Crystalfire Keep

by J. A. Cipriano

  Your time to complete the second leg of the raid has been recorded! All results are confidential until the end of the contest period.

  Report to Mountain King Crystain V at the Shadowyard warcamp for your reward.

  Blowing out a sigh, I glanced around at my friends here, matching their smiles with my own. There’s still a rack of supplies here that we can investigate, so we’ll be down in a minute. Is everyone back together and have you guys found anything in the wreckage?

  Merina: We’re back, Shale, and Loi is happy to be back with his mistress!

  Nahma: Indeed, and I’m helping with the search if that’s okay Mr. Shale?

  Shale: Sure thing, man. Crysta?

  Crysta: There’s a number of lore items here. Journal fragments, but I think we can assemble them into a full-on quest item if we find them all.

  Burndall: Yeah, boss. This salmon is really interesting. We’re thinking it’s what the princess is looking for.

  Shale: Carry on then! We’re under no rush now so let’s leave no stone unturned.

  “Okay, Shale, let’s do the loot thing,” Dunya chirped as she tugged on my belt. “We don’t have all day!”

  Vindril rolled his eyes while Kayla giggled at the teen’s antics. Me, I just shook my head and headed towards the racks. “Technically we don’t, I agree, but we still have tons of time this session.” Still, to appease Dunya, I mentally clicked on the stacks and Shale went through the canned ‘searching an area’ animation. After a moment, Shale finished, and the Loot UI flared to life in front of us, mimicked as per usual with the rest of the raid below.

  Crystalfire Keep Rally Room’s Racks contain:

  Crystallized Ancient Breastplate (Keep Chest Token)

  Crystallized Ancient Artifact (Keep Off-Hand/Shield Token)

  Crystallized Ancient Gauntlets (Keep Gloves Token)

  Wardstone Chamber Keystone (Key, lootable by all)

  Dunya bounced for joy. Woot! Because I was so accommodating before, any chance I can get one of those tokens this time? I promise to behave for the rest of the raid.

  Burndall: For real? I don’t know if I buy that one, small fry.

  Kayla: I think you’re both forgetting the more important thing and that’s the keystone. It’s not like we can continue without it, no matter if we completed the quest or not.

  Shale: Besides, folks, you know I’ll sort the loot right.

  That cut the chatter, at least in our shared channels, and I touched the keystone’s icon, distributing a fresh, shiny key to all parties. As for the tokens, well, I would have given the Artifact to Merina to continue to boost her new hybrid role if her Fans weren’t already considered a single two-handed weapon. The only other members of the guild that used off-hand items were Vanni, Kayla, and me. I shelved that for the moment and dealt with the rest.

  Regardless of her tough exterior and cockiness, Dunya was not only more than pulling her weight but was strangely endearing, at least to me. It was nice to see someone her age being confident instead of wracked by insecurities like I was at that age. As Kayla had pointed out before, why not make a good thing better? The gloves, though, because the chest piece would be the biggest possible stat boost.

  That had to go to the person that needed the most help. That answer was obvious, Wazif. Not that the miner hadn’t done his best and he certainly had leveraged what I always thought to be worthless consumables to great effect, but all this loot was both raid level and scaling. It would give him the power boost and stepping stone needed to truly come into his own as not just a craftsman, but a full-bore champion.

  Shale: First couple of presents inbound. Enjoy!

  You assign the Crystallized Ancient Gauntlets to Dunya!

  You assign the Crystallized Ancient Breastplate to Wazif!

  Wazif: Oh wow! Thank you, Shale! I’ll use this well!

  “Holy crap,” Dunya mumbled. “You really gave me something?”

  I gave her a thumbs-up. “Dunya, you’ve pretty much lived up to your own hype, and you’ve been a big help. Why wouldn’t I give you something?”

  “Because she can be something of an irritating brat?” Vindril offered through a cough.

  “The old fart does have a point.” Dunya rubbed the back of her hood. “I can kind of be a jerk.”

  Kayla laughed. “A very effective jerk.”

