by C. M. Carney
“What is happening?”
“I do not know,” Errat said. “We were separated and thought we would soon die, but then they just stopped.”
“Something is blocking the black fog,” Grimliir said in a voice that sounded almost fearful.
“What could do that?” Gryph asked.
“I do not know,” the dwarf said, the whirring of his rig announcing his unease.
Gryph pointed at Tifala. “Secure her, this frozen state will not last.”
Grimliir nodded, and a nozzle protruded from his arm. Errat gently lifted her and turned her away from Wick’s body. Gryph allowed a brief smile to cross his face at the warborn’s small kindness. If somewhere deep inside she was aware, there was no need to further torture her by having her stare at her lost love.
Automaton webbing shot from Grimliir’s arm and bound Tifala hand and foot. She wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.
Gryph nodded and cast Animate Rope and reached out, searching for his length of spider silk he’d wrapped around Ovyrm. He sensed it, over the edge of the bridge, still wrapped around the xydai. He toggled open his Halo of Air interface and saw it was about to hit zero, which meant Ovyrm was still alive.
Gryph walked to the edge, and the rope twined upwards and around his arm. He pulled and ordered the rope to bring the adjudicator up. A moment later, with Errat’s help, he had the xydai on the bridge. He was alive and in the same comatose state as Tifala. Errat carried him to Tifala and Grimliir wrapped him in webbing.
Gryph knelt next to Wick and lifted him from the pool of blood. He set him down in the middle of the bridge, promising himself to return and bury his friend, if he survived. “I am sorry Wick, I failed you. I failed Tifala.” He held Wick for several moments before a distant voice intruded into his mind.
Gryph, you must leave him. You must run. It was Sillendriel. She was somehow holding the enemy at bay. He stood and looked at Errat and Grimliir. “Keep them safe.”
Run, Sillendriel said.
Without another word, Gryph turned and sprinted through the cadres of frozen warborn and elves. He had no idea how long the elf maiden could hold them and knew each moment might be his last, but there was nothing he could do but run.
Gryph ran like he had never run before.
◆◆◆
Sillendriel did not die, but her wound was mortal. The globe of telekinetic energy popped as her body slipped from Myrthendir’s blade. The small part of him that was still the second son of the Regent of Sylvan Aenor felt the smallest twinge of pain, but as he watched her blood stain the cool stone of the dais floor, this last bit of the man he had been faded like a wisp of smoke caught by an errant breeze.
He looked into her eyes and saw nothing. He turned his attention from the soon to be corpse and looked to the silent paladins. “Kill anyone who enters this chamber.” As expected the paladin gave no sign he had heard, but Myrthendir saw the infinitesimal mites swimming in the man’s eyes and knew the black fog still had him.
He walked up to the central trunk of Aurvendiel and traced a hand along the smooth wood of the tree. He sensed the smallest spark of life hiding deep within.
“You and I are likely the only ones who know she still lives my love,” he said over his shoulder to Sillendriel, neither expecting nor receiving a response. “But she is weak and soon she will fade forever.”
Myrthendir knelt next to a small hollow at the base of the tree and eased his hand inside. The fleeting energy was stronger here and nearly invisible motes came towards him like a faithful pup to its master’s hand. They flowed over him before retreating with spastic urgency.
“Yes, you know what I am,” he said, caressing the bark like a predatory lover.
He dug into his satchel and removed the stasis cube. He flipped the top open and pulled the now placid arboleth larva from inside. He held it before him and sensed the extension of his mind grow hungry in anticipation, but he held it back, assuring it of his dominance. He was the superior being now.
“To think, even my father, the ever wise Lassendir, failed to grasp what Aurvendiel truly is. He was content to live inside her as her glory faded, never knowing she was capable of touching every mind on Korynn.”
He eased the larva inside the hollow and watched as its tendrils sunk into the wood. Instantly the tree began to change, its age shorn gold bark faded to gray as the stain spread upwards and outwards.
Myrthendir stood and backed away as his aetherial magic overtook the empyrean tree. He sensed the once great mind inside the tree retreating, desperate to escape the unbreakable will contained inside the man who was no longer just Myrthendir.
◆◆◆
Gryph’s heart thundered as he ran through the gauntlet of frozen warriors. He knew Sillendriel’s hold on them would not last and he had no desire to be among them when her control slipped. He was like Perseus walking into the medusa’s garden of statues that had once been men, and like the hero of Greek myth, Gryph was rushing headlong towards an enemy just as deadly as the gorgon.
What do I do when I get there? Reason with the man? Tell him a joke? “Stab him in the fucking heart.” He looked down at his spear and loaded its storage function with mana. He’d need every advantage if he was going to stop Myrthendir.
Then he remembered his Character Sheets. He’d minimized them back before he’d learned that Myrthendir was a traitor and a madman, and it had completely slipped his mind to look at the innumerable prompts. Too busy not dying. He scowled as his off-color jest made him think of Wick.
He toggled open his interface, turning it opaque so he could keep an eye on his surroundings.
You have earned 256,763 XP for slaying - SEE COMPLETE LIST HERE.
