Last Horizon: Beta

by Daniel Schinhofen

  They looked at him and didn't step away from their embrace. “Yes, everything is going wonderfully,” Terets said with a smile.

  Amythyst spoke up, “I met his daughter. She likes me...”

  Kittish squealed and hugged both of them. “Oh, that is so good, that means you had a second date thing last night.”

  Dumadin gave his friends a thumbs up and smiled at Terets. “Well done my friend, and good call.”

  The group composed themselves after a few more moments and began to study the ruins again. The moon was half full, giving them enough light to see by. There were only scattered small groups of the creatures roaming the ruins as guards.

  “It looks like if we time this right we can slip through without a fight. The temple will be an unknown, but hopefully it will be okay.” Terets noted and pointed out the path they needed to take.

  A few minutes later they slipped into the ruins and began the game of weasel and player through the maze of streets along Terets’s plotted path. They came to realize that the size of the place was larger than they originally thought, and it took them longer than they’d expected to reach the base of the ziggurat.

  Staying in the shadows, the group waited while Terets stealthed towards the archway into the temple. A few minutes later he was back and chuckling, “Instance. They did change it to a white mist after all, thank the gods.”

  Nodding the group moved to the archway and stepped into the mist, appearing inside a flickering torch lit hallway. The hall stretched away to either side with a wall twenty feet ahead of them. The torches were spaced out every two hundred feet or so, making a very shadowy illumination. The hall seemed to extend the same in each direction, so they headed left.

  Terets stealthed ahead of them checking for enemies or potential issues. Halfway down the hallway there was an opening in towards the middle of the structure. Terets checked and came back, letting them know it was a massive open area with columns and nothing present. Upon entering the big central room they noted a stairway that led up to the next level, however the ceiling was so high it easily took two floors by itself. Taking his time to check, Terets didn't find anyone in the room up the stairs and let them know it was safe. There were no doors, just open arches in the structure as he made his way from room to room. He began to note sleeping mats and other indications of life.

  After a few minutes the group decided to wait in the current room and let Terets scout the rest of the floor out. After about half an hour he came back and told them there was no creatures, but a lot of indication of things living here. He led them to the base of another stair well and went up.

  He peeked into the next room, noting chittering from something ahead and informed the group. He slipped his old knives out in case he found something to ambush as he went. Peering into a hall he saw two of the creatures speaking in chittering voices. He checked his UI, which told him these were Lycatela Guards. He noted their level thirty status and slipped back to his friends.

  Terets informed them that they wouldn't be able to slip past any more and they would have to try and move hard and fast from this point. Nodding, they got their stuff together. Dumadin raised his brow at the old swords. “They give me double damage from backstab now that I have the ability. Seeing as the guards are level thirty and we’re only fifteen I shudder at what the boss is going to be.” Terets shuddered and slipped off in front of them again.

  Thinking about his reasoning and agreeing, Dumadin slipped the Shield of the Righteous on and the Heavy Deep Iron Axe. It might be time to let the durability die on these items after giving them a last hurrah. The group tried to follow Terets as silently as they could. As he reached the corner he motioned that the two guards were there and stepped out into the hall. At the count of ten Kittish stepped out and cast Chain Lightning on the duo, as Amythyst and Emilia flanked her and shot arrows at the two. The crackle of the spell and the singed fur smell filled the hall as they were stunned. The arrows each found one of them as Terets used Backstab on the same one. It writhed in silent pain as another pair of arrows sped into the other guard. Terets slammed the blades home into the back of the first one again killing it. The second guard started to scream when Shock landed on it stunning it again. A moment later two more arrows slammed home and Terets slid both blades into it. It slumped dead with a whimper and a gurgle.

  The group paused listening intently and hearing only their own breathing. They looted the corpses as Terets went off to explore the floor, finding only obsidian spears and plain jade necklaces on the Lycatela. Pocketing the jade, they waited for Terets to return.

  A few minutes later he came back and told them there was another stair up towards the next floor. Hunkering down by the stairs they waited again for their friend. A half hour later he came back and reported the next floor deserted and having found the next stair well. Moving after him, they noted the sleeping mats and signs of life meaning they would have company eventually.

  The next floor they finally found life in greater numbers. Terets scouted an open room where ten of the Lycatela were eating raw panther meat and chittering to each other. He went back to inform his friends, and brainstorm a plan.

  The group got into position and timed their attack so that a Fireball, Poison Cloud, and Gas Bomb all hit the group of Lycatela at the same time. As the critters screamed and got to their feet, Dumadin came rushing in and Anger Howled. As they turned on him another Fireball went off along with a Chain Lightning. The stun gave Felton time to close and use Distracting Shout on them as Emelia stood back and began firing arrows into her first target.

  The stun wore off and the ten creatures all attacked Dumadin, making Amythyst switch to healing. Terets appeared behind the one Em had chosen and backstabbed it. Felton jumped in on it with him as Emilia switched to her next target. Chain Lightning hit the pack again, stunning them and making the air smell like ozone. The first Lycatela died quickly and Felton and Terets moved to Emilia’s current target, as Dumadin starting applying Seeping Wound to the ones on him, the bleed slowly eating their health away.

