Helping a friend, p.20
Helping A Friend, page 20
part #4 of The World Series
“No … no … no, I wanna go!” Alanah said perking up.
“Excellent, then you have five minutes to get ready.” I said pulling her to her feet. “Now get moving, chop … chop!”
“Yes, milord!” Alanah said running away with a smile.
Looking around the busy encampment, I saw a familiar face fishing her gear out of the destroyed lean-to. Walking up behind her, I unobtrusively cleared my throat as Fylreh’s head whipped around to look at me.
“Dark Lord,” the filly greeted, her voice stiff with formality.
“Star’s fine.” I said trying not to grimace at her pinched face. “Do we need to talk?”
“No, Lord Ironwolf.” Fylreh replied, emphasizing my title. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute.”
Feeling Neysa’s nudge against my leg, I gave her a nod and waited at the perimeter as my people hurriedly geared up and gathered around me. Upon hearing Alanah was going, Tavon asked if she could travel with him like earlier. I agreed seeing both their smiles as we headed back to the inn for breakfast.
Seeing the uncomfortable silence between us, my companions of course tried to find out what had happened the night before. Stomping her hoof in anger, Fylreh ended the discussion by threateningly resting her hands on the hilts of her blades. The look everyone gave us nearly made me bust out laughing. ‘Poor filly, she handled that entirely the wrong way,’ I thought with a shake of my head. Now everyone would spend the trip trying to sleuth out what had gone on between us.
Speaking of the night before, I silently thought eying Neysa suspiciously. What happened to my body whenever I logged out of the game? Was I somehow still in the game world even though I’d logged out? Did whoever sleep with me stay in some sort of logged out state until my next login? Neither scenario made any sense. Passing under the great tree in the inn’s outdoor eating area, I sat down next to Sarka and Yun who were already eating.
“You guys look disgustingly well rested.” I commented as the waitress brought everyone the morning special and a round of hot tea.
“Yeah, some of us can actually hold our alcohol.” Sarka replied giving her husband a fist bump.
“Fuck you guys and the horse you road in on too.” I shot back in annoyance as Yun raised an eyebrow towards Fylreh. A sharp shake of my head stopped whatever he was going to say. “Don’t go there.” I ignored the obvious look they shared with one another, as Yun tried again.
“Is this going to be as boring as it was getting out to Requiem?”
“Nope, much worse,” I replied with a sigh. “It’s going to be a long boring run through the low level areas the entire way.” They both groaned as I continued. “It looks as far away as BrokenFang Hold on the map so I don’t see us getting there until later this evening.”
“And then a boat trip on top of that?” Sarka asked.
“Yep, kind of like the Darnassian to Ironforge run in World of Warcraft.”
“The what?” Yun asked as Tinyr and Unalia both sat down.
“It’s going to be THAT bad?” Tinyr asked in surprise.
“Kind of but without the high level mobs … or at least I hope it is.” I replied as Tinyr nodded his understanding.
“At least we’d have something to do if that were the case.” Kenzie said as she and Thomas sat down on my other side.
“Morning,” they both said to the table as they hurriedly began shoving food into their mouths. Looking around, I was surprised to see the table next to us nearly full with Devil Dogs.
“Is everyone going?” I asked in surprise.
“Nope, just the eight of us.” Thomas said as I paused and did the math. That was all of the Devil Dogs present. Seeing the realization in my eyes, he continued with a crooked grin. “We figure you’re a good person to get into trouble with.“
“Thanks guys,” I said giving Thomas and Kenzie a fist bump as the rest of the Devil Dogs cheered.
We finished up and got moving within fifteen minutes. A part of that time, I spent teaching Tavon and Fylreh Dark Magic and giving them a soul stone each from my inventory to raise once we got outside of the city. On the way towards the front gates, I had everyone make a stop to pick-up cloaks for their pets before leaving the city. Thompson half-heartedly joined in on the bitching about wasting money for cloaks, since he had the most zombies after me. As everyone fished out their coins, I reminded them we had to sneak through Myathlune along the way and I wasn’t about to leave my zombies pets behind. The reminder quieted down on the bitching as we gathered up our pets, or raised them in the centaurs’ case, and took off into the forest at a run.
