Helping a friend, p.14
Helping A Friend, page 14
part #4 of The World Series
“I’ll be good. Are the two of you still comfortable with the massive ‘to-do’ list I’ve left in your care? There’s a lot to build and repair.”
“Yes, milord,” Theric said confidently. “Also, I’ll have the scouts out this morning to check over the valley and make sure there are no other passes that need to be guarded.”
“We’ll make you proud,” Lady Chiara added. She stepped back, taking on her usual dignified countenance. “We’ll have everything knocked out in two weeks, especially if you manage to get the additional hands you promised.”
“Excellent, that shouldn’t be an issue.” I replied as I mentally flailed myself about forgetting to purchase this week’s batch of NPCs. Not wasting a moment, I quickly brought up the window for the NPC Recruiter and purchased everyone on the list, making sure I checked the auto-buyout box and changed the starting location to BrokenFang Hold. Swiping the windows away from my vision, I noticed that the rest of my companions had arrived. Before I could greet them properly, a mental clanking at the top of the wall brought everyone up short. A level 20 guard’s head looked down at us from the curtain wall a moment later.
“Milord Ironwolf! Two northern forces are battling one another on the far side of the plateau!”
“How many and what tribes?” I shouted while Theric began organizing the soldiers into assault groups and Sergeant Klaern ran out still getting dressed as he directed the militia to the walls.
“Possibly a hundred Centaurs fighting against four times their number of Gnolls!” The guard shouted back.
“Levels?”
“To far out for me to get a read, milord!”
“Sergeant Maerwen, I want you to stay on the walls and take command over the local militia! The rest of the wall guards are to fall into formation!” I saw the flash of concern in Theric’s eyes at the reported number of enemies we faced as my orders were echoed down the chain of command. Stopping Klaern before he could race off, I gave him precise orders on the zombie pets and let him go. Getting a raid invite from my commander, I joined the group as my HUD filled with the status bars for the individuals in the raid broken down into groups of five. As the last of the mages fell into formation, I unlimbered my shield and drew my sword. Holding the blade over my head, I shouted at the top of my lungs thrusting my weapon into the air.
“For the House of Kayden, follow me!”
The resounding shout was deafening as I turned around and ran out the gate with the NPCs of House Kayden following behind. They ran five abreast which were their individual groupings. As each group cleared the curtain wall, they began shifting into a half-moon formation to either side of me. As we raced across the frozen plateau, I ordered my zombie pets to fall in behind me as I was once again reminded that we had to close off this side of Fang Pass from the Plains of Atoll or we’d never be safe. Having the majority of our forces out in the open like this was just too dangerous. One mistake and we could lose everyone in a route. The thought of another major construction project at this time just made me want to puke but I didn’t see any other way around it. Shaking the frustrating thoughts away, I focused on the embattled creatures before me as we closed the distance.
Although the centaur tribes were elite mobs between levels 35 to 40, they were obviously at the end of their rope. With broken weapons and empty quivers, the survivors fought for their lives against four to one odds, while doing their best to protect the remaining children and severely wounded that had finally collapsed in exhaustion. The centaurs reminded me of your typical Dungeons and Dragons take on Northern Barbarians. Their horse halves were somewhere in-between that of Clydesdales and Icelandic horses with heavy coats of hair, while their human halves where similar to that of my own people, aka Half-elf sized ears, braided beards and thick manes of hair. The heavy fur coats and thick, leather armor they wore were reminiscent of Earth’s Norwegian Vikings. Most of the centaurs were armed with broken swords and bent shields, while several of the larger males tiredly wielded massive two-handed maces that they used to force the yipping Gnolls back.
The Gnolls themselves were demihuman, hyena-like creatures standing on their hind legs with levels that weren’t a joke. The group was a mixture of Elite level 35 Gnoll Hunters and Elite level 38 Gnoll Raiders, with a fierce Elite level 40 Gnoll Lord as their leader. They were savage looking beasts that radiated an aura of pure evil.
Cruelly taunting their prey, the Gnolls salivated and snapped their maws eagerly at the coming kill. Grotesque bones hung in their coarse fur and pierced their snouts from their previous victims, while their bodies were covered with runic symbols painted in blood. They yapped and struck at the trapped centaurs with a mixture of jagged spears, morning stars and barbed flails, doing their best to wear down the powerful enemy before going in for the kill.
