#Godlike
[Voltanis] : Didn't expect that... I guess I better find a place to hide.:
[Kenobi] :You're back!:
[Notrem] :Where are you? What happened?:
[Voltanis] :I'm in the town square right now, looking for.... AH! A cellar, this will do. I was stuck in the past for awhile, blindsided by a class quest. Is it still the same day here? I swear I spent longer back there:
[Splay Mark] :It is. What's this Raisvelger gonna do?:
[Voltanis] :Hræsvelgr. And frankly, I have no idea. I just got him from the quest I mentioned. All I know is that he controls the Wind, and that he's so fucking strong that I can't summon him directly. I can't even control him! All I can do is set up a signal to mark the spot I want him to attack.:
[Milia] :And you use it here?!:
[Voltanis] :Things look desperate! Waitwhoareyou?:
[Notrem] :Never mind that. More importantly, will our barrier be able to hold against your summon?:
[Voltanis] :Who cast it? Your girlfriend there?:
[Notrem] :She's not my girlfriend!:
[Milia] :I'm not this walking moustache's girlfriend!:
[Kenobi] :A level 50 Enchanter I found put it up. And forget girlfriend, Notrem has a fan-club.:
[Voltanis] :That won't hold against Hræsvelgr. You guys better get into the castle... Wait fan-club?:
[Rui] :We're not exactly his fan-club. We're fans of his Sword-Bow.:
[Voltanis] :Since when did our party get two girls!?:
[Splay Mark] :Fourteen:
[Voltanis] :What???: Voltanis went to check his party screen, :Ohmygod there are 16 girls.:
[Milia] :Forget that! We need to get everyone to safety!:
"She's got a point," Splay Mark said out loud.
"Alright, everyone! Listen up!" Kenobi shouted to get everyone's attention.
"Hey look! It's that Paladin from the town square!" said a random person.
"Yes, it is I!" Kenobi continued once he got everybody's attention, "We've got good news! I'm sure you've noticed, but a friend of ours has just cast a spell strong enough to wipe out all the Harpies! NO DON'T CHEER YET!"
Kenobi stopped everyone before they could start cheering.
"However, he can't control the spell perfectly, so we've only half a minute left to get back into the castle! Everyone! In an orderly manner! Move!"
To their credit, none of the players or NPCs panicked as they moved to the four stairwells that led back into the castle. Town guards and players alike moved in an orderly manner and did not push and shove others. Perhaps it's because they don't feel the need to hurry, as the effects of the spell still couldn't be seen.
"Single file! The stairs are only wide enough for one at a time!" (Kenobi)
In total, there were roughly 50 people that needed to be evacuated. If everything goes well everyone should be safe by the time impact arrives.
[Splay Mark] :We have a problem! The mages can't move while maintaining the barrier! The Enchanter says he'll hold the fort until everyone's safe!:
[Notrem] :I'll stay with him and get him out when it's time.:
[Splay Mark] :Alright!:
I weaved my way towards the blue-robed figure who was standing in the middle of it all, with his wooden staff planted on the ground. The entire area was bathed in a pink light as he expanded his shield to cover the areas vacated by the other mages.
*Shit! It's already starting?* I thought to myself as I glanced upwards, *But there's still a few seconds left!*
Up above, the harpies appeared to be flying in an odd pattern, but upon closer inspection, it's more like they were individually being pushed about in a circular motion, as they flapped their wings helplessly against the invisible force.
Time Remaining:
0:08 mins
Even though there were still a few stragglers who haven't made their way down yet, I decided it was too dangerous to stay longer.
"Hey, mage!" I said to him as I tapped his shoulder, "It's time to go!"
The Enchanter glanced back towards me, but didn't take the barrier down.
"Just a little more, there are still some people-"
"[RESCUE]!"
*CRAAAAAAASH!!
With the sound of a million mirrors shattering and seven million years of bad luck descending, the Enchanter's slowpoke-pink barrier came crashing down as it was struck by some unknown object with unmentionable force.
Thankfully, the object was deflected off Kenobi's new shield (which he seems to have picked up from somewhere) before it could hit either one of us.
"Are you alright?" Kenobi hurriedly asked.