  Working as a team, they had the ten Lycatela dead in a few minutes and paused to see if the ruckus brought any more. When no more appeared they quickly looted the jade jewelry they found and waited as Terets went to scout. Amythyst and Kittish drank some juice as they waited, watching their aether regenerate.

  A few minutes later Terets led them up the next set of stairs and scouted again. “This place still seems awfully vacant,” Emilia whispered.

  “Yes it does, which means when we do find them it is going to be bad, bad, bad,” Dumadin agreed.

  Terets came back and informed them of another group of ten Lycatela. Working as a team they dispatched that group and the next group on the level above. “I mean yes, they are higher level but does this seem a little too easy to you guys?” Kittish whispered as they waited for Terets.

  The agreed and waited for the scout. When he came back he looked grim, “This is going to suck. I found the next group. It is twenty strong with five priests. We need to kill the casters first but fifteen seems a bit much for Dumadin to handle for long.”

  Dumadin smirked and tapped his shield, “Naw, we got this like we did with the goblins. Kittish casts Poison Cloud on the group and runs to get behind me. I Anger Howl and grab their attention, use the shield to one of you getting hit by the priests. The group will run back towards the room then, the DoT will outstrip my aggro and they’ll turn to Kittish again. Rinse repeat until the priests are dead. Then, since they’ll all be injured it will be faster to mop up the others.”

  Amythyst frowned, “We could use Kittish's Chain Lightning to stun the priests to keep them from healing each other right away. Then Kittish, Terets, Emila and Felton each take a priest, which will mostly interrupt their casting. It might take a little longer, but it should work. I’ll fireball the group and run to bring them to you, then we play mob ping pong. I should have time also to do some healing if we need it. If we rinse repeat that it should wor
k.”

  Agreeing to the change of plan, they got ready to execute it. A few minutes later they were grinning and panting as it went flawlessly. Kittish added a Poison Cloud at the beginning, knowing that the Fireballs and Anger Howls would keep her off the top of the aggro list. That extra damage on the priests proved very useful in the end. Taking the jade jewelry they searched the room and came up with a one handed axe of an odd metal. The UI identified it as a Poor Starmetal Axe. Dumadin blinked at the damage on it, almost double his best weapon. The durability was comparable to the starter weapon but that damage was great.

  “I want to use this but, heh that would be selfish,” Dumadin tossed it to Felton. “If you break that down you might be able to get the Starmetal from it. Better yet, have the guys who gave you the quest break it for you.”

  Felton grinned, “Hell ya. Does it seem to you that sometimes we are supremely lucky at finding the right shit?”

  The group laughed, “Yeah, like one of the AI's has taken a shine to us right?” Dumadin asked rhetorically. Which caused them to laugh a bit more before stifling it and settling down to wait as Terets went to scout again.

  They rest of the ziggurat was variations of the priest group up until they got to the last level. As they finished off the group from the next to last level, the Shield of the Righteous cracked and crumbled into dust. “Fuck,” Dumadin cursed, “I really loved that shield.”

  The group paused, thinking of how much they had accomplished due to the bouncing aggro tactic that the shield had made possible. “Well, hell. Hopefully the last bit with the boss is straightforward,” Terets grimaced. “Let me go see what we got while you guys secure the loot.”

  They’d looted even more jade jewelry and some silver and gold bars from the past few levels and this one. “I wonder how well this jade will sell?” Emelia wondered out loud.

  “We didn't see any in any of the jeweler shops, so maybe it will be good for them.” Amythyst opined as they waited.

  Terets came back shaking his head, “I don't like it. There is only the High Priest Lycatela at the open top of the temple standing before an altar. There’s a freshly skinned corpse missing its heart on top of the altar.”

  “I think then he’ll raise the corpse as an undead and it will be a duo match. The undead will tank and he’ll sling spells and heal.” Dumadin threw his thoughts out.

  “Possible,” Emelia mused and then grimaced, “this is roughly Central America and a rough copy of Mayan ruins, though. Didn't they do live sacrifices to their gods?”

  Felton shook his head, “Thought that was the Inca. Maybe they just blended them here, though.”

  Shrugging, Em continued, “Is there a chance that one of us might end up on that altar though?”

  Raising brows they shuddered, “Ick,” Amythyst made a gagging motion. Agreeing, they brain stormed and came up empty.

  “So we plan for an undead sidekick tank and him as a caster then, right?” Dumadin said looking at his friends.

  “Best guess we have,” Terets added, “like vanilla man. We will not know until we throw ourselves at it and hopefully we don't wipe too much.”

  They made the climb up to the top and slid out, looking over the scene. The High Priest stood over the altar, facing them and smiled when they climbed into view. The Priest began to speak to them, “Welcome seekers. Do you seek the book of knowledge?”

