Congratulations!
You have summoned Fire Elemental
Level 66
Duration – 5 Minutes
“Master,” he said in a voice that sounded like a burning inferno.
“Hey buddy.” I scrolled through his stats, impressed to see that he had over 500.000 health points. I also learned that I could command him to cast two different spells. The first, a fire buff, would increase all damage done by my fire spells by 25%. The other spell, called Mirror Image, made the elemental look and act just like me for a short duration, which would come in pretty damn handy as a decoy.
The best part about the Fire Elemental was that there was no limit to how long I could keep him summoned, and there was no cooldown. I had been waiting to get a high enough level to gain a minion, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
I practiced controlling the elemental and giving it commands for ten minutes, then I said farewell to the mage trainer and headed out. I had planned a feast for later that night, and I was excited to get back to Haven and enjoy the festivities.
I used my new Haven Heart Stone to open a pathway to my new tower, and I walked onto the balcony and into chaos.
“Where the hell have you been?” Anna yelled to me as she raced onto the balcony from inside the tower with a giant crossbow in hand.
I watched dumbfounded as she leapt over the rail, and I ran to it to see her land on a white dragon’s back. An explosion caught my attention, and I snapped my head up and beheld a battlefield. Tent city was on fire, and an army of huge barbarians were advancing toward it. Burning fireballs launched by catapults sailed over their heads from behind, and I cringed when the four abodes on the outskirts of the tent city were decimated.
I brought up my interface and tapped on tower defenses. I zoomed in on the perimeter shield and cursed when I saw that about 10% of the tents were outside the shield. I looked at recent commands and found that my guildmates had been hard at work getting the defenses moving. The twenty-five hard ass warriors that had come with the tower had already been deployed to advance around behind the barbarian forces, and Zoe had ordered her orcs to the front line with our new militia, who had had exactly two proper training sessions. I tapped on tower weaponry, and found that Tweak, Kit, Cecilia, and exactly a dozen purple monkeys were manning the many cannons and ballista that we had mounted on the roof.
I glanced back at the battlefield, and indeed, I could see the glowing projectiles being launched from the roof as they sailed into the advancing barbarian army. I tapped on my interface again, bringing up information about the enemy, and I cursed when I read their numbers. There were two-hundred of them, and the shortest among them was still over seven feet tall. They were an organized army too, well-armed and armored. Their siege weapons were massive and intimidating as hell, and real fear gripped my heart when I considered that this might be the end of my little reign as King of Haven.
I leapt off the balcony and popped the top off a health potion as I fell. I hit the ground hard and rolled, and somehow only broke my right ankle in the process. With a growl I pulled the cork out of the healing potion and guzzled it down, then I determinedly began limping toward the battlefield.
“Heads up!” I heard Nanaya growl in her dragon voice.
I saw her shadow overtake mine, and I lifted my arms to the sides. A second later Nanaya grabbed me gently but firmly with her giant claws, and we sailed over the smoldering tent city.
“Where the hell were you ten seconds ago?” I yelled up at her.
“Watching your dumb ass leap from a balcony!” she growled back.
Anger filled my every fiber as I beheld the terrified villagers scramble for the safety of the tower’s energy shield. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I had promised these people a safe haven, and I had failed miserably. I didn’t want to know the death toll. All I wanted was revenge.
“Bring me to the front line!” I told Nanaya, and she craned her neck to look back at me. “Bring me to the front line!” I repeated, and a rumble issued from her massive chest.
“Be prepared,” was all she said.
I conjured a Nuclear Thunderclap, basking in the power coursing through my body as the spell came to fruition, and I unleashed it with a murderous scream. The explosion tore barbarians to pieces and sent others flying, and the sight of the mushroom cloud rising over the screaming bastards put a huge grin on my face.
Nanaya released me, and I unsheathed my enchanted blade and conjured my Fire Shield as I fell. I landed in the crater created by my Nuclear Thunderclap and raced toward the first barbarian that I saw. I leapt into the smoke before he noticed me, came down with my glowing blade leading the way, and stabbed the son of a bitch in the neck.
Soul Shatter Strike!
The barbarian exploded into a fine red mist that painted my face and body as I charged through it. I engaged two more barbarians, slicing through the kneecap of one, and spinning to deliver a Magic Bolt into the face of another. I was on the warpath, and every barbarian I faced either died or ran screaming and nursing horrific injuries.
It wasn’t until I encountered a barbarian witch doctor that I found a worthwhile opponent. She was old and haggard, but she was also huge, and incredibly powerful. When I first noticed the hag, I launched a fireball, thinking I had gotten the jump on her, but to my surprise, she actually caught the fireball and threw it right back at me. I was so surprised that I barely avoided it, but I couldn’t dodge the spell that followed. It was a thick green webbing, and once it hit me it wrapped itself around me and squeezed until I could no longer run. I hit the ground hard and spun frantically to avoid the follow-up that I knew was coming. The witchdoctor landed where I had been laying, slamming the ground with her skull-capped staff, and she offered me a grin as I rolled away. She stood to full height, over nine feet tall, and stomped toward me. I would have been doomed had Trinity not suddenly leapt into the picture and tackled the old hag.