  “More important to me,” I added, “you’re loyal. When El Rec started smearing us, you still showed up in Whitepeak to join us. Heck, you could have taken the free ride we offered to unlock Crystalfire Keep and then ran off to join any other raid or guild. You have the qualifications to do so.” I patted her on the shoulder as I started towards the stairs. “You didn’t, though, which means you’re among the best in my book.”

  The little Ember actually sniffled, biting back some tears as she nodded. “Shale, that … that means a lot. I won’t let you down!”

  “I know,” I smiled back, about to head down the stairs when Vanni popped into raid chat.

  Vanni: I think we’ve got something but also … you haven’t finished with the loot, Max.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised with how we had wormed our way around the Filter that she could say my real name. Kayla quirked her eyebrow but caught on quickly enough.

  Shale: Oh, yeah. So, do you want a new shield, Maria? A new orb, Mina?

  Vanni: Pass here. My Perseus Blade and Winged Aegis are a two-piece item set. I like my set bonuses, thank you very much.

  Kayla: Pass as well. Not that I wouldn’t love the upgrade, but I think I speak for everyone in saying that you’ll never take a token yourself unless we force you too.

  Burndall: The lady beat me to it, but she’s right, boss. You’re always either too selfless or too caught up in your own monkeyshines for your own good.

  Crysta: I’ll totally third that.

  I blew out a sigh. Okay, okay, I know when I'm beaten.

  You assign the Crystallized Ancient Artifact to yourself!

  Shale: Now, let’s see what you guys found.

  22

  We gathered around the cleared pile of debris, the quartz of the floor still stained with soot. Vanni and Merina stood guard while Nahma, Burndall, and Crysta were crouched low with a pile of partially burnt scrolls, book pages, and a few blackened trinkets.

  “I know it’s not much to look at,” Burnie shrugged, but the huge smile on his face told a different story, “and we’re not gonna bore you with the nitty-gritty …”

  “But this is totally a bunch of research about the Flames of Wrath and old Elohjin legends,” Crysta finished, bouncing on her calves in excitement. “It’s awesome stuff!”

  “More importantly, ladies and gentlemen,” Nahma pointed out in his usual upbeat way, “there are fragments of information that talk about there being two ancient races, not just one. The Elohjin we all know about and an elementalkin tied to the Darkness itself, the Zoajin.”

  I scratched the back of my head. “So, did the Zoajin cause the Sundering or something? You know, used the Primal Darkness to unleash the Elements of Conflict?”

  “We don’t know yet,” the Ranger sighed. “Like, some of the stuff implies that but other parts talk about how the two ancient races worked together, it’s a total mess. I’m sure Kallisandre can – “

  “Look, I’m not one to disparage you lore guys,” Dunya yawned as she leaned against a wall, “but is this important right now? Is there a quest item or not?”

  Vanni sighed. “While I find your spunk cute, Dunya, you obviously haven’t been paying attention. Crys’s lore knowledge has paved our way through plenty of quests in the past and considering how … unusual this raid has been, I’d wager this information isn’t here for window dressing.”

  “Right,” Kayla agreed. “Don’t forget that knowledge is power, even if it’s knowledge about a fictional world and its people.” Smiling, she laughed a little. “Besides, isn’t it more fun to get immersed into Elementalis than to treat it as something apart from you?”r />
  “Okay, fine, point taken.” Dunya leaned forward. “Still, is there a quest item?”

  Burndall grinned. “I think there will be if we put this last piece into place like … so …” He carefully rearranged the fragments of parchment. Once they settled, the entire pile let off the tell-tale glow of an interactable object. “Boom!”

  “Great work,” I said as I reached out my hand for the glow. There was no animation this time as a fresh Loot UI popped into existence before us.

  Collected Fragments of Charred Lore contains:

  Saved Documents and Artifacts (Quest Item, lootable by all)

  Without hesitation, I tapped the quest item, duplicating it into everyone’s inventories. The moment I did so, the Loot UI dissipated, replaced by quest information filling my vision.

  Raid quest ‘The Ashes of History’ accepted!

