Max climbed the grassy slope back up to the ridge, digging his toes into the soft earth, grabbing clumps of grass with his hands. It was harder than climbing a fifty-story tower. Once on top of the ridge, he saw the palisade and the Ralynn tollgate. The tall timbers glowed orange in the rays of early morning sun. Rain clouds whisked away in the stiff morning breeze. Exhaustedly, he walked towards the tollgate, looking out for his friends. He felt the shiver down his spine, possibly the wind drying his damp clothes or maybe the feeling of someone or something watching him. Adrenalin kicked in and exhaustion left him. He spun around to face whatever it was creeping up behind him.
Dark clouds racing overhead threw shadows on the ridge path. And there, one distant shadow surged closer. This was no shadow. A dark whirlwind moved back and fore across the barren ridge, swinging from side to side and closing in. Max gasped. He knew this dark whirlwind. He’d seen one just like it before. Black clouds filled with dark images of screaming souls tormented by the darkness. Max was drawn to it as it was drawn to him. He was both afraid of it and in awe of it. It was like staring over the edge of a high cliff, filled with fear at the terrible height and wonder at the same time.
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> Name: Dark Whirlwind
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> Status: Hostile
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> Attack: Suffocating
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> Threat level: Dangerous
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Max staggered backwards a step, eyes fixed on the dark whirlwind swinging back and fore but steadily moving closer. Max drew his catapult.
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> Max attacks Dark Whirlwind.
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The bullet leapt away from the catapult. Max’s targeting was dead-on, but the bullet passed straight through the dark whirlwind.
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> Dark Whirlwind immune to physical attacks; no damage done.
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Max loaded an enhanced bullet and shot again.
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> Max attacks Dark Whirlwind.
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> Dark Whirlwind immune to physical attacks; no damage done.
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The dark whirlwind lunged towards him. Max had few spells left. He was out of Magic Missiles. He cast Strength on himself. Even though he knew his sword would have little effect on this powerful and ominous dark cloud, he hoped his increased strength would help him endure whatever damage the dark whirlwind would deal him. Max didn’t know how this swirling malevolent cloud could damage him, but he suspected he would be stripped of whatever Health he still retained.
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> Max casts Strength.
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> Max’s Strength increased to 18.
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Max wrapped his fingers around the handle of his Sword of True Striking. It didn’t matter how accurate his sword blows were; the blade would not harm the dark whirlwind. Then he remembered his other shortsword, his Shortsword of Cold. Maybe the magical cold damage would affect the dark whirlwind.
“Or I could cast a Fireball.”
Max moved backwards as fast as he could, but it was like swimming against a strong current. No matter how much effort he applied, his retreat was painfully slow. The dark whirlwind closed the distance to Max in a slow and ominous manner.
Max had only cast Fireball once before, and he knew it was a powerful spell. He intoned the incantation and moved his hand through the casting gestures, taking care to get the words and gestures as accurate as he possibly could. The fireball grew between the palms of his quivering hands. He rotated his hands around the growing fireball. With the incantation complete, he thrust his arms forward.
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> Max casts Fireball.
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The fireball leapt away, the size of a basketball but growing steadily as it flew towards the dark whirlwind. The fireball was swallowed by the dark whirlwind, and then it erupted a moment later, expanding outwards rapidly, bursting out from the dark whirlwind. The darkness replaced by a bright orange fireball.
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> Dark Whirlwind takes heavy damage.
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He punched the air as the fireball engulfed the dark whirlwind. The fire burned out before reaching him. And then when the fireball subsided, he saw the dark whirlwind was still there, still swirling, still advancing.
Max stood open-mouthed. The dark whirlwind was only badly injured and still had half its Health. Max swapped his Shortsword of True Striking for his Shortsword of Cold, retreating a step as he did so. He held the sword up, ready to strike. He was fairly sure that the Shortsword of Cold could only inflict minor to moderate damage on the dark whirlwind. Max would have one shot before the dark whirlwind engulfed him in its tormented chaotic darkness.
At that moment, the dawn sky above the dark whirlwind erupted with a brilliant white light beam that came striking down towards the ground, slamming into the heart of the dark whirlwind.
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> Elderon casts Bring Light.
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> Dark Whirlwind takes major damage.