As they tumbled off to the side, I cast Arcane Lightning, which spread across the webbing spell and shorted it out. A moment later I was free, and I leapt to my feet searching for Trinity. I found her battling the witch doctor, but it wasn’t going well for her. The old hag bombarded her with spells that Trinity was forced to block with her big shield, but the barbarian woman had summoned her ancestors, and the three ghostly forms were attacking Trinity as well.
“Hey, you old bitch, over here!” I screamed, hoping to take the attention off my lead tank.
It worked, and the witchdoctor turned her wrinkled face my way.
“Eat my fireballs!” I told her and launched three fireballs in rapid succession before darting to the left.
As she deflected the fireballs, I summoned my Fire Elemental, then tapped on Mirror Image. A moment later the Elemental suddenly changed form, and I laughed as my doppelganger ran alongside me.
“Attack from the other side!” I instructed the elemental, and my mirror image raced off to flank the old hag from the other side.
She looked from me to him with curiosity, and then leveled her gaze on me. Trinity was still in the fight, and she took the smile from the woman’s face with a Warrior Charge that left the giant woman on her ass. I conjured Hellfire, but just then a barbarian slammed into me, and my spell shot into the sky aimlessly.
I growled and shot to my feet. But the barbarian had recovered quickly as well. He swung his massive sword overhead and down at me, leaving me only moments to bring up my shield and be driven to my knees by the blow. I retaliated with a stab to the thigh and spun away from my opponent, while spinning my sword into the air at the same time. I conjured and released a Magic Bolt that took his left arm off, then I caught my twirling sword on the descent and sliced the fucker’s head clean off his shoulders.
Trinity’s cry snapped me from my bloodlust, and I looked in time to see her fall dead at the witchdoctor’s feet.
I began conjuring a spell, intent on taking the old hag’s head off, but three orcs suddenly leapt onto h
er and began stabbing her to death.
“Try to keep up!” said Zoe as she ran past me. She leapt into the air and twirled three times, then came down on the old hag with a long ice shard that had suddenly grown out of her fist. The giant icicle plunged into the witch doctor’s neck, through her body, and pinned her to the ground.
“Holy shit,” I said to my doppelganger as the elemental came to stand beside me questioningly.
“Look out Big Daddy!” Kit warned, and I turned and ducked just in time to dodge the sword that swiped for my head.
I hit the attacking barbarian with a Fireball and followed it up with Arcane Lightning, which spread out and shocked a half a dozen nearby barbarians. Kit tangled up my assailant’s legs with vines and leapt on its back. A sword through the neck finished the big son of a bitch, and Kit leapt off and landed next to me.
We danced through the lumbering barbarians, using our superior speed to stay one step ahead of them, and leaving a long line of dead bodies in our wake. But more than half of the barbarian army remained, and we hadn’t stopped their advance completely. Spells still streaked across the battlefield from the tower, and my guild mates up there manning the cannons had managed to destroy all the siege weapons. Now it was just a matter of defeating the rest of the armed forces.
Zoe used her powers to put out the fires in tent city, and Mick managed to get all the civilian villagers inside of the tower’s energy shield. Then we all regrouped and began steadily pushing the barbarian army back. The giant warriors finally retreated when it became obvious that they were doomed, and our army erupted in celebration.
“Let them go!” I told Zoe and her orcs when they began to give chase. “Let them tell the others what happens when you fuck with the people of Haven!”
The crowd of young fighters cheered and clanged their weapons together, chasing the barbarians away with their victory scream.
“Today we were tested,” I told the humans and orcs alike. “And we will be tested again. But we shall be victorious, for together we are invincible!”
The crowd cheered like maniacs and the orcs hissed and roared.
The afternoon was spent gathering and burning the dead and trying to salvage what we could of tent city. The barbarian attack had been a huge setback. Not only had 25% of the tents been destroyed, but we had lost another thirty villagers. Zoe reported that ten of her orcs had been killed in the fighting as well, and she was none too happy about it.
“I say we take the fight right to the barbarian’s doorstep,” the orc informed us as we sat around the round table in our tower.
“We’re not strong enough for that yet,” I told her.
“Yeah, well they’re never going to stop,” said Zoe. “And that was just a small percentage of the barbarian tribe.”
“We need more allies,” said Cecilia. “Soon the other guilds will be able to get in, and we were almost wiped out by a bunch of NPC barbarians.”
“I forgot to tell you guys,” I said. “The Purrrrsian Empire is going to come and help us defend when the ban is up.”
“Sweeeeet!” Kit cheered.
“That’s going to change everything,” said Ember.
“They’ll be a big help,” Stormy agreed. “But we still need a bigger army. I say that we speak with the dwarves. If we can make an alliance with them, then we’ll be golden.”
“I like that idea,” I told her. “I’ve been thinking that we should meet with them for some time now.”
“Now’s as good a time as any,” said Trinity. “Nanaya can get us there in less than an hour.”
“I don’t think they’re going to respond well to a dragon flying into their territory,” said Stormy.