  Objective: Deliver the Saved Documents and Artifacts to Princess Kallisandre at the Shadowyard warcamp!

  Reward: 10% Experience, Title: ‘Charred Historian’, and Special

  “Special?” Merina murmured. “What do you suppose that means?”

  “That it is special, Ms. Merina,” Nahma chirped as he bounced to his feet. “Not that it matters, the title enough is worth the time!”

  Kayla rubbed her chin, brow furrowed in thought. “I think this is more critical than that. Kallisandre’s reminders to search for information seem urgent, despite the lack of quests associated with it.”

  “Agreed,” I nodded. “It was going out of our way to discover things and follow the clues that got us through the unlock quests, after all. If you hadn’t wanted to check out the bandit thread, Mina, we wouldn’t have discovered that entire side thread that led to the Dark Rider.”

  “Then what are we waiting for, friends?” Wazif chuckled as he hooked his thumbs into his broad workman’s belt. “We have all we can find here. Let’s see where it leads!”

  “Sure thing,” Kayla smiled, “right after the rest of you bind to the Life Crystal upstairs.”

  Suitably reminded of the step they were forgetting, the rest of the Knights sheepishly marched upstairs. Once they had done their due diligence and bound to the Crystal, Kayla gathered us up and summoned a portal leading back to the Shadowyard.

  As we stepped out of the watery disk, I noticed that the place wasn’t quite as busy as it had been when we returned from the first wing of the Keep. Sure, there was still a lot of running about and raids organizing, but most of the champions hanging out around the camp now were, well, spectators. As a matter of fact, our arrival set off a round of cheers and whispered speculation among the onlookers.

  It didn’t impact me or the rest of us that had been ‘Firsters’ too much. You get used to that kind of attention after a while. For our newer members, they took it in their own ways. Vindril tried to remain focused and not puff out his chest too much, Merina looked a little nervous under the scrutiny, Dunya added a swagger to her step, and Nahma did that wallflower act, shrinking into the group. He was far more comfortable giving the attention instead of drinking it in. Still, to give credit where it was due, no one engaged the crowd, not now. We had a more important matter on our plates.

  With that common purpose, we moved straight on to the royal tents, passing into the warped space there and on to the king’s platform. Copperholt was still not there, and I wondered if others saw him or whether their vision of the scene adapted to their progress in the raid. The Mountain King was still there, of course, sharing the platform with Princess Kallisandre, the two royals conferring on battle plans.

  Crystain looked up at us as we entered interaction mode, the chatter of the observers gossiping about our progress fading away. “We are happy to see you safe and returned to us, champions.” He nodded his massive helmet slowly as he saluted us. “What news do you bring from the siege on the Keep?”

  Matching that salute, I spoke quickly. “My liege, we have penetrated the upper levels of the Keep. I regret to inform you that the remnants of the Border Knights and their commander have all succumbed the Darkness, their bodies desecrated into unliving monsters. However, despite this, we have succeeded in cleansing the corruption and laying their spirits to rest. We have cleared the upper levels and discovered the path down to the wardstone chamber.”

  “I see.” The mighty king stooped a little, the weight of the losses I had just reported weighing on his broad shoulders. It only lasted a moment, though, as he took in a deep breath and rose again to his full, majestic height. “We will not let their passing from the cycle be in vain. We commend you for your courage and your skill to pass this trial as you have so many others.”

  Raid quest ‘Corridors of the Dead’ concluded!

  Quest successful!

  25% Experience awarded! Experience 2,688,000/3,100,000

  Crystalfire Keep Upper Levels Checkpoint unlocked!

  Surges of elemental energy of elemental energy engulfed Wazif and Dunya as they leveled up from this reward, but Crystain continued to speak. “I will send runners to Sir Copperholt along with another contingent of the Four Kingdoms army to secure the entire upper Keep. We must ensure there are no more surprises contained there, as well as assimilate any enemy intelligence we can find.”

  Kallisandre nodded. “Yes, Earth Father, we stand on the precipice of a showdown with the Flames of Wrath and yet, I fear we will fail. Our best sages have still been unable to pry the secrets of the Elohjin weapon, not in any way that we can use it against the Flames.”

