Chapter 240
Gaia stood atop hills of vampire corpses, remnants of the Rippenvire forces that’d come from their imprisonment in the stockyards. The transformed demigoddess was already incredibly displeased at the change she’d undergone, and she’d been even more angry that they’d targeted harmless civilians on the outskirts of Brightsville when finally encountering resistance. Bodies could be repaired and evolved, shaped into what she’d want after time had passed, but the loss of life from people she had promised to protect could not so easily be forgiven.
And her arrival at the scene had led to a very swift and brutal end for all those involved.
Instead of the small child-like figure she’d once worn, her new body was now that of an enormous, carnivorous tree. Her roots buried themselves into the mounds of drying-up flesh as they sucked in the lifeblood of the vampires she stood on. Her dark gray bark had pulsing red veins running up along her body all over, running into bright red leaves. Spiked vines trailed off her branches and trunk, and dragged the few vampires who were still alive towards her. The vines sucked their bodily fluids up and drained them just as easily as they drained mortals - leaving only withered husks behind before smashing them into dust.
Her gray skin, her bark - snapped and crunched while she moved, arms swaying at her sides, taking her step by step over the battlefield and smashing corpses underneath her weight. Slowly, monotonously, she and the other turned dryads that’d become unholy treants alongside her were juggernauts of destruction shambling towards their enemies. Each step they took shook the earth underneath.
And all the while, her pitch black eyes were deadset - staring out her wooden face carved into the front of her mid-trunk while the vampires gathered up again for a counter attack. So enraged the vampires were at having their god shunned by Allie Thane, so firm was their belief, that they’d become fanatical - disregarding their own lives in an attempt to wreak havoc and pain on the offending team.
But Gaia had her own anger to dish out, and it was her rage that would overcome. She did not blame Allie for what had happened, but she needed an outlet to vent her wrath.
The leaves in her canopy rustled and billowed, whipping up and tearing off her branches in a storm of red leaves that was soon joined by the numerous others of her newly born kin. The sky was soon filled, and - sharpening - the raging storm of leaves bore down on Gaia’s enemies.
***
Allie gently glided down, farther and farther she went, until her bone-made boots lightly touched on the surface of an exquisite mosaic made out of stone. The souls of the dead were leading her through the passages at a fast pace, many of which had actually been the precursors she’d only recently killed that she’d forced into submission. Unfortunately their minds were mostly jumbled, and she felt like the touch of some foreign entity had made it so that she’d be unable to access any valuable information they may have.
And yet, that foreign entity had still allowed her to access the path down.
That troubled her, but she had nothing else to go on and the labyrinth was enormous.
Aztec-like designs similar to the jewelry and armbands the precursors wore decorated the flat, perfectly circular art piece that spanned many hundreds of yards across - depicting various kinds of worship to an ancient deity long forgotten. The creature they worshiped, prayed to, and sacrificed victims to was a one-eyed, fanged creature of pale blue skin with four humanoid arms and feathered wings as black as hers.
Behind her, and carried by ghosts and phantoms under her command, were all the other necromancers she’d brought with her; alongside Fimrindle, who looked uncharacteristically sheepish after the hard glare she’d given him earlier. They hadn’t talked yet, but that was certainly going to happen after she’d learned of his actions from the spirits.
Allie continued over to the far wall, her silver-gray halo lightly glowing the same color of her eyes while her footsteps clicked against the mosaic underneath. Ahead of her was another tunnel entrance ripped from the side of the deep shaft they’d floated down - and beside it on two large spikes were a set of impaled naked bodies she didn’t recognize. However, these were vampire bodies - and not the precursor type. Gingerly touching the silent scream of one’s face, she closed her eyes and reached into the void.
The soul still attached to it flickered in her mind’s eye, only brief images lighting up in her mind of the previous life it'd had, and soon the transfer of knowledge was over with. She was lucky it hadn’t been lost to the beyond yet, and smiled while retracting her hand. It was too damaged to salvage, so she bid it farewell and let the little soul drift into the darkness.
“Survivors of the Bernzee covens came this way.” Allie confidently stated, folding her wings tightly behind her and started down the tunnel. “We’re on the right path after all. Follow me.”
