Hux slunk through the bloom of growth near the edge of the island, watching the miserable pack of adventurers splashing and flailing their way closer. If he had a full complement of arrows he could pick them off at his leisure. With just one heavily damaged arrowseed remaining, he waited for his opportunity.
The players clung to a fallen log, swimming alongside it. Their progress across the river was excruciatingly slow. The one in full plate-armor was barely able to cling on for dear life while the rest struggled to make headway. The long robes some of them wore only made the swim that much harder. They almost missed the island entirely but managed to pull themselves onto the last hundred feet or so of the shore. No river slimes tripped them up, but that swim must have eaten up a lot of their stamina points. Huxley wasn’t about to let them rest and recover.
The one in armor staggered out of the river, drawing his sword and scanning the treeline even as water streamed out of the gaps in his metal shell. He was clearly a poor choice for a target. The woman in white robes holding an ornate metal club followed close behind him, too close for Hux to get a clear shot. The man in black was sitting on the riverbank, wringing water out of his robes with a sour look on his face. Huxley drew his bow and sighted along the arrow.
The woman wearing a red dress threw her staff to the ground and crossed her arms, rubbing them and shivering dramatically.
“I am so freaking done with this stupid forest.” She complained bitterly, drawing the others’ attention. Hux took the opportunity to release his arrowseed while no one was looking. He didn’t stick around to watch the result but ran off into the trees immediately.
You strike DemonKing for 5 damage!
Sneak Attack: +70% damage!
Archery-Lv2: +10% damage
Critical area struck: x10 damage!
Total Damage: 90
The attack wasn’t quite enough to kill him outright, but it definitley got his attention.
“Shit! Right in the ear? Healz! Get off your ass. Lance, cover me. Ghost, get eyes on him! We can’t just sit back and let that asshole hit us with sneak attacks!”
Huxley stopped before going too far, hid himself in the underbrush, and listened. Their leader’s yelling rose sharply in pitch when the arrowseed started draining his hp.
It sounded like most of the players were still on the shore but heavy footfalls drew closer and some of the ferns began parting almost like there was a very narrow wind blowing through the forest. A wind that trampled any bushes it blew past. Huxley slipped his mask down over his face and a red blob superimposed itself over the disturbance in the underbrush.
So these players had an invisible man on their team did they? At least he didn’t have any of the subtlety needed to actually take advantage of such an incredible ability, leaving plenty of signs of his passing. The invisible player was way off course too and didn’t even come close to Huxley’s position as he blundered past. He paused and looked from side to side at the edge of Huxley’s vision before snapping his head to the left and darting off in that direction, apparently hearing something over that way.
Hux carefully pushed himself to his feet and began to follow the invisible player. It wasn’t hard. Tracking rarely involved being close enough to your quarry that you could see them so that invisibility trick didn’t count for much. Even if he couldn’t hear him tromping along, the bootprints and flattened shrubbery would have been enough to clue in even the most inexperienced boy-scout.
A shrill cry broke through the trees not too far ahead. Huxley risked moving faster and making more noise, relying on the nearby screeching and thrashing to cover for him.
He found the player, now fully visible, chasing one troglodyte while a second ran off screaming in another direction. The player wore leathers over his chest, and his leather boots and gloves extended all the way to his knees and elbows. There was a bow and quiver on his back, and a matched set of knives were sheathed on his belt. Despite all those weapons, he dove onto the closest troglodyte, unarmed, and wrestled it to the ground.
“Quit your struggling foul beast!” the player shouted dramatically. “The King of Demons has come for your soul! Resistance is futile!”
Huxley moved to stay in his blindspot while closing the distance, readying his sword. When he was just a few paces away, pressure suddenly built behind Hux’s nose. He tried to fight it but couldn’t help screwing up his eyes and letting out a sneeze loud enough to wake the dead.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the troglodyte scampering off into the trees while the player spun to face him, drawing both of his knives with a reverse grip, raising them in something approximating a defensive stance. Then he ruined it by extending one arm to point at Hux.
