“You bitch!” he shouted.
He tried to turn and attack her, but his step faltered and he fell down again. Nyx’s wounds had been lighter than either Saefa’s or Jandar’s, so her injuries were almost healed by now. She had pulled Saefa from death’s door, but he still looked grim. Her Crippling Blow was about to wear off, and she wanted answers before the player forced her to kill him.
“Why did you attack us? Who sent you, you PKer pricks?” she demanded.
The man glared up at her. “We came for the bounty, you dumbass. The better question is why are you fighting us instead of trying to collect it yourself?”
Nyx screwed up her face. “Bounty? What bounty?”
“The one on—”
Jandar’s hammer came down atop his head, killing him with a Power Strike.
Nyx flashed furious eyes at him. “What the hell? I was trying to get some answers from him, you idiot!”
Jandar looked from the man to her. “Sorry. I thought he was just stalling for time, and my bloodlust was still running high.”
Nyx glared at him. “He said something about a bounty. Have you heard anything about a bounty on any of us?”
Jandar shook his head. “Nope.”
Saefa had gone to one knee to catch his breath and looked up. “It is possible he was referring to me. Khan Eoselm has probably heard of my efforts to find people to stop him and sent them here, knowing it was the only way back into Capria.”
“I suppose, but I still would have liked to have questioned him more,” Nyx fumed as she looked around for Lexon. “Anyone seen Lex?”
“Over here!” Lexon called out as he threaded his way past a clump of boulders and waved his hand in the air.
Nyx noticed the blood on his harp’s solid base. “What happened?”
Lexon wiped at the blood with his sleeve. “Had to play a solo on a bloke’s head. I don’t think he appreciated me music.”
“Are you OK?”
“He gave me a bit of a scratch, but it weren’t nothin’ I couldn’t handle.”
Nyx grinned at him. “I guess there’s more to you than we thought.”
“Me mum used to say the same thing, although it never sounded like a compliment.”
“Let’s loot these bodies and get out of here,” Jandar said as he stalked back toward the dwarf.
The benefit of permadeath was even players dropped whatever they wore unless they had an eternity stone to resurrect them and the items were soul bound. This made killing players profitable in terms of gear and experience points.
Jandar picked up the two-handed war hammer the dwarf never had a chance to use on him. The head was rose red with a haft made of a dark wood with a russet grain.
Bullard’s Blood Steel Maul of Crushing, set (2 of 3.) Uncommon. Quality: Superior (+20%.) Base Damage: 22. Durability: 32/35. Description: A two-handed blood steel war hammer crafted by the notorious brawler Bullard Scott. +25% chance of triggering any secondary effect, and +25% power to any secondary effect while equipped.
The hammer head had a pointed end just like his smaller weapons, but the blunt side was shaped like a fist. Jandar smiled at his fantastic find, and as he continued searching the dwarf, he became more and more relieved that he had taken him out of the fight within the opening gambit, or things could have turned out badly.
High Steel Tight Weave Mail Hauberk. Uncommon. Quality: Good (+10% armor rating and durability.) Armor rating: 10. Durability: 35/35. +5 armor vs piercing damage.
Steel Breastplate of the Unsundered. Uncommon. Quality: Good (+10% armor rating and durability.) Armor Rating: 12. Durability: 43/50. +5 armor vs slashing or bludgeoning damage.
High Steel Cap of Focus. Uncommon. Quality: Exceptional (+30% armor rating and durability.) Armor Rating: 6. Durability: 29/30. +20% resistance to all negative mind effects either physical or magical.
Bullard’s Blood Steel Gauntlets of Crushing, set (3 of 3.) Uncommon. Quality: Superior (+20% armor rating and durability.) Armor Rating: 6. Durability: 29/30. Description: Blood Steel plate gauntlets crafted by the notorious brawler Bullard Scott. +20% unarmed or bludgeoning attack speed. +20% unarmed attack.
You possess the full set of Bullard’s Crushing armaments. +10 to armor rating. -5 to all bludgeoning damage received. +10% attack with Two-Handed bludgeoning weapons. Special Effect: Strike the ground with your Maul of Crushing to create a tremor and shockwave that radiates in a ring around you. Anyone or anything within 15 feet of the epicenter takes your modified weapon attack in damage. Those hit with the shockwave may be knocked down, including aerial targets. Those not knocked down suffer the unsteady debuff for three seconds. This is an earth and air effect. Cooldown: 2 minutes. All bonuses and abilities described require Bullard’s full set to be currently equipped.
