‘Revenge.’
It was just one word, but it communicated so much. It was his goal, sure, it was why he’d come here—but it was more than that. It spoke to the Players’ disdain for the people of this world. It said that revenge was justification enough for all this, the destruction of half of Coldharbour, the hundreds or thousands dead, and the corruption that threatened to consume all of Alterra.
And it pissed me off.
I met the gaze of the half-blind corrupted Player for just a moment before I activated another rarely-used ability. Using my Shrill Perimeter, I created a circle around us, about 20 feet wide, that glowed gently with the purple magicks of Worldbending. And then, as soon as it was created, it activated—there was an enemy inside the perimeter to trip its banshee sound.
The noise startled the enemy—perhaps his senses, not just his strength, was bolstered by the corruption—and his weapon loosened its grasp on me just enough for me to slip to the ground. But I never hit ground, of course, instead disappearing through another portal and out another that set me upright once more. My left leg half buckled as I landed on it, and I had to grab for a nearby wall to steady myself.
It was the semi-destroyed building that had once been Alenna’s surgery that I found myself next to, though I hadn’t aimed there specifically. Flames, whether from Arzak’s sword or one of the few flaming arrows, had blossomed into life on the wooden structural interiors of the building, though it was just another in a sea of falling structures.
‘Lore?’ I shouted, trying not to let my voice sound strained. ‘Any luck with your…’
I met his eyes. His regular, non-glowing eyes, only a wisp of the Divination magicks left to rage behind them. He’d exhausted Niamh’s curse for now, at least until he rested. And at this rate, we would be dead long before he could. I glanced around. There were just four of us left standing: me, Lore, Arzak and one lucky ex-cultist. Four of us against Alenna’s creation, who seemed little closer to falling than at the start of the battle.
‘...Lore?’ I tried again. ‘We’re really gonna need some prophecy, buddy.’
‘I…’ he said. ‘I… I… got it.’ His eyes flashed yellow, and he opened his mouth to bellow orders through the portal relay. ‘Arzak, get ready to—’
The Councilman’s chain whipped back on itself, catching Lore off guard and swiping him from his feet. I flung one hand forward, meaning to open a portal beneath him and remove him from danger, but the enemy was faster. The point of the snakelike weapon swung around once more, and pierced Lore clean through his right thigh. The big man screamed.
With Val bleeding out fast across the street, we had no healers, and we were long since out of Corminar’s health potions. However we were going to finish this, it needed to be just me, Arzak, and—
The last cultist screamed as they fell.
It needed to be just me and Arzak.
I stepped through a portal to stand next to my orcish friend, then turned to nod at her. Arzak returned the nod in kind. We both knew our chances here were slim, but what else could we do but go down fighting? We had a job to do, and—whether Val believed it or not—we were heroes. We really had no choice in the matter.
The Councilman turned slowly, his glowing metal chain scraping across the dusty street. His right eye was nearly completely reformed at this point, but instead of the brown irises and white sclera, there was only black. The gods alone knew whether he saw in the same way out of that eye, now.
‘Ready, Arzak?’ I asked.
‘To die?’
‘To fight,’ I replied, though I couldn’t really deny the other part either. Maybe this was how it was always going to end; the Slayers would stumble across an enemy too great to handle, and we’d die in the inevitable fight. Maybe that was always going to be my fate, ever since I stumbled across Val in the prison below Umlok’s castle. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.
‘Strike through portals, Arzak,’ I said.
Before waiting for her to reply, I opened a portal in front of Arzak that afforded her an attack on the enemy. She was swinging her flaming blade even before the portal had fully opened, and fire and metal struck corrupted grey flesh. As the Councilman turned to the portal, I snapped it shut, and opened another off to another side. Again, Arzak struck true and hard, and the flames hissed against corruption.
We managed that only once more before the Councilman turned to the source of these attacks. This forced me instead to open a portal beneath us to avoid his chain’s attack. We fell through it, landing clumsily on the ground. Arzak remained steady on her feet, while I collapsed to the debris-covered street. I didn’t try to move, though, because my leg would only give way once more, and I could do all I needed to, even from this low vantage point.
Without wasting another second, I opened a portal in front of where Arzak was already swinging her flaming sword, and flames struck the enemy’s back.
‘No,’ the Councilman roared as flames hissed against corruption, and he turned to grab Arzak’s sword by the blade using his free hand.
The orc’s eyes widened, instinctively pulling her weapon back through the portal, though still the Player didn’t lose his grasp. I closed the portal, knowing that it would remain open until flesh left its boundary, but thinking this would still disorient the enemy enough to give Arzak an advantage.
Instead, the portal closed.