Twists and turns, signs of recent battle, and dried bloodstains plastering the ancient scripts of the hallways the labyrinth was building. Leading out into large caves, the tunnels soon disappeared entirely - letting Allie’s group bask in the amazing sight of an entirely new world underneath the top layer of Panu’s crust.
And it almost truly was an entirely new world.
A false sun of some sort radiated light down into the world, though it was far dimmer from the real version and was partially obscured by clouds and mists that also blocked off most of the ceiling. The cavern before them was so wide she couldn’t see the opposite end, having numerous dips and mountains within it that hinted at more landscapes being blocked from view, so Allie had no real measure of just what size it was. She stood at the edge of a cliff, the ground at least a solid mile below. There were stone steps leading downwards across the cliff edge and into a marsh where an entire ecosystem was brilliantly colored with a tapestry of yellows, reds, blacks, greens, oranges, or any other she could think of.
And there, far in the distance, was a flat-topped pyramid that dwarfed even the tallest skyscrapers from Brightsville.
This was not what she’d been expecting, but it was certainly beautiful.
[You have entered the Fallen Vampiric Elder God’s Realm. World Quest 4 Update Available.]
[World Quest 4, Blood of the Fallen God: An unnamed vampiric elder god has fallen from grace after having sinned against the Elysium Administrator. The elder god has been trapped within a hidden, guarded labyrinth in the deepest levels of the underdark, and you must stop him from awakening. Advanced details HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY UNLOCKED:
* UPDATE 1: You have found clues to the labyrinth’s location in the depths of the underdark, the resting place of the fallen vampiric elder god, but found yourself cornered by heretics in defiance of the one true mantle of Blood God. Why did the native vampires here in Bernzee contact you for help? What was the reason that they journeyed out from the deep parts of the world to do so? Your answers will be found at the Labyrinth’s location, should you manage to survive.
* UPDATE 2: You have been led through the labyrinth by the souls of the dead, and have found what was once a fragment of the inner-world of the fallen elder god - though his current state does not allow him to retain it within his soul any longer. You still do not know why you were contacted by the Bernzee, but signs of their flight through the underdark point to their trek leading here. Find out what the distant temple holds, and perhaps even find the last of the Bernzee covens - if they remain, for more answers.]
“Fimrindle.” Her head turned, glowing gray eyes shifting to the reaper with a stoic expression as he bowed. The irritation in her built just by looking at him, but then her eyes fell upon his status screen - and then hers… and she let the tension in her shoulders relax slightly.
[Fimrindle, Level 159 Reaper of Souls Initiate, Demon-Undead Hybrid, Unique: The Iron Scarecrow. LEGENDARY.]
[Allie Thane, Level 160 Angel of Death, Primary Class in Transitory State, Hero of Death, Lost Princess of the Blood Moon Requiem, Apostate of the Blood God. LEGENDARY. PANU WORLD BOSS FOR WORLD QUEST 7.]
“Yes, mistress?” The reaper asked, black cloak made from shadows billowing around him like a living thing. His metal hands gripped his scythe and he got onto his knees in a bowing position, head lowered subserviently “What is it that you ask of me?”
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Allie gestured to the temple in the distance as roars echoed far from down below. She kept her eyes locked on the distant building even despite the swarming hundreds and then thousands of precursors tearing through the forests and marshlands in her direction. “Find out what resides there, and if you can - find the Bernzee refugees. Do not die, Fimrindle, for even though your contract is unique and you are a partially demonic entity - I am not sure I’d be able to summon you back upon death if I am not present to take your soul back. Have you ever died under contract before?”
“I have not, mistress.”
“Then you do not know either?”
“I believe I’d be able to come back unless skewered with a blade blessed by the commandments, similar to how Athela was killed previously.”
“I see. Regardless, be careful. We will talk more about your scheming later… I am still not pleased that you put my life in danger so flippantly - even despite the outcomes.”
Fimrindle abruptly nodded, then turned and vanished in the blink of an eye.
The other necromancers were now gathered along the cliff’s edge as well. They all watched the incoming swarm of angry, desperate, and crazed people of another age racing towards them up the stone steps in the cliff’s face; or watched them literally claw their way up the side of the steep drop by tearing their claws into stone.
