A small group made up of high-level players has just reached the final boss of the Burning Citadel dungeon. Behind them, countless enemies lay dead while the last one stands in front of them, still drawing breath. Its name is Sogmith, a fierce and enormous demon lizard with six powerful limbs, razor-sharp tail and two massive black wings attached to its back that serves as a shield against attacks. Its hand tightly gripping
a massive energy sword while it's two horned head violently shakes in search for an enemy.
Every single boss rooms are huge and extravagant, and this one is no exception. Located at the top of the citadel it opens a view onto one of the large worlds that YGGDRASIL offers. Overlooking forests, mountain and cities. All combined with an open night sky that houses hundreds upon thousands of stars, shining bright in the dark sky.
Of course, beauty comes with a price. All through the boss room is very eye-pleasing, it is a horrible place to have a boss-battle in. The lack of barriers around the edges often causes players to accidentally fall to their death resulting in a dungeon wipe. Not only that, but due to the area being relatively open, kiting any summoned adds becomes nearly impossible, and only players with good mobility will be able to successfully kite adds away from the main group.
The group Itself is made up out of Six players.
The first member is a level 65 Angel Dark Knight by the name of SirHerrington, who is the main and only tank in the group. He is the current group leader and knows the dungeon inside out, having played it multiple times in hopes of getting a rare epic mount. Currently, this is his 5th attempt.
The second member is a level 63 Human Gunner by the name of Kishin Asura. He is one of the ranged DPS in the group. Due to his powerful weapons and abilities not only is he able to lash out insane amounts of damage, but he can also AOE attack. Allowing an easier clear of the dungeon.
The third member is a level 66 Imp Arcanist by the name of Ulbert Alain Odle. He is a magic caster and a ranged DPS who mainly focused on bursting down HP of one target. His spells are very effective against bosses or single but powerful mobs.
The fourth member is a lvl 65 Dullahan Knight by the name of KyleKatarn4. He is a melee DPS and is equipped with a sword and a shield. His body is covered in heavy armour while his class is focused on offence rather than defence.
The fifth member is a lvl 64 Imp Wizard by the name of RyofuHosen. Just like Ulbert, he is a magic caster but focuses on AOE attacks like Kishin. Grouping up mobs together allows an easier attack to be performed, but his single target spells are not that far off.
Sier - The last and the sixth member is a lvl 67 Human Priest. He is the only player in the group that serves as a healer, able to cast multiple spells and buffs that will help in the fight. However, being the only healer puts a great toll on him as healing all 5 members is a tough job to do.
SirHerrington turned around and faced the group
"Okay guys, like we practised. After I aggro him, we quickly burst him down to 70%. After that he will enter the second phase and summon adds, Kyle will aggro them while Ulbert finishes them off.
"Understood"
"Got it"
"Meanwhile Me, Sier and RyofuHosen will carry on focusing the boss. And Sier, your healing must be top-notch, burn all spells you have"
"Just make sure to dodge his crit spells. If none of you get hit by it I should be able to heal you back up in no time" Seir said as he looked at his staff
"Good. All ready?"
"Yes!" Everyone exclaimed in unison
"We Pull on 3! 2! 1!"
"Pull!"
---------------
"Lad?" Gustav called out to daydreaming Ulbert, stopping his horse in the process
"Hmm?" Ulbert averted his attention to Gustav. The winds are chilly as the sun sets down in the distance, while the birds are no longer as vibrant as before.
"We have arrived. Welcome to E-Rantel" Gustav said as he pointed at a large city a few kilometres away. The city is surrounded by huge stone walls while the main gates are occupied by hundreds of people, ranging from traders to immigrants to travellers. All waiting to enter the city.
"That's a lot of people waiting to enter the city"
"Well of course. E-Rantel is not small, a lot of people travel here in search of a better life. Just like you"
"Yea..."
"Let's head to the entrance. The faster we get in the faster we can rest"
"What about the line?"
"I have the merchant pass. It allows merchant like me to get into the cities more easily"
[A merchant pass?]
"I see. Lead the way"
A moment later Gustav ordered the horse to carry on following the road, slowly descending down the hill towards the gates that lead to E-Rantel.
