Tauros Floor 7, The Emperor’s Ascent - 2:53 PM

  I could see the fight long before I reached it. Jamie and Jeff had started combat by going head to head with the Golden Bull. That was a tactic that had worked well for them in the past with the Weapon Master using brute strength and the Queen’s Knight went for an approach with more finesse.

  Neither were in their element currently, and only Mercury seemed comfortable with the torn up terrain.

  When I left, the battlefield was a mostly pristine rocky wasteland next to a mountain. Now, it was filled with jagged boulders, large fissures, and part of the rock face had collapsed. There was an entire trail of destruction leading from where we started towards the path that I would have needed to take to ascend if I weren’t capable of flying.

  For all the damage the Golden Bull was dishing out, there were several gouges and dents along its body. It raged, chasing after Jamie and Jeff as they ran as they tried to get to higher ground. Mercury attacked at angles that the enemy couldn’t strike back at in an attempt to keep it distracted, but it wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped.

  Kayla was keeping to the outskirts of the fight. She was no longer ingrained like before, but I could tell from the way she was breathing heavily that she managed to keep her buffs on the two frontliners. That was hard considering she had to stay in range and the battlefield was constantly being destroyed.

  Holding the tablets up, one in each hand, I started using Drop in conjunction with Flight to make it to the ground faster. I spread my arms to either side.

  “Warmonger’s coming in hot!” Mercury called.

  “Hey, false idol!” I called as I flew. Something in my voice must have caught its attention, because it turned to me.

  The Golden Bull lowered its head and pawed at the ground. Its horns glowed with power, causing frenetic bolts of lightning to zap between them. I began charging power in response to its flashy show.

  “Watch out!” Jeff yelled, skidding to a stop as he noticed the bull was no longer chasing him.

  “Get to cover!” I yelled, keeping my eye on the enemy.

  Canceling Drop, I fell into a glide with Flight, which wasn’t nearly as costly on the Mental Points as actual flying. The Golden Bull took careful aim as the lightning between its horns coalesced into a ball of light the same color it was. A loud, reverberating noise cut through the sound of the desert wind as a laser fired directly at me.

  Opening my mouth, I met the challenge in kind.

  My own golden light in the form of Dragon’s Breath erupted and clashed with the boss monster’s. The two seemed to push on each other for a moment before the energies twisted and distorted, creating an orb that grew twice the size of the beams.

  We continued pushing out energy. The Golden Bull because it wanted to overpower me, and I did it because I wanted to mix the holy with the unholy. Before long, the orb began collapsing in on itself when it reached its tipping point. This was what I was aiming for, and I was the first to veer off to take cover behind a column of rocks.

  The entire area went eerily silent. Even though my friends were yelling, I couldn’t hear them as they heeded my warning. It was almost as if all of the sound was being sucked into the small ball of energy. The sphere crackled and popped with power as it shrank even further, down to the size of a child’s fist. That was the only sound before the whole thing exploded in a raucous and destructive way.

  A rapidly expanding, though thankfully short-lived, wall of light erupted in every direction, scorching everything that wasn’t behind cover. Next, sand and dust scattered in the tornado force gale that followed. I used Drop on both of my Heelies of the Twice Blessed while Pushing my coat towards the rock I had hid behind. Despite this, I was still almost thrown away by the force of the explosion. I was simply too close.

  The moment I felt like I could control myself out there, I activated Fae Step to appear next to the Golden Bull. It had been blasted onto its side and was in the process of standing. The beast paused as it looked up at me, its golden eyes unreadable except for the angry tilt of its brow.

  I followed in the footsteps of Moses when he saw the golden calf. Raising the two holy items, I smashed them against its horns before backing off, and the first Tablets of Stone containing the Ten Commandments were destroyed.

  In my hands, the remains fell to dust to coat the Golden Bull. It scrambled back on its feet only to start bucking wildly. The gold coating its body began to slough off like blood from a heavy wound. Metal started to pool around its hooves, revealing a black, misshapen mass underneath.

  This was the enemy’s true form.

  The only thing that remained the same was the eyes, but the rest of the Golden Bull had changed by the time it stood up on its hind legs. Dark and hairless, its front arms morphed into pincers and gained more definition like that of a human’s. Six smaller, grasping hands appeared on shorter arms coming out of its stomach. Along its back, several spikes burst out of its flesh. The blood that sprayed from the act landed on the blackened ground where it sizzled and evaporated.

  “What the actual hell, Warmonger?” Mercury asked, appearing next to me with a hand on his head and the Princess pointed at the enemy.

  “I matched its energy with mine, but holy and unholy are incompatible so there was an explosion,” I explained. “Then I broke the tablets, which resulted in the Golden Bull’s true, Demonic form to come out. Any questions?”

