by Jason Cheek
Silver Dire Wolf, Neysa, level 19
Reputation:
1350
Special Awards:
-Permanent 3% increased damage to all attacks for all members of any team or raid you are a member.
-Permanent 3% increased defense for all members of any team or raid you are a member.
Additional Special Attacks and Abilities:
-Blood Plague (Type: Disease) Target suffers 10 points of Dark Magic damage every second for 30 seconds. Area of Effect: 30 Yard radius from the caster. Cooldown - 3 minutes
*when Greatsword of Corruption is equipped.
-Removes all root effects to the wielder and all summoned creatures.
-Increases the chance of dropping Soul Stones by 12%.
-Summoned creature has 3% chance of receiving one of the killed creature's special attacks or skills.
-Summoned creature has a 30% chance of keeping one of its special skills.
+200 Attack Power to Summoned Creatures
+5 to the maximum number of Summoned Creatures.
+3 level increase to all Summoned Creatures
-Ignores target’s armor.
-5% of maximum health leeched per second on a successful strike until dagger is removed.
*When Leeching Dagger of Piercing is equipped.
+10% Haste to range attacks.
*When wearing Delonshire Guard quiver.
Looking over my stats page, I felt more confident in the possibility of living through the plan I’d come up with as I checked out my increased Hit Points, Mana and Endurance. I know many hardcore players chose to go with min/max builds but, for me, having a well-rounded character that could pull skills and spells from all across the board had always fit me best. In World of Warcraft, my druid could switch out from tank to damage dealer, to healer in the blink of an eye. It was a difficult class to play properly, and one that many players I’d met didn’t fully appreciate what it brought to the table in a group. Thankfully my friends and guildmates appreciated the flexibility such a character brought into our raids. My eyes suddenly stopped their scan as I frowned in annoyance at the number of Abilities that seemed to have stopped their advancement at level 26. Whatever was causing my Abilities to stop at 26 wasn’t affecting my Crafting Skill levels, which meant the game must have some limitation on combat abilities not being higher than a players’ actual level. Whatever, it was better than being poked in the eye with a dull spoon. With a swipe of my eyes to the left, I closed the character sheet page and moved to the next ex-prisoner that needed heals.
Once Ulia had everyone release, I gave her my remaining smoked wolf-meat and a couple of water flasks to pass around. There wasn’t enough meat for any one person to be full, but it was enough to take the edge off their hunger and help their bodies begin to regenerate Hit Points and Mana on their own. It was somewhat embarrassing as the men and women that we’d rescued cried on my shoulder and hugged in thanks as I knitted their bloody wounds back together with my magic.
I understood that being rescued in the face of such a horrific death was emotionally overwhelming, but, to be honest, I was uncomfortable with their praises. It wasn’t like I was anyone special. I was just a gamer completing a quest, albeit a gamer who looked at them more than just pieces of code, but a gamer nonetheless. Still, I caught myself lost in the moment as I did my best to sooth the emotionally distraught NPCs as I healed the physical injuries they’d received at the hands of their cruel captors.
Through it all, Brenna never left my side. You’d have thought with all of the skin showing from naked NPCs I was helping that the girl’s bare arms holding the fur blanket closed around her shoulder wouldn’t have distracted me but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her creamy, olive-brown skin. Maybe that was because she was pressed up against me with some part of her body the entire time I was working. I tried to be a gentleman, but it was hard not to think of what was pressing up against me. After everything she’d been through, eyeing her bare arms and legs like a horny teenager made me feel like a creep. I tried to get her to help Ulia out with the other ex-prisoners, but she wouldn’t hear anything that meant leaving my side.
