The Tower of Rodgers

Mythal free fell through the air, holding his arms out to the sides to ease his speed. The ground was much farther down than he had first anticipated and honestly, he wasn't sure he could land it safely. His eyes focused on one of the gargoyles falling directly in front of him, the creature limp from unconsciousness. The God Slayer brought his legs and arms close together and eased his body forward, increasing his descent. He was quickly able to catch up to the creature, grabbing ahold of its wings and turning it around so its belly was to the fast approaching ground. He grabbed the musculature of the wings and held them out, creating a resistance that jerked the creature up and dramatically eased the fall. And then, right before they crashed, Mythal pushed off the creature's back and leapt backwards, putting all the falling force on it and easing his.

Mythal backflipped through the air and landed on the soggy, slick ground of the new floor. He backpedaled a few more steps as the debris he had created came crashing down behind him, kicking up stone dust. He stood there for a moment, watching the cloud of dust billow and swirl before finally starting to disperse. Then a throaty roar caught his attention, his eyes once again narrowing. From the dissaray emerged a Minotaur, bellowing loudly and slamming its flaming mace against its mighty shield. Mythal also caught sight of a second one that... had been buried underneath the falling rubble. Only its horns and face stuck out, clearly defeated upon impact.

The Minotaur met his gaze, as if asking for answers for his sudden appearance. Mythal simply shrugged. That incensed the beast more and it charged, swinging its mace around in preparation. The God Slayer held his ground until the last possible moment and then dove into the ground once more, merging with the shadows just as the mace swung through the air at him. He popped out from behind the creature and leapt up, slamming his hand against it's neck with all the force he could muster. The creature roared and spun around, its mace leading the charge. Mythal was forced to leap over it and slam his foot into the creature's hand, his magic bolstering his strength enough to break hits thumb.

The monster screeched and stumbled backwards, unable to hold its weapon now. But it was not defeated yet; it rushed forward after a moment, thrusting at Mythal with the flat end of its shield. Mythal held his arm up to defend against it but was knocked backwards, flipping tail over head before slamming into the ground. He groaned and hissed between his teeth as he felt the Minotaur's cloven steps bounding towards him. He leapt up and met the creature instantly, planting his magic-infused palms into its body at, what he hoped were, focal points for blood flow. He then slammed his fist against its gut and brought his foot up to smash against its chin.

The creature stumbled backwards, dazed and agonized. Mythal rushed at it and then dropped into a slide, easily sailing across the slick ground between the monster's legs. He slammed his heel into the floor and popped up right at the mace. His hand was engulfed in the shadow gauntlet of his Fallen God just as he reached out and took it between his fingers. And then as each fighter spun around, the Minotaur was met with the blunt force of its own mace, snapping its head to the side with such strength that a sickening crack echoed throughout the room. Then it fell to the ground, unmoving.

Mythal tossed the mace away, cursing it as he did so. The magic had blocked most of the hell flames but it still had burned his skin slightly. He flexed the hand to ease the pain and finally took in the room he had fallen into. It seemed to be the central hub of the tower, with the only exit being a long staircase that led upwards. But on the opposite side was a tall pillar, glowing with an ominous light. After taking a moment to look around and ensure he wasn't about to get attacked again, he turned and headed towards the pillar.

His senses told him he could relax, even as he stepped up to the supernatural structure. It wasn't anything grand beyond giving off a glow, save for a single space that seemed to have been intentionally hollowed out. He cocked his head and hummed in wonder. He pulled the knapsack forward that had been slung tight against his side, the same one he had taken from Rodger's tomb. He flipped it open and reached inside, his fingers finding the orb resting at the bottom. He brought it up to the light, looking it over once more and then comparing it against the hole.

"Eh, what the hell?" he asked to no one in particular. He turned his hand and thrust the orb into the hole, the stone fitting snug and perfect. The pillar began to hum loudly and glow even brighter, causing the God Slayer to take a few steps back. Just as it got too much to handle, it suddenly dissipated in a literal flash. As Mythal focused his eyes again, he was met with the sight of a ring hovering in the air directly in front of him. It wasn't an extravagant piece of jewelry, looking more comely than grandiose but it was still pretty in its own right. And what was more is he could feel the magical power radiating off of it. Had this been what the gnome and elven women were looking for?

Speaking of which, where had they gone? The midget had stopped talking to him shortly before he ran into the traps. He sniffed the air but found no scent resembling the one he'd picked up before. Had they run for it? Or maybe these Minotaurs had made quick and painful work of them. In either case, it seemed they were gone and the prize they were after left. He reached out and took the ring gently between his fingers. But instead of him pulling it down, it yanked him into the air and held him there, the God Slayer hovering. He glanced down at the ground, then at the ring, once more at the ground and finally finishing on the ornament once more.

"Well, how 'bout that?"

Magnolia Town	Fairy Tail
5893/5000