In no time the two reached the front gates. All the travellers moved aside as they saw yet another merchant carriage make its way to the gates, catching Ulbert by surprise. He did not think normal travellers would know about the merchant pass. Perhaps passes are very common within this world.
"Halt! State your business" One of the guards shouted as the carriage approached the gates
"Trade" Gustav said as he reached out his hand with documents, proving his specialization. The guard's eyes quickly flicked through the document, checking all the magic seals and all the dates to be correct. When the inspection was complete, he simply handed back the documents and stepped aside.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Everything is in order, you may pass. Welcome to E-Rantel"
"Thank you" Gustav said with a nod and ordered his horse to once again carry on moving towards the gates. Gates themselves are always open as so many people enter and leave, it is way more effective to just place a few guards that serve as a checkpoint.
"Well. Welcome to E-Rantel lad. The city of opportunity" Gustav said as he and Ulbert rode past the gates into the city. The sun has set down and a bright clear sky shines down upon the city. Lamps lit with fire shine the way around the main paths while fewer people walk the streets. Ulbert slowly inhaled the air around him before jumping off the carriage and looking at Gustav
"Thanks for the lift Gustav. I will be on my own now, is there an Inn that I can stay at?"
"Yeah there are a couple around the town. If you follow the main road you should be able to see it, ask a guard if you don't notice it"
"All right thanks again Gustav"
"See you lad, make sure to visit my shop later," Gustav waved farewell as he ordered his horse to take an alternative path, one that leads to a merchant sector.
After seeing Gustav off, Ulbert looked around and began walking the path Gustav showed him.
[Hmm, the architecture of the city is fascinating. The defences systems seem strong to hold a large scale attack while the roads are welcoming for new visitors. Humans do know how to build, I'll give them that]
After wondering for half an hour, Ulbert finally reached the Inn Gustav was talking about. From the outside the Inn looks very welcoming, sounds of laughter and talk can be heard from the outside while the light shines brightly from the clear windows. The Inn outer structure is made up out of clay bricks and huge stone beams, while wood reinforces weak points making it even more sturdy.
Ulbert looked up at the sign
[Hairy boar...What a name] He thought as he entered through the thick wooden door that serves as the entrance to the Inn. Instantly he was welcomed by a strong smell of alcohol mixed with a pleasant aroma of freshly cooked meat. The first floor of the Inn serves as a tavern while the second floor is where people stay the night. The Inn itself is packed with people, drunks walk through the crowds, spilling their drinks and getting into fights. While others sit in large groups and enjoy each others company, talking about the latest news and rumours in the city.
All through the atmosphere may be charming for a human, Ulbert is not too fond of it.
[An Inn that has a tavern for drunks built into it. How much profit does the Innkeeper want to make?... Pathetic sight]
After a moment of sightseeing, he made his way to the Innkeeper behind the counter who also works as a bartender, not only serving drinks but providing rooms for the guest. She is dressed in revealing beer wench outfit while her brown hair is tied up in a ponytail. As soon as Ulbert approached her, a wide but fake smile appeared on her face, ready to make the guests feel welcomed.
"Hey handsome, what can I get you?"
"One room" Ulbert said with a slightly raised voice, trying his best to speak over the surrounding noise
"Of course. How many days would you like to stay?"
"A week"
"That would be 70 Silver love"
[70 silver huh? So 10 silver a night...]
"Of course, here" Ulbert said as he counted 70 silver in his hand and handed it to the Innkeeper.
"Thank you. Your name sweetheart?" She said as she reached for a book with all the names and door numbers
"Albert...Von"
As soon as Albert said his name the Innkeeper quickly wrote it down in her book and gave him a key
"Your room number is 6, enjoy your stay!"
"Thank you" He said as he grabbed the key and made his way up the long stairs leading to the second floor. All through the floors are quite a distance away from each other, the loud sounds of chatter and noises from downstairs could still be heard.
Ulbert approached door number 6 and entered the room using the key provided by the Innkeeper. As soon as the door opened a small room appeared in front of him. There is a small single bed on the right and a writing desk on the left. While the light from the moon shines into the room thanks to a single window located in front of the room. Upon seeing the room, Ulbert let out a small chuckle.