While the dwarf had lacked the belt to complete the set, his arms and armor were quite formidable. It was a safe assumption that he had been as well. The dwarf also dropped 7 units of iron ore, 3 units of copper ore, and 5 units of bloodstone. He also had 13 gold, 46 silver, and 32 copper.
Jandar searched the human with the spear.
You have found High Steel Spear of Piercing. Uncommon. Quality: Good (+10% damage and durability.) Base Damage: 15. Durability: 32/35. +5 armor piercing.
He also had some decent studded leather armor and 5 gold, 17 silver, and 87 copper.
Jandar dropped the items into his inventory and opened his character sheet.
Your skills and attributes have increased through use. 1-handed bludgeoning has increased to Level 13 Grade 1.
Throw hammer skill has increased to Level 1 Grade 2.
Dual wield has increased to Level 3 Grade 7.
Shield skill has increased to Level 4 Grade 9.
Medium Armor has increased to Level 4 Grade 2.
Arcane Channeling has increased to Level 8 Grade 2.
Body +1.
Agility +1.
You gained 5,400 experience points from your last battle. 2700 + difficulty rating + 75% pain level.
Congratulations! You are now level 9.
You gain +1 Strength, 2 attribute points, and 1 skill point to use as you wish.
You gain 700 infamy (100 x 7) for killing other players. You have reached Infamy Level 3: You make me nervous.
Jandar equipped his new armor, hung his hammers from his belt, and rested the maul on his shoulder as he returned to where Nyx was looting the other dead players. He would need to devise a way to sling the big hammer so he could comfortably carry it and wield his two hammers at the same time. He already had an idea how to do it, but it would have to wait until he had time to craft it.
Nyx was rifling through pockets, packs, and dropping items into her inventory as she went from body to body. Saefa did not seem interested in the spoils and knelt next to a boulder as his wounds healed. Jandar noticed that Lexon had a new dagger strapped to his waist and a leather cuirass made of some sort of lizard skin.
Jandar pointed his chin at the bard. “New equipment?”
Lexon looked down and brushed the desert strider skin armor with his hands. “Oh, this. Yeah, that sneaky fellow who tried to get the drop on me had a few nice things. I figured I was entitled to his belongings after he tried to kill me.”
“Sounds like you got the better end of the deal.”
Lexon narrowed his eyes. “I feel like there’s an insult in there somewhere.”
Jandar shrugged. “Probably.”
Nyx finished searching the last body and opened her UI.
You have found:
Adept Pyro Robes. Common. Quality: Average. Armor: 2. Durability: 12/20. +10% damage and mana reduction when casting fire-based spells.
Copper Ring of Arcane Channeling. Common. Quality: Average. -10% mana cost for all arcane channeling.
Silent Strider Boots. Uncommon. Quality: Exceptional (+30% durability and Armor rating.) Armor Value: 5. Durability: 24/25. +20% sound reduction when sneaking. +2 Agility. +10% movement speed. +20% sure-footedness and movement
speed when on sand or sandstone. +10% jump.
Ambidextrous High Steel Shortsword: Common. Quality: Good. Base Damage: 11. Durability: 19/25. +2 Dual Wield.
Duelist’s High Steel Longsword. Common. Quality: Good (+10% attack and durability.) Base Damage: 13. Durability: 23/30. +3 long blade skill.
Silver Bracelet of Lesser Healing: Common. Quality: Good. +10% to all healing spells.
Steel Lesser Ring of Fortification: Common. Quality: Average. +2 Body.
23 gold, 64 silver, and 91 copper.
The rest of the gear included another shortsword, a pair of crossbows, a self-bow, leather armor, a chain shirt, and other unremarkable equipment. The boots were amazing, particularly this early in the game, but her real joy came from her character prompts.
Through use, your stats and abilities have increased. +1 strength.
Your Small Blades skill has increased to Level 10 Grade 9.
