Isabelle stood at the entrance to the cauldron room, looking at the prince of Sharithlond, who laughed at her with malice. He wore Stelas’ hunter armor, held a poison tipped scimitar in his right hand, and held Stelas’ severed head in the burlap sack in his left hand.
“It’s time to make you pay for the suffering you’ve caused both of us, player!” said the prince.
“Yes, it’s time to pay!” said Stelas’ head from inside the burlap sack.
They both started cackling again. It interested Isabelle to see that the prince seemed more focused on laughing and trying to intimidate her than on actually attacking her.
Isabelle wasn’t certain whether the prince of Sharithlond would be much of a match on his own, but what really made her nervous was that the whole cauldron room was also crawling with armed warforged, each of which looked twice as big and strong as any of the warforged she’d fought earlier. Then again, if she let her mana charge up and was able to hit them with her shoot lightning spell, maybe Isabelle could stun these warforged, too. So she opened her inventory to pick a weapon.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Stealth Drainer (enchanted)
+5 stealth, +10 damage, +1 carry weight
Poisoning Dagger x2
+1 poison, +6 damage, +1 sneak level, +1 carry weight
Steel Mace
+10 damage, +1 str, +4 carry weight
Mithril Ascot
+15 str, +10 const, +0.5 carry weight
Ruby Studded Pocket Knife
+1 stealth, +3 sneak, +0.5 carry weight
Staff of Paralyzation
+5 mana, +4 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Dagger x2
+2 fire damage, +5 damage, +3 stm, +1 dx, +2 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Glaive
+2 fire damage, +7 damage, +2 str, +6 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bow
+3 fire damage, +2 damage, +3 dx, +3 carry weight
Hunter’s Crossbow of Chills (enchanted)
+3 frost damage, +7 damage, +2 dx, +4 carry weight
Arrows of Chills x27 (enchanted)
+2 frost damage, +1 damage
Steel Longsword
+5 str, +5 damage, +8 carry eight
Orcish Longbow
+5 damage, +1 dx, +1.5 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Hey! Isabelle had forgotten about how useful that mithril ascot of the Duke’s was. For 15 str and 10 const, there was no way in hell she couldn’t wear it.
[Mithril Ascot equipped]
[+15 str]
[+10 const]
Nice. Isabelle had worried it would look stupid on her, but actually seeing the ascot around her neck made Isabelle feel kind of cool. Then, she regarded her inventory weapons. What immediately jumped out to Isabelle was the staff of paralyzation. Sure, the stealth drainer looked cool too, and she wanted to learn about it, but unfortunately enough Isabelle wasn’t necessarily in a stealthy situation right now. If only she’d had the wisdom to really think about appropriately using her stealth before entering this cauldron room. Isabelle would have to add to her wis next time she leveled up, that much was certain. Still, she couldn’t let herself get stuck in the weeds of leveling strategem now, when Isabelle had an evil prince to do battle with. She glanced over her inventory again, and suddenly knew what to do.
[Staff of Paralyzation equipped]
[+5 mana]
After all, the prince was no warforged.
“Hey, what’s that?” asked the prince.
Isabelle smirked, raised the staff, and thought ‘Cast Paralyze.’
[Mana 72%]
Hey, her mana percentage was not too bad. Isabelle’s mana had recharged pretty quickly since spending it all back in the hallway to fight off the warforged and the yuan-ti, though it hadn’t yet recharged all the way.
“Hey, what’s happening to me?!” asked the prince as the green light of the staff shot out and clasped around him. Soon, his gasping expression was affixed to his face and he tumbled to the ground, limp and impotent.
[‘Prince of Sharithlond’ is paralyzed]
“Take that, you fucking prick,” said Isabelle.
“Ow!” said Stelas’ head as the burlap sack tumbled out of the prince’s grasp, hit the floor, and rolled around. “What in the hell have you done to him, Isabelle, you miserable she-devil?”
[Mana 78%]
She-devil, huh? That was a new one. Isabelle just smirked, walked over to the prince, and focused on him.
[Loot ‘Prince of Sharithlond’?]
Time for this fucker to be naked and afraid all over again.
“Isabelle!” said Sir Jingles. “I like where you’re going with this, but could you maybe wait to loot the prince til after you’ve saved me? Assuming you’re going to save me, I mean?”
