“Yes, but we’ll be hitting all the zones, so why not do that one next?” Marysue replied.
“Fair enough,” Alburet shrugged. “Dead Sea it is.”
“First, though, we be havin’ some food,” Stacia said as the door opened and Marian came in carrying a large tray.
“Ma’ had some stew on the stove, and she thought ya all might be interested in havin’ it,” Marian said as she started putting bread on the table.
“I like the family stew,” Karen said.
“As do I,” Marysue added.
Alburet
Half-blood Infernal Summoner
Level 70
Strength: 285 (280)
Agility: 285 (280)
Constitution: 230 (200)
Intelligence: 200 (170)
Wisdom: 890 (585)
Charisma: 315 (280)
Health: 5,800
Mana: 12,400
Spells:
Demon Skin- Rank 7
Demonic Retribution- Rank 7
Summon Improved Imp
Fire Blast- Rank 7
Sap Strength- Rank 7
Demonic Haze- Rank 6
Summon Improved Destroyer
Demonic Vitality- Rank 6
Fire Burst- Rank 6
Summon Improved Succubus
Abilities:
Personal Spells
Flame Weapon
Copy
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Ally)
Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Big Boom)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Demonic Shell)
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Comforting Touch)
Copy
Infernal Upgrade: (Succubus- Essence Drain)
Still Caster
Infernal Upgrade: (Imp- Burning Cleanse)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Savage Roar)
Infernal Upgrade: (Destroyer- Bash)
Copy
Racial Abilities:
Cast spells without verbal components
Physical damage reduction 25%
Magical damage reduction 10%
Influence emotions
Fire resistance 50%
Reputation gains at half value
Chapter Twenty-five
After the meal, the group made their way to the Portal Guild to go to the Dead Sea. After collecting the quests from the Sergeant on duty, they funneled out of the keep to the path that snaked down the cliff.
A dozen guards were on duty at the edge of the cliff where the path led down a switchback trail to a beach. “You all might want to be careful today,” one of the guards said as he looked down at the beach and the inky black water beyond the sands. “They’re out in greater numbers than I’ve ever seen, like something has them riled up.”
“One of our tasks is to see if we can find out why,” Gerald replied. “Any advice for dealing with them?”
“Yeah, don’t,” one of the younger guards chuckled, then snapped his jaw shut at the glare from the other guards.
“The skeletons down there are Elementalists, with different elements, and you won’t know which one until it casts. The zombies are a bastardization of Necromancer and Priest. Nasty lot. Focus on them first, even if you take more damage from the skeletons while doing it. Lastly, the golems, which are not in view at the moment, are Defenders, so be prepared for stuns and damage resistance. If you engage them and other mobs at the same time, they will taunt you, which can be a real pain if they have a Bastard Priest with them,” the first guard explained.
“We can handle that,” Gerald said. “As you can see, we have an army,” he motioned behind him where the group was standing, along with Alburet’s Infernals and their Copies.
“I hope they help you,” the guard said, motioning at the path. “The way down is easy, just be careful when you reach the sands and try not to lead them back up the path.”
“We’ll be sure not to do so,” Gerald said. “Let’s go get that level,” he added as he started down the path.
The path down to the beach was clear and it gave them ample time to see how many mobs roamed the sands. “You’re going to get more than a single mob,” Bob commented as he glided down beside them.
“Yeah, I’m thinking we’ll be lucky to only get four of them,” Gerald said. “I might have a plan if we get swarmed,” he said, a smile pulling the corner of his mouth up, looking back at the others following him and Marysue further down the path.
Alburet looked at the path, then at Gerald. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah it’s a natural choke point,” Gerald grinned.
“We might want to start with this to clear a beachhead, pardon the pun,” Alburet chuckled.
“Ouch, that one hurt,” Karen snickered.
“Want me to grab a few and lead them back to the path so they’re there to greet you?” Bob asked with an evil smirk.
Gerald looked at the beach, which had mobs milling around in every direction. “Might as well. Let us get to the bottom first, though,” Gerald agreed.
“How many do you want?” Bob asked as he looked over the potential targets.
“Keep it at four, and only one Bastard Priest in each pull,” Gerald told the Imp.
“On it,” Bob said as he banked away from the group, beginning to pick out the lucky four.
“He’ll wait,” Tiny rumbled from his spot at the rear of the group. “He wants to do his best to help master level.”
Looking back at the Destroyer, Gerald frowned, but nodded. “He took off rather quickly.”
“He be plannin’ which sets to bring after the first,” Stacia said with a smile. “Iffin ya could feel his glee, ya would know how happy he be to help.”
“We’re almost there,” Fluff said as her claws extended. “Priest first?” she asked, her voice deepening to a growl.
Karen stealthed beside Fluff, her form blurring. “Oh, kitty is ready to play. I get to give you a good belly rub tonight if I do the most damage before we leave the zone.”
“I will nay be able to match tha’, but our husband mayhap be the one to come out on top,” Stacia added.
