of her cleavage showing chest armor rubbing against my cheeks hurts!

Using his hands and flapping his wings Michael broke free... well more like was released from the newcomer's strong embrace after she seemed to have understood what Michael had said.

Michael quickly retreated a step or two, his back pressing against his Pillar as he glared at the newcomer while rubbing his red puffed cheeks. “I'm not an NPC... I'm a player. My name is Mich... Ah! I can't tell her my real name... what if she's somebody from school or she may know my sisters or friends... even if it's highly unlikely... better to use a fake name... ... elle... Michelle but you can call me...”

“Aiya! It's you! You're not an NPC! You're Wylla...” The powerful newcomer said excitedly, going in for another embrace, only to miss as Michael quickly sidestepped and rushed around her as they now switched places. The newcomer girl found herself half hugging the Pillar as her target's voice chimed in from behind her.

“Huh? How do you know me?” Michael asked with a confused look on his cute little face.

Turning around to once again face him she happily said, “I've seen all of your Livestream videos while visiting my Abuela in Florida! I've never laughed so hard... you're even prettier and cuter in person! Well, I guess in virtual person that is but still, you did an amazing job creating your character. I mean, just imagine if you looked like this in real life... All the boys would be all over you.”

Michael felt a cold chill go up and down his spine. Ah, is she trying to curse me? What a nightmarish thing to say... “Th... tha... nks,” Michael muttered as he looked away towards the cauldron kraken hiding his blush; He then looked at his pillar which was still holding up, and then back at the newcomer, taking a good look at her this time. “You're really beautiful too you know...”

Standing in front of him, staring intently with blood-red eyes was a very tall girl, at least 6 feet in height and looking around 15-16 years of age. She had smooth pale light gray skin and long beautiful straight snow-white spiln hair which glistened with silver near the ends.

She had a couple of small braids running along either side of the top of her head, as well as the sides, which were then gathered into a ponytail as a Bloodrose with evergreen vines acted as a scrunchy holding her hairstyle in place. 2 strands of hair, that were for some unknown reason slightly curled and tipped silvery blood-red, framed the left side of her face while a larger strand framed the right side.

From the top side of her head, sprouted horns which curved back and then a bit up at the tips. They were onyx black at the front blending into a blood-red hue at the tips. Her smile was beautiful with a hint of wickedness as a small pair of white fangs peeked out from behind her full blood-red lips. Her ears we're a bit like her own, but longer and with two petaled layers instead of three.

Her body was... amazing. Very strong and athletic, yet soft and curved in all the right places. She had beautiful onyx black scales with hints of blood-red covering that 'hard' body like skin-tight armor; Armor adorned with swirling sigil-like lines of silvery-white. And behind her, swinging to and fro was her wyvern tail tipped with a bloodrose bulb hiding its poisonous sting within its petals...

“Ah! You're suffocating me with your melons! And your scaly chest armor hurts.” Michael grumbled, breaking free of her grasp once again and rubbing his inflamed cheeks. She had caught him with his guard down as he was appraising her body... err... fighting potential.

“Eh?” Syl said with a confused look on her face as she looked down; Her eyes brightening as she cupped her chest. “Ahahaha I can't wait to see the look on Cara's and Irene's faces when they see me now... I Win! Although, I wouldn't exactly call them melons... hmm... more like grapefruits...”

Michael, who had turned his blushing face away as soon as Syl started cupping herself failed to hear the first part of her words, but did catch the last part and muttered with a side glance.“Ya, large grapefruits... Ahhh! We don't have time for this! There's a battle going on!”

“Am I really though? You're not just saying that are you because I didn't even get to create my character...”

Didn't she hear me say we don't have time for this? We're in the middle of a battle and all she can think about is how her character looks? Exasperated, Michael tapped his foot on the ground as Syl continued talking unaware of his thoughts and feelings.

“... I was just in the middle of designing the look of my fox beastkin character when all of a sudden my Starblood Advisor notified me that a new Unique race had just become available and asked if I wanted to choose it! Afraid that someone would beat me to the punch, I said YES! Next thing I know, here I am.” Syl'Lean said with her arms opened out wide.

Sighing, with a bit of worry in her eyes Syl continued, “I didn't even get the chance to design my look and there's no mirror to see what I look like so I can't help but worry a little... after all, we're going to be stuck with the way we look...”

Michael rubbed his face, looked her in the eyes and said, “Like I was saying before I got smothered in your embrace, you have nothing to worry about at all. You have this whole wicked beauty warrioress look going for you... with emphasis on the beauty.”

