Nova terra kingbreaker t.., p.42
Nova Terra: Kingbreaker (The Titan Series Book 3), page 42
Driving into the ethereal wall, the bolt’s metal head detonated, sending shards of steel and wood rebounding. The bolt had been moving with such a speed that it seemed to disintegrate in mid-air as it impacted on the wall. Sylith, watching the bolt hit, broke into a full grin.
“It’s a good try, but you’ll need more than that to break this shield.”
“Is it only me, or is his voice really annoying?” Thorn asked Velin as he tightened his grip on his tetsubo.
“It is really annoying.”
Even knowing that his attack was going to be useless, Thorn still had to try. LIfting his tetsubo, he walked forward, his heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble. Soon he was standing in front of the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis], little more than an arm’s reach away from the Silver Guard.
Cracking his neck, Thorn took a deep breath and patted the barrier. Unlike what he expected, the barrier had no give whatsoever. Normally, the things he touched moved, even if only a little, but patting this thin pane of energy was like patting a mountain. Reconsidering, Thorn stood quietly for a moment as he tried to calculate how much force it would take to crack the barrier open. On the other side of the barrier, despite knowing that Thorn’s attack would never make it through, the Silver Guard player held his breath.
Finally, with a glance at Sylith, Thorn walked back over to the Titan squad and spoke to Velin in a low voice.
“You were right. Nothing is going through that.”
“At this point, there is not much we can do except wait.” Velin frowned. “The problem is, the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] doesn’t require that much energy, so it can last a long time.”
“Isn’t that completely overpowered? How can it be okay that they get such a broken ability?”
“Are you serious?” Velin rolled her eyes at Thorn, wiping a trickle of sweat from her forehead. “The shield is impervious, but only from one direction. It is extremely fragile from the other side. Any sort of disruption will bring it down. It also isn’t that big. It is only really effective in a choke point since the guard who activates it cannot move or it will collapse.”
“So we’re at an impasse? Whoever gets tired first?”
“Sort of. Attacks cannot pass through the aegis. Any attacks from that side will weaken it until the whole shield crumbles. They can’t attack us, but attacks are not the danger. The ability divides space. Anything in here cannot pass over there.”
“So what is the point of all of this? Why not just wipe us out? Aren’t the Silver Guard supposed to be really good at team fights?”
“They are. The Silver Guard are arguably the best team fighters in the game. Even more so when they have Sylith leading them. But if they attack us, they’ll be marked by the system and they will have broken the agreement that we made. So, instead, they’ll just use the environment to kill us. After all, if we die without them lifting a hand, they will be able to argue that it was not their fault.”
“Sorry, I’m not following.” It was obvious from Thorn’s tone of voice that he was completely lost.
Mutely, Velin simply raised her hand and pointed at the fiercely burning furnace that dominated one wall. Staring at it blankly for a minute, Thorn still didn’t get it until a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
“Uh oh.”
On the other side of the shimmering barrier of shields, Sylith saw Velin’s raised hand and laughed.
“Like I said, natural causes.” Rubbing his hands together, he grinned. “When we first started using this ability, we quickly realized that the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] has an interesting property. Temperature isolation. I am sure that this is designed to help defend against things like frost breath or fireballs. Not only does it block the pure force but the elemental affect, as well.
“Unfortunately for you, this means you’re between a rock and a hard place. Ha, maybe I should have said, a rock and a hot place. What a missed opportunity! Ah well, you probably don’t have time for appreciating jokes right now. Where was I? Oh, right. Complete immunity to elemental affects. For me, that means staying quite cool. Or, at least, as cool as I can be in this dungeon.
“For you, it means something different. Feel the sweat yet? I can tell that your friends do. I’m interested to see how long you’ll be able to last in there with the amount of heat being pumped out by that furnace.”
His mind racing furiously, Thorn stared at the flame-belching furnace. Heat was rolling out of the mouth of the furnace in waves, the temperature warping the air. Trapped between the two barriers, the constant infusion of heat was beginning to cause the ambient temperature to creep up steadily. Soon, Thorn felt like he was back in the Diving mode dungeon surrounded by crowds of fire elementals. As he was watching, a fiery figure materialized out of the flame, floating forward toward the team, burning fireballs resting in its hands.
“Incoming!”
“Fire elemental!”
Shouts broke out among the players from Nova Luna as they rushed to kill the floating fire elemental. Countless attacks hammered it into the ground almost as soon as it appeared. The fire elemental was crushed, releasing a small explosion of lava as it died, the molten rock splashing on the ground. Feeling the temperature jump noticeably, Thorn, Velin, and Mina all exchanged glances.
