Guinevere stepped out of the carriage; every eye turned to face her. Even with the veil covering her face she still felt her body draw the eye of every man within view. King and Prince Arthur waited for her, she noticed their eyes both widen, and their jaws slacken. She gave no sign she noticed any of the attention she was receiving, her hands clasping before her.
“My liege,” she said curtseying to the King. “Your highness,” she said curtsying to Arthur.
“Lady Guinevere,” King Arthur said collecting himself first. “Your father informs us you’ve been out hunting; I see that has come with some changes to you.”
“Yes,” was all she said.
“The tourney will start in four weeks,” the King said. “As the betrothed of the Prince you will be required to start making public appearances, so as to familiarize yourself with the people when you are princess.”
“As you say my King,” she said her voice perfectly polite.
“May I speak with you,” Arthur said then looked at his father. “In private.”
King Arthur nodded, turning, and gesturing for everyone to give them space. Arthur held out his hand for Guinevere to take; she walked alongside him but did not give him her hand. His hand dropped by his side, and they walked side by side entering the palace gardens, the sweet smell of flowers filling the air.
“What do you want?” Guinevere asked, finally breaking the silence.
“I wanted to see how you’ve been doing,” Arthur said.
“I’m fine,” Guinevere said.
“I’ve met the Warlord,” Arthur said.
“Met or fought?” Guinevere asked.
“There is no difference with him,” Arthur said. “When he fights you can feel the joy he gets from it, the hunger for destruction. He’s more beast than man.”
“But he’s still a man,” she pointed out.
“I am going to save you from him,” Arthur said ignoring her rebuttal.
Guinevere glared at him. “I don’t need saving.”
“I know you think that, I’ve seen who he really is. If protecting, you from him means protecting you form yourself that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Do you think you can win my heart like this?” Guinevere asked. “You’ve betrayed everything I thought we stood for. You destroyed that, not Mordred, you.”
“So, because I was unfaithful to you once you’re going to jump into the arms of a madman?” Arthur asked.
“Once,” Guinevere scoffed. “Tell me honestly you haven’t slept with anyone else besides Lionor.”
“I…” Arthur opened his mouth than closed it as Guinevere fixed him with a stare her eyes glowing as Confessor’s Sight activated.
“There was another,” he admitted unable to lie.
“Who?” she asked.
“Her name is Ammerila, it was just happened between us,” Arthur said.
“That’s the problem with you Arthur,” Guinevere said. “It keeps happening. Who is she, what god does she serve?”
“She is the champion of Salrilla,” Arthur said.
“So, you slept with the Assassin but want to lecture me about the Warlord,” she said. “You can’t even see your own hypocrisy.”
“She is not like the Warlord,” Arthur said. “I know she can change if we give her a chance.”
“And will you give Mordred a chance?” Guinevere asked.
“No,” Arthur said his voice hardening. “I saw him willing to rape Ammerila when he had her at his mercy…”
“I don’t believe you,” Guinevere said. “I don’t know what you think you saw but I think anything Mordred says or does will be twisted by you to mean something else.”
“He is not the man you think he is,” Arthur insisted. “If you think this is a choice between me and him than for your own sake he has to die.”
“It’s not just Mordred,” Guinevere said. “I’ll pick anyone over you, this isn’t some story. You’re not my knight in shining armor, you aren’t my hero, you’re the villain.”
“You can say what you want Guinevere,” Arthur said. “But I’m not going to let you destroy yourself.”
“I hope Mordred kills you,” Guinevere said her voice hard as steel as she glared at him.
“Mordred won’t be a problem soon,” Arthur said his own voice hardening. “All the gods have sent him a challenge, by this time tomorrow he will just be a memory.”
Guinevere stiffened. “You’re lying,” she said in denial.
“He beat us all in the Event, he destroyed how it was meant to be played so this is his retribution,” Arthur said. “He’s a mad dog and has to be put down.”
She turned on her heel and walked away.
“You’ll see this was for the best in time,” Arthur said to her retreating form.
---
My sword cut through the last of the automatons. Piles of metal scrap were scattered across the battlefield some still smoking or burning as the combustible parts of their insides finished burning after their destruction. I could feel their materials the fortune of uncommon and rare metals and stones contained in the wreckage enough to outfit a dozen armies in full armor and weapons.