The portal closed through the Councilman’s arm.
All were still, all were silent for a second as we took in this latest development. The only sound was the faint thud of severed limb against hard cobble ground, Arzak’s weapon still in its clasp.
I hadn’t evolved my portal abilities. There was no good reason that they would close around a living being. No good reason, except… what if the System didn’t recognise the Councilman as being alive any more? What if the corruption had spread too far throughout his system?
And what if this was just the advantage we needed?
With the flick of my wrist, I opened a portal and dropped the enemy’s forearm and Arzak’s blade to my side. I reached out, prying the corrupted flesh from the weapon, meaning to give it back to my orcish friend before the Councilman could react. But I was too slow.
Roaring some animalistic, definitely-no-longer-human roar, the Councilman launched into an attack on the now-disarmed Arzak. The enemy’s weapon, still in chain form, whipped towards the orc just as she dived out the way, tearing a great gash across her chest and shoulder.
I hesitated just for a second before launching her weapon back to her, thinking that this might be enough to remove the orc from the fight. But Arzak was made of solid muscle; it would take more than one—admittedly deep—tear to remove her from the fight. Opening a portal, I released the flaming sword back into the air at her side, and Arzak caught it with her still-good arm.
As the Councilman’s attention flicked back to the armed orc, I moved to open a portal within him, meaning to slice him in two. But still, I found I could not open a portal through the man, and instead I would need to lure him through one before I could close it on him.
The opportunity came immediately, with the Councilman turning to meet Arzak’s attack, swinging his chain around, and with it, his arm. I opened a portal just in front of him, but before I could close it around that wrist, the Player reacted. He yanked his arm out of the way of that closing portal, avoiding my attack. In that same moment, I caught sight of his other arm, severed at the elbow. Except… it wasn’t. Black ooze rippled around the wound, and slowly but surely, the corruption rebuilt the missing limb out of its own form. We simply couldn’t get a break.
‘Arzak!’ I shouted as I prepared to open a portal once more, ‘Strike now. Strike—’
The Councilman’s chain whipped over the head of Arzak, the orc dodging it deftly. But it became apparent less than a second later that Arzak hadn’t been his target.
I had.
The chain whipped around my legs as I dived out of the way. One ankle escaped, but the other was quickly entwined in the enemy’s weapon. The Councilman yanked me off my feet, pulling me into the air once more, but this time using my body to block Arzak’s flaming attack.
I could withstand the flames due to my titan husk ability, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hurt. A howl of pain escaped my lips.
The Councilman used me as a shield to push against Arzak, blocking her attempted attacks with my back, my shredded shirt falling from my torso, my ability to fight back eliminated by the pain. He pressed closer, still using me as a shield, pushing me into Arzak’s sword. And in the same move, he pushed Arzak’s flaming sword into Arzak.
I felt Arzak collapse behind me before I realised that this was it, that my orcish friend was now out the fight. The Councilman must have realised it at the same moment, because his chain released my leg, dropping me to the ground. As far as he was concerned, the fight was over; I could never be strong enough alone to pose him a challenge.
I caught sight of Arzak trying to stagger back to her feet, breathing deeply, her torso mangled by burn and tear alike. She grunted as she tried to rise from her knee, but… ultimately, it was too much.
I really would need to fight on alone. And yet, I could barely stand.
Grunting just as Arzak had from the exertion, I forced myself back to my feet, one leg very shaky beneath me. Perhaps the Councilman was right. What chance could I have against him at even the best of times, much less when I was wounded? Maybe it was over. But that didn’t mean I would go down without a fight.
As the Councilman rounded on me, weapon still in chain form, there was time for only one last attack.
I reached down, and I grabbed Arzak’s flaming sword from the ground. It wasn’t a knife, but it was a blade, and my throw ability really only specified blade after all. I stared where I was aiming—right at the Councilman’s head—and I drew in a deep, deep breath. This was it. All or nothing.
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I threw the flaming blade.
As soon as the weapon left my hand, I knew I had struck true. The sword tumble point over pommel as it soared through the air, across the short distance between me and the strongest enemy we’d ever faced. I drew in another breath, this one sharp, to match the pain in my stomach, and I waited for point to meet skull.
But that moment never came. The Councilman morphed his weapon back into axe form, and that axe came up to knock the blade away at the last possible moment. Arzak’s blade rebounded into the ground at the man’s feet, hard enough that it buried itself point-first.
My leg gave way beneath me.
‘It’s over,’ the Councilman said, echoing the thought I’d had at that very same moment. ‘It’s over.’
I said nothing, but dropped my head back onto the dusty, blood-stained street.
‘You really shouldn’t have humiliated me so,’ the enemy continued.