Gryph had no desire to pour over the list of all the people and monsters he’d killed to earn so many experience points. Unlike some people, he did not enjoy killing to gain power. That being said, he was glad the effort awarded him another level.
You have reached Level 16.
You have 11 (5 base +1 GH bonus + 5 previously earned) unused Attribute Points.
You have 1 unused Perk Point.
You have reached level 16 in Air Magic.
You have reached level 5 in Water Magic.
You have reached level 7 in Earth Magic.
You have reached level 10 in Thought Magic.
You have reached level 20 in Staves/Spears.
You have reached level 20 in Light Armor.
You have reached level 15 in Dodge.
You have reached level 13 in Stealth.
You have reached level 9 in Harvest.
You have reached level 19 in Analyze.
You have reached level 17 in Perception.
You have reached level 8 in Leadership.
You have reached level 9 in Traps.
You have reached Apprentice Tier in Staves/Spears
You are awarded a permanent +10 damage to all strikes with Spears/Staves
You have reached Apprentice Tier in Staves/Spears
With that tier boost, the skill has gained a new ability.
You can now use the Tier Ability Perk Surety.
An Apprentice level practitioner of Staves/Spears earns the ability Perk Surety. It allows the user to guarantee the success of one of their Staves/Spears perks one time per day. The user must possess the chosen perk.
EXP: Base Quick Strike has a 15% chance of success. When Perk Surety is used that chance grows to 100%.
Daily Uses: 1
Note: Each successive Tier of Staves/Spears enables you to use Perk Surety an additional time per day.
You have reached Apprentice Tier in Light Armor.
You are awarded a permanent +10 AC while wearing a complete set of Light Armor.
You have reached Apprentice Tier in Light Armor.
With that tier boost, the skill has gained a new ability.
You can now use the Tier Ability Refractio
n.
Refraction is a defensive ability that enables you to refract all damage done to you by a single successful attack back at the attacker. The damage refracted cannot be blocked or reduced, except by those who possess a higher tier in the skill used to attack, in which case the refracted damage is completely ignored.
Daily Uses: 1
Note: Each successive Tier of Light Armor enables you to use Refraction an additional time per day.
Under normal circumstances both Perk Surety and Refraction would have made him grin ear to ear, but today he was not in a cheering mood, today he was in a murdering mood. His new tier abilities would help him feed that mood.
He had two Perk Points to spend, and he already knew how he’d spend one of them. He toggled open his Staves/Spears skill tree.
Impale: An aggressive attack that can be initiated upon a successful attack. Impale does +200% damage with a spear. Impaled opponents cannot move or counterattack for 5 seconds.
Stun: An aggressive attack with a staff that can be initiated upon a successful attack. Stun does +150% damage and prevents an opponent from moving or counterattacking for 10 seconds.
Quick Strike: An aggressive attack with a staff or spear that can be initiated upon a successful attack. Quick Strike has a chance to land a second attack for the same amount of damage as the first.
Parry: Staves and spears provide a good defense. When an attacker lands a blow, Parry can be initiated. If successful, Parry blocks the attack resulting in no damage.
He dumped a point into Quick Strike. A vision of using both Perk Surety and Quick Strike on Myrthendir brought a wicked grin to his face. Now the question was where to spend his other point?
Upping to the next tier in Impale had merits as did Parry. Gryph knew his only chance against Myrthendir was to hit him hard and fast. That made Impale the obvious choice. He pulled his point into the perk and felt the surge of warmth fill him.
Staves/Spears Perk Tree
Stamina
Tier
Impale
Quick Strike
Parry
30
B
20%
15%
20%
25
A
30%
25%
30%
20
J
40%
35%
40%
15
M
50%
45%
50%
10
GM
60%
55%
60%
0
D
75%
75%
75%
Next, he toggled open his Character Sheet. He had 11 Attribute Points to spend, but since discovering a game hack that allowed him to completely heal himself if he dumped five points into Constitution during a battle, he’d sworn to keep that many points in reserve. He suspected the upcoming battle would demand their use.
He put the other six points into Dexterity. Not only did the Attribute favor his skill set, but he could double dip by casting Mind Shield. The spell allowed his Wisdom score to borrow his highest Attribute for purposes of defense against mental attacks. Dexterity was his highest, now at 65. Hopefully it would be enough to curb the aberrant elf’s powerful mental abilities. He felt the surge in his agility and speed just as his feet hit the ground at the end of the bridge.
An itch at the back of his mind drew him back to the world around him. He gazed upwards and saw the Spire lose the last of its golden sheen as the dull gray of aetherial magic took hold of the once great empyrean tree. Aurvendiel was changing, perverted by the magic of the Prime.
What has he done? A horror and deep sadness he didn’t quite understand dug into Gryph as he watched the heavenly tree’s corruption. He ran harder and soon he was crossing the Sward. He ran past the frozen form of Barrendiel and then the Steward Gartheniel, but he could not help them.
Gryph reached the Spire and dipped into Stealth, hiding in the shadows near the tree’s gates. He cast Mind Shield and Demon Scales. His mind grew clear and focused as the crimson scales flowed across his skin, increasing his natural armor.
