New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

*Ziut!*

*Screech!*

In a storm-filled sky, amongst the many floating islands of the blue dragon's domain, a human figure was bouncing off the small land masses. After each contact with a piece of floating island, another buzzing sound would echo, followed by a roaring screech.

This was Galtion, who had finally reached his maximum speed and the top of the sky stairs, atop which the dragon and cloud of dark mist were still in chase for each other. With every pass Galtion made through the mist, he saw it slow down.

But it was always a temporary thing, as it went back to full speed soon after. This only ensured the blue dragon didn't get caught.

For now.

But Galtion couldn't run and attack like this forever.

Already, his forehead dribbled with sweat under his full-face helmet, and his body felt like it was made of lead. He was quickly reaching his limit.

"This isn't working!" he shouted for the dragon to hear.

'Your attacks are too weak, Human. If I could strike at the corruption myself, this would already be over. But if I stop, it will strike at me and take over my soul.'

Galtion felt disheartened at being told he was too weak. It stung his ego.

But he knew the dragon was right.

'Is there a way to get around this?' he mused.

He remembered how Astaroth had boosted his attack power against the lich with his holy aura and wondered if the dragon could do something similar.

An idea crept up in his mind. But it was madness.

Galtion was willing to bet his life on it, though. His options were limited.

If it failed, he died, and the corruption won.

If he did nothing but keep attacking like this, he tired out and the corruption eventually caught up with the dragon. In that case, he would die, and the corruption would win.

But if his idea worked, they both got out of here alive.

He made up his mind and changed his movement pattern.

From a short and quick attack path, he expanded out into a more peripheral path, where he stayed out of the dragon's path.

"Shoot your lightning at me!" he shouted, while bouncing next to the dragon.

'Have you lost your mind? It will kill you instantly!' the dragon replied in his mind.

"Just do it!" Galtion shouted back.

With the relent in Galtion's attacks, the corruption was quickly gaining on the blue dragon's flight, and it was a matter of seconds before it caught up. There was no time for the beast to ponder on the Human's sanity.

'Fine. Get in front of me,' it said, doubtful of this Human's plan.

Galtion bounced on another two floating islands, which sent him directly across the dragon's path and focused his mind.

Time almost slowed down as his focus honed to razor-sharp.

The dragon opened its mouth, spitting out a lightning bolt as thick as his arm on a direct collision course with him. It was do or die.

Galtion spun his body mid-air, getting clear of the bolt, but putting his spear tip right in its course. As the lightning bolt hit the spear, he saw damage numbers appear.

*-1,000*

*-1,000*

…

He knew his meagre health pool wouldn't last, as the lightning bolt sank into his weapon, already coursing into his body.

Keeping his motion going, Galtion slammed feet first into another floating island, before bounding back, aimed on a collision course with the corruption mist.

His spear glowed white hot as electricity arced off the shaft, making it look like a miniature Tesla coil. But when he passed into the mist this time, he felt a much higher resistance.

It felt like physical matter.

And by the screech it released, the corruption also felt this attack much more than the others.

*SCREECH!!!*

The mist cloud halted in its tracks, suddenly contracting and expanding. It was seizing.

But Galtion wasn't done.

He bounced off another island, repeating his earlier attack pattern, this time with a weapon slowly killing him. By the time the lightning dissipated from his spear, he was almost dead.

His body couldn't support him anymore, and instead of bouncing off the next island, he slammed into it, taking another instance of damage, and falling off toward the cyclone of lightning at the bottom of the soul space.

Galtion could barely feel his body, let alone move it. But as he fell, he smirked.

Above him, the cloud of corruption was almost entirely gone, and an ultimate attack from the dragon brought it down.

'At least, I did my part,' he thought.

Galtion closed his eyes, at peace with this result. Even if he died, he would have at least helped his party.

A jolt of electricity coursed through him, his eyes opening in pain. Then he realized where he was.

Back in the mage's study.

Another shock coursed through him. It was coming from his hand.

Looking down, he saw his spear was out, where it hadn't been previously. But it was different.

Arcing with sparks, the once black-shafted spear, with a dull metal head, was now blue-shafted, with a spear-tip of a silver sheen. Just under the spearhead, a metallic dragon, with its head rested on the spear's blade, its tail coiled around the shaft, and its wings folded around the joint, forming a round crossguard.

The sparks stopped arcing from it, seemingly what had caused it to change, and Galtion stared at it, in awe.

But a deathly screeching caught brought his attention elsewhere. That was when he noticed the situation in the room with him.

Corrupted Elves everywhere, with his allies fighting with all their might, trying to beat them back. Meat-Shield was there, uncannily beating back attacks coming from behind him like he saw them coming.

Galtion realized he had no time to admire his new acquisition. There was still a fight ongoing, and his friends needed him.

Grasping the spear's shaft in his hands, feeling the power that coursed through it, he grinned.

"Let's see what you can do," he muttered to himself.

But a notification popped before him.

*Please name your newly created artifact.*

Galtion almost lost his breath at the word artifact. But he quickly caught himself.

"StormFury," he said, confidently.

*Ding!*

*Name granted. StormFury. May this name echo through the skies, and strike fear in the heart of its enemies!*