Even worse, the Helm of Inaxidor translated the Gnolls’ brutish, guttural speech as if it were common. The monstrous atrocities they described in detail for their soon to be victims made me want to vomit the breakfast I’d just downed as I signaled the wings of our formation to curve around the battlefield at max range. There was no pulling back now. We were committed for better or worse. After hearing the cries of praise to their demon god and the taunts about their Hobgoblin allies, I knew without a doubt that we couldn’t let these monsters escape. If they brought back the knowledge that BrokenFang Hold had been retaken by the House of Kayden, we would never be safe. They would return with a new horde and I’d never be able to leave to help Domenic without putting my people at risk. Explaining the issue quickly to my companions, I ordered them to the tips of the half circle formation to take command and close the trap as I held my hand up, signaling the ranged classes to prepare to fire.
Up and down the formation, guards and warriors stood at the front with their shields held at the ready as the thieves and rogues disappeared into stealth. Behind them, the apprentices, mages, hunters and rangers stood at double-arm length with the last row made up entirely of acolytes and priests. Counting down in raid chat, I gave the signal for our ranged forces to ‘fire’ as a wave of arrows and magic blasted out from our lines in a dizzying display of flares.
The Gnolls were caught completely by surprise as howls of pain and outrage rang out across the plateau. The mobs’ response was nearly instantaneous. Whipping around, they surged towards our lines in leaping bounds like berserker greyhounds on steroids at the start of a race, only to get pummeled again by the next incoming barrage. The front ranks faltered as Scorching Shots and Ice Barrages blasted through their line like cannon shots as their oversized heads swung back and forth in confusion. It was in that moment the guttural bellow of the Gnoll Lord came to my ears as a red aura washed over the Gnolls.
“KILL THE MEAT!”
The bellow cut through the Gnolls disorientation as the rear ranks surged past their injured brethren ignoring the blasts of flames and shards of ice. My NPCs lit them up with everything they had which unfortunately wasn’t enough. I had only two hundred ranged classes with an additional handful of rogues with bows. While that sounded like a lot, it wasn’t once you took into consideration the level difference between the majority of our troops and that they had to take down twice their numbers. If I’d had the militia here, they could have pushed out some nice ranged DPS but there was no way I was going to risk them in open field combat if I could help it.
The slow-down effect of the Frost spells helped in getting a few more ranged shots in before the oncoming horde was on top of us. Even so, it wasn’t going to be enough. The Gnolls were covering the ground too quickly and our overall damage output wasn’t enough.
Looking behind me, my eyes found the Frost Mage’s Assault Leader, Vulmon Bryroris, as I began to quickly explain what I needed. Seeing his nod of agreement, I went back to blasting the enemy as Vulmon passed on my orders. As the front wave of the charging Gnolls breached the ten yard range, every fifth Frost Mage set off their Frost Nova spell. The wave of ice that washed out from our line was truly awe inspiring as the Gnolls charge was stopped in its tracks.
The warriors took the lead as they pulled individual Gnolls out from the frozen mass. Around the circle, angry howls ripped through the air as the injured Gnolls finally had an outlet for their rage as they crashed into the lower level warriors like wrecking balls. The line broke down into teams of five to take on the beasts. Working together, the thieves and rogues appeared behind the Gnolls backs triggering their Sneak Attacks and other special attacks while the hunters and rangers hammered away at the enemy at point-blank range.
I waded into the battle with my Dark Blade of Lord Kayden and Leeching Hand-Axe of Severing, hacking and slashing at the seven foot tall mobs as I ordered my zombie pets to attack. With the strength and ferocity of the undead, the zombies slammed into the Gnolls clawing and biting as Neysa joined the battle next to them, tearing into the back of a mob’s leg. Even then the Gnolls didn’t immediately go down. Although the Gnolls had taken a beating, their elite status had allowed them to handle the ranged abuse we’d dished out, since most of the mobs’ Hit Points were still in the yellow.
