Viridian Gate Online- Absolution

by N H Paxton

  “Nice, let’s get back in the fight!” Garret rushed past me, apparently not having a problem getting up from the assault.

  I struggled to get my feet. Slamming into the pew had cost me some HP, nearly a fifth, and made my entire back hurt. I would need to put some points into Vitality in the future. I made a quick motion with my arm and grabbed a special grenade from my bag, one I had only brought a single version of.

  “Stand close!” I shouted as I held the grenade in the air. Ken gave me a wary glance, but Eberand and Garret, who had to completely stop his charge, moved closer.

  Once they were close enough, I crushed the orb in my fist. It shattered, the energy of it blowing out in all directions. A cooling wind encircled the entire party, healing our wounds and granting us a buff.

  <<<>>>

  Buff Added

  Healing Wind’s Refrain: The gentle, soothing wind of a Cleric’s power can be as calming as a breeze on a hard summer’s day.

  Effect 1: Immediate healing of 10% of max HP

  Effect 2: Regenerate 45% of max HP over 25 seconds

  <<<>>>

  I had been saving that particular grenade for a very dangerous situation, but it seemed as though we were in one.

  “Great support!” Ken yelled as he watched the bruises and cuts on his arms and hands heal slowly.

  “Watch the blades! Dude’s got an aura.” Eberand shouted after the pair of other fighters.

  “Don’t care!” Garret took off again. His penchant for getting into fights that were terribly dangerous would eventually cost him more than he was willing to pay.

  “You will fall,” the knight hissed through the solid black helm made from shifting shadows that sat upon its shoulders.

  It raised its scythe into the air and, with a quick series of gestures, sprouted a set of four jagged black bat wings.

  “Oh hell, he’s a multi-phase boss?” Ken backstepped as a black fire engulfed the now demonic knight. He dodged just in time.

  Garret wasn’t so lucky. He was already committed to the attack and barreled straight into the flames. He must have changed his tactics as he saw the transformation take place, because instead of striking the demon with the momentum he had, he grappled the creature and forced it down to the ground.

  A deep roar issued from Garret as he threw his axe aside and straddled the monster, his fists raining hard punches down on its helmed face.

  “Whoa.” Ken stood there, his mouth agape, as he watched Garret go totally shit of ape on the winged terror.

  The sounds of metal clanging against metal filled the room as I witnessed the bloody brawl. Little chunks of the monster’s HP fell off with every one of Garret’s punches. The man was an absolute war beast.

  There was a dark glow building in the left hand of the creature that Garret was too focused or too rage blind to see. He placed it close to the side of Garret’s head.

  Time slowed to a crawl as the sphere of magic in the knight’s hand changed form, becoming a lance of shadow magic. It erupted from the orb, the distance to Garret’s head closing quickly.

  Unexpectedly, Eberand appeared from nowhere like an avenging angel, slamming the hand away from the side of Garret’s head, knocking the magic completely askew.

  It arced away, striking the wall harmlessly, a rain of black, glittering magic cascading to the floor before vanishing completely.

  I breathed a sigh of intense relief as time crashed back to normal speed.

  Eberand pulled his sword up into the air, shifting his weight and planting his feet for a solid strike. The blade steadied over the knight’s head, and Eberand shoved it down. It split the knight’s skull with a sickening schlick. The creature’s HP dropped to 33% after the single, extremely critical blow. The monster’s body went limp, the glow leaving the eye slits in its helm.

  Another intense blast of wind knocked both Eberand and Garret across the room like rag dolls.

  The knight rose from the ground, its helm split and drifting in the wind like cloth. A sound like intense ocean waves poured out of the place where its helm had once been.

  It raised a taloned hand into the air, grasping Garret with terrifying magic, holding him in place. The knight’s hand tensed and trembled as though he were trying to crush an invisible object. Garret yelled in agony as blood began to leak from his nose.

  Ken was flying through the air a moment later, spinning in some kind of ninja jump flip. He landed right behind the knight and stabbed it in the spine with both blades repeatedly.

