by Domino Finn
[Stigg] cast Berserker's Frenzy
For the next 30 seconds, your physical skills do not require cooldown.
We discharged our skills with abandon. The berserker overcommitted to his charge and got raked by black claws. Caduceus took care of him as he returned to safety. It was a glorious tag-team rage-in-the-cage mega-fight.
It was fun watching the skeletons engage the new mobs. The claws were slashing weapons and were thus weaker against bone, and the undine poison was pretty much useless against the dead. Still, the mermaids weren't as frightened of the mobs as the humans. They attacked in relentless groups that proved an effective counter.
Rogues had taken to attacking the barracks. I wasn't sure what their strategy was but figured I could deal with the damage later. As long as fewer men were attacking mine, I considered it a win. Especially since we now had our hands full.
A stray arrow caught Caduceus in the back.
Critical Hit!
Stun!
The attack had somehow managed a bunch of damage. Conan shoved her to safety and engaged a pair of mermen. His axe could only counter so many claws. They slashed him mercilessly while Caduceus was unable to heal him.
[Undine] dealt 33 damage to [Conan]
DoT: 15 dmg/10 secs
[Undine] dealt 37 damage to [Conan]
DoT: 15 dmg/10 secs
[Undine] dealt 31 damage to [Conan]
[Conan] is dead!
I slaughtered the pair a second too late. I only had time to salvage his property back to him before needing to retreat myself.
Lash scowled as she hung Caduceus over her shoulder, retreating as well. "Come on!" The knight slammed her shield into the ground to trip up her pursuers.
Stigg dutifully followed, protecting her back. From my seat atop Bandit, I didn't see Izzy anywhere. I had taken some poison myself and was finding the swarms of enemies dizzying. I swung the spear and charged Bandit ahead to clear a path for the others.
The crowd of rogues parted. At first it was fear but, as my head swam, it was no longer panic. They were the Red Sea, parting unnaturally, and my poison-riddled determination galloped me forward into it. Before I knew it, a single figure stood fixed in my path. Hadrian. My surprise contorted to hate, my knuckles whitened on the dragonspear, and the shadow crashed into me before I ever saw it.
Air rushed from my chest as I banged on the ground. Shadowy fingers scraped the bongo as she tried to defend me. Somehow I'd managed to keep my grip on my weapon. I blinked back shell shock and sat up.
Stigg rushed past me without hesitation, wooden staff spinning toward Hadrian. The Whisperer stood in place, the second shadowguard clinging to him like a coat. The berserker's attack whiffed as Hadrian appeared behind him, countering. The third assassin needle made a reappearance and pierced the red robe.
Backstab!
Savage!
[Hadrian] dealt 197 damage to [Stigg]
[Stigg] is dead!
Dune roared in the distance. A silver arrow zipped by my head. Hadrian's shadowguard snatched the projectile in midair, inches from the Whisperer's heart.
The other shadowguard didn't wait. It lunged for me. I dashed to the side as Lash twirled her cleaver and dealt it a glowing-yellow body blow. I readied a deadshot as a pair of undine joined the fray. As I fended them off, a notification came through.
Barracks suffered catastrophic damage
Barracks is destroyed!
Icicles barraged Hadrian's back. The shadowguard-turned-armor winced away from the magic, angering Hadrian. He rushed between rogues to use them as body shields.
I braced a crossblock against the shadow.
22 damage
The combined jabs and poisons were starting to take their toll. Lash once again hit the shadow demon. She and Izzy were probably the best we had against them, and they were barely enough, especially since the bodyguards had apparently healed some since our last encounter. The wraith struck and grooves opened across her white breastplate.
The physicker swooped in with her holy rod.
[Caduceus] cast Greater Holy Light
For the next 30 seconds, you have the ability of Greater Regeneration.
Nearby Black Hats enjoyed surging health bars. Caduceus had found one of Haven's earlier relics, holy based even though she was a woman of science. Hey, I wasn't complaining.
