“Choices, choices,” I said as I considered the transparent window floating in front of me. My fingers moved across the screen as I looked over each new spell. “This time we have a damage over time snare, what looks like a way to raise temporary undead fighters, and a… wait, we’ve seen this force bolt spell before, haven’t we?”
“Yeah, it was a spell the vicious Hunter Adom had. His was only a minor version though,” Stella answered. “He probably started with it, assigned randomly when he initiated, I’d be willing to bet. Plus, his spell was only level one so I doubt he even bothered to use it. … You know, since he was so punchy-punchy.” Stella acted out the motion, her front paws striking twice in rapid succession. When she followed it up with a snap kick, causing her body weight to shift atop Lowki, the great cat emitted a low growl.
“Sorry, sorry. My bad,” Stella hushed quietly. After settling the cat, she carefully swiped her paw in the air a few times before an old System message appeared.
[Force Bolt] (Level one) - A bolt of brilliant energy shoots from your palm to strike a target of your choosing. This bolt homes in on the target and is exceedingly difficult to dodge. Additionally, as this is an unaligned spell, it is able to bypass most resistances.
“Yeah, I remember it now. Looks like we have the upgraded version available with ours also bypassing magical barriers, as well as being nearly impossible to dodge instead of just difficult,” I said as I thought about my seemingly unbreachable empowered aegis. It wasn’t the case anymore. With the fabulous pistol sitting on my hip, and the available force bolt spell at my fingertips, my aegis fell a few notches in my mind.
“Hopefully,” I continued. “There are not many items or spells which have this kind of effect. With my aegis up, I’m not going to lie, it’s been something of a comfort. Knowing there are ways to bypass it entirely… Well, we’ll need to ensure we keep my constitution up there and not just dump everything into intelligence.”
“Even if we hadn’t found out there are ways to get through your shield,” Stella said conciliatorily. “I would have recommended we diversify your attribute gains. Remember, we don’t want to be a ‘one-trick pony?’”
“Speaking of our attributes,” I said as I called forward my level gain message. “Let’s get those points settled, shall we?”
Level Up! You have earned enough experience to advance to level 18 and 19. Tier 2 class characteristic attributes have been applied. You have 14 attribute points to distribute.
“So, with constitution more important than ever…” My fingers moved across the screen, placing points here and there while checking to see what net effect it would have on my health, stamina, and mana. In the end, we decided to put five points into Intelligence, bringing it up to a staggering two-hundred and twenty, and the rest into Constitution. It brought my new health and mana pools to slightly under two thousand and close to seventy-five hundred, respectively. “The gains we’ve had to my intelligence have been something. With the real possibility of overtaking Duke when we get to the capital, we may just have a chance.”
“Back to spells then,” Stella said as she adjusted the screens in my vision. “I’m going to say we should probably pass on the force bolt. There are bound to be more spell vendors in Allerton, plus it doesn’t really give us the edge we need. It passes through protections, yeah, but the damage is low comparatively.”
“It leaves us with the snare, and the short-lived minion spell,’” I said as my eyes looked over the spells once more. What’s going to help us the most?”
Thinking of Stella’s comment about finding merchants soon, reminded me of how common snare-type spells usually were. If the same held true here, I might be able to buy one soon. “I think I’m going with the lesser undeath. Having even more minions supporting us sounds like the right choice.”
Stella had no objection, so I made my choice.
[Lesser Undeath]. If cast within 5 minutes upon a recently deceased, unholy power revives the target to serve you for a short period of time. The undeath minion will follow all verbal commands, regardless of previously known languages, or will take actions to protect the caster if no command is issued. The target retains 80% of its former health, stamina, and mana. Only a random set of the target’s abilities, skills, and spells that it had in life will be available. The raised minion will last until destroyed, or when the spell duration ends. Cost: 400 mana. Cast Time: 10 seconds. Duration: 5 minutes. Cool down: 10 minutes. Plus 30 second duration and plus 1% retention per spell level.
Note – Maximum target size is limited to Large. The target’s level will be either its former level or the caster’s level, whichever is the lesser.
The familiar experience of knowledge flooding into my mind blocked out all of my other senses. The same as always, it had been as if the spell had always been in my mind, hidden away. As I opened my eyes, every minute detail of the spell was ready to be called forth with only a simple thought. It was exhilarating. “Always awesome,” I said with a satisfied exhale. “Ok, what’s next?”