  Eberand slammed the blade of his greatsword into the ground, using it to stand. He gained his feet, ripped the sword from the stone floor, and charged the undead monstrosity. He bellowed a loud roar as he ran, his blade glinting in the low lighting.

  Ken darted away and flicked a handful of knives, which shot across the room like bullets.

  Garret’s face was angry; I expected agony or fear, but it was pure refined rage. He still hung in the air, blood beginning to drip from the edges of his mouth.

  I hurled a frost grenade at the beast, followed by a half-dozen rounds of Impaling Chaos. The monster reached out and swatted at the grenade, causing it to explode, coating itself in a wave of ice that swirled and tore at its armor.

  The Impaling Chaos bolts slammed into the creature immediately after, digging deep, then imploding. The shock waves they produced caused the ice that had begun to build up on the knight to shatter and flake away. It fell to a knee, releasing the grip it had on Garret.

  Garret’s HP stopped falling as the knight’s magic released him. He collapsed to the ground, holding his throat, coughing. There was a bright red vial in his hand when I looked away.

  Ken dashed forward, planting himself in the perfect spot to drive his blades into the shadow beast’s spine, but it spun and slammed the bladed scythe into Ken’s chest, burying it deep, just under his shoulder.

  Ken’s daggers flew out of his hands as he was thrown back from the blow, blood spraying out of the gaping wound. He rolled across the floor, his body limp, likely unconscious.

  Eberand’s sword looked like it would find purchase, but the monster’s entire form shifted, and its back was suddenly its front.

  The same hand that had been holding Garret in the magical prison now held the blade of Eberand’s greatsword back. The same glow that had earlier heralded the dark magic lance now filled the monster’s split helmet. Eberand tried to backpedal to get away, but the knight’s dark magic had charged too quickly.

  I threw another grenade, this one mimicking the mudslide ability. It exploded on the ground next to the knight, but the dark magic the knight had channeled tore through the magic that the grenade released.

  A blast the size of Eberand’s body erupted from the split faceplate of the horror’s helmet, engulfing Eberand. I could see the shadow of his body drop to the ground, first to his knees, then onto his face.

  “Not great, eh?” A familiar voice spoke from behind me.

  Time had stopped completely. I looked over to my side and saw Alvinoth standing there, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Monster is too strong, entire party will be defeated.” I sighed as I turned about the room, looking at the entire situation.

  Ken was lying on the ground, his arm barely attached to his body.

  Garret appeared in reasonable health, rushing to attack with his axe in the air.

  Eberand was basically cooked in his armor. The dark magic the knight had used had left scorch marks on the dented and scarred plate mail.

  I searched Alvinoth’s face, hoping to find a glimpse of hope. I was disappointed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

  “Well, you can’t stand here and do nothing. Obviously.” Alvinoth lowered his head as he took a few steps, stopping in front of Garret.

  The warrior’s face was a sheet of hatred, his blinding red aura all around him like it had been while fighting the Queen Scorponet.

  “This one, he’s a good one. He’s got an interesting future.” A
lvinoth smiled as he walked into the blast from the demon knight. The distortion from the dark magic ebbed and flowed around him.

  “Now Eberand? He’s a true friend. There’s a story deep inside his heart that will take work to hear about. But don’t worry, you’re doing fine with that.” Alvinoth stepped out of the blast and walked to where Ken was lying on the ground, holding his shoulder.

  “Ken. Hah.” Alvinoth’s smile changed to a wicked grin as he walked back over to me.

  “What does mean, this hah?” I was confused and irritated and concerned, and I didn’t have time for Alvinoth’s games, damnit.

  “You’ll learn soon.” Alvinoth stood in front of me, his arms still over his chest. He leaned over a bit, as though he were telling me a secret.

  “Pleased be to move,” I snarled as I stepped back, finding myself able to move freely despite the strange situation I was in.

