Quest Update: King's Expedition (I)
The King of Anzio has issued a request for people to participate in an Expedition to slay a dragon. Pass the test and join the expedition group.
Reward: Experience, Fame
Garnet saw a flyer with the royal seal. "It's what you've been waiting for isn't it?" Riley asked.
The King was now recruiting people for an Expedition. Garnet took the flyer and immediately headed over to the Guild to meet with Hagel. She walked up to him and placed it on the counter. "I want to join," she said.
"I was wondering when you'd be back," said Hagel.
"Any news on my quest?" asked Garnet.
"No," said Hagel. "There were a few who tried, but the books were determined to be fake."
"How did you know it was fake?" asked Garnet.
"We have a few mages who know the basics of each subject that advise us," said Hagel. "If they presented a low level technique, they could recognize it or they at least knew enough to know that it was not something for making a vessel and more like something for summoning."
"Did anything like a package arrive for me?" Garnet asked Hagel. She was wondering about the note that was left for her in the other book. Whoever it was, they knew what Garnet was looking for.
"No," said Hagel. "Are you expecting something?"
"Yeah," said Riley. "Someone left her a message telling me that something would be arriving for me."
"I'll keep an eye out for it then," whispered Hagel.
At least Garnet knew that the Guild knew what they were doing and she would not be cheated. "Is there anything you can tell me about the Expedition?" Garnet asked.
"The King is currently recruiting," said Hagel as he showed Garnet the copy of the flyer that he had. "The leader of the expedition is Lord Hawk, a very strong swordsman. All you have to do is pass the test."
"That easy?" asked Garnet.
"They're fighting a dragon," said Hagel. "Most people would consider such a task as suicide. I would be surprised if they could even get more than two dozen people."
"Then why even have a test? Why not just let anyone who wants to join go?" asked Garnet.
"They don't want useless baggage either," said Hagel.
That made a lot of sense. Weak people would only hold them back. "Thank you for the information," said Garnet. "I'll head over to the castle grounds."
"Don't be a hero and stay safe," said Hagel.
"I will," said Garnet.
Garnet headed over to the castle with Riley and with the flyer about recruiting people to slay the dragon in hand, all she had to do was show it to the guard by the open door. "Halt!" A small squad of guards stopped them.
"We're here for this," said Garnet as she showed them the flyer.
"Go to the training grounds," said the guards.
Garnet and Riley headed to the training grounds. She saw a man clad from head to toe in black armor. He had both a large black two handed sword and a shield.
Name: Gus Hawk
Level: 48
Class: Dark Knight
Sub-class: Defender
Stats: High Strength
He was the man who was leading the people to fight the dragon. "I should've asked who I should look for," said Garnet.
"Why not just ask the man in charge?" asked Riley.
Garnet walked up to Lord Hawk. The guards near him were ready to draw their swords, but Lord Hawk raised his hand and they immediately backed down. "I'm here about the Expedition to slay the dragon," she said.
"A kid like you?" laughed one of the guards. "This is no place for children."
"Just let me take the test and I'll leave if I don't pass," said Garnet. "The same goes for my sister."
Riley stepped forward and looked at the guard. "He looks kind of weak don't you think?" she said.
"I heard that!" he shouted.
"He's quite easy to anger too," said Garnet. "Do you think he can even follow orders?"
"I'll test you right now!" the guard shouted. "Come with me!"
"Shouldn't you stop him sir?" asked the other guard.
"Let them," said Lord Hawk. "If they're strong enough to beat Sergio together, they deserve a spot."
"I am Sir Sergio, Knight of Lord Hawk, son of Lady Serpico, and Heir to the Eastern Fief of Mesafint," said the guard.
Garnet had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like Sergio just announced his title and what he was known for. "So who first?" Garnet asked.
"I'll take you both on at once," Sergio said with a grin on his mouth. He was focused more on Riley because she seemed like a greater threat in terms of size and strength.
"I'm just going to end it then," whispered Riley.
"Alright," said Garnet.
"Lightning Bolt!" BZZT. Riley fired a bolt of lightning at Sergio who collapsed on the floor.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked Garnet.
"I think so," said Riley.
"You're a mage!" shouted Lord Hawk. "Welcome to the team."
That was all it took. "What about me?" asked Garnet.
"Are you a mage too?" asked Lord Hawk.
"Yes," said Garnet.
"Show me," said Lord Hawk.
"Fire Ball!" Garnet unleashed a ball of fire into the sky. BANG. A loud explosion rang out as it exploded.
