The miners start to pack up and reload their mining equipment back into the wagon.
Screech! Xavier looks up and sees a hail of fireballs raining down on him! "Take cover!" he yells out, to no avail. There is nowhere to hide, except back into the pit. He tries to dive into the pit, but a fireball reaches him first and incinerates his avatar instantly. The player's screen turns black and he sees a message: "Respawning in thirty seconds." "Damnit!" the player swears as he rips the virtual reality headset off his head. There's nothing more he could do, now that his character is dead.
ROAR! The raging fire from the sky continuously impacts the ground, pounding on the helpless prospecting group and turning men, horse, and wagon into ash. Demons begin to appear and descend on the unlucky survivors.
"Demons!" the survivors cry out and begin to fight. However, only a third of the group survived the initial blast of Meteor Swarm, and their number is now too few to fight the dozens of demons surrounding them.
Talnia sends a desperate message back to camp. “We are under attack,” she tells Willa. “More than half the group has already been decimated,” she adds.
“I'll alert the expedition leader and ask her to send reinforcements over,” Willa replies.
“No, the battle has already been lost,” Talnia rejects the rescue attempt. “We will attempt to draw as much attention as possible, and pull wandering demons away from the area. We'll fight here to the last man,” she decides as the leading representative of the Church on site.
“Very well,” Willa agrees with sadness. “Your sacrifice for the Church has been noted.” Willa cuts off the communication link. "Expedition leader, Xavier's group has been overrun by demons. There are only a few survivors, including Talnia. She has decided to sacrifice her group to pull the demons away from us," she reports.
Kassender frowns at the catastrophic news. Although her heart is pushing her to mount a rescue attempt, the expedition leader understands Talnia's rationale. It would be foolish for me to allow her sacrifice to be in vain, the Kassender admonishes herself. She turns to look at the rest of the group, who is standing attentively awaiting her order. "We will merge with Clarke's group and provide additional protection until they finish retrieving the necessary amount of ore. Break camp at once!" she orders.
The group under her command rushes to pack up supplies and prepare to move out.
Chapter 26 – Urgency
Kassender's group hurries along the charred landscape, eager to reach the remaining prospecting group and to ensure that the mission is successful. Each player is aware of the total loss of the first prospecting group, a third of the expedition that got wiped out by demons for venturing too close to Mount Zissley. Group morale is low, but the end of the tunnel is in sight.
The expedition leader turns to look at Willa. "Please let Lucreia know that we're coming to join their group. They are to continue digging up as much ore as possible. If any demons venture in the vicinity, the group is not to engage in combat. Flee if necessary," she orders.
Willa nods, and opens a communication link with Lucreia. “The base camp has packed up and begun heading to your location,” Willa tells her counterpart. “The expedition leader has ordered your group to avoid combat with demons at all costs. If you have to flee and leave your equipment behind, then you have permission to do so.”
Lucreia is shocked by this order. “Did something happen to the other prospecting group,” she asks instinctively.
“Unfortunately, Xavier's group has been wiped out by demons. They were much too close to the mountain, and the group was ambushed by a volley of Meteor Swarms that took out a majority of the group,” Willa replies. “I understand that Lucious is with your group, and he might have a way to fend off that spell. But nonetheless, the safest thing to do is to avoid engaging with the demons, and return to the prospecting site when the demons are gone from the area.”
“Very well,” Lucreia agrees reluctantly. “I will relay your order.” She cuts off the link and looks around. She sees Clarke getting ready to rappel down the pit again, and grabs the leader’s left arm. "I just received a message from base camp. They are coming to merge with us. The other prospector group has been wiped out," she says calmly.
"What happened?" Clarke asks tentatively as the other miners stop in their tracks and listen to the conversation.
"They were ambushed by Meteor Swarm spells cast by the demons," the diviner replies.