Almost everyone from the last stand we’d fought back-to-back at the Battle for Delonshire had come along: Kenzie, Thomas, Matt and Terry Cobra, Thompson, Sara Cruise, Darkhorse, and a new rogue named Zhou Li that I didn’t recognize. Seeing my questioning look at Zhou, Kenzie mouthed that she and Darkhorse were a thing behind Zhou’s back. The Chinese, Light Elf look she had going on made me wonder what she looked like in real life, albeit before whatever injury she’d received to qualify as a member of the Devil Dogs’ guild.
Although, the group wasn’t the host I’d brought to Delonshire, none the less we were an impressive sight for thirteen players. Everyone but Matt Cobra was at least level twenty-seven or above and even Matt’s level twenty-six wasn’t anything to sneeze at. Between us, our zombie pets, my NPCs and Neysa, we numbered a total of fifty-four individuals that could be boosted up to sixty-one if I raised every zombie I possibly could.
To be honest, I was somewhat surprised at the number of Devil Dogs that had been willing to head out with me on what was essentially a rescue mission. While we were cool with one another, I hadn’t realized just how popular I was with the guild. It meant a lot when online friends were willing to put in a day or three of boring travel just to help you out. Honestly, I didn’t expect too much excitement until we hit the human area. Hell, even passing through Myathlune shouldn’t be that much of a speed bump if everything went according to plan. Who knows, maybe they were all here for the up and coming massive PVP brawl. Either way, the support gave me a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest.
Luckily, we all had boosted stats since the pace we kept would have made a real world track star cry in protest. Add the Song of the Winding Road that gave a twenty-five percent boost to travel speed which Ayda started to sing as soon as we headed out and we were nearly flying over the ground. Besides the speed increase, the song was catchy and she seemed to have ever changing lyrics that kept the song fresh. As we passed through the forest, the lower level wildlife either sought a place to hide or froze where they stood. While the gray mobs normally wouldn’t have been interesting, I did have my Fire Magic to level up. To keep things interesting, I’d race ahead to casts a few Flame Blasts at the low level rabbits, wolves and deer before everyone else could catch up to me.
The two second cast time on the low level spell was a real pain in the ass. Neysa decided to make a game of it by chasing down whatever I shot. Her goal was a quick meal and to steal my kill. The game became a little more serious as Unalia got in on the action using her bow. Still I managed to get a couple shots off every few minutes. Two hours later, I uploaded my level 10 spell.
Fireball (60 Mana) – 2.5 sec cast – Hurls a fiery ball at enemy. Fire damage is 300% of Spell Power. Burns target for an additional 20 seconds for 10 points of damage every 5 seconds. Area of effect is 5 yards. Requires fire magic skill level 10. Range 40 yards.
I wasn’t about to use it for our game with its two and a half second cast, so I kept casting Flame Blast at the lower level mobs as Neysa and Unalia teased me to no end. Kenzie finally caught up to me at one point. Looking at me like I was a maniac, she asked. What the hell was I doing? Seeing my confused look, she tried again. Why bother skilling up Flame Blast over and over again? Because I don’t want to be a one trick pony, I answered as she went off. ‘One trick pony,’ she yelled waving her arms in the air in outrage.
Finally, I told her about the fight with Hitlohtla Doombreath the Devourer and how he’d been immune to Frost magic. I told her that without the zombies and my Dark magic we’d have been toast. Besides, I figured having access to another magic class never hurt. At the upper levels, Frost Magic area of effect spells had long cast times while Fire magic didn’t. That got her thinking as I kept blasting low level critters away as we ran. It wasn’t all that difficult. All that I had to do was put in some practice when we were all bored out of our minds anyways and I’d have a new type of magic to call upon in a fight.
We stopped for lunch at two in the afternoon. Instead of something quick, our break turned into a small feast with mead and hefty sandwiches from the White Unicorn. I noticed a number of the Marines talking up my companions as we talked and ate. Unsurprisingly enough, both Tavon and Fylreh politely turned down the alcoholic drink. Kenzie and Sara asked me a few pointed questions about what happened last night to piss the filly off so thoroughly this morning but I kept my mouth shut at the warning glare from Fylreh. I’d have to remember to ask Neysa about the whole clothing thing later on when we were alone.