"That's good enough for me," said Lord Hawk.
"So do we just wait?" asked Garnet. It was that easy. Just a single spell was all it took.
"Here," said Lord Hawk as he handed out a metallic bronze card to Garnet and Riley.
"What is this?" asked Garnet.
"Just show this to the guards and you will get access to sleeping quarters and the mess hall if you get hungry," said Lord Hawk. "Just wait until then."
Quest Update: King's Expedition (II)
The King of Anzio has issued a request for people to participate in an Expedition to slay a dragon. Slay the Zmaj in the cave beyond the forest in the West.
Reward: Experience, Fame
By the time recruitment ended, there was only a total of twenty four people including Garnet and Riley. There were no mages. None of the Court Magicians chose to participate. Their numbers were very small for a group that was going to fight a dragon. The average level of the group was 40 though, much higher than the guards of Anzio.
A few days later, Lord Hawk gathered everyone at the training grounds and organized everyone. Lord Hawk and some of the other guards took the front. There were two men who used bows in the middle. Garnet and Riley were towards the back with two guards behind them who were dedicated to protecting them. "I don't think we really need guards," whispered Garnet.
"I don't like it either," said Riley. "But, Lord Hawk is the strategist, so just let him handle it."
"Alright," said Garnet.
"Our target is the Zmaj dragon to the West!" Lord Hawk announced. "The twenty four of us will slay it together! Follow my commands and we will be okay! Any questions before we depart?"
There was none. "March!" Lord Hawk ordered. The group began their march West on foot.
The group was slow, but that was because there were many of them. When Garnet and Riley traveled, it was really just the two of them and they could move much faster. The larger the group, the slower they were.
"Do you like what you see?" Garnet asked as she turned around to look at the guards. "I'm used to it." She saw that the guards had suddenly looked away. They were caught staring at her behind.
"Well I'm still not," said Riley.
It took a few days before they started heading off the main road. The moment they did, there was suddenly more enemies. "Keep your eyes open," said Lord Hawk. "Most things here attack in large groups. Maintain formation and shout if you see something."
HUHUHU. Garnet could hear the sound of grunting. A group of red haired monkeys blocked their way. Garnet drew her sword and was ready to fight.
The men at the front raised their shields and fought against the monkeys. In the corner of her eye, Garnet saw something. "Behind the tree!" she shouted.
The guards behind her immediately turned to face the tree, standing between Garnet and the gorilla. ROAR. A gorilla with white hair and a yellow chest appeared.
Name: Silverback Gorilla
Level: 35
Class: Beast
Sub-Class: None
Stats: High Strength, High Vitality
"Lightning Ray!" Garnet did not wait. She fired bolts of lightning towards the Gorilla.
Level Up: Lightning Ray (Level 3)
The gorilla turned on its side, but was still hit by the incredible speed of the lightning. BZZT. "GRR," the gorilla grunted as it fell on the floor.
"Keep your eyes open everyone!"shouted Lord Hawk. "There's probably more."
Garnet kept her head moving, seeing if she could see anything hiding nearby. Several monkeys descended from behind. They were trying to surround the group. "Stand back!" Garnet shouted. The two guards in front of her immediately moved behind her. "Heat Wave!"
A blast of scorching hot air moved towards the monkeys. Garnet watched as their hairs glowed orange and their skin began to turn red from burns. A few immediately collapsed on the floor while the others ran. The monkeys knew they could not win. The others started backing off too. "Check if everyone is okay!" shouted Lord Hawk.
There were no significant injuries. It was a good sign. If someone was injured, then they would be down a person when it came time to face the dragon. "We're okay back here," shouted one of the guards.
"Alright then, let's continue," said Lord Hawk.
Garnet could see that there were still some monkeys that were keeping an eye on the group, but they were doing so from a distance. After the previous confrontation, they were afraid since they lost many in a single attack.
It was another two days before they made their way through the forest. When they came out of the other side, they were nearing the slope of a mountain. "Somewhere in this mountain lies the Zmaj," said Lord Hawk. "Before we continue, it is important you must know what to do."
Lord Hawk described the Zmaj. A three headed dragon with green scales. If you cut off the head, it will regrow, so you must stun it or not chop it off completely. The goal is to destroy the crystal which is equivalent to the heart in its body. That was the only real way to kill it. Somewhere in the mountains was a large cave where the dragon resided. "Remember, do not reveal yourself," said Lord Hawk.
