“No snow there,” Sergei answered glumly. “No reindeer either. Jokes aside, this was my screwup, no doubt, but we didn’t have enough equipment to properly debug the security system on the perimeter. This kind of thing won’t happen in Cali, I guarantee it.”
After waiting for Sergei to finish speaking, Yoshi switched on the news and brought up a holocube in the center of the cabin. We watched as Tiamat’s temple was destroyed.
“Well, the Nergal’s Summons event is officially over!” a journalist commentated. “The temple of the Sleeping Gods in the Lakharian Desert is destroyed, and the Holy War is at an end. It is unknown what led to the embarrassing retreat of the class-A Threat and his few allies, but experts believe that Scyth simply got scared. Until now, the teenager had never been defeated, but having lost the abilities of the Destroying Plague (use the voice command ‘Scyth no longer undead’ to learn more and see an interview with Mogwai), Scyth saw the overwhelming forces of the army of light and simply gave up. Doctor Matty Khyamyalyainen, a specialist in adolescent psychology, has confirmed this, stating…”
I noticed my childhood friend Eve O’Sullivan in one of the silent windows. I jabbed a finger at it and the window expanded, swapping child psychologist Matty Khyamyalyainen to the background.
“Alex always was a coward,” Eve said. “You know how it is… He was always real obnoxious too, always embarrassing himself with lame attempts to flirt… He wouldn’t let you get away, it was a sorry sight… I didn’t w^ant to be friends with him, but our parents knew each other and I had to talk to him. Look at me and tell me, do you really think I could be friends with someone like Sheppard…? With that loser? Not on your life!”
The image switched to a video with Tissa, turning away:
“No comment!”
An off-screen voice spoke:
“Melissa Schafer has refused to say anything about her exboyfriend, but we did manage to get an interview with Karina Rasmussen, who broke up with Alex Sheppard only days ago. Here it is…”
“Screw this shit!” Hung snapped and changed the channel.
The view of the Lakharian Desert and Tiamat’s destroyed temple switched to scenes of the Stronghold of the Destroying Plague.
“Snowstorm has officially announced the opening of the fourth faction. The Commonwealth, Empire and neutrals have now been joined by the Destroying Plague,” a journalist by the name of Axel Donovan commented on the latest events. “Now players can choose the undead race when they create their character. In addition, the destruction of the temple of the Sleeping Gods and the official launch of the new faction has led to a reshuffle in the divine pantheon of Disgardium. Incredibly, some New Gods have joined the Destroying Plague: Osiris, Skadi, Cthulhu, Baron Samedi…”
Hung waved his hand, lowering the volume, and looked at me.
“Why did she do it?” I whispered.
Without clarification, Hung knew I meant Tissa. My friend sighed heavily, shrugged.
“I don’t know. But promise me we won’t jump to any conclusions just yet. We need to talk to her…”
“Talk?!” I shouted. “Are you serious?” She’s already done it! She betrayed us! Now the Elites know where we are, and Alliance ships could be heading to Kharinza right now!”
“They aren’t,” Hairo said. “Fen Xiaoguang is the kind of person that won’t share intel with anyone.”
“He’ll have to escape first…” I muttered.
Everyone was silent for a long time. Despair took me. No matter what I did, things only got worse. Friendship and love turned to betrayal. And I didn’t even know where we were flying to! The security officers could say anything—I couldn’t be sure of anyone anymore. As if reading my mind, Hairo broke the silence.
“Get a hold of yourself, kid! Clear your head! You can trust everyone in this flyer. Think about how to fix things back there, in the game! We’ll help you in real life. You have far more friends than you think!”
“That’s right, Alex!” Maria Saar said. “There are lots of people who want to protect you! For free! When we land, you’ll see for yourself!”
Sergei, Roj and Yoshi echoed her words, telling me I could count on them. Hung just rose from his seat, walked over to me and placed his forehead against mine.
“We’ll build a second temple. You know that. There’s a place, and it’s a place no one else can get to for years! We’ll use Orthokon to protect Kharinza, you’ll see—I’ll stand watch there for days at a time! And on top of that… Your friends—your real friends—are with you too. Don’t worry, bro. We’ll get through this! How much left until your maximum potential?”
I thought for a moment, smiled. Took heart.
I nodded to my friend and he went back to his seat. Once seated, Hung asked:
“Have you decided what to do next, Alex?”
“We’ll decide together, Hung. You, me, Ed, Malik, Irita, our adult friends…” I nodded toward Hairo. “But if you were asking about Dis, you said it all yourself. We’ll build a castle and erect the Righteous Shield. Then we’ll think of how to level up on Terrastera. We’ll build Tiamat’s temple there. You go to the nagas for your divine quest.”
“Do you remember where they are?” Hung chuckled. “Meaz ain’t far from there!”
“I can’t wait to see it,” I answered, not without sarcasm.
“What are you going to do?”
“Me… I think I’m going to take care of the Destroying Plague. That bastard thing needs ending.”