"I'm fine, but the mage is unconscious. Probably because of backlash, when his barrier broke," I replied, "A meteor??? That can't be right! Voltanis clearly said this was supposed to be Wind related!"
Kenobi looked around for abit, searching for the object that fell out of the sky.
"That's no meteor..." Kenobi said in astonishment when he finally found it.
I walked over to Kenobi to see what he found, and what I saw also astonished me.
It was definitely not a meteor. A meteor was made out of rock and metal.
What lay before us was clearly made of flesh, blood, and bone.
It had the face of a human, and a body of one as well. The features of the face couldn't be seen, as it was smashed beyond recognition. But if it could be seen, it would undoubtedly be that of a woman.
Even though it had two wings, only one of them was attached to the body, and another one was flung away by the force of the impact and lay several feet away. The two taloned feet were probably the most least damaged of the bloodied mess, perhas because the creature fell face-first onto the top of the castle.
In other words, what lay before us, was the mangled corpse of a harpy.
Normally, monsters would disintigrate upon being killed by a player. It doesn't matter if they were killed with fire, steel, or some other means. As long as it was killed, it would disintigrate, even if it was killed by a minion.
The fact that this corpse didn't do so showed that Voltanis had absolutely no control over Hræsvelgr. That he (it?) was a creature far beyond us, and would most definitely not a minion.
*CRAAAAAAASH!!
Elsewhere, another harpy plummeted into the ground, flung by the same unnatural Wind brought about by Hræsvelgr's flapping wings. He (it?) could probably have easily brought them all crashing down simultaneously, with even greater force, killing everyone in town at the same time. That he (it?) chose not to do so showed that he (it?) was either merciful, or sadistic.
*CRAAAAAAASH!!
One more harpy landed onto the castle, forming a crack in the floor, which jarred us out of our reverie.
"We should get going," I said as I heaved the Enchanter onto my shoulders, "Cover us."
As I started to walk towards the closest stairwell, Hræsvelgr's pace started to increase. The harpies were now falling in groups all over Rhesta. Luckily, Kenobi was by my side to make sure that none of us got hit.
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Although he blocked the first one with his shield, the subsequent harpies were instead sliced apart with his light-rapier. I assume that he's using his accuracy buff again, as it otherwise be impossible to hit the falling objects.
*If it wasn't for this guy I'm carrying, I'd have reached by now,* I though to myself, *But that that'd defeat the entire purpose of staying back up here, wouldn't it?*
*CRAAAAAAASH!!
A harpy landed on a particularly damaged spot on the castle roof, and managed to smash through into the floor below.
"Holey, shait!" said a player who was downstairs, "guess we better get lower than."
A slight rumbling could be heard as those who were on the top floor rushed back into the stairwell and went further down.
"Almost there Notrem!" Kenobi told me.
By now my pristine white clothing was covered in red, as the harpies spattered blood all over the place when they "landed".
*I hope I can get one of the castle staff to clean this for me.*
The sheltered stairwell was no more than five meters away.
I stumbled for a moment when Kenobi knocked into me while slicing apart a harpy. The push actualy got me a little closer to the stairwell, so I can't complain.
*Even with the extra weight, this should be close enough.*
"[Lunge]!"
With one leap, I reached my destination, with Kenobi right behind me.
He quickly latched the reinforced door behind us...
*CRAAAAAAASH!!
Just in time to stop an incoming harpy, who's head is now stuck through the door.
Achievement: Leave no man behind!
STR +3
DEX +1
Stamina +10
Fame +15
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An hour later, the crashing sounds have subsided, and a few volunteers are making their way up the stairs to check on the situation.
Of course, I was one of them.
"..." I stopped when I reached the top of the stairs, the same one that I used to get down.
"What's wrong, you lily-livered walrus," said Milia, who was just on my tail.
*There's alot I want to say about what she just called me... But I'll ignore it for now.*
"Well, it's just that... It's still alive..."
"What is?" Milia pushed past me, but also stopped when she saw the door, "Oh... Ew."
With its head stuck through the wooden door at about waist height, the harpy that had crashed into it earlier on was still struggling to pull its head out. If this was a different fanfic or website, there would be plenty of things that could be done to it at this time (harpies, after all, were exclusively female), but unfortunately, it's not. Nor would the author of this fanfic ever write something like that.