System Notification: You have been granted a new title, ‘Pirate Slayer’.
As a champion of the law (well, probably), any foe who has attacked, robbed, or otherwise pillaged a seafaring vessel should pay heed to your presence…
Wait…what? I don’t know what ships are called that only travel on rivers. Okay, okay. Fine, I’ll change it.
As a champion of the law (well, probably), any foe who has attacked, robbed, or otherwise pillaged a maritime vessel should pay heed to your presence.
Title Benefits: Permanently increases all damage you deal to hostile pirates by 10%.
Would you like to change your Title to ‘Pirate Slayer? Note – Title benefits remain regardless of the displayed title. Yes/No?
“Well, that’s new,” I said as the System message modified itself in real-time. “A good buff, nevertheless. Though, I think I’m keeping my current title, thank you very much.” I selected ‘no’ and the window disappeared.
My next set of notifications dealt with the spell and skill gains I had accrued from the battle. I was particularly happy to see Boil Blood was close to maxing its level out.
Notice! Skill and Spell increase messages have been condensed.
Skill: [Throwing] has increased to level 12. Skill: [Axes] has increased to level 15. Spell: [Minor Flamethrower] has increased to level 7. Spell: [Lesser Necrotic Aura (Pet)] has increased to level 6. Spell: [Lesser Chained Lightning] has increased to level 3. Spell: [Lesser Blood Boil] has increased to level 19. Spell: [Lesser Arrested Affliction] has increased to level 7.
“Hey Stell, I know we talked about spells maxing out, but do skills max out too?” I asked after eyeing up my blood boil getting closer to its maximum level of twenty-five.
“Sort of,” Stella replied. “For skills, they cannot advance past your current level. So, with you sitting at level nineteen, your axe skill would stop gaining experience if it got to that point. Then, once you leveled up, it would start learning experience again.”
“Makes sense, thanks.” With all of the notifications and System messages addressed, I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes. “Good night, Stell.”
Within minutes, our small gang of friends were sound asleep.
The following morning and early afternoon were uneventful, though our progress slowed somewhat when the typically robust wind died down. Still, Captain Larsa assured me we would reach Allerton well before nightfall.
Several vessels, the majority smaller than the Moon Siren, often with only a single mast standing proud, glided past us in the opposite direction. Most appeared to be merchant vessels laden down with goods and cargo. With a few hails and calls of greeting, our crew let each passing trading vessel know to be on guard for possible pirates downstream. Cheers rose from the other ships when tales of our victory against the Sickle crossed the water between our vessels.
Larsa shared soon after, “Not many ships would have been able to find victory against what we faced the morning prior. This was an experienced crew. So, the news of one less threat ranging this popular trading route, is a welcomed one.”
Only an hour later, we began passing a multitude of towns that boarded the periphery around Allerton. To me, it seemed like with every mile the Siren sailed closer, stood another city whose name I would never remember. When I commented as much, Stella proudly listed them off. First in alphabetical order, but before she would expand further, I clamped a hand over her small snout. It didn’t last long, though, when her amazingly sharp teeth nipped my sensitive flesh. When I pulled my hand away, she wagged out a tongue.
Larsa knew all the town names, of course. He even knew every single name of the dozens of harbormasters we passed by. The man, and his crew, were well-known and greatly appreciated in these parts. From my little time aboard the Siren, it was well deserved. Countless friendly waves flashed across the river as we sailed onwards.
When the towns were so tightly pressed together, I could have sworn we were at the capital by now. So, I asked Larsa as much. His only response was, “You’re in for a treat,” but wouldn’t clarify further, even when I pressed the matter. My antics caught the attention of the crew, and I caught more than one upturned grin plastered across their faces. Something was obviously up, though I had no idea what. Stella, still touting proudly from her earlier nip, was even more tightly lipped. My eyes narrowed in her direction, but nothing I did phased her.
I had, of course, heard many tales from the crew, and especially Tallos over the several days we fared upstream. “Allerton is a wonder to behold,” Tallos had said one evening. When I asked him what was so special, he replied he didn’t want to spoil the surprise. His message was a hint of what I frustratingly feeling today, though it was all in good fun. So, I took a deep breath and let the matter drop. I would find out eventually what the big fuss was about.
Seeing my somewhat dejected expression, Stella glided close and bumped into my shoulder. “It’s actually sort of a custom here, to not say anything to new visitors. Unless you were born there, no one will tell you until you see it with your own eyes.” She then whispered conspiratorially, “My guess is every man here has felt the same exact way you are, right now.”