At that moment, another hundred and fifty undead pets raced through our lines to crash into the Gnolls as the militia sent their zombies to our aid. Up and down our lines, our formation collapsed into a melee bloodbath of epic proportions. Golden rays of priests’ heals glowed throughout the chaos as the Frost Novas and Pyroblasts added their own sharp contrast to the conglomeration of flaring magic.
Even then, the stubborn Gnolls stood against the unbelievable onslaught. The frenzied mobs seemed to feel no pain as they howled and flailed their weapons around them like berserkers. To take the hairy bastards down, we were forced to hack them to death. The Gnolls only stopped their vicious assault when their Hit Points reached zero and they collapsed in a bloody heap. Watching the incredible abuse these mobs were taking, I knew it had to have something to do with the red aura pulsating from their bodies.
Pushing through the raging Gnolls, I saw the largest Gnoll yet standing tall in the center of the battlefield. The red aura was coming from the bloody runes painted on the mob’s skin. Our eyes met as his name and stats appeared above his head, Ibrork of the Bloody Slayers, Elite Gnoll Lord, level 40. Our eyes met at the same exact time as an evil grin of triumph split the Gnoll’s fanged maw. With a hyena-like call, the named boss headed for me with a two-handed axe pulled back over its lumpy shoulder ready to strike. Refreshing my shields, I called my pets to me and charged.
I countered the two-handed blow with both of my blades as my zombie pets leaped on the Gnoll Lord’s back while Neysa went for the mob’s vulnerable legs. The undead pets relentlessly hammered at the Gnoll’s back, tearing away the creature’s armor by the fistful. As we traded blows, I used every trick in my limited book of skills to keep away from the powerful strikes of the massive blade and laid on the abuse as I let the Neysa and the zombies do their thing.
Still, the damage started adding up as the fight went on for another five minutes without any change in the Gnoll Lord’s Hit Points. Finally, in a fit of rage that I wouldn’t simply die, the Gnoll Lord threw his axe away and leaped at me with a guttural roar. Black claws ripped through the leather armor of my chest and back as the blood ran in rivulets down my body while I fought for my life. Using my shield in conjunction with the Dark Blade of Lord Kayden, I hammered at the Gnoll Lord with everything nasty trick and technique I had. A Shield Bash with the rim of my Iron-reinforced Defender to the throat, a slash to the eyes with my blade, a boot stomp to the inside of the knee, a head-butt to the snout, stabbing the point of my blade down into the top of the Gnoll Lord’s barefoot … nothing seemed to hurt the dark-dammed monster. It was then that moment I felt Neysa’s indignation and rage ring through my thoughts.
‘He’s invulnerable!’ Stepping back from the foul beast, I realized the truth of Neysa’s assessment. The leather and metal armor protecting the Gnoll Lord’s body had been completely torn away long ago. Now, the zombies were uselessly shredding the boss’s back with their claws as Neysa’s fangs harmlessly raked the monster’s legs with absolutely no results. It was then that the kernel of doubt took hold deep in my chest. Seeing the fear reflected in my eyes, the Gnoll Lord threw its head back and laughed in its sickening, hyena-like barking laughter that I was quickly learning to hate.
“You see the truth MEAT! I AM UR MASTER!” The Gnoll Lord triumphantly roared standing up to his full height. Just then, a zombie slammed into the evil creature’s leg and began trying to rip into the Gnoll flesh. Growling in annoyance, Ibrork lifted his clawed foot up trying to knock the undead pet away when another zombie latched onto his arm. As if a dam had burst, zombies from all over the battlefield began pouncing on top of the boss as the Gnoll Lord raged and howled. Ever so slowly, the zombies dragged the Gnoll Lord kicking and screaming to the ground.
Looking around the battlefield in surprise, I saw what had happened. The NPCs had finished off the Gnolls and the zombies had chosen the next logical target. The priests were already moving amongst the wounded and healing them up as the raid began reforming. Seeing the thumbs up from my companions, I turned back to the boss. Even buried under a massive pile of undead, I could hear the Gnoll Lord’s gnashing teeth as he tried to fight his way free.
