Crota
Page 20
With heart pounding loudly, and his instincts screaming at him to flee, Kyran with slow and careful deliberation, looked over the undead hunting party gathered around him.
Name: Aveyad
Class: Vampire Lord
Race: Crotan Vampire (Living dead)
Rarity: Epic
Level: 83 (Master)
Health: 950 / 950
Attack: 140-160 (cold)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): unknown.
Special Effects:
Unknown (Your level is too low to perceive this).
Description:
Vampires are masters of the underworld and amongst the most feared living dead – ageless creatures trapped between death and life. They are not however true immortals. They may be granted ‘true death’ if killed or starved of sustenance. Vampires sustain their undeath through the blood of the living. They are extremely territorial and maintain strict hierarchical structures within the individual clans. Amongst the vampire clans, the Crotan clan is considered an aberration and not true vampires. Unlike most vampires, they were not ‘turned’ but spelled into their present forms.
Vampire Lords are at the pinnacle of the vampire hierarchy and are the acknowledged master to whom all other vampires within a clan owe allegiance.
Name: Tyeliss
Class: Death Knight
Race: Crotan Vampire (Living dead)
Rarity: Epic
Level: 75 (Adept)
Health: 1300 / 1300
Attack: 127-143 (slashing)
Defences (Physical/ Psi/ Spell): unknown.
Special Effects:
Unknown (Your level is too low to perceive this).
Description:
Death knights are unholy warriors, the antithesis of paladins. They are the elite commanders of underworld forces, and are usually found at the forefront of battle, wielding both might and magic to devastating effect.
His mind flew back to the overheard conversation in the spider's cavern and he realised that this was the end. The hunting party had run him to ground. The gods were right. The undead were indeed a foe he could not hope to defeat. The force arrayed before him was simply too overwhelming. He had no chance at victory. Death had come calling.
Oddly, Kyran's panic dissipated. Serenity descended. He would accept whatever fate brought this day. The last five days had been tumultuous, crazy. He had been inches from death, not once, but twice. He had undergone depravation and starvation. His body had been battered and abused. And he had learnt to kill, brutally and effectively. But despite all this, he had never felt more alive. He had grown more in last few days, than over the course of a lifetime on Earth. He realised with mild surprise, that short as it had been, he relished his journey on Myelad. And now it would all end. He had no regrets. He had chosen correctly when given the Choice. Unhurriedly, Kyran drew his sword and cast his buffs.
You have activated mind over matter. At an effective skill of 16.3 it has increased all body attributes by 16.
You have cast barkskin. At an effective skill of 17.9 you have gained +8 natural armour.
You have cast fire shield. At an effective skill of 17.9, it will block 179 non-fire damage or 358 fire damage.
He would not attack. If an outcome, other than one which left him dead and dying could be snatched from this encounter, he would grasp it, wholeheartedly. But he sorely doubted he would be shown any mercy. Silently he gazed at the two vampires. Your move, he thought.
Both vampires towered over Kyran’s own modest height. Their skin was deathly pale and tinged with overtures of grey. Tyeliss was outfitted in spiked, gleaming black armour and at his hip was strapped a blood iron greatsword. Aveyad was garbed in dark clothes of courtly splendour, and is his hand, he lightly twirled a silver wand. In Kyran’s truesight, both creatures sparkled, their equipment possessing strong essence auras and clearly enchanted.
From beneath the hooded cloaks that overshadowed their features, the two vampires watched Kyran impassively. After long tense moments, Aveyad motioned the skeletons forward. As one, sixty skeletons drew their weapons and advanced on Kyran in perfect lockstep.
The vampires themselves did not move to engage. Kyran was nonplussed by this. If they gave battle, the end was all but a forgone conclusion, and any resistance he managed, merely symbolic. Without them, he would at least be able to make a dent in their forces, a sizeable one hopefully.
Confused by the vampires’ reasoning, but unwilling to question this small turn of fortune, he dismissed these errant thoughts. Now was not the time for them. He had a battle to attend to.
Kyran began the hostilities with his crowd control spells. The skeletal warriors approached in disciplined ranks from all sides. He had no secure position upon which to fall back. So he created one.
You have cast ice wall. At an effective skill level of 17.9, a wall of length 17.9m has been placed. Remaining duration: 179 seconds. Remaining wall strength: 179/179 HP.
He cast the ice wall directly behind him, forcing the skeletons approaching from that direction to go around or attempt to hack through. He positioned himself with his back to the wall and cast grasping roots to his left, overlapping its edges with the ice wall.
You have cast grasping roots. At an effective skill level of 17.9, a field of radius 17.9m has been placed. Remaining duration: 179 seconds.
Each skeletal warrior has a 11% chance to resist the spell’s effects.
3 of 22 skeletal warriors within area of effect resisted debuff.
19 of 2 skeletal warriors entangled (immobilized).
To his right, he cast slippery ice, interlocking it with both the ice wall to his rear and the root field on his left.
You have cast slippery ice. At an effective skill level of 17.9, a field of radius 17.9m has been placed. Remaining duration: 179 seconds.