“Oh good. That makes me feel so much better. I can't wait to surprise my besties, Cara and Irene. (No way... it can't be....) They don't know that I'm back... I was in Florida visiting my Abuela in the hospital (It is... it's the other of Cara's best friends... Jennifer. What...How? Cara said she couldn't make it... OMG I'm so glad I didn't tell her my real name...) but she's on the mend now and we brought her back with us so my parents let me come play, but imagine my surprise when I found out the spot that Cara had given me was now taken, not that I blame her since I did send her a sad face text which was a signal letting her know that I wasn't going to be able to make it back to play… but still, I was so disappointed!

But then her mother came to the rescue. She called the company and talked them into adding a couple of more bio-pods into the room... and I only had to pay $1000 for 9 weeks of gameplay. I even got to sign up and be a part of the streaming team... amazing! I bet they don't even realize how much money they've made in just the 3 and half weeks they've been in here...”

“Huh? Wait! 3 and a half weeks!?! What do you mean 3 and a half weeks?... I've only been in this starting area for about 10 days now... which should be a little over 3 days in the real world.... right Anari?” Michael said as he looked up into the night sky.

“Anari? Who's Anari?” Syl asked following Michael's line of sight and seeing no one.

“She's been guiding me since I got in the bio-pod. At first, I thought she was an AI program... but now I think she might be an actual person hired to pretend to be an AI guide. Either way, she's been a great help... and a very good friend.”

[ Awe! That's sweet Wylla. But remember, we're not just friends but sisters! You, Myself, and Eva... I can't wait until we're all together 'playing' in Abrynth... we're going to have so much fun! One for all... and all for one... ]

“Huh, Eva?... who's Ev...”

“You're so lucky. She sounds much 'funner' than the AI guiding me. Still, I should be thankful since Starblood Advisor did get me this Unique Sylvern race. It even offered to set up all my stats for me based on my traits, blessings, and abilities to get me off to a quick start so I could join the battle nearby... this battle. Of course, I said yes! Then I just followed the noise and here we are.” Syl finished with a smile, looking like she wanted to scoop Michael up again into a hug but the top half of the pillar behind her came crumbling down.

“JEN-JEN, GET DOWN!” Michael jumped forward, reaching up with his hands, grabbing her shoulders, and pulling... well... more like guiding her down into a crouch (since she was much too strong for him to pull without her approval). Several Bloody Void Orbs flew over their heads as Michael quickly scuttled around Syl who was staring at him with a partially opened mouth; Her face seemed to be going through a bit of emotion.

“Mich...no it can't be... but only he calls me that... but you can't be a different gender... can you?...” Michael poured Oryn energy into the Earth Flora: Pillar rebuilding it as a confused Jennifer mumbled from behind. Finishing his task, Michael turned around as Jen voiced her question, “Is that you Mich...”

“Michelle... my name is Michelle,” Michael blurted out. “I go to school with... with Rori... ya... Rori and Sadie are friends. Anyways, just call me Wylla.”

“Mich..elle? But you called me...”

“Look Jen... err... didn't you say your new name is Syl'Lean Roseblud? That's a great name! I really like it so... so I'll just call you Syl. Anyways, we can't stay here forever.” Michael rushed to say, looking to derail Syl's train of thought. “There's a big battle going on all around us and I have to help the Spriggankin end the Kavi threat, and more importantly, I have to defeat the Witch but she's hiding behind that Cauldron Kraken she created with her dark alchemy...”

“Oh, that reminds me! I have an event quest to defeat that Cauldron Kraken,” Syl jumped in, making a fist with one hand and bringing it down on the palm of her other hand.

“That's perfect! We can team up just like them,” Michael said, grateful to have successfully changed the topic of conversation from his real name to the quests. “Here's the deal, I'm not sure what keeps healing that cauldron beastie but I do know we have to separate it from not only its cauldron but also from that Witch! Can you tell me what skills you have?”

“Sure... let's see... there they are,” Syl said as her eyes moved left to right. “I have Bloodthorn Claws Slash which deals damage and heals me for a bit of the damage... Noctis Bloodrose Tailsting which deals damage and poisons the target. It has a 5-yard range of attack... And Bloodrose Bloodthorn Harpoon which shoots out a serpenvine with a bloodthorn spearhead piercing the target and letting me pull them to me or allowing me to jump towards them... seems to have a 20 yards range...”

“Ooh, that's perfect! I know how we can separate them,” Michael said, as he leaned in towards Syl, taking her hands into his small hands, his eyes bright and a slight smile on his lips. “And here is how we're going to do it...” Which caused Syl to blush as Michael, totally oblivious, began to tell Syl his plan.

As Michael shared his plan with Syl, the Witch's heart was beating hard within her chest. Every now and then she would stick her head out of the side of the cauldron, wondering what that cursed little butterfly brat and that new dark scaled armored warrioress were up too.

