Immortal Killed!
Boss Tier 3 Progression: 30/50 immortals killed
Twelve players remaining. I forced my mana into a spell, summoning five, level 15 mastiffs.
Rhyno rampaged madly, his Rage ability triggered by his wounds. He bellowed his AoE roar, sending the adjacent tanks tumbling back, then fell on them in a frenzy. He landed some good hits, doing nearly a hundred points of damage with each one, but the players were seasoned tanks. They bounced back, activating various protection skills and sharing the damage. Meanwhile, the DPS players continued to bombard us. Behind me, Kuzai’s shadow dispersed, and a second later, Kuzai himself dropped to the ground. With unbridled rage, Rhyno continued to lash out, damaging several other players, then kicked a tank into the last healer, crushing him to death.
I cast another Freeze, but it didn’t take. The player was freed in an instant, and my dagger only nicked him.
Another volley of drilling arrows went into Ragnar, but the stubborn dwarf refused to die. He was down to 60 percent health but continued to face the four mastiffs and the critically injured Kilpi on his own.
The players swarmed Rhyno, stabbing, slashing, and throwing grenades and vials of acid at him. The Ogre’s innate resistances, coupled with his tough oxsaurian armor, negated much of the damage, and liquid darkness slowly restored his health, but it only bought him an extra moment of life. The mounting damage triggered another AoE shout, giving him a clear shot against a wounded tank, which he took, killing him with two hard chops. But then a bolt of ice pierced his forehead and the giant gladiator fell.
With the tier 2 boss out of the way, the other players swiftly downed the mastiffs surrounding Ragnar. My own mastiffs were easily dispatched. Kilpi fought valiantly until the end. Every 20 percent of health lost enabled his special boss ability, which rendered him invulnerable for five seconds, allowing him to attack with impunity. He was a true tank and the last of my troops to keep fighting, but he was doomed just like the rest.
I was left alone, the Dark Temple’s power thrumming through my body.
But it was not enough.
Not nearly enough.
Eleven players remained, and though most of them were injured and their healers were all dead, it was still 11 against one. At level 40, I was higher than most of them, but Ragnar and a couple mages had surpassed me. It is their reward for slaughtering our defenders, I thought with contempt, then clenched my jaw. I will not fail now! I rejected that notion with every fiber of my being. So what if it’s 11 against one? I’m a tier 2 boss, damn it! I’ll show those pesky travelers what it means to be a Dread Totem!
My mana was at half, drained from the need to keep my shield up. I spread my hands, sending waves of mana into the surrounding darkness, grabbing as much as I could, and pulled it at the enemy.
The players concentrated their fire on me. A hail of spells, arrows, and even throwing axes descended, draining my reserves. If it were not for the temple’s proximity and the debilitating debuffs on the players, I would already have buckled under the pressure.
Channeling over 500 MP, I formed two giant tidal waves of tangible darkness around the players, then brought them crashing down, burying them under heaps of semi-tangible darkness, throwing them into absolute blackness.
Shouts of outrage sounded from within as the players sought their way out.
I was breathing heavily. The darkness would not damage them directly. It only bought me a short reprieve; several more seconds of life to consider what to do next.
Dark Mana skill level increased to 51. New rank: Expert
Yes! It couldn’t have come at a better time.
A slew of information followed the rank-up message, but I ignored them all for now. I already knew what could be done with an Expert-ranked discipline-governing skill.
I brought my hands together and channeled my mana into my palms. It poured out of my fingers, swirling and fusing into a condensed ball of dark blue energy. I deepened my concentration, pouring more and more mana into the scintillating, swirling sphere of magic and destruction.
Cracks of white light appeared in the mass of darkness below me. I exhausted my remaining 600 MP, pouring every last ounce of mana into the ball, making it grow to a sphere one meter in diameter. The white cracks burst apart the darkness, banishing it away to reveal the players. They no longer looked injured; they’d probably used the time to chug down healing potions.
I hurled the huge sphere of destructive, dark energy. A message popped up, informing me that I’d acquired a new spell, but I ignored it, only reading its name.
The Direball spell exploded dead center in the middle of the player formation. The force of the blast threw some of them to the ground, but the actual damage done was lackluster. Screens of protective magic shimmered around the casters, and the tanks had enough health to endure the brunt of the blast.
No! I couldn’t believe my eyes. They survived even that? Not a single enemy died from the blast. The newly invented spell was simply unrefined. And though I’d poured all I had into it, it was still not enough.
My mana was regenerating but was still below a hundred. The players reoriented themselves and resumed their attack on me. A fireball hit my shield, nearly depleting my mana, then a thrown axe hit, breaking it into magical shards.
I was exposed, alone, and out of mana.
Far away in the valley, the high-level fight continued, but it looked like my Outrider was barely hanging on.
There was nothing else I could do.
I took out a void crystal, but more attacks came, hitting me directly. I staggered and dropped the small bauble.
My health bar was at 70 percent and dropping fast.
37 – Nemesis
My health continued to plummet as I fished for another crystal.
