“What’s happening?” Tala called out. “Is it a storm?”

  “I don’t think so,” I yelled. I couldn’t see what was happening. There was so much dust in the air. Every time I tried to open my eyes, they would sting. The beating wind grew stronger to the point where the three of us had to drop to our stomachs to keep from being blown off the building. I could feel the wind being pulled and pushed like the ocean tide. My entire body was being rolled back and forth. I wanted to cover my eyes with my hand and try and see what was creating the torrent, but I was too busy gripping on for dear life.

  Amidst the howling of the wind and the swirling of the dust, a strange noise rose like a coiling snake. The sound crushed my heart and drove spikes of fear into my body. The anxiety I felt on the lower levels of the Crumbling Tower came back with a fierce pride. The horrible sound wasn’t simply a deafening scream or the screeches of some ungodly creature, there was power in it. Some kind of deep magic that was meant to break our spirits.

  The three of us stayed low for several minutes before the pulsating winds began to slow down until finally stopping. Though the howling of the winds had gone quiet, the screeching was still crashing through the falling light. Once the dust had settled, I was finally able to lift my head and see what was happening.

  On the far end of the Crumbling Tower, perched atop an old construction crane, was a giant bird-like creature made of metal, stone, and other various mechanical parts. It was fifteen feet from the tips of its metallic tail feathers to the plumes of wires on top of its head. The creature had a beak created from layers of iron plating that had several jagged points running down either side. Its eyes were of black stones, polished like marbles. Its head turned back and forth in strange twitching motions. I could see a red light burning within its eyes.

  When the red notification appeared in the center of the sky I knew right then the Trials weren’t over. Not yet.

  [Trial Boss Battle Started: The Blightwing]

  [Epic Monster Encounter]

  Blightwing - Level 5 (Epic)

  Condition: Enraged

  Weaknesses: ???

  Resistances: ???

  Theo was the first to stand up. His posture was full of confidence, and he still had his smile. Blood pooled from within his sleeve to fall in the shape of the staff again. Then I watched as the head of the staff stretched into a blade. He had created a blood scythe. I was about to tell him to slow down and not get in over his head, but then I saw Tala rise to her feet. She had the same look Theo had as she materialized a red orb that floated around her open palm.

  Watching the two of them, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed of my fear and hesitation. They were ready to fight and make a stand. What was I doing? I planted my palms, rose to my knees, and then stood next to Tala. She turned to look at me, and for the first time, I saw something in her eyes that surprised me. She was excited. Not because she was about to fight a terrifying boss but because we were all finally fighting together. I smiled back and summoned a shadow blade.

  “Follow my lead,” Theo said, looking at me and Tala. The two of us nodded. I didn’t mind him taking the lead in the fight. He was the first to the top and so he deserved it. “This thing has one major advantage over us. It’s wings. If we can take those away from it, then it's as good as dead. Tala, I want you to try and keep him occupied while Ward and I run and flank it. We have to take out its wings before it can take off.”

  “And if it does?” Tala asked.

  “Then we need to draw it back in,” Theo said.

  “How do you suppose we do that?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure yet, but if I can get on top of the thing. I can do some serious damage. Maybe enough damage to kill before it realizes what’s happening.” Theo said. “So… you two ready or what?”

  “Ready,” Tala and I said in unison.

  “Go!”

  Tala started summoning swirling ribbons of fire that she flung through the air. Her movements were swift as a river and flowed like the wind. It was like watching someone dance. Her fire spells flew directly into the Blightwing’s eyes. Bursting upon impact. They didn’t seem to do much damage against the giant metal bird, but their flashing had caused it to shake its head in frustration. The attacks gave Theo and I enough time to make a mad dash for the wings. I was slightly faster than Theo, thanks to my windbreaker, and was able to get beneath the wing’s shadow.

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  To my right, I could see a gray electric box. It was about three feet tall and would give me a good boost to jump up to the lower roof of a nearby stairwell. I took a leaping jump and landed firmly on the box before letting my momentum push me to grab the top of the roof. I let my shadow blade vanish as I grabbed the ledge of the building and hauled myself up. As I got to my knees, I had to duck down as the Blightwing stretched out its wings.

  The darkness of the fading sun grew bleak under the shadow of its massive wings. They spanned twice the creature’s height and nearly covered the entire building. They were made of striated glass and metal pieces seemingly glued together to form sharp feathers. One quick slash from those and I would end up the same as the Shambler I killed with my shadow blade. Sliced in two.