Her heart was screaming at her to rush into her hut and activate its defenses but her mind was telling her that it was a trap; That the moment she left the protection of her cauldron beast that the two would pounce, ending her. And so, she stayed right where she was at, her eyes jolting about seeking allies but only seeing a battlefield of fallen Kavi and Spidolls. And the Spriggankin marching into the village to the screams of “SKREE!” and “KAVI!”

Michael looked at Syl, nodded and said, “Okay, I've never done this before so I think it's best if you step back some and give me a little room... Oh, and before I forget...” Michael reached around his waist and removed his Furbee belly pouch, giving it to Syl. “In this pouch are 3 Healing Nectar fruits and 2 vials of Oryn water. If you get low on health, jump behind this pillar, drink and eat the Healing Nectar fruit to heal back up and then charge back in. As for the vials, the first time you drink one, some of your stats will permanently go up... well at least for me they did. Anyways, it also cures poisons and curses.”

“Thanks,” Syl said happily, taking the belly pouch and wrapping it around her waist. She then took out one of the vials, popped open the cork, and drank it. Her body glowing golden-green for a breath or two before fading away. “Yes! My aura and health both went up. Perfect timing.”

“Good!” Michael said, smiling. “Now let's do this; Way of the Spirin Syldrake!” Michael's body pulsed and tingled with Oryn energy. His Orchid Butterfly wings shrunk until they were no more while his ethereal antennae faded, vanishing from sight.

His muscles twitched and lightly undulated beneath his pale moon skin as they grew. The baby fat on his body and face melted away. His head bent down facing the ground as his hair fell forward, draping his face as a small pair of Syldrake fangs grew hidden by his full lips.

He quickly grew in height as his skin changed to a light leafy pastel green hue. His pointy multi-layered ears lengthened, growing out of their hiding spots behind his long beautiful spiln hair; Streaks of deep purple slithered down from his scalp, weaving their way here and there within the shades of greens that was his soft silky hair.

Above and to the sides of his golden eyes, grew a pair of pitch-black Syldrake thorn horns adorned with royal purple and gold sigils. The Syldrake horns grew slightly up before curving back, following the contours of his head, and then curving upwards again at the tips as his hair covered the area on his head from which they sprouted.

Behind him, swinging from side to side, was his powerful Syldrake tail; The deep royal purple Syldrake scales with golden highlights grew along the tail's topside, ending in a sharp thorn bladed tip; The underside was softer and the same color as his skin.

Syl stood there transfixed, enjoying the transformation with a smile on her face and eyes opened wide, looking up and down, admiring Micheal's new form. Her thoughts spilling out of her mouth, “That's amazing! So beautiful... and it would look even cooler if she spun around with her arms out wide and a golden lasso on her curvy hips as she changed into her 'superhero' form.”

The transformation took less than three breathes of time from beginning to end. And now completed, Michael stood a little over 6 foot tall, looking like a golden-eyed horned she hulk wearing alluring Syldrake scale armor and long powerful thorn bladed tipped tail. Her Syldrake scales were deep purple and shone with golden sigil highlights, fitting his now womanly curves like a glove; His now larger than average-sized chest threatening to make themselves known from the sides of his chest armor.

Just how is this practical? Michael complained in his heart and his head with his taloned clawed hands on his womanly hips while tapping his long knee-high high heeled Syldrake scaled boot on the ground as he looked down at his chest.

I guess it could be worse, it could've been bikini armor... Ah, where did my furbee outfit go?... I hope they didn't rip apart and disappear. I don't want to be running around naked again when I change back! Sighing to himself while shaking his head side to side, he decided now was not the time for such thoughts. No, now was the time to put their plan into action.

He gave himself a fist bump, looked down into Syl's eyes, and nodded. Syl balled up her hands into fists, took a quick deep breath, and nodded back with furrowed brows and a hint of a smile, “Ready!”

"Let's do this!" Michael stepped out from behind the Pillar, lifted his right arm up, aimed palm up at the Cauldron Kraken, and shouted, "Bloodthorn Serpenvine Harpoon!"

Storymask

Syl and Wylla are powered up and ready to rumble! Coming up Chapter 49: Ding Dong the Witch is... Dead?

Side Note: Sorry for the week-long delay. I seemed to have made a little too much merry last week... I hope everyone had as well. Okay, this battle arc has become a little longer than I expected but next chapter is the conclusion of the arc... meaning main fight, a little rank 1 ding, and a couple of... we'll you'll see. Anyways, I'll be writing the rest of today (after I get back from the gym (cause I really need it after all those cookies and cakes)) and tomorrow in hopes to have it done before the Happy New Year! (Because I foresee a very unpleasant hangover on the first of 2020...) Anyways, wishing everyone a great New Year! (just in case...).