  “I guess not,” he said.

  “Good, then get back in there and soften it up for Jamie and Jeff,” I ordered loudly. With a nod, Mercury shifted and a boulder stood where he once did. “It’ll be more vulnerable this way without all the gold. Y’all already did a great job leading it around and not getting hit, so keep that up and we’ll down this sucker in no time.”

  The Golden Bull reached up with its pincers and shook its head before turning its eyes towards me. It lowered itself and roared.

  “You’ll not get the best of me, false prophet!” it roared, my translation skill doing its job to allow me to understand its words.

  “I think you’ll find that I’m not the one to worry about,” I replied, jutting my chin out.

  A harpoon tore through the Golden Bull’s chest, causing it to cry out in pain. The jagged head caught as Jamie started reeling it in and the beast staggered before digging in its hooves. It reached up and clamped down on the projectile, cutting it off cleanly so it returned to her. The piece that fell disappeared after it hit the ground as she shifted the Atlantean weapon into another of its forms.

  “These Zodiacs sure like to throw Demonic enemies at us, huh?” Kayla said.

  “To be fair, the last one was a Devil,” I replied.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Is there a difference?”

  “Really depends on who you ask, but…” I shrugged. “Not really, no. Semantics? I guess?”

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  That made her roll her eyes before moving off to get closer to the combat. Jeff was in the thick of things now, striking at the Golden Bull’s legs while Jamie learned that its Strength was just as high now as it was in animal form. She was tossed away before sliding to her feet and rushing back into battle, grabbing the shield off of her back.

  I, for one, flicked my wrist to activate a skill.

  <<<>>>

  [[Skill]]

  In The Palm

  Hide an item no longer than your forearm in its own extradimensional space with a twist of your wrist. Retrieve it with the same motion. This item is considered equipped while hidden in this space.

  <<<>>>

  A small, shining blade appeared in my hand. The Scalpel of Angelic Healing was the first item I took from Pustibule. Back then it had been a machete-sized tool that left a disease of his own design on anyone he cut. Being a Demonic weapon, it had caused me no small amount of trouble when I needed to use it to kill the Writhing Zeppelin. My hands had taken a few days to become usable again.

  That was before Sara became my Patron, however. She purified it into what it was now, and it vibrated in the presence of a Demonic enemy. With a smile on my face, I held it aloft and activated its one skill that mattered in battle.

  <<<>>>

  [[Item]]

  Scalpel of Angelic Healing

  (Angelic item; +10 Dexterity, +3 Constitution, Cut Out The Rot skill acquired, Demon Slayer skill acquired, Surgical Precision passive acquired)

  [[Skill]]

  Demon Slayer

  This skill can only be activated in the presence of Demonic energy. You can transform this item into an Angelic sword that is especially potent against those who oppose the powers of Heaven. While this skill is active, gain an additional +10 Strength and +2 Constitution to your stats.

  <<<>>>

  The scalpel glowed as it transformed into a completely different weapon. The sword had a gorgeous white blade stylized in the shape of an Angel’s wing, and the cross guard floated over the hilt like a golden halo. It was a beautiful weapon all around.

  But what was best about it was the power. Merely holding the sword made me feel stronger, and that wasn’t just because of the stat boost. It matched and activated the dormant Angelic energy inside me and felt like a flood was coursing through my veins.

  Instead of jumping into action, I took a breath. The feeling made me want to get right into the thick of things and slay the Golden Bull where it stood, but then everyone would yell at me for breaking ranks while I was still hindered.

  Not that this enemy had a chance against me, but they would still give me a lot of grief.

  I Lifted the sword out of my hand and Pushed it towards the Golden Bull. It kept its new shape and would stay that way for as long as there was a Demonic presence around.

  The enemy turned as if sensing the presence of the holy weapon, ignoring Jamie as she came in with her hammer. It errantly batted her away, but she caught the blow with her shield before going for another strike.

  Its attention was fully on the scalpel. I used Spin to turn it into a whirlwind until it was spinning fast enough for the colors to blend in with themselves. The Golden Bull raised its pincer in an attempt to catch it. At the same time, Jamie struck its knee before backing off to give Jeff a chance at it.

  The enemy buckled slightly before snapping its pincer, catching the blade. Not without heavy injury, though. It sliced halfway through its thick chitin, which just barely held. The Golden Bull roared in pain as it flailed, causing more earthquakes with every stomp.

  Jeff, about to strike, nearly fell over before catching himself. He scrambled over the broken ground to get away from the enraged Demon as it threw a tantrum. The mountain rumbled as more rocks started falling, and I wiggled the scalpel.

