Argo made to open the door, when a streak of purple lightning lashed out like a whip from the shadows of the hall and submerged him with its savage intensity.
Argo has been struck by a Lance of Torment! Torment inflicted, paralyzing Argo and dealing 1 damage every second!
Pain screamed through all his nerve endings and he was thrown to the ground, his muscles locking up in agony. The crate containing the acid grenades went flying out of his hands and landed on the floor a little way from him.
Several shattered on impact, spilling their precious contents into a disgusting pool that began eating through the mortar and rocks making up the floor. Argo barely noticed, still wracked in pain from the Shaman’s spell—still gradually snuffing out his health points.
Argo has taken 1 damage from the Lance of Torment! 11/15 HP remaining.
Argo has taken 1 damage from the Lance of Torment! 10/15 HP remaining.
Argo has taken 1 damage from the Lance of Torment! 09/15 HP remaining.
Henk shouts his Rallying Cry! Argo recovers from the effects of Lance of Torment!
“HAH!” Henk shouted out in triumph. “It worked!!”
“Not for long,” chuckled a dark voice from inside the laboratory, as a mass of sickly purple energy formed around Bogo Grubfondler’s bloody bone wand.
Still groggy from the attack, Argo tried throwing himself to the side in an attempt to avoid the next Lance of Torment that would no doubt target him. He really should have let Henk open the door first; a Paladin might be able to better resist these deadly spells than a scrawny Bard moonlighting as a Spy.
He wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way, but Kip was suddenly at his side with his arms outstretched. He yelled an incantation, and a golden magical shield appeared around Argo and the rest of the Manticore Crew.
Kip casts Spellturn Barrier!
Argo’s bones shuddered as the lighting blast smashed against the shield…but it wasn’t strong enough to break through Kip’s defense.
Spellturn Barrier reflects Lance of Torment!
“Are you okay?” Sonia asked him as she came to help Argo to his feet.
“I’m fine,” he said, wincing against the pain. “The grenades though…”
“There’s three left that aren’t broken,” said Brier, hefting his axe and eyeing the frowning Shaman. “Judging by the punch they pack, that’ll be plenty to open the cage.”
“If we can get to it, that is,” said Kip as another lighting blast came shooting out of the dark, smashing into his magical shield. It flickered under the impact but held out. Argo peered into the darkness, inspecting Bogo’s stats with his HUD.
Bogo Grubfondler
Orc Shaman
Level
04
Health
80
Stamina
40
Mana
200
“We need to deal with the Shaman first,” Argo said, staring at the decrepit orc in the shadows. The evil creature clutched a bloody bone wand in its gnarled fingers, which he used to fire off another blast before it had time to fully recharge. The power in the third Lance was much weaker, but it packed enough of a punch to dissolve Kip’s weakened barrier.
Kip the Mage raised his own staff and chanted out a Fireball. A ball of blazing flames shot from his hand straight at the Shaman. Bogo snorted, gesturing with his free hand, and Kip’s Fireball fizzled out into nothingness.
Bogo Grubfondler neutralized Fireball with a counter-spell!
“Oh, hell no,” Kip moaned, his eyes widening as he chanted out a mixture of Fireballs and Energy Bolts. Bogo raised his fingers up, gesturing the perfect counter-spells to nullify Kip’s magical attacks.
“Aaheli!”
“Already on it!”
An arrow whizzed through the air, heading straight for Bogo’s head. Instead of punching through his skull, however, the projectile simply slowed down and froze mid-air before clattering harmlessly to the ground.
“He’s got a Mudair Shield around him!” cried Aeheli.
Argo inspected the Shaman and winced at what his HUD revealed.
Bogo Grubfondler is protected by a Mudair Shield! Reduces the force of all physical attacks by 33% every 0.3 seconds!
“Oooh. So counter-signs for spells and a Mudair Shield for physical defense, eh?” Brier intoned blankly, a wide grin splitting his lupine face. “Hey, Henk. You thinking what I’m thinking?”
The Paladin smiled from behind his helmet, stowing away his shield and gripping his broadsword in a two-handed grip—holding the hilt near his gut in a Plow Guard. “Bring the pain?”
“HELL YEAH, we’re bringing the pain!!!”
Bogo’s confident grin faltered as the gnollish Mercenary and the Paladin of the Sacred Dragon Falcon Order charged headlong into combat. The Shaman flicked his wand first at Brier, reducing the gnoll to a twitching mess as the Lance of Torment struck the attacker. Bogo jerked his free hand, nullifying the Fireball that Kip was sending his way, while his Mudair Barrier pushed against both Aaheli’s arrows and Henk’s heavy broadsword.
The Mudair barrier surrounding the Orc Shaman flickered under the assault, but it held long enough for him to cast a second Lance of Torment at the Paladin. Henk was brought down to one knee, gritting against the pain, but his high Willpower and Endurance stats allowed him to undo the paralyzing effect. Henk pulled himself up, pushed his broadsword as forcefully as he could against the Shaman’s barrier—straining the Shaman’s deep mana reserves.
