by L. R. Wolf
Party chat-Elohwa “We are trying!”
Elohwa had run into a problem with the Wizard, a Spell Shield around him prevented any of her attacks from hitting him. She triggered her Sword Dance ability, her twin blades lashing out faster than the eye could see. Though the Wizards shield prevented most of the damage, it was still enough to bring the shield down quickly where the last few ticks of her ability landed the fullest extent of the damage on the gnoll’s body. Deep gashes and cuts suddenly appeared across the face and chest of the Wizard whose jaw was hanging open in surprise at the sudden flurry of attacks. Soon after, his body dropped to the floor, a large marble marker taking its place. Even as the Wizard’s body was still falling, Elohwa triggered her Blitz ability. She charged across the room and through Aya’s Fire Domes which had the added effect of setting her Twin Blades ablaze with fire. The Royal Guard was slamming his weapon down on the wall, the flames licking at his paws with every strike, the wall starting to waver under the brutal onslaught.
With the Wizard down, Aya threw out her Lightning Fog spell directly on top of the Guard. Lightning lashed out at his metal armor stunning him in place for a few brief seconds, the multiple dots affecting him continuing to diminish his hit points while the flames of the Fire Dome in front of him burned the fur from his paws and arms. Aya watched as Elohwa leapt into the air, her twin swords pointing down aiming at the soft flesh of his unarmored neck. The stun wore off just as Elohwa’s blades plunged into his body, blood shooting out from where she had torn into his artery. His body dropped to the floor, a medium sized metal chest appearing where his body had been.
Aya quickly threw out more swaths of Entangling Vines for Thorn. This time, he absorbed all of them, growing larger and more bulky. He turned his face to Aya and gestured towards himself as if to say MORE! She kept casting more and more areas of Entangling Vines as he rushed out the door and towards the King and the remaining Shaman. Elohwa, seeing what Thorn was up to also began throwing down multiple patches of the Entangling Vines. Though neither woman could see what was going on outside, they could still see Thorn’s hit points because he was their creation. His hit points immediately dropped by half, but with the fields of vines the women had conjured up he was healing rapidly, the vines flowing out of the room to be absorbed by Thorn.
Party chat-Va'lore “Now this is quite the sight! Your pet has grown quite a bit! Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!”
Elohwa paused briefly in her casting to drink a mana potion from her quick release slot on her belt. With a gesture she tossed the vial aside and continued casting more Entangling Vines directly on top of the vines Thorn was using as feeder vines to supply him in the room beyond. Aya quickly cast a Fire Shield spell over the vines, the flames racing along the vines before they eventually bathed Thorn in blue flame. Howls of agony filled the room beyond as Thorn kept pulling more and more vines into his body both healing himself and strengthening him with every vine. The Fire Shield around him burned the King and his Shaman but they continued to fight. Aya and Elohwa could see more and more red dots showing up on their mini maps as Gnolls were flooding into the throne room from different parts of the keep. All they could do was to keep casting the Entangling Vines spell to keep Thorn going. A booming roar suddenly echoed through the throne room and the halls where the two women covered their ears in an attempt to block it.
Just outside the room, Thorn had grown to well over fifteen feet tall. Massive vines whipped out and around him flinging reinforcing Gnolls around the room, his thorns now the size of daggers capable of cutting into the gnolls causing massive bleed damage while the Fire Shield caused fire damage and Burn. Thorn was focusing his main attacks on the Shaman and King, his fists the size of small boulders pummeling the two gnolls. The Shaman was trying to keep both himself and the King healed, but eventually it became obvious to him that he could save only one of them as he began focusing his heals onto his King. Thorn brought his fists together bringing them both straight down on the head of the shaman driving him into the floor. The King, wielding a massive black bastard sword, brought it down across Thorn’s wrists severing them. Thorn brought his now handless arms up as if to peer at them; vines immediately raced along his body towards the stumps beginning to reform his hands.
The Gnoll King, seeing his opponent briefly crippled, attempted to hobble Thorn by bringing his sword low and across his body as he aimed for Thorn’s legs, his vision was suddenly hampered by a dark cloud that had formed around him, flashes of lightning coursed through the cloud causing his vision to flicker briefly right before a bolt used his outstretched sword to channel pure electricity into his hands and the rest of his body, the stun taking effect right before his sword came into contact with Thorn’s ankle.
***
Aya had peeked around the corner of the wall separating them from the throne room, the gnolls within were purely focused on the vine behemoth in front of them. She managed to target the King, placing Lightning Fog down right on top of him as he was swinging at Thorn’s unprotected legs and then swiftly erecting two Fire Domes around the King while he was still stunned. His health was falling swiftly as multiple dots wracked his body. Thorn’s fists were once again whole, though slightly smaller than they had been previously. He clapped his hands together, his fingers intertwining with one another forming a giant hammer that he then brought down on the head of the King. At the last second, the stun from the lightning wore off giving the King a split second to move out of the way of certain death. He managed to roll away from Thorns attack and get back to his feet. He turned towards Aya, his eyes burning with dark fury and an eerie red smoke surrounding his fists.
Party chat-Va'lore “His touch is back up!”
At the same time Va'lore’s message flashed across their visions the King lifted his hands towards Aya, murderous intent evident in his face in the form of a sinister sneer. The King knew that his touch would completely obliterate a puny fleshy human. Aya raised a Spell Shield knowing full well it would do little to protect her from what was coming. Time once again seemed to slow as the king triggered his Touch of Death spell. Angry red energy surged forth from his outstretched hands and raced towards the Dreamer. Aya prepared herself for the death that she knew awaited her, but as the blast approached, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Elohwa was racing towards her.
Elohwa triggered her blitz ability, her body blurring and moving at incredible speeds as she intercepted the Touch meant for Aya. The ability slammed into her, her body convulsed with the sheer amount of power within the attack. Her hit points hit zero within a second. The last thing she heard was a scream as her body hit the floor.
Aya watched in absolute horror as Elohwa suddenly closed the distance between them in a matter of milliseconds only to be struck by the Touch attack of the King. A scream full of pain and rage escaped her lips as Elohwa’s body crumpled to the ground a few feet in front of her. An aura of pure uncontained power pulsed out around Aya as her entire body burst into angry blue flame, her eyes turning from blue into hot burning embers within her face. A much larger Fire Dome made of deep blue fire appeared around the Dreamer and her fallen Companion. The blue flames swirled around the dome at incredible speeds.
The King’s smug look faltered when he saw the human turn from weak flesh into an unstoppable inferno before his eyes. The image burned into his eyes and his mind, the last thing he would ever know in this world before walls of fire closed in around him extinguishing his life.
The powerful aura continued to pulse out around the dome surrounding Aya and Elohwa’s body, spreading further and further with each angry pulse. Flames roared around the room as blue fiery tornadoes began spawning within the throne room setting everything they touched ablaze. Within the dome, Aya approached Elohwa’s fallen body. The scream she had unleashed still echoed in her ears. Screams and cries of pain echoed through the room as the flames consumed the remaining gnolls within the throne room, but Aya heard none of that as she knel
t down, reaching for Elohwa’s body as it faded away leaving only her satchel. Tears welled up in her eyes as she picked up the satchel and held it tightly to her chest.
Va'lore appeared behind her, staring at the satchel, the only thing left of his sister. “Elo….”
Thorn lumbered through the protective dome, his red eyes softening to yellow at the sight in front of him. His body seemed to deflate and shrink as he cast broken and burned vines from his body.
“You must reclaim the throne, Aya!” Va'lore pointed at the Throne, the pain of losing his sister causing his voice to waiver.
Reluctantly, Aya rose to her feet hugging Elohwa’s satchel to her chest. Still in shock over the loss of her Companion, she managed to stumble over to the Throne. She knew that Elohwa would want her to reclaim the throne for her people. She had given Aya the chance they needed with her sacrifice so she was going to take it, she knew she would have time to mourn later. As she sat on the cold throne a prompt appeared in her vision.
Would you like to claim the throne of Eventide Keep?