  “So, you’ve got a choice. You can either do something about the current situation, or you can stand here and lollygag, watching everyone die. Very painfully, might I add.” He gestured in the direction of each of the members of the Ebenguard.

  “Alvinoth has recommendation, perhaps? Have grenades, Living Weapon, can survive.” I shook my head as I watched time begin to return to normal, albeit slowly.

  “Yep, get better at fighting. You’re going to need to be better than you are currently if you hope to achieve anything. Especially what’s planned for you.” Alvinoth winked, then stepped away from me, turning as he did.

  “Is not helpful,” I said to his back as he walked away, his form beginning to vanish.

  “We never really are.” He threw a hand up over his shoulder as he disappeared entirely.

  “B’lyad,” I swore as the world crashed back into normal time.

  The sounds of the room exploded, like a suddenly rushing ocean. Garret’s voice was a torrent of anger as he rushed the knight, his axe high in the air.

  Eberand lay on the ground, quiet, his armor scorched and blackened from the magic attack.

  Ken made no sound and no movement. He hadn’t disappeared, so he wasn’t dead. But he couldn’t be far from it.

  Garret slammed into the side of the knight with his axe, the blade creating a strange distortion all around the undead terror.

  The axe rebounded as the horror raised a hand toward Garret. An almost invisible flow grabbed Garret and threw him across the room yet again. He landed with the sound of crashing metal and breaking wood, his body smashing through a few pews.

  That just left me, and the knight knew it.

  I leveled Gamma at the knight, my hands trembling from the insanity of the current situation, and I unleashed a volley of bolts. I didn’t pay any attention to the number of rounds I had fired, because it didn’t really matter. I needed to end this fight so I could find a way to heal my comrades.

  The bolts soared through the air, distorting the light where they passed. Repeatedly, the bolts struck the knight, but they harmlessly plinked off his armor. He must have altered his form entirely after my last attack.

  DeStRoY. Gamma’s anger and rage sifted through my psyche as I continued to fire, watching my Spirit dip as the bolts took their tax from my Spirit pool.

  You can do better, Vlad. Gamma’s voice changed unexpectedly; it was no longer tainted by the strange drive for chaos.

  I still felt anger, hatred, and rage. I still felt the fear of watching this winged demonic monstrosity float toward me, my attacks not even fazing it. But I felt something else as well: confidence.

  Burn him. Gamma’s forceful suggestion gave me a moment of clarity.

  My bolts were shadow and flame elements rolled into one. It now made sense why they weren’t doing damage any longer.

  The creature was forged from the darkness. I narrowed my eyes and fished out my last incendiary grenade from my inventory just as the creature reached me. It raised its scythe in the air, ready to strike me down.

  “We go together.” With confidence and fervor in my soul, I crushed the orb in my hand.

  The familiar molten burn of exploding components coursed through my hand, then my palm was forced open.

  I felt the intensity of fire wash over my body, my vision swam in white and orange, and the fire ate away at my Health. I was once again blown through the air as the explosion rocked the room we were in. I spun, uncontrollably, before striking a steel brazier.

  My head slammed against it with a wet thwack.

  The knight writhed as the fire engulfed its figure, the flames incinerating its clothing, armor, and withered skin.

  Plates of metal fell from its robes, clanking on the ground. The scythe fell from its grasp, its hand turning to ash in a mere instant. The garments fell to the ground, their once-powerful wearer no longer occupying them. They smoldered but didn’t burn. I would need to investigate that later.

  I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to watch the remnants of the undead beast burn.

  The smell of burning cloth and old ash reached my nose as I lost consciousness.

  Undiscovered Infinity

  “WAKEY WAKEY.” KEN’S voice filtered through the darkness that filled the world.

  My head swam, and my vision was distorted as I opened my eyes. Everything shone with a slight haze.

  I had a pair of notifications sitting in the corner of my vision. They popped up unbidden.

  <<<>>>

  x1 Level Up!

  You have (5) undistributed stat points.

  You have (1) undistributed proficiency point.