Isabelle looked away from the prince and saw Sir Jingles. He was dangling upside down from a long chain, and was slowly being lowered into the large, bubbling cauldron in the stone platfrom at the center of the room. He was inching closer and closer with every second.
[Mana 83%]
Isabelle figured she ought to save him, but she also saw all the warforged immediately tense up and prepare to fight her. Hmm. Maybe Isabelle could use the system to check the time she had until Jingles got put in the cauldron.
“Isabelle?” said Sir Jingles. “Please, Isabelle, this is freaking me out! I don’t want my ego and corporeal form to get dissolved to feed the Overlord’s power!”
Isabelle rolled her eyes. Sir Jingles was so impatient. Checking duration with the system barely took any time at all! Isabelle thought ‘Check Sir Jingles Dissolved In Cauldron Duration.’
[…]
[Error: Your wis+int check failed]
[Achievement unlocked: fail a wis+int duration check]
Isabelle sighed. So much for that. She didn’t remember if she could try again, though, so she thought ‘Check Sir Jingles Dissolved in Cauldron Duration.’
[Error: You cannot perform a wis+int duration check after you’ve already failed one]
Damn.
[Mana 87%]
“Isabelle!” said Sir Jingles. “Little spatters of cauldron liquid are getting on my fur and I can’t lick them off because I’m tied up! Come on, hurry up!”
Shit. It was time for action. Isabelle dashed toward the staircase that wound around the stone platform up to the top of the cauldron, and was immediately greeted by three burly warforged.
“Good luck trying to get past us, player,” said a warforged.
Isabelle didn’t appreciate their sassiness. Who did these warforged think they were? Did they know who she was? Isabelle raised her left hand and thought, ‘Cast Shoot Lightning.’
[Mana 80%]
Lightning crackled from Isabelle’s fingers and rattled around the warforged.
[1294 damage dealt]
[785 electrocution damage dealt]
Wait. That was it? The warforged looked generally unfazed, other than the steam rising off the top of its head. And the electricity hadn’t traveled through the two other warforged, either!
“You seem surprised, player,” said the warforged. “You see, we’re not normal warforged. We’re Red Serpent Berserkers.”
Before Isabelle could ask what that meant, all three warforged raised their weapon-hands. Two of them had swords, and the one in the middle that had been talking had a large drill. They dashed towards her and stabbed at Isabelle’s gut one by one three times.
[-2 hp]
[-3 hp]
[-6 hp]
[-4 hp]
[-2 hp]
[-1 hp]
[-6 hp]
[-2 hp]
[-4 hp]
Damn. Just like that, about half of Isabelle’s hp was just gone.
[You’ve been staggered]
Staggered? What did that mean? Isabelle finally found an opportunity to dash backwards, away from the berserkers, so she took her chance before asking the system for clarification.
[Stamina 97%]
[Stamina 95%]
What the hell? Her stamina depleted twice after dashing? Isabelle figured it had something to do with being staggered, and that the system could probably tell her. Still, she needed to focus on fighting these warforged berserkers. Clearly, magic wasn’t cutting it, so Isabelle opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Stealth Drainer (enchanted)
+5 stealth, +10 damage, +1 carry weight
Poisoning Dagger x2
+1 poison, +6 damage, +1 sneak level, +1 carry weight
Steel Mace
+10 damage, +1 str, +4 carry weight
Ruby Studded Pocket Knife
+1 stealth, +3 sneak, +0.5 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Dagger x2
+2 fire damage, +5 damage, +3 stm, +1 dx, +2 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Glaive
+2 fire damage, +7 damage, +2 str, +6 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bow
+3 fire damage, +2 damage, +3 dx, +3 carry weight
Hunter’s Crossbow of Chills (enchanted)
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+3 frost damage, +7 damage, +2 dx, +4 carry weight
Arrows of Chills x27 (enchanted)
+2 frost damage, +1 damage
Steel Longsword
+5 str, +5 damage, +8 carry eight
Orcish Longbow
+5 damage, +1 dx, +1.5 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Time for some more glaive action.
[Young Red Dragon Glaive equipped]
[+2 fire damage]
[+7 damage]
[+2 str]
The berserkers charged forward, but Isabelle decided to use this to her advantage. She took something out of the warforged book of fighting and spun her young red dragon glaive in a fiery circle, knocking all three warforged for four consecutive hits.