On top of pumping out heat, the furnace was releasing fire elementals every few minutes. Elite fire elementals only spawned when the temperature in the room rose to a specific point, which normally meant that a certain number of regular elementals would spawn before any elite fire elementals. Unfortunately, the area the Titan squad was standing in would soon reach the required temperature because of the two barriers trapping them.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
With Thorn’s words still echoing around the chamber, Velin closed her eyes as she took a breath of the burning air. For some reason, her normally even emotions had been jumping wildly recently, making it difficult for her to talk to Thorn. Gathering herself, she opened her eyes and looked squarely at Thorn without backing down an inch.
“I mean the dwarven earth maps are not worth dying over. It’ll take me a couple minutes to copy them out, and then we can just use that map. The only thing that will happen if we give away the orbs is they’ll be able to figure out the path faster. Ragnarok will still need to clear the big groups of elementals, which I doubt they’ve done. But if we die, we’re giving them a leg up. That is twenty-four hours that they are free to progress, while we have to wait.”
“But those maps are ours.” Even though Thorn was wearing a helmet, those close to him could hear his teeth grinding. “At the very least, we should make them pay.”
“What do you mean pay?” Baxby jumped in. “We can’t get out. We’re just going to sit here until we all die from exhaustion. Listen, kid, I know you are tough, but know when to take a step back. Sometimes you have to admit that you’ve been out-maneuvered and just go with the flow.”
“Baxby is right.” Velin’s voice was quiet, and she held her staff nervously in front of her. “We will gain more by letting this go. Besides, even if we can get out of here, can we take on a full squad of Silver Guard in a fight? You’ve seen Sylith in action. He might be annoying, but he is a quad category class holder. He isn’t to be taken lightly. Especially when he is with the Silver Guard.”
“No way.” Thorn’s voice was hard enough to sever iron. “He can take the map over my dead body.”
“This…” Velin looked at Mina for help, but before the Ice Witch could help persuade Thorn, the Titan’s voice sounded again.
“This is non-negotiable. We are not handing anything over.” Not bothering to keep his voice quiet, Thorn’s words carried around the room, causing everyone to freeze. “Ragnarok will not get a penny while we are still alive. No one takes what belongs to Nova Luna without a fight.”
“Haha, you sure about that?” Unbothered by Thorn’s hardline stance, Sylith’s tone was just as flippant as before.
“Yes. Titan squad, get ready to attack on my signal. Baxby, we’ll buy you some time. Use it to copy out the maps.” Thorn took two orbs out of his inventory and handed them over to the treasure hunter.
“Thorn…”
“I said get ready to attack.” Ignoring what Velin was trying to say, Thorn strode to the front of the group. Looking helplessly at his broad back, Velin wanted to speak but could not find the words. Drops of sweat beaded her forehead as the furnace continued to belch out heat. It was true that something had to be done, or they would fall prey to the rising temperature, but trying to fight against an unbreakable shield would only speed up their demise.
The players surrounding them slowly began to move to their positions, sweat trickling down their faces. The furnaces were beginning to get so hot that the group had to take a step back, distancing themselves from the rolling heat. Velin glanced around at the sweat-drenched players. Thorn was right in one regard. If nothing was done soon, the rising temperature would start claiming lives.
“Just do what he says, young lady.” Baxby patted her on the shoulder. Crouching down, he unrolled the large map of the dungeon and set up the two orbs on the sides. “When young people like him get something in their head, arguing with them is futile. He’ll have to learn the hard way. The only thing you can do at this point is support him.”
“But that will get us all killed!” Trying to whisper, Velin’s words came out as a hiss.
“Sure, you know that and I know that. We all know that, but he doesn’t. So what are you going to do? Disobey his orders so he can blame you for the loss later? Sorry, that ain’t helpful. Follow your orders, and you won’t get hosed later.” As he spoke, Baxby’s hands never stopped moving as he traced new lines on the map. “Besides, Mr. Miracle Maker over there might be able to pull something out. You never know.”
With another deep sigh, Velin took one last look at Thorn’s back before slowly taking her place with the other support players. Mina, who had been quiet this whole time, gave her a concerned look. Oblivious to the conversation behind him, Thorn stood facing Sylith, glaring at the Ragnarok leader as if his eyes could burn straight through him.
Behind Thorn, the Titan squad assembled into combat formation. The tanks took the front, standing behind Thorn, while the DPS classes split into two flanks, surrounding the healers and other support. Baxby stayed in the back, working on the map with Oberlin next to him. Once everyone had taken their place, Thorn ordered the whole group to move forward, heading toward the center of the Silver Guard line where Sylith stood.
The squad of Silver Guard behind the Titan squad could not move forward because, if they did, the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] they were supporting would collapse. This left only half of the Silver Guard facing Thorn and the Titan squad. Lifting his tetsubo, Thorn stared at the Silver Guard player who was standing seventh from the end of the line.
“We’ll break through there. On my command, throw all attacks at that spot. Melee, move up with me.” Thorn took his time arranging his team, since the Silver Guard could not move. Once everyone was in place, he looked over at the gloating Heavenly Silver Dragon Knight, who was watching. “You are going to regret this.”
