by Pavel Kornev
Oh damn...
You have been killed by a Giant Infernal Serpent!
6
WATER, DIRT, REEDS.
I didn’t want to get stuck in the domain of the swamp goblins at all, so I hid my skull as soon as I went beyond them and climbed out of a shallow puddle. I wiped the thick mud from my face and put my enchanted skull away in my inventory. I also checked whether its crystal twin had fallen out, but thankfully it was still in place, just like all of my other items. Only the necromancer’s robe had a hole where the blob of poison conjured up by the shaman had hit.
I got to my feet and got out of the clearing which was surrounded by the clumps of reeds and strode off to the village of the dead.
It was getting closer to evening, so the gates of the village were wide open, while the guardsmen hid from the setting sun in the shadows of a canopy. They paid no attention to me whatsoever.
I had no idea what would be the result of returning the crystal skull to the Elder, so I visited the tailor first to repair my robe that had been burnt through by the poison. The dead woman took only two minutes to sew up the hole on the back and restored the Durability of my clothing, even though there was a ten percent penalty compared to its maximum value.
It was cheap and quick, but I was starting to like indestructible items more and more. Nothing ever happened to those deadman’s boots I was wearing!
I found the Elder at home. The old man sat at his table and listlessly looked out of the window. His eyes were empty and dead. Nothing unusual for a dead man...
However, when I appeared the old man jumped to his feet and flung up his hands.
“You brought it! You brought it!”
The Bring the Crystal Skull quest is complete.
Experience: +150
I confirmed the obvious.
“Yes, I brought it.”
“Praise be to the Lord of the Dead!” the Elder happily declared. “I have a new quest for you!”
“What about the reward?” I reminded.
“I will collect the money, I really will! Don’t worry, I will keep my word. You can leave the skull for yourself for now. Yes, you can leave it for now...”
The old man stroked his beard and fell silent, so I broke the silence.
“What happened to those that lived in the village?”
“The plague,” the Elder frowned. “We all became ill on the same day and we would have been dead with no return, but the conjurer that arrived managed to hold us at the edge of death. As you see, we died, but not completely. The conjurer gave us a chance.”
“And where is he now?”
The Elder shook his head.
“I don’t know. Frederick went to the neighboring village to find some sort of artifact, but he disappeared. Then we found out that the goblins got his crystal skull. You must find Frederick and return the skull to him!”
“What for?”
The Elder looked hesitant, but then continued.
“Only Frederick can open a portal into the Kingdom of the Dead. We can’t remain here as the paladins of the Order of the Fiery Hand will find a way through the swamps sooner or later and burn the village together with us. We must leave! Can you help us? You’re one of us!”
Do you want to accept the Find the Village Conjurer quest?
[Yes/No]
I accepted, of course! I didn’t even ask about the reward for completing the quest. Damn it, a portal to the Kingdom of the Dead! This really was something to celebrate!
“Where should I look for your conjurer?”
The old man unfurled the map and drew his finger from the swamps to the forests, tapping a crossroads with a yellowed nail.
“This is where he went, to Pine Log. We used to trade with this village, but we don’t anymore.”
I opened my own map and made sure that new marks had appeared on it and then asked, “Should I just give the skull back to him?”
“Give the skull back and help him to return.”
“What if he is dead?”
The Elder nodded.
“He is dead,” he calmly confirmed. “Like all of us. But the skull is the concentration of Frederick’s power, it will make him reborn and bring him back to life!
I chuckled. My undead side had a skull that was nearly the same, but it was not made of crystal, so maybe this was some early work by the developers for some long and complex quest? This was really interesting.
“Will you help us?” the dead old man asked again.
“I’ll help you.”
I didn’t want to waste time before I did the quest so I left the village without waiting for darkness to fall. The last thing I wanted was to have to fight through the restless denizens of the swamp that went on the hunt at dusk. My relations with the local goblin tribe had also been ruined beyond the point of no return.
I felt a little ill when I remembered the beast that had been summoned by the high shaman. Five hundred units of Health in one hit was no joke!
THANKS TO THE MAP, I didn’t get lost in the swamp and reached the edge of the forest when the sun was only just touching the tops of the trees. I didn’t dare to go on the road due to the roadblock at the crossroads so I went straight through the forest.
There was no choice here — it would be better to slowly find my way among the trees and risk coming across a bear or a pack of wolves than going to battle with the guards of the Order of the Fiery Hand. Even if I managed to fight back against the normal warriors, the paladins were sure to burn with desire to annihilate the undead creature that insulted them.
No way, no way.
It was still light in the forest, so there were no unexpected meetings. The smaller animals saw me coming in advance and hid among the trees, while I avoided the larger predators myself. This was no time to fight them for experience — I didn’t want to die and randomly lose the crystal skull.
I wasn’t afraid of getting lost in the forest in the slightest — the Pine Log marker on the map didn’t go anywhere. That was the issue though.