Alburet shook his head. “I am not getting involved in this.”
“If you win, I’ll go further tonight,” Fluff growled, her eyes turning red as Bob came flying straight at them with a maniacal laugh.
Jaw dropping, Alburet slowed for a minute, shocked at Fluff’s statement. The shock caused him to miss Bob’s return and Gerald rushing forward. “What?”
“Master, you need to move,” Tiny rumbled from right behind him.
Blinking, Alburet sidestepped and Tiny and TJ went past him in a rush, bringing his attention to the four mobs that Gerald had met at the base of the path. “God damn it,” Alburet cursed as he pulled his maul and covered it in flames. “I’m behind now.”
Karen appeared behind the Bastard Priest, both of her blades biting into the zombie’s back. “Damn, you looked like a fish pulled out of the water,” Karen laughed as she watched Alburet rush down to join the fight.
Fluff was glowing her usual red, but her claws were flashing faster than normal. Her eyes weren’t on the Bastard Priest that Gerald had stunned, but were challenging Alburet instead. A feral grin came to her as he closed the distance.
“If you’re done with the games for now, focus, please,” Gerald huffed as he got hit with the spells from the trio of Undead Mages. A small ball of fire grazed his sword arm as his feet became encased in ice, and he brought his shield down to deflect a spike of earth as it jabbed up at him.
Tiny tried to go around Gerald but Marysue called out to him, “Tiny, back away, I’m casting my new healing spell.”
Tiny skidded to a halt, but TJ went rushing in. The Copy was expendable, as he could be resummoned nearly instantly. Bob and BJ took up positions above Marysue, twin Fire Bursts hitting all four mobs. “I want blood,” Tiny growled, his teeth grinding as he vibrated in place waiting for the okay to charge.
A bright golden ring of energy appeared, encirc
ling the mobs fighting the group. It hovered just above the ground and cast a golden glow on everything within the circle, friend and foe alike.
Gerald’s health began to replenish as the circle pulsed every three seconds. All of the mobs turned their attention to Marysue, as the spell did increased damage to undead and quickly outstripped the damage Bob had done.
TJ had just reached the trio, his health falling from the healing pulse of Halo, but he was able to use Savage Roar and pull aggro from the undead to him. “I won’t be able to hold them,” TJ growled as another pulse of the heal drained more health from him. As the trio of Undead Mages focused on him, TJ briefly wished he had Thunderous Stomp for the AoE interrupt.
He was hammered by the trio of spells that hit him in the next second, stripping even more of his health. Alburet darted around Gerald and slapped TJ with Demonic Vitality and Demonic Haze to give him a boost through the Halo spell.
The Bastard Priest came out of the stun and started to cast a heal, but Karen quickly hit the mob with Garrote, silencing it for ten seconds. Without the ability to cast, the Bastard began to slam its undead fists into Gerald, who caught the blows on his shield.
“Kitten, Comforting Touch on TJ,” Alburet called out as he swung back to the Bastard Priest, his maul slamming into its side.
Kitten acted on his instructions without hesitation, rushing into the Halo spell to heal TJ. She touched TJ, transferring health to him as the last pulse of Halo went off, dropping Kitten’s health under 25% due to the damage and the Comforting Heal.
As the ring faded, Tiny let out a roar as he rushed forward to help the other two tanks. Gerald laughed as the Bastard Priest fell before him. Turning his attention to the Mages, he Ground Stomped, stunning all three of them.
“Tiny, take the left, TJ, take the middle, I’ve got the one on the right,” Gerald called out. “Tackle TJ’s mob first, then Tiny’s.”
“You got it,” Karen said as she Vanished and slid over to the next target.
Fluffball used Wild Charge to get there first, her claws flaking chips off the bones of the Undead Mage. “Mine,” she growled, her skin still flushed red under her white fur. “Match me, Al, beat me…”
The passion that radiated from her took Alburet by surprise, but pushed him to meet her challenge. Swinging his maul with renewed vigor, he glanced over at her, his determination rising.
With Halo done pulsing, Stacia hurried down, using Comforting Touch to help get TJ some more health back. She pulled her blades and joined Kitten on Tiny’s mob, as there wasn’t any room for them on the one TJ was fighting.
The Undead Mages didn’t last long under the assault of the group, though some of the spells did slow them for a bit. An ice storm from one of the mages cut their attack speed by 25%, and an earthen armor buff from another gave all of the skeletons extra armor that had to be broken before they could damage the mobs again.
As the last mob fell, the group took a moment to catch their breath and regenerate their health and mana. Alburet’s eyes went to Fluff, who was looking pointedly away from him, uncertainty radiating from her.
“Did you mean it, Fluff?” Alburet asked her softly.
Head jerking up and down once, she kept her gaze turned away. “Yes, but now I’m afraid as well. It was a spur of the moment thing, and I do want it, but…”
Karen wrapped her in a hug from behind and turned her to face Alburet. “Look at him, Fluff,” she whispered into the Lunari’s ear.