  <<<>>>

  Gamma, the Reaper of Chaos has evolved.

  It is now the Keeper of Blazing Shadow.

  <<<>>>

  “I can’t believe I missed you blowing yourself up.” Garret was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor not far away.

  Something about him looked different, but I couldn’t tell what it was right off. Something about his armor, maybe a different color?

  “That explosion was wicked. There’s no way you planned that. You didn’t plan that, right?” Eberand’s strong, leader voice came through firm as he plodded about the room, looking at everything but me.

  I noticed a crater at the center of the chamber where I had detonated my last incendiary grenade. Everything around that spot was scorched black. Some of the wooden pews, or what remained of them, still smoldered gently. Now and again a light puff of smoke would waft about the room.

  “When things don’t go according to plan, Vlad blows himself up. Sounds like something we could put in a newspaper.” Ken hooked a thumb at me as he turned to walk to a pile of smoldering ashes, a teasing smile on his face.

  “Cannot always plan for inevitability. Had to make last-minute decision.” I coughed and choked on my own phlegm and secretions as I fought to stand up from the ground, gravity seemingly very powerful all of a sudden.

  “I disagree. You can always have a plan. Maybe we’ll all learn that at some point.” Eberand reached a hand down and helped me to my feet. He clapped a hand on my shoulder when I was fully standing.

  Afterwards, he looked around at each of the party members. Garret hung his head low, and Ken simply ignored the statement.

  “Oh, hey, this is yours.” Garret had risen from his seated position as well. He was holding out a bundle of cloth and metal. It was black and smelled faintly of char. The plates that were visible showed signs of burning.

  “Was not sure there would be loot.” I tilted my head at the robes.

  I was glad there was something of value after repeating my self-destructive tendencies.

  “Looks like it’s basically custom tailored for you—it’s got a fifty percent resistance to explosions.” Eberand smiled as he raised an eyebrow. “Just try to have a plan next time.”

  “Oh, making fun of Vlad after blowing himself up, killing boss, saving party.” I gave a half smile as I accepted the bundle of cloth from Garret.

  The robe seemed to give off a faint energy as I inspected it, almost begging me to
put it on.

  <<<>>>

  Blood-Shaded Robe of the Forgotten Keeper (Plated)

  Armor Type: Cloth; Unnatural; Enchanted

  Armor Class: Light; Ancient Artifact; Set Item

  Base Armor: 55 + 25 (Plated)

  Primary Effects:

  Increases resistance to all forms of elemental damage by 20%

  Increases resistance to poisoning by 50%

  Increases resistance to explosions by 50%

  Reduces duration of status ailments by 15%

  Increases XP gained from all sources by 2%

  Grants 2% + (0.1 x character level) chance to create Soul-Emblazoned Equipment

  Secondary Effects:

  Increases durability of all engineered weapons by 25%

  Improves damage of all wielded, engineered weapons by 20%

  Improves money received from all sources by 5%

  Grants Shadow Vision Shadow Vision allows the wearer to see in the dark unaided. Shadow Vision only works while the cowl and hood are covering the head and face.

  Restriction: Keeper

  Set Effects: Forgotten Keeper (1 of 5)

  1 Piece (Active): Increases Combat statistics by 5%

  The Keepers, though few and far between, all share similar tastes in clothing. Whether it is due to their enigmatic nature or some kind of inability to appreciate originality, we’ll never know. What we do know is they are here, living among us, keeping things at bay that we could never imagine.

  <<<>>>

  The armor was incredibly well crafted. It felt heavy in my hands, probably due to the plated armor panels that were affixed to it in various places.

  “Dude, I’m jealous. Those stats are crazy!” Ken rubbed his hands together as he leaned against a broken pew.

  He fidgeted with a dagger, which was becoming his trademark thing. He was always doing something dangerous with those blades of his.

  “Stats are impressive. Worried about restriction, though,” I said. I was interested in wearing the robes and armor, but I didn’t think I could, given that I wasn’t a Keeper.