[1205 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1126 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1392 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1141 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1193 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1182 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1238 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1356 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1192 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1321 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1823 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[1112 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[Stamina 66%]
[Stamina 59%]
[Stamina 54%]
[Stamina 46%]
Fuck’s sake! Isabelle’s stamina was draining at an alarming rate. At least she’d done a hell of a lot of damage. Still, these berserkers looked ready to punch her into the dirt, even though their guts were spurting oil and small gears. Isabelle could probably knock them out, if only she had enough stamina.
Then, Isabelle had an idea. She opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Potion of Endless Stamina x2
+0.5 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
[Potion of Endless Stamina drunken]
[Stamina 100%]
[You are no longer staggered]
Isabelle sighed in relief. She felt so much better. Better, and ready to fight. She drew her glaive and spun it in circles again, and not a moment too soon, as the warforged berserkes had charged towards her again.
[Critical hit]
[2336 damage dealt]
The closest berserker split down the middle, spewing oil, pistons and gears over the ground.
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ is dead]
[Stamina 100%]
Isabelle didn’t let that stop her from spinning. She walked forward, spinning her glaive faster and faster.
[Critical hit]
[3104 damage dealt]
This hit cut the entire front of the warforged off, slicing the warforged almost like a loaf of bread that peeled off quickly. Its limp body crumpled to bits.
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ is dead]
[Stamina 100%]
These berserkers weren’t too bad, anyway. Especially with all this stamina! Isabelle could have this done quickly. She glanced over to see how Sir Jingles was doing. He looked terrified, and his tail was only a hair away from the giant cauldron’s bubbling waters.
[-10 hp]
Isabelle bounced backward as the remaining warforged berserker, the one with the drill, charged at her again. She sidestepped right in time to miss its attack.
[Stamina 100%]
The berserker, missing Isabelle, ran towards a cold dungeon wall and slammed into it. When the dust settled, the foe was trapped, its drill jammed into the stone unable to function save for a loud clicking sound and a smell similar to burnt toast. Isabelle ran up to the foe and slashed at its neck with her glaive.
[Critical hit]
[3329 damage dealt]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ resisted fire damage]
[‘Warforged Berserker’ is dead]
[Stamina 100%]
The berserker’s head popped off, sailed through the air, and landed in the Overlord’s cauldron with a sputter and a pop as it was absorbed. Disturbingly enough, Isabelle noticed that as the warforged’s head dissolved in the cauldron, its body too dissolved right on the spot. Which pissed her off, because Isabelle had been hoping to loot that cool drill weapon.
“Aha! You foolish fool! You should’ve taken my weapons away from me when you had the chance!” said the prince of Sharithlond. “That’s right, your stupid paralyzation spell has finally worn off!”
Isabelle turned to see him charging toward her, poisoned scimitar raised. She could even hear Stelas’ severed head cackling from the floor. But this wasn’t going to be a big deal. Isabelle wouldn’t let it. She opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Staff of Paralyzation
+5 mana, +4 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
[Staff of Paralyzation equipped]
[+5 mana]
Isabelle raised the staff and thought, ‘Cast Paralyze.”
[Mana 97%]
Green light shot out of the staff right as the prince was about to reach her and attack. His face froze with an expression of smug anger as is now-ragdoll body flumped forward and fell to the floor. Isabelle smirked.
“Isabelle! Please! Oh gods, please hurry!” said Sir Jingles. He was puffed up and fidgeting and started hacking up a hairball.
Isabelle looked to the pool of goo where the warforged berserker had been. She wouldn’t let that happen to her party member. Isabelle dashed towards the staircase and ran up the steps.
[Stamina 100%]
Isabelle stood on the top edge of the boiling cauldron. Shit. What was she supposed to do now that she was here? How could she save Jingles?
Isabelle looked around. She saw above her on the wall a high ledge. Standing up on the ledge was a warforged turning a large, steel wheel that seemed to be lowering the chain. Isabelle wasn’t sure she had time to jump up there, so instead she opened her inventory. It was time to use some more magic.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Necromancer Robes
+10 mana, +3 confuse, +3 enchant, +1 destroy, +4 carry weight
Ring of Improved Destroy
+3 destroy
Ring of Increased Mana
+5 mana
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
[Necromancer Robes equipped]
[+10 mana]
[+3 confuse]
[+3 enchant]
[+1 destroy]
[Ring of Improved Destroy equipped]
[+3 destroy]
[Ring of Increased Mana equipped]
[+5 mana]
Isabelle raised her left hand pointing towards the steel wheel on the ledge, focused all her energy on powering up her spell casting, and then thought, ‘Cast Ice Blast.’