  As I kept my head down, I caught sight of Theo dashing over parts of the building that had collapsed from the Blightwing’s initial descent. He moved like his father. Quick and precise. Once he made it beyond the shattered stonework, he moved behind another concrete shed designed to hold up what used to be the wire-framed tower. From there, he disappeared out of my sight beyond the silhouette of the boss.

  I summoned my shadow blade and felt a brief moment of exhaustion come over me. I shook my head, blinked my eyes, and it was gone. I was still fatigued from my ascent up the tower, and despite my stat boosts, I wasn’t used to using magic. It was draining. I would need to keep that in mind and not overuse my Shadow Smithing ability.

  A brief gust of strong wind pushed me down as the Blightwing began to ascend. I swore under my breath, bent my knees, and started running for the edge of the stairwell entrance building. With my blade in hand, I leapt into the air and swung out at the center of the creature’s great wing. My blade came a foot short as the Blightwing arched its back, coiled its wings, and pushed off and back into the sky. The force of its lifted shot me down faster than I expected.

  I was able to land on my feet and keep my balance, but the impact shocked my legs and hurt my back. I grit my teeth against the electric pain cutting up and down my leg. I lifted my arm to cover my face as I felt the wind pick up once again. Directly in front of me, standing atop some of the fallen rubble, was Theo. He was shouting. I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I tried calling back, but my voice died in the whirlwind. When he realized I couldn’t hear him, he started pointing off to my right. I followed his outstretched arm, which led to the high construction crane stationed between us.

  The crane rose another fifty or so feet into the air above the Crumbling Tower. If we managed to get up there then perhaps we could attack it from above. I still had my Colt Revolver in my inventory but it only had a single shot left. I doubted it would do enough damage to kill the thing. Though perhaps I could use it to distract it or taunt it. I turned my gaze back to Theo and gave him a nod.

  Tala was fairing much better than Theo and I were. She was still standing where we left her and throwing fireballs up into the air. However her attack were missing and falling short of the creatures path. It was too fast and too high up now for her attacks to be effective. Tala must of realized the dilemma she was in and stopped her spells. She was breathing heavy and I could see sweat condensing on her forehead.

  I waved my arms in the air to get her attention. Once she spotted me, I pointed over towards the crane and then to Theo, who at this point was in a dead sprint. She nodded and started to run. I turned and ran to catch up with Theo. From above, I could still feel the Blightwing’s powerful gusts pushing me down. It caused the air to dance and the ground to shake. As I ran, I could hear every so often the sound of a crackling fire as Tala shot more fire ribbons up into the air. I could hear them exploding, and short shimmers of heat would blast the back of my neck.

  Ahead of me, I saw Theo come to a stop at the base of the construction crane. He was looking up at the framework as if planning out his ascension. I came to a stop next to him and had to put my hand out on the metal to help catch my breath.

  “What?” Theo asked without looking at me. “Don’t tell me you're starting to get tired.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nah, just a bit hungry is all.” Theo let out a quiet laugh while nodding. Tala was quick to catch up and, like me, was also trying to catch her breath.

  “Here’s the plan,” Theo said. “Tala, try and keep its attention a bit longer. Head over to that awning over there. Hide in its shadow as you cast your spell. Make this thing look for you. Once it gets close enough, then I want you Ward to try and draw it in. Keep its attention on you. Anyway you can. Give me enough time to climb up. If we can manage to get it to land here, where we stand, then I can attack it from above.”

  “So I get to hide while you go off and do something heroic, is that it?” Tala asked.

  “Better than being bait,” I chimed in.

  “Hey, by all means, if you think you can climb up here, jump on its back, and kill it before it slashes you to a million pieces. Be my guest.” Theo said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

  “I’m good,” Tala said.

  “Same,” I answered.

  We all let out an airy laugh.

  “Life in the Fallen States,” Tala said. “Good luck, you two.”

  “Same,” Theo said.

  Tala ran off towards the awning as the winds began to pick up again, and the screeching of the Blightwing descended on our heads. I turned to Theo, who was already a few feet up the crane. “Make your dad proud,” I shouted.

  “You too!” Theo yelled down. I ran off towards the southern edge of the building below the shadow of the crane’s arm. There I stopped, turned around to face the direction of the Blightwing, and waited.