Made to focus on him, Fluff found the same trepidation and yearning in him that she herself was feeling. Licking her lips, she gave him a weak smile. “If you win, I’ll do it.”
Alburet gave her a bright smile. “I’m a bit behind after that first fight, but, for you, I’ll give it my all.”
“It’s a good thing there’s a combat log that we can use to tally damage,” Karen murmured as she gave Fluff an extra squeeze. “Because I want to give you belly rubs, and you do have a lead on both of us. What are you going to want if you win, Fluff?”
“I’m not sure,” Fluff said, closing her eyes. “I’m not even sure why I said what I did earlier. I just know that it’s what I want if he wins.”
“Think about it while we fight,” Stacia said, reaching over to give Fluff an ear rub.
“You all ready, now?” Gerald asked with a raised eyebrow.
Marysue sighed at him, but joined the conversation, “Bob is coming back with more.”
The group split apart and got ready as Bob went flying up past them, laughing wildly. This time, though, everyone was ready for the three mobs Bob led back to them. Gerald shifted his feet slightly, getting ready to take an Undead Mage.
“TJ, take the other Undead Mage, Tiny, take the Priest,” Gerald called out. “Priest dies first,” he reminded them needlessly.
The others all gave words or grunts of agreement, and waited for the tanks to engage. As soon as the first blow was struck, Fluff used Leap to get behind the Bastard Priest, while Alburet and Karen had to slide around the melee to get into position. Stacia and Kitten went to assist TJ, while Bob and BJ rained down Fire Bursts on the group.
The second fight went more quickly than the first, now that they had an idea of what to expect from the mobs and had some counters in place. Karen’s Garrote Ability played a key role in shutting the Bastard Priest down again.
Marysue was smiling as the fight went on. The only one she had to worry about healing was Gerald, so she was able to toss out a damage spell or two onto the mobs. As the last of the mobs died, she looked up at Bob, who was clinging to the side of the cliff. “Where are the golems?”
“Haven’t seen one yet,” Bob said. “I think they come out of the water, though. That’s where the other mobs are coming from. Want me to see if I can snag one?”
“How many of the other mobs will end up coming with?” Gerald asked.
“At least two, at the best; maybe up to five if it’s slow and takes longer to follow,” Bob replied.
Gerald mulled over the information, then looked at the others. “You all want to try it?”
“I thought I saw a campsite off to the north,” Bob added before the others could reply. “It seemed newish, and odd that the tent was still sitting there without a Campstone to protect it.”
That caught everyone’s attention. “I think we should head for that,” Marysue spoke up. “It seems likely the place has information about why the undead are all riled up.”
“Probably,” Gerald agreed. “Okay, so we do a single golem here, then see about moving towards the campsite?”
Everyone agreed with his plan, and BJ launched off the cliff face, taking to the air again. “Be right back,” the Imp chuckled as he went flying towards the water.
“Bob, are you good for flight all the time?” Alburet asked him.
“Not yet,” Bob sighed, “it’s why I’m holding onto the cliff. I can fly for a few minutes at a time, but then I need to rest. I was going from stone to stone in the Lava Pits. Next time I become stronger, I should be able to fly all the time.”
“That’s level 81?” Alburet half-asked.
“Yes,” Bob grinned. “Tiny gets upgraded next, then Stacia at 76.”
Tiny grunted, “I look forward to it.”
“As do I,” Stacia purred from behind Alburet.
“Incoming,” Bob said, looking toward the water at BJ.
Everyone turned to look at the Copied Imp that was coming towards them. Behind BJ, a golem with black metal inserted into its flesh was coming towards them at speed. Two Bastard Priests trailed behind it.
“Fuck,” Gerald hissed. “Tiny, take both Priests. TJ, get ready to pick up the Golem when it stuns me,” Gerald ordered. “Everyone, Priests first, but remember that the Golem will probably taunt and your damage output will fall. Just keep on the priest; any damage is better than none.”
Before anyone could reply, the Armored Golem was upon them. Gerald led with his Shield Bash to stun it, stopping it dead and giving Tiny and
TJ the room they needed to grab the Bastard Priests. Karen and Alburet had been moving to the side to get ready to join in, but Fluff had only backed up. As soon as Tiny had his Priest, she used Leap to get behind it.
The fight with the golem and zombies took longer than their previous fights had. The Priests kept up constant healing on each other for the first minute of the fight, and the Armored Golem had a Ground Stomp, which stunned everyone close to it. Kitten and BJ put themselves in the way of the golem to keep it away from Marysue during that time, which cost Kitten her life under its onslaught, as she didn’t have the armor or hit points to weather its attacks.
Coming out of the stun, the group used all their cooldowns and Karen used her Garrote to silence one of the priests. With the healing cut in half, the group was finally able to cut down the first Bastard Priest, then turned on the second one.
The Path to Peace Page 23