Packing up lunch and preparing to leave, I checked the map and was surprised to see that we were a little over halfway to Myathlune. This time when we got moving, more Devil Dogs got in on the fun. Some practicing with bows or throwing knives as most everyone tried to use some barely used skill to while away the hours. I caught Fylreh looking my way several times during the trek. She didn’t seem to be as angry as before, but whatever had upset her from this morning kept her from approaching closer.
It was nearing evening when we ran across our first team of players fighting a band of Elite Orcs held up in an abandoned ruin. The players were all level fourteen to fifteen while the Orcs were in the level eighteen range. Both forces stumbled back in horror as we raced through their lines without stopping. The players eying us warily wondering if we were going to kill steal their mobs or take them out for the hell of it. With a wave, I cast Regeneration on each member of the other team before we disappeared into the forest.
After that we started running into a lot more groups of lower level players busy leveling up. Even though the city was farther north than BrokenFang Hold, it obviously had a sizable newbie area as we started passing by numerous groups hunting down the local wildlife, Goblins and even Orcs. On more than one occasion we caused quite a commotion with our rotting undead pets as they blazed past a meadow full of low level players without a second glance.
Stepping out of the forest, we came to a stop at the edge of a massive valley. Even covered in snow the view was breathtaking. The valley was filled with lush woods, small towns and rolling fields. In the distance, sitting atop a gentle rise protecting it all was the proud city of Myathlune. Its gray defensive walls rose up into the sky like a sentinel in the dying light. Seeing the end of the first part of our journey, we cheered in relief. Finding the main road leading down into the valley, we were just headed down its length when we ran smack-dab into a patrol of Light Elves.
The elven patrol numbered twenty-one soldiers altogether and wore matching armor and tabards with the crest of a blue mountain peak with a silver ship’s wheel in the center. As the leader in the front came to a stop, I saw the Light Elf’s name as it flashed over his head, Sub-Commander Darthoridan Cailamin, level 25, Patrol of the City of Myathlune. Sub-Commander Cailamin had an air about him that made me think of a young noble. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because his uniform was obviously made from high quality clothe. Or, maybe it was simply the way he held his shoulders back and his chin high. The Elf’s almond eyes studied me thoughtfully as I raised my hand in greeting.
“Lord Ironwolf of the House of Kayden.” I said stepping forward and holding out my hand as the rest of the raid protectively spread out behind me. “Well met, sir.”
“Sub-Commander Cailamin from the city of Myathlune.” The young Light Elf said gripping my wrist in greeting. Before either of us could say more, the old Sergeant at his side called out a warning.
“Sub-Commander Cailamin, zombies!”
“Stand down, they’re with us.” I said trying to stop any altercation before they started. Instead of calming the patrol, my words set off a chain reaction as the Sergeant began calling out orders.
“To arms soldiers of Myathlune, worshipers of the Dark stand before us!”
Seeing the situation falling apart, I began calling out orders to the raid. “Shit, they’re attacking. Try not to kill anyone if you can help it. Order your pets to subdue the enemy. I want as many prisoners as possible!”
Instantly the wave of our pets rushed through our lines in a mass of undead as I released a Frost Nova. Before the ice had a chance to fully form, the zombies began tackling the Light Elves to the ground two at a time. Strangled screams of fear and rage filled the air as the pets’ bone-like claws ripped through the struggling soldiers’ flesh and leather armor with ease. NPCs and players alike hurriedly rushed forward to secure the prisoners while I pulled Sub-Commander Cailamin towards me using the grip on his wrist for leverage. Spinning the young noble around, I placed the point of my Dagger of Leeching at his throat as Neysa took up a position next to his family jewels growling menacingly.
The fight didn’t last longer than a few minutes as the raid secured the initial prisoners that I’d locked down in ice with leather bindings and then moved on. With their Sub-Commander subdued at the beginning of the engagement and a third of their numbers already captured, the rest didn’t stand any chance. They might have been circled up back-to-back in a small group on the tight trail, but the mass of high-level zombies and players that overwhelmed their ranks couldn’t be denied.