A horn blew across the land. The few dozen automatons that still stood collapsed to the ground like marionets with their strings cut. I looked around but no new massive figure or beast presented itself, there was no sign to show the next World Boss had appeared, but I got the notification telling me that it had.
The World Boss Avarice has spawned
Averice is the World Boss of this raid and represents the Mendactheon. As long as the boss is alive every one of its minions on the field will be stronger and will spawn in greater numbers, kill the boss to reduce the difficulty of this wave.
An arrow buzzed towards my head, and I twisted my neck to the side letting it buzz past as I traced it back to its source. A creature like a goblin ducked behind a pile of broken automatons, another popping out a dozen paces away and losing anther arrow at me. More and more small humanoid figures began appearing. I did a quick analysis of the creature pulling up its description.
Trickster, Raid Monster- humanoid/goblin (dungeon creature), Veteran, Power Level: 445
Raising my hand, I caught over a dozen arrows with Telekinesis and hurled them back at my attackers. They squealed in pain as they were skewered and pinned to the ground. I kept my head on a swivel turning around as I searched for the World Boss.
Ares, you can see through my vassals’ eyes; do you got eyes on this thing? I asked.
No. but that is to be expected, Ares said. The Mendactheon is the Pantheon of Deception, its representative will not be some towering figure of destruction. It will be illusive, full of tricks and abilities to hide and cloak itself. It will strike from the shadows and try to destroy you from within.
Any thoughts on how to find it? I asked.
I think it will start making itself known soon, Ares said. You need to be ready to try and counter whatever scheme it has in mind. It will… wait one of your vassals just died inside the Fortress.
While a number of my vassals had died since the start of the battle one of them dying inside the fortress where they had access to healers and the defenses protection wasn’t something that had happened. Lighting wreathed my body as I blasted back to the fortress teleporting inside. I dropped down into a group of disoriented men and women surrounding a corpse.
The body was unrecognizable as man or women its face and body partially melted by some sort of acid.
“Who was this?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” one of the men beside me asked. “I think it was a woman but…” his voice was unsure as he his sentence trailed off.
Shapeshifter, Karnen said. It has to be, it’s trying to infiltrate your ranks.
At least it’s not the Thing and infecting them from the inside, I said crouching down and running a finger down the body of the corpse. The acid attacked my skin burning through it to the flesh. I flicked it off, even now that acid was still incredibly potent.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
We’re being watched, Voidra said.
We’re surrounded by people, I pointed out. Or do you mean the shape-changer?
No, this is different, Voidra said. There emotions are feint but it’s like they’re here but not here, all around us but nowhere at the same time.
Scrying, Ares said. Someone is watching us right now.
I thought I got a blessing to stop that, I said.
Stop gods, Karnen said emphasizing the last word. Nothing’s stopping anyone with a spell or ability from peeking in on you.
That means we can’t use Void Asura, I said.
If you want to live, we may not have a choice, Ares pointed out.
I felt the death of another of my vassals nearby and teleported over to it my conversation put on hold for now. I was deep below the fortress the air lit by a few glowing orbs. Women, children, and the elderly were crowded all around us. I didn’t see anyone out of place and only a dissolving corpse on the ground.
Thanks for letting me into this little feeding ground little pig, a voice spoke into my head.
“Not by the hair of my chinny chin-chin,” I said.
I activated Bestial Senses and took a deep breath of the air letting the various scents assault my sinuses my vision scanning the people around me. The bodies of all the people around me where lit up by my infrared vision as I scanned them following the scent, I had gathered from both crime scenes. My head swiveled to the side as I dodged a shot from the darkness. There was no visible sign of who had shot at me, everyone starting to panic but I could smell the shapeshifter even if I couldn’t see them.
Teleporting forward I stabbed forward with Clarent, the old woman huddling before me immediately exploded with violence as she blocked my attack her visage changing.
Avarice, Gifted- Shape-changer/Doppelganger (World Boss), Hero, Rank: 600
“Well done,” Avarice said, “It appears your more than just a brute.”
“I’m a regular sherlock homes,” IU agreed pressing my attack. Ares, get these people out of here.
“Let’s see if your skill with your weapon matches your nose,” the doppelganger said blades of bone extending from her forearms.
---
Guinevere hurried to her chambers and locked the door behind her. She dove into her bags tossing the items out across the floor until she came to the hand mirror Mordred had given her. She held it up her face looking back at her eyes wide and wild.
“Show me Mordred,” she commanded the mirror injecting the mana into it to activate it.