"Ouch," Clarke is saddened by the failure of his leader, and his ensuing loss of experience points for dying. It's going to be an interesting conversation back at guild headquarters. He looks around and decides to address the rest of the group under his command. "The success of this mission now rests on our shoulders. Let's mine the ore as quickly as possible, so that we can leave this Gods forsaken place before the demons find us," he urges.
The miners nod and resume their work with more vigor and energy.
Lucreia walks over to Lucious, who is talking quietly to the members of the Magic Guild. She sees that the fighters and demonologists are vigilantly guarding the perimeter of the work site.
"How do we counter Meteor Swarm?" a young looking mage in bright red cloak asks worriedly.
"Would an Anti-Magic Barrier work?" another mage with a yellow cape asks.
Lucious smirks at the suggestion. "Think for a moment. Anti-magic barrier prevents magic from passing through the barrier. But what does Meteor Swarm entail?" he pauses for a moment. Seeing no response, he continues. "It pulls the asteroids in orbit around this planet down to the ground, in a very precise and pinpoint way. It is a physical phenomenon, and therefore not subject to restriction from an anti-magic barrier."
"So how would we stop that?" the young mage asks impatiently. He had assumed that the barrier would stop this deadly spell.
"I'll let you think about that," Lucious grins. "The key to magic is how to use it, and when it is applicable in a given situation. Consider this your lesson for today."
"Perhaps a wind barrier would work," says Loquist the air mage.
"Possibly," Lucious nods. "It depends on the strength of the caster in creating a large enough barrier to cover the entire work site. Also, even if the air mage is not strong enough to repel all the meteors, he could repel enough rocks to reduce damage to the target site and ensure the party’s survival from the spell damage."
Loquist blanches at the thought of blowing his entire mana bar to do so. He looks at the perimeter formed by the guards. I might not be able to cover the entire space, he realizes suddenly.
"Additionally, the shield will need to last until the pounding from the meteors stop. Think of the Meteor Swarm as large rain drops. The rain wouldn’t stop falling suddenly, right? Thus, a master level air mage would be hard pressed to make his barrier last, given the enormous mana cost of the barrier. What's your character level again?" Lucious asks politely.
"Not max," the air mage admits sheepishly as his face flushes with embarrassment. “I’m only level forty.”
The elementalist taps Loquist lightly on the shoulder. "I'm not putting you on the spot. You had the right idea," he says encouragingly. Lucious directs his attention at the other mages, who are also listening intently to the lesson. "The key is to pull spells from non-fire elements to counter the Meteor Swarm. The wind barrier may work if the caster gets an infusion of mana from other spell casters," he nods at Lucreia, who nods back. It's obvious that the Succor spell from a priest would be the source of the additional mana to power the spell, and Lucreia would be the one to provide it.
"You could also toss out a Circle of Protection from Fire," Indira chips in.
Lucious looks at the female mage; she has long, wavy black hair gliding down her back. She had been silent the entire trip until now. She's a water mage, the elementalist remembers as he eyes her light blue robes. "It would certainly reduce the damage from fire, but not entirely eliminate it unless the caster is a Fire Mage. Unfortunately, we don't have one of those amongst us," he n
otes with a shrug. "Also, it takes time to prepare, because you need to physically draw up a circle on the ground first. It's useful for a summoning, but not ideal for a combat situation."
"I could draw up the circle around the work site," Loquist volunteers. "I have the spell components with me today."
"Please do it," Lucious accepts the offer.
The eager young mage heads north to start drawing the circle, with Indira following along.
Lucious walks over to stand next to Lucreia. "How long until the other group arrives?" he asks.
Lucreia takes out a map, which magically shows the location of both groups. Her current location is a red dot on the map, while Kassender's group is a green dot. She estimates based on the distance between the two dots. "I would say maybe half hour?" she replies.
Lucious glances at the two wooden barrels. The first is already full of the ore, while the second is beginning to fill up as well. Vergil the enchanter had said we need two full barrels, he remembers suddenly. "We should be done by then," he says.