The group began to circle around the base of the mountain. This was where the largest cave would be if there was one. But, there was nothing. The Zmaj was somewhere higher up the mountain. There would be less room to maneuver and it would be harder to fight up in the mountains. There was no way to access the higher part of the mountain unless they were on foot. That was probably why they decided to walk since things like horses and carriages would not be of any use.
"Hold it!" said Lord Hawk as he looked around the corner. He peered over the corner. "Come take a look at it."
Everyone gathered around Lord Hawk and looked. There was an enormous hole inside the side of the mountain. It could not really be considered a cave considering how big it was. Garnet saw the Zmaj. It was a three headed dragon one red, one blue, one green. Its body was covered in a rainbow of colors. Its body was quite big.
Name: Zmaj
Level: 70
Class: Dragon
Sub-class: Tri-Elemental
Stats: ???
It was still asleep. "Mages, you will attack first," said Lord Hawk. "Use the strongest spell you can. We will cover you the moment it begins its attacks."
Garnet looked at Riley. "Can you use it?" she asked.
"Yes," said Riley. "I just can't use the full transformations on my own."
"Then let's do it," said Garnet. "We need a direct shot towards the Zmaj."
"Everyone, stand to their sides, not at front of them!" ordered Lord Hawk.
Garnet pulled out her sword. "Crimson Lotus: Blade of Lightning!"
"Crimson Lotus: Blade of Lightning!" Riley created one too, but without a sword to channel it through, it was smaller and weaker overall. The two of them aimed it directly at the Zmaj.
The Zmaj did not notice what was going on. It was still asleep. If they could finish it in one shot, it would be great, but the odds of that happening were unlikely.
Garnet and Riley both swung their swords. A road of fire connected them to the Zmaj. BOOM. There was a massive explosion. The sides of the mountain was blown open and the cave even began to collapse on itself.
"What power!" said Lord Hawk surprised. "Everyone ready!" He shouted. He was not taking any changes against a dragon.
ROAR. The Zmaj burst forward from the rocks. It was heavily injured and bleeding all over, but it was not near defeated. At its chest was a red crystal that was partially exposed. The fact that it survived meant it was stronger than the monsters from the Invasion. "Good work you two, we'll take it from here," said Lord Hawk.
Lord Hawk, Sergio, and three other guards formed a front line consisting of five shields. ROAR. The red head of the Zmaj fired a blast of flames at the five of them, but together they resisted. The other guards began to do that on the sides as well. Sixteen front liners, five for emergency, two archers and two mages for attack. "Archers!" he shouted.
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The two bowmen in the formation fired arrows at the Zmaj. ROAR. The green head of the Zmaj fired a burst of wind and knocked the arrows back. "It's not just fire?!?" Lord Hawk said surprised.
"We're going to need to help them," said Garnet. "Transform: Elementalist!"
Each of the heads of the Zmaj was using a different element. The red one was fire, the blue one was water, and the green one was wind. When Lord Hawk got close, the blue head would shoot a stream of water at them to push them back. "We can't get any closer!" shouted Sergio.
"Lightning Ray!" Garnet and Riley both fired lightning bolts at the Zmaj.
ROAR. The Zmaj screamed and fired blasts of elements in every direction, breaking itself free. It was strong enough to resist the lightning. They could not lock it down.
"Aim to kill, not to stun," said Garnet.
"Alright," said Riley.
Garnet wanted to use Heat Wave, but because the others were so close, she could not. "Lightning Fire Bolt!" Garnet fired a bolt aimed at the main body of the Zmaj. BOOM.
ROAR. The Zmaj screamed and focused its attention on Garnet. Riley followed up with one of her own. "Lightning Fire Bolt!"
BOOM. The heads all became divided, focusing their attention on different targets. The water one went focused its attention on Garnet. The wind one went after Riley. The red one continued to pressure the front of the main group. The magic was having little effect on the Zmaj. It felt the impact of each attack, but there was no lasting damage. When the spell ended, they Zmaj would recover its damage. There was not enough time to cast the strongest spells.
"Archers!" shouted Lord Hawk. Several arrows hit the main body of the Zmaj, but they missed the crystal. "You guys need to hit the crystal!"
"We can't shouted the archers, the wind is blowing it off," one of the archers replied.
"Wind Blade!" Garnet fired a blade of wind at the Zmaj. SHING. The blade of wind cut into the body of the Zmaj and dissipated over the body, leaving no damage. Her wind magic did not have the power needed to get past its scales.
HISS. The Zmaj hissed at Garnet. It fired a stream of water towards her. "Watch out!" shouted Lord Hawk.
