"No, I mean, yeah, he’s dirty, but that’s not it."
"Hey!" I called angrily. "Stop talking about me like I ain’t even there!"
"Shut up!" both women snapped in unison.
"How do we even get the curse off him?" Scarlet asked and started to float as her wings fluttered steadily.
"Easy. Kill the one that cast it on him. There’s no other way to remove it. And I can only assume how bad it’s going to become as the days pass," Renee replied. Her voice wavered at the end and her hands trembled. I found it strange that someone could care that much about me, that it almost irked me.
"Then that’s what we do. From the way you screamed and twisted around in your sleep, I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible the nightmare was, so for now, no more sleep. You only sleep when you’re at the point of exhaustion," Katya ordered and pressed herself against me.
"Alright then. Time to burn down the bitch! Umm, I meant witch!"
15
The magnificent palisade from a day ago was gone. Where it had once stood proudly, now only a beaten down shadow of its former self remained. It was barely ten feet tall and rotten to the core. In places, whole sections were missing, along with the gate.
"What the hell happened here?" I murmured. "It wasn’t like this yesterday!" Then I remembered the two lizards that had helped me. Yes, I would search for them, not so much because they’d helped me, but because they had been victims, most likely.
"Are you sure that you wereeven here?" Scarlet asked as she leaned in. I might be an idiot, but there’s no way I had imagined it.
"Follow me. Don’t attack unless attacked," I ordered, my voice cold as steel. There was a time to mope, and a time to act. And now was not the former.
The village was pretty barren and run-down. The only building that was more or less intact, was the largest one, though it wasn’t in a much better condition. Five others lay scattered around the place, but either burned or worn down by time. This couldn’t be. Just yesterday, everything had looked perfect.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Someone was playing games with me, and I didn’t like it one bit. Whoever they might be, I’d make sure they would pay. Movement to my left caught my eye. I turned to the side, just to see the flicker of movement behind one of the destroyed homes.
"Wait!" I called. Before I knew it, my feet carried me across the square and past the ruined home. Two five foot tall lizards, with only a few strands of hair atop their heads, poked around the corner right at me.
"You have come," the reddish lizard said in a hissing voice. "I feared you would abandon us."
"Why would I? After all, you’re the ones who are going to tell us what the hell went on here."
"Oh, yes. If you help us, we tell you everything!" the bluish one said and pointed at the northern gate. "Come see this, please!"
Without even so much as stopping to think about the situation, I stepped after the scurrying lizard and made my way north. The smell around the village was strange, as if something had burned, but not quite.
"Where’s the rest? When we came here, there were humans and Dryad folk, as well as many others." The lizard shrugged as he turned his head to me.
"Illusion magic. The only folk around for miles are the Dryads. What you think you saw, I have no idea."
I frowned with my mouth wide open. This wasn’t a game anymore, or a random quest. Something strange was going on, and I disliked it to the point I wanted to punch both Sylvia and the girls for accepting this errand from the Overmind.
"And Larina and Lopo? They were real, no?"
"Oh, yes. They were very real. Lopo was an asshole. Just because we were of the same race, he made us his slaves. The evil witch gave him special powers so he could grow in size and be very powerful. A real asshole indeed."
"Hah, you sure have a way with words, little one," I chuckled and stopped as he did. He looked up at me with admiration in his eyes.
"I’m your little one? Oh master!" the red lizard said as he embraced my leg.
"This is… awkward," I uttered and shook him off. I didn’t want anyone rubbing themselves against me unless they were female and part of my inner circle, so to say.
"Very well, master. Look, there," he said and pointed at something in the distance. I could barely see it, but once I climbed atop of the palisade, it became clear. More death and decay, as well as those undead creatures that went pop.
"What do you see?" Dineth asked as they caught up.
"More death."
I could hear audible sighs and groans and knew what came from whom. I chuckled and jumped down.
