The spirit I remembered shadowing Graves when we last fought no longer hung high above him, but instead was now superimposed over his very body. Both Graves and the spirit now moved in sync, as if the ghost had somehow settled in deeper to Graves’s being.
Movement in the corner of my eye had me turning my head to see a dozen [Goblin Stalkers – Level 10] standing on the very edges of the chamber, pressed hard against the outer wall. Writhing on the ground before them, lay three ragged prisoners, their faces contorted in pain.
Some of the Expedition members are still alive! I could see the familiar white insignia flash in the azure light as one of the distant figures tried to push themselves closer to the outer wall the goblins had huddled against. What are they trying to do here?
Looking back I saw the blue-skinned goblin raise its staff up high, a ball of fire forming in the maw of the skull. The ball shot forth and slammed into the dark sphere hanging high above them. The impact causing it to rock back and forth, bending the energy of the pillar as it moved. A second fireball quickly followed, crashing into the sphere at the apex of its arc, forcing it outside the bounds of the pillar.
Instantly the darkness of the sphere faded, falling to the ground with a weak thump as it rolled across the floor. No longer inhibited, the blazing column of energy intensified, coating the entire chamber with even brighter azure light.
“AT LAST,” a discordant voice echoed through the room as Graves spread his arms wide, stepping onto the dais. “I CAN RID MYSELF OF THIS PRISON OF FLESH.”
Oh shit, he’s going to walk into the pillar! I swallowed hard as I leaped down from the mouth of the tunnel and into the chamber. I heard Caius and the others hit the ground behind me, close on my tail. I need to get closer! It’s too far away to Blink Step!
“GRAVES!” I shouted, my voice booming through the chamber as I ran. I hoped that the surprise of our arrival would buy me enough time to get close. “DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T FIND YOU HERE?!”
Spinning at the sound of my voice both Graves and Mtadr looked at me with surprise, their gaze shifting to see the rest of the group emerging from the tunnel behind me. I heard shrieks as the other goblins rushed to intercept me.
Hope this gets me close enough! Lunging forward I triggered Blink Step, my vision blurring as I teleported across the room, arriving just ten feet away from Graves. The familiar warmth of Æther coming from the pillar greeted me, my body instantly feeling energized in its light.
“GO!” the goblin shaman shouted as it stepped into my path, blocking my route to Graves. Fire blazing from the skull on its staff as it spewed forth a torrent of flame.
I instinctively covered my face with my arm as the flames washed over me, feeling my eyebrows and beard burn away. I felt the armor covering my arm and shoulder melt into my flesh under the searing fire the Shaman channeled, all the while flashing red alerts appeared in my combat log.
[Goblin Shaman - Mtadr] burns you with [Spewing Flames] for 38 points of fire damage!
[Goblin Shaman - Mtadr] burns you with [Spewing Flames] for 43 points of fire damage!
[Goblin Shaman - Mtadr] burns you with [Spewing Flames] for 47 points of fire damage!
Relentlessly pushing forward, I broke through the flames, slashing Razor downwards in the spot where I last saw the goblin shaman. The flames cut off, the goblin quickly interposing its bone staff to keep Razor from chopping into its head.
“YOU ARE TOO LATE MORTAL!” Graves’s discordant voice boomed in front of me. A sneer crossed his face as I momentarily took my eyes off Mtadr to look at him. Taking his gaze off me he stepped into the blazing furnace of power, the crimson aura of the King’s spirit immediately tainting the well of magic causing the chamber to vibrate. “WITNESS MY REBIRTH!”
“NO-” The skull of the goblin’s staff slammed into the side of my face, sending me staggering to the side. I dizzily swiped Razor in an arc, cursing myself for taking my eyes off the shaman for so long.
Forcing my attention back onto the large, blue-skinned goblin. I charged towards it before it could point the flaming head of the staff at me. I kicked out at the staff the same instant a fireball spewed forth from its maw, harmlessly splashing against the chamber floor. Continuing my stride I slammed my shoulder into the goblin’s body, sending it reeling backwards a step.
I followed up with a crackling Razor, discharging a fistful of electricity into the shaman, cutting a shallow wound through its fur armored shoulder. My hand shot out, intent on grabbing the goblin by the throat and strangling the life from it. However, the goblin shaman quickly recovered from my Shocking Touch, throwing a hand forward, which flashed with an intense flash of light, temporarily blinding me.
“Fuck!” I ducked my face, arm reflexively shielding my eyes once again as I fervently tried to blink the gigantic white afterimage out of my vision.
Running forward, the edges of my vision began to clear, only to be replaced by a pulsating crimson light bathing the room. Casting about wildly, I saw Graves’s silhouette floating high above me in the heart of the Æther column. Molten metal began to drip from the ceiling, as the increasing vibrations began to shake the entire chamber.
A large drop of metal splashed to the ground, nearly missing me as it sizzled atop the stone. Looking upwards, I saw the rapidly melting tip of the pole we had followed through the Tower earlier, centered in the middle of the ceiling. The pole was buried this deep?!
