Chapter 9 - Avarice and How to Snipe a Creep
Palinus wiped drool from his mouth as he caught himself walking mindlessly toward the creepy mausoleum. He had barely been paying attention, the hunger for whatever lay within the tomb was insistent and he felt his face flush and a growing rage towards the Spectres, as if they had been stealing something important from him.
“Relax boy, keep it in your pants.” Marcus chided Palinus. “There is a strong resonance in attunement to your own, I feel it too. You need to practise not letting the urges overwhelm you or you are going to get yourself or your friends killed.”
While Marcus had been speaking he was holding Palinus back. He let go for a moment to slap the teenager in the face which briefly got his attention.
“We’ll snipe the creeps don't worry, but you need to focus right now. They are all still level one so just do what you can and I’ll do most of the work. We'll thrash the green beards or chase them off and then we switch to the spectres.” Marcus slapped him on the back and shoved him bodily over to Bruchts.
“Keep an eye out for him for a moment.” Marcus said gruffly “When I go I need you to rush in and keep the spectre's attention while we get the Silvanmen clear out, watch out for the [Blind] effect. If you hit me I’ll hit you back twice as hard.”
The burly Erulean man turned to check the progress of the Silvanian fight with the spectres. The spectres had switched targets to Raoulet and the [Blind] effect had worn off. The Silvanians had turned the tide of the battle and were starting to do some significant damage to the super creeps, Marcus was waiting for something and Palinus was having trouble holding back.
Vulcan Spectre 351/920 | Level 5
Vulcan Spectre 727/920 | Level 5
The Silvanians traded another set of blows with the spectres as Palinus saw what Marcus was waiting for. The fourth Silvanian in the bush left his cover again to add his dagger attack to the spectre which was now at critical health. As soon as the dagger was thrown Marcus strode out of the brush towards the lookout. He waved his mace in the air and yelled incoherently at the Silvanman.
The Silvanman lookout noticed him quickly and began to whistle urgently to his teammates. The lookout moved to engage Marcus with his shepherd's crook in both hands and his dagger at his hip. The Silvanmen in the Mausoleum were yelling at each other but they kept their focus on the spectres.
As he noticed Bruchts walking out of the tall grass as well, the lookout gave up posturing aggression as he called out to his teammates. When Palinus followed a moment later his shouting turned to panic.
There was a moment of confusion for the Silvanians as Raolet, the big Silvanman with the axe immediately ran out the door and abandoned the fight with the spectres to respond to the call for help while the other two Silvanmen were hesitating to leave the nearly dead spectre. The spectre looked to be barely standing with vicious wounds all across its body. It looked like a corpse that had been savaged by animals with black blood dripping down from the punctures and axe wounds that smoked and bubbled, as though the spectre's vital essence was smouldering as it leaked out of its undead flesh.
Before the Silvanmen could organise themselves Marcus had finished activating his leaping attack ars and was sailing through the air to meet Raoulet’s charge. The Silvanman had begun to channel an ars as well and Palinus flinched as he predicted the axe attack that caused the gaping wounds that had slowed Marcus in the last fight. Before the massive silvanman could finish the savage attack ars Marcus landed with his mace attack and managed to knock the Silvanman out. The stun effect was followed by a flurry of blows with a mace that glowed with a red haze as it splashed blood in all directions. In moments the flurry of attacks had taken nearly half of his health and the bleed effect applied by Marcus’s mace was set to continue the damage.
Raoulet Umfridus 304/712 [Bleeding] | Level 1
Forest Warrior - Warrior
As Palinus walked from the tall grass he had been firing his wand at the lookout, keeping him dodging the wand bolts and keeping him from assisting his teammate in the melee.The Silvanman managed to duck under a wand blast and swung his shepherds crook at Marcus only doing minimal damage, but applying a slowing effect. Seeing the Silvanman grouped up Palinus began to channel his Fireball ars causing the Silvanman to panic and start to backpedal.
