(Guys, thank you all so, SO much for giving me the chance to get here. Welcome, one and all, to CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED of Aegis Online! The big three digits! I never dreamed I’d get this far, and I hope you all enjoy. My Discord server is still open to anyone who's a fan, by the way!
https://discord.gg/yjQVmwN7
And so, since it's Crismin, I'm going to go on a little break! don't worry, all my stories will be continuing in the new year. Everyone, I hope you have a wonderful Merry Crisis!)
As I blink, then nod, the nobleman cps his hands twice. A young woman in official-looking robes bustles through the doors leading into the manor, her gsses askew.
“Yes, my lord?”
“We’re ready, Aleesia. Do you have the documentation?”
“Of course my lord. As Arbitrator, I will witness the signing. If you would, dy Argonaut?” she proffers a quill and a bottle of green ink. I take the feather, dipping the point and inscribing my name at the bottom of a small sheet of high-quality parchment after reading it thoroughly.
This document, once signed by both parties, forms a legally-binding contract between the notaries. In return for coin or goods equal in value to the market value of 200,000 gold coins, the Wings of the Storm will convey a select number of individuals and material to the city of Mortis, in the centre of the Darkheart continent, at the spot known as the Darkwood Heights, and transport them back upon conclusion of their investigation into the trading market of the city. The trip will st approximately three weeks.
I watch as the nobleman signs. Right under my signature, his name gleams in green ink.
Lord Aethelford, Earl of Wayrest.
I smile. “I’m grateful for your patronage, my lord. Many thanks for your trust in my guild.”
The Earl smiles, and Aleesia ducks back inside, returning with a small silver tray with five gold bars sitting in a neat pyramid in the centre.
“This is your advance pay. I will begin preparing. Simply knock at my door once you’re ready!”
I take the ingots, and smile. Fifty thousand in gold bars. That’ll be another chunk to add to the ship’s coffers. I’ll make my own cash on my own time. This money’s gonna be needed for paying the crew and supplying our hold with provisions.
After a breakfast, a quick trip to the Vassim Grand College, and a brief stop at the Dupont-Moreau Academy of Magi-Scientific Education to see Dr Frank. He’s looking visibly frail now, but his smile is just as warm and full of energy as ever. He’s leaning heavily on a cane as he moves slowly through the halