End Online: Volume 5

by D Wolfin

  “Is that all that’s different?” I ask the two, this time Moonkite answers my question directly.

  “No, dying is also different. Death in a standard dungeon or in the overworld will cause you to respawn back at the temple of your origins, but death in a raid will cause you to respawn outside the entrance of the raid. The death penalty still takes effect though. You also can’t enter the raid again until it is either cleared or all players have died.”

  “Hrmm, I see,” I nod my head in understanding. “So, shall we give it a try?”

  CaptainGordon immediately agrees, while the other seem a little reluctant.

  “There are are three of us that are currently weakened. Do you think that is a good idea?” Mookite asks while shaking her head.

  “We are already too short on people, so successfully clearing the raid is impractical. We may as well have a look inside. Perhaps we will still get a treasure or two,” Mason reasons with undeniable logic.

  Moonkite seems to ponder for a while, before coming to her own conclusion, “This effect will last three days. We can just wait out that time, unless anyone has a potion or spell to cure this effect? Lost, your companion can join as well then. She seems quite strong.”

  “Sorry,” I reply immediately. “Fen won’t be joining us on this one.”

  Bring Fen into a place where she is practically guaranteed to die along with the rest of us? Never.

  “Sir Laurence, I know you have a few healing spells. Do you have one for curing sickness?” I ask the knight.

  “Not for something like this. Poison, yes, but not diseases or sickness though. The closest thing I have is to recover vigor, increasing a player’s endurance and maximum health by ten percent.”

  “Something so incredible? How could you have not used that on the rest of us before?!” I almost cough up blood as I realize he has such an impressive spell that he has not once used for us.

  “Waste of mana. It’s never been necessary,” he says while giving a stone-cold harrumph.

  “Do you think you can use it from now on? Especially during the boss fights!”

  “If necessary.” His answer is curt, but at least he will give us a few boosts.

  My party finally agrees to enter the raid after some discussion, while Mikhail’s party eventually joins in so as to not be excluded.

  Mikhail and I, acting as the party leaders, place our hands on one door each. I push with all my might to open the door, but the door swings open with no resistance at all. Once the opening is wide enough, we all walk in and begin the raid, the door silently closing in behind us.

  ***************************************************

  I lay panting against the entrance to the raid, my head throbbing with an increasing migraine. I am not the only one here, everyone is resting sprawled out in the area. In a ranking of ‘last to die’, I took second place.

  “We, we got pretty far, didn’t we?” Mason says, laughing in ill humor.

  “Two bosses. We definitely did well.” I answer weakly, still trying to catch my breath and shake off this persistent headache.

  Our group is engulfed by silence, only the sound of breathing echoing through the cavern. We all earned a few valuable rewards from the dungeon, mainly from the boss drops. I personally managed to get a ‘Unique’ enchanted longsword and an ‘Epic’ golden upper leg armor, which I traded with Sir Laurence for an ‘Epic’ broad axe which should sell quite nicely. Needless to say, Sir Laurence covered in silver armor with a pair of golden upper legs is quite the humorous sight.

  There were plenty of other miscellaneous items and loot I obtained; including ‘Ordinary’ tridents, curved swords, armor pieces, fish scales, 200 gold, and a few new herbs. But none compare to the main items I got from the boss drops. Opening my inventory, I look at the stats of those weapons once again.

  Violet Flame Shamshir

  A weapon forged by a mystical, violet flame. The steel has the properties of this flame trapped within it. A skilled warrior once used this weapon to dominate the seven lands.

  The blade is 83cm long.

  Requirements:

  ~ Level 210

  ~ Dex 63

  Weapon Type: Single Edge/long Sword

  Attack: 184 – 203

  Durability: 54/54

  Weight: 6.2 lbs

  Abilities:

  ~ Can cast 'Violet Fireball' 7 times a day.

  Remaining uses: 7

  ~ Can cast 'Violet Shield' 4 times a day.

  Remaining uses: 4

  ~ Can cast 'Violet Inferno' 1 time a day.

  Remaining uses: 1

  Inflammation Axe of Carnage

  The creator of this weapon poured all his heart’s anger and rage into the gigantium axe head. If you listen closely, you can hear screams of fury when this axe takes a life

  Requirements:

  ~ Level 195

  ~ Str 57

  ~ Agi 34

  ~ Dex 31

  Weapon Type: Single Edge/Axe

  Attack: 257 – 281

  Durability: 48/48

  Weight: 19.4 lbs

  Abilities:

  ~ Attacking with this weapon has a 20% chance of doing +30% damage.

  ~ All successful attacks have a knockback effect on the target.

  ~ 2x durability damage to any armor/shield when blocking this weapon.

  ~ User may increase their movement speed by 50% for 2min at the expense of -50% movement for the next 5min.

  Both of these weapons came from the boss ‘Flame Elemental Guardian of the Deep’. The second and final boss we successfully managed to kill.

  “Perhaps we should, umm, try this raid again. With more people.” Matrix speaks up shyly, clearly expecting to do it again.

  “No. Let’s not,” Sir Laurence grumbles.

  “Why not? Isn’t that place like a paradise for you?” I ask the knight in shining armor, a sly grin spread across my face.

  Prince Charming doesn’t respond, but Mason does, “I hate mermaids.”

  “Aye, they definitely be bad luck,” Even CaptainGordon is fed up with those vicious creatures, not that I blame him.

  I reflect on the events of the raid. The mermaids were the most troublesome indeed. They have a strange ability to afflict the target with a charmed status by making eye contact. This isn’t the charm effect like in the old RPGs, where the target can no longer attack that enemy and will often attack an ally.

  The mermaid’s charm is similar to an aphrodisiac, and the target of each person’s infatuation is the nearest ally. This effect not only shut off our hearing and narrowed our vision, but took no consideration of gender when making the affected player attempt to grasp onto the nearest ally and kiss them profusely. Much to Sir Laurence’s dismay, I got paired with Verde first. I don’t know whether to find that fortunate or unfortunate. At least it was with someone of the opposite gender.

  ‘You! This! You’ve done this before!!’ I repeat Verde’s words in my head, rubbing the spot on my face where she initially slapped me as the kiss finished and the charm effect wore off. She wasn’t under the effects of the charm at the time, but surprise stopped her from preventing the kiss.

  Fortunately for me, everyone else had fallen under the charm effect and had their hearing sealed so they didn’t hear I had kissed her already before. A few of the other party heard, so I hope they don’t discuss that before we find land and I have the chance to leave them.

  I am genuinely surprised at Verde’s reaction though. The surprise on her face, and other indescribable emotions, showed that she truly remembered the kiss. What I don’t know is that if she has slowly been remembering things already, or the memory suddenly came to her at the time.

  Amidst my wandering thoughts, I can’t help but glance over at the others from time to time. If anyone was to walk into this cavern at this moment, they would be greeted with the shocking sight of eleven bodies lying haphazardly in the limelight of the raid doors like corpses.

  *******************
********************************

  The sun glares down from directly above us as we finally set sail away from the cursed island. The heat at noon is the polar opposite of the night time chill, causing most of the people to be panting for air and consuming twice as much water as usual to keep their satiety levels up.

  I sit down next to Fen again, talking to her about my experience in the raid. Feeling vaguely guilty, I avoid detailing the mermaids and their risqué appearance, instead describing them as twisted, cruel creatures.

  Our journey continues in peace, not encountering a single sea monster in a strange kind of luck. Eventually, the three days of being sick pass and not only do my stats return to full values, but Fen’s eyes open.

  The great big wolf hastily stands up, causing the ship to rock violently in the process. She loses her balance from the movement and falls against the mast, bending it slightly. CaptainGordon shouts out curses as his ship gets damaged for no reason, even losing a level in speed.

  I realize Fen can’t return to her human form at the moment with her dress in tatters, so I plan to buy her a new one as soon as possible. She nuzzles her nose against me, causing me to get more wet than when Fen drools in her sleep. I feel a little irritated about it, but soon let it pass. How can I be angry with her as soon as she recovers?

  Two more days in the game pass, and eventually an unfathomably large landmass is viewable on the horizon. At first glance I can tell that this is the rumored island.

  As we get closer, I make out the shape of the island and cannot withhold my shock, “It’s a desert!!”

  The others are equally surprised, but don’t remark on the land. They stare wide-eyed at the enormous dunes of sand that go as far as the eye can see. Just by looking at the island, even I feel like the temperature has increased significantly.

  The ship is so slow it still takes another day before we finally reach the island, leaving the ship and stepping onto the burning hot sand.

  Chapter 31.5: Sunken Rock, Mermaid’s Lair

  -Lost-

  As the grandiose doors to the raid shut behind us, it suddenly cuts off the cool breeze that was travelling the network of caves through the mountain. Replacing the silence is the wet sound of occasional drops of water hitting the stone floor deeper within the tunnels.

  The beginning of the raid is completely different from what I expected. My nerves are on edge and I raise my weapons in preparation for a fight upon entering, but the area appears empty. The ceiling here is impossibly high in comparison to the height of the mountain from outside, but the entryway is only ten or so meters long. All of this can be seen by the luminescent gems jutting from the walls. I want to pull out a pick and try harvest some, but there is a large crevice in between us and the wall, preventing me from reaching them.

  We are standing on a small square platform made of azurite, while steps of the same material sharply descend into the darkness below.

  “Let’s go.” I intend to sound confident, but a hint of nervousness can be heard in my speech.

  Nobody else picks up on the uncertainty in my voice, or at least no one says anything. Everyone gives me a curt affirmative before we cautiously walk down the stairs, two abreast. My foot slips on one of the steps and I lose balance. An arrow suddenly pins my cloak to the stairs and stops my fall, preventing me from tumbling down the steps.

  “Thanks, Mason,” I say to the now smug guy with a bow.

  Several of the people behind me chuckle to themselves. They don’t say anything directly, but the laughter echoing back and forth around the cavern assaults my ears for a minor eternity. Brushing my clothes off as if they have dirt on them, I unhurriedly proceed down the steps as if nothing happened.

  I was originally unsure how to proceed and was waiting for someone to bring out a torch as I don’t have one, but it turns out that we don’t need one. The gemstones along the walls start to emit light as we approach, as if they can sense our presence. The light in front of me spreads further and further as we descend, yet I still cannot see where the stairs are leading.

  The stairs curve, winding down into the darkness. After half an hour, and at least a couple of thousand stairs, our destination finally appears. A large double door very similar to the raid entrance, only smaller, materializes on a platform that is also extremely similar to the entrance.

  Not wanting to alert any monsters to our presence, nobody speaks aloud as we push the doors open. They are clearly in good condition as the hinges don’t squeak and allow us to enter the room silently.

  The room is much better lit than the azurite staircase with hundreds of luminescent gems along the ceiling. The walls and floor are also made out of black and grey stone. Small puddles and pools with no particular order have formed from water dripping into indentations in the stone floor. This must be the source of dripping sound from earlier.

  The first enemies in the raid are also in this room. Within an area of 5000 square meters, what appear to be about 200 mermen are just idly milling about. Standing nearly three meters tall with thick fish tails and upper bodies that would make most male body builders green with envy, they move around gracefully while wielding golden tridents as thick as my leg.

  They all have long golden hair and beards of various styles and lengths. If this was in different circumstances, I could humor myself looking at each of them and relating them to people I know or have read about in history books.

  The nearest merman isn’t close enough to immediately attack, and is in a small group with two others. If we are going to attack, it will be best to start with them.