“Yes.” Aya could barely get the word out. Trumpets sounded and a new notification appeared in her vision. She swiped it off to the side without even reading it. She knew what it contained. They had retaken the keep, but the cost had been one she was unwilling to pay. She just stared down at the Satchel that contained Elohwa’s things. She was so focused on the satchel and her grief that she didn’t hear Va'lore’s surprised exclamation. She caught shadows moving out of the corner of her eye and then someone kneeling before her, two purple hands covered the hands holding onto Elohwa’s satchel. Aya looked up in shock and surprise as her Companion’s face came into view. She dropped the satchel and wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck as she buried her face in Elohwa’s leather armored shoulder.
Elohwa returned the embrace. “Everything is fine, I am alright.” Elohwa whispered to Aya trying to soothe the Dreamer’s frayed emotions, but she was saying it more to herself as to her Dreamer, she was as much shocked to have been returned to life as Aya was at seeing her.
After a few minutes of sobbing, Aya managed to compose herself enough to pull back from Elohwa. She placed her hands on Elohwa’s face and stared directly into her eyes. “Do not….EVER….do that….again.”
Elohwa smiled softly as she placed her hands over Aya’s once again to gently move the Dreamer’s hands from her face, Aya’s nails were digging into her cheeks a bit with the force she was using. “I will try not to, but I can not guarantee it. One thing is certain…” She flinched a bit before continuing. “Dying hurts.”
Aya smirked a bit as she briefly shook her head. “Don’t I know it!”
Elohwa rose to her feet and held her hands out to Aya to help her rise from the Throne. “Let us summon the Keep Guardians to deal with the remaining Gnolls.”
Aya took Elohwa’s hands and got to her feet. She wiped tears from her eyes quickly before she opened the notifications that she had angrily swiped away just a few minutes prior in her pain and anger.
Congratulations Dreamer! You have created the Lightning Fog spell! This is a modification of the Storm spell. This spell creates clouds closer to the ground in the form of fog. Lightning courses through this fog stunning anything caught within the fog. Lightning will be attracted to anything metallic, stun effect doubled against targets wearing metallic items. Base Damage 25. Duration 2 mins (base)
Congratulations Dreamer! You have created the Regenerative Vines spell! By placing down fields of these vines, your earth creation can pull from these in order to regenerate itself or to bulk up for battle! Duration 2 mins (base)
Congratulations Dreamer! You have earned the Accolade Nemesis: Gnoll Slayer Level 2- You have killed 201/500 for Level 3. Damage against gnolls increased by 1.5% for every level of Gnoll Slayer up to a maximum of 15%. Damage received from gnolls is lessened by 1% for every level of Gnoll Slayer up to a maximum of 15%. Quality and amount of loot from gnolls increased by 5% per level of Gnoll Slayer up to a maximum of 25% . Current Bonus 3% dmg vs gnolls, 2% less dmg received vs gnolls, 10% quality and amount of loot on gnolls.
Congratulations Dreamer! You have earned the Accolade King Slayer (Gnoll)-You have managed to kill the Gnoll King! Your actions have marked you as an enemy of the gnolls and they will attack you on sight! 10% bonus damage to Gnolls.
Congratulations Dreamer! You have reclaimed the Royal Throne of Eventide Keep! By overthrowing the Gnoll King, you have taken back the keep and by doing so your Kingdom is once more whole! You may now deploy the Keep’s defenses.
You have been granted the spell Summon Guardian. With this spell, you can summon mighty Guardians to protect the Keep and its contents!
Congratulations Dreamer! Your reclamation of the Keep has upgraded your City’s status to a Kingdom! As a Kingdom, you now have access to the resources within a 10 mile radius around your City! This radius can be extended via City Talents.
Aya cast the Summon Guardian spell. A swirling grey portal opened in front of them. From within the portal, a deep voice spoke to Aya. “What form would you like your guardians to assume?”
“Ummmm….” Aya looked to Elohwa not knowing what kind of options were available to her.
Elohwa, sensing Aya’s hesitation stepped forward. “Fire Elemental Guardians. Burn the vermin out!”