Sixty percent …
Fifty percent …
My MP had regenerated enough to cast Mana Shield again, but the players timed their attacks well, not letting the ongoing damage lessen for a second. My hastily summoned shield was assaulted and overwhelmed in a second and my health continued to drop, though the reprieve allowed me to absorb another level 40 crystal.
Thirty percent health remained.
Blood Wrath had charged up twice, but it wasn’t enough to win me the fight.
I clenched my teeth and started channeling mana for another Direball spell, trying to maintain concentration through the constant bombardment and pain. A tank started climbing the ladder toward me.
A short text message popped up in my peripheral vision. It was from Malkyr: I figured it out! Raystia is the traitor! Watch out for her.
“Now he tells me,” I said, wincing from the pain of the continued onslaught, struggling to build up the spell despite that, but without much luck.
Another message popped up: P.S. I’m on my way, and I am bringing along some friends.
What the hell is he talking –
The thought died in my mind as I noticed something new.
A figure materialized in the plateau below me, then another one a few meters away. Then another, and another. Players – my players.
The four roared and charged at the enemy, while more of the newcomers streamed in from behind the building, rushing over to join the fight.
A hand clasped my shoulder and a wave of cool, healing darkness spread over me, mending some of my wounds.
“We’re here to help,” said a familiar voice. It was Riley, the new cleric I’d accused of treason. The goblin dwarf was smiling.
I was overcome with relief, concern, and doubt, but most of all, gratitude.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry I thought you were a traitor.”
He coughed, looking uncomfortable. “Ah, don’t worry about it.” Then he brightened. “Besides, we have some intruders to deal with.” He raised his hands and a ray of purple energy burst forth, punching a hole through an enemy caster’s shimmering barrie
r. “Oh man, it’s awesome casting spells with the temple behind me.” He sent another wave of healing magic into me, bringing me up to nearly half before leaving to join the battle.
The four closest player allies had levels in the lower teens and were promptly killed, but the reprieve they provided had probably saved me. Then the other friendly players joined the fray.
Despite their lower levels, they had numbers on their side and were able to put up a good fight, thanks in large part to the darkness debuff the enemy suffered. They swarmed over the surprised attackers, hacking and flinging spells with abandon. Daniel_The_Destroyer was the first to fall, ironically without even landing a hit. He was not much of a destroyer in the end.
I easily spotted Malkyr in the throng below, a head taller than everyone else. His axe and skin glowed with red runes, cleaving into the enemy ranks.
Apparently identifying him as the major threat, Ragnar rushed to meet him. A level 41 dwarf tank against a level 28 goliath.
Malkyr’s axe vibrated with its telltale sign, then smashed down at a hastily raised shield. The force of the blow caused the dwarf’s knees to buckle, but it did not penetrate his defenses.
Then Hoshisu materialized behind the dangerous tank, her daggers leading. The fancy knife she’d found on our adventure punched through the dwarf’s back armor, causing heavy damage, but her second one shattered on impact, making her look vulnerable wielding only one weapon.
That reminded me of something. I had been carrying her ‘gift’ on me for a while now. “Hoshisu, catch!” I yelled and tossed her the magical dagger I’d enchanted especially for her while working on weapons for my soldiers.
Effortlessly, the white-haired assassin plucked it out of the air and shoved it into the tank’s side, dropping his health to 40 percent.
“Thanks!” she called back.
I barely heard her. Something peculiar was in progress, and I was trying to figure out what it was.
Roaring with rage, Ragnar had activated a skill. He shot back to his feet, spinning, his shield bashing in a wide arc, stunning the siblings and throwing them back.
It was an impressive display of combat prowess, but what really drew my attention were the unfamiliar ribbons of information coming from the injured dwarf. They wrapped around him, reaching all the way to me and connected with my staff. Something special had just happened. A trigger had been sprung, somehow binding us together.
Ragnar had disengaged his protection skill and assumed a battle stance, preparing to attack the downed siblings. I closed my eyes and activated Mana Sight, directly seeing the energy that suffused the world.
The ribbons became more pronounced and easier to understand. They were culminating in … something. I opened my eyes.
Ragnar had reached Hoshisu and pulled back his axe. Following my instinct, my hands moving as if on their own, I grabbed my staff with both hands and teleported down.
I appeared below the tank’s outstretched arm and stabbed at his chest with the sharpened point of my staff.
The Epic weapon penetrated his heavy breastplate with ease and the information threads around us intensified. I felt power running through the staff, delivering the last stored spell directly into my enemy’s body.
Ragnar convulsed as the empowered drilling arrows shredded his internal organs. The entry wound from my staff, still embedded in his chest, spewed blood and gore. Some of it slid down my face.
I laughed with glee. I had promised to bathe in his entrails the first time we met. I pulled back my staff and the dwarf crumbled to the ground.
I ignored the fighting that still raged around me and checked my messages.
Demon Horn Staff: Secret conditions met!
Conditions: Boss-wielder, boss health less than 50%, target health less than 50%, successful melee attack with the staff while holding a charged spell.
Effect VI Unlocked: Castigation.