That’s when Sonya dropped her Cloak, planting a Backstab squarely into the Shaman’s ribs.
Sonya uses Backstab while emerging from stealth! The attack strikes a weak point, dealing 160 critical damage! 100% OVERKILL!!!
Bogo Grubfondler paid far too much attention to the cowering Bard, the howling Mercenary, the stubborn Paladin, the sniping Ranger, and the casting Mage. He failed to spot the Rogue that held back from the initial assault, Cloaking herself before she even entered the room. He continued pumping out spells and counter-spells, unaware of the Rogue skulking into the room, drinking in all the information that the Manticore Crew shouted out.
He didn’t even notice Sonya slowly walk into his Mudair Barrier, positioning her dagger gently enough to avoid triggering its effects before pushing it forward into the Shaman’s heart.
Before anyone else could say anything, Kip whooped out a victory cheer and rushed forward to retrieve Bogo’s bone wand. He would have absorbed the experience orbs as well, but Sonya beat him to the punch—drinking up all 50 points for herself.
“I’ve been after one of these for ages,” Kip said while studying the macabre implement with fascination. “You only usually find them being carried by dark-affiliated casters, and they’re pretty rare to boot. I’d like to know how a grubby little orc got his claws on one.”
“Never mind that,” harrumphed Brier as he picked himself up, still smarting from the Lance’s effects. “Get the loot now before the rest of the camp burns down around our heads.”
Grins all around, the Manticore Crew regrouped inside the Shaman’s laboratory. There were no more enemies in here as Argo hurried over to the cage. He had scooped up one of the undamaged grenades, tested its weight while standing in front of the barred door of the cage.
“Stand back everyone,” he instructed, right before throwing the grenade at the lock.
The grenade shattered, spilling its deadly contents all over the iron. The Manticore Crew watched as the toxic liquid ate away not only the lock but most of the door as well, leaving behind a gaping hole that they could easily get through.
“Okay,” said Henk. “Stuff everything you can into your ghost packs, fill up your slots. Once your packs are full, carry what you can in your hands without overloading yourselves. We still have to get away from here without any of us getting
killed if we want to keep our spoils.”
The Crew didn’t need telling twice and they quickly fell on the equipment, searching for weapons and artifacts suitable for their classes.
Aaheli bagged herself a beautifully crafted Star Fey bow made of creamy white Naga pearl—a bow worth three hundred and eighty sovereigns.
Brier helped himself to a fine-looking halberd made from Dragonbone, the dull white shaft far stronger and more durable than regular old steel. This one was worth around six, seven hundred sovereigns, thanks to Dragonbone being extremely rare.
Kip quickly pocketed several unusual and exotic potions, along with a spell book that had once belonged to a Noble Heart Folk geomancer. It would no doubt allow him to learn a bevy of useful earth spells, and was worth five hundred sovereigns in the right circles.
The Bone Wand he’d found, however, was a different story. Implements of the dark were valued greatly in the black market, meaning he could stand to earn at least nine hundred sovereigns. Assuming Kip wanted to sell it, which was unlikely considering his enthusiasm for the artifact.
Sonia found herself a Poisoner’s Dagger, with a hollowed-out spine, along with a couple vials of exotic poisons—Lungrot and Heartstopper. The former would sap stamina over time, reduce an enemy to strained wheezes in the middle of a fight. The latter would deal severe damage over time—10 points every 5 seconds. She could literally nick an enemy with a poison knife and just use Finesse as it died in front of her. Her kit added up to three hundred gold sovereigns altogether.
Henk nabbed a Mithril broadsword for himself, along with a heater shield that bore the noble crest of the Kingdom of Lancia. The broadsword had seen better days, but nothing an Elven smith couldn’t fix up with a few ingots of Mithril. The heater shield was purely ceremonial—more a nobleman’s decoration than one intended to block orcish axes. Returning it to the Lancia Kingdom would, however, net Henk and the Manticore Crew a hefty reputation boost in the kingdom. Better deals, extra faction quests, and maybe even free lodging if they ever found themselves in the lands of the noble it belonged to.
Argo, on the other hand, did not have as much luck. He searched in vain through the rest of the gear but couldn’t find anything that really stood out to him. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted what appeared to be the ornate handle of a violin sticking out from beneath a pile of animal skins.
Intrigued, Argo threw the animal skins aside to get a better look at the instrument. It was indeed a violin, carved from a shiny wood that was jet black and worked through with silver filigree. Argo stared at it in fascination, struck by its elegant curves and exquisite workmanship. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached down and carefully picked the violin up, fearful that he might damage it. It was extremely light in his hands, and he shuddered involuntarily when what felt like an electric shot went through his entire body.