“It will be done!” No sooner had the voice spoken than a horde of seven foot Fire Elementals came streaming through the grey portal. They rushed away from the portal, some dropped straight through the floor, while others floated up through the ceiling overhead. The areas around the elementals lit up while they moved away from the portal revealing dirty and tattered furs lining the walls of the Throne Room. Statues that had once stood proud had been toppled over to form small territories within the room. Piles of small bones were littered throughout the area where the remains of the gnoll’s meals had been tossed aside. The rest of the elementals phased through the walls. All of them had one singular goal, to destroy every last gnoll infesting these grounds. The portal closed once the last Guardian had passed through.
Va'lore watched all of it in silence. He looked over at the two women completely overjoyed at seeing his sister alive once more thought to lighten the situation a bit. “I hate to ask but…” his mouth cracked into smile. “Did my sister drop any good loot?”
Aya and Elohwa both slowly turned their heads to look at him. It was in this moment that Va'lore understood the meaning of the phrase if looks could kill. For the first time in millennia he felt grateful for the curse afflicting him and that he was currently in a form that couldn’t be slapped, kicked, burned, or otherwise harmed at the looks both women leveled at him. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he would be paying for that comment sometime in the future. Fortunately for him, Thorn got their attention by dropping an enormous chest down nearby. As the two women shook off the weight of their emotional reunion they noticed that Thorn had been busy hauling chests over to them.
Chapter 26: Grand Treasures
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The women turned their attention to the wealth of chests that Thorn had been collecting while they were being reunited and summoning forth the Guardians. Thorn had gathered them all around the women so they could open them at their leisure. As much as Aya wanted to immediately open the largest chest adorned with, what appeared to be silver and gems, she decided to save the best for last. She and Elohwa started to open the smaller chests. They were about the size of a small jewelry box crudely made of wood and nails. These smaller chests, more often than not, just contained bonus coinage on top of what had been on their body as well as some low quality semi precious gems. The medium chests reminded Aya of the small toy chests that the kids piled their toys in at home. They were about the same size and they were made exclusively of different metals. These particular chests contained even more coins, low and average quality precious gems and some non magical pieces of jewelry ranging from simple metal bands to more elaborate gem encrusted items.
Finally, they came to the last chest, the King’s Bounty chest. This chest was the size of a large steam trunk. The chest itself looked to be made of silver, but was, in fact, entirely made up of platinum. High quality rare precious gems lined the top and sides sparkling in the light emanating from Va'lore.
“Shame we can’t use these chests in the treasury or melt them down for materials.” Aya meant to think the sentiment but it ended up escaping her lips.
“I do not see why not considering everything within the keep now belongs to you.” Va'lore drew her attention to the line of chests still sitting there, their lids still sitting open. Aya had been so distracted with all of the loot that she hadn’t even noticed that the chests didn’t disappear once they were looted of their contents.
“That is just so freaking awesome!” Aya rubbed her hands together, her inner pack rat going absolutely insane with joy at having containers to hold all sorts of loot. She turned back towards the massive chest in front of her. She ran a hand over the top of the chest admiring the effect of the glinting stones reflecting in the polished metal. She moved her fingers down towards the lid but something stopped her, a slight tingling in her fingers caused her to pull them back. She turned her head away from the chest and just used the corner of her eye and saw the tell tale shimmer denoting a secret, but there was just something that seemed so wrong.
“I don’t suppose either of you can detect traps or something like that?” Aya had set off plenty of traps in her gaming days before her children were born. More than a few of them had resulted in some rather gruesome and humorous deaths for her and her husband. Unfortunately, though she sensed something amiss, she couldn’t discern what was a trap and what was just a secret compartment just yet, but she was quite sure that what she was feeling meant there was a trap lying in wait for any would be looters.
“One second.” Elohwa approached the chest and knelt in front of it as she examined it. Shame washed over her as, sure enough, a red glow emanated from the lip of the lid right where Aya would have put her fingers to lift it. Until now, nothing they had come across had been trapped and she had completely let her guard down. She vowed to herself that this would not happen again as she took a small black leather case out of her satchel.