Garnet raised her arms to block. BANG. She felt an enormous pressure against her arms, but her Mana Armor protected her. She rolled to the side. BANG. The rocks where she was standing was crushed. Her mana had dropped a significant amount, but the Mana Armor was strong enough to protect her still. Garnet looked at Lord Hawk and saw that he was surprised, but he instantly focused back on slaying the Zmaj.
Stat Increase: Vitality+1
"Lightning Fire Bolt!" Garnet fired another one. BOOM. It slammed against the side of the Zmaj, temporarily breaking its stream of elements. Their spells were still not making it through the scales of the Zmaj despite the heavy focus on a single spot. Even though the Zmaj was injured, it was only because of the powerful attacks Garnet and Riley used at the beginning. Their attacks since then has been doing little to nothing to the Zmaj. It was looking more and more likely that the Zmaj had some kind of magic resistance.
Garnet only had one way to deal physical damage to it, Blood Magic. However, she needed to get close for it to be effective. "I need to get closer!" she shouted.
"Cover her!" Lord Hawk ordered. The two guards who were tasked with protecting Garnet along with the five on stand by formed a wall for her.
"Follow me," said the guard. Garnet stayed right behind the them and began to push forward with their help. However, the water pressure was too much for them. They could not get close enough. The three heads were able to cover every direction they approached from. There was no blind spot or opening from which they could attack.
"I'm going to try to distract it long enough," said Riley as she prepared another spell. "Lightning Fire Bolt!" Riley fired one at the side of the Zmaj. It would roar nearly every time it was hit by one. With some luck, there would be a small opening where they could get closer.
BOOM. ROAR. The Zmaj roared. "Lightning Fire Bolt!" Riley fired another one. ROAR. The Zmaj roared again. It began to focus more attention on Riley, who was attacking the fiercest. "Hurry, push forward!" ordered Garnet. The two guards in front began to push forward as fast as they could.
All of their front line was locked down now by the three heads. They fired quickly enough to keep everyone at a distance. "I need you do one more!" shouted Garnet.
"Lightning Fire Bolt!" Riley fired another at it. BANG.
ROAR. "Flight!" Garnet flew forward and aimed straight at the crystal at its chest. The Zmaj caught sight of Garnet. "Blood Scythe!" Garnet swung the scythe at the crystal at its chest.
All three of the heads of the Zmaj aimed at Garnet. They were going to fire a combined blast at her. Lord Hawk ran straight towards her. CLING. It was the sound of something breaking. VWOOM. Garnet felt the enormous pressure of something collapsing on top of her. It was burning and freezing at the same time. "Garnet!" Riley shouted.
You have leveled up!
"Ugh," Garnet groaned as she fell over. Her clothes were tattered from the damage of the three combined breath attacks. She felt cold.
BOOM. The Zmaj fell over. Garnet had broken the crystal at its chest with her Blood Scythe. "Hey are you okay?!?" shouted Lord Hawk. "Say something."
Quest Complete: King's Expedition (II)
Slay the Zmaj in the cave beyond the forest in the West.
Reward: Experience, Fame+20
You have leveled up!
Garnet saw that her health had taken an enormous hit. She wanted to make sure that she was not dead yet because she certainly felt like she would die at any moment. It was almost as if all the warmth in her body was blasted out by force. Her mana had been emptied for the first time in who knows how long and she took significant damage, but she was not dead. She would be all right. "Bring me over to the Zmaj," said Garnet.
Lord Hawk picked her up and carried her over. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Can you promise that you and your will not speak of anything that you see here?" asked Garnet.
"You saves us all from the Zmaj, so yes," said Lord Hawk.
"Okay," said Garnet. "I'm going to use the body of it to heal myself. Blood Absorption!"
The body of the Zmaj turned into blood and flowed inside her body. "Ugh," Garnet groaned. She saw her health increase by a significant amount. It was just over half now.
New Skill: Aqua Strike
Fire a ball of water at your target. Knockback effect
MP Cost: 50
New Skill: Jet Stream
Fire a burst of water at your target. Ignores Armor.
MP Cost: 200
New Skill: -LOCKED-
Level Up: Scale Armor (Level 2)
Stat Increase: Vitality +5
Stat Increase: Intelligence +5
"Not bad," Garnet thought to herself. She had water magic now as well.
"What did you just do?" asked Lord Hawk.
"I used the blood within the Zmaj to heal myself," said Garnet.