“How?”
“I have an acquaintance, someone who has spent time in the Nether. I think he can help.”
Hung didn’t understand right away. When he did get it, his eyes lit up.
I couldn’t shake the thought—how had Mogwai met with Tissa if she was in the sandbox? Apart from those two, only one other former legate of the Destroying Plague knew the answer. I turned to Yoshi: “I need to talk to someone, Mr. Uematsu.”
“Name?”
“Wesley Cho. But everyone knows him as Big Po.”
Epilogue
THE DULL SNAPPING of portals split the air in the dark of night. Two figures emerged from rifts in space above the stony plateau: an elf and an elf girl. Their gender wasn’t the only difference between them; the male elf was undead.
“I want to confirm the conditions again,” the girl whispered. “The Elites will pay the cost of three Annageddons, and Mogwai will make me a legate of the Destroying Plague, right?”
“Are Fen’s words not enough for you?” the elf whispered in annoyance. “Break the dome and you’ll get what was promised to you.”
“What do you want with my former castle anyway?” The elf girl frowned. “I think I get it… Mogwai is there! Locked up! Right?”
“No, he isn’t there now,” the elf said. “But he’ll appear at my signal. Now summon the Arbiter.”
“As you say. I, Eileen, summon an Arbiter to confirm this exchange.”
A blazing blue Eye materialized in the air next to them, crackling with energy and smelling of rain.
“The item to be traded?”
“I, Eileen, in the interests of the Elites, here represented by deputy clan chief Criterror, agree to use three of my own Armageddon scrolls, aiming them at this castle. In exchange, I will receive fifteen million gold and the status of Legate of the Destroying Plague, promised to me by Supreme Legate Mogwai.”
“I, Criterror, speak on behalf of the Elites and at the behest of clan leader Mogwai. I confirm the conditions of the exchange.”
“Trade complete. If either party violates the conditions of the agreement, the Celestial Arbitrage shall inflict penalties upon the culprit. Good fortune.”
The Eye disappeared. Against the brightening horizon, the guards of the Green League could just be seen patrolling the fortress wall.
“Satisfied?” Criterror asked. “Just take down the shield and your job is done. “I’ll take care of the rest!”
“Yes,” Eileen answered, smiling. “I’m satisfi
ed.”
She activated a scroll and the burning trail of a falling meteorite lit up the dark-gray sky.
End of Book Five
Scyth’s skills, achievements and equipment
Most important game skills
Unarmed Combat rank I
Damage dealt without a weapon increased by 5100%. Attack accuracy increased by 505%.
Path of Justice (completed): You completely ignore penalties in battle against enemies above your level.
Moves learned: Crushing Hammerfist, Stunning Kick, Combo (with linked ability Lifesteal: corwerts 1% of damage dealt to health).
Cartography
Cartography is used for forming maps of areas. The skill allows you to create your own maps of previously unexplored zones, create routes for ships on the ocean, and use other people’s maps to find treasure and ar’tifacts.
In your tr’avels around Disgardium, you can find encrypted treasure maps that point to locations where troves are buried. Using the Cartography skill, you can determine the place to go searching.
You move faster in previously mapped areas. You can see hidden entrances to dungeons, treasure troves and caches.
Persuasion rank I
When talking to intelligent beings, you influence their consciousness and reduce their critical thinking. During the discussion, your reputation with your interlocutor is effectively one level higher than it is in reality.
Your eloquence is reinforced with the ability to see how your words influence the mood of those you speak to.
Resilience rank IV
Resistance to all types of damage increased by go%. Pain sensation reduced by go%.
Path of Justice (completed): you completely ignore penalties in battle against enemies at a higher level than you. If your health drops below 10%, the Diamond Skin of Justice ability activates (for go seconds, you are covered in a diamond skin that fully absorbs all damage; removes all crowd control effects and debuffs).
Path of Reflection (completed): go% of total damage taken is reflected and ricochets back to the enemy.
Path of Equanimity (completed): you completely ignore all damage for the first 120 seconds of battle.
Path of Sacrifice: at the start of each battle, you absorb the total health of all your group members, plus a bonus (skill level) % of that total, in order to take all the damage dealt to aiiy ally throughout the battle; however, if you die, the entire group dies.
Special skills and abilities
Depths Teleportation
You will be instantly canned to a known location in Disgardium. Can teleport group members, or sentients outside your group as long as you are touching them and they are at or below your level.
Spirit Shackles
Creates a 30-yard zone in which the souls of dead players are pulled in and held for an hour. The owner of Spirit Shackles can choose whether the soul should revive in place, go to their respawn point or wait for the timer to run out.
Attention! This skill does not revive deceased players if their game timer to revival has not elapsed (10 seconds, 1 hour and 12 hours for the first, second and third deaths per day respectively).
Ghastly Howl
You howl, filling your enemies with fear. The blood turns to ice in their veins, their soul sijiks into their boots, their hair stands on end and they run away in panic.
Duration: 10 + (skill level) seconds.
