Zaine’s head tilted, his eyes suddenly cold. His lips were a grim line. He said with a soft, measured voice, “You think you can defeat this fortress’ boss? Two dirty Draconians and a puny Mystic?”
What?
Rowan’s facial muscles twisted as he Examined the kid again. The same dialog popped up. He raised an eyebrow. This was one weird kid. “You know the Examine skill?” He chuckled a breath. “And I get that a lot. You humans really don’t like us. Draconian traits make us natural Mages. It’s true. Can’t be helped. Sorry kid.”
Zaine’s face morphed into a glare of hatred. He balled a fist.
Ambiguous tugged at Rowan’s robe sleeve.
He flicked his gaze to her, meeting her glowing, blue eyes. Her hands were shaking. He glanced at Gabrielle. She was a statue, staring down Zaine with similar blue eyes.
Ambiguous Pain (Raid Chat): Do you have the True Sight basic skill?
Rowan sifted through all the scrolls he’d bought yesterday in his mind, searching for True Sight.
Rowan Black: No. It wasn’t on the market.
Ambiguous Pain: The kid is using Deception. It masks his real Examine details. Here.
Gabby LeMort: Don’t panic. Kay?
A new dialog faded into view atop Zaine’s head.
[T8 World Boss] Zaine Everlight (Demon Knight): Level 243
Health: 6,540,100
Mana: 942,500
Stamina: 3,100,450
Buffs: Demigod’s Blessing, Deception
Rowan’s pulse bumped up his neck. He’d underestimated this game for the countless time. The boy was the raid boss.
Not a boy. A bloody demonic demigod. And this wasn’t a summoning. That shard had to be some kind of stasis seal.
A tiny smile tugged at Zaine’s cheeks. “Didn’t your parents teach you it’s rude to peep on a little boy?” His fist sprung open and a crimson katana-like sword burst into his hand in a plume of ruby-black flame. “Hmmm, I didn’t expect anything more from dirty Draco rats anyway.”
Ambiguous grabbed Rowan’s elbow and the hall flashed purple.
Burning heat scorched Rowan’s side. He tumbled away from the entrance along with Ambiguous. A wall of black fire coated the circular hall—a typical boss encounter barrier.
Before Rowan could jump to his feet, the connections to his minions in the hall vanished save for the Colossus.
Zaine had already cut down every imp, owl, and stalker, now dueling Gabrielle and the Colossus in a dance of smoke and flame. Curses and bolts littered the hall and splashed against ruby.
The Colossus whipped at Zaine. Far too slow.
Zaine cut it down in three slices of twenty-meter wide arcs of chaos-ridden fire while it charged eye-beams, which Rowan foolishly ordered.
Gabrielle’s curses and mid-level bombs disintegrated on touch with Zaine’s armor of dark fire.
Their dance continued, Zaine flaming to her side.
She planted some kind of totem. Zaine blasted it into ash before it took effect.
Ambiguous was still channeling her mana-sword skill and Rowan could only support with the occasional Tainted Ice Blast when he had a clear line of fire. Zaine dodged every blast.
Gabrielle held for two more seconds before he appeared behind her in a swirl of dark fire and delivered an uppercut. A line of crackling black mana shattered her shield.
She reeled and puffed away as the chaos attack impacted her face. Blood sprayed. She choked a horrid screamed. Her health bar was down to a quarter.
The sound of her pain was worse than anything Rowan could imagine, worse than a thousand years of torture. Every muscle and nerve in his body flared, a symphony of rage. He pumped the entirety of his mana into his wand unleashed a bullet-spray of ice at the fucking kid.
Zaine’s small figure flared in a coat of fiery mana as he chased. Every ice blast evaporated yards away.
You have dealt 0 damage to your target (resisted, blocked, buffered)
Holy hell.
Ambiguous flashed to Gabrielle’s side and pushed Zaine back by a foot with a purple wave of force. Enough to save his Gabrielle. She healed a chunk of her health with a wave of her flushed, emerald-tipped wand. Then chucked a high-level corruption bomb.
Zaine slapped it away like it was a bug. The bomb crumbled in the barrier. He pointed his blade at the girls.
“Back away, you little shit head!” Rowan roared and fired endless tainted ice. It was all he could do. Damn his own uselessness.
Zaine turned to him as the girls dodged a beam of chaos damage. The white of his eyes was black. His katana crackled. “This is just the beginning.” His voice was layered and demonic. “Starting with your girlfriend here.”
“You’ll—”
Suddenly he was in front of Rowan, fire whirling.
The hall flashed in purple, the scene shifting. Ambiguous at his arm, mana-sword in hand.
Zaine followed without pause and slashed with inhumane speed.
Rowan lifted his wand but it was too late. Both too slow.
Her shield disintegrated as she took that black, crackling arc head-on. Her life-bar depleted in less than a second. Her torso and head exploded in a detonation of black lightning. Blood and electrified flesh splattered Rowan. She didn’t even have time to scream. His mana shield dipped to half in the fallout.