Each skeletal warrior has a 11% chance to resist the spell’s effects.
1 of 19 skeletal warriors within area of effect resisted debuff.
18 of 19 skeletal warriors slipped.
All approaches to Kyran’s position were now protected. He stood in the centre of the interlocking fields and waited for the approaching hordes. The skeletons to his rear flowed around the ice wall, taking the path of least resistance. The ones to his left stepped heedlessly into the root field and began hacking their way through. On the right the skeletons slipped and stumbled through the ice field. The undead’s neatly dressed lines had crumbled.
Having succeeded in disrupting their orderly advance, Kyran took a moment to consider his next step. Teleport had a maximum range of 22 metres. It would not allow him to escape the battle – especially with the two vampires watching on, but it would provide him with much needed mobility on the battlefield. His psionic abilities were otherwise of little use in this battle. He would have to do this with magic and sword alone.
He glanced over at the vampires. They watched proceedings with polite disinterest and were unfazed by his opening ploy. They appeared content to remain aloof from the battle. Pleased with their inaction, he ignored the vampires in turn and returned his gaze to the skeletons struggling to reach him through the hostile magical terrain.
To his right and left, almost all the skeletons were embroiled in either the root or ice field. The ones in the ice field were progressing more swiftly and were almost through, while the skeletons in the root field were just about half way. Far enough, decided Kyran. He set the root field on fire.
Your fire dart spell has ignited your grasping roots, transforming it into a burning root field.
22 of 22 skeletal warriors are caught in the magical flames, and will sustain 1-3 fire damage/second.
He teleported to his right, around the edges of the ice field, escaping his trapped position.
You have cast teleport (self) and teleported 22m.
At the far end of the ice field, he turned around and faced the skeleton horde, which was now squarely in front of him. The skeletons trapped in the ice field were forced to re
verse direction, and traverse the field again, this time in the opposite direction.
He retreated slowly, maintaining a careful watch on the skeletons. He was prepared to continue in this manner for as long as the vampires allowed the battle to go on. He would use teleport to maintain his distance, ice fields and ice walls to slow and funnel the skeletons and finally burning root fields to destroy them. As long as he conserved his essence, and the vampires did not interfere, he could keep this up all day. Rinse and repeat.
As if to disabuse him of this notion, his map pinged. Hundreds of red dots filed down from the northeast corner of his map. Kyran realised that these were the forces that were lying in wait outside the cave, perhaps telepathically summoned by the vampires. In begrudging admiration, Kyran comprehended that this was yet another element of the ambush, one that had been well prepared. He glanced back at the vampires, wondering what was in their gazes. Satisfaction perhaps? They looked on. Inscrutable as ever. He could almost appreciate the elegance of it, his every move since waking in the cave had been predicted and accounted for. Nothing had been left to chance.
Half-heartedly, he considered attempting to flee, teleporting away in short jumps, but he suspected that this would force the vampires to act. Better to die with sword in hand, he thought, than with one in the back. Kyran sighed, resigned to his fate. He had tried.
He turned back to the skeletons floundering through the ice field, ignoring the incoming forces from the cave. There was no need to conserve his essence now. He would go down fighting. He unleashed a storm of fire on the skeletons, whittling down their numbers before the inevitable melee skirmish.
You have cast 30 fire darts and dealt a total of 483 fire damage (+102 additional damage). Cost: 960 Essence.
You have killed 4 skeletal warriors (19,320 XP gained: 203,095/200,000 combat XP).
You have obtained a total of 200,000 combat XP and are now level 10. 9 Combat skill points and 2 ability points gained.
Congratulations! You have completed the first chain in the quest: The journey to becoming great. You have been rewarded with 3 skill points. You have unlocked the second chain in the quest:
Quest 1: The journey to becoming great (2).
Objective: Continue your journey to becoming a major player of the game. Reach level 20 and obtain your first class.
Rank: Common.
Reward: Class item.
With his essence nearly depleted he halted his barrage of fire. The skeletons had wadded stoically through the firestorm and those to the fore were fast approaching. At least I’ve completed my first quest, thought Kyran whimsically.
He had no time for further thought as the first of the skeletons emerged from the ice field. It struck an overhand blow that would have cleaved him in half – had it landed. Kyran danced to his left and thrust his sword through its unprotected flank.
You have hit a skeletal warrior for 9 slashing damage. Remaining health: 18/100 HP.
He stepped forward to finish it off, only to be rocked off balance by a heavy blow from his rear.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior. No damage taken, 14 crushing damage blocked and 7 fire damage reflected by your fire shield. Remaining shield strength: 165/179 HP.
He let momentum carry him forward and turned his stumble into a dive. He rolled out the dive and turned around to face the two skeletons anew. He charged. With a two-handed running blow, he severed the skull of the first and dodged the riposte of the second.
You have critically hit a skeletal warrior for 20 slashing damage. Remaining health: 0/100 HP.
You have killed a level 10 skeletal warrior (4,830 XP gained: 207,925/400,000 combat XP).