Surprisingly enough, the crusty, level twenty-three Sergeant at the end of the formation proved to be a little more difficult. He’d managed to get the last quarter of the soldiers formed up like armored turtles in a wider part of the trail and was holding the zombies back, until Fylreh helped bust through the shield wall and manhandle the warrior to the ground. The handful of remaining NPCs stood no chance after that. Overwhelmed with a ten to fifteen level difference and increased stats were no joke in a game like this. Not to mention, all of our zombies still held their elite status. As the players secured the patrol and called off their pets, I heard Ayda begin to play her lute as I calmly spoke into the Sub-Commander’s ear.
“Give me your oath that you and your men will not attack or betray us and I’ll let you live.”
“What do you seek in our city?” Sub-Commander Cailamin spat out in barely controlled rage.
“I only seek passage on a ship headed to the human lands for me and my people. Help me with this and I will not harm you, your men or anyone in your city if at all possible. I give you my word.”
“Why not simply kill us and be done with it?” The Light Elf asked as the anger in his voice gave way to confusion.
“Because you’re not my enemy. Because I don’t hold any hate against you or your people.” I answered just as confused as the Light Elf. “Seriously, what more do you want, man?”
Slowly raising his hand to the blade at his throat, Sub-Commander Cailamin slowly pushed the point away so he could turn around and look me in the eyes. “Swear on your House and your honor that you wish no harm to me, my city or my people and I will lead you safely to the docks and help you leave the city in peace.”
“This I swear,” I stated without reservation as a golden glow surrounded me.
“On the honor of my House and my city, this I also do swear,” Sub-Commander Cailamin said officiously as a similar glow surrounded his body. Without waiting for further instructions, he began giving orders to his people. “Stop fighting and stand down. We have come to an agreement.” Seeing the Light Elf’s raised eyebrow, I began issuing my own orders through raid chat.
“Everybody stand down. Free your prisoners and keep your pets in guard stance. While we wait to see what happens, get your pets inside their cloaks.” I said as everyone in the raid got to work. Leaving Neysa to watch the Sub-Commander, I pulled out the spare cloaks from my inventory and got to work as the Light Elf patrol muttered angrily to each other. The Sub-Commander and Sergeant spoke to the side for a moment in hushed tones, before the gruff Sergeant began calling out orders to the privates.
“Khatar, Arun, Pelleas, get your asses cleaned up and in formation! Toross, pick up that sword in the dirt and get moving!”
“Why aren’t we trying to stop these darklings, Sergeant?” I heard Toross whisper under his breath.
“Because Sub-Commander Cailamin agreed to their demands. Just follow orders and you’ll live through this son.”
“What of Myathlune-“ Toross pushed angrily as the Sergeant cut him off harshly.
“I said the Sub-Commander is handling it. Now get into formation, private!”
The patrol formed back up muttering angrily under their breaths as Sub-Commander Cailamin came to a stop in front of me. His eyes briefly studied our raid, before addressing me directly. “We’re ready to move out, Lord Ironwolf.”
“Excellent, I’ll take the lead with you while my people bring up the rear.” I said passing along the information through raid chat. Seeing Thomas’ and Kenzie’s pointed nods, I gave them a wink and followed the Sub-Commander to the front of his patrol with Neysa at my side while my zombie pets took up scout positions in the woods to either side of the patrol. Given a nod to proceed, the Sergeant’s voice rang out.
“Patrol, move out!”
As our combined group began following the winding trail to the bottom of the valley, I pulled Ayda to the side and asked her about the song. She explained the spell was called Song of Suggestive Thoughts. It was supposed to make the enemy more willing to hear your side of an issue, but unlike true charm, it didn’t let the target know they’d been influenced to listen with an open mind. Giving her a quick hug and a job well done, I headed towards the front of our formation as the trail turned into an actual gravel road. The first real road I’d yet to see in the game. While the NPC patrol kept mostly quiet, there was a steady stream of conversation about what we were doing in raid chat. Several Devil Dogs questioned the wisdom of letting the NPCs live, when Ulia chimed in with her own thoughts on the matter. She explained that when an officer of a city gave their oath, especially when it included the honor of their own House, you could guarantee that the oath would be kept at all cost. Although, she admitted a moment later, if there were anyone we should be watching out for it would be the privates and sergeant. Our internal discussion was cut off abruptly, when a cry of alarm rang out amongst the patrol of Light Elves.