"I see," said Lord Hawk. "Remember men, no one is to speak of this."
"Don't we need proof we killed it?" asked Sergio.
Lord Hawk walked over to the fragments of broken crystal that was still on the ground. "We show this to the King, the heart of the Zmaj. This is our proof," said Lord Hawk. "Now, help carry her."
"No, I got it," said Riley who picked up Garnet.
"Thanks," said Garnet. That was the closest Garnet had ever gotten to death because she was too reckless. Even though her health was recovering, she still felt a chill all over her body from the breath attack.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 31
Class: Chaos Mage / Queen Consort / Hero
Sub-class: Temptress of the Night
Stats:
HP: 2400/2400
MP: 7400/7400
Fame: 170
Strength: 57 (+5)
Dexterity: 52 (+7)
Intelligence: 216 (+22)
Vitality: 70 (+5)
Agility: 64 (+7)
Charisma: 37 (+20)
PROFICIENCY:Weapon:
- One Handed Sword – 7
- Hand to Hand – 3
- Staff - 1
Magic:
- Fire – 7
- Lightning – 13
- Wind – 4
- Water - 0
- Summoning – 12
- Blood – 6
- Spatial - 0
SKILLS:Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 3)
- Crescent Slash (Level 1)
- Triple Slash (Level 1)
- Delta Attack (Level 1)
- Spiral (Level 1)
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike (Level 1)
- Wind Palm (Level 1)
- Explosive Palm (Level 3)
- Lightning Palm (Level 1)
- Sweeping Kick (Level 1)
- Horizontal Kick (Level 1)
- Uppercut (Level 1)
- Ki Burst (Level 1)
- Demsey Roll (Level 1)
Weapon (Staff):
- Thrust (Level 2)
- Swinging Smash (Level 1)
- Double Strike (Level 1)
- Triple Strike (Level 1)
- Quadruple Strike (Level 1)
- Vertical Smash (Level 1)
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Fire Ball (Level 1)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 8)
- Chain Lightning (Level 4)
- Lightning Ray (Level 3)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 4)
- Wind Blade (Level 1)
- Aqua Strike (Level 1)
- Jet Stream (Level 1)
- Heat Wave (Level 1)
- Lightning Fire Bolt (Level 1)
- Crimson Lotus: Blade of Lightning (Level 2)
- Mana Armor (Level 2)
- Call: Cerberus (Level 1)
- Call: Revenant (Level 1)
- Call: Death Knight (Level 1)
- Call: Romulus, Knight of Blood (Level 1)
- Call: Sylvia, Priestess of Blood (Level 1)
- Call: Lilith (Level 1)
- Call: Nuria (Level 1)
- Call: Mazu (Level 1)
- Call: Sino (Level 1)
- Call: Meliae (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 4)
- Lightning Fire (Passive)
- Blood Absorption (Level 7)
- Blood Bind (Level 1)
- Blood Scythe (Level 2)
- Blood Sacrifice (Level 1)
- Blood Bullet (Level 1)
- Transformation: Blood Reaper (Level 1)
- Transformation: Elementalist (Level 1)
- Dance of Blood (Level 1)
- Teleportation (Level 1)
- Teleportation Summoning Circle (Level 1)
Sub-class (Temptress of the Night):
- Enhanced Body (Level 3)
- Captivation: (Level 3)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Pleasure Inducement (Level 3)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1)
- Stealth (Level 2)
- Shadow Walk (Level 2)
- Sonic Scream (Level 1)
- Illusion (Level 2)
- Alluring Song (Level 1)
- Flight (Level 1)
- Aura of Fear (Level 2)
- Scale Armor (Level 2, Passive)
- Transformation (Level 1)
- Partial Transformation (Level 1)
- Transformation: Temptress of the Night (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 5) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 9) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 5)
- Sewing (Level 4) – Tailor
- Magicraft (Level 7) – Alchemist
- Item Enhancement (Level 9)
- Disassemble (Level 1)
- Inventory Expansion (Level 4)
Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Staff (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 5)
- Haste (Level 2)
- Scale Armor (Level 1)
- Aura of Leadership (Level 1)
- Aura of the Hero (Level 1)
- Summoning Commander (Level 1)
- Queen's Presence (Level 1)
- Fire Mastery (Level 1)
Unique:
- Hero System (Level 3, Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)
- Night Vision (Passive)
-LOCKED- Skill is...
Spoiler :
Locked skill is Elemental Breath, but has special requirements, specifically, another Class Change into a mage that focuses on building monster like features to use.