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Max looked over his shoulder. Anita and Jahrod were running towards him at full tilt along the ridge path. Elderon was far behind, just close enough for him to cast his powerful elemental spell on the dark whirlwind. Max felt a sudden sense of elation: his friends were here, rushing to his aid. He turned to face the dark whirlwind with renewed confidence. When he turned, he saw the black cloud of the dark whirlwind only inches away. It surged forward towards him.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
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> Dark Whirlwind attacks Max.
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Max was engulfed by the whirlwind. He was falling, suffocating, trapped in darkness, tormented souls screaming, racing in close, and then falling away. He gasped for breath, tumbling.
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> Max takes major damage.
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> Max near death.
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The darkness brought feelings of dread and hopelessness. He knew any moment now the last of his Health would be drained from him, and he would be defeated. He stared into the dark heart of the dark whirlwind. A distant spot of light appeared there and spoke to him.
“Fight, Max. Fight.”
Janet’s words gave him courage. Although trapped within the dark whirlwind, he had his sword in his hand. He would fight.
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> Max attacks Dark Whirlwind.
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Max slashed side to side as he tumbled in the darkness.
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> Dark Whirlwind immune to physical attacks.
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> Bonus Cold damage.
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> Dark Whirlwind has been defeated.
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> Max gain experience points.
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Max collapsed to the ground, the dark whirlwind dispersing around him. He turned to see his party running across the ridge towards him, Anita with her spear of fire, the tip glowing, Jahrod with his axe held in two hands in front of him. Elderon, having just cast a powerful elemental spell, was walking swiftly, trying to catch up.
“You are injured,” Anita said to Max. She laid her hands on him.
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> Anita casts Heal Major Wounds.
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Max felt some Health return, but he was far from fully restored. “It wasn’t just the dark whirlwind,” Max said, “I had an encounter with some Deadtide soldiers too.”
“And did you get the dark shard, young Mage?” Elderon said as he arrived. “Can you show it to me?”
Max shook his head. He looked up at Elderon. “I found it, but it evaporated in my hands. It’s something to do with me being connected to the dark portal. The dark shards can’t continue to exist once they connect with me.”
Elderon nodded. “I fear the dark whirlwind is some part of the dark portal too. It seems drawn to you. After we defeated the last dark whirlwind, I believe this one was released, and it has traveled from the dark portal, wherever it is in Eveirea, and it has been drawn to you. The closer we get to the dark portal, the faster these things will appear. We must focus your training on elemental magic. Only elemental spells can defeat them. You may have to specialize as an Elemental Mage.”
“The fireball did a pretty good job,” Max said. “If I’d had another one, I might’ve been able to destroy it.”
“You’re turning into a powerful Mage, Max.” Jahrod slapped Max hard on the back.
“The fireball was well cast, Max,” Elderon said with a nod. “You got the maximum effect from it, but it will have been spotted by the Deadtide army. We must move out, now.”
Jahrod started back along the ridge, back towards Ralynn City.
“Hold, Master Dwarf,” Elderon said. “We go down into the forest. We can move through the trees faster than the army. If we stay up here, they will send scouts to catch up with us.” Elderon cast the Far Sight spell. He expanded the lens to show the distant end of the ridge. There was nothing there, but Elderon was not content.
“They may not be on our heels just yet, but they will be here soon. We go down into the forest. We can move north to the Salt River Coast and move west deeper into Faregent until we are closer to Ralynn City.”
“I am not going anywhere near saltwater,” Jahrod said. He set his jaw defiantly, his beard rustling.
“It is the safest way, Master Dwarf,” Elderon said. “I assure you we will not touch the saltwater of the Salt River. You can trust me.”
Jahrod grumbled and then nodded once stiffly. Anita set off down the slope. She activated her woodland lore and chose the safest route, weaving down the dewy, damp grass to the trees.
“Follow me,” she said as she ran ahead.
Max was less nervous of any wolves now he was with his party. A pack of wolves would be foolish indeed to attack this powerful party of adventurers. He was a little more nervous about the pair of sexy Assassins he’d seen camped in the forest. He felt sure he should voice his concerns to Elderon, but just as he was about to speak on it, the party came out of the trees, and Max got his first sight of the Salt River.
There was a wide path running between the forest and the banks of the Salt River. Max could barely see the bank on the far side. The Salt River was no true river; he could see now it was a narrow inland sea. The banks on either side were low cliffs. Here and there, rocks tumbled down to the edge of the Salt River. Max noticed how Jahrod stayed way to the left of the party as they walked along the Salt River path, close to the tree line and as far away from the saltwater as possible.