"The healers!" screamed Hadrian. "Kill the healers!"
The shadowguard plastered to him immediately obeyed. It peeled away and dove past Lash, still engaged with the other. I moved to intercept but it vanished.
Critical Hit!
[Shadowguard] dealt 87 damage to [Caduceus]
[Glinda] cast Minor Healing on [Caduceus]
Although it wasn't a major heal, it got the physicker out of immediate danger. The added regeneration returned her to full in short time.
The shadowguard snarled and twisted around. Both it and the one engaged with Lash snaked to the incoming white witch and decapitated her before she saw them coming.
[Glinda] is dead!
More determined than ever by their success, the shadowguards doubled up on Caduceus, just getting to her feet.
Shock!
With greater regeneration, the damage was less critical than the shock, which would prevent Caduceus from using skills for a full minute. I put myself between Caduceus and the shadows and gritted my teeth.
Damn it. Kyle's selfless move with the kraken had jump-started Oldtown's defense when we'd needed it, but we were feeling the repercussions now. We lost the mirror shield and, more vitally, the bishop's gauntlet that we needed to take on the darkness.
I stood my ground anyway. A well-timed tornado spin, overloaded of course, fended away the first set of attacks. Izzy erected a wall of ice to protect the physicker's flank. Still, the shadows wouldn't stop coming. Lash struck one in the back as the other went for the medic.
Errol fucking Oates galloped over on Artax's back. The war horse trampled rogues in his path. The pirate flipped head over heels in something closer to showmanship than combat, and buried his rapier into the shadowguard.
[Errol] dealt 34 damage to [Shadowguard] (260/600)
The shadow slashed back.
Leg Break!
[Shadowguard] dealt 67 damage to [Errol]
DoT: 30 dmg/15 secs
Lash pressed in with a spinning cleaver, backing the demon off Errol. Unfortunately, the other one had a clear shot at her back.
[Shadowguard] dealt 45 damage to [Lash]
DoT: 30 dmg/15 secs
Errol dropped to his knees, winded. Unlike Lash, he'd been out of range when the regeneration buff went off. A brave mermaid caught him across the neck. I buried the dragonspear between her scaly breasts.
The pirate breathed harshly as Caduceus crouched by his side. "Just 20 more seconds till my shock wears off," she said. "Then I can heal you."
"Darlin'," breathed the mortally wounded pirate, "I ain't gonna make it that long. But I thought ye should have this." Errol pulled a gaudy helmet from his inventory, handed it to the physicker, and said, "A pirate captain oft be surrounded by lethal ladies. Of 'em all, yer my favorite."
[Errol] is dead!
Grom scratched his head in befuddlement. "Oi, should we tell the cap'n she's gay?"
Caduceus stared at the full helm in grim reverence. It was made out of steel, with a crosscut slit on the face, horizontal over the eyes and vertical down the center. Atop the helmet rested a bronze cross, large and iconic like a hood ornament. We may not have had Bishop Tannen's glove, but we sure had his helmet.
I defended Caduceus from the shadow and undine as the other shadowguard punched through Lash's chest.
Critical Hit!
[Shadowguard] dealt 80 damage to [Lash]
DoT: 30 dmg/15 secs
The shadow, though faceless, managed a cruel grin. Unconcerned with her fate, the white knight ripped her cleaver upwards, a blaze of yellow tearing through her foe.
Deathblow!
> Critical Hit!
[Lash] dealt 67 damage to [Shadowguard] (193/600)
I fended off one last attempt at Caduceus before she slipped the helmet onto her head. For the faintest of moments, an orb of silence seemed to surround us. Then a shock wave flashed from her body. Golden light shone through the darkness. The frantic shadowguard immediately called off its attack. The one engaged with Lash withered away, but a shield wall cast behind it caught it in place.