“They are like rabid animals…” Mara muttered under her breath as the howls drew nearer. “I have only seen this kind of fanaticism in mindless undead, not in those who are still sentient.”
Allie opened her spatial sack, and pulled out the weapon that The Scythe had given her. The long, gray blade flared with neon teal runes as she held it aloft - and she admired the wicked edge on either side that came down to a handle engraved with depictions of hooded wraiths and skeletons.
[Blade of Soulcry (Divine Claymore, E-Grade, Death Attuned): ???]
“I believe they are desperate.” Allie eventually said, after getting a feel for the weight of the weapon - allowing the energies inside the claymore merge with her own in a wave of energy that almost shocked her system.
She blinked a couple times to regain her composure, then shuddered as she felt the weapon’s energy stabilize with intertwining mana channels that were somehow built into the blade connect to hers.
Mara, Nin, Vin, and two of the other necromancers curiously glanced her way while the others continued peering over the ledge at the oncoming horde.
“What do you mean?” Mara asked. “Why desperate?”
“Those are the remnant emotions their souls leave behind.” Allie stated sadly, sinking the blade into the stone floor rather easily by a foot deep before turning to look at the others who’d followed her here. “They may have a quest of their own, such as to keep their elder god safe until he awakens in five years. That’s only a guess, but it’s certainly a possibility. What happens if they don’t? Will they be hunted down, or completely wiped out by Elysium itself? Are they tied to him somehow? Whatever the reason, they certainly aren’t going to talk to us about it - but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight back. It is us, or them, until proven otherwise.”
Allie pulled up another notification screen under her status page, and grinned at the information on display. Forming one of these would increase their XP share, and if she was about to wipe the floor with thousands of enemies, she wanted to make sure her loyalists ascended with her climb.
It was hard to find good employees, or good friends.
[You must create a guild with the ‘Create Guild’ command prior to utilizing this page. You must have at least 3 people to create a guild.]
Mentally she selected all twelve of the necromancers standing nearby. Each of them whipped their heads around to stare at her as they got their own notifications, then eagerly selected the option to agree to the terms.
“Create Guild - Fallen Wings.”
[Guild Name: Fallen Wings
Guild World Rank: 5
Current World Registered: Panu
Guild Roster: 13/20
* Allie Thane, Level 160, Primary Class in Transitory State, Guild Leader
* Mara, Level 82, Voidstar Necromancer
* Vin, Level 83, Blight Necromancer Adept
* Nin, Level 80, Blight Necromancer Adept
* Alastar, Level 71, Swarm Necromancer Adept
* Enivia, Level 70, Bloodsoaked Necromancer Adept
* Porish, Level 79, Blight Necromancer Adept
* Letti, Level 81, Swarm Necromancer Adept
* Zakarivi, Level 75, Curselore Necromancer
* Quesilina, Level 69, Haunted Necromancer Adept
* Bret, Level 66, Necromancer Farcaster
* Rush, Level 74, Twilight Necromancer
* David, Level 78, Necromancer Deathsworn
Faction: None, Link to a Faction Network of guilds for this feature to become available
* Faction Archives and Forums: N/A
* Faction Wars: N/A
* Other Guilds in Faction: N/A
* System Faction Events & Invites: None
Current Guild Bonuses:
* Tier 1 Guild, XP share bonus set at baseline of 5%.
* Guild Shops: None, Link to a Merchant-Class Attendant for this option to become available
* Guild Hall: None, Link to Guild Hall for this feature to become available
* Attendants: N/A
* Homeward Teleportation: N/A
* Guild Investments: None, Link to an Elysium Fund for this feature to become available
* System Guild Events, Raids, Quests, & Invites:
* World Quest 4, Blood of the Fallen God
* Guild Titles & Achievements: None
* Guild Blessings: None
* Mercenary Status: Available]
[With creation of your guild ‘Fallen Wings’, the World Quest 4, Blood of the Fallen God has been applied to your guild information. All XP will now have a bonus of 5% to total original XP and will be distributed across all guild members that are involved in the battle to at least a small degree.]