I thrust a hand in the air and shooed the Councilman away. ‘I’m really not in the mood.’
‘To die?’
‘For this classic villain monologue thing. We get it. You won. Now are you going to end it, or what? Cos I really don’t need to hear the inevitable justifications for all your murder.’
‘It is not murder,’ the Councilman said. ‘I see that now. I am a higher order of being. This is more like… pest—’
‘Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard it all before. Pest control, right? Love it. Good justification. Really nice.’ If I was going to die, I might as well annoy my murderer. This was the way all men in my family died.
‘I will allow you, at least, to die on your feet.’
I groaned. ‘Do I have to?’
‘Do you…’ the Councilman stumbled over his words. ‘Yes. Stand up. Now.’
‘Why?’
‘I want to see the light go out behind your eyes.’
I sighed again. ‘You’ve changed, man.’
The Councilman kicked me.
‘Alright,’ I said, starting to pick myself off the ground, but taking my time about it. ‘Alright.’ A moment later, I stood face to face with the man that would kill me.
But he didn’t attack. Not yet, anyway. Instead, he asked me to… ‘Beg.’
‘You’re not finding this very satisfying, are you?’
‘Beg. Beg for your pitiful life.’
‘No.’
‘Beg!’ the Councilman shouted one last time.
‘Or what, you’ll—’
An explosion of red magicks washed over us. I staggered backward, but not from force—there wasn’t any—but from surprise. And as I staggered, I saw shapes form around me. My shape. Hundreds of me circled the battleground.
And in the distance, standing down the desolate, devastated street, I saw a familiar shape. It was just as before. Just as with the pyroknight. It was Tokas, of all people, who returned to save the day. She was injured, her right sleeve torn from her dress and one hand clasping a bleeding wound. She’d had to fight to get here, but fight she had. Though she was on the cusp of defeat, still she joined the battle. Still she gave everything she had.
I didn’t waste the opening Tokas had given me, and I made sure to move amongst the crowd of my fake selves. As I moved, so too did they, in this way and that, completely obscuring the location of the real me.
This infuriated the Councilman, who roared with anger and began attacking the illusions with his ghostly axe. Tokas had bought me time for another attack, but I’d need to make absolutely sure this one would work.
I thought about all I’d learned while I’d watched my friends fall. We knew already that fire was the only way to put a stop to the corruption. Even slicing off flesh could only slow the monster down for so long—his once-missing arm was now almost reformed. But I also now knew that the system no longer recognised the Councilman as human. I could use that to slice him, but I could also…
That’s it. The only thing that still might work.
‘Tokas!’ I roared, and my illusion selves echoed. ‘Make them charge him!’
My illusions turned on the spots, whipping their heads towards the enemy, and a moment later a hundred fake selves were running at him. The Councilman shifted axe to chain form and attacked wildly, chain flailing between the illusions. And while the enemy was distracted, I opened a portal.
This portal, unlike the others, had no partner. With this attempt, I sought not to throw the Councilman elsewhere, but instead capitalise on the fact that the system no longer recognised him as human. This time, I stuffed him into a pocket world.
Just before he fell, the Councilman whipped his chain out once more. The chain passed through the illusions of me, but—perhaps accidentally—caught the already-injured Tokas. The attack threw her hard against the wall of a nearby building, resulting in a gut-wrenching crunch. She collapsed to the ground, and the illusions vanished instantly, but I had no time to check on her; for all I knew, the pocket world wouldn’t hold the Councilman long.
As soon as the enemy was inside, I closed the pocket world’s entrance, and portaled myself over to Val’s side. She was looking bad, really bad, but I couldn’t help her. The priority had to be killing the Councilman.
I grabbed Val by the shoulders, and wrenched her around. ‘There!’ I shouted, pointing to Alenna’s burning surgery. ‘Roots, there. As flammable as you can manage.’
I couldn’t make out the slurred response, but Val’s hands glowed green with Witchcraft magicks, and roots did indeed encompass the surgery before Val passed out.
When the fire of Alenna’s surgery was a raging inferno, I opened the portal to my pocket world once more. The Councilman tumbled out, corruption hissing against the flames, and I let my leg collapse beneath me once more.
I watched with bated breath as monster fought fire and roots, and sighed with relief only when I received a familiar notification.
Level ? corrupted defeated!
Worldbending — +31,050xp
Worldbending increased to level 68!
Worldbending increased to level 69!
Worldbending increased to level 70!
Worldbending increased to level 71!
Worldbending increased to level 72!
Base Points gained — +10 INT, +10 Free Points (INT/WIS/CHA)
Ability selection unlocked
Select an ability from the list below…
Knifework — +15,600xp
Knifework increased to level 50!