The shaking quickly grew in intensity, knocking everyone in the room off their feet. Bricks began to shake themselves loose, crashing to the ground all around us as the chamber shook itself apart. Lying sprawled out on the ground I couldn’t help but twist myself to look back at the tunnel, expecting to see it collapse and trap us here.
With a final gut-wrenching quake, a thundering flash of crimson energy exploded from Graves’s floating form, shattering the well set in the ground. The burning column of magic instantly vanished, momentarily plunging the room into darkness. I felt stone shrapnel slam into me, some piercing through my armor and into my flesh as the blast sent me sliding across the floor.
What the fuck just happened?! I moaned in pain as I collected myself.
Slowly pushing myself up off the floor my augmented vision easily cut through the darkness, revealing everyone slowly picking themselves up off the ground. I looked towards the center of the room, suddenly seeing a crimson apparition burst into being on top of Graves’s floating form, filling the room with a bright malevolent light.
“I LIVE AGAIN!” the apparition roared, as Graves’s body fell to the ground with a crash. “THE SECOND REIGN OF SLAVE KING ABDIEL BEGINS!”
My mouth hung open in shock as the Slave-King’s transparent form burst into flames and began to grow.
For every second that passed, his appearance seemed to gain more solidity and detail as his form came into being, touching down on the ground slowly. Wearing the same armor that Graves wore, Slave-King Abdiel’s new body stood nearly seven feet tall, complete with an ornate crown on his head. Holding a hand up high, a flaming sword conjured itself into being, centering itself in his grip. Hefting the blade high, his featureless gaze roamed the chamber as if in search of something.
Oh, what the fuck did you do, Graves? The spirit before me blazed with immense energy, my True Sight displaying the creature as one blinding mass of magic. With a blink, I deactivated the ability, instantly feeling relief as the aura vanished from my sight. Leaving me only seeing its corporeal form. Heart clenching at what I might see. I focused on the reborn ghost, bringing up its tag, which was quickly followed by the chime of a new quest.
[Slave-King Abdiel – Ætheric Manifestation – Elite Boss – Level 14]
New Quest! The Slave-King Reborn! (Multi-Group) (Evolving Quest)
Slave-King Abdiel, a Nafarrian Ki
ng of an ancient age, has found a way to return to life! He has set his sights on rebuilding his old dynasty and bringing the region under the reign of his iron fist! Stop him before he regains his full power!
Slave-King Abdiel Slain: 0/1
Difficulty: Very Hard
Reward: Experience & Renown
Don’t we have enough shit to worry about?! I quickly felt my heart sink as I scanned the King’s level, followed by the system’s new quest before dismissing it from my vision. An Ætheric Manifestation? Does that mean he’s made of magic now?
“AH! THERE YOU ARE GRAVES!” The newly formed King called at Graves’s crawling form, temporarily ignoring the rest of us. “DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE ME?”
Scanning my surroundings while the King’s focus was elsewhere, I saw a savagely burnt Amaranth straddling the goblin shaman having bit down into the creature’s arm. Running to aid my familiar, I saw that the rest of the party had already resumed hostilities with the other goblins in the room and appeared to have formed a pocket of defense around the captured Expedition members I had seen earlier.
In the split second, my attention had been focused elsewhere the Goblin Shaman had somehow knocked Amaranth off of him, sending the puma flying a short distance through the air. Seeing the skull on shaman’s staff blazing with flame. I desperately cast Blink Step, appearing half a stride behind the kneeling shaman, tackling it from behind.
The Fireball shot uselessly into the air, splashing against the far wall as I rode the goblin to a stop. Twisting under me, the Goblin Shaman’s elbow shot out, catching me on the edge of my helmet as it spun onto its back. Recoiling from the blow, I blinked repeatedly, trying to get rid of the spinning stars in my vision.
Reaching out blindly before the goblin could attack me again, I felt my hand grab the arm holding the burning staff, pinning it against the ground. I felt bones snap under my brutal grip as I began to squeeze with every ounce of strength I had. The Goblin Shaman screamed in pain as the staff fell uselessly from its grip, the eyes of the smoldering skull winking out as it clattered to the ground.
Angling Razor downwards, I stabbed the blade deep into the goblin’s shoulder the same instant its still functioning hand touched my chest. I didn’t even have a chance to see what spell the goblin cast before I was suddenly blown off the goblin by an intense wave of force. I sailed through the air, spinning wildly before slamming back into the ground with a crunch.
Wheezing, I slowly collected myself as the stunning effect of the Shaman’s spell began to wear off. I forced myself into an upright position, seeing that the Goblin Shaman had recovered his staff. The skull on the tip of the staff blazed with fire once more as the Shaman chanted the final words of the spell that would send a massive fireball streaming towards me.
I’m fucked. The realization crystalized in my mind as I tried to stand, the effects of the Shaman’s spell on my mind preventing me from casting Blink-Step in time.
I heard bones crack and snap as Amaranth shook the Goblin’s Shaman by his neck, thrashing the creature against the ground. Blood splattered everywhere as Amaranth dug his claws into the goblin’s flesh, working to rip and tear the Shaman’s head free from his body. In one violent motion, the Puma tore the filthly creature’s head free of its body, the sound of tearing flesh and crunching bone filling the air as the Goblin Shaman died.