It was a village! It was unlikely for them to be happy to see a flesh eater. They were likely to take me for a plague bearer and try to burn me. I didn’t want that to happen. However, didn’t the fact that the conjurer’s artifact had somehow gotten into the hands of the swamp goblins say that the unfortunate Frederick never reached Pine Log? He’d either come across a band of the little greenskins or got stopped by the guards of the Order of the Fiery Hand. He could also have been killed by the villagers, with his body thrown outside the fence where it was looted by goblins. That was also an option.
Whatever had happened, I wanted to first take a walk in the surrounding territories and only try to get myself into the village afterwards.
Once the crossroads with the crossroads with the roadblock was behind me, I went back towards the road and soon came to the roadside. I went on my way, looking at the map of my surroundings as I went and looked for a place where the goblins could have come across the conjurer or his body. The mired river interested me the most, as it began in the swamps. It flowed directly from there, so the ugly greenskins could well have traveled through the domains of men along its banks.
It was a shame I’d never thought to ask the Elder about this...
The forest soon ended and I found myself at the edge of a cornfield — the one that I’d turned back from before because of the rays of sunlight shining in my face. The sun was now descending beyond the forest, sending long shadows stretching out from the trees. I moved along the edge of the forest under their cover, gradually distancing myself from the road as I ‘d only get into trouble further along it.
I could come across some men from the village or some paladins. I would then have to somehow try and hide from them in the open field. It would be better to have a look around by the river first. Even if I wasted my time, it would already be dark by then. It is easier to sneak around in the dark.
After drawing my flamberge from the baldric behind my back and laying it upon
my right shoulder, I strode through the high grass and carefully looked around, until a narrow path suddenly appeared under my feet. It twisted and turned among the bushes in the right direction, so I followed it.
Could the conjurer have decided to give the field a wide berth as well? He could have... This thought made me feel uneasy. I took the enchanted skull with me this time, as I would be resurrected in this field if I died.
Why didn’t I hide the artifact by the village of the dead? I was just afraid — if the goblins found the skull, the little scumbags were sure to drag it away to their bogs. One thing I definitely wanted to avoid was a meeting with their high shaman. Garth could also be looking for me somewhere nearby.
Danger was only a stone’s throw away wherever I’d go...
God! How would I get out of here? I hoped I could get out somehow...
The answer to my hopes and fears were the mocking calls of crows.
I tilted my head back and saw black dots circling above the field. They didn’t circle over the whole field, but only at its very center. They were landing, taking back off, crowing and going back down again.
Was it carrion that attracted them?
I left the path and walked straight across the field. The tall stalks of corn immediately surrounded me, but the loud calls of the birds helped me walk in the right direction. When I saw fluttering black wings right above my head, I gripped the flamberge more comfortably and went into stealth mode.
After a few strides the corn parted and I found myself in a clearing with a scarecrow standing right in the middle.
A scarecrow? Damn it, it wasn’t! It was a crucified man that was attracting the crows here! I knew who the feathered predators were feeding on in advance, so I went to the post that had been dug in the ground. I saw that my guess was right — it was really the missing Frederick who was hanging there. The flesh on his head had been pecked clean down to the skull and the crows were now cleaning the flesh from his arms.
As soon as I left stealth mode, the black birds immediately rose into the sky and started to circle the clearing, waiting for the man that disturbed them to leave. I was in no hurry to do that though. Neither was I in a hurry to get the crystal skull out.
My attention was attracted by an amulet on the chest of the dead man. I rose on my toes and roughly tore it away, breaking the chain.
What did we have here?
Silver Deadman’s Amulet
I immediately received two system notifications:
Deadman’s Set: Altered
Deadman’s Set: Saved
What was this all about? I opened up the stats of the silver object I had in the palm of my hand and couldn’t believe my eyes.
Silver Medallion (Deadman’s Set: 3 of 13)
Regeneration of Health, Stamina and Energy: 3% per 10 minutes
Durability: Indestructible
Status: Rare
Restrictions: Undead, Necromancers
Great! Just brilliant!
Energy and Health regeneration was just what I was missing! My Stamina would regenerate faster as well. Killer!
Why did I receive a message about the set being saved though?
I checked the stats of the other items and saw that the armor and damage dealt by the deadman’s boots had grown by one, while the stats of the flamberge had improved even more.
Bloody Flamberge (Deadman’s Set: 3 out of 13)
Damage: 8-14
Accuracy: +11%
Chance of causing critical damage: +11%
Chance of causing bleeding damage: 6% for each wave of the blade used in the strike
Bleeding damage: 3 points of Health per second over 2 seconds
Status: Very Rare
Restrictions: Undead, Necromancers
Wow! My maximum damage from a single attack had grown to 130!
The only thing was... When I tried to take the medallion off my neck I couldn’t. I could only take it off together with the boots and the flamberge.
Was it an inseparable set? Damn, I needed to be careful with its potential component parts. There were probably more than thirteen. I didn’t want to put on some useless rubbish. However... It was difficult to imagine a situation where I wouldn’t take something from the Deadman’s Set and just let the artifact lie around on the ground. Normal players could be picky, but not me. For me, it was a question of survival.