Knifework increased to level 51!
Knifework increased to level 52!
Base Points gained — +3 DEX, +3 STR, +6 Free Points (VIT/DEX/STR)
Ability selection unlocked
Select an ability from the list below…
Level up!
You increased to level 22
Descendant of the Architects defeated!
Sisyphus Artifact: Charge replenished!
Sisyphus Artifact: Levelled up!
Artifact upgrade unlocked
Select [2] upgrades from the list below…
Increase Charges VI [9 > 10]
Extend Active Period II [1,000 > 1,500]
Increase Effect I [+1,400% > +1,900%]
Add Experience Preservation Charge IV [+1]
I turned back to the battleground, and my friends bleeding out around me. I could make my upgrade selections later; I knew what I would pick. For now, I needed to make sure everyone was OK.
I ran first to Val’s side, trying to gently shake her awake.
‘You really saved me there, Tokas,’ I shouted over to the tiefling. ‘Arzak is right. I think you should really consider joining us again.’
There came no reply from Tokas. Val finally stirred, but she wasn’t with it enough to do any Healing. I’d need to look elsewhere.
‘Tokas, I need a hand over here,’ I called out to her. ‘If we get Val back on her feet, we can make sure we can save as many as possible.’
Still, Tokas didn’t reply.
It was at this point that I looked over at her. She was still where she’d fallen, unmoving.
‘...Tokas?’
"Styk"
Level 22 Bladespinner
Base Stats:
Vitality — 60
Intelligence — 271
Dexterity — 147
Strength — 92
Wisdom — 76
Charisma — 50
Skills:
Worldbending — Level 72
Knifework — Level 52
Stealth — Level 26
Identification — Level 18
Needlework — Level 18
Abilities:
Stab III — Put your weight behind your wielded blade and force the tip through tougher hides and armour. Damage scales on [STR], increased by an additional 50%.
Execution III — Attack a target while undetected for +300% damage.
Closed Reach — Bend reality to narrow the gap between blade and target by up to 8 inches. Uses mana.
Mana-Fuelled — Passive. Optionally, use mana in place of stamina to activate Knifework abilities.
Knifestorm — Lash out at all surrounding enemies in a tornado of blades, using either one or two daggers. All enemies with arm’s reach receive physical damage worth weapon’s base damage and additional damage scaling on [STR].
Throw III — Throw blades at great speed towards your enemy. Deal considerable damage to armourless area, with addition damage scaling with [DEX] and [STR].
Enhanced Portals — Create a portal to another location within current range of sight or within a thirty yard radius. Support up to two pairs of portals at once. Uses mana to open portals only.
Portal Slice — Passive. Portals can now be spawned within non-sentient objects. Doing so slices through all objects that are not reinforced by magic.
Tamed Portals — Passive. Increased efficiency of portal magicks means that your portal glow is reduced by 50%, making them less likely to be detected by enemies.
Titan Husk — Warp your flesh to withstand all physical damage effects, including fire, frost, lightning, poison, and corruption.
Shrill Perimeter — Create a perimeter wall of 20 foot radius, invisible to all but those adept in magicks. If an enemy crosses this perimeter, this spell releases the shriek of a banshee.
Warped Shield — Passive. If an enemy strikes you with a low-level melee weapon, Warp Shield automatically activates to open a portal that deflects this attack. You must not have any portals currently active. Uses mana on activation.
Pocket Worlds — Open and access pocket dimensions. Storage capacity of summoned pocket worlds scales with [INT] of creator.
Silence III — Create a bubble of 20 yard radius in which sound is eradicated. Uses mana to cast, zero mana to maintain. You may only have one bubble active at any one time.
Saved Portals II — Select a location to “save” for future portals. Until your save point is moved, you may always open a portal here, even if it is beyond your current Local Portal range. Mana is used only upon opening the portal.
Portal Relay II - Up to ten small-scale portals can now be positioned stationary to an entity, and used to communicate sound. In addition, your standard portals may be used to communicate sound.
Stealth Attack III — Passive. 200% boost to damage when unnoticed by enemy.
In Plain Sight — When activated, you have a heightened abilitiy to hide in plain sight, and are able to spot opportunities to break from combat at a higher rate. Scales on [WIS].
Gentle Step — Passive. Your footsteps are dampened on even the hardest of surfaces. Reduce noise of movement by 80%.
Stitch — Create a basic stitch in common fabrics. Ability scales on [CHA].
Improved Cloth Armour — Craft a cloth armour of significantly higher quality, dependent on materials, time and skill level.
Active Effects:
Legacy of Sisyphus:
XP gain increased by +1,400%