Her words helped soothe my ego. When something in the distance caught my eye, I was glad the surprise had not been spoiled. “Wow,” the word escaped my lips as my eyes widened. I finally understood.
What could only be the capital city, with vast walls surrounding its huge perimeter, rose above us like some dwarfish vision of the fantasy capital of Gondor, Minas Tirith. Rows of buildings rose up multiple successive levels, each a smaller ring than the one under it. The city climbed up into the sky some three to four hundred feet. While impressive enough, it’s not what captured my imagination.
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Behind each corner of the broad encompassing fortification, floated four immense stone towers. One for each corner of the city. Blinking in surprise, each tower hovered dozens of feet above the defensive battlement. Windows and arrow slits dotted all across the mighty structures and, even at this angle, it was hard to miss the large burning sphere of magic hanging above each towering obelisk. A warm glow radiated out, bathing everything for miles around in a light.
“How?” I asked, the word finally stumbling past my tongue.
No one answered at first, everyone was taking in the majestic sight. A chuckle sounded from someone on the main deck, before a single word reached my ears, “Magic.”
Larsa stepped close, slapping a hand on my shoulder got naturedly. “Glad I didn’t spoil the surprise, right?” he asked. When I didn’t respond, he pressed on. “The castle proper has appeared this way for a thousand years. The higher tiers of the city can only be entered by the capital’s lords and ladies, though any noble with a title from the surrounding lands is allowed within. As far as the towers, like for us, their mystery will forever remain one. From what I have learned, the towers were created by a mage of considerable strength, named Allerton. This city was named after him and a great sacrifice he made.”
I shot Stella a pleading look, she knew the question burning inside me. “Sorry, Xaz,” Stella started. “The captain is spot on with the mystery part. Even I don’t have access to see more info about those things.”
“Worry not. There are plenty of other interests to be found here,” Larsa said, an air of intrigue in his voice.
I beamed back at the man, he was right. There was a lot we could find here which would certainly help with our quest. “How long until we dock?” I asked.
The river had widened considerably, with offshoots separating into a half dozen streams. All leading away from the city, but filled with vessels of all shapes and sizes. The scope of everything nearby was massive. The Moon Siren was following a fork that ran parallel to the city wall. Up ahead, an array of docks cluttering outward, sat a large port absolutely crammed packed with ships.
“Never mind,” I added in haste.
When we came around the corner of the immense wall, I watched as the docks expanded inward up against it, creating a huge region shaped like an expansive letter ‘c.’ Dozens of ships sat moored, lightly moving with the rhythm of the water. The Moon Siren was no longer the largest vessel present. The grandest, an order of magnitude larger than our own, was a colossal warship called the L’Ocean.
Catching my gaze, Larsa pointed across the waterline of the mighty vessel. “The river here is deep enough to allow the draft of the first-rate L’Ocean. It doesn’t, couldn’t, roam the river ways like we do. Instead, it travels between kingdoms via the nearby Ceres Sea. You’re lucky to have seen her. She’s not often around this time of season.”
My eyes turned back to the harbor and outlying docks. There was a pattern to be sure across the chaotic scene, but I couldn’t figure it out. On the far end of the expanse, toward Allerton, was a tall portcullis which was wide enough to allow a pair of wagons to pass underneath. Manning the castle gate was a large contingency of guards, each wearing plate armor. Even at this distance, I could tell something was amiss. Obviously highly trained men, something about their agitated mannerisms seemed out of place.
About to point it out, Larsa beat me to it. “That’s unusual,” he said, eyeing the end of the harbor as he held a hand to shield his eye from the sun. “The last time I saw something like this, a small riot was breaking out when a particularly notorious felon was brought in to face justice.”
“Somethings afoot,” Larsa continued before calling to his second in command. “Number one, get our mooring lines ready with all haste and dock the Siren as soon as able. Then all hands on deck, though keep them aboard for now. I’ll be leaving immediately to speak to the harbormaster and find out what’s happening. I don’t want the men entangled with whatever is going on until I know more about it”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied before carrying out his orders, shouting commands to the crew.
