Jerg flinched as the voice erupted in his mind, and then he felt it—the compulsion. It was the driving force of his new life, pushing him in ways he could no longer control. He longed for the time when he was free, when his actions were his own, before the collars had changed everything. But now, there was no escaping it.
He activated his skill Threat. His minimap exploded with red blips, a sign of enemies closing in. As was to be expected of a merchant, he had little class based combat capability, relying on racial and heritage abilities. But Jerg had no time to dwell on that. He needed to focus the compulsion demanded it.
His former chief, Durg, was already in motion sprinting ahead into the chaos. The maelstrom of flying spells, flashing lights, and bodies colliding was overwhelming. Whoever had orchestrated this attack had planned it well and spared no expense. Jerg's eyes darted to his HUD, watching the human's health bar plummet. As he had feared, the human was quickly being overwhelmed by the first wave of attackers. But Jerg couldn’t afford to focus on that. Gelkrin was in danger.
The dwarf’s spells began to fill the air, a stone structure beginning to take shape as he unleashed a number of thunderwaves into the small crowd. Jerg knew it would take an anamalistic brute force to survive this battle. It was the only way he could fight. As a Warrior charged at him Jerg grabbed him from behind and ripped him in half, using the body as a weapon. With a swing, he crushed a knight into submission, the wet thud of bone and steel ringing in his ears. Gelkrin was still casting, but it was clear that the dwarf’s spells were barely scratching the surface. The attackers were numerous and well-prepared, but Gelkrin was a level 16 powerhouse.
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They had already cut down half of the assaulting force, and Jerg knew it was only a matter of time before the tide turned and they had the numbers. That’s when the zone of silence fell, instantly cutting off Gelkrin’s spell. A cheap trick, but effective. Jerg barely had time to react before he saw the mage—one of the attackers—reach into her pocket and pull out a handful of gleaming gems. They shimmered in the dim light, and Jerg recognized them as spell storage stones.
Without thinking, he reacted to the compulsion and moved to intercept. But three men leapt at him, blocking his path. His body moved with unnatural speed, crushing all three of them in one swift strike, but it wasn’t fast enough. The mage had already launched the gems, and they flew toward Gelkrin.
The explosion was deafening. A wave of fire and force erupted as the imbued spells triggered. Five stones, each carrying a fireball spell, crashed into Gelkrin. Jerg watched in horror as the dwarf was blasted into the darkness, his health bar flashing to zero.
Gelkrin’s shield spell had saved him from the fire, but Jerg’s HUD confirmed the worst—Gelkrin was dead. The compulsion still pulsed within him, unyielding, demanding action.
Jerg’s heart raced, but he steeled himself. There was no option to surrender. The collars wouldn’t allow it. There was only one thing left to do. With his back against the wall, Jerg gritted his teeth and began swinging, knowing he couldn’t stop fighting. Not now. Not ever.