“He left me, Darkblade.” He continued, clearly just sane enough to recognize my form. “He went searching for… for you… my mind wasn’t strong enough to hold it together… I hurt him. I was despicable… oh god!” Arden ceased his babbling for just a second as his stare lingered on me. “I hate you, Darkblade!” The duelist cried as his rant ended and he promptly started weeping. No time to deal with him now though... the others were nearly on top of me.
Suddenly, a tall lanky woman in torn garments leapt forward, her maddened eyes transfixed on my neck. I staved off her assault, but another mad man rushed in and stabbed something into the crease of my armor, piercing flesh and drawing blood.
With a stiff shoulder strike, I forced the man off me. It looked like he had stabbed me with a sharp piece of broken stone. Damnit this was bad.
I raised nevermore over my head and prepared to strike down the closest of the maddened. It had to be done. I dashed to the right to create some space, leveled my blade, took aim and…
I hesitated. Those eyes… those eyes wrought with madness held the same look that Max did when he first entered Vazryn’s chamber just moments ago.
More of the maddened began to crash into me, dragging me to the cold stone floor as they fought to get in hits of their own. I even felt a pair of teeth sink into my arm… things were going downhill fast.
“Zander, you have to defend yourself!” Razyr’s voice echoed in my mind as the drake entered my body as a ball of light.
“I... I can’t kill them.” I stammered. “I have to find a way to save them… a way to save Max.”
I desperately tried to cover my face as the beating continued.
“They are already gone.” Razyr pleaded. “They’re minds are gone… Please Zander. You mustn’t fall. Fight on… FIGHT!”
Damnit, he was right. If I died now, it would all be for naught… the man who took my best friend’s mind would run free, maybe even do it to others. Everyone would remain trapped in this place, memories would fade… No. It was time to make some sacrifices. It was time for Justice.
My body erupted with power as Kord entered me as a ball of light. With increased strength I flung the foes top of me across the room in all directions. Nevermore swirled to formation in my hand. Then, with a heavy heart… I ended the madness.
In moments the chamber lay still, the floor littered with the maddened who had fallen to my blade. I hated it… hated that I was forced to do something so gruesome… hated that my damned HUD was shoving experience point notifications in my face, taunting me with them!
“I’ll avenge you… all of you.” I said, giving the fallen mad men a final sendoff with my blade. The emotions my familiars were channeling into me told me that they were behind me in that.
“Alright boys.” I said as I began to walk down the final tunnel of these dimly lit catacombs. “Let’s finish this.”
A trail of blood followed me as I made my way down the passage. My flesh was torn, my body was bruised, and my shoulder had a sizable hole in it. If I didn’t have a health reticle circling my vision, I would’ve been certain that I was functioning on pure resolve.
The tunnel opened into another large chamber, this one unrefined and more cavernous. Its floor was mostly covered in a dark, murky pool of water that flowed into an outlet at the other side of the cave… an underground lake.
A small boat floated at the edge of the lake, its tow rope tethered to a spear lodged into the dirt.
And then there was him. His eyes widened just a bit as his gaze transfixed on my beaten body. Soon a wicked smile crept onto his face.
“You don’t look so good, Darkblade.” He said, his arrogance seeping through in every syllable. “I must say though, I am impressed to see you her. You are the true embodiment of persistence.”
I pointed nevermore at the man and began staggering in his direction. “This is it.” I spat. “No more tricks… no more running. Just you… and me.”
Vazryn nodded, then called his ancient familiar to his grasp. He sighed with resignation. “Very well, slayer. I’ll take what little HP you have left and end you for good.”
I tuned out all the pain and fell into battle stance. “You will try.”
45
I charged at Vazryn without reservation, blood-soaked obsidian blade in my grasp. My steps should’ve been labored from the injuries I had sustained, but the power of my familiars flowed through me, giving me the strength that I needed.
Vazryn smirked as he stepped away from the small boat, the darksilver armor of his familiar forming over his body. The sword the creature had formed into was massive… a curved sinewy blade taller than his own body. I made a quick assessment of the man. Longer reach, better armor… He likely planned on overpowering me. I would have to show him the difference between a pompous Highlord and a seasoned slayer.