Active radius: 10 + (skill level) yards.
Flight
You can fly without limitation!
Does not require mana.
Class skills and abilities
Divine Revelation
This spontaneous ability has no system description.
However, experience tells us that if the Herald is threatened with final death, he may, at a key fork in fate, live through and see the future.
Imitation
The path of the Herald of the new age is extremely complex and challenging; no matter where he is, the harbinger of the Old Gods and of coming change is ever pursued. The ability to imitate another is available only to the truest Heralds. An experienced Herald can invent an imitated disguise.
Lethargy
Sends the target into a lethargic sleep for 1 hour. Effect cannot be removed.
Liberation
Automatically removes any control effect. Has some chance of reflecting the control effect.
Cloak Essence
The knowledge of who your enemy is can often decide the course of battle. Now you can hide your essence, depriving the enemy of important information about you.
Divine abilities
Sleeping Invulnerability
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
Absorbs a percentage (20% for each ability level) of all incoming damage. The remaining damage is split between all group members in proportion to their health. A character without a group takes all the unabsorbed damage in full.
Sleeping Vindication
Divine ability.
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
Damage absorbed by Sleeping Invulnerability stacks up in the altar of the main temple. This is vindication.
Vindication can be cast in an area or aimed at a specific target.
Active radius: 1 yard for each point of Perception (damage lowers with distance).
Unity
Divine ability.
+1 to a random statfor each new follower of the Sleeping Gods.
Touch of the Sleeping Gods
Divine ability.
Allows you to convert sentients into followers of the Sleeping Gods. Requires confirmation from the convert.
Sleeping Justice
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
If you or your allies are attacked, your primary characteristics and vindication amount are doubled for every level of this ability.
Aid of the Sleepers
Divine ability.
This ability’s level is always equal to the number of active Sleeping God temples.
When an enemy dies; recover 20% health, mana and vindication for every level of this ability.
Perks
Mightiest Punisher
+25% to damage against other players.
Second Life
After death, you revive in the same spot with full health. You are given a choice of where to revive (place of death or linked respawn point).
Dungeon Hero
+25% damage and movement speed in instances.
Fortune’s Gifts
+50% luck; +5% chance to avoid critical damage; +5% chance to detect invisibility; +5% critical hit chance; +5% chance to get a unique quest; +5% chance to get upgraded loot.
Drinker of the Ambrosia of the Sleepers
The Sleeping Gods are always with you, and if it is their will, they will appear in your darkest hour.
Strong Back
+50% carrying capacity.
Pioneer
+300 feet to view radius, +10% to mounted movement speed. Beast God Conqueror +10% reputation with beast gods.
Polar Explorer
You take 10% less damage from inhabitants ofHoldest. Magnetism
Loot from enemies you defeat is automatically sent to your inventory. Filtration optiojis are available.
Snow Wanderer
You deal 10% more damage to inhabitants ofHoldest.
Junior Gladiator
+5% damage in battle against players; +5% to Resilience skill in battle against players; +10% to all main stats.
Auras
Most Magnificent Avenger
—25% damage and defense to all nearby opponents.
Scyth’s equipment and artifacts
ColdBlooded Punisher
Soulbound to Scyth.
Legendary scalable fidl armor set.
Unique item.
This armor is not of this world. So have said those who have had the hono
r of wearing it. Perhaps that was just an exaggeration, and in fact it was the final invention of the First Mage, as some said. The truth, as ever; is somewhere in between.
Armor: (100 * level).
+(2 * level) to all main stats.
Special effect: Punisher’s Cruelty (every minute spent in battle increases the damage you deal by 1%).
Sale price: cannot be sold.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
Durability: indestructible.
Reaper’s Scythes
Soulbound to Scyth.
Divine scalable twin fist weapon.
Unique item.
Damage: (6-g) * owner’s level.
Bonus damage: 10% of main damage for each level of Reaper’s
Scythes.
This weapon for harvesting impure souls was cast from celestial metal by the Reaper himself one of the mighty Old Gods. Its haft was made from the first branch of the Primordial Tree of Life.
The spirits sealed inside have kindled within the weapon its own intellect.
+10% chance to avoid deadly damage.
Special effect: The remainder of the life of those killed by this weapon is sealed within it and increases damage by 10% for every level of Reaper’s Scythes.
Sealed lives for next level: o I (100 * weapon level).
Sale price: cannot be sold.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
Durability: indestructible.
Sharkon’s Mane
Legendary scalable shield.
Unique item.
Armor: 9 * level.
+(1.2 * level) to strength.
+(1.8 * level) to endurance.
+25% block chance.
On activation: throws the shield at enemies, dealing 1000% of base damage. The shield bounces off all other opponents within a hundred feet of the current target, then returns to the owner’s hand.30 Gem sockets: 3. Inset: Crystallized Nightmare (+500 strength) * 3. Sale price: 7200 gold coins.
Chance of loss after death lowered by 100%.
Holy War Page 39