  “How will we do this?” Verde whispers in the middle of the group. Luckily, any concerns we had that the mermen might attack at the slightest sound were baseless, since whispering apparently doesn’t attract their attention.

  “We will attract a few over here, but first: ’Creature Analysis’,” I mouth under my breath, much quieter than Verde just to be safe.

  Name: Merman Warrior

  Level: 245

  Health: 12850

  Magic: 0

  Stamina: 2500

  ??

  “Be careful, they have incredible health and stamina. Level 245 as well. They also appear to be slow and those weapons don’t look like toys; avoid getting hit.”

  Mason nods his head and affirms my speculation with a dour expression after using his own creature analysis. “We just need to get them over here. Shall I shoot one with an arrow?”

  “I have no better ideas. Please do not miss though. If you attract too many we will be dead before we even get a chance to start.”

  Silence comes over our group and the only noise made is the flexing of Mason’s elven bow. The wood creaks further and further until, with a twang, the arrow is released. I involuntarily forget to breath as the arrow lands square in the nearest merman’s neck as a critical hit.

  Rather than roaring, the merman lets out a resonating aquatic like holler. As I had feared, it isn’t just his small group that turn and head toward us, but another fifty that are nearby. We quickly have to choose between attempting to run back to the staircase, or fighting them while trying not to attract more.

  “We’re locked in,” Mikhail says dryly, not even checking the door, “The door will unlock after all the monsters in the room have been cleared out.”

  “What? How do you know that when you haven’t checked the door? Or been to this dungeon before?”

  “It is a common setup in most raids. This is no different.”

  Several other party members agree with him and I decide not to dispute it further. This situation would be much more positive if we had a full six-party raid squad.

  The mermen heading toward us are indeed quite slow on land, but it is different if they reach a rock pond, clearing the distance in the blink of an eye.

  “We need to keep them away from water! Follow me! Fen, I need you to freeze every pond and puddle that you can,” I exclaim before realizing that the wolf girl is still sick on the boat. />
  “Everyone, let’s go!” Mikhail speaks to his party and immediately follows us as we head away from the door and toward a larger section of land away from any water.

  I start throwing my throwing knives at the mermen while Mason shoots arrows. Lockon also joins in with wind-reinforced arrows. The enemy are quite intelligent, however, and use their tridents to defend against most of our ranged attacks.

  The others in the party get ready for close-quarters combat, including watching the surroundings to make sure no more head over and catch us unaware.

  I wish Fen was here to freeze the ponds. Not only would this prevent them from speeding up their approach, but the mermen’s tails would slip on the ice and slow their movements even more. Despite finding an area with more land to slow their approach, we only manage to kill five of them before they are within range to attack.

  I immediately shift to melee fighting with Matrix and Verde while Sir Laurence focuses on defense. I make sure to stick close to Verde to take advantage of the prince’s protection. With my low defense, getting hit by a single attack will cause devastating damage.

  Mikhail and his party fight off to the side. We mutually work to ensure that no mermen can get around and attack us from behind. This means I also have to use an attack and retreat method, ensuring I maintain the front line and prevent the mermen from encroaching on our position.

  The mermen are ruthless, their tridents glow with a golden radiance and then become a streak of light as they try to impale and pin us to the ground. Large clouds of dust and small pebbles erupt every time a merman strikes the ground in such a way, but we narrowly escape each time.

  Matrix gets impaled by one of the attacks and loses a quarter of his total health. I hurriedly dash over and pull him out of the way once the trident is retracted, and two more mermen follow suit and try to kill him while he is still down. Drinking one of my health potions, Matrix grimaces before standing back and chanting with a serious expression.

  The passive intimidation effect of my class skill starts affecting the mermen. I notice more and more enemies heading directly towards me with piercing glares and raised weapons. To my surprise, my savior turns out to be our poet mage-tank.