Our swords clashed as I leapt in with lunging strike. We each held our ground, heels digging into the dirt as we pressed our blades into one another.
Vazryn relented, taking a quick step back before swinging his sword in a wide, looping arc. I dropped to a knee, allowing the blade to cut through the air above my head, the sprung forward with a double-strike. Nevermore slashed across Vazryn’s darksilver armor, creating a shower of sparks and knocking the man off balance.
“You won’t hurt me like that, boy!” Vazryn yelled as he brought his blade back around. With no time to dodge, I quickly pivoted my blade and tried to parry. Vazryn’s sword crashed into mine once more, the weight of the strike sending my off-balance form skidding through the dirt. I tried to climb back to my feet, but a follow up blow smashed into my side, cutting into my armor and sending my body crashing into the stone wall.
Vazryn grinned, then leveled his sword and began charging in my direction… He was going to skewer me to the wall!
Without thinking I activated dark gravity and fell into a crouch. As Vazryn neared, I leapt into a backflip, planting my feet several feet up on the wall and sticking there! Vazryn’s blade bounced against the stone where I had once been. He growled in frustration, then made another awkward thrust in my direction.
With superior agility, I scrambled across the side of the wall, dodging Vazryn’s repeated thrusts as tried to knock me back to the ground. With a quick dodge, I managed to roll backwards, landing higher up on the rock wall and out of Vazryn’s lengthy reach.
Suddenly, the Highlord heaved his blade backwards, gripping the hilt of the weapon tightly in both hands. Pieces of his sinewy sword began to glow a hot white as Vazryn took aim. Then, with teeth clenched, he swung the blade in my direction, releasing a wave of burning white energy that scaled the wall with insane speed!
My body reacted as I fully embraced the instincts of the slayer. I leapt from the wall with an empowered leap, sailing through the air before landing directly behind Lord Vazryn. The Highlord spun on his heel and attacked, but I was already gone. I materialized behind him, completing a well-timed shadowshift, then jammed nevermore into a crook in his armor near perfect armor.
Finally, the Highlord squealed in pain as the tip of my blade pierced his soft flesh… and oh how satisfying it was! He scrambled forward, swinging his blade wildly behind him in an attempt to keep me at bay. “You little bastard!” He screeched, his voice an octave or two higher and full of rage.
I gazed at the Highlord with unbridled resolve, then began a slow, deliberate approach towards the man. With his face twisted in a mix of anger and fear, Vazryn lashed out with another sweeping attack of white energy. I activated a carefully timed illusionary strike, fading from view as the wave passed through me, then re-appeared at the Highlord’s side. I slashed at the man with conviction, drawing a thin line of blood on his neck.
Vazryn howled as if he’d just received a mortal wound, though in truth his armor had absorbed most of the blow. By the gods… for being a Highlord of the realm, Vazryn was certainly pathetic.
“How dare you!” He spat. “I am going to-“ his words ended abruptly as I se
nt forth a barrage of translucent blades, knocking him to the ground in a brutal Aether assault. He remained there for several seconds, moaning as he nursed his flesh wounds.
“Time to end this.” I muttered, speaking to myself as much as the familiars that swirled inside my body. I calmly approached Vazryn, coming to a stop over his withering form. The Highlord began to lift his blade but I kicked it away, leaving him defenseless and trembling. This was it.
“Goodbye, Lord Vaz…”. I paused. “No. Goodbye, Corbin Castermire. The title of Highlord just seems too good for someone like you.” I took measure of the man’s weak points, trying to find the perfect place to jam nevermore and end the man’s miserable life. Under the helm and just below the chin looked like the only efficient choice. I knelt down, readied my blade and-
A searing pain pulsed through my midsection as something sharp pierced my back. I turned my head, only to see the long, wriggling tail of Aerodonulaus protruding from my flesh. The ancient one hissed at me, then with a yank, threw me to the side. Damnit, how was this even possible!