Allie reviewed the information twice over and gave a satisfactory nod. Now that she was sure her efforts would benefit her friends too, she took her wand in her left hand and gripped the handle of her sword in her right. “Hold the top of the cliff, I will be supporting you from the skies.”
With a blur of motion she bent her knees, spread her wings, and launched herself off the cliff’s edge - soaring into the air and reveling in the feeling of her newfound power of flight. It was even better than riding Tyranus, but she did wish the drake could have fit down here in the tunnels of the underdark - he’d certainly have been a massive help.
Turning in the air and raising her wand, strings of death mana exploded from her position and ripped downwards into the oncoming swarm that were racing up the cliff face. The necromancers on the ledge began to conjure magics of their own, pouring clouds of green, noxious fumes over the side while flares of neon teal fire, bone spikes, and clouds of shadow-made crows came over the edge like an avalanche.
Area-of-effect magics came soon after, with black diagrams and pentagrams drawing themselves in the air over the necromancers’ defensive position that empowered them and created one-way barriers at various stages down the cliff - making it harder for the swarm to climb up.
Allie continued to carve out huge swaths of the incoming enemies, dragging the strings of death from her wand across the cliff face that sprayed rubble and body parts - somewhat akin to carving open a watermelon with a chainsaw. Screams erupted from the abnormally fast precursors and soon she found herself bombarded with various magics of a deep blue color, similar to the strange blood attacks she’d experienced the day before.
She merely shrugged them off, deflecting one blue orb after the other with a swipe of her claymore. The blade shattered the spells when not absolutely bouncing them off into another direction, and took zero damage despite dispelling so much energy. And as they became more numerous, enemies pouring out of the woods to race upwards or fire mana-infused projectiles her way while she dodged and weaved in the air while continuing to blast those climbing up the cavern towards her friends - she began muttering the incantation for her Tier 3 spell “Eye of the Scythe.”
Her arms and hands made the proper movements, and a tear in space overhead covered the land in teal light as the eye of some malevolent god looked down at the incoming horde with disgust.
Bodies withered, precursors screamed, and the land underneath them shattered under the force of her newly empowered mana channels that flooded the skill with everything she had. The Blade of Soulcry in her hand responded as well, simmering with the power of True Death, as an explosion of gray engulfed a mile-wide area in an immense aura of power.
***
Karlita gagged and coughed, spitting bile and nearly tripping over her own feet while desperately trying to claw at the door for some kind of latch or switch. Her red eyes were producing streams of tears that glistened against her pale cheeks, and her heartbeat thudded in her chest over the deep gasps she made while the screams of her friends and family echoed in the chamber beyond.
“Please! By the Blood God, there has to be something here!!! We’ve come so far!”
Her nails scratched against an ancient, rusted lock - catching and pulling out dirt from what was obviously a keyhole.
Her eyes brightened, and with a strangulated, terrified laugh she fumbled the key in her hands to bring it towards the lock.
It fit.
“YESSSS!!!” Karlita screamed in victory, and she heard the mechanism click when she turned it in her hand.
The huge door groaned, then swung open in a showering spray of dust and debris.
She only backed up a moment, but one look over her shoulder told her that she needed to move now and fast.
“KARLITA, WAIT FOR ME!” Her elder sister called back to her - scrambling through the small hallway and shoving another of their coven to the side; but the precursors were on her heels.
Karlita couldn’t wait. Otherwise, they’d both die.
With a look of shame and stifling a sob, Karlita only held the door open the briefest moment to see her sister’s heel get caught by a diving, pale blue abomination that quickly started dragging her back.
Her sister screamed in horror as a jagged claw cut into her calf muscle. “KARLITA, HELP ME!!!”
Karlita’s heart clenched, and with a sob - she slammed the door behind her. The mechanism locked back into place, and through the thick stone slab she could hear her sister’s horrified screams, sobs, and begging echo through the chamber until the sounds of crunching, muffled gags, and gurgles came next.
Soon the battle had stopped, leaving Karlita as the very last living vampire of the Bernzee covens on the face of Panu.
Shaking violently and pulling herself into a fetal position, she continued to cry for the next few hours until she managed to finally fall into a light sleep… One full of only nightmares, regrets, and horrors.