He searched for Gabrielle, pinging her to run. Just run, dammit!
Gabby LeMort: Already dead ^_^
When the hell did she die?
His eyes snapped to her. She laid in a crackling circle of dark fire, her corpse burning. Her flesh and bones melted down to ash.
Rowan looked away, a wetness brimming in his eye as pain gripped his chest. He’d failed her. This was all his fault—for dragging her down into this dungeon. For going ahead with this boss fight. For taunting Zaine like a pig-headed idiot.
The mission was done for. The dark humans will perish.
And Zaine was taking his sweet time finishing this fight.
Rowan swallowed and resigned to his fate as he pelted Zaine with point-blank ice. He won’t go down as a screaming coward begging for mercy. He was better than that at least.
Zaine shoved Rowan against the wall. Black bands of mana gripped his body in a vice as Zaine’s little fingers grabbed Rowan’s hand. He squeezed, bones cracking.
Rowan hissed through teeth, refusing to give the demon-child a scream. He won’t give the kid such satisfaction. The squeeze tightened and his wand clunked to the ruby floor. A rib fractured. His face had to be charred by now in the heat.
Rowan slapped away the crushing pain and said in his best jolly voice, “That all ya got?”
Zaine’s flaming coat puffed out. He leaned into Rowan’s face, those voids for eyes drilling into him. “Where did you get this ring?” he whispered and nodded to Rowan’s ring-finger. Sazar’s sapphire ring.
Rowan’s face scrunched in confusion. Why would this demon child care about a mid-low level Necromancer’s ring?
“Answer me!” Zaine roared with incredible volume.
Ears ringing, Rowan said, “Adventurer market.” Lying would just prolong his death and respawn timer. And there was nothing of value to gain here. He dared to smirk. “You won’t get it, you bastard. It’s retained on death.”
Zaine’s nose wrinkled. “I know. This was Zar’s ring.”
Then it clicked. Zar. Sazar. Same person. “What about it?” Rowan spat. “I’ll never hand it—”
“Where are the others?” Zaine’s grip narrowed. The pain was blinding even with the game’s settings. “Tell me.”
Gabby LeMort: What’s happening? Ya haven’t died.
Rowan threw her a quick reply.
Rowan Black: He wants the ring
“What— others? That’s— a unique,” Rowan struggled.
Gabby LeMort: Huh? Your unique ring with the aura?
Rowan Black: Ya
“This is a set item, you moron.”
Gabby LeMort: Sazar’s ring? Zar?
/> Rowan Black: Yeah, he said it was.
Zaine drawled, “Do you even know what that means?”
“Yeah— just in a bit— of pain here.” And the ring description mentioned no set, he was tempted to say.
But it now looked like Zaine needed something here. Rowan’s leverage against the boy was growing. And while it was difficult to think as a vice crushed his body, a course of action sprouted. Rowan looked Zaine in those black eyes and steadied his breathing. He relaxed into the familiar cool of his amulet, a steady anchor of calm at his chest.
Gabby LeMort: Use it to make a deal! All high tier bosses are intelligent.
Rowan Black: Was just about to. Hold it.
“You should have said so… I might’ve heard— where one or two similar unique jewelry pieces are held.”
“Tell me where.” The bands loosened. It was working!
“I was going to raid the place with those demons I stole from you.”
Zaine’s nose twitched. “Where?”
“You think— I’ll just tell you?” Rowan grinned and silently taunted the boy to torture the answer out of him. He’ll never talk. He’ll never break when everything was at stake. When his beautiful Gabrielle was counting on him. Rowan couldn’t fail her again.
A minute of tension passed till Zaine let out a hot breath of sulfur. The bands dispersed and Rowan collapsed to his knees. He gulped many lungfuls of delicious air before he stood. It took a supreme will to ignore the blaring pain as he considered his next words and demands.
Perhaps a powerup? Legendary gear? An army of demons? Rowan wasn’t familiar with these boss negotiations. It was a completely new feature no other games sported. So he said, “Well… what do you have to trade? Do you have anything adventurers need?”
“Hand over this ring and the location…” Zaine’s juvenile features contorted in thought. “And swear a faction oath of binding allegiance and you will be greatly rewarded after we retrieve the set.”
New Quest: Sazar Everlight’s jewelry set
Demon Knight Zaine Everlight wants the unique jewelry set that once belonged to his sister Sazar. Will you part with your precious ring and swear allegiance to him? Think wisely before you decide.
Difficulty: SS
Length: Very Long
Failure Conditions: Refuse to cooperate with Zaine
Success Conditions: Find and return the jewelry set to Zaine
Rewards: Favor with Zaine Everlight, ?
Yes! It worked.
But Rowan didn’t know what a faction oath entailed. “One moment. Let me think.” He focused on the chatbox.