“Excellent, then you have five minutes to get ready.” I said pulling her to her feet. “Now get moving, chop … chop!”
“Yes, milord!” Alanah said running away with a smile.
Looking around the busy encampment, I saw a familiar face fishing her gear out of the destroyed lean-to. Walking up behind her, I unobtrusively cleared my throat as Fylreh’s head whipped around to look at me.
“Dark Lord,” the filly greeted, her voice stiff with formality.
“Star’s fine.” I said trying not to grimace at her pinched face. “Do we need to talk?”
“No, Lord Ironwolf.” Fylreh replied, emphasizing my title. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute.”
Feeling Neysa’s nudge against my leg, I gave her a nod and waited at the perimeter as my people hurriedly geared up and gathered around me. Upon hearing Alanah was going, Tavon asked if she could travel with him like earlier. I agreed seeing both their smiles as we headed back to the inn for breakfast.
Seeing the uncomfortable silence between us, my companions of course tried to find out what had happened the night before. Stomping her hoof in anger, Fylreh ended the discussion by threateningly resting her hands on the hilts of her blades. The look everyone gave us nearly made me bust out laughing. ‘Poor filly, she handled that entirely the wrong way,’ I thought with a shake of my head. Now everyone would spend the trip trying to sleuth out what had gone on between us.
Speaking of the night before, I silently thought eying Neysa suspiciously. What happened to my body whenever I logged out of the game? Was I somehow still in the game world even though I’d logged out? Did whoever sleep with me stay in some sort of logged out state until my next login? Neither scenario made any sense. Passing under the great tree in the inn’s outdoor eating area, I sat down next to Sarka and Yun who were already eating.
“You guys look disgustingly well rested.” I commented as the waitress brought everyone the morning special and a round of hot tea.
“Yeah, some of us can actually hold our alcohol.” Sarka replied giving her husband a fist bump.
“Fuck you guys and the horse you road in on too.” I shot back in annoyance as Yun raised an eyebrow towards Fylreh. A sharp shake of my head stopped whatever he was going to say. “Don’t go there.” I ignored the obvious look they shared with one another, as Yun tried again.
“Is this going to be as boring as it was getting out to Requiem?”
“Nope, much worse,” I replied with a sigh. “It’s going to be a long boring run through the low level areas the entire way.” They both groaned as I continued. “It looks as far away as BrokenFang Hold on the map so I don’t see us getting there until later this evening.”
“And then a boat trip on top of that?” Sarka asked.
“Yep, kind of like the Darnassian to Ironforge run in World of Warcraft.”
“The what?” Yun asked as Tinyr and Unalia both sat down.
“It’s going to be THAT bad?” Tinyr asked in surprise.
“Kind of but without the high level mobs … or at least I hope it is.” I replied as Tinyr nodded his understanding.
“At least we’d have something to do if that were the case.” Kenzie said as she and Thomas sat down on my other side.
“Morning,” they both said to the table as they hurriedly began shoving food into their mouths. Looking around, I was surprised to see the table next to us nearly full with Devil Dogs.
“Is everyone going?” I asked in surprise.
“Nope, just the eight of us.” Thomas said as I paused and did the math. That was all of the Devil Dogs present. Seeing the realization in my eyes, he continued with a crooked grin. “We figure you’re a good person to get into trouble with.“
“Thanks guys,” I said giving Thomas and Kenzie a fist bump as the rest of the Devil Dogs cheered.
We finished up and got moving within fifteen minutes. A part of that time, I spent teaching Tavon and Fylreh Dark Magic and giving them a soul stone each from my inventory to raise once we got outside of the city. On the way towards the front gates, I had everyone make a stop to pick-up cloaks for their pets before leaving the city. Thompson half-heartedly joined in on the bitching about wasting money for cloaks, since he had the most zombies after me. As everyone fished out their coins, I reminded them we had to sneak through Myathlune along the way and I wasn’t about to leave my zombies pets behind. The reminder quieted down on the bitching as we gathered up our pets, or raised them in the centaurs’ case, and took off into the forest at a run.