I had to get Brenna some clothing and quick, or I was going to embarrass myself. Thankfully, the heavy leather and chain mesh of my pants I was wearing held down any telltale signs that would give away any of my inappropriate thoughts and the pressure of needing to come up with a better working plan to save the children helped to keep my mind mostly occupied. You see, even with everything going on, I was continuously counting down the minutes it would take for the Goblins to file into the Great Hall below. From my rough estimate, we’d already taken way too long in saving these people. Even though there wasn’t any time to spare, there was no sense in taking the time to heal everyone only to have them die from exposure or animal attacks if … er … when we got out of here. So, during my Mana regeneration breaks, I began running through the now empty living quarters with Ulia and Brenna in search for any clothing, shoes or blankets that might help everyone survive the hike back to Requiem.
All in all, it took about twenty minutes to get everyone ready to go. By the end of that time, we had a decent sized group of armed ex-prisoners helping us out. It had all started coming together when Ulia introduced me to a fellow swordsman in the group named Theric Farestrider. The man was whipcord thin with old scars that marked his arms and chest from previous battles.
Although he was naked, the warrior looked more than capable once he’d eaten and I’d healed him up to full health. After that, Theric immediately began helping out. Before I knew it, we had squads of ex-prisoners standing watch by the entrance with Keela or helping to pass out the weapons and armor we’d acquired from the Goblins. At first, most everyone was naked with just a weapon in their hands or wearing dirty pieces of blood-encrusted leathers. If not for the seriousness of the situation, I’d have been making jokes. We looked like a rave party gone bad.
No matter how ridiculous we looked, by the time the last person was healed up and dressed, we had at least twenty-five ex-prisoners armed and armored with everyone else at least clothed. Most of the armed ex-prisoners had at least a sword or spear, but even those armed with just a dagger gave us a better chance at escaping then we had had just a few minutes before. While that might not sound like much in the face of the force we faced below, these men and women were soldiers that knew how to use their weapons, but even more important, they knew the kind of death that awaited them if they were captured once again. With this group, there would be no surrendering. They’d fight like trapped rats until their very last breaths.
We formed up and headed back down the stairs. Keeping low, we made our way down the long corridor in a low crouch as a guttural voice speaking in Common rang throughout the Great Hall. At first, the harsh-sounding words were almost impossible to understand, but as we neared the center of the corridor, the words became easier to understand.
“Our combined tribes … invade … heart of … stinking Elves … Delonshire, Ual Aiqua and … Amyalneas!”
The savage howl of Goblins and Orcs voices filled the air as weapons and fists pounded on the tables below. Looking behind me, I saw the ex-prisoners nearly laying flat on the stone floor as they shivered in fear from the terrible racket coming from the Great Hall. As Ulia and Keela sought to keep everyone calm, I scooted up to the nearest slat to see what all of the commotion was about. In the center of the Great Hall stood the most ferocious Orc I’d ever seen in my life. The mob had to be at least seven feet tall. Large tusks jutted from its lower lip as the Orc threw its head back and howled while raising its corded, muscular arms high overhead. Most of the creature’s scarred body was covered in crude, spiked plates of metal armor that had been haphazardly strapped to its trunk-like frame. Glittering in the torchlight were two massive war axes strapped to its back. As the Orc slowly strutted around the chamber to take in its warriors, I saw its information appear above its misshapen head: Grutgrak Skullcrusher, Level 40, Orc Warlord.
&n
bsp; For a second my mind went blank as I stared dumbly at the named boss’ shimmering information. Grutgrak Skullcrusher, Level 40, Orc Warlord. Numbly I read the words once again as my guts clenched so hard they hurt. It felt like time slowed as my mind took in everything around me. The tables full of hundreds of howling Goblins. The Orc leaping around the Great Hall in triumph. The naked, crying children chained to the middle of the room. The ex-prisoners hunched down on the floor behind me shivering in fear. Taking it all in, I wondered how the hell was I going to fight a boss fourteen levels higher than me with over a 100 mini-boss adds? This was impossible. Even if I threw away the life of every NPC I’d just saved, there was no way to stop the atrocity unfolding below.