Castigation: A powerful boss-finishing move. When you and your enemy are both severely injured, you may deliver all the staff’s held charges at once by physically stabbing your foe. A successful hit will unleash all stored spells directly into the enemy’s body, bypassing all resistances.
Castigation [Drilling Arrows] hits Ragnar for 270 damage.
Immortal Killed!
Boss Tier 3 Progression: 31/50 immortals killed
I laughed again – loudly, drawing weird looks from both fighting sides. The staff’s last secret effect was awesome. The potential damage I could inflict with it was truly amazing, especially if I used it with the staff fully charged.
The previously slain four players had just respawned and came down from the direction of the temple to rejoin the fray. The enemy’s numbers were dwindling, and it was obvious our victory was assured. In their weakened state, despite their superior levels, they could not hope to defeat a stream of continuously respawning players.
That meant I had to take care of the other problem. Namely the epic-level fight that was slowly reducing my village to rubble.
In the distance, I could see the three champions had reached the mushroom farm and their attacks were cratering the fertile ground, destroying a week’s harvest.
I distanced myself from the fighting and absorbed two more level 40 void crystals. With the increased MP and HP regeneration offered by proximity to the temple, it was enough to fill my tanks. I took the time to recast three empowered Drilling Arrow spells into the staff, then used Shadow Teleport to appear on a shelf on the cliff wall a couple dozen meters above the fighting champions.
Hirooku continued to clash with the Outrider in melee. The Eternal Night’s debuff had decreased his max health to just shy of 3,000, which the Outrider had already worn down to 20 percent. BigPill was still surrounded by the prismatic energy shield, though his health too was low. On the other hand, the Outrider’s own health was at ten percent. It was going to lose.
I couldn’t allow that.
I took out the Fire Rod I had saved up until now and loaded it with one of my last level 200 crystals.
I squinted, spotting the point he indicated a few meters in the air. “Oh, that’s BigPill’s raven familiar.”
I could feel the waves of eagerness gushing from my companion.
Quest Updated: Find and Kill Some People for Vic
Vic has identified another target for you: BigPill’s blue raven familiar. Eliminate it.
“I first have to –”
On second thought, I decided to try and kill it.
I sent my dagger to intercept the bird. It streaked through the air, but a flash of color from BigPill’s shield slapped the dagger off its trajectory.
“Dodge this,” I said and activated the rod.
A huge gout of flame erupted from its end and washed over the mage. The red color of his shield grew brighter and brighter, then winked out of existence. The Fire Rod became red-hot in my hand but I clenched my teeth and refused to let go, keeping the stream of fire going.
Gotta make a Viridium rod next time with fire-resistant enchantment built in, I thought numbly as the rod melted through my fingers, leaving my hand a charred mass of flesh. Luckily, my armor’s fire-resistant property kept it from completely burning away. But my pain was not in vain. The remainder of the flames punched through and washed over BigPill’s body, searing him down to his last few HP.
It was too bad his shield protected him from my dagger, but he was just a drilling arrow away from death.
I started channeling the mana for the spell, but he beat me to it.
“Shit! Hirooku, I’m out of here,” BigPill yelled. “Activate the crystal and follow me.” Then he used one of his rings and teleported away. Taking the blue raven with him.
Without the caster t
o provide support, the tide of battle turned and the Outrider started overpowering the assassin. A powerful swing of his sword sent Hirooku flying, crashing against the cliff’s wall and cracking the hard stone. Not giving his dazed foe time to recover, the Outrider brought his palms together, unleashing a beam of pale blue energy at him.
I sent a trio of spinning arrows and my dagger, hoping for the kill, but Hirooku’s reaction time was just too good. While still partly embedded in the wall, his twin Epic swords blurred and batted away my attacks.
He extricated himself from the rock and glared at me, hate in his eyes. “This is not over, Oren. As a matter of fact, you just lost.” He drew out a fist-sized white crystal.
I recognized the item at once. It was an anchoring crystal. “No! stop him! STOP HIM!” I yelled at the Outrider.
The angelic being swung his sword back, lowered his head, and charged the player, his wings flapping, giving him more speed.
But he was too late.
With a chuckle, Hirooku threw the crystal toward the barracks then activated his own ring of teleportation and disappeared. Why didn’t I buy the teleportation block upgrade earlier? I lamented.
The crystal landed behind the barracks’ walls.
I teleported, appearing in the courtyard. I searched around frantically, but I was too late. Swirling rays of spatial magic manifested, coming from inside the arena’s pit.
With faltering steps, I went to the edge and looked down.
A large formation of runes appeared on the ground with three overlapping circles in the middle.
It was a spatial anchoring enchantment … and it was already active.
A shimmering blue portal formed above the glowing runes. The power built up and the swirling energy within gradually stabilized. My Dangersense began screaming madly. Now I was really regretting not buying the teleportation blocker.
I have to stop this! I thought frantically, trying to figure out what to do.
Messing around with an anchoring rune formation was unheard of. Wait a minute! I nearly slapped my head. Rune formation! Those are runes!
Life Reset_EvP_Environment vs. Player Page 62