Vazryn began to cackle under his helm as he slowly rose to his feet. I tried to rise myself, to meet him head on, but the pain from my wounds was debilitating. I fell to the ground, lifeblood spilling out over the rocks and dirt.
“And now, it truly is over.” The Highlord said as the ancient familiar re-assumed its sword form. My HP was dwindling, growing closer to 0 by the second as my blood continued to drain. My mana was empty as well, and Kord and Razyr has nearly used all their Aether to keep me on my feet. I was spent.
Vazryn slung his sword over his back and knelt over my body, his eyes flickering with traces of madness themselves. “I was going to make this quick.” He spat.” But now I think I’ll enjoy myself a bit.” Gauntleted fists began to smash against my face, slicing my cheeks and lip. I tried to raise nevermore but Vazryn pinned my arm with an armored knee. He placed his hands around my throat and began to squeeze. “Now…”. He whispered. “You die.”
My HP ticked away as I choked out my final gasps.
11, 10, 9…
Sorry guys… I thought to myself. You’ll have to carry on without me…
7, 6, 5…
Be… be safe, everyone. Especially you, Hilda. I lo-
Something red went streaking through the air, causing Vazryn to pause for the briefest of seconds. With the tiniest ounce of strength, I shoved the Highlord with my free hand, creating a small bit of space and inhaled a welcomed breath.
The streak of red circled the cavern, then turned and came barreling in my direction. We both looked up, our eyes transfixing on the thing… It was a tiny scaled red dragon, it’s scarlet eyes illuminated with an Aether glow. I’d seen this creature before… was that Arden’s familiar?!
The creature dove at Vazryn, bellowing out a small bit of flame that forced the Highlord to recoil. The sprite then brandished it’s claws and began scratching at his helm, eliciting cries of anger from the man.
Slowly, I forced myself to my feet. It was all that I could do to not pass out from pain and exhaustion. Vazryn, who stood just a few feet away, grabbed his blade and swatted the draconic familiar away. His gaze shifted back to me as he lifted the sword to strike…
I half-rolled, half-collapsed to the side as the sword came down. The draconic familiar returned to the air, this time taking aim at me. Vazryn’s eyes went wide as did mine. The creature formed into a ball of light and… and crashed into my body.
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Fresh Aether pulsed through my veins as the creature’s energy super-charged my body. My skin felt like it was on fire, glowing with a faint azure glow as the power of 3 familiars churned in me like a tempest. Seconds ago, I felt like I was on the brink death… and perhaps I still was. But with the combined power of the familiars raging inside of me, I felt unstoppable.
“No!” Vazryn cried, before making a desperate lunge at me with his blade. I easily dodged, ducking under the attack before knocking him away with a stiff kick to the side. My HP no longer lingered near empty… No, constitution and strength were this familiar’s gifts.
“You have freed me from my captive.” The creature said in my head. “And in that action, displayed characteristics worthy of my bond. My power is yours to use.”
“Thank you.” I said, turning to face the Highlord. I’ll certainly put it to good use.
I lunged at Vazryn with my obsidian blade, striking quickly to the left, then to the right. The Highlord did his best to block, but his massive blade was incredibly hard to maneuver so quickly.
I ducked under the man’s arm and spun around to his back, then slammed my sword into the back of his helm. He began to stumble forward but I ran alongside him, catching the front of his helm with a horizontal slash.
The Highlord slid to his knees as his head snapped back from the blow. His arms fell to his sides, exposing his armored chest. Now was the time.
I heaved nevermore over my head, drawing the Aether from all my familiars into a final blow, a blow that would end this man’s reign…. Azure blade!
The strike landed sound on Vazryn’s chest plate, tearing through armor and flesh with a powerful blast of blade energy. It rippled off my blade, piercing through his body before exploding in the dirt behind him. Finally, the dirt settled and for a second everything remained still….
Vazryn’s darksilver armor began to liquify as it rejoined with his blade, eventually taking the form of the wounded ancient, Aerodonulaus.
