Max felt a shiver of fear. The dark guards looked terrifying. They walked along the corridor slowly, two abreast and two deep, filling the corridor with the rhythmic clank of their armor. As one, with a rasping metallic ring, their swords were pulled clear of their scabbards.
They walked slowly, filling the corridor with their bulk and dark presence. Jahrod pushed himself in front of Max. Anita stepped up next to Jahrod, her spear twirling in her hands as she made ready to meet the attack.
Max drew his catapult. He didn’t know how effective these catapult bullets would be against these heavily armored blackguards. He selected the pouch of enhanced bullets from his bag. He only had a few left. No point in saving them for the future! If he didn’t take down these blackguards, there would be no future.
Elderon pulled a scroll from his bag and started reading it. The scroll crumbled away as the spell was cast.
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> Elderon casts Party Shield.
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> Party gains defensive bonus.
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“The princess,” Elderon said. “Move her to safety, Max.” Elderon began casting another spell.
Max looked from side to side. The princess stood defiantly.
“Give me a sword.” She held out her hand. “This is my home, and I have every right to defend it.”
Max was impressed. She was brave indeed.
Max shook his head. He knew his party worked well together, and Shree, brave though she was, might get in the way, or she might get hurt. He spotted a side door, heavy timber with ironwork hinges and flat iron beams horizontally across. Max turned the large iron hoop that served as a handle and pushed the door open. Inside was a chamber with soft furnishings and wall hangings, and a small window looked out over the dark city.
Max grabbed the princess by the arm.
“No one manhandles the princess,” Shree said in exasperated tones, and she looked at Max with furious eyes that melted with his smile.
“Please, your highness, do as I say.”
The princess looked up at Max. She bit her lip and stepped backward through the door. Her eyes fixed on Max as he closed the door.
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> Elderon casts Call Lightning.
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The lightning bolt leapt from Elderon and slammed into the Blackguard on the right. The lightning leapt from one to the next and on until all Blackguards had been hit.
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> Blackguard takes moderate damage.
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> Blackguard takes minor damage.
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> Blackguard takes minor damage.
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> Blackguard takes minor damage.
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Max checked their stats, and their Health bars had hardly shifted.
“They are not susceptible to electrical damage,” Elderon said.
“What about fire?” Max said.
“Shoot your catapult, Max,” Elderon said as he started to cast another spell. “And leave that Fireball alone.”
Anita was casting a Bonus spell to give the party a defensive and attacking bonus. Max felt the spell lift him, and he felt powerful, ready for action.
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> Max attacks Blackguard causing minor damage.
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The bullet ricocheted off the Blackguard’s helmet. A black rivulet of sticky black blood ran down the Blackguard’s face and over his eye. The Blackguard didn’t even blink.
Jahrod and Anita stood their ground as the Blackguard came closer. The front two raised their swords, ready to bring them down.
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> Blackguard attacks Anita.
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> Blackguard attacks Jahrod.
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The swords came down hard. Although both Anita and Jahrod defended and parried the blow, they both took damage.
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> Anita takes moderate damage.
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> Jahrod takes moderate damage.
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Anita jabbed the Blackguard in front of her in the chest with her spear before bringing it down with a crack on his helmet.
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> Anita attacks Blackguard causing minor damage.
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> Attack causes bonus fire damage.
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Jahrod swung his axe in a wide swipe and struck the Blackguard in front of him with a heavy blow that sent the guard staggering into the side of the corridor, dust and grit chipping off the heavy stone walls.
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> Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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> Jahrod attacks Blackguard causing heavy damage.
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Elderon cast a spell, his hands twirling. By the number of gestures, Max could tell this was a high-level spell. Just as the spell was cast, Elderon called in a strong low voice, “Fall back a pace.”
Instantly, Anita and Jahrod stepped back. A dark sphere floated forward and stopped in the center of the four Blackguards. It burst silently like a soap bubble.
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> Elderon casts Slow.
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The guards now seemed to be moving in slow motion. The front two were raising their swords, but everything was slow. Anita and Jahrod moved in and attacked. Both landed heavy blows and then second ones that dealt heavy damage. Max had time to get a couple of catapult shots off but even these enhanced bullets still only dealt minor damage.
Max checked the Blackguard’s Health. The front row had taken lots of damage, and they were close to defeat, but the pair behind were practically undamaged, and only a minor hit from the Lightning spell had damaged them.
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> Blackguard attacks Anita.
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> Blackguard attacks Jahrod.
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Although the Blackguards’ movements were slowed, the swords came down at a regular speed. The heavy steel swords were dealing heavy damage to both opponents.
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> Anita takes heavy damage.
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> Jahrod takes heavy damage.
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Anita and Jahrod fell back a step, giving them time to recover. Both took a Potion of Basic Healing. The Blackguards continued their slowed advance. Anita and Jahrod stepped back again, just out of range of the Blackguards’ swords.
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> Elderon casts Call Lightning.
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> Blackguard takes moderate damage.
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> Blackguard has been defeated.
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Max felt a wave of relief as the Blackguard facing Anita crumpled to the floor. Max loaded his catapult and took aim.
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> Max attacks Blackguard causing minor damage.
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> Blackguard has been defeated.
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As the lead guards crumpled to the floor, the pair behind stepped over them. They still moved slowly, but with the princess’s room directly on Max’s left he knew he couldn’t fall back any further, or they would lose her to the Blackguards.
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> Elderon casts Freeze on Blackguard causing heavy damage.
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“They are susceptible to the cold,” Elderon said.
Max checked the Health of the last two Blackguards. The one facing Jahrod was still virtually undamaged while the one facing Anita had taken the cold damage and was halfway to being defeated.