Rowan Black (To Gabby LeMort): He wants a faction oath of binding allegiance. What does that involve?
She replied in three seconds.
Gabby LeMort: No time to explain. Ask for a binding contract instead and work out the terms!
It looked like faction oath of binding allegiance was probably something which would make Zaine his absolute boss, Rowan guessed. “No faction oaths. I want only a binding contract. We will negotiate the terms.” He fetched a health potion from his pouch, remembering they existed. The cool liquid hadn’t tasted this good before.
Boredom swept across the kid’s face. He said after a bit, “You Draco bugger… I’ll find a table and chairs and parchment.” He turned and vanished in a swirl of dark fire.
Quest Update: Sazar Everlight’s jewelry set
You have wisely asked for a Binding Contract thanks to the advice of your ever-helpful companion. It is a wonder why she stays with you.
Rowan gaped, cool mana rushed through his blood in amazement at what he and Gabrielle accomplished. They’d completely tamed the raid boss! With mere words and a ring!
He studied Sazar’s ring, eyeing every facet curiously but couldn’t find anything other than what the Examine dialog already revealed. It was ordinary—as ordinary as a unique rarity set item could be.
But whatever it was, it had to be far more than just a ring for the T8 boss to desire it so badly. The demon kid couldn’t possibly be the sentimental type… Though the framed picture on his nightstand suggested otherwise.
Either way, it didn’t matter. He now had significant leverage over the demigod all thanks to a lucky purchase.
Rowan refocused on the chatbox to discuss the terms with Gabrielle, expecting this negotiation to drag on into the morning. The table and chairs certainly hinted so.
Chapter 29
Constitutional Monarchy
When the Draconian king requested an audience at dawn, everyone knew he really meant after breakfast. These grand council meetings took hours upon hours to assemble and many couldn’t attend on such a short notice. One meeting was held every other in-game month, scheduled to take place during full-moons, though the king could order impromptu meetings at will.
This was one of those meetings. And almost every grand council member was in attendance, representing the various races, guilds, and sects across the continent. News had spread overnight of a potentially world-changing event taking place near the human capital. The Chamber of Leaders was a quiet murmur of worry and boredom. The goblin delegation mostly snoozed, their chieftain barely awake.
Jonathan Lee swept his eyes across the marble and granite circular chamber as he took a seat next to Lance. It had been many in-game years since he had attended one of these meetings. His only past attendance. He too dozed off when the politics had dragged on into the night and next morning and then the following night. Minor grievances and issues all needed to be heard and addressed. It was in the kingdom constitution of rights.
Jonathan had left during the first night, of course. Attendance wasn’t mandatory, but prestigious adventurer guilds needed to keep a positive standing with the grand council to maintain various privileges and faction leadership roles. Land ownership in a prime location and a guild keep was one perk. Light’s Justice had earned it in early alpha. It’d grown into a small city of player housing and quite a few NPCs over the years. The architecture rivaled the Draconian capital if Jonathan was a boastful Paladin. It was certainly just as secure.
The rest of the crystal lamps ignited and the king arrived at the central podium in a flash of golden-white light. No escort. No guards. King Xapham Zuriel, High Lord of the Draconian noble houses didn't need a guard. He had grown to a tier eight world boss over his two hundred year-long reign.
Few could challenge him in the kingdom—and few did. The old man was as peaceful and understanding as they came. You could be a peasant, storm into his throne room, shout obscenities, and leave with a mere verbal warning and very small fine. Xapham truly wanted the best for his people and his people knew it, despite the humans’ resentment of Draconians.
Maybe too peaceful. Xapham had stubbornly refused to join the battle against the pirate lord and bandit king, opting for containment rather than wiping them out. As the king of this continent and faction, he possessed that veto power. The council had voted against him in a super-majority, however, and were allowed to proceed with military action against the two small dark sects.
But at least Xapham defended the kingdom from invasion when necessary. That was his line you didn’t want to cross.
The other two factions had ruled similarly though the leader of the eastern continent joined the battle against the bandits every now and then. Jonathan wasn’t as informed on the details of their governance and leadership. This was a very large world even with the magical barrier that limited the playable space to the three continents.
Xapham poured himself a cup of green tea while the chamber filled. Jonathan Examined—because why not? It’d been too long since he’d last checked the king’s stats.
[T8 World Boss, Divinely Blessed] Xapham Xuriel (Paladin): Level 264
Health: 1,245,100
Mana: 360,350
Stamina: 860,00
Insane. Over a million health points and the old guy didn’t even have his gear on. Just those kingly robes. It’d be over seven or eight million wi
th his Paladin gear. The tier 8—S-rank—world boss bonus for tank classes granted absurd health and defense. Somehow the AI controller thought this was balanced.
But it was somewhat logical. World bosses were the focus in large-scale battles. They’d die in seconds without such inflated stats. Their lieutenants and high-ranking followers too. The pirate and bandit bosses would’ve been long defeated otherwise.
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