Raising an eyebrow to Neysa, I patted her on her blood splattered neck and focused my thoughts. ‘Any ideas on how to take the bastard down? How long can the fucker’s invulnerability last?’ Neysa’s look of ‘How the hell was she supposed to know that?’ said it all. Rolling my eyes, I mentally told her to wait here as I waded into the dogpile of scrabbling undead. My Mana had nearly fully regenerated by the time I pushed the zombies away to see Ibrork of the Bloody Slayers’ hate-filled face glaring back at me.
“Who’s the bitch now, Ibrork?” I snarled ramming my knee into his throat and cutting off his airway, before the sick bastard could respond. The Gnoll Lord’s beady yellow eyes glowered promising death as he struggled to break free of his entrapment. I was almost tempted to see how long the Gnoll’s invulnerability would last, but it wasn’t worth the chance that some freaky special ability would break the evil fucktard free. So instead, I played the last card I had. Bending over the mob, I placed my hands on both sides of the Gnoll’s reeking head and cast, Life Leech.
Immediately, the Gnoll Lord’s eyes tried to bulge out of his head as the Dark magic did its work. Still, it wasn’t until the plague-like rot began consuming the Gnoll’s flesh and the red glow faded from the blood-painted runes covering his skin, that Ibrork’s Hit Points finally start to shrink. His wildly thrashing body nearly broke my concentration enough to break the spell’s channeling, until whatever had been protecting him gave out as the zombies began ripping into his flesh. The battle was over shortly after that. As soon as I received the system message that Ibrork of the Bloody Slayers was dead, the zombie-pile began to break up. Most of the undead began heading back to BrokenFang Hold, except for the handful that belonged to me and my companions.
Standing over the shredded, boss-corpse’s remains, I looted the coins and tucked the soul stone away with the rest of my bosses before going through the Gnoll’s mangled remains. I almost wondered why I bothered since there was nearly nothing left of the mob’s gear, except for the two-handed war axe. Fishing around in the viscera, my hand hit a smooth oblong stone about six inches long and two wide. Cleaning the gore off in the trampled snow, I held the object up to be inspected and froze when I saw the silver marking of another epic.
Talisman of Yeenoktu
Item Quality: Epic
Item Type: Crafted
Location: Inventory
Durability: 400/400
Weight: 0.5 kg
+10 Strength
+10 Stamina
Token from a Gnoll Priest of the Demon Lord Yeenoktu the Soul Crusher.
*When activated by a non-believer, makes wearer invulnerable to all elemental spheres of magic, melee and ranged attacks, poisons and mental attacks for thirty seconds. Can only be activated once every seven days.
**When activated by a Gnoll true believer, first effect: makes wearer invulnerable to all elemental spheres of magic, melee and ranged attacks, poisons and mental attacks for ten minutes. Second effect: casts aura of the berserker on entire group or raid. Can only be activated once daily.
I had to laugh as soon as I read that the item was a Talisman and that I basically had a Pally Divine Shield. ‘Bubble for the win motherfucker!’ I thought happily in anticipation for my next PVP encounter as my greed demon chortled happily deep down in my soul. I wasn’t sure which part thrilled me more. The whole Divine Shield or simply the possibility of getting additional talismans in-game, not that the extras weren’t always appreciated. I’m sure some people would bitch that it was overpowered, but in comparison to games like World of Warcraft, it wasn’t even in the same ballpark. I mean really, it was only three and a half times longer in duration than a Frost Nova but with a freaking seven day cooldown. At best, it was a get out of jail free card that could be used once a week.
Finding new talismans was one of those fun things I’d loved in Diablo 2 and had generally enjoyed collecting. World of Warcraft tried to do something similar, but they’d failed miserably. They never understood that part of the fun of gathering up different talismans was trying to figure out how much inventory space you were willing to give up to get the extra stats and abilities. Talismans weren’t ever supposed to take up a neck or a ring slot.
While the whole ‘Demon Lord of Yeenoktu’ thing sounded somewhat unpleasant, it did make me wonder if this was meant to allude to future dungeons for end game. The whole opening up a portal to another realm was a classic throwback to Dungeons and Dragons, EverQuest and World of Warcraft, especially if it allowed people to open up a portal to another plane to battle things like demons and devils. The possibilities were endless and tended to really make end game that much more interesting. Linking the invulnerability to my quick action bar, I tossed the item in my bag and picked up the War Axe. A smile came to my lips as soon as I saw the blue lettering.