Deciding the Silvanmen outside were no longer a threat, Palinus looked back towards the Mausoleum trying to find a target for his fireball. As he watched there was an awkward moment as the other Silvanmen retreating from the Mausoleum eyeballed Bruchts who was strolling in nonchalantly to steal their kill.
Giving up the super creeps they rushed towards Marcus as he brutally mauled Raolet. The bloody mace crashed down against the Silvanman’s reeling avatar as it was taken down to less than a quarter health.
In Palinus’s hand the ars he held tugged at him. The bolt of fire swirled and crackled, ready to discharge. He knew from the description that the bolt was supposed to do 200 damage which would probably kill the mortally wounded Raoulet and with Reinvar standing so close would easily splash significant damage on him as well. For the second time he faced a decision. Would he kill again?
There was an urging within him to do it. To launch the bolt of fire and revel in the heat and power as it took a life. The dark urging telling him to just get this over with so he could claim the rewards within the Mausoleum. His hand trembled and a tear trickled involuntarily from his eye.
“STOP… just stop… please” Palinus yelled. He wasn’t sure if he was yelling at Marcus and the Silvanmen or himself.
Palinus’s shouted plea seemed to break through to the men as Marcus’s mace paused halfway through another brutal strike. The savaged Silvanman, held up both of his hands with his palms open, dropping his weapon to the floor and the Silvanmen behind him slowly followed suit as their weapons dropped to the ground and their hands crept above their heads.
“Go back, GO!” Marcus yelled at the Silvanmen and gestured with his mace for them to leave and with the haft of his mace started pushing them away.
He barely waited for them to start walking away as he waved Palinus to follow him into the tomb, “Good job kid. Let’s go help the Brute.”
Marcus chuckled at his nickname for Bruchts as he reported something to the team that Palinus barely noticed.
Something about the quick change from savagery to laughter at a schoolyard nickname disgusted the teenager and Palinus just stared at him. The name had been a moniker that his Stoneman blooded friend had been labelled many times in the 7th Hill Gymnasium. The reminder of life in the overworld rang like a bell in his head as he recognised a growing dysphoria. He struggled with his roiling emotions as he let the foreign urges within him lead him into the tomb.
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An urgent reminder of a sharp stinging from the ball of fire whiring in his hand spurred him to action as Palinus desperately ran past Marcus to the candle lit room where Bruchts faced the spectres.
The blonde teenager gracefully danced with the smouldering corpses. The flickering light of the candlelit room cast a dim glow as the iron fire poker in his hand darted out and struck repeatedly with meaty thwacks against the cold flesh.
As Palinus thought about launching the ars and releasing the ball of fire in his hand the essentia within him guided him and he knew without thinking the range, power and area of effect of the ars. Moving around the room away from his ally, he found a clear angle where he could strike and launched the bolt. Instantly he felt a sense of relief as the cool air of the mausoleum soothed his burnt hand.
The fireball streaked like a comet towards the spectres. Landing with an explosion that rang through the enclosed space it struck true against the spectres bathing them both instantly in flame. Palinus felt a surge of essentia with the killing blow of the slain spectre. It had fallen with the explosion and its remaining essentia scattered like a smashed pot with a wave of fat red essentia beads.
The final spectre was half covered in flame. The red fire bathing its back and left side starkly contrasting the darkened pale skin and the more natural flame juxtaposing the corrupted smoke of its smouldering blood.
Vulcan Spectre 292/920 [Burning] | Level 5
The near dead spectre kept up the fight, launching clawed hands at Bruchts that extended past the super creeps' natural reach and left savage claw marks that cauterised themselves into slow healing scars that Bruchts had been hit with several times already judging from the tears in his tunic.
As Marcus brought his mace down onto the spectre’s head Palinus was reminded to use the wand in his hand. The bolts of the wand were made to seem even smaller in comparison to the conflagration of the fireball ars, but the damage on the creep was adding up quickly.