“You f-fool…” he muttered as blood poured from the corners of his mouth. “You’ve d-doomed everyone.”
“No, I’ve saved them.” I said as my familiars began to leave my body, returning to their base forms. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, Corbin. I don’t know what this game did to you, but for most of us… it’s time to go home. I’ll tell your old friend Wesley that you died with some semblance of honor though… I think he felt some sympathy for you, despite your atrocities.”
“Wesley?” Vazryn squeaked out, his face twisted in confusion. “Wesley is…’ He began to cough. “Wesley is d-de…”. His voice trailed off as he sucked in his final breath. Finally, Highlord Vazryn was no more.
I stood there in silence for several seconds as I watched the light leave lord Vazryn’s eyes. I had slain the man, the infamous creator of Aether Gate Online… but what happened now?
A nervous tension began to build in the pit of my stomach. Wesley had said that this would release us form the game. Well, Corbin was dead. Why was I still here?!
“Zan!” A voice echoed across the cave as Hilda entered, her body full of fresh wounds. “You did it!”
I nodded, then took a seat on one of the cavern’s large stones. All of this fighting had taken quite a toll.
“Who’s that?” She asked, pointing to the red dragon nestled near my feet.
Salence
Dragon Sprite (bonded)
“Apparently he’s with me.” I took a quick look around the cavern. “Though I was certain that slaying Vazryn was our ticket out of here.”
She shrugged, then leaned down to pet the tiny dragon. He growled with appreciation. “Don’t get nervous yet, Zan. Maybe there’s something else that needs to be done. Wesley wasn’t very specific on details after all.”
That’s exactly what had me nervous.
A few moments later, Morose entered the cavern with a handful of ravens at his back. He strolled right up to the Highlord and gave the corpse a swift kick. “Good riddance, Highlord. Some much for being a… how did you say it… of a Prestige class.” He spit on the body then turned to address me. “Good work.” He said, giving me a strange single-handed salute. “You’re going to be honored for this, raven.”
Honored… I thought I was going home. “What’s next, Morose?” I asked, digging for a little clarity on the situation.
“We pack this body up and take it back to Karrihdan with us. We need to deliver it to the High Raven.” He turned his head as a trio of ravens began to yell and make n
oise. We watched as the three men wrestled Aerodonulaus, the ancient familiar, into a small steel cage. The beast lashed out, nearly killing one of the men before they finally forced it into captivity. Its movements were sluggish, likely from the fight. At full power, those men would’ve been long dead.
“We got it, sir!” One of the men shouted, pointing to the cage that now glowed with sealing insignias.
“Good work.” Morose replied, surveying the area with subtle satisfaction. “Now, pack it up ravens. We’re heading home.”
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It soon became clear that Morose’s idea of home was quite different than my own. So, to Karrihdan we went, traveling as an assembled guild for the first time since the game began. Brenton and Taryn chose to remain at the side of Hilda and I, and even Helena stuck around, though she made it quite clear she was not happy about my comradery with Rhylor. Still, what could she say? Rhylor’s guild had been the one that healed Hilda after her near-death experience with Arden, after all. Apparently, it had come as a special request from Vic, as thanks for helping him during our early days in AGO. Damn it all, that man was sure finding ways to surprise me.
Despite the powerful bonds I’d formed with these people, it was so hard to leave Max behind. Even with Vazryn dead, my old friend was still wholly consumed by the madness… an engineered killing machine trapped in this world for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I talked Morose out of outright killing the man. Instead, he was taken by a group of ravens to be held in captivity in one of the guild’s northern outposts. He would be safe there… at least until I could find a way to restore some semblance of the man’s sanity. Damnit Max, I’d find a way to get you back old friend. You were my protector back in our old lives. Now, it was my turn save you…
It took a few weeks to return to Karrihdan, a trip that truly tried the patience of my windsteed. Often, I found my myself riding out ahead of the guild to appease Zephyr’s wild nature, only to circle back and rejoin the group later in the day. But eventually, after 16 days of riding… we arrived ‘home’.
The Slayer Page 29