Your Dual Wield skill has increased to Level 9 Grade 2.
Your Knife Throw skill has increased to Level 7 Grade 1.
Your Assassin’s Blade skill has increased to Level 8 Grade 0.
Dark Channeling has increased to Level 10 Grade 1.
Congratulations, you are now an initiate in Dark Channeling, +10% Magic Attack. All Dark Channeling spells increased to tier 2.
You gained 6,300 experience points from your last battle (3,600 + 50% pain level.) You have reached level 10! Tier 2 spells and abilities unlocked.
Your Agility has increased by 1. You get 2 attribute points and 2 skill points to use as you wish.
You gain 700 infamy (700 x 7) for killing other players. You have reached Infamy Level 2: You make me nervous.
All initiate leeching spells: Current simultaneous targets/recipients: 3/2+self. +50% mana cost increase for each addition target beyond one. Maximum simultaneous Leech effects: 2.
Life Leech, Tier 2: Syphon health from a living target and channel into yourself or another. Health leeched: 3 HP per second per target. Cost: 7 mana per second.
Mana Leech, Tier 2: Syphon mana from a target and channel into yourself or another. Mana leeched: 5 MP per second per target. Cost: 7 mana per second.
Stamina Leech, Tier 2: Syphon Stamina from a target and channel it into yourself or another. Effect lasts until target overcomes the spell or you run out of mana. Stamina leeched: 5 SP per second per target. Cost: 7 mana per second.
Tier 2 Dark Channeling spells available at your current rank: 4
Cost: 2 skill points each.
Skill points available: 2
Dark Bolt: Fire a bolt of darkness at your enemy for 10 points of damage plus your magical attack score. Number of bolts is one per five levels in Dark Channeling. Current number of bolts: 2.
Blind: Wrap an enemy’s eyes in darkness for 5 seconds plus your magical attack score. Effective against natural dark vision but not magical.
Black Tendrils: Turn the surrounding shadows into semi-tangible tentacles that bind and constrict an enemy. Those trapped by tentacles require a strength greater than your Dark Channeling skill plus magical attack score or inflict 50 points of damage to break free. Light magic or effects do triple damage to the tentacles.
Pierce the Veil: Look into your enemy’s soul to uncover that which they wish to hide. Increases Analyze skills by your Arcane Channeling or Mind score, whichever is greater. Base Cost: 2 mana per second.
Tier 2 Combat Skills available:
Cost: 2 skill points each.
Blind Spot: Attack target from behind, causing sneak attack or assassin’s blade damage bonus. Cost: 25 Stamina. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Requirements: Agility 20, Stealth skill of 20 or magical equivalent.
Low Blow: Add ½ your agility bonus in damage. If target suffers from a bleed debuff it inflicts an additional bleed debuff for 10 seconds. Cost: 20 Stamina. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Requirements: Agility 20, weapon skill 20.
Premeditation: Makes your next attack a critical attack, and the power of the critical attack is increased by your Agility score. Can only be used on an unaware target. Cost: 20 Stamina. Cooldown 30 seconds. Requirements: Stealth skill of 20 or magical equivalent, Agility 20.
Blind Stab: Causes ½ damage and blinds target for 15 seconds. Blind targets are vulnerable. Cost: 20 Stamina. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Requirements: Agility 20, weapon skill 20.
Nyx smiled as she selected Pierce the Veil. I’ll know who and what you really are now, Jansen, she crowed to herself.
Nyx could not abide the unknown. Secrets aggravated her like an insect that would not leave her alone, always buzzing around her head until she managed to crush it.
Jandar’s deep voice broke her out of her thoughts. “Find anything good?”
She spun toward him as if he had just caught her doing something inappropriate. “A couple of decent things but nothing great. You?”
“The dwarf had this big hammer and a pair of gauntlets that made a complete set with my belt.”
Nyx’s eyes widened. “You got a full set already? Lucky you. I found a ring that increases your body stat by two.”
“If we are finished here, we must move on,” Saefa said. “We are in the open and vulnerable with no other way to go but back up the mountain.”
Lexon called out, “Might be a bit late for that.”
The others followed his gaze toward a cloud of dust clogging the way out. Half a dozen men on horseback with a score of footmen following just behind them advanced into the draw.