[Reminds me of a prison cell] He thought as he threw his backpack on the bed and stood right in the middle of the room.
"Perfect Illusion" He whispered and his body transformed back into that of an enormous demonic goat, nearly touching the ceiling above him due to his height.
[Good thing that Perfect Illusion even hides backpacks. I almost forgot about my Infinite Backpack]
Ulbert possesses an item by the name of Infinite Backpack. It's an item from YGGDRASIL that allows the user to store up to 500Kg of items, from food and water to special items and actives.
[Sadly I do not have any coins from YGGDRASIL in here. They probably would have not worked anyways as the coins in this world are vastly different in design] He thought as he began searching through the Infinite Backpack
[Potions, Horns of the Goblin Generals, Green Secret House. High-level daggers, swords, staffs, pelts...Oh? Mask of Envy. I completely forgot about it. Didn't I put it in my bank in YGGDRASIL? Or was that a different item]
Ulbert took the regular bag and emptied its contents to the Infinite Backpack, realizing that the regular backpack is no longer in need.
[Oh I nearly forgot about this] He thought as he picked up the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, inspecting it in detail
[Ainz Ooal Gown...It was a good guild, good memories. I refused to give back the ring when I left the guild. Didn't know why back then, but now that I look back at it...I just didn't want to forget about them, this ring is a good memory of them...I wonder where they are right now. Or where my other online friends are]
---------------------------------
"Another wipe..." SirHerrington said with a sigh
"This boss is too hard"
"No he isn't. You guys just need to focus on the adds, they may look like nothing but they do a lot of damage"
"..."
"Okay this time focus on the adds more and try to actually kite them away from Ulbert this time. He is kind of our biggest damage"
"I can't play any more guys" Sier said
"What? Why not?"
"M-My dad is going to be home soon, if he sees my playing again...I can't. Sorry guys"
"Shit...No worries then, you going to be on tomorrow?"
"I don't know guys...See you guys"
*Sier logged off*
"We can't 5 man the dungeon, so imma call it a night too" KyleKatarn4 said
"Yeah same" Kishin Asura added
"All right, see you guys"
"See ya!"
"Bye!"
*Kishin Asura logged off*
*KayleKarn4 logged off*
3 out of 6 members disconnected from the group. Leaving SirHerrington, Ulbert and RyofuHosen alone in the dungeon
"Must be tough for Sier"
"Yeah..."
"Why what's wrong?" Ulbert asked.
"Don't tell anyone else, but from what I heard, his dad is super strict. That's why he can't play a lot"
"Wait really. What about his mom?"
"No idea. He is a good kid but his parents..."
"Must be tough"
"Yeah...All right then, If no one is playing I am going to go off as well. Got work tomorrow, don't want to be late" SirHerrington said as he brought up the console with the log off option.
"Yeah same" RyofuHosen added, also bringing up his console.
"Okay guys, see you tomorrow"
"See ya Ulbert"
"Bye Ulbert"
"Goodnight guys"
*RyofuHosen logged off*
*SirHerrington logged off*
[Well, time to do some quests]
--------------------------
Ulbert transformed back to his human Illusion and laid down on the bed
[I wonder where they are right now...After that night Sier didn't come back and in time I lost all the contact with the guys. Maybe YGGDRASIL got boring for+ them...Who knows]
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*Author Note*
Hello. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I focused a bit on Ulbert's past with this chapter and used some of my followers' names. Hope you guys don't mind.
For people who are not familiar with MMO phrases here is the list
Adds - Creatures that are spawned by the boss to make the dungeon/raid harder
Aggro - When a creature attacks a player
Kite/Kiting - When you would run around and make sure Adds or Mobs don't hit you when they are focused on you
Mobs - Hostile creatures that can be found in the world or in a dungeon/raid
AOE - Area Of Effect. A spell that is cast over an AREA that damages anything in said area. Like a fireball that explodes
DPS - Damage Per Second or a type of player that does damage
As always, you find any mistakes, be it grammar or general story mistakes. Let me know and I'll see if I can fix it. Thank you for reading