The surface of the mirror darkened with shadow, a gleaming line of red appearing lighting up a dark stone chamber. The light of Clarent was the only source of illumination casting Mordred in blood red hues as he battled with some beast armored and armed with bone white armor and weapons. It pressed him back obviously having higher Attributes. Mordred gave ground slowly his Might able to counter most of its strikes his body wreathed in black mist with crimson bolts of lightning flashing through it like a storm taking on the form of man.
He shot forward spinning around the creature as the battled back and forth. Guinevere sagged to the ground, the relief that he was still alive felt like a mountain being lifted off of her.
“Stay alive,” she whispered.
---
Pushing open the doors to the War Room Arthur stepped inside nodding to his father and the gathered generals.
“We have eyes on the battle?” he asked.
“We do,” his father said. “It’s difficult to keep track of the Warlord since we have to scry just the area around him, none of us have seen his face so getting a solid trace on him is impossible.”
“I wish I could help,” Arthur said. “But he always wore a helmet or was shrouded in black smoke. I never even got a good look at his eyes.”
“Those with the darkest intentions rarely like the world seeing them for who they really are,” King Arthur said the men around him nodding in agreement.
Mordred looked at the screen showing a fortress under siege outside the city of Dragonhold. The city was only a fraction of the size of Camelot, but he still feared for its thousands of inhabitants. Luckly the Warlord hadn’t taken up position inside the city so hopefully its residents would mostly escape the effects of the Raid.
Across the battlefield little creatures swarmed around metal wreckage. They disappeared from sight only to appear behind one of the Warlord’s vassals performing a sneak attack. The battle was fast and chaotic and while there was an order and method to the Warlord’s army it was very different than the neat rows and lines of traditional armies.
“Where is he?” Arthur asked.
“He went inside that fortress a bit ago,” one of the generals said. “We’re working to try and maneuver the scrying inside it but it’s difficult.”
“What do you think his odds are?” King Arthur asked them.
“His trick against the iron golem was interesting, one of them mused studying the events on the floating projection. “I’m still not sure how he was able to trip it but that trick with using its own weapon to kill it was genius. However, we’ve gauged this wave is about ten percent more powerful than the last. If that keeps up there’s no way, he or his army will survive this.”
---
I skid back as the doppelganger’s bone swords slashed forward at me from every direction. It moved like the wind and I could barely keep track of it as it turned invisible, camouflaged itself against the stone or teleported through the shadows. Despite its greater Attributes it wasn’t able to bypass my own defenses, Temor Soles, Bestial Senses and Foresight all worked together to let me know where it was at all times never allowing it a moment to get a sneak attack in on me.
The attacks stopped and I turned slowly in place keeping track of the shape-shifter even though I couldn’t see it.
“Your trickier than I thought you would be,” Averice said.
“Its not like you’ve had much experience,” I said. “How long have you been alive at this point, thirty minutes?”
“I am a creation of the System,” Averice said. “I am immortal, I lived countless lives and fought in more battles than you have years to your name.”
“That only adds up to only twenty-six battles,” I said. “So… not very impressive.”
“The point is I’ve found many ways to deal with people like you,” it said stepping out of the shadows its body now in a black dress silver hair hanging down to its waist. “Do you like it?” the doppelganger said in Guinevere’s voice. “I can see glimpses of your thoughts; they are hard to read chaotic with multiple voices, but this woman is clear.”
“You don’t have the right to wear that face,” I said my voice turning flat and hard.
“Doesn’t it make your heart skip though?” the doppelganger said. “Come now, we can have a bit of fun together before we continue this battle.”
I blasted forward and slammed it into the wall. The doppelganger was stunned for a moment by my reckless aggression as I began to savage it with my claws and sword. It broke free and slashed a long cut along my abdomen.
“I’m surprised you were willing to hurt the visage of this woman,” the doppelganger said. “I mean you didn’t even hesitate to start ripping her to pieces.”
“You’re not her,” I said. “You may have her features, but you don’t move like her, you can’t capture her scent, you can’t even capture her beauty. Your just a poor copy.”
My criticism of its ability to imitate seemed to infuriate it more than anything else I had done. Averice lunged forward going on its own relentless attack. My flesh shredded under its attack but regenerated at almost the same speed. I threw it off for a second teleporting a dozen feet away.
It’s vain, Ares said. Exploit that weakness.