“There you are knave! Today you shall feel the sting of the Demon Kings' justice!”
Hux heard shouting and clanking armor approaching from the shore after that. He needed to make this quick, but grappling with a knife-fighter was generally a bad idea. That went double for people who bring an extra knife to the fight. He didn’t waste time on a reply, instead sprinting towards the player, angling a bit to the side.
The player raised his hands again, crossing his forearms to hold each knife beside his head. Then he stabbed both of his knives forward, the blades converging on Huxley’s face from two different directions. This kid had clearly watched too many movies. What was the point of using multiple weapons if you just tangled yourself up like that?
Hux knocked the telegraphed attack to the side with contemptuous ease, his shortsword biting through the light armor on the player’s forearms.
You strike Gh0stH0und for 17 damage!
(-4 from armor)
Total Damage: 13
Both of GhostHound’s arms went wide, one knocked aside by the other, and Hux immediately drove a fist into his dumbstruck face. Even though the punch didn’t do any damage, it sent him reeling, stumbling over a bush and falling flat on his back.
Huxley didn’t give Ghosthound a single second to reorient himself or regain his feet. He was entirely comfortable with kicking an enemy when they were down if it meant they wouldn’t get back up. He leveraged his longer weapon to stand over the downed player, mercilessly hacking at him, keenly aware of the clanking and crashing rapidly approaching from behind.
The other players were very close now, but GhostHound was quick enough to get his arms up each time Huxley aimed for his head. That didn’t stop Hux from cutting through his HP at a frightening rate.
You strike Gh0stH0und for 16 damage!
(-4 from armor)
Target is Prone: x2
Total Damage: 24
“Hey! Quit it!” Ghosthound whined. “Time out! I said time out!”
Huxley ignored him and kept hacking away, counting up the HP as more notifications flashed by. He passed a hundred quickly, but GhostHound didn’t die. He must have put some points into constitution. There was only time for a couple more hits before something bright red flashed in the corner of Hux’s vision and he ducked on pure reflex.
A flaming staff arced overhead, the fire giving off a sound like a deep throaty growl as it passed at speed. In the next moment, the other end of the staff slammed into Huxley’s side, letting off a small flash and a loud bang, putting out the flames on the end of the staff that hit him while igniting a small patch of his cloak.
You take 3 damage from FlameQueen
(-10 from armor)
You have been Branded (Novice Lv7)
+19 fire damage
+1 fire damage every 2 seconds for 12 seconds
HP: 81/100
There wasn’t much force behind the strike and the burst of flames didn’t knock Hux off balance either, so he was able to react when the first end of the staff came back around, batting the length of wood aside with his sword. The other end got tangled in a bush and as soon as the staff stopped spinning the flame on its end guttered out.
The woman in red snarled as she danced back out of reach, pulling her staff free and starting to spin it again with smooth practiced motions. Huxley took the opportunity to swat at the small fire gaining a foothold on his cloak but it didn’t go out. At least it didn’t seem to be spreading and if the notification could be believed, it should put itself out before long so he turned his attention back to the FlameQueen in front of him.
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She displayed a surprising level of situational awareness and skill, not only navigating the roots and undergrowth that could have tripped her up, but somehow finding the room needed to twirl her long staff among the trees and all the other other obstacles the forest had to offer. The ends of her weapon started glowing red and letting off trails of smoke. A familiar prickle between his shoulders let Huxley know that this FlameQueen was a much bigger threat than GhostHound so he stepped in with a lunging stab aimed at her head. The attack felt awkward and unpracticed because it was. She avoided it easily enough by backing up but her staff knocked against a treebranch and it stopped spinning, causing the red smoking ends to go dim again.
FlameQueen let off a short frustrated scream, glaring like only an irate woman could, but Huxley was distracted from her when the armored knight crashed into view, followed closely by the woman in white and the man in black. Hux turned to finish off GhostHound, but the player was gone. Hux caught sight of a red blob lurking off to the side though.