At that moment, the slow spell wore off as the two blackguards surged forward and attacked Anita and Jahrod. Their swords slamming down on them.
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> Blackguard attacks Anita causing heavy damage.
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> Blackguard attacks Jahrod causing moderate damage.
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Anita fell back, clearly in pain. Elderon drew his sword and stepped up in her place. Anita started casting a healing spell on herself.
Max was doing no real damage with his catapult against these Blackguards. He cast Strength, and the spell filled him with power. He drew his Shortsword of Cold.
Max stepped in between Elderon and Jahrod. Although the space was tight, they were able to attack with their chosen weapons.
“Concentrate on the right,” Max said.
Elderon brought his longsword down, Jahrod swept up with his heavy axe, and Max stabbed forward at the guard, his arm feeling strong.
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> Elderon attacks Blackguard causing moderate damage.
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> Jahrod attacks Blackguard causing moderate damage.
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> Max attacks Blackguard causing minor damage.
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> Attack causes bonus cold damage.
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> Blackguard has been defeated.
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The Blackguard crumpled at Max’s feet. The remaining Blackguard brought his sword down on Jahrod.
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> Blackguard attacks Jahrod causing critical damage.
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With Jahrod focused on the other Blackguard, now defeated, the remaining Blackguard was able to get his attack past Jahrod’s defense.
Jahrod stood his ground and defended another blow from the lone Blackguard. Max stabbed again. Elderon moved along the corridor and attacked the remaining Blackguard on its rear.
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> Anita casts Basic Healing on Jahrod.
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Max delivered another blow with his shortsword. He was so close, he could see the Blackguard’s armor was like a black hole, heavy and almost impossible to see. It was as if it was surrounded by darkness. The blackguard took a series of blows from Elderon and Max.
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> Blackguard attacks Max.
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The blackguard punched forward with the handle of his sword. Max was in too close for the guard to swing the sword, but he delivered a crushing blow with the sword’s hilt and his gauntleted fist.
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> Max takes critical damage.
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The Blackguard stepped forward toward Max. The guard took more damage from Elderon and Jahrod, but even now, critically wounded, he still had the ability to raise his sword. The Blackguard stood over Max, sword held high overhead.
The guard was out of reach of Max’s shortsword. He fumbled for his catapult, loaded an enhanced bullet and shot, the bullet striking up and into the exposed throat of the Blackguard.
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> Max attacks Blackguard causing minor damage.
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> Blackguard has been defeated.
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> Max gains experience points.
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The Blackguard crumpled to the floor. Max rolled away before the Blackguard could collapse on top of him, then stood up and poked the armor with his sword. It was slowly evaporating. Inside the armor was a mummified corpse, long dead. Max picked through the remains of the fallen Blackguards. He found a Potion of Basic Healing, which he drank immediately and felt his Health return. He had been one blow from death.
And there, in the remains of one of the Blackguards, he found a pendant. It was glowing white. He picked it up.
“What is it?” he said looking at Elderon. “It looks magical. Is it cursed?”
Elderon stepped over and took the pendant from Max. He cast Know Item on the pendant.
“It’s a pendant of defense,” Elderon said, handing the pendant back to Max. “It will give you a defensive bonus if you wear it.”
Max inspected the silver chain with a black stone set in it. It was not his style at all.
“You should wear it always,” Elderon said.
Max slipped it over his neck, and the pendant shrank until it was a tighter fit, not so tight as to be uncomfortable but not so loose that it would flap about in battle. Max felt the defensive bonus come over him.
The Blackguards’ armor had entirely evaporated. Max spotted the gauntlet that had delivered the punch that had nearly killed him and picked it up. It was heavy, and he could hardly handle it.
“A gauntlet of large weapons control,” Jahrod said. “I’ve seen these before. Rare items from the Kranic Empire on the Scarfel continent. How did it get here?”
Max handed it to the dwarf. “Take it, Jahrod.”
Jahrod beamed. “Are you sure? It’s a powerful item.”
“I can’t use any large weapons. It would be wasted on me. I’d only sell it. You can use it, so you might as well have it. Take it.”
Jahrod took it with an astounded look, mouth open, showing all his heavy crushing teeth. He slipped on the gauntlet. “Thank you, Max.”
>
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> Anita casts Basic Healing on Max.
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He wasn’t fully healed, but his Health bar was in the green, and that at least made him feel better. “Thank you, Anita,” Max said. But he saw that her beautiful almond eyes were staring along the corridor. They grew wide in alarm.
Max looked along the corridor. At the far end, a large, armored figure was approaching. A heavy hammer in one hand and a longsword in the other, both black. A dark cloud surrounded the figure that swirled like the dark whirlwind Max had encountered out in the meadowlands. In the swirling darkness, Max could see the screaming faces of tortured souls.
Max checked the stats on this new dark enemy.
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> Name: Death Knight
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> Status: Hostile
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> Attack: War Hammer, Longsword, Dark Terror
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> Threat level: Insidious
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“I need time to cast some more healing spells,” Anita said. “Jahrod needs aid.”
The Death Knight increased its walking speed, its feet pounding the stones of the corridor floor.
Max backed toward the room he’d pushed the princess into. The heavy door would save them from this terror. He opened the door.
“In here.” Max ushered Jahrod and Anita inside. Elderon pushed Max inside as the Death Knight burst into a run.
Elderon came in behind Max and pushed the door shut. The footsteps stopped outside.
“Is everything alright?” Princess Shree asked.
Then the door shook with a mighty bang. Dust fell from the frame, then another heavy thump that made Max’s heart beat hard in his chest.