“Was there an error in your spawning this time?” I asked. “I was told World Bosses were legendary creatures that took entire armies to fight, but you… well it’s a bit of a letdown.”
The doppelganger lunged for me its eyes filled with rage. I teleported away knowing the exact route I had to take. Ares cleared the area around us of any of my vassals.
“I mean the iron golem we just fought, now that was a proper World Boss, but you seem a little defective,” I said teleporting away as it tried to impale me with bone spikes spraying from it body.
“I mean it was cool, had massive gun and missile array,” I said. “What do you have some bone weapons and the ability to look like other people, I’m pretty sure the Assassin can do the same thing and I’ve killed her like twice already.”
Flying backwards I emerged back into sunlight my eyes going blind for second. The doppelganger pounced and I rolled under its attack.
“Now!” I shouted.
Ares had been gathering my vassals while I kept the boss busy, and my strike force struck. Remara slammed her staff into the ground a rope of energy tethering the boss to the ground. It tried to flee but was yanked back by the ability. Jeriah swung his sword barely missing but Tobias hit it with his Maul tossing it to the end of the tether before it came snapping back like a paddle ball toy. Exar’kun breathed out his fire freaking us all out for a second until the fire passed over us all harmlessly only dealing damage to the boss.
It screamed as the flames consumed it. Bone spikes began shooting out punching through armor like high powered crossbow bolts. I walked through the barrage of missiles as they pierced my flesh drenching the ground in my blood. Jeriah took a bolt to his thigh, one of his brother taking one to the chest and one of Korsis’ elites being unlucky enough to take one in the face dying instantly as it exploded on impact filling his skull with bone shrapnel.
You’re going to need to use Void Asura, Karnen said. There is no way you survive without it.
Not while we’re being scryed on, I replied and went on the attack against the World Boss.
The doppelganger fixated on me slashing down with its swords. I was able to block but my stacks of Black Rage had all faded off a while ago. Her attacks drove me into the ground as I narrowly avoided death with every swing of its swords.
“Where is your strength now?” Averice asked.
“I’m the Warlord,” I said. “My strength is all around me.”
Tobias smashed down with the maul I had crafted for him. The doppelganger was driven into the ground. Jeriah jumped forward staggering as he landed due to his wounded leg, but his sword swung down slashing through one if legs. Blood sprayed out and the two brothers fell back screaming as it burned them on contact.
“I am not some common beast that easy to slay,” the doppelganger spat the spewed a spray of vomit at me and my Foresight warned me of the nasty outcome if that acid were to hit me.
“Phantom Form,” I said stepping through the acid unharmed and driving the spectral form of Clarent through its chest.
It screamed in agony but wasn’t dead yet. Exar’kun bit down with his jaws, his teeth sheering through her lower half, he spat out her torso blood coming out of his jaws as the acid burned him, but it had only a marginal effect on him.
“Acid Resistance III,” Exar’kun explained as I looked at his bleeding gums. “Lots of acid related monsters spawn in a swamp.”
The doppelganger was still alive crawling towards me as its entrails and acid blood drained out behind it. I stepped forward and lunged down onto one knee driving Clarent through its back. I let it stick in her for a minute, the lightning from the blade roasting it from the inside.
300 rank points gained.
You have defeated the World Boss, Averice, reducing the number of spawns for the rest of this wave.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 20,480 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 7,256 out of 20,480. When you complete this quest, you will gain 4096 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Still no new abilities but that was just the luck of the draw, I could go through this entire raid without getting one, that was if I survived.
“We are being scryed on right now,” I said to my strike force. “I have to hold back my full strength to keep the enemy from learning exactly what I’m capable of. Does anyone here have a way to keep me from being scryed on?”
“I don’t have a way to keep just you from being scryed on,” Remara said. “But I can create an area of anti-scrying.”
“how big can you make it?” I asked.
“The biggest I can do is a six-mile radius,” Remara said. “This is a spell not an ability so it will drain me of all my mana for a couple hours.”
“Do it,” I said nodding to her.
“I will take at least four hours to cast if I’m doing it at its maximum size,” she said.
The screams of the wounded and dying reached me reminding me the battle was still on going.
“Blood Renewal,” I said.
My blood and all the blood spilled around me consumed to power the ability dark mist rising about three feet off the ground all around us. The wounds in my vassals began to close and heal as the healing took hold my own wounds closed as I turned my attention to the battlefield. I had work to do.