“Why do you fear the saltwater so, Jahrod?” Max said, walking alongside the powerful Warrior dwarf. Jahrod shot him a look with his fierce tiny beady eyes.
“I’m not afraid of saltwater, Mage. You watch your tongue. You accuse me of fear again, and I will show you what it is to fear.”
Max was taken aback. Jahrod could be grumpy at times. “Sorry, Jahrod, I meant no offence. Why do you not like the saltwater?”
Jahrod grunted. “Why do you ask so many questions?”
Max felt it was dangerous to press the Warrior dwarf on the question any further. He made it his goal to ask Elderon or Anita when the time was right.
The party moved quickly. Anita scouted ahead. She never went too far away and often returned to tell them any information about the way ahead, a fallen tree tumble or a rockslide down to the Salt River that Jahrod might wish to avoid. She spoke excitedly about her encounter with a forest bear and how she had charmed it with her Wilderness Lore before rushing ahead again on another scouting run. Max was just thinking about her when the party caught up with her. She was standing still, rooted to the spot.
As Max came nearer, he saw that on the banks of the Salt River was a small, abandoned camp, signs that people had camped here as recently as the night before. A fire smoldered, embers still glowing. And then Max saw the dead bodies.
“Is this the Deadtide army? How did they get in front of us?” Max said.
“These are not Deadtide soldiers,” she said.
Elderon walked into the camp and looked down at one of the bodies. He looked over at Anita, his face and mixture of horror and sympathy. “Oh Anita, I’m so sorry.”
“What is it?” Max said.
“They are Druids,” Anita said. “A small Druid circle studying the Salt River. They’ve been slaughtered.”
“Who would slaughter a Druid circle?” Jahrod said, checking one of the bodies.
Elderon was casting a spell of Detect Enemies. He walked around the site listening for something in the magic. Then he stopped in his tracks and turned to Anita. His face was a picture of shock.
“What?” Anita said, clearly worried to see Elderon so concerned.
“I don’t believe it. It can’t be true! But I must trust my magic. This is the work of the Dark Mages.”
Jahrod gave out a single laugh. “The Dark Mages are gone, Master Mage. The Mage council of Essillt saw the end of them an age ago. The dwarfs of the Kingdom of Eastwind and dwarfs from the Kingdom of Drow on the Scarfel continent helped the Mage council defeat the Dark Mages. They were utterly destroyed. They could never return.”
“As impossible as it is to believe, it is true. I must consult with the Mage council as quickly as possible.”
“What were they doing here?” Max said. “Who are the Dark Mages anyway?”
“The Dark Mages are an ancient dark cult of magic,” Anita said. “They used blood sacrifice to harness life energy to channel into their magic. They were powerful, but they were a danger to all life in Eveirea, and somehow, they are back.”
“Yes,” Elderon said. “And I think they sacrificed these Druids in an attempt to access the dark portal.”
“We saw a Skarak Warlock trying to sacrifice a young farm girl to open a dark portal,” Max said.
Elderon nodded. “Yes, but the Skarak would have been unsuccessful. And so will the Dark Mages be, at least for now. It seems they were experimenting with the blood sacrifice. They must have thought that the Druids’s connection to the deep roots of Eveirea would somehow give them access to the dark portal.”
Anita spoke over each of the fallen Druids. Max counted seven in all, each unspeakably brutalized and murdered for dark ends. Once Anita had finished, she dragged the bodies to the edge of the Salt River.
“These Druids were Salt River Druids. We can return them to the Salt River and all the salt seas of Eveirea.” She rolled the first body into the water, her salt tears landing on the banks of the Salt River.
“Danger close, Max,” Janet appeared next to Max.
“Everyone, be alert.” Max said. “There’s danger nearby.”
Then Max saw the magic missile. It was glowing with a fierce deep red and came racing out of the trees towards Elderon. Then another and another. Elderon quickly cast a magic shield. The magical barrier appeared just as the magic missiles arrived, slamming into the barrier with a crackle of magical energies annihilating.
“Ambush.” Jahrod shouted. He quickly drank a potion and then tossed one to Max.
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> Max gains Potion of Magic Protection.
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Max drank the potion.
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> Max gains protection against magic.
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It wasn’t a moment too soon.
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> Dark Mage attacks Max.
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Max drew his catapult and loaded a bullet.