Hux cast one look back at the oncoming players and ran away, almost directly towards the spot where GhostHound was hiding. Hux deliberately didn’t look at the invisible player though, even going so far as to cast another glance over his shoulder.
In that glance he saw FlameQueen’s twirling staff start glowing again while the woman in white raised her ornate metal club which also glowed now, but with a whiteish-gold light instead of red. The armored knight uncorked a vial, downing its yellow contents in one swallow as the man in black pointed at Hux, muttering something indistinct right before a shadow shot out of his finger. It flickered between them almost too fast to see before sinking through Huxley’s armor like it wasn’t there.
You have been cursed by DemonKing!
-10% to maximum HP, SP, and MP
-20% movement speed
18 minutes remaining
Huxley’s skin went clammy and grey. He stumbled as he abrubtly slowed, his feet growing unexpectedly heavy without warning. Hux was definitely out of his depth. There was too much happening that he didn’t understand. It was past time for him to get to the “running” part of “hit and run” tactics.
Turning his attention forward, he saw GhostHound shimmer into view with his bow in hand right about the same time he felt a thump high on his chest, but there was no spark of pain or damage notification. Instead, his arrow shattered on Huxley’s breastplate, sending a puff of splinters and feathers into the air.
Huxley raised his sword, preparing to slash for GhostHound’s neck one last time as he passed. GhostHound looked like he already had his fill of close combat though and was making to scramble out of the way.
“Light Wall!” A feminine voice shouted right before Huxley ran face-first into something that felt a lot like a plate-glass window, bouncing off of it and taking a step back.
Hux struck out with his sword. The shimmering barrier in front of him flared bright white-gold but didn’t shatter. Instead, light rippled out from the point of contact and a damage notification popped up.
You strike Novice Light Wall Lv-2 for 18 damage
(-2 from armor)
Total Damage: 16
His next strike caused the strange barrier to shatter, collapsing into sparkling shards of light that fizzed away before they hit the ground, but a distinctive growling woosh approaching from behind forced Hux to turn and fight. He spun in time to knock the flaming staff aside and FlameQueen brought the other end around smoothly, immediately following up with another attack from above. Huxley barely got his sword back in position in time, blocking the staff and shoving it back instead of parrying only for it to reverse course in an instant, bringing the other end up between his legs.
Huxley watched in horror as the flaming brand swept towards his tender parts, his sword out of position to block. He leapt back but the curse left him just a little too slow. The staff struck home and exploded once again, igniting Huxley’s crotch.
You take 4 damage from FlameQueen
(-3 from armor)
Vulnerable area struck: x5 damage
You have been Branded (Novice Lv-7)
+19 fire damage
+2 fire damage every 2 seconds for 12 seconds
HP: 42/90
Hux yelped out of reflex even though the pain wasn’t any worse than any other in-game wound. The man in black winced sympathetically, but FlameQueen just grinned maliciously and reversed her staff again, bringing the end that was still on fire towards Huxley’s face. He reached out and caught the staff in his bare hand, holding it below the section that was still on fire.
You take 3 damage from FlameQueen
HP: 39/90
“Really?” Huxley growled.
She met his glare and winked cheekily.
“Switch!” The woman in white called from behind her and Queen fell back, easily pulling her staff from Huxley’s grip and making room for the armored Knight who finally caught up to them. Hux prepared to receive his charge and turn all that momentum against him, but the knight drew up short and made a simple prodding thrust from as far away as possible, relying on the superior reach of his weapon to keep out of danger. It almost seemed timid and Huxley batted it aside while stepping in, reaching for his wrist. The knight seemed to anticipate this, backing away and slashing at Huxley’s arm, warding it off.
