Unbound Deathlord_Obliteration
Page 37
50 fire + 50 burn damage received (100 total)
50 fire + 50 burn damage received (100 total)
...
50 fire + 50 burn damage received (100 total)
HP: 3056 / 4195
A thousand damage later, the inferno finally ended. We were all lying on the ground, screaming at the rapidly decreasing pain. My armor was scorching hot and I thought that if this was the game's idea of reduced pain I'd probably have gone insane from full sensation.
We couldn't even take a respite when the pull restarted.
What the hell was she, a robot? Still, she had a point. I gritted my teeth and resumed shooting firebombs at the asshole. Only then did I realized its eyes and wings were also burning and with the flaming halberd added to the mix, I could only think the god of death had come for me.
Daggers was throwing knives at it, Bear awkwardly threw his greatsword, and we all shot the minotaur with crossbows. My firebombs dealt the most damage and things didn't look great.
I took out the spider ring; I was ready to put it on. But then, the world froze. I lost control of my character and my view quickly zoomed to a flying bolt shot by a random zombie. I saw in slow motion as it flew, sailing near my own firebomb mid-air and multiple other similar bolts. It was an incredibly lucky shot: it went through a slit in the Boss' helmet.
It penetrated deep into the minotaurs left eye which exploded. Fire burst from the eye, filling the helm, expanding outside through the helmet's vision slits. The Boss threw his head back, letting out a last scream as its wings exploded, enveloping his entire body.
The slow motion stopped and I regained control of my character when, from inside the fire sphere in the air, the Boss' body fell. Its wings were charred, covered in embers, and smoke was coming from inside its soot covered armor. It struck a zombie, knocking it to the floor, as its massive armor let out a hollow boom then lay there silent and unmoving.
He looked only a little worse than us.
The Boss was dead.
The raid was over.
I had no doubt in my mind that if there was only a small bridge in the room for us to face the Boss, we would have all died.
I groaned as I chuckled to myself, thinking of how people would tell the story of how I used some mattresses to defeat a raid boss that should've been impossible for our levels.
Invasion
Elementals
Underworld — Corrupted — Possessed
Elementals were believed to be spontaneous occurrences in the nature, when raw magic, for unknown reasons, acted to animate the elements.
It was only after the explanations of a paladin of Yurani, the previously unknown Goddess of Compassion and Elementals, that the world became aware that such beings are in fact her creations.
Fire, water, earth, air, in the absence of any one of these elements life becomes impossible. Seeing the elements being used without ever being self-aware made Yurani's heart ache, so she gave them life.
Thus, the elementals came to be. However, they were soon banished to the Underworld.
Elementals are a corruption of the original creation and life, and go berserk as soon as they see any living thing, as if they resent their ages of servitude without sentience and their sole purpose is destroying all true life on Valia.
When the first Free Spirit possessed an elemental, it formed a perfect symbiotic relationship: the Free Spirit got itself a body while the elemental attained a truer sentience and life, allowing it to control its destructive impulses.
Most Underworld species tried to enslave the new docile elementals, but the Free Spirits would just leave the elemental when it was captured, returning it to a state of uncontrollable fury.
After a short war, Yurani herself intervened and the elementals were accepted as neutral parties in the Underworld, going wherever they wished without restrictions or owing their allegiance to anyone.
No one is sure how the goddess — also known as Water Goddess for her choice of Avatar — picks a pile of rock, a flame, a breeze, or a water droplet to become an elemental, and the process has never been witnessed; elementals are always born in the wild, and everything indicates that only dumb luck allows a Free Spirit to find an elemental to possess.
Whenever possible, it's best to avoid elementals altogether. If you do find yourself near one though, be alert.
-- Excerpt from "Species of Valia", by Amir, a Karr
29. Sixty-Two Tons of Freedom
Major Stewart parked his car on the street, right behind a tank that was blocking the driveway.
He left the vehicle and walked to the front of the huge property, where Marines were standing guard.
"I'm Major Stewart," he said. "I have an appointment with Senator McHolen."
"ID please," the Marine requested and Stewart complied. Upon seeing the rank on the ID, the Marine rendered a Salute and said, "go right in, sir."
"Could you move it?" The Major asked nodding to the tank. "I'd like to go in with my car."
"Negative. My orders state, to not allow a car to get in."
"Can't you ask your superiors?"
"Negative, sir," the Marine said, and seeing the ugly expression on Stewart's face, he looked around before getting closer and speaking in a low voice. "A visitor made my friend ask yesterday. Today, my friend was sent to Havenfort."
The Major understood what the Marine said. The Armed Forces had run into heavy resistance in Havenfort city; the survival rate there was lower than in any war of the last century.
"Oh, I see," Stewart said. "I wish your friend luck."
"Thanks," the Marine nodded to the Major as the latter walked onto the mansion grounds.