I was about to pose a question, when Larsa turned to me. “I’d like you to accompany me.” As the crew went about their tasks, Larsa raised his voice, so it carried across the deck. “I was hoping to do this after being secured to the dock, but with whatever is going on, this will do. I wanted to thank you again, Xaz and Stella, along with your formidable party. You saved many of our lives on this voyage. Know you are always welcome aboard and if you’re ever in the need to coin, I’d pay handsomely for your blades next time.”
As the man held out a hand and we grabbed wrists, shouts of “Here, here,” rang across the deck.
“Thank you, Larsa. You’re an honorable man and I would be honored to join you and your crew in the future.”
The Moon Siren’s crew was well-versed in getting the ship situated and moored in a wide slip. In short order, we were docked and walking down the gangway, Larsa in the lead heading towards a central hub. It was a squat building with wide windows allowing an unimpeded view to whoever was inside.
As we entered, a man who looked to be in his late fifties with graying hair greeted Larsa, obviously seeing our party approaching. “Go’ to see you, my friend,” the man said in a raspy voice. He wore an aging set of clothes which reminded me of a military uniform. His ensemble would have carried a regal look if not for the fact it was covered with mismatched stitches mending old tears. The man’s shirt buttons were near to busting from his ample belly, which was hidden behind many tailoring attempts, his own by the look of it, to account for it growing width. Instead of being a source of embarrassment, however, the man’s hands ran down the old stitches as if feeling an old badge of honor.
“Henricksen, it is good to see you, old friend,” Larsa greeted the man and the two shook hands.
“I’d say the same to ‘ou, but a damned hornet’s ‘est has been kicked round ‘ere.” Henricksen had a particular way of speaking but was easy enough to understand. He turned his gaze, peering out a window to the nearby guards. “Seems a buccaneer is making a mess ore’ there.”
That piqued my curiosity, thinking perhaps it was Duke, though it seemed a remote possibility as we likely beat Duke here by a day, two at most. Stella had assured me our voyage upriver was far quicker than going at it by foot.
“Do you know who it is?” I asked, a hint of anxiety lacing my voice.
The harbormaster looked to me, then to Larsa as if asking who I was. Larsa nodded once, so the Henricksen turned to me, “Only what I can ‘ear over the din of the docks and the shouts of alarm. I dunno, something about an ‘unter forcing his way through the merchant quarter.”
My eyes looked over to Larsa, my gaze wordlessly impressing my need to leave. He saw the urgency in my eyes, having spoken several times about our quest to hunt down Duke. “I know your quest, so please…” he gestured towards the guards. “With all haste.”
I was half out the door, when his next words reached us, bringing me up short, “When you reach the guards let them know you have the blessing of Captain Larsa of the Moon Siren. It will aid you in getting past them without much resistance.”
“Thank you,” I said over my shoulder, Ripley and Lowki close on my heels as we ran.
It took only a minute before we reached the raised portcullis leading deeper into the city. Several of the guards took early note of my sprint, raising hands and halberds. “Ho there,” a tall man called as we approached.
Two guards had locked their pikes, forming an ‘X’ to bar our path, their gleaming full plate reflecting sunlight. I could barely make out their features, hidden behind the shadows within their helms. Still, it was easy to see the nervousness carried in their eyes.
“Please, I must be allowed to pass,” I said between breaths. “Captain Larsa of the Moon Siren said I have his blessing. We only now disembarked and believe we know the man responsible for the commotion in town.”
It took only a moment, but after I said Larsa’s name, all hesitation vanished, and the halberds were moved aside. The two guards exchanged a look before the man who first spoke gestured with his long pike behind him. “Follow that road, there, Hunter. Do not take any smaller roads you see. Keep on the main path and you’ll find the disturbance. A contingent of guards already left several minutes before you, so if you see them, you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction. If you are stopped, let them know Dock Lieutenant Harris bid you to assist.”
I thanked the man, and we took off at a sprint. In my rush, I barely noticed the majesty of the city around me. Stella was flying off my shoulder, reminding me to be cautious. “If it is Duke, remember, he may be too powerful yet, so we need to be careful.”
Her words reached me, and I paused a moment to refresh my armor buff and the movement spell I had forgotten to use. “Thanks,” I said before heading off once more.
My eyes never left the confines of the paved road and our course. My heart was pumping in my chest louder with each passing minute. None of the citizens I had expected to see were about. Catching movement to our side, I eyed a door close and then heard an audible ‘click’ as a lock was secured. It seemed everyone had taken shelter in while the guard mobilized to deal with whatever the threat was.