[Mana 11%]
Ice flew from her fingertips and up to the ledge. It spun and twirled around the wheel, and around the arms of the warforged operating it. Soon enough, both the warforged’s arms and the wheel were encased in a strong block of ice.
[Achievement unlocked: freeze an inanimate object]
“Oh gods! The cold! So cold!” said the warforged.
Isabelle chuckled under her breath. She hadn’t really realized warforged could even feel cold.
“Thanks, Isabelle,” said Sir Jingles, dangling a breath away from tthe cauldron. “Now, um, if you could find some way of getting me away from this fucking thing, I’d really appreciate it.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes. She always seemed to be saving Sir Jingles. Plus, she’d just kept him from gettin dissolved into Overlord food! Isabelle figured he ought to have been a little more appreciative. Regardless, Isabelle really wasn’t sure what to do. It wasn’t like she could just walk over the bubbling cauldron waters and cut him down. Isabelle realized that the only realistic thing to do was to scale the side of the wall up to the ledge, kill the warforged, melt the wheel free and roll Sir Jingles up really high. She still wasn’t exactly certain how that would help him get free, but she figured being high away from the cauldron would be better than being right up next to it. Isabelle wanted to be well prepared for such a move, so she opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 174.5/227
Item
Traits
Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor (human)
+3 fire resist, +7 hp, +12 str, +13 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Boots
+2 fire resist, +4 stm, +4 dx, +2 str, +7 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Gauntlets
+2 fire resist, +5 damage, +5 stm, +5 dx, +4 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Cloak
+5 fire resist, +3 char, +3 stm, +5 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Dagger x2
+2 fire damage, +5 damage, +3 stm, +1 dx, +2 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Glaive
+2 fire damage, +7 damage, +2 str, +6 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Bow
+3 fire damage, +2 damage, +3 dx, +3 carry weight
Young Red Dragon Helmet
+7 str, +5 char, +3 speechcraft, +3 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
[Sleek Young Red Dragon Armor equipped (human)]
[+3 fire resist]
[+7 hp]
[+12 str]
[Young Red Dragon Boots equipped]
[+2 fire resist
[+4 stm]
[+4 dx]
[+2 str]
[Young Red Dragon Gauntlets equipped]
[+2 fire resist]
[+5 damage]
[+5 stm]
[+5 dx]
[Young Red Dragon Cloak equipped]
[+5 fire resist]
[+3 char]
[+3 stm]
Isabele considered her weapon choices. She figured she ought to use her bow and arrows, so that she could possibly kill the warforged before scaling the wall.
[Young Red Dragon Bow equipped]
[+3 fire damage]
[+2 damage]
[+3 dx]
Isabelle noticed that her arrows of chills immediately appeared in a quiver behind her back, without even having to equip them. The system must’ve saved a preference or something since she always used them with this bow.
[Clarification: You are correct.]
Awesome. Isabelle drew an arrow and aimed at the warforged. She fired.
[Stamina 99%]
[Critical hit]
[1034 damage dealt]
[845 fire damage dealt]
[755 frost damage dealt]
“Gods! Oh gods, the horrible pain! Oh, dear gods, why me? Why must I suffer so?” said the warforged up on the ledge.
[Stamina 100%]
Clearly, this guy wasn’t a berserker. Isabelle fired another arrow.
[Stamina 99%]
[Critical hit]
[2022 damage dealt]
[1001 fire damage dealt]
[978 frost damage dealt]
[‘Warforged’ is dead]
[Stamina 100%]
Isabelle smiled. That hadn’t been too hard.
[Notice: You’re recieving a call on ‘Overlord’s Sending Stone’ from ‘The Overlord.’ Answer the call?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle felt her heart lurch, which was fairly impressive seeing as she was still in combat mode. She felt terribly nervous.
[Notice: You’re recieving a call on ‘Overlord’s Sending Stone’ from ‘The Overlord.’ Answer the call?]
[Y/N]
Ugh, it was like back in Isabelle’s old life when she was getting a phone call from someone she was trying to avoid. Only instead of being an ex boyfriend, it was an evil Overlord bent on killing her.
[Notice: You’re recieving a call on ‘Overlord’s Sending Stone’ from ‘The Overlord.’ Answer the call?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle had no idea what to do.