“What do we do?” Nyx asked.
“We cannot turn back!” Saefa snapped.
“You’re in no condition to fight, and Jandar isn’t fully recovered either.”
Lexon turned toward the mountain pass behind them and started walking. “Looks like it’s decided then.”
“We cannot turn back,” Saefa repeated in a low tone of finality.
Jandar unshouldered his new hammer. “I guess it’s time to test this thing out.”
“There’s too many of them!” Nyx shouted.
“Saefa is right. We can’t turn back. The only way is forward.”
“Damn it!” Nyx cursed. “I swear, if you get me killed, I will hunt down and murder every new character you make.”
Jandar quirked a lopsided grin. “Good luck with that.”
Lexon sighed and unslung his harp. “I followed you lot in hopes of composing an epic ballad, but I guess a stirring dirge will do just as well.”
“Stay at least twenty feet away from me in the opening gambit,” Jandar said as Nyx and Saefa followed him. “Position yourselves behind me and maybe a little off to each side. I want to draw as many of the horsemen to me as I can.”
“That sounds like a stupidly suicidal plan,” Nyx said.
“Possibly. I recommend funneling as much health as you can to Saefa. Even with the health potion, he’s still the worst off. I’m almost fully healed now. I’m sure you can top me off once they’re within range of your leeching magic.”
“It won’t do any good if you’re turned into paste,” Nyx countered.
“I have faith in you. Have some in me.”
She shook her head. “Fine, but I will find your next character so I can say I told you so.”
The horsemen charged when they were about a hundred yards away, leaving the foot soldiers to jog after them. Jandar checked Saefa and Nyx’s position as he readied his maul and channeled earth magic into it. He did not know if the Crushing set’s special ability stacked with his elemental secondary effects, but he was about to find out.
The cavalry were not charging at a full gallop, but they were moving fast, and the timing of his attack had a very narrow window. As he had hoped, the riders appeared to center on him. Jandar raised the Maul of Crushing over his head and brought it down as hard as he could, triggering both the weapon’s ability as well as his earth channeling secondary skill.
A powerful shockwave burst out around him, and the ground shook and shattered in a perfect ring. The explosion knocked several riders from their saddles, a
nd the shaking earth caused the four nearest horses to tumble to the ground, crushing some of the riders beneath them.
The center horse, legs flailing as it released a shrieking cry, barreled into Jandar as it fell and tumbled. The horse rolled atop him, did a dance on his chest as it flailed about getting to its feet, and delivered a parting kick as it raced away, bucking in panic.
You take 35 points of crushing damage from falling horse.
You take 25 points of crushing damage from hoof stamping.
You take 12 points of crushing damage from horse kick.
Jandar watched his health plummet and breathed a painful sigh of relief when it stopped short of bottoming out. He chugged another of Nyx’s health potions as he stumbled back out of reach of flailing hooves and the thrusting lances of the riders struggling to regain their feet. Nyx’s health leech flowed into him, but he did not have time to appreciate how quickly his health began to rise.
With both hands still wrapped around the maul’s handle, he angled the buckler strapped to his left forearm to deflect a wild lance thrust. Still shaken and unsteady from being unseated from his mount, as well as the earth spell’s aftereffects, the attacker was helpless to defend against the blood steel fist arcing toward his face.
You hit Caprian horseman with your maul inflicting 59 points of physical damage (vulnerable target) and 11 points of earth damage.
You have killed Caprian horseman.
The man’s face was a ruin and no longer recognizable for what it once was. The hammer blow alone might well have killed him, but coupled with the concussive force of his hammer’s magical effect and his fall, it was devastating.
Nyx and Saefa managed to kill two more of the horsemen before they could rise and defend themselves. That left it an even fight, numbers-wise. Ability-wise, the enemy NPCs simply were not a match for them after having been unseated during a charge even with Jandar having just a quarter of his health remaining.
The footmen were another matter. They still came on, twenty all told with only some depleted stamina before engaging. With the maul’s cooldown not expiring before they reached them, Jandar dropped it to the ground and pulled out his hammers. Several of the infantry troops had bows, and they arced their arrows over the heads of those in front of them.
Chaos Unchained- The Mad Smith Page 22