"May the Gods of Eternia continue to watch over us," the diviner replies.
Chapter 27 – Fight or Flight
“Halt!” the caravan leader yells out suddenly. Maximus turns around and faces Kassender. “There’s a group of demons dead ahead,” he says.
The expedition leader brings her mount forward to stand to the right of the veteran fighter. Kassender sees only a handful of them. We could go around them but that would waste valuable time, she thinks. And that in turn means a greater risk of mission failure. “We go through them,” she announces her decision.
Maximus looks at the warriors. He pulls the large bastard sword from the sheath wrapped behind his back. Aiming the tip of the sword at the group of demons a good fifty meters away, he yells out, “Charge!”
The bloodthirsty warriors from the Fighter Guild and the Church urge their mounts forward at full speed toward the demons. The sound of hooves striking hard against the unyielding ground is like an angry, roaring thunder, a harbinger of the glorious battle to come!
The demons see the dust stirring a short distance in front of them, and the humans riding on horseback towards the group. Four of them stand their ground, their pointy claws twitching in anticipation of ripping soft flesh apart. However, one of them loses its courage, and starts to flee back towards the mountain.
Maximus sees the errant demon breaking away from the group. “We can’t let any of them escape and warn the rest back in the mountain,” he yells out. A moment later, his horse chops down on a demon with its front hooves. While the demon before him is stunned by the horse, the fighter quickly sweeps his bastard sword from right to left and decapitates the demon.
Having dispatched with his prey, Maximus looks around quickly to assess the battle situation. He sees his fighters working in unison with the spell casters from the Church and Mage Guild to put down three demons. However, the last one is moving further and further away.
Kassender raises her mace high up above her head. Dark clouds start to form above her. Suddenly she throws her weapon down on the ground. Boom! At the instant of impact, a bolt of lightning crashes down from the cloud and strikes the retreating demon. The impact knocks it to the ground, face first. Sparkles of electricity cause the demon’s flesh to sizzle until it is completely turned black.
Seeing that the demon is not moving, Maximus breathes a sigh of relief. However, a fire appears a short distance away from the downed demon. The small flame starts to expand rapidly, growing in both length and width. A large demon slowly walks through. The demon is unusually big, nearly an additional half the size of the regular demons the expeditionary force had just vanquished. The demon has large wings of fire, and two sharp horns protruding from the sides of its forehead. The newcomer fixes its black eyes on the charred demon on the ground and takes a few steps forward. Its eyes quickly sweep across the battlefield to access the situation.
As soon as this monstrous demon exits the fire gate, more demons trail behind it. The number of demons starts to swell until they outnumber the twenty person expeditionary force by three to one.
“That’s a demon lord!” Deidra cries out in alarm. This is the worst enemy we could face, the Chief Demonologist thinks. “He’s probably the one who cast the Meteor Swarm that wiped out Xavier’s group. We don’t have the manpower to fight him and his underlings, Kassender. We must run!”
“Run towards the prospecting group! Whatever we do, we must protect Evangelina and have the ore return to Starter Town,” Kassender orders.
Maximus flicks the reins of his mount, and starts charging towards the dig site. The rest of the group follows his lead. Hopefully, we can put some distance between us and the demons.
Chapter 28 – Incoming
“Talnia, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Willa,” the diviner replies.
“We have a demon lord and his minions hot on our trail. You need to wrap up operations, break camp, and move toward us. Once we merge our two groups, Evangelina will be able to open a portal to take us back,” Willa says.
“I'll inform Clarke at once,” Talnia replies and ends the communication link. With urgency in her steps, the diviner walks over to the pit. Seeing Clarke digging with a pickaxe, she yells out, "Clarke, you have been ordered to wrap up your operation and leave at once! The other group has been spotted by a demon lord. We are to merge with the expeditionary group and return to Starter Town."