"I guess we get to save another Dryad. Maybe we get to have an orgy this time with the lizard folk," I joked. No one laughed. I felt insulted and hurt by that, but let it slide. There was no use crying over spilt milk, so I’d change the subject.
"Yes, save our Dryad! If you can, she will help you!"
I sighed and nodded, then patted the creature as if he were a pet. He purred strangely, like a cat, which gave me the chills.
Before we knew it, the dead grassland and forest was laid out in front of us. A horde of undead things was all that separated us from our target. This time, the Dryad was in clear sight, bound against a felled tree. The rot had set in on her body, that much was clear even from this distance. The two lizards shook beside me, either from rage or fear, I didn’t know which. But whatever it was, at least they showed some emotion.
"Same tactic?" Dinethal asked.
"Yeah. You lure in the whole group, and Renee here can nuke the shit out of them. Katya can even join in if she likes," I replied with a grin. I might be a killing machine, but only up close, and one on one. Against such groups, I was useless.
"Sure. Buff us up," he acknowledged and put up his great shield. Then, he charged the things head on. His class had this one neat passive that built up aggro so quickly that with just four hits, the whole clearing was after him. Truth be told, I saw him use Provoke, an AoE aggro skill that lured everything in an eighty foot radius, but it was still so damn cool to see in action.
"How you holding up?" Scarlet asked as she held her palm up and targeted him.
"No need. I can keep healthy with potions. If you heal me, they’ll come after you."
Scarlet scowled, but she didn’t reply. She must have felt as useless as I had and wanted to help. The curse of a wrong class, I thought.
"Don’t run once the skill hits you. By my calculations, you should easily survive," Renee said with a smirk as she opened the AoE marker and marked her brother as its center. "I’ll cast firestorm, all right? Don’t move!"
Before Dinethal had any chance to reply, both heaven and earth met as a firestorm erupted from nowhere. Blazing flame scorched the half dead creatures with ease, and left only charred remains behind. Our tank ran around in the fire like a headless chicken, his health down to two thirds.
"This fucking hurts!" he yelled from within the blazing firestorm. Scarlet’s healing spells were up next. His health bar reached a hundred percent just as he exit the target area.
"Feeling better?" Scar asked as she removed the last burn debuff. Monica watched on in horror as her man was badly hurt and had frozen up. Two lines of salty tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed.
"W-what have they done to you!" she yelled angrily as he embraced her. "I thought you would die!"
I had to say that I felt bad for her at that point. She was no player, but an NPC or a dumb AI. How could she have known that he would survive such a blazing inferno?
"Monica? I’m sorry to interrupt the two of you," I said, "But can you check the Dryad? See if she can be saved."
She turned to me, her eyes red and nodded. We ran up to the old crone and stared on in horror. Both her legs and arms were full of rot and decay, and half of her upper torso. But she surprised us and nodded.
"Yes, I can save her. My love, can you take this whole trunk back to the lizard village? I can do something for her there."
&nb
sp; "Oh?" I asked. "That’s convenient."
She raised one of her eyebrows as Dineth picked up the Dryad and trunk.
"My mother sent me for that reason. To help get the Dryads back on their feet."
"Right. I still had hopes for--"
I never got to finish my sentence as a darkness befell me. A shade, black as night, slammed into me and sapped all of my willpower. I dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"Run!" Dinethal yelled as he ran for his life, no, both of their lives. Monica was close on his heels, while Renee stayed behind. Her hands moved quickly and made some signs and gestures. I had no idea what she was doing, but a wall of fire appeared around us, protecting us from the apparition.
"You shall not escape!" the creature hissed and drew out a scythe from somewhere.
"Oh fuck! Is that death?" I asked incredulously.
"No, of course not! It’s a Wraith!"
"Can it kill us?"
"Of course it can. What the hell is wrong with you today?"
I shook it all off and took a deep breath. If I didn’t get her out of my head, and myself under control, someone might actually die today in this forsaken place.