Stewart was impressed by what he saw inside the towering walls around the property: the elegantly sweeping road, flanked by rows of meticulously manicured trees, the massive Chinese dragon statue. It was clearly a display of wealth calculated to impress, if not intimidate visitors.
More Marines were standing guard close to the mansion, right next to a butler. A butler! It was the Major's first time seeing something so... antiquated.
"Major Stewart?" The butler inquired.
"That's me."
"Please, follow me."
They climbed the stairs and entered the mansion. Stewart couldn't stop himself from whistling; the whole place screamed 'rich.'
The butler led him through a corridor before stopping before a closed door and knocking.
"Just a minute," came a voice from inside.
Stewart was made to wait ten minutes before the voice spoke again, inviting him in. A childish show of power, he reckoned.
He entered the Senator's study, which was a mix of old and new, books and technology, antique and modern. The man himself was sitting behind a large desk and gestured for the Major to sit on the opposite side of it.
"Good morning, Senator," the Major extended his hand.
Senator McHolen looked at the hand with curiosity, as if showing he couldn't believe the Major thought he was worthy enough of touching him, but still shook his hand in the end.
"Major Stewart, is it?" The Senator asked.
"Yes, sir," he replied succinctly.
The Major didn't know what to expect of this visit; McHolen had summoned him without giving a hint of his motives.
"I heard great things about you from General Gomes," McHolen said.
Stewart knew it was a lie; the General would never talk about him to a politician, much less the one in front of him. McHolen was saying that he knew where the Major's orders actually came from, as opposed to what the official files stated.
"I'm glad to hear that, sir," Stewart said.
The Senator got up from his chair. "We're a bit too rigid, aren't we? This is a friendly meeting. Come, let's get a bit more comfortable." He motioned for the Major to sit on one of the sofas and he sat on the other one.
"Thank you, s
ir."
"You're welcome," McHolen said with a pleasant smile. "Tell me, Major, how do you feel about your current job?"
"I feel honored to serve my country," he replied sincerely.
"Good. Not many feel honored to serve their country, especially when the country asks them to do... Unsightly things."
The Major couldn't help but widen his eyes a bit. Discovering his connection to the General was one thing, but discovering his real mission was something else entirely. He'd have to reassess the Senator's danger level.
There was nothing he could say to that, so he remained silent.
"Do you want some coffee?" The Senator asked. Before the Major could answer, McHolen turned to the still-open door, beside which the butler stood. "Mark, coffee for two."
The butler nodded and walked away.
McHolen didn't speak further, just leaned back on the sofa and looked at Stewart. The Major waited in silence.
When the coffee arrived, McHolen first sipped his cup before finally speaking. "Tell me, Major, would you like to serve your country in an even greater capacity?"
"I would, sir." Stewart hadn't touched his coffee.
"I'll ask the General to give you a promotion. I'm sure he'll comply."
The Major felt even more nervous. Was the Senator saying he could control the General? That was worrisome indeed.
"Thank you, sir," he replied.
McHolen held up a hand to stop him. "Don't thank me. A man must not remain working so long in the dark without recognition. It's dangerous for his mental health."
Now, the Senator was reaffirming his knowledge about Stewart's capabilities and making a veiled threat.
"Thank you, sir," he repeated.
The Senator laughed. "If you want to thank me, spend more time with your beloved wife. Tisa, isn't it? Celebrate your impending promotion. Maybe take a long vacation."
Stewart clenched his fists. Not so much a veiled threat anymore, but a direct one. He even knew Tisa's real name!
"I will keep that in mind, sir," he said dryly.
"Good, good. Go, don't leave her waiting. Take it from this old pile of bones: you never know what might happen and you should take every opportunity to appreciate your loved ones."
The Major didn't answer that. He just stood up and walked out of the room. It had been a long time since he had been threatened like that.
He met the butler in the corridor but just ignored the man and kept moving toward the exit. At the entrance of the mansion, he was stopped in his tracks by a surprise: the Senator's grandson, Jack McHolen, was in there.
The last Army report said that the boy was living a degenerate life in Miami, but instead he was right there, with wet hair and a plate full of muffins.
"Hello, there, one-eyed Army man," the boy said to Stewart with a smile. "You look like a nice guy, so I'll give you some good advice: whatever grandfather promised you, decline it, run away from him, and never look back." He put a muffin in his mouth and walked off down one of the corridors.
"This way," the butler said after a few seconds; Stewart had just been staring after the McHolen kid.
After leaving the property, the Major got in his car and drove away.
He entered a parking lot where he traded cars and his clothes, then drove on. He did the same in the next lot he stopped in. Then another. And another.
When he was sure he'd lost anyone who may have been trying to follow him he stopped, took a bath and used a mini-EMP device to destroy any microelectronics that might have been placed on him.