Almost everyone from the last stand we’d fought back-to-back at the Battle for Delonshire had come along: Kenzie, Thomas, Matt and Terry Cobra, Thompson, Sara Cruise, Darkhorse, and a new rogue named Zhou Li that I didn’t recognize. Seeing my questioning look at Zhou, Kenzie mouthed that she and Darkhorse were a thing behind Zhou’s back. The Chinese, Light Elf look she had going on made me wonder what she looked like in real life, albeit before whatever injury she’d received to qualify as a member of the Devil Dogs’ guild.
Although, the group wasn’t the host I’d brought to Delonshire, none the less we were an impressive sight for thirteen players. Everyone but Matt Cobra was at least level twenty-seven or above and even Matt’s level twenty-six wasn’t anything to sneeze at. Between us, our zombie pets, my NPCs and Neysa, we numbered a total of fifty-four individuals that could be boosted up to sixty-one if I raised every zombie I possibly could.
To be honest, I was somewhat surprised at the number of Devil Dogs that had been willing to head out with me on what was essentially a rescue mission. While we were cool with one another, I hadn’t realized just how popular I was with the guild. It meant a lot when online friends were willing to put in a day or three of boring travel just to help you out. Honestly, I didn’t expect too much excitement until we hit the human area. Hell, even passing through Myathlune shouldn’t be that much of a speed bump if everything went according to plan. Who knows, maybe they were all here for the up and coming massive PVP brawl. Either way, the support gave me a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest.
Luckily, we all had boosted stats since the pace we kept would have made a real world track star cry in protest. Add the Song of the Winding Road that gave a twenty-five percent boost to travel speed which Ayda started to sing as soon as we headed out and we were nearly flying over the ground. Besides the speed increase, the song was catchy and she seemed to have ever changing lyrics that kept the song fresh. As we passed through the forest, the lower level wildlife either sought a place to hide or froze where they stood. While the gray mobs normally wouldn’t have been interesting, I did have my Fire Magic to level up. To keep things interesting, I’d race ahead to casts a few Flame Blasts at the low level rabbits, wolves and deer before everyone else could catch up to me.
The two second cast time on the low level spell was a real pain in the ass. Neysa decided to make a game of it by chasing down whatever I shot. Her goal was a quick meal and to steal my kill. The game became a little more serious as Unalia got in on the action using her bow. Still I managed to get a couple shots off every few minutes. Two hours later, I uploaded my level 10 spell.
Fireball (60 Mana) – 2.5 sec cast – Hurls a fiery ball at enemy. Fire damage is 300% of Spell Power. Burns target for an additional 20 seconds for 10 points of damage every 5 seconds. Area of effect is 5 yards. Requires fire magic skill level 10. Range 40 yards.
I wasn’t about to use it for our game with its two and a half second cast, so I kept casting Flame Blast at the lower level mobs as Neysa and Unalia teased me to no end. Kenzie finally caught up to me at one point. Looking at me like I was a maniac, she asked. What the hell was I doing? Seeing my confused look, she tried again. Why bother skilling up Flame Blast over and over again? Because I don’t want to be a one trick pony, I answered as she went off. ‘One trick pony,’ she yelled waving her arms in the air in outrage.
Finally, I told her about the fight with Hitlohtla Doombreath the Devourer and how he’d been immune to Frost magic. I told her that without the zombies and my Dark magic we’d have been toast. Besides, I figured having access to another magic class never hurt. At the upper levels, Frost Magic area of effect spells had long cast times while Fire magic didn’t. That got her thinking as I kept blasting low level critters away as we ran. It wasn’t all that difficult. All that I had to do was put in some practice when we were all bored out of our minds anyways and I’d have a new type of magic to call upon in a fight.
We stopped for lunch at two in the afternoon. Instead of something quick, our break turned into a small feast with mead and hefty sandwiches from the White Unicorn. I noticed a number of the Marines talking up my companions as we talked and ate. Unsurprisingly enough, both Tavon and Fylreh politely turned down the alcoholic drink. Kenzie and Sara asked me a few pointed questions about what happened last night to piss the filly off so thoroughly this morning but I kept my mouth shut at the warning glare from Fylreh. I’d have to remember to ask Neysa about the whole clothing thing later on when we were alone.