A bolt of lightning struck the wraith and stunned it in place. I darted in and raked across its chest, but my weapon barely did any damage. A pillar of flame rose from under it and bathed the apparition in fire. Its howls and screams sent chills down my spine. I shrugged it off and tried again, but the damage was minimal.
You have inflicted 872 damage on Wraith
"What’s your damage, Renee?" I asked and put myself in between the Wraith and my mage. At least I could try and play wall to keep it off her.
"Insane. As in, my lightning bolt struck it for around twenty thousand, and the pillar did around forty. It must be very weak to magic damage and almost immune to physical."
"Figures. I’m useless as a fly on a cow’s ass."
Renee chuckled and let loose with a hail storm. Ice shards and pieces the size of golf balls peppered the area. Each of the hits froze a tiny portion of its damaged and incorporeal body.
I sighed and moved as Renee did and soaked up anything the creature threw her way: energy balls, dark blasts and more. Luckily, I was the better tank for this battle. Until it brandished its scythe. With a single, precise swipe, the thing brought me to my knees.
You have sustained 4.991 damage from Wraith
A strange, yet familiar sensation of pain struck me. I’ve already felt this kind of pain, but where? Images of the small black room flooded my mind, where the pain I’ve felt was otherworldly, amplified many times over. The small black knife was there again and cut my chest open.
"Get up!" a voice screamed in my mind, followed by a wave of relief. Sensation in my body returned, just in time as the Wraith charged in again. I stood and blocked with my claws and pushed the creature back. Overhead, a thundercloud loomed. I lunged back and tackled Renee.
Lightning discharged, followed by a swarm of arrows. Every hit sent out a shockwave and a sonic boom that threatened to shatter our eardrums. Renee pushed me off her and joined in with her own lightning bolt, then cast another fire pillar. To our luck, the creature stopped in place and hung its head low, dropped the scythe and shuddered.
"It’s at about twenty percent," I called, but the marker disappeared altogether, along with its health bar. The Wraith contorted, made a grimace and turned to stone. With a tremendous boom, it exploded and showered us with fragments of stone.
16
"Everyone alive?" I asked as I pushed myself off of Renee. I looked down at her and let out a sigh of relief when she opened her eyes and groaned.
"More or less," she barely managed to utter.
"Shit, what was that?" Katya replied as she appeared from behind a tree, together with Scarlet. Monica and Dinethal were too far away to have been in any danger.
"I have no idea, but look," I said and pointed to where it had been. "There’s a war chest. Have we finally struck gold and gotten something for our trouble?"
"I wanna see!" Renee said and pushed me off. Before I caught myself, she was already up and running.
"Shit, woman, take it easy. You almost finished what the Wraith started. Speaking of which, I thought it would be a kick ass boss, but it turned out to be a mid-boss at worst."
"Ahhh! Look at this beauty!" Renee cried out. "Can I have it?" she asked and held out the item toward me. I had no idea what it was, so I stayed quiet until I reached her.
Unique skill scroll of the Mage. Grant a unique mage class skill up to level 250.
Both of my eyebrows shot up, almost past my forehead. That was quite a find, and what was more, we were still part of Hazard it seemed.
"I guess," I replied and turned to my other two women. Scarlet was indifferent, while Katya looked on in jealousy. "Do we have anyone else who can use this, or will anyone become a mage in the near future?"
Everyone remained quiet, all but Renee who cheered and hugged me tightly. Then, her eyes unfocused as she seemed to be checking her prize. A bright explosion of colors enveloped her, and she was back again, eyes and mouth wide open.
"I assume you’ve gained something decent?" I asked with a smile. Renee nodded her head slowly, eyes and mouth still open.
"Speak, woman!" Katya snapped angrily as she walked up to us. Renee gulped and took first looked at Katya, than at me.
"I-I-I got Maelstrom!" she stuttered and squealed as she jumped me. I caught her in midair and pulled the tiny woman up to me, her short skirt rolled up her butt cheeks and presenting them to the world. My hands held her up as she planted kisses on my face and then on my lips. I couldn’t help it but slid my left hand down the middle and under the tiny piece of cloth that were her panties.