The road we took eventually merged with another much wider one. I guessed we were near the middle of the city and now on the main thoroughfare. The buildings to the sides were growing aristocratic and more elegant as we moved deeper into the city. It was not long thereafter we started encountering burned and charred unmoving bodies. Scattered around were swords, shields and broken halberds. Whoever, or whatever, had passed made quick work of these soldiers. My mind screamed this was Duke. Who else could cause so much damage, so easily? Duke hadn’t struck me as a man who had any value on life, especially from lowly non-player characters such as these. Such as I was.
Our path took us higher up the elevated crag the city was built upon. We passed through several unmanned and inward blasted gates. The destruction around was worrisome. If this was Duke, the ease of the devastation rattled my confidence over the impending fight. There was nothing for it now, though. So, we continued our frantic pace, our footfalls echoing out against the cobblestone beneath our feet.
Passing yet another collapsed guard post, the area leveled out, and up ahead of us stood what had to be over twenty or thirty armed guards. The formation they had appeared to be circular, with heavy pikes pointing towards the center. Expecting the squadron to move in, tightening the ring, the guards instead remained stationary as if perplexed with what to do next.
As we got close, I got my first glimpse of the man responsible for the death of my family. The ring of guards had weapons leveled to his seemingly uncaring gate. It was Duke. The bastard had somehow beaten us here.
The plate mail guards were packed tightly together, barring any path between the press of their armor, though occasional gasps appeared allowing me to see beyond. Duke, without a care in the world, was learning over a smoking corpse. As one guard’s pike moved an inch forward, a dome of glowing magical energy sprung up around Duke, stopping it like it struck the city wall.
“Unless I miss my guess,” Stella whispered between her ragged breaths. She was feeling the same anxiety and dread I was upon seeing our nemesis. “That barrier is completely static, meaning if Duke leaves it, the shield won’t follow with him.”
It explained why the guards were not advancing, no one could get past the field.
Duke looked exactly like the day I first saw him. He was a head taller than me, wearing a set of plate armor the color of night. Unlike the standard mail of the guards surrounding him, Duke’s had sharp half-foot long spikes protruding from his pauldrons protecting his shoulders. His unrighteous sword resting easily across his back, jutting above one shoulder. No scabbard held the weapon in place, though. Such a small, peculiar oddity was quickly dismissed from my mind.
The menace that surrounded the man like an aura was palpable. This was a predator who had never felt an ounce of fear in his entire life.
As I watched, Duke cursed and crushed an object in his hand. He must have looted it from the body below him. With a sigh of disgust, Duke tossed the mangled object to the ground. It passed through his barrier as if it didn’t exist.
A glowing parchment appeared in his hands and arcane words began tumbling from his lips, the words jarring in a way it twisted my ears. It was a spell, no doubt about it. Whatever it was, I knew I had to act fast if I had any chance at stopping him.
My mind worked frantically to come up with an answer to Duke’s magical protection. I cursed inwardly as my mind considered my options. Whatever barrier Duke had erected was powerful enough to stop mundane weapons. Even as the seconds passed, Duke’s voice growing steadily in volume, I noticed quarrels and arrows shattering around him. I really wished I had taken the force bolt spell now.
The gun! The thought crashed through my head.
A thunderous BOOM rang out as my pistol spat fire toward the seemingly unconcerned man. It tore through the barrier like tissue paper, leaving a large, ragged hole in its wake. The bullet slammed into the side of Duke’s ebony mail, the resounding crack splitting the air. Quick-thinking guards in the back row of the formation fired arrows and crossbow bolts at the opening, but only a few slipped through. They ricocheted harmlessly off the heavily enchanted armor. Thought whether by my own attack, or the guard’s finally reaching him, Duke startled.
Unfortunately, it was not enough to interrupt the villain’s concentration. The final word left his dull lips, and he turned his head in my direction. Our eyes locked for an instant. Mine no doubt shone with determination, where he bore a slight grimace, my bullet dealing at least some damage. As the magic of the scroll began to surround him like a tornado, starting at his feet and quickly making its way up his torso, I thought to inspect the man before whatever was happening took hold.
Only a partial System message appeared in my vision but was abruptly cut off as Duke vanished with a sudden displacement of air and a loud thunderclap which sent the nearby men reeling backward.
A wicked, malevolent grin splayed across the man’s face right before he disappeared. His eyes narrowed and a single word rang out in his wake, “Hunter.” He had been staring directly at me.