<~-(+)-~>
SYSTEM WARNING!
Eri Sundancer (and party) is under attack!
Expediting the vessel installation process…
<~-(+)-~>
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Damn it! I thought those bastards in the Black Moon Guild couldn’t catch up to us in time! Damien had a tough enough time dealing with them back in Karnari, but how could they find us down here?!
Eri had her blades drawn-a heavily enchanted dual spirit mithril shortsword set-as five assassins wearing a black crescent moon with gold trimmed stele came scurrying out of the shadows. Each of the assassins appeared to be Emerald-level cultivators at around level 120 from what the System told her upon examining them though their names were hidden and looked to be human. Hestia looked like she was in trouble when Eri looked over to her right to see the dwarfess turning blue as if slowly freezing from hypothermia. She turned back to the two assassins in front of her-while Eri heard Damien try to fend off the other three-and looked extremely pissed.
“You bastards and your Blue Night poison,” she seethed. “How in the name of the Gods did you find us this fast?!”
She did not expect an answer from these assassins since Eri knew their members had their vocal cords removed as part of the price for guild membership. The only members-that rumors could only confirm-of the Black Moon Guild that could speak were the top three leaders who remain a mystery to everyone except other members. As she tried to question how they found them, the assassins lunged for her-drawing their weapons.
[Assassin: Dealt 50 damage and 10 Poison damage to Eri Sundancer.]
The damage notification rolled across the top center of Eri’s vision-breaking her out of her thoughts and redirecting her focus towards the battle. She deflected another jabbing attempt with relative ease and attempted to bisect one of the assassins at the waist.
[Eri Sundancer: Dealt a grievous hit to Assassin! 1200 damage.]
[Eri Sundancer: -20 HP (Poison)]
One of her attackers went down and couldn’t even cry out in pain, but Eri did not afford herself to be distracted as the other assassin tried to stab her. That attack got deflected as soon as Eri sensed it though she did not relent in her strikes-learning early on not to let up on her attacks. It also was not easy to suffer their poisoned blades as the elfess saw more poison damage notifications whittling away her health slowly-which is possibly what these assassins were counting on while distracting her from the true goal of their mission. Either the Black Moon Guild wanted whatever was beyond that stone door-same as us-or they already knew about the mysteries beyond that door.
[Eri Sundancer: Dealt 400 Damage to Assassin!]
[Eri Sundancer: Dealt 350 Damage to Assassin!]
[Eri Sundancer: Dealt 800 Damage to Assassin!]
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As the last assassin died on the ground, Eri looted the corpses and pilfered a bottle of antipoison that contained two doses. Without a moment to lose, she quickly administered a dose to Hestia-whose health appeared to be at 1 and now slowly regenerating-and herself which cleansed their poisoned debuffs without hassle. The elfess quickly checked their health and sighed in relief when it showed their antipoison buffs lasted for eight minutes, but before she could sit down next to the recovering dwarfess, every muscle in her body tensed up.
“Seems like those two did not keep you busy long enough, didn’t they?” Damien’s voice asked Eri-seemingly elated to see the two of them though something felt wrong.
[Eri Sundancer: Stunned]
The elfess quietly cursed herself for not noticing the debuff. She remembered that most stun effects last roughly three to five minutes-depending on the target’s Agility Score-but as a Diamond tier cultivator, stuns shouldn’t apply to them unless applied by a similar or higher tiered cultivator. When Damien finally showed himself in her vision, she quickly tried to examine him and the result shocked her.
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{Profile: Damien Horde}
Age: 150
Level: 115
Tier: Diamond
Class: Diviner
Titles: [Archmage of the College], [Arcane Scholar of Storm], [Voidwalker], [Guildmaster of the Black Moon Guild], [The Assassin’s Storm]
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Damien did not seem to care that Eri could read his examination, but when he saw her eyes widen in shock then turn dark in anger, he chuckled.
“You finally understand a bit more, you elf bitch?” Damien cursed. “Gods, it was a pain to wander with you and the ugly stoneeater until you finally proved your worth! You led us to a haven for wizards and cultivators-a gold mine of energy and madra-that could sustain the entire Kingdom ten times over! We could even sell…”
Eri, Damien, the assassins, and Hestia suddenly felt the quality of ambient energy within the caverns sharply decline as if something just happened-shocking them all. Then they all received a prompt from the System-confirming that something bad had just started.
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Region System Broadcast
Attention all within the [Aetherium Field] Region!
A [Region Event] has been triggered! Due to the intervention of cultivators in an attempt to harm an ally of the Crux Court, the [Black Moon Guild] has been sanctioned!
In response to the sanctioned guild within the region, all aspects-either Magical or Cultivation in nature-have significantly decreased in quality! Any further sanctions will result in further consequences by the Eternal System.
---
Region Event: The Infinite Crown
Before the current age and the existence of the Farest Kingdom, a powerful deity sought a place to slumber and recover from a long sleep. For thousands of years, the deity dreamed and through foolish actions or wrought iron bravery of mortals, they have started waking up. Gods tremble and mortals beware as not even Death itself shall save you for the King of Dragons has awakened!
-{Objectives}-
* [Unknown]: 0/[Unknown]
<~-(+)-~>
After they finished reading the System prompt, the stone door softly clicked open and an immense malevolent presence erupted throughout the cavern-enveloping the assassins completely while leaving Damien, Eri, and Hestia frozen in fear. All eyes looked to the doorway to find me in my [Nyxian] vessel staring at them and grinning like a madman just woken up from a decent slumber-pissed off with the intent to kill. As I allowed my full divine presence to wash over the entirety of the caverns and insidiously seep into their very souls, I spoke with malevolent conviction.
“Sleep.”