I dashed to the white knight's side and comboed the stuck shadow with a deadshot.
Combo!
Critical Hit!
You dealt 41 damage to [Shadowguard] (152/600)
Somehow, the holy light exposed the withering demon to greater damage. While the shadowguard was pinned by a cleaver and the dragonspear, the frost mage summoned a stalagmite of ice from the ground.
Critical Hit!
[Izzy] dealt 36 damage to [Shadowguard] (116/600)
Caduceus stepped close to the interlocked struggle and, for the first time, a pair of white eyes illuminated on the demon's face. They opened wide with fear. The physicker rested one hand on the dying knight's shoulder and instantly restored her to full health. She plunged another into the shadowguard's chest. It exploded in a rain of sparks and ashes.
[Shadowguard] is defeated!
225 XP awarded
Dune stopped at our side, blue flames washing over his body as he hit level 9, gifted full health and spirit. He raised his longbow, two arrows simultaneously notched.
Hadrian's eyes were fixed on the spot where his shadowguard had been. Motes of dark and light swirled and dissipated. The other bodyguard shied away to shield its master. Caduceus stood tall and swiveled her bishop helmet to the Whisperer.
Dune released his arrows. The shadow armor caught one. The other punched into Hadrian's gut. The wraith hissed and pulled him backward through a growing crowd of cutthroats.
"Don't let him get away!" growled Lash, rushing headlong into the fray. The ranger notched arrows and offered support as Caduceus pursued. I held back, blinking, scanning the battlefield of marauders and assassins and mermaids.
Something was wrong. "There's too many of them."
My map confirmed the fact. The final swell of enemies was rolling in. Somehow, the Black Hats were vastly outnumbered. Our ranks were dimming alarmingly. I scoured various status screens.
Black Hat Headquarters
Level: 2
HQXP: 4 / 8
HQR: 0
Daily HQR Production: 14
DP: 14
Current Buildings
Guildhall
Brothel
Lumberyard
Vault
Destroyed
Barracks
The destruction of a building lowered our headquarters XP to 4, but that was still enough for level 2. Our HQR production wasn't affected. Our defense points, however, seemed unusually high at 14.
Talon: Kyle, we have plenty of DP. Why aren't the skeletons respawning?
Kyle: Sorry, was working on that. The troop barracks was serving as the spawn point. They hosed us by destroying it.
I was angry with myself for not catching on to the enemy strategy sooner. Headquarters defense was still new to me. I was wet behind the ears. Hadrian, not so much. The way he'd attacked the turrets and the barracks, he'd had this all planned.
Kyle: Check this out, though. We have one other building the skeletons can spawn at. The brothel. Which makes sense 'cause it's a respawn point too.
The ground rumbled for a moment and I grinned. Defense points ticked down as bony fingers once again clawed from the ground. Only this time, the skeletons that emerged beside the brothel were clothed in garter belts, candy heels, and crotchless panties.
Talon: Dude, did you just raise an army of skeleton whores?
Kyle: Um... Maybe they're themed to the spawn point.
I watched (without judgment) as a bony tramp clamped her legs around a rogue's face for a quick mustache ride. Another ripped off a lacy bra and squeezed it around an assassin's neck. These ladies were real pros, and they weren't even charging for their services.
With reinforcements once again flowing freely, the battle was looking more winnable. With only fifteen Black Hats left standing, that was no small thing. I snagged Trafford and Jixa and pointed to the spawn point. "You guys protect that brothel with your lives. Keep it repaired no matter the cost."
"What a glorious death," snarked the old man. "They'll sing songs about me."
"Good luck," I told him. "I've been trying to get the pirates to sing about me for days."
They went to business. And with the obstacle work along the shoreline completed, it was great to have the ogres back bashing heads. I didn't hold back either. I dove headfirst into the action, content to take a break from management duties and have a bit of rip-roaring fun.