Packing up lunch and preparing to leave, I checked the map and was surprised to see that we were a little over halfway to Myathlune. This time when we got moving, more Devil Dogs got in on the fun. Some practicing with bows or throwing knives as most everyone tried to use some barely used skill to while away the hours. I caught Fylreh looking my way several times during the trek. She didn’t seem to be as angry as before, but whatever had upset her from this morning kept her from approaching closer.
It was nearing evening when we ran across our first team of players fighting a band of Elite Orcs held up in an abandoned ruin. The players were all level fourteen to fifteen while the Orcs were in the level eighteen range. Both forces stumbled back in horror as we raced through their lines without stopping. The players eying us warily wondering if we were going to kill steal their mobs or take them out for the hell of it. With a wave, I cast Regeneration on each member of the other team before we disappeared into the forest.
After that we started running into a lot more groups of lower level players busy leveling up. Even though the city was farther north than BrokenFang Hold, it obviously had a sizable newbie area as we started passing by numerous groups hunting down the local wildlife, Goblins and even Orcs. On more than one occasion we caused quite a commotion with our rotting undead pets as they blazed past a meadow full of low level players without a second glance.
Stepping out of the forest, we came to a stop at the edge of a massive valley. Even covered in snow the view was breathtaking. The valley was filled with lush woods, small towns and rolling fields. In the distance, sitting atop a gentle rise protecting it all was the proud city of Myathlune. Its gray defensive walls rose up into the sky like a sentinel in the dying light. Seeing the end of the first part of our journey, we cheered in relief. Finding the main road leading down into the valley, we were just headed down its length when we ran smack-dab into a patrol of Light Elves.
The elven patrol numbered twenty-one soldiers altogether and wore matching armor and tabards with the crest of a blue mountain peak with a silver ship’s wheel in the center. As the leader in the front came to a stop, I saw the Light Elf’s name as it flashed over his head, Sub-Commander Darthoridan Cailamin, level 25, Patrol of the City of Myathlune. Sub-Commander Cailamin had an air about him that made me think of a young noble. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was because his uniform was obviously made from high quality clothe. Or, maybe it was simply the way he held his shoulders back and his chin high. The Elf’s almond eyes studied me thoughtfully as I raised my hand in greeting.
“Lord Ironwolf of the House of Kayden.” I said stepping forward and holding out my hand as the rest of the raid protectively spread out behind me. “Well met, sir.”
“Sub-Commander Cailamin from the city of Myathlune.” The young Light Elf said gripping my wrist in greeting. Before either of us could say more, the old Sergeant at his side called out a warning.
“Sub-Commander Cailamin, zombies!”
“Stand down, they’re with us.” I said trying to stop any altercation before they started. Instead of calming the patrol, my words set off a chain reaction as the Sergeant began calling out orders.
“To arms soldiers of Myathlune, worshipers of the Dark stand before us!”
Seeing the situation falling apart, I began calling out orders to the raid. “Shit, they’re attacking. Try not to kill anyone if you can help it. Order your pets to subdue the enemy. I want as many prisoners as possible!”
Instantly the wave of our pets rushed through our lines in a mass of undead as I released a Frost Nova. Before the ice had a chance to fully form, the zombies began tackling the Light Elves to the ground two at a time. Strangled screams of fear and rage filled the air as the pets’ bone-like claws ripped through the struggling soldiers’ flesh and leather armor with ease. NPCs and players alike hurriedly rushed forward to secure the prisoners while I pulled Sub-Commander Cailamin towards me using the grip on his wrist for leverage. Spinning the young noble around, I placed the point of my Dagger of Leeching at his throat as Neysa took up a position next to his family jewels growling menacingly.
The fight didn’t last longer than a few minutes as the raid secured the initial prisoners that I’d locked down in ice with leather bindings and then moved on. With their Sub-Commander subdued at the beginning of the engagement and a third of their numbers already captured, the rest didn’t stand any chance. They might have been circled up back-to-back in a small group on the tight trail, but the mass of high-level zombies and players that overwhelmed their ranks couldn’t be denied.