"I take it that’s a good thing. Maybe we can cele--"
"No, not now and here," she whispered before I could slide my fingers all the way down in between her hips. I sighed and slowly dropped her, my mood shot. "Later, I promise!" she added and looked up at me with her puppy eyes. I couldn’t get mad even if I wanted to. After all, she’d earned it.
"No worries. I’m sorry for… going straight after my own prize," I joked. "Speaking of which, what does Maelstrom do?"
"A whole lot," Katya answered for her. "It will be a great thing to have this young lady around, as she’s just become a powerhouse."
"Oh really?" I teased and winked at Renee.
"Yeah, just a little bit," she laughed. "Basically, it casts a massive AoE of all elements, and the description says thirty feet in diameter. The cooldown is one hour, and it’s not applicable in PVP. Otherwise it would have been too strong I guess."
"Oh, I see. Sounds good," I said thoughtfully. "Thirty in diameter huh? That’s quite the radius."
"Oh yes, I have no idea how I’m going to get the hang of it anyway. Once you cast it, no one can be even close."
"What you waiting for? Come on! The Dryad’s about to give out!" Dinethal called in team chat. He was already halfway there to the broken down palisade.
"Get a move on. We can try it out later. Or how about you cast it on the Wraith’s remains. Once we’re out of the way that is."
Renee’s face lit up. I could see she was dying to try it out. Scar and Katya were indifferent, and didn’t seem to care much about it, though I could see the jealousy in their eyes and mannerisms.
"Here goes nothing," she whispered once we were out of the way. A massive red blotch appeared on the ground. For a long moment, nothing happened. The sky darkened and earth trembled. Water and ice dropped from the heavens as fire rose from the ground and connected with lightning. A gigantic tornado appeared at whose center raged an inexplicable battle.
"Oh dear god," I said as I observed the carnage. Pylons of ice flew in all directions as lightning bolts struck out like the lashes of a whip. "Imagine getting trapped in there."
"I doubt you’d want to. That shit looks nasty," Scarlet finally spoke up. I looked at her and nodded. Then, I leaned in and kissed her de
eply. Our lips met and tongues explored each other’s mouths. Call me crazy, but I’ve always wanted to do something similar in an apocalyptic situation.
Katya coughed to draw our attention, and when we stopped, she shoved Scar aside and took over, all the while as the storm raged behind us. Damn, they were as crazy as I was.
Once we arrived at the village, the blue lizard was waiting with a broad smile on his face. He almost cried out as he hugged my leg again, and I had to shake him off for the second time in the last hour.
"She is alive! She will live!" he cried with joy. "You saved our race from the wicked witch!"
I patted him again and pushed his small body off me.
"Good to hear. Can we see her?"
"No, not yet," he replied hurriedly. "She will need two hours, I think. Please, we will get you something to eat. Fish is good? We will prepare so you can eat while you wait. Please."
"Sure thing, little one," Katya said as she knelt and embraced the little creature. "We will wait at the center of the village."
Before we even knew it, the lizard was gone and we made our way to the center. It took us all of three minutes to get there. Dineth and Monica sat on an improvised bench, chatting. On the only bench, at that.
"Got one of those for us, big bro?" Renee asked as she got up in his face.
"Umm, no? Why? And what was with that crazy ass storm out there?"
Renee grinned from ear to ear, proud as one can be.
"I got a new skill. Guess which one!"
"Oh shit. Was that the… what was its name again? Melon something?"
Her face went blank and her eyes were cold as steel.
"Melon? Do you want me to shove a melon up your ass?" she yelled. "It’s Maelstrom! And did you even feel its destructive power?"
"Sheesh! Just fucking with ya. But yeah, I did," he replied and put his arm around Monica who looked on curiously but remained quiet.
Hazard Online 2: Revenge Page 9