He countered the riposte with a thrust of his own, which the skeleton readily blocked. He circled to flank the skeleton but was distracted by the approach of two more. Both charged in. Facing three skeletons now, he was forced on the defensive, besieged by a flurry of blows. He ducked and weaved, trying to break out. Two more skeletons joined the fray. More blows landed.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior...
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior...
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior...
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior…
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior…
…No damage taken, 42 total damage blocked and 21 fire damage reflected by your fire shield. Remaining shield strength: 29/179 HP.
Hard-pressed, he tried to reposition, casting teleport.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior. No damage taken, 13 slashing damage blocked and 7 fire damage reflected by your fire shield. Remaining shield strength: 16/179 HP.
You have been critically hit by a skeletal warrior. 3 damage taken, 16 crushing damage blocked and 8 fire damage reflected by your fire shield. Remaining shield strength: 0/179 HP. Remaining health: 97/100 HP.
Your fire shield has been destroyed.
Your teleport spell has been interrupted and has failed.
Beset by blows on all flanks his shield shattered and the teleport spell was interrupted. He had left it too late. With retreat cut-off, he braced himself and focused fully on fending off the relentless onslaught. Despite this, many blows pierced his guard.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior for 10 crushing damage. Remaining health: 87/100HP.
You have been critically hit by a skeletal warrior for 15 slashing damage and have sustained a minor wound (bleeding). Remaining health: 72/100HP.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior for 8 slashing damage. Remaining health: 64/100HP.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior for 9 crushing damage. Remaining health: 55/100HP.
You have been critically hit by a skeletal warrior for 16 crushing damage and have sustained a minor wound (concussed). Remaining health: 39/100HP.
Wounds are negative effects incurred as a result of blows taken in combat. Wounds will not heal over time and may only be cured through advanced healing abilities. All wounds deteriorate over time, resulting in exponential increased health loss over time.
In a breath between blows, he tried to recast fire shield.
You have been hit by a skeletal warrior for 4 crushing damage. Remaining health: 35/100HP.
Your fire shield has been interrupted and has failed.
Another blow landed and the spell was interrupted. Bleeding, battered, dazed, he made a last valiant effort to keep the skeletons at bay. But it was an impossible task. With his concentration stretched parrying strikes from all quarters, the deciding blow of the battle crept up unseen on Kyran. A strike meant to split his skull, was turned fractionally by his helm, but still struck resoundingly.
Instantly his body went slack and he crashed to the floor in a boneless heap.
✽ ✽ ✽
Epilogue
Undead are an aberration. They defy all we know and understand about life, the cosmos and magic. They should not exist, yet they do. They should not wield essence, and yet, they do. Liches are in fact amongst this world’s most feared spellcasters and are infamous for both their powerful death magic and prodigious essence pools. Regardless of the impossibility, they exist and must be contended with.
The undead are divided into two basic categories. The first being the reanimated dead which are the risen dead, creatures given ‘life’ after death. They include skeletal warriors, zombies, and wraiths. They are usually creatures of limited intellect, and almost no self-will. They rarely, if ever act upon their own volition, and most often require careful micromanagement by their master. There are however exceptions to this rule, the most notable being wraiths, which for reasons unknown, demonstrate the same level of self-will and intellect as their previous living selves.
The second category are the living dead. They are creatures turned to death while still alive, and cannot be considered truly dead or living. Most famously they include creatures such as vampires and liches. It is this form of undead that is commonly romanticised and tempts the unwary with the pro
mise of eternal life and power. More often than not, they possess all their ‘living’ skills in addition to the new skills gifted by their undead nature. They are formidable opponents, masters of the underworld and extremely difficult to kill. If you are ever unfortunate enough to encounter one, run. – Excerpt from The Underworld and its Creatures by Necromancer Talys Madisine.
Xetil sat enthroned in his favourite bone encrusted chair, watching in rapt fascination, the antics of his favoured champion, Yiralla. Yiralla had caught some of Auriel’s followers foolishly wandering outside their forest refuge, and knowing her God’s love for bloodspot had brought them to the high temple for his pleasure. Xetil had been delighted and given her leave to perform her dark experiments. He was deeply engrossed in the delicious torture of the elves when the quest notification arrived.
Free agent, Kyran has completed the first chain in the quest: The journey to becoming great and has reached level 10.
What? thought Xetil in outrage. He had long since dismissed the troublesome player from his awareness, assuming that the lich king and his minions would quickly deal with him, how is he still alive?
Yiralla paused, sensing Xetil’s distraction. She looked a query at her lord and master. Xetil ignored her, focusing inwards, and from hundreds of miles away, scryed the lich king’s domain.
Your divine scrying has been blocked by a scrying barrier. You failed to scry the area.
Blasted bag of bones, he swore. As usual, the lich king’s domain remained impervious to his scrying. Inconveniently, Zarr Dwamenkor still retained enough power to block the sight of the gods.
Xetil drummed his fingers on his throne, thinking hard. It was surprising that the free agent had survived this long, much less reached level 10. Even so, he stood little chance against the undead. But Xetil was no longer willing to trust events to them.