Chapter 9

Goblins were running down the plains, heading straight for the village. They let out a battle cry as they came nearer. Moonlight was lighting the whole area, revealing their locations. Blissalra strategically focused on each one. 

"Ice Shard Storm!" Blissalra chanted. 

She pointed her staff towards the stampeding goblins. Sky blue spheres appeared around her and began to blast ice shards at them. Blissalra struck every single goblin that was heading for her. 

"Piece of cake!" she exclaimed. 

Suddenly a screech echoed in the sky. Meryln's team looked up and spotted a flying dragon skeleton. 

"What the hell...?" Meryln exclaimed. 

The dragon quickly swooped down and landed in front of them. It then let out a loud screeching roar.  

"How do we kill a skeleton?" Cecilia asked. 

"I don't know, but we must try." Blissalra replied. 

Cecilia drew her bow and ran towards the undead creature. She then pulled back a bomb-infused arrow and shot it at the skull. The arrow exploded with great force causing the dragon to step back. Angered, the dragon roared with fury. A green flame started to appear in its eye sockets. 

"Oh that's creepy..." Meryln said. 

The dragon thrusted his head forward and breathed a cursed green flame at the team. 

"Stone Wall" 

Blissalra slammed her staff on the ground, making a wall of stone ascend from the ground that blocked the flame. 

"Cast!" 

Blissalra thrusted her left hand forward and the wall of stone flew forward crashing into the dragon's skull. Meryln quickly took advantage of the stunned dragon and dashed towards it, sword ready. Meryln then sliced off its leg, causing the dragon to fall over. 

"Yeah! Take that!" Meryln taunted. 

"Meryln, pay attention!" Cecilia snapped. 

"What? I can't celebrate?" 

"Not when the fight isn't over!" 

"Well! Don't have to be so ru-" 

Meryln was thrashed by the dragon's tail. She flew back several yards and landed on her stomach. Cecilia pulled back an ice-infused arrow and fired it at the dragon's other leg. The arrow exploded, encasing its leg in a thick layer of ice.  

"Magma Wave!" 

Blissalra swung here staff, creating a wave of magma that quickly burned the frozen leg, causing it to shatter. The dragon fell forward. It then began to slowly turn black and disintegrate. 

"Well...that wasn't too hard for our first round of monsters." Cecilia said. 

"Yeah, that wasn't too bad." Blissalra added. 

Meryln slowly walked towards the team. 

"Good job ladies!"

 Verdin walked towards the team.  

"Well, that looks like all of them for now. You girls have done a good job tonight." 

"Thank you so much elder! I work very hard to keep this village safe as well as set a wonderful example for my teammates!" Meryln said proudly. 

Verdin smiled. 

"Well, keep up the good work!" 

Verdin began to walked back towards the castle. When he was out of hearing distance, Cecilia hit Meryln's arm.

"Excuse me? What hard work?" Cecilia asked. 

"In killing the goblins and the dragon, duh!" 

"You barely did anything but eat grass after you got smacked by that dragon's tail! And the goblins were all Blissalra's work!" 

"Please! It wouldn't have been killed if I hadn't immobilized it." 

Meryln mounted her sword and turned her back towards Cecilia. 

"I swear..." 

Meryln turned back around. 

"What? You got a problem?" 

"Yeah, actually, I do!" 

Cecilia walked towards Meryln. She was right in front of her face. 

"You always try and say that you do every good thing that me and Bliss does, but when you make a mistake, you waste no time throwing it all on us!" 

"She is right... It isn't fair..." Blissalra added while sitting on a nearby rock. 

"Do you want a piece of this too?!" 

Meryln charged towards Blissalra. Blissalra glanced at her.

"You don't scare me..." 

"Oh really? I bet my blade will!" 

Meryln drew her giant sword. It gleamed in the moonlight. 

"Girl, you pull that same stunt with Arestasia twice a week and you get your a*s handed to you every single time... The reason I stopped you last time was because I knew she would have dodged your attack an countered it." 

"Tough bark kid, you got the bite to follow up?" 

"Really Meryln? Do you realize what you're dealing with?" Cecilia asked. 

"Yeah, I know exactly what I'm dealing with! Chick wants to talk mess!" 

"Did it ever occur to you that I wasn't the only one?" Blissalra asked. 

"I don't care! I'm ready for you!" 

Meryln pushed Blissalra off of the rock. She slowly got up from the ground and dusted the dirt from her robes. 

"That'll be the last time that you will touch me." she said calmly. 

Cecilia shrugged and sat down to see what was going to happen next. 

"Come on! What you got?!"  

Meryln got into Blissalra's face.  

"Chains of the Damned..." Blissalra chanted softly. 

Black chains suddenly burst through the ground and grasped onto Meryln's wrists and ankles. Meryln dropped her sword. Blissalra slowly walked towards her. 

"A word of advice. Arestasia is one thing, but you don't ever want to become enemies with an experienced magic user... Now I'll make this as simple for you as I can. If you ever treat me or Cecilia like what you did tonight ever again and I will show you what it's like to be on the other end of my magic projectiles. Understand?" 

Meryln was surprised. She suddenly laughed in Blissalra's face.  

"Your intimidation fails miserably honey!" 

Meryln easily broke out of the chains and punched Blissalra in the stomach. Blissalra hunched over silently. 

"Let this be a listen to you... I call the shots around here got it?" 

Blissalra suddenly exploded with a devastating explosion that knocked Meryln and her sword back several yards. 

"A fake?!" she yelled. 

Blissalra suddenly appeared above Meryln, pointing her staff towards her. 

"Your attitude disgusts me. And you wonder why Dawnni rejected you!" 

"You take that back!" 

Meryln quickly kicked Blissalra back and grabbed her sword. Meryln quickly swung at Blissalra repeatedly but she easily deflected each swing with her staff. Blissalra quickly spun around and smacked Meryln across the skull with it. She then pointed two fingers at her. 

"Electronic Missile!" 

Blue electricity bolted from her fingers and struck Meryln, electrocuting her in her armor. Meryln fell to one knee.  

"Stand down. You're just making a bigger fool of yourself than you already have." 

"I'm not finished yet!" 

Meryln grabbed her sword and dashed towards Blissalra. Blissalra directed her palm at Meryln.