He crept inside, eyes scanning. A dozen paladins and an equal number of warborn stood between him and the dais. He saw Sillendriel’s body bleeding out on the floor and reached his mind out to her.
I am beyond helping, Gryph, she said in the back of his mind. You must stop Myrthendir before his corruption of Aurvendiel is complete.
A deep sadness gripped Gryph and in the part of his soul connected to all things, he felt the slumbering mind of the mighty tree disappear. Tears welled in his eyes. Why is he doing this?
Because he knows what she was, what she could be again. She is so much more than a tree, she is an empyrean elemental tethered to the mortal realm by the tree. The Prime poisoned her because they knew her true power.
What is her true power?
She is a transmitter, capable of touching every mind on Korynn.
Realization punched Gryph in the chest like a body blow from a baalgrath. He will use the black fog on everyone.
Yes, but first he needs to take control of her.
The second arboleth egg?
Yes, he has already bent the larva to his will and mated it to Aurvendiel. Even now its tendrils twine their way through the tree, erasing her. Once the binding is complete, all that she was will vanish, leaving nothing but a blank slate for Myrthendir to place himself.
He’s going to transfer his mind to the tree? Gryph asked stunned. Like installing a new operating system on a hard drive, he thought privately to himself into.
He will be the tree and the tree will be him, and once he unleashes the black fog on the rest of Korynn, no sentient mind will exist but his. All will be Myrthendir.
Gryph’s mind reeled in horror. Million, billions of sentient beings across the planet would cease to exist. It was genocide on a level so huge that his mind could not process it. Ovyrm would be gone. Lex would be gone. Tifala would be gone. Brynn would be gone. I will be gone.
I cannot do this alone. If I can heal you, maybe we can defeat him together.
No, you cannot, you must not. I have seen the tendrils of possibility, and if you save me, we lose the Realms. Here is where I die. Goodbye, Gryph. I am sorry.
Gryph no longer felt her mind and a quick glance at her body told him he would never hear her voice again. He pushed his anger down and twisted it into focused purpose. He rushed towards the elf lord as quickly as he could without losing Stealth.
Myrthendir had his back to Gryph, hands caressing the bark of the corrupted tree. Maybe I should have invested in Backstab. But Gryph was not a man to let regret lose a battle for him. He eased himself up the stairs of the dais and crept close.
He pumped full mana into Penetrating Strike and used a charge to power Yrriel’s Bite. He considered using Perk Surety on Impale, but the perk would only have a chance to do double damage if he actually hit the dickhead elf. He’d wait until he landed a hit and then use the new tier ability on Quick Strike. He pushed mana into his Boots of Deftness, doubling his movement and attack speed, and jumped, thrusting forward with all of his strength.
Myrthendir spun and Gryph’s spear missed by mere inches. The elf lord brought his staff down, forcing Gryph to use Parry. Spear clanked against staff and Myrthendir pushed knocking Gryph off balance.
“Curious,” the elf lord said and looked down at his fingers as they danced with aetherial gray mana. “I felt you coming through the aether.” He looked up at the tree as the stain of gray continued to eat away at the faded gold bark. “My mind is already expanding, but by all means, let us fight. I haven’t had a good scrap in quite some time.” He spun his staff in an intricate series of forms designed, no doubt, to prove to Gryph just how outclassed he was. He pointed the staff at him and a thin blade of gray energy flowed from the end.
“Let’s play,” the elf lord said and jumped fo
rward much quicker than expected. Gryph spun aside, but the gray blade still nicked Gryph’s arm. It only took a few ticks of his health, but then aetherial energy thrummed into his muscles and his arm went numb.
Myrthendir pushed the attack as Gryph activated Dodge. He stumbled and the elf lord’s staff cracked into his ribs, breaking several.
What the hell?
You have been tagged with an Aetherial Mark.
Aetherial Marks are tags of aetherial energy that allow aetherial magic adepts to predict and track your movements.
-50% to AC for the duration of the tag.
-50% chance to Dodge for the duration of the tag.
-50% chance to hit for duration of the tag.
-100% to Stealth for duration of the tag.
The aetherial magic user who tagged you can now track you for 1,000% the duration of the tag.
Duration: 57 seconds.
Well, fuck me, Gryph grumbled to himself and stumbled back. He shook his arm trying to cast off the burning numbness and struggled to bring his spear into a defensive position. He backed away, trying to put space between him and Myrthendir. How am I going to avoid this asshole for the next minute?
Gryph backed away, keeping the point of his spear between him and the aberrant elf. “You do know I have all the time in the world and you,” he looked over at his cousin, “do not.”
He’s trying to goad me into attacking, Gryph thought. He knows I have no options. Gryph’s brain scrambled for some way out of this shit storm and found nothing. He felt like a kid about to take a test whose mind goes completely blank from the pressure.
Myrthendir struck at him again and Gryph evaded only to walk into the aberrant’s next attack. He is herding me. He was hit again and again as his health trickled ever downward. The attacks came so quick and so frequently that Gryph wasn’t able to think straight. The blows to the head had surely caused a concussion. Somewhere in all the confusion, Gryph lost his spear.