A few stops later he took an encrypted cell phone from the glove compartment and called his second-in-command.
"Cancel the searches on Miami, I found the boy, he's in DC. Yes, Washington DC. I'll brief you later. Bring everyone here. Yes, the reserve as well. Call Fat Willy too, we'll need his men." The phone beeped and he looked at the screen. "Talk to you later, the General is calling."
He hung up and took the General's call.
"Sir. Yes, sir, I just got out. We have a rat; he knew all about me, even my wife's real name. He tried to buy me out and threatened me.
"Yes, he definitely knows about what his grandson did. There would be no reason to do this if he didn't know.
"Sir, I have some news: the boy was there. Yes, sir, in the house, protected by NAC Marines as if he was the most precious boy in the whole world.
"No, sir, I can't. Sir, I can't. They have a tank parked in their yard.
"Yes, sir, I will. Thank you, sir."
The Major was scared shitless. The General had let him know with a codeword that his wife was in direct, immediate danger. How was that even possible? His wife was supposed to be together with the General's...
Sweet Jesus, Stewart thought. They are threatening the General's wife too!
He was surprised at the lengths the Senator had already gone to in order to shield his grandson. But what was astonishing was the General telling him to keep going.
Stewart had called for Fat Willy so they could get through the tank, but that had been before learning that his wife was in danger.
His sweat ran cold all the way to the hotel. If he went through with this, it could cost his wife's life. For the first time, the Major wondered if he should... Limit himself.
Could he live with himself if his wife was killed as a result of this mission?
Probably not.
But could he live with himself if he didn't make these bastards pay?
30. Purge
Pillars of light shone on each one of us and I felt the pain fade away as my equipment recovered from the beating it had taken. I could even feel my hair and skin regenerating.
Unique raid complete!
Congratulations!
We had done it. We had completed the raid and conquered the castle.
A feeling of exhilaration hit me as I took a deep breath.
Bear was already running to loot the Boss. It didn't worry me; the party was set up for a round robin loot division so he couldn't take it all for himself.
Instead, I walked to the throne. The pillar of light accompanied me and the closer to the throne I got, the stronger it shone.
I climbed the steps and stopped in front of the throne.
It changed. It had been large enough for the Boss to sit, but it slowly shrank until it was human sized.
I turned around, everyone except for Bear was looking at me.
A speech would be a powerful tool at this moment and since my audience wasn't the brightest, I decided to keep it simple.
"And this, Armless Battalion, is what you've earned by following me: increased personal might, wealth, and victory over your enemies."
I sat on the throne.
The pillars of light over all of them faded while mine turned golden. An ephemeral male voice came from all sides "Let it be known: Edward's Castle now belongs to Jack Thorn."
Another golden light shone down upon the Boss' corpse. Bear, who had climbed up onto its chest while trying unsuccessfully to loot it, fell to the ground as it rose into the air. The wings disappeared and the armor regenerated itself.
The light brought the corpse to its feet, and as soon as the Boss' feet touched the ground, it raised its head to the ceiling and let out a huge roar that shook the entire room. Then, it took its helmet off.
I had guessed right: it was rather tricky to get its helmet off thanks to its curved horns.
The angry eyes of the enormous minotaur stared at me for a moment before he began moving in my direction. As he reached the foot of the stairs before the throne, he went to one knee and lowered its head.
"I, Oxfiend," it said, "in accord to the agreement made with Edward, pledge myself to the Master of Edward's Castle."
A red exclamation point blinked at the edge of my vision, I opened it.
&
nbsp; Pledging System
Any being in Valia can pledge themselves to your service.
If you ACCEPT:
» They will become your vassal.
If you REFUSE:
» They will generally retain their current sentiment towards you, be it friend or foe.
All Lieges must provide at least food and shelter for their Subjects.
Payment is negotiable.
Subjects are bound only by their word and may choose to betray you, with only a few exceptions.
Abusing your power over your Subjects may increase the disloyalty among them.
Oxfiend:
Oxfiend, the Minotaur Sovereign, is one of the exceptions.
Minotaurs are the most loyal species of Valia. They are generally vicious and evil, but none have betrayed their word in the history of the world.
However, his oath is to whoever is the Master of Edward's Castle, not to you personally.
To achieve Master status, one must first defeat the designated Boss of the Castle and then sit on the throne.
As the Master of the Castle, you may assign whomever you want as the Boss of the Castle.
The Boss of the Castle may not leave the castle, but you can protect the Boss in any way you want to prevent people from defeating him.
This is the first castle you've conquered.
We suggest you ACCEPT Oxfiend's pledge.
This was the very first time the game helped me with so much information.
I smiled.
"I accept your pledge," I said to Oxfiend. "Rise, and continue being the Boss of this castle."
He stood up. "As you will, my liege," Oxfiend said meekly.