Abruptly, his HUD screen materialized and a new message flashed in front of his eyes:
The Violin of Henrietta Sorzatia
Legendary Artifact—unlocks the Henrietta Sorzatia questline.
Quest Unlocked: The family of Henrietta would be most eager to see the violin returned to them. Take the violin to the city of Paleggio in the northern region of the Protectorate to receive their gratitude and a special reward.
Additional Quest Unlocked: Discover Henrietta’s tragic past and the dark secret held within the violin.
Additional Quest Unlocked: Locate The Bowstring of Henrietta Sorzatia to complete the set.
Quest Restrictions: Only the finder of the violin may perform the quest and must carry it out and all additional quests alone for it to be successfully completed. Tell no-one, seek assistance from no-one, or the quest will automatically be withdrawn and the violin will respawn in another location.
Argo stared at the information, trying to take in what he was being asked to do. He had never completed a solo quest on his own before—much less a legendary one. He dismissed the idea out of hand, but there was something about the violin and the hints of its power that made him think again. What kind of secrets could it possess? And what would he get out of it?
More importantly, why was a legendary artifact like this just sitting in a level 5 raid? Why would it restrict him to work on the quest alone, prevent him from seeking the aid of other players to complete it? He’d heard of personalized quests, but getting one from just picking up a random piece of loot? What happened to the previous owner of this violin?
A hand on his shoulder dragged him from his rambling thoughts. He looked up with a start into Brier’s furry face. “Come on,” said the gnoll, “we got to go.”
“Okay,” Argo said. “Just a minute.”
He accessed his ghost pack and placed the black violin inside, much to Brier’s bafflement. “You’re taking that?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at the boy before studying the violin. “Huh… Defective Ebony Violin. I mean it looks cool and all, but a defective violin?”
Defective? No, the Violin of Henrietta Sorzatia is a legendary artifact… oh, right, it is an exclusive quest item. Argo was about to tell him about the surprise quest attached to the violin and then remembered the special restrictions that came with it. If he said anything, the strange instrument would disappear and respawn who knows where.
“Well… it does look cool,” he mumbled half-heartedly. “I was thinking maybe I can find a luthier to fix it up later.”
Brier gave him a bemused look and then Kip bustled past, taking the gnoll’s arm. “Well, whatever you want. Just hurry up; we need to split now.”
Leaving the cage, Argo found Sonia busy connecting the rest of her oilfire bombs together to a strange-looking brass clock that was nestled in a forest of multicolored wires. “What are you—wait. Is that what I think it is?” he asked.
“I’m just preparing a final present for the outlaw gang,” the Rogue said without looking up. “There are enough chemicals and potions stored in here to make the place go bang when my makeshift time bomb here goes off.”
“Let’s go, guys,” Henk said from the doorway of the laboratory. “We can’t wait around all day.”
“Just a moment,” said Sonia as she put the finishing touches to her makeshift explosive. She turned a brass key protruding from the back of the clock and an ominous ticking sound filled the room. “Okay, we’ve got one hundred and thirty seconds to get out of here before this whole place explodes.”
“Come on!” yelled Henk. “Go! Go! Go!”
They ran out into the hallway, just as several ragged-looking orcs burst in from the other way. Argo spared a moment to check these orcs out and study their stats:
Scourgesicker Grunt
Level
03
Health
94/100
Stamina
18/20
Argo paled. These orcs were all riled up now, their intoxication overridden by the adrenaline of combat. They wouldn’t be slow, unresponsive, and vulnerable to stuns anymore. They were in full control of their faculties now, and they would be fighting much more viciously and with greater precision than before.
And they were calling for backup, bringing more orcs to converge on their location.
“This way!” shouted Argo. “We can get out through the kitchen!”
Remembering the way, he led the others across the hall and down the steps, all of them running as fast as they could, the orcish grunts hot on their heels.
Bursting into the kitchen, Argo bolted for the backdoor and threw it open. The adventurers spilled out of the house and into the compound moments before a huge boom shook the ground. Gouts of colossal greenish blue fire shot up through the roof of the villa, punching out the windows and doors with savage ferocity. The shockwave of the explosion knocked them all off their feet, sending them sprawling on the hard ground.
“Wow, that was more powerful than I was expecting,” Sonia said, lif
ting up her face which was now caked in dust.
“Everyone okay?” asked Henk as he and the others got to their feet. “Anyone lose any HP?”
“Just one point from the force of the impact; we’re all still in one piece,” said Aaheli. “Looks like we did a good job too.”
Chaos reigned all around them. Most of the structures in the compound were on fire with most of the orcs and trolls scrambling to escape through the main gate. Others ended up caught in the flames or blown apart by the explosion—leaving behind quite a few experience orbs. The Manticore Crew absorbed the orbs they could along the way, but had to abandon far more because of the bandits still milling about the area.
Spy: Reborn Page 19