Over his shoulder, FlameQueen’s staff caught fire again and DemonKing fished something red and wriggling from his robes. He threw whatever it was in an overhand pitch before Hux got a good look at it, only getting a brief impression of claws, fangs, and stubby, flailing limbs. He tried to dodge, but once again the curse left him just a little too slow, and it latched onto his cloak before scampering under his armor, scratching and biting incessantly.
You take 1 damage from Lv1 Demon
HP: 32/90
The little sparks of pain weren’t all that bad, but it was hard to concentrate with a tiny clawed critter clambering all over him. The intermittent twinges of pain caused by the small flames clinging to him didn’t help either.
FlameQueen stepped back in for another attack right after Hux parried the next conservative thrust from the knight, but He moved to the side, putting the bulky warrior between them.
DemonKing threw another one of his annoying little demons into the fray. Hux cut the red streak out of the air before it reached him, killing it in a single blow. The distraction was enough temptation to make the knight lunge forward, forgetting his defense and pulling his shield back when he twisted to reach further with his sword. Huxley slipped to the side enough so the attack barely grazed him across his chest, letting him grab the knight’s wrist and pull him off balance, but it still did a lot of damage.
You take 21 damage from Sir Lots-O-Lance
(-10 from armor)
Vengeance: +50% Damage!
HP: 12/90
Hux slashed up and across his armpit, landing a solid hit through the gap in his armor while the knight was on his way to the ground.
You strike Sir Lots-O-Lance for 16 damage
Vulnerable area struck: x5 damage dealt!
Major arteries severed: 5 bleeding damage every 1.5 seconds for 10 seconds!
Total Damage: 80 (+25)
Before Hux could capitalize on the advantage a flaming staff arced towards him, making him release his grip on the knight and throw himself out of the way. At the same time, an arrow he didn’t see coming whistled through the space his head just occupied, reminding Hux that GhostHound wasn’t out of the fight yet. The arrow came dangerously close to FlameQueen though and she flinched instead off following up with another strike.
Huxley seized the chance to run for it. The knight was still getting back to his feet. The other players hiding behind the knight weren’t in any position to stop him and even if FlameQueen was faster than Huxley now that he was cursed, she would be hard-pressed to chase him through the woods while spinning her staff, something that seemed necessary for her flaming attacks to work.
Hux fished under his cloak and ripped the little demon free, turning just long enough to huck it at her. She flinched again, but the little monster landed lightly on her face and sprang right back at Hux like it was a grasshopper. He slashed it out of the air and continued running off into the woods.
His health kept dipping lower and lower every couple of seconds until the flames clinging to him guttered out, leaving just a few HP remaining. He could hear the players crashing through the undergrowth behind him, but he quickly outpaced the clanking sounds of heavy armor.
Huxley wasn’t faster than their entire team though, and GhostHound in particular was able to catch up again and again, only stopping long enough to fire another hastily aimed arrow in Huxley’s direction. Dodging from side to side and ducking behind trees was eating through his stamina quickly however, even with his most recent meal bolstering his recovery. All that zig-zagging was slowing him down just as much as the curse too so Hux took a chance after one of the arrows missed, doubling back on GhostHound.
Taken by surprise, he fumbled the arrow he was trying to nock and was a second too slow to reach for his knives. Huxley slammed him to the ground, raised his sword and…
“Achoo!”
Huxley’s whole body shook with the force of the sneeze, and by the time he got his eyes back open, FlameQueen was there. Her staff wasn’t on fire, but she thrust it forward like a spear anyways. This move wasn’t as practiced as her others though, it was just a little off center and Huxley barely got his head out of the way in time. The sudden movement ruined his thrust at GhostHound’s neck though, causing him to miss. That gave GhostHound just enough time to yank a knife from his sheath and bury it in Huxley’s thigh. Everything froze. Color slowly leeched from the scene while Hux read a pair of notifications.
You take 12 damage from GhostHound
(-3 from armor)
HP: 0/90
You have died
All experience has been lost: 0/600 exp to level 6
All progress towards the next level of your skills has been reset
You can respawn in 1 hour
Thank you for playing!