"Okay," Clarke replies. He looks at his guild mates. "You heard the lady! Let’s pack up! We’re going home!" he orders.
Lucious walks over to Talnia. "Can you link up with Kassender for me? I have a suggestion for her," he requests politely.
Talnia's eyes widen, but she manages to avoid raising questions. Clutching the symbol of the Gods of Eternia hanging on her neck, the diviner invokes the communicate spell to link up with her counterpart. “Willa, Lucious requests to speak with Kassender. “
“Okay. I'm riding on a horse towards the rear of the caravan right now. Give me a moment to reach the leader's position,” Willa answers. Urging her mount faster, in a few heartbeats the diviner reaches her leader. "Expedition leader, Lucious would like to speak with you," she says.
"Tell him to make it quick," Kassender replies.
“Go ahead,” Willa says.
"You're up," Talnia tells Lucious.
The elementalist nods in appreciation. "I think it would be better for your group to run over to our current position instead of us leaving this place to reach you. A circle of protection from fire has already been placed around the site. If you could reach us, the demons won't be able to enter the barrier," he says. “The circle is large enough to allow the creation of the portal as well. Also, we can’t risk having the demons follow us through the portal back into Starter Town,” he adds. Once a demon appears in the player controlled zone, other demons could easily be summoned into the area. That must not be allowed to happen!
Talnia repeats the suggestion verbatim.
Kassender considers the plan for a moment, and appreciates the mage’s concerns. "We have a demon lord in the group chasing us. How will you handle his meteor swarm?" she asks.
Willa relays the expedition leader’s skepticism over to Talnia.
"We have a method to deal with it. Right now you need to make sure the demons won't kill Evangelina," Lucious replies.
What a cold bastard, the expedition leader thinks. He is right though, in thinking that everyone else on my team is expendable. "Very well," she decides. "We'll proceed with your suggestion."
“We’ll prepare for your hot arrival,” Lucious replies and motions with his hand to cut off the communication link. He sees everyone is looking at him. “The expedition leader has agreed to modify her order. We are to remain here and prepare for a hot incoming.” He turns to Loquist. “Please check the circle of fire protection again to make sure the circle is complete, and strengthen it if necessary,” he requests. He sits on a rock and patie
ntly awaits the arrival of the other group.
Ten minutes later, Lucious feels the ground shake. Looking at the northwest direction, he sees a thick cloud of dust moving towards his camp. A short distance behind the cloud is a trail of flickering flames. He quickly gets up and sees that his group is already aware of the impending arrival of the other group.
As Kassender’s group draws closer to the dig site, Lucious sees the rearguard launching arrows at the fire demons. Some of them miss, but a good number of them hit the intended targets, causing the demons to pause to pull the annoying arrows out of their bodies. However, once the arrows are out, the struck demons quickly follow in pursuit of Kassender’s party, ignoring the wound slowly bleeding the demons to death. Amongst the demons is a giant sized demon with horns and wings. That’s the demon lord, Lucious recognizes. When the retreating group is a few yards away, Lucious kneels on the ground and starts the process to summon his giant Earth Elemental and prepare for the tough battle to come.
Chapter 29 – Demon Lord
The fire demons continue to follow the fleeing humans, blazing a trail of fire whenever they go. Although they cannot match the speed of the horses, the Demon Lord urges his minions onward. Sooner or the later, the horses will lose their strength and then the horde can feast. . .
The caravan maintains its formation despite their fiery pursuers. Every player understands that it is suicidal to fight the demons when the players are seriously outmatched. The only way out is through the portal, or death.
Kassender takes a glance back at her expedition, and sees no sign of panic from her companions. Good, she thinks as she looks further back at the blazing flame a distance away from her group.
“I think we may need to create speed bumps for the demons,” Maximus says quietly.
“If there is no alternative but to have a group stay and confront them while the portal master moves on ahead to the dig site, I will lead the group,” the expedition leader replies.
World of Eternia: The Complete Collection Page 28