  It looked down at the blade as it moved. I moved to the next phase of my plan when it glared up at me. Constructing a hammer and chisel next to its pincer, I slammed the first into the second before the Golden Bull could react.

  There was another roar of pain as the appendage broke in two, freeing my scalpel. The weapon flew straight for its eyes. Even though the Golden Bull recoiled I adjusted its course and unerringly struck a blow across the face. I Pushed the blade as far into the skull as I could go, only getting a few inches in, before using Orbit to slash it away.

  It brought its arms up to protect its face as its eyes were heavily damaged. They were going to be useless from here on.

  The Demon threw itself on the ground and writhed, striking out with all of its arms, and the earthquakes started getting worse. I floated upwards and Lifted rocks that were big enough to stand on, giving the rest of Sol Ligatus a safe place to go.

  I rolled my eyes as the Golden Bull started yelling about revenge, and how it was going to do unspeakable things to my family, and that I was going to die. None of that was pertinent to the situation at hand or, really, even reality as it was.

  “Mercury, you want to grab that sword and do the honors?” I asked, Pulling the rocks towards me gently so no one would fall.

  “Absolutely, Warmonger!” he said before crouching and waiting for his moment. When he sheathed the Princess, I sent the scalpel his way. I could see the excitement in his aura when he grabbed it and gave it a few practice swings.

  Jamie’s eyes scanned me, and when I gave her a glance she nodded my way. “You’re not just lifting your gear anymore, are you? You’re actually flying,” she stated.

  “Yeah. Something I picked up when I upgraded everything just before the Soul Shearer,” I confirmed. “Kayla and Mercury know about it. I guess I forgot to let everyone else know. Speaking of flying, what happened to that jet pack I brought back with me?”

  Jeff furrowed his brow. “You brought back a jet pack?”

  I opened my mouth only to close it again. “Yeah, it’s in the Vault for whoever wants it. Man, I really need to get better at communicating. That and the Orb of Amarii were the biggest presents I had for y’all. Aside from all the materials for Ash, I mean.”

  “You still haven’t gone over the orb,” Kayla pointed out. “I think we all forgot you mentioned it given the trials we went through afterwards.”

  “Yeah, makes sense,” I said, hiding my frown.

  I was usually really good about keeping on top of these things. Shaking my head at myself, I figured it was just the stress of a new path. Everything was new and shiny and different, and I would probably be facing off against Aaron’s chosen in Dublin. There was a lot on my plate.

  Before I could contemplate for too long, Mercury disappeared with a flash. The Golden Bull had let its guard down for a moment, and the ninja landed on its chest. He cut through the extra arms, avoided the grapple as the Demon tried to crush him, and began teleporting in place.

  Each rapid appearance had him cutting through the enemy’s throat. His Tenfold Slash was much faster now than it was when he had used it on me, and I smiled as he laid critical hit after critical hit on the downed bastard, ending with a powerful slice that saw the Golden Bull’s head go flying off.

  The ninja stood up and roared in triumph. “I am worthy of the Blade of Heaven!”

  “Good work, Merc!” I yelled, clapping along.

  <<<>>>

  [[Victory!]]

  You have contributed in defeating the Constellation Boss [Golden Bull (Demonic)]; +500 (1,200) points.

  [[Emperor’s Ascent Tauros Quest 7 Complete]]

  The story of the Golden Bull is one of false idols and heretical worship. When left alone, that kind of blind faith can be taken and usurped by those willing to use it for their own gain. You, however, have seen the truth for what it is and killed the Demon feasting within.

  To the victors go the spoils, and the door back to the safe zone shall appear.

  MVPs: Sol Ligatus.

  Rewards: 2,000 points, Tauros Emblem.

  [[Patron Quest Complete!]]

  Excellent work, Anthony and crew. That Demonic beast was even worse than the heresy of the original.

  But now I can calm down. It’s done and over with. Even though we had to break the Ten Commandments to do so, that is how the story originally went. You even got a miracle out of it, which was amazing.

  Since I have your attention, I’m going to tell you now. The Dealer got in contact with me. He says that Jeremiah is ready to come to the table. Tomorrow at 11 AM, his food truck will appear where it normally does. That’s when you’ll meet.

  Reward: 30,000 points, Holy Rotary Saw.

  <<<>>>

  I smiled as I read through the messages, trading high fives with Mercury and Jeff as I got my sword back. A quick flick of the wrist put it back in my palm after I returned it to its scalpel form.

  Like with the Devil Ram, no spoils dropped. I instructed Mercury to grab the head of the Golden Bull, but leave the rest of it here. There was no point taking more than that considering its Demonic nature.

  A door appeared nearby, and I floated towards it after setting the team down. Between the victory, Sara’s new toy, and the Dealer’s meeting tomorrow, everything was shaping up pretty nicely.