The last burst of enemies was vicious. With their barracks strategy a success, they went full-on at the brothel. It received extensive repairs until our defense points hovered at 1. The undine swarmed the ogres, treating them as giant pincushions, sticking them with so much poison it hurt to watch. Skeleton hookers took on the mobs with dead stares and both sides incurred heavy losses. The battle was winding down as soldiers in both armies fell. I found Bandit on the fringes of the action and rode her outward, searching the battlefield.
The Whisperer had retreated to the riverbank, a bullet of shadow effortlessly weaving past caltrops and walls. This frustrated Lash mightily. Dune took potshots where he could. Many missed their mark but others did their job. It was clear the arrows would be more effective when Hadrian was otherwise engaged. Luckily, Caduceus was keeping the good guys healthy.
The mountain bongo's thick hooves safely charged through the caltrops. Bandit hopped a pile of lumber and I speared Hadrian with a deadshot.
[Hadrian] used Shadowslip
Graze!
You dealt 27 damage to [Hadrian]
Despite the partial dodge, the force of the blow powered him to the ground. Hadrian clawed at the wet mud and laughed. I twirled the dragonspear in hand as Lash and the others stepped to Bandit's side, weapons drawn.
An amorphous body lifted from the river on a slew of tentacles. The hulking mass slapped the mud with a heavy squelch, shaking the ground. The kraken bared a throatful of teeth in a blistering roar. Hadrian snuck to the side as he revealed his last trick: the titan was still in the fight.
1470 Big Game Hunter
Articulated tentacles swung with fury, dealing hundreds of points of damage. Despite having the foresight to crossblock, the blow knocked me clear off my mount. Another smashed clean through Lash's energy shield and bashed her to the ground. Dune shoved Caduceus clear as another tentacle took his legs out with a crit. Even Bandit was smacked hard.
Artax rushed in and kicked the tentacles away. There were too many to take on. The kraken cracked the horse's back. Bandit drilled her horns into the titan, but it was too late. Artax was dead. For her effort, a thick appendage wrapped up the bongo's large body and thrust her aside like a play toy. She crumpled against the mighty stone of Dragonperch, screams of agony rattling my senses.
Bishop Tannen's helmet bathed the area in golden light.
[Caduceus] cast Salvation
Everyone in the immediate vicinity and still alive was restored to full health. The physicker chugged a spirit vial for a refresh. "They're not giving me much anymore," she reported. "I don't have a lot of juice left."
"We need you alive," stressed Dune. "Take on the shadowguard, not the kraken." The physicker gritted her teeth and nodded.
Bandit whined in the distance. My heart broke as I realized she'd been out of range of the group heal. I couldn't break away to tend to her just yet. "Hold on, girl!" I cried.
I dashed clear of a smash attack. Dune nocked arrows and speared the titan. Lash buffed us with spirit boosters and defense bonuses. From behind, a barrage of ice crystals battered the kraken's side.
The god was
n't immune to damage, but its health bar had barely budged, down to 80% only because of the earlier river explosion. Still, even that remaining health accounted for a cool 16,000.
We backed away from another series of tentacle strikes. Hadrian hungrily spurred the kraken onward. It was fully in his control. He hugged its side and hid in its arms, a clown fish cuddled against an anemone.
"You did better than I expected," saluted Hadrian. "It's not often that I'm surprised."
Izzy joined us in backing away. My eyes ran over the battle notifications. Trafford was dead. Jixa limped toward us. Only Baz and one other ogre of our six were left standing. Besides a few scattered undine and rogues, the enemy was decimated. Only a handful of skeletons remained; our DP was at 0 and the diminished enemy count would prevent the accumulation of more. There weren't any low-level faction members left alive. Oldtown was a barren mess of destruction.
I gazed up at Dragonperch, the shining statue of Magnus Dragonrider a beacon glinting in the sun. Beside the great tower was a petrified titan on its knees, a tribute to the hearty defenders of Stronghold.