You pervert.
"At any rate, let's just ignore it for now..." I said as I stepped forward and pushed the door open, leaving the harpy to continue her struggles.
As I stepped out, I looked around me and confirmed that the skies were now clear of any harpies, and from the clouds that were sitting still, it seems that Hræsvelgr has stopped his funny business.
"Oi..." Milia called, "Your [Vision] skill is better than mine. Look there."
"What? Oh.." I said as I looked towards the North, "This is a problem."
The demons that were chased out of town were all headed northwards, to rejoin with the main army that was just appearing at the horizon.
Oh right.
Did I mention that there was an army at the horizon?
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"What's eating him?" I asked Splay Mark.
The "him" I was refering to was Voltanis. The reason being that he was in a position normally only seen in Manga and Anime.
The position where a person sits at a corner of a room with his head resting on his legs while emiting a certain kind of aura.
http%3a%2f%2fimages4.fanpop.com%2fimage%2fanswers%2f...51_201.jpg [http://images4.fanpop.com/image/answers/1115000/1115116_1290962179656.8res_251_201.jpg]
Yeah, like that.
"I'm not sure either," Splay Mark replied, "but he did mention something about 'compensation'."
"Compensation?" I asked, momentarily, "Oh, from the summoning?"
As Voltanis explained to us some time ago, his summoning spells has several stages. The first step is to call the "thing" that you wish to summon, much in the same way you would send a player a private message.
The second step (which requires successful completion of the first step) is the actual summoning portion. Voltanis has to provide enough mana to cast a teleportation spell that will bring the summoned unit to his location, and then back to where it came from. In general, the stronger the unit, the more mana it requires to summon it, which is why Voltanis couldn't physically summon Hræsvelgr.
The final step, normally done after the summoned unit has accomplished its task, is "compensation".
The comensation differs from unit to unit. For example, for the faerie, simple coins will suffice (or gems, if you're feeling generous), while Ratatoskr is particularly fond of gossip.
"What kind of compensation could it be that would have such an effect from him?" I wondered.
"... One level off my character..." the reply came from Voltanis, who unexpectedly spoke up.
"That's not so-" Splay Mark started, but was interupted by Voltanis.
"and one level off every skill I have..."
"Eh?" (Notrem)
"And in addition, I receive no experience or drops from the harpies when they're killed..."
...
...
...
"In other words, you gained nothing from this, but instead lost everything..." I confirmed.
"..." Voltanis drifted back into silence.
Leaving Voltanis to himself in the room that we rented at the Inn, we descended down into the dining area to meet with the rest of the party that was already present.
"First, a toast!" Kenobi proposed, "Although he's not in a condition to join us, he was the one who saved the day! To Voltanis!"
""""To Voltanis!""""
Everyone at the table raised their mugs and cheered. Unlike back in Serabourg, everyone in our current party was over 18, and could legally beer (that didn't taste like juice).
"Also, I assume that everybody here will be staying for the seige tomorrow?"
"Cheh! What do you take me for, you wannabe-Jedi-with-a-fake-lightsaber!" I don't think I need to tell you guys who said this.
"Wanna..Fake-.. Notrem! Where'd you find this rude girl!"
Rather than aggravating the situation by replying, I simply shrugged and sighed.
"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Rui asked, "While it's good news that our reinforcements will be coming on time, we still need to think of a sound strategy."
"Can't we just defend the North gate?" Splay Mark asked.
"You musclehead!" Rui scolded, "If we do that then they'll just circle round to a different gate! We need to place some ground troops to prevent that!"
"Why don't you go visit the duke?" I suggested, "I'm sure he'll be glad to have a strategist around to help."
"Then what do you plan to do?" asked Milia, "I hope you're not planning to laze around all night!"
"Well, I'm an Engineer," I said, "I guess I'll... Engineer."
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Author's Notes:
Hello again!
Finally, a chapter of decent length :D
Recently, I ran into a problem with the forums that made it impossible for me to post, pm, or basically do anything on RoyalRoadL (even log-on/create new account, after I tried logging out).
Thankfully I solved the issue. If anybody is having the same problem, pls visit [html=http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=167&t=2162]this[/html] page.
As usual, any and all comments and criticisms will be welcome.