Once I realized that I had spent way too long in the inventory, I took the crystal skull out of the bag and came up to the conjurer with it. The artifact noticeably glowed in the dusk.
So. what did I have to do with it? Just apply it, or...
“Don’t do that...” I heard a soft voice behind my back.
I turned quickly and was absolutely dumbstruck by the sight of a knight in full battle gear. Lamellar armor, bracers, steel knee and elbow guard and chainmail gloves. His head was covered with a closed helm with narrow eye slits and he held a bastard sword in his hands. The long blade glowed slightly orange in the dark. The black-hemmed cloak was also yellow and red. I wished I could sink beneath the ground! This was a paladin of the Order of the Fiery Hand! He wasn’t alone either — four crossbowmen stepped into the clearing after him. Argh...
I did still have a chance of survival — the paladin and the guards were NPCs and the game balance never put players into completely hopeless situations. I was just unsure that this would work in my case...
“Give me the skull!” the knight demanded.
Judging by his calm tone of voice, he hadn’t recognized that I was undead yet. He would, though. I only had a few seconds left. And if I couldn’t face this battle alone...
I made a sharp turn and raised the hand with the skull to the crucified conjurer and this was the moment I heard the snap of the crossbows of the guards. Two bolts missed, another slid off my chainmail, but the last sank into my hand and knocked the artifact out of my fingers.
The crystal skull rolled along the ground and the warriors bared their shortswords and charged into the attack.
Should I fight them?
I didn’t hesitate for a moment, entered stealth mode and ran with it towards the thick rows of corn.
But I had no such luck.
The paladin uttered a word and light shone from the sky, so bright that the whole world was only filled with its limitless radiance. My stealth was ripped to shreds and I was suspended in the air by the dead conjurer, mimicking his pose.
Word of Power: Save Failed
Paralyzed: 2:59... 2:58... 2:57...
On no! Three minutes of immobility!
This was definitely the end of me! More than that, I would be resurrected in this very clearing and it was doubtful that I could do anything against the paladin next time as well. He would kill me over and over again!
The guards of the order surrounded me on all sides, but the paladin didn’t hurry with the execution. He returned his sword to its scabbard, took off his helmet and rested it in the crook of his left arm. The knight turned out to be young, with a short, fair haired beard, but there was no hint of softness in his face, while his blue eyes looked at me with genuine scorn. That scorn could also be heard in his voice.
“What manner of beast are you?” asked the paladin.
I kept my silence and the knight didn’t need an answer anyway. He drew the silver blade of a dagger from the sheath on his belt, but a new character appeared in the clearing before he had the chance to raise his hand to strike.
“Leave him be!” demanded a female elf with ash-gray skin and a bunch of black hair, fixed in place with stiletto pins.
As I said, the game never put a player into a hopeless situation.
“My capture is just a part of the plot that the NPCs are playing through,” I thought for a moment, but the female elf turned out to be a player!
Isabella Ash-Rizt, Drow. Priestess, level 53.
Amazing!
The knight returned his dagger to its sheath, put his hand on the hilt of his sword and told her threateningly,
“None of your business, witch! Begone!”
The priestess shook her head and moved towards the paladin. The cloak draped over her shoulders didn’t hide her slim waist, while her short iron breastplate and short lamellar skirt could barely serve as reliable protection, but they were great at showing off the lines of her seductive figure. Not very practical, but very, very sexy.
The elf held a staff which was styled after a backbone in her hands, which was slightly bent at the top. An iron skull crowned it.
“None of my business? We’ll see about that...” the priestess said and turned to me. “Hey, Kitten, want me to help you get down?”
A system notification immediately appeared:
Player Isabella Ash-Rizt is offering her help
Accept*? [Yes/No]
A lot of small print text followed which said that an affirmative answer would lead to taking part in a quest which belonged to another player that was called “The High Priestess of the Mistress of the Crimson Moon” but I had no time to read through it carefully, so I agreed.
“You vermin!” the paladin growled and pulled out his sword. The guards immediately repositioned in a semicircle around Isabella.
Strange transformations suddenly started to happen to the witch. The short breastplate suddenly extended and fused with the lamellar skirt into a single piece of armor, the lace gloves turned into chainmail sleeves and her high boots fully covered her legs. One moment and the elf was covered in armor which only left the head open.
“Die!” the paladin shouted as he charged.
Something demonic showed itself in the pretty face of the priestess. She laughed, and her dark eyes shone with the crimson fires of the underworld.
A Fury!
The elf hit the knight with her staff and the carved bones cracked as they bent and the staff turned into a flail. The priestess’ weapon went around the blade of the bastard sword that was raised to parry and the skull hit the paladin in the face, knocking him to the ground. It didn’t just knock him down! The steel jaws also tore out a chunk of flesh, sending blood cascading down to the ground.