  Exchanging glances with the others, Felton took a step forward, “We seek a journal left here some years ago.”

  “Yes, the book of learning. We need it for a bit longer. We almost understand it. We will gladly give it to you in three weeks along with as much gold as you can carry if you leave now.” The weasel face squinted as it watched them intently.

  Felton took a step back to confer with the rest of them, “The body is of a female elf. I do not trust him at all.” He spoke softly, hoping that the Priest couldn't hear him.

  Nodding Dumadin took a step forward to get a better look at the corpse as he spoke, “High Priest, we can come to an agreement, but we must have an answer to an important question first.”

  The creature’s eyes narrowed and it waved a paw at them, the heart of the sacrifice held in it. “Speak then dwarf, and be quick or I will think you only mean to delay me.”

  Dumadin made a sign behind his back to his friends and asked, “What was her name?” His head nodded towards the dead elf on the altar.

  The Priest glanced down and as he did Terets vanished and Dumadin tossed a throwing axe. At the same time Shock and Fireball were cast. Emelia and Felton started to charge joined by Dumadin as his axe left his hand.

  The Priest snorted and crushed the heart in his hand and the group fell down, stunned. “Pathetic children, you are nothing compared to the Lycatela.” He strode over and picked up Dumadin and tossed him onto the altar. “You shall be a worthy one to kill the others for me.” As the group lay there paralyzed with a minute long debuff, they watched the Priest began his thirty second cast.

  Just as the spell was about to conclude, twin blades plunged into the Priest's back. “Remind me to tell Jazzy the group function is broken,” Terets yelled as he vanished again. The Lycatela spun around and swung his hands before him in an arcane gesture. Terets, who had stepped sideways and around the Lycatela as it had spun, appeared suddenly. Shrugging, he plunged both blades into it again and danced backwards as it spun around again.

  “I don't want to dance weasel, I just want you to die.” Terets faked left and rolled right as the Priest screamed out something. Terets was hit with a bolt of lightning, stunning him in place next to the altar.

  “You will die then, furless one,” snarled the priest as it healed its wounds.

  The group began to twitch as the final seconds of their debuff ticked away. Terets had bought them the time for the debuff to wear off. The Priest tried to run for the stairs as they regained control of themselves. Before it could get there Kittish hit it with Shock, stunning it long enough for the others to stand and block the way.

  “Now. now rat, don't run when Kittish wants to play,” Kittish giggled as she stood up.

  The priest pulled its necklace off and threw it to the ground at the feet of the three blocking the stairs. A black oily mist boiled up and entangled them as the Lycatela bit one of its own fingers off and chittered something.

  The three caught in the mist screamed as the mist started to strip the flesh off them. Dumadin and Terets charged into the Priest to try and keep it from casting again. Kittish cast Healing Pulse onto the three in the mist and the other two as they started to take damage from the priest. The debuff on the trio would only last another twenty seconds and her HoT would keep them up, if only barely.

  Dumadin Triggered Anger Howl and his three blocks in quick succession to buy time for the group. Terets threw down Gas Bomb to help out and began to Backstab. The Priest was kept off balance and unable to cast another spell until Amythyst, Emilia and Felton got free of the mist, staggering and gasping as it dissipated. Amythyst quickly cast Healing Light on them as another round of Healing Pulses hit them.

  The priest, seeing that the group had survived chittered again and bit another finger off, and tossed it at Dumadin. It bounced off his shield but the effect went though. Turning Dumadin charged his friends, slamming into Amythyst first.

  “Mind Control,” Terets screamed trying to kill the Lycatela faster.

  Three consecutive shocks in the matter of three seconds hit Dumadin, stunning him. Emilia stepped up to Dumadin as the stuns wore off.

  The blank expression on his face unnerved Em some but she quickly triggered her necklace for the parry and riposte on Dumadin. Her eyes flicked to the debuff on him, showing twenty more seconds of mind control. “I got him. Kill that fucking rat,” She shouted at the others.

  Amythyst marked herself and began to heal Em, to top them both off while she fought Dumadin. Em tried to do minimal damage while keeping him focused on her as the others turned on the Priest.

  As th
e mind control wore off Dumadin the others managed to finish off the Priest. The lifeless body sprawled on the ground as they panted and made sure they were okay. Dumadin sat down and shook his head, “Fuck, that sucks. Mind control is not nice in this game at all. Bad enough in normal games but watching yourself attack friends and not being able to stop is fucking horrible here.”

  Emilia pulled him to his feet. “Stop your crying. You’re just mad that I stopped you cold.”

  Dumadin laughed and hugged her, “That you did, luckily we had two healers and an off tank. This fight will suck for anyone who doesn't come in with that combo.”

  They took the moment to drink some juice just in case, then searched the body and altar. They found the journal in the satchel the Priest wore along with an obsidian dagger coated in blood, which had stained the cover of the journal. Terets examined the altar and noted a small depression at the base, he tried to fiddle with it but it needed something thinner than he had.