Surprisingly enough, the crusty, level twenty-three Sergeant at the end of the formation proved to be a little more difficult. He’d managed to get the last quarter of the soldiers formed up like armored turtles in a wider part of the trail and was holding the zombies back, until Fylreh helped bust through the shield wall and manhandle the warrior to the ground. The handful of remaining NPCs stood no chance after that. Overwhelmed with a ten to fifteen level difference and increased stats were no joke in a game like this. Not to mention, all of our zombies still held their elite status. As the players secured the patrol and called off their pets, I heard Ayda begin to play her lute as I calmly spoke into the Sub-Commander’s ear.
“Give me your oath that you and your men will not attack or betray us and I’ll let you live.”
“What do you seek in our city?” Sub-Commander Cailamin spat out in barely controlled rage.
“I only seek passage on a ship headed to the human lands for me and my people. Help me with this and I will not harm you, your men or anyone in your city if at all possible. I give you my word.”
“Why not simply kill us and be done with it?” The Light Elf asked as the anger in his voice gave way to confusion.
“Because you’re not my enemy. Because I don’t hold any hate against you or your people.” I answered just as confused as the Light Elf. “Seriously, what more do you want, man?”
Slowly raising his hand to the blade at his throat, Sub-Commander Cailamin slowly pushed the point away so he could turn around and look me in the eyes. “Swear on your House and your honor that you wish no harm to me, my city or my people and I will lead you safely to the docks and help you leave the city in peace.”
“This I swear,” I stated without reservation as a golden glow surrounded me.
“On the honor of my House and my city, this I also do swear,” Sub-Commander Cailamin said officiously as a similar glow surrounded his body. Without waiting for further instructions, he began giving orders to his people. “Stop fighting and stand down. We have come to an agreement.” Seeing the Light Elf’s raised eyebrow, I began issuing my own orders through raid chat.
“Everybody stand down. Free your prisoners and keep your pets in guard stance. While we wait to see what happens, get your pets inside their cloaks.” I said as everyone in the raid got to work. Leaving Neysa to watch the Sub-Commander, I pulled out the spare cloaks from my inventory and got to work as the Light Elf patrol muttered angrily to each other. The Sub-Commander and Sergeant spoke to the side for a moment in hushed tones, before the gruff Sergeant began calling out orders to the privates.
“Khatar, Arun, Pelleas, get your asses cleaned up and in formation! Toross, pick up that sword in the dirt and get moving!”
“Why aren’t we trying to stop these darklings, Sergeant?” I heard Toross whisper under his breath.
“Because Sub-Commander Cailamin agreed to their demands. Just follow orders and you’ll live through this son.”
“What of Myathlune-“ Toross pushed angrily as the Sergeant cut him off harshly.
“I said the Sub-Commander is handling it. Now get into formation, private!”
The patrol formed back up muttering angrily under their breaths as Sub-Commander Cailamin came to a stop in front of me. His eyes briefly studied our raid, before addressing me directly. “We’re ready to move out, Lord Ironwolf.”
“Excellent, I’ll take the lead with you while my people bring up the rear.” I said passing along the information through raid chat. Seeing Thomas’ and Kenzie’s pointed nods, I gave them a wink and followed the Sub-Commander to the front of his patrol with Neysa at my side while my zombie pets took up scout positions in the woods to either side of the patrol. Given a nod to proceed, the Sergeant’s voice rang out.
“Patrol, move out!”
As our combined group began following the winding trail to the bottom of the valley, I pulled Ayda to the side and asked her about the song. She explained the spell was called Song of Suggestive Thoughts. It was supposed to make the enemy more willing to hear your side of an issue, but unlike true charm, it didn’t let the target know they’d been influenced to listen with an open mind. Giving her a quick hug and a job well done, I headed towards the front of our formation as the trail turned into an actual gravel road. The first real road I’d yet to see in the game. While the NPC patrol kept mostly quiet, there was a steady stream of conversation about what we were doing in raid chat. Several Devil Dogs questioned the wisdom of letting the NPCs live, when Ulia chimed in with her own thoughts on the matter. She explained that when an officer of a city gave their oath, especially when it included the honor of their own House, you could guarantee that the oath would be kept at all cost. Although, she admitted a moment later, if there were anyone we should be watching out for it would be the privates and sergeant. Our internal discussion was cut off abruptly, when a cry of alarm rang out amongst the patrol of Light Elves.