“See, I don’t think I am. I think you will regret this. Persisting in this foolishness despite the good advice you’re getting will leave you with no one to blame but yourself. I mean, don’t kid yourself, we could wipe you out without needing to resort to this if we wanted to. I just don’t want to get my hands dirty.”
Turning his head slightly, Thorn glanced at Velin, who nodded mutely.
“He’s right, you know.” Seeing that Velin was not speaking, Mina chimed in. “The Silver Guard are, hands down, the toughest group in the game. In a straight fight, we will lose. I know that, Velin knows it, everyone here knows it except for you.”
Hearing the seriousness of Mina’s tone, Thorn’s heart wavered. He did not believe that the girls would lie to him, but for some reason, he felt unable to back down. Clenching his teeth under his helmet, he turned back and looked at the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] stretching out in front of him. He had just bragged that he was going to take down the Silver Guard and it stung that Velin and Mina lacked confidence in him. And it was not just them. Baxby and the rest of the team were obviously skeptical that they could win, as well.
As much as he did not want to admit it, maybe it would be better to just take a step back at this point. Reaching out, Thorn rested his fingers lightly on the barrier. Part of him wanted to open his mouth and back down, but the words kept getting stuck in his chest. It was as if there was a war in his heart, as if he was two different people, each fighting for control.
The girls were probably right, fighting was not the correct choice in this situation. Even though he had not seen the Silver Guard fight against other players, he had watched them clear the legions of stone dwarves when they were assaulting the fortress. Their discipline was top notch, and the collective ability of a group of Silver Guard was rather terrifying. It did not take a genius to see that the Titan squad would probably be outmatched in a fight.
Still, Thorn was not one to give up. The girls said they would lose, but they had thought that he died when they sacrificed him to Karrandras and left him for dead. They had underestimated him then, and he was sure they were underestimating him again. Why should he give up just because other people said so? Apart from the mistake when he fought Angdrin and his Crimson Snake goons at the entrance to the mine, Thorn had not lost a fight since coming to Nova Terra. Maybe his strength could carry the day here, as well.
Hardening his resolve, Thorn’s fingers tapped against the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis], making a sharp clicking sound as his metal claws hit the immovable wall. They would at least give it a try. Behind him, as if sensing his resolve, the Titan squad seemed to straighten up. The looks of concern and worry faded from their faces, replaced by unity of purpose. After all, the worst thing that could happen was that they would lose twenty-four hours of game time.
“We are going to attack here.” Thorn pointed to the Silver Guard player on the other side of the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis].
“Haha, can’t wait to see how that works out for you,” Sylith mocked from where he stood in the middle of the Silver Guard line.
“Basic attacks first. Attack on three.”
The players of the Titan squad gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the spot where Thorn had pointed.
“One. Two. Three.”
As soon as the words slipped from Thorn’s lips, an overwhelming number of attacks flashed forward from the group as the whole squad swung their weapons. Bolts of energy mixed with arrows shot past Thorn, smashing into the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis]. At the same moment, the melee players stepped forward, driving their weapons into the wall with all their might.
Despite knowing that the shield was impossible for them to break, every member of the Titan squad threw everything into the attack, striking with as much strength as they could muster. Despite their best efforts, the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] held, the impact of all of the Titan squad’s weapons causing nothing more than a ripple on the energy wall that quickly died down.
“Hahaha!” As he watched Thorn count down, there had even been a brief moment when the leader of the Silver Guard was worried that the [Invulnerable Silver Aegis] would buckle under the combined might of the Titan squad. That worry was quickly blown away when reality proved otherwise. Joining him in laughter, the Silver Guard relaxed slightly, joking among themselves.
Unperturbed, Thorn commanded another attack, and once again the Titan squad threw their attacks forward, hammering against the wall. This time, Thorn held back, his eyes watching the rippling effect the attacks caused on the shield. Around him, many players were panting as the heat began to take its toll. When they had not been doing anything, the heat had been bearable, but now that they were attacking, they could feel it draining their endurance much faster than at rest.
“Attack again.” Thorn’s words were short, and the squad mechanically swung their weapons. Again, their attacks hammered into the wall, only to disappear as if they had never existed. As focused as he was, Thorn could feel a slight tinge of helplessness settling on the players around him. It was not yet so strong that he would call it despair, but he knew that, with the combination of futile attacks and the searing heat, the little feeling of helplessness would soon turn into despair.
“Give up!”
“You’re going to die anyway, so why are you struggling?”
“Just give it a rest, and drop your gear already.”
The shouts from across the barrier did not help the situation, only lending to the sense of helplessness among the Titan squad. Normally, this level of trash talk, a common feature among competing guilds, would not affect the players of Nova Luna in the slightest. This time, though, combined with the draining heat and the ineffectual attacks Thorn was ordering, the words stung a bit more than normal.