The spectre howled as it spewed a flood of inky black smoke into the room. Marcus and Bruchts cursed as they both lost their vision to a [Blind] affect.
“Keep blasting Palinus!” Marcus yelled.
The burly man swung his mace out blindly. It struck the spectre with a glancing blow and Marcus grunted as he quickly channelled an ars into the backswing. The mace struck another weak blow, but the effect of the ars landed as the spectre was stunned for a moment.
Grunting with effort, Palinus shot his wand as quickly as he could. The damage was adding up quickly and before the spectre regained consciousness the wand bolts and the burning effect had done their job as the spectre popped in a flash of greasy black smoke and dropped another wave of essentia beads to join the beads of its brethren.
“Yeah!” Palinus cheered and the surge of essentia swelled the elation he felt for the victory they had stolen from the Silvanian avatars.
His allies still stood in defensive postures and moved comically under the [Blind] effect for a few moment longer, they both reached out with their weapons to confirm the enemy was slain before they joined Palinus in celebrating.
Sensing someone watching over his shoulder, Palinus looked back towards the tall grass where the Silvanians departed. Poking out of the tall grass he saw a mossy bearded face vanish with a rustle.
“Go ahead and take some essentia boy,” Marcus waved Palinus towards the essentia orbs on the ground as he walked across the room, carelessly picking up beads as he walked. The thoughts of the Silvanmen vanished from his head as he saw the carpet of red essentia beads strewn across the floor with small specks of blue and green in the mix.
Palinus stepped into the middle of the room. As he moved the essentia hovering on the floor jumped in a surging wave towards him. He felt the beads warm him from within as his essentia reservoir swelled to the crescendo of heat becoming uncomfortable before a rush of relief as it hit the threshold for another level.
As he picked up the last of the essentia he checked the options for his new ars.
Wandslinger*
-Red Mage-
Mage*
Ars
Fiery Weapon
Flame wave
Magic Missiles
Attunement
nil
nil
nil
Cooldown
n/a
5 minutes
30 seconds
Compatibility
n/a
n/a
n/a
Skill Type
Enhancement
Area
Projectile
Slot
[Wrist], [Arm], [Shoulder]
[Fist, hand, wrist]
[Fist, hand, wrist]
Slot Bonus
n/a
n/a
n/a
Description
Each strike applies [Burn] and deals additional [15] fire damage when striking a target with [Burn].
Conjure a wave of flame which deals [150] damage, applies [Burn] and knocks up enemies struck dealing an additional [100] fire damage when striking a target with [Burn].
Shoot three bolts of energy doing [50] damage each to up to three targets.
So many questions came to Palinus’s mind as he read through the options, but as he looked up to ask his thoughts were dashed. The man had moved over to the back of the room where Palinus sensed something surging with essentia. As he watched Marcus pushed something aside and the aura of power surged. Drawing Palinus in like a moth to a flame.
“Boy. I have a similar red attunement to you and this sings to me. It sings so sweetly.” Marcus spoke softly to Palinus, he tore his eye off the object to meet Palinus’s hungry gaze. “If it had any Green or Blue attunement I would snatch it and kill you if I had to… but it's as pure red as Vestra’s fiery crotch.”
“So. It looks like it’s your lucky day boy!” Marcus was struggling to sound cheerful through a grimaced expression. The jealousy and threat of violence still tinting his voice. “I’ve only seen a few of these and this one must be just about perfect for you.”
The back of the room was filled floor to ceiling with alcoves containing skeletal remains. Marcus didn’t need to point out what he had found as Palinus felt a tug and a hunger within him drawing him towards an object within the corpse that Marcus stood next to.
The body in this alcove was dressed in decaying leather armour and what withered flesh remained was desiccated over its skeletal frame. The body had been pushed aside to expose a fragment of gemstone that sung with power. It was a deep red that closely matched the red of Palinus’s attunement and he desperately wanted it but as he reached out to grab it he had a moment of hesitation.
“What is it?”