  Though we had not yet been prompted for a response, the narrative focus abruptly shifted to Crysta. I wasn’t used to how raid interactions worked; normally Kayla would have been next as she was in position two, but then again, Crysta was the leader of group two. What was more surprising was the shift without one of the NPCs asking us a question or prompting us for response. It had to be the quest.

  “Princess!” Crysta blurted out as her surprise faded. “We found something, like, something that the risen Knight-Commander was trying to burn when we got there. Luckily, we got there just in time and were able to put out the fire.” She produced the bundle of charred parchments and sooty artifacts from her inventory. “They might have the answers you need!”

  Crystain and Kallisandre both turned back to us, and the princess’s eyes lit up with hope. “We will not know until we have a chance to analyze them, but the enemy wouldn’t destroy something so purposefully without it being something of importance.” Her hand twirled through the motions of a basic spell, a tendril of water appearing around her wrist that coiled out to retrieve the bundle Crysta held up. “You have our gratitude, champions, for you may have just won the war for us.”

  “Indeed,” Crystain rumbled in his low, powerful voice. “If we can find a way to use the power of the ancient Light, it may be enough to strike a final blow in the battle. All the same, we cannot look away from the strength needed to wield the weapon. As always, the hand behind the sword is more important than the sharpness of the sword itself.” He nodded grimly. “Go now, heroes, and recover from this battle. It will take some hours for our armies to solidify your advance and for our sages to decipher this new information.”

  Raid quest ‘The Ashes of History’ concluded!

  Quest successful!

  10% Experience awarded! Experience 2,758,000/3,100,000

  Title ‘Charred Historian’ awarded!

  As the NPC interaction effect faded, Dunya was the first to voice the question is everyone’s head. Uh, what was the Special about? I didn’t get anything extra, did you guys?

  Burndall: Nope, but I think the title is nifty.

  Vindril: A big negative on that, little lady.

  Wazif: While that didn’t seem quite so special, it was a pleasure to add that to our experience in the raid. It is those extra little bits that make me enjoy the game, searching out those extra nuggets of the story and those hidden vistas of exploration.

  Dunya: That’s nice and all, but I was still hoping for some sweet S
pecial loot.

  Vanni: Well, I can only speak from my experience with raids before this, but it is possible that the special part is how it is altering the course of the raid. We might experience an entirely different third wing because of this.

  Shale: Or maybe this is critical to unlocking the final encounter period. This whole Crystalfire thing has been funny like that.

  Burndall: We’ll find out, folks, but as I’m sure the boss is about to say, we’ve got stuff to take care of before tonight. Peeps that got loot, turn that stuff in, and everybody else, if there’s anything you need from the Auction House or vendors or even a nap upside, this is your shot.

  Yep, it had been a good idea to make Burndall our second-in-command. Despite his cocky moments, the kid truly had a knack for keeping people on task. You got it, Burnie.

  Most of the Knights dispersed, some to chat and recount their experiences from today, some to cherish the chance for privacy (Vanni and Crysta, of course), and a few of us with our tokens gathered around Princess Kallisandre’s end of the platform to browse through her extensive Vendor UI. Though Kayla didn’t have any purchases to make, she still stayed by my side, poking me through our private channel.

  Kayla: I think that nap idea is a bad idea, but I need a cup of coffee bad. Still, I’m going to linger to see what you pick up. You know, in case you need my expert advice.

  Shale: You’re not the only one. I’m jonesing for a cup of real coffee, but I’ll have to settle for soycafe. Anyway, I can probably handle this one, Mina, but I appreciate the support. I’ll try to make it quick.

  It took some work to do that. The amount of gear that Kallisandre had for exchange was mind-boggling. While there were sorting options in the interface to narrow the list by token type, item classification, intended role, intended class, and so on, I couldn’t help but skim the master list for a few minutes. The speculation we had bandied about that there had to be an AI subsystem devoted to inventing compelling loot seemed like it was more than speculation at this point. It was either that or the loot design team had been working triple-time for this array of gear.