“That’s true,” I said. “We’ll have to take the horses. Everyone get ready. We leave in ten minutes.”
Chapter 7
I left Miramar in charge of Haven, and my guild mates and I set out west toward the Trinity Mountains. The journey to the dwarven kingdom took two hours by horse, and we reached the gates a few hours before the sun would set. When we came to the massive iron gates, we found a party of at least twenty dwarves waiting for us.
“Hello!” I called out, raising my hands to show them that I came in peace.
“Who goes there?” one of the dwarves called back.
“I am King Samson of Haven and this is my guild, Heavy Metal Thunder. I have come to speak with your king.”
The dwarves surrounded us, and I indicated for my guild mates to dismount with me.
“Welcome to Stonespire, Samson of Haven,” said the stout dwarven guard. “We have heard much about you. I am Rocknar.”
I shook his hand and glanced at my guild mates with a satisfied grin.
“My king has been eager to meet with you,” the dwarf continued. “Trust your horses to my men and please follow me.”
We handed over the reins and followed Rocknar beyond the iron gates. The dwarves nodded respectfully as we passed, and I marveled at the amazing architecture. The wide halls were built much like Aeorock, with towering columns, arched buttresses, and intricately carved stonework. But unlike Aeorock, Stonespire’s walls were filled with sparkling minerals that shimmered with the reflection of the passing torches. The main chamber opened to a massive cavern that seemed to span for miles. It was well lit by magical orbs that hung from the ceiling and wrapped around the giant columns.
“Beautiful place,” I noted.
“Aye,” said Rocknar, who was beaming. “Stonespire be our pride and joy.”
The large shelf that we had emerged onto was about three stories above the city proper, so we took a long winding staircase down to the bustling city streets. At the center of the city, an imposing castle rose up more than nine stories, and I realized that I was looking at a stalagmite. The massive natural formation had been meticulously carved and hollowed out to create one of the most impressive castles that I had ever seen.
Rocknar explained who we were to the castle guards, but we were still required to leave our weapons behind if we were to meet with the king. Trinity didn’t like it—big shocker there—but I ensured her that everything would be fine, and ten minutes later we were waiting outside the King’s chambers.
“This place is amazing,” Stormy noted as she studied the large carving that adorned the wall. It depicted a raging battle between an army of giants and dwarves.
“This place is going to be slamming once the programmers let other players in,” said Tweak.
“Yeah,” said Kit. “We’ll have our own Aeorock right in our back yard.”
“All the more reason to make allies with these dwarves,” said Ember.
“The king will see you now,” said one of the two dwarves who had been standing on each side of the door like statues.
I rose with my guild mates, and we were led into a lavish chamber with gilded walls and large golden statues. This was the king’s throne room, and I could see him waiting at the other end atop a tall throne that appeared to be made of pure gold. Two rows of beautiful wooden benches led up to the throne, and the guards led us down the isle with a determined spring in their step.
“Samson of Haven,” came the deep, rumbling voice of the king. “Welcome to Stonespire.”
We stopped before the throne and bowed low.
“Greetings, King Hagar,” I said, standing straight and smiling up at the big dwarf.
King Hagar wore a massive crown that resembled diamond encrusted deer antlers, and at each point sat a large, brilliant ruby. He wore thick, golden armor that looked like it weighed a ton, but when he rose, he did so with easy grace. His braided white beard reached to his knees, and a red cloak seemed to blow in a mystical wind.
His big heavy boots boomed as he took the five steps down from his throne, and he extended his hand. I shook it, trying not to grimace as my hand was lost in his iron grip.
“Ye be a new king,” he noted, eyeing my guild mates with amusement. “How have ye fared so far in tamin’ this land that ye call Ozara?”
He nodded grimly. “What be these setbacks that ye speak of?”
“Big fucking barbarians for one,” said Trinity.
I offered her a pensive frown.
“We were attacked by barbarians recently,” I explained.
“Hmmm,” he hummed deeply and stroked his beard. “What clan?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “They wore blue face paint if that helps.”
“Ah, the Akka’Ren clan. Were ye victorious?”
“Yes, we defeated them and sent them running for the hills,” I said proudly.
“Hmmm. Then they will be back, and with greater numbers.”
“I have anticipated as much,” I said. “That is partially the reason that I have come to meet with you. Soon this land will be open to thousands of newcomers. The gods have deemed it so. They will come to this land and they will try to carve out their own kingdoms. But together, I believe that we can protect our boundaries and bring everlasting peace to our people.”
“I respect your efforts, Samson,” said the king. “But what can ye offer us?”
“Trade, for one,” I said. “And protection on your eastern border.”
“What is it that ye have to trade?”
“Our crops should be coming in soon,” I told him. “And aside from that—”
“Crops? Ye be meanin’ vegetables?”
“Yes, as well as livestock.”
“We don’t eat many vegetables,” said the king. “And although I like ye, Samson, I must admit that the barbarians that attacked your city be our allies. Have been for more than ten years.”
“Great…” Trinity said under her breath and glanced around wearily.
“Fret not, human warrior,” the king told her. “Ye be a guest in my halls, and no harm shall come to ye this day.”
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