Amaranth spat the goblin’s head onto the ground, roaring with victory as he celebrated his kill, causing the Slave-King to turn his attention towards us, sensing the Goblin Shaman’s death.
“YOU HAVE DARED TO KILL MY SERVANT!” His voice boomed from the far side of the dais, his body slowly turning towards us, an orange glowing orb forming at the tip of his blade. “SUCH AN AFFRONT WILL NOT STAND!”
Before I could even fully comprehend what the King had said, the orb shot forth, crossing the room with blinding speed. It crashed into Amaranth’s form, unerringly changing direction as it compensated for the cat’s attempt to dodge midflight. An explosion of fire consumed my familiar, leaving nothing but dust behind.
“No!” I felt something tear deep inside me as Amaranth died, taking a piece of my soul with it. A heavy weariness instantly settling over me, as pair of messages appeared in my vision.
Your familiar - Amaranth has been killed by [Slave-King Abdiel]!
Your Soul is weakened! All abilities scores and skills have been reduced by 10% for the next 24 hours until your familiar respawns!
“AND NOW YOU!” The incandescent Slave-King began walking towards me, his long strides allowing him to quickly cross the room.
“I was thinking the same thing!” I forced myself to meet the King’s advance.
“We’re with you, Lyr!” Caius’s voice called out from behind me, a trio of magic bolts and an arrow sailing over my head, splashing against the corporeal spirit.
Glancing behind me, I saw that the rest of the party had taken care of the Goblin Stalkers, though not without injuries or casualties themselves. Along with the missing presence of Amaranth, I now noticed that Sierra was no longer with us, Party Sense now telling me that she was far away in the direction of Aldford.
One more time! I thought to myself tiredly as I started running towards the Slave-King. Just one more boss, then we can log off and rest.
I charged up the dais noticing that the King had stopped advancing, shielding himself with one arm against the magical attacks of our mages.
“PITIFUL!” His voice took on a mocking tone as he shouted at us. “I ONCE WIELDED MAGIC THAT COULD RUIN ENTIRE CITIES! YOU INSULT ME WITH YOUR NOVICE LEVEL SPELLS!”
“And yet you died!” I shouted, unable to keep myself from taunting the King as I closed the distance.
Choosing not to reply to me, the Slave-King instead hefted his flaming blade, extending a hand towards me.
Here goes nothing! I gripped Razor tightly as I watched the Slave-King’s blade. The moment I saw the sword begin to move, I ground to a halt, needing to shed every bit of speed I could for what I was about to try. Abdiel lunged forward swinging his blade in a wide arc, not intending to give me any space to escape. But I didn’t plan to escape.
The world blurred as Blink Step took me directly behind the Slave-King’s outstretched form. Spinning, I sliced out with Razor, the blade passing through the corporeal spirit’s leg with a flash of magic before resealing itself. Seeing a delightful message appear at the bottom of my vision.
You [Power Attack I] Slave-King Abdiel for 52 points of damage!
Yes! We can hurt it! I managed a second cut across Abdiel’s back before the Slave-King spun on me, planting a brutal kick on me that sent me flying across the room.
[Slave-King Abdiel] hits you with [Mighty Kick] for 123 points of damage!
I flew through the air a short distance before slamming into the ground and skidding to a stop. Coughing, I clutched my chest reflexively as I gasped for air. Lifting my head up, I looked back at the Slave-King who had turned to meet the rest of the group’s assault. Magic flew through the air, slamming into the Slave-King’s body, temporarily streaming Æther from every blow.
As I stood up to rejoin the fight, I caught sight of Graves barely twenty feet away from me, digging desperately through the rubble on the ground. With a cry of triumph Graves picked something up off the ground, immediately cursing and throwing it. It landed with a heavy thump and began quickly rolling across the ground. I spotted the object as it rolled past me, a heart-stopping tag appearing in my vision highlighting the item.
[Annulment Sphere]
That’s the thing that was floating in the pillar! I instantly realized why the Goblin Shaman had forced the sphere out of the pilla
r before the then possessed Graves stepped into it. He was worried it would consume him! We can kill the Slave-King with this!
I lunged towards the sphere, the same instant Graves recovered from his fumble, his eyes landing on me.
“You!” he spat, pure hate crossing his features. “This is all your fault!”
“What the fuck did you do, Graves?!” I shouted back at the man as we both moved to chase the rolling sphere. “You fucking unleashed this monster!”
“You gave me no choice!” Graves drew his sword, abandoning his pursuit of the sphere, instead choosing to advance on me. “You ruined everything I had planned! I was going to be rich! I was going to be famous!”
“Cry me a fucking river, Graves!” I sliced Razor through the air as I assumed a defensive posture, baiting Graves to attack me. “You made a play for Aldford and lost! Grow up and move on!”
“NO!” Graves shouted, his glance momentarily turning towards the Annulment Sphere, before looking up at me and rushing forward. “If I can’t have Aldford, no one will! The world will see my vengeance first hand! They’ll watch your precious village burn to ash! I’ll take that sphere and hide it somewhere where no one will ever find it! Everything will burn!”
Ascend Online Page 56