Closing my eyes, I mentally raged against the unfairness of it all. Blowing this shitty Nightmare start was going to take away everything that I’d gained so far. My small village. My NPCs. My gear. My companions. I’d lose everything in this life-sucking, black hole. Hell, even my beast companion would be lost. Unconsciously my hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as I pictured the little Silver Dire Wolf’s dead, furry face staring up at me. My eyes suddenly snapped open to focus on Neysa’s shrinking health bar in the top left corner of my HUD. She still lived, but there was no way I could save her in the middle of a horde of feral zombies.
A good video game was supposed to suck you into its storyline and make you care about the world, but this was freaking ridiculous. Still, no matter how ridiculous it was, the thought of doing nothing while these children were eaten alive was beyond infuriating. Not only that, the idea of being defeated by a video game … any video game just pissed me the fuck off. There had to be something I was missing in all of this. The developer that designed this sick scenario might have been a major dick, but no matter what, there still had to be a way to complete this questline successfully. Those were the rules of the game. So then, what was I missing?
The answer came to me in a flash. I felt my lips unconsciously curved into a predatory grin as the words reverberated through my head. “Horde of feral zombies.” Backing away from the slat, I sat on my haunches deep in thought. That was the key. Well, to be honest, that had always been part of the plan that had been slowly taking shape in the back of my mind for the last hour or so. Although, calling it a plan was too generous. It was more of a Hail Mary than anything, but it was all I had. Still, I’d always said that if I were going to go down, then I’d go down fighting. My eyes glowed with new determination as I met Ulia’s look of despair.
“Don’t worry; this isn’t over yet.” Ignoring everyone's questioning looks, I leaned into Ulia’s ear softly whispering. “I’m going to hand the children up to you from below. Once the way is clear, I’ll need you and Theric to lead everyone safely to Requiem.” Ignoring the swordsman’s questioning look at the mention of his name, I looked into Ulia’s wide eyes. “Promise me that you’ll do this.”
“But, how are you going to escape-“
“It’s all part of the plan,” I said confidently, cutting her off. “I just need to know that everyone’s safe. Promise that you’ll do this for me.”
Before Ulia could answer, Theric leaned forward whispering angrily. “Going down there alone is suicide. At least take the rest of us with you to have a fighting chance.”
“No! I’ve got this.” I said, cutting them both off with a slash of my palm. “I need you both to get our people out of here safely. Now, can I count on you to do that for me or not?”
For a long second, neither warrior spoke. I was still trying to figure out what I’d do if they both refused to follow my lead when Theric finally acquiesced. “Aye, we will do our best milord.” Ulia wordlessly bowed her head in unison with her comrade.
“Alrighty, then! I’ll be back in a jiffy.” I said, clapping them both on the shoulder with more confidence than I felt as I headed towards the stairwell leading down.
“How will we know when to head out?” Ulia called out after me.
“When the flow of zombies stops,” I called back, before racing down the stairs.
Coming out on the ground floor, I quickly scanned for guards. Seeing none, I sprinted for the alcove at the far end of the foyer. Before heading down the stairwell, I dropped one of the furs I’d used earlier to clean up the Goblins blood. I had a handful of the blood-soaked furs from the battle where we left the lower levels. I dropped another bloody fur on the landing and once again at the bottom of the stairs that let out into the room we’d entered the Keep. The pile of Goblin corpses was still where we’d left them. Taking a body in each hand, I dragged the corpses behind me as I entered the corridor. Although most of the blood had drained out of the bodies, there was still enough oozing out to make a bloody smear across the smooth stone floor.
Ignored the bodies of the feral zombies strewn about the hallway, I hurried to the T intersection and dropped one of the Goblins. Turning right, I headed to the far end of the corridor and dropped the last corpse at the top of the stairs. Everything was almost in place. Now, all that I needed was Neysa. I just hoped she was able to make it back to me alive. As soon as I’d entered the lower levels, I’d seen that her status bar had immediately lit up once again on my HUD. Which meant, wherever she was down below, she was close enough that I could actively communicate with her. Not that the flashing red of her Hit Points bar gave me any comfort, but it was better than being dead.
Pushing the worry out of my mind, I focused on the link between us. At first, I felt nothing, but slowly a presence began to form in the back of my mind. Almost like a dim candlelight in a dark room. The response I felt wasn’t so much in words as in a feeling of shared purpose. Focusing on the connection between us, I communicated my need mentally and verbally.
“Neysa! Come to me!”
As soon as the words echoed into the depths of the stairwell, inhuman shrieks from hundreds of throats rang out from the lower levels in response to my shout. It was like listening to some awful freak show come to life. Silently I prayed to any god that would listen asking for the little Dire Wolf to make it out of that grisly mess. I doubted anyone who’d never had had a cherished pet or a favorite companion would understand the fear that gripped my heart. It didn’t matter that she’d been in my life for only a few days, I had already felt a deep connection to her in my heart. I waited with baited breath as the cacophony of claws scraping stone overrode everything but the howling shrieks.
The commotion was quickly getting closer as Neysa’s health suddenly took a serious dip. My first response was to rush down the steps to help her, but there were too many other lives at risk for me to recklessly rush into certain death. Still, I found myself mentally weighing the risks when a flash of silvery fur caught my eye. A second later, Neysa came springing up the stairs with her clawed feet scrabbling at the stone steps for traction. I was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she suddenly wiped out in a sprawling mess two landings below.
In a flash, I was off taking the steps four at a time. My concern for the little wolf grew as I watched her try climbing back to her feet only to collapse again in a bloody heap. As I flew down the last set of steps, my heart leaped into my throat as I saw the jagged wounds carved down her sides. Dropping to my knees in the spreading pool of blood, I hurriedly cast a Restore and scooped her up in my arms. Closing sounds of pursuit rang out from below as I raced back up the stairs.
Fumbling through the quick-slots of my belt, my fingers closed around the thin tube I was blindly searching for. Quickly pulling the flask open with my teeth, I poured the contents down the little wolf’s throat as I bounced off the T intersection heading back toward the room. Although calling Neysa small was a misnomer. Somehow, in the short time I’d had her, she’d grown into the size of a 100-pound dog. Behind me, the inhuman fury of the undead grew into a ferocious roar as the feral zombies came boiling out of the stairwell like an unstoppable flood.
I just prayed the bodies I’d dumped in their path would slow them down long enough for me to trigger the next
part of the plan. While this thought was going through my head, Neysa began licking my face excitedly as my healing magic did its work. Within moments her sides had completely closed up, which my HUD confirmed as her Hit Point bar began turning a deep yellow. Breathing a sigh of relief, I tried to calm the little wolf down as I slid to a stop in the doorway of the room speaking excitedly in my pet voice.
“Yea, you’re a good Daddy’s girl. Yes, you are. Although, next time maybe you’ll let me come up with the plan, so you don’t worry Daddy half to death.” I don’t know if the little wolf understood anything I’d just said, but it felt right and made her lick me all the more furiously. There was barely any time to think as I set Neysa down and quickly cast another Restore. I commanded Neysa to keep close as I toss one of the dead Goblins in the doorway. The last two corpses I scooped up into my arms before taking off like a bat out of hell for the stairwell at the far end of the room.
The sprint across the room was one of the weirdest things I’d ever done in my life. It wasn’t the fact that I should have been scared shitless or that I was fleeing a horde of super-fast zombies. I’d lived in and out of fantasy and sci-fi worlds my entire life to make situations like this almost mundane. No, it was the fact that I was lugging two corpses while sprinting for my life that had caught me off-guard. Something about the dead weight and flailing arms that made the entire situation feel surreal. Just another piece of the FIVRMMORG technology that made me question if I was really playing a game or had somehow been transported into another world.
The stray thought was fleeting since the majority of my focus was on just surviving. A moment later it became completely irrelevant as the horde of feral zombies came flooding into the room behind me like an unending wave. I dropped the body at the base of the stairs and rushed up the steps as frenzied shrieks rang out behind me from the horde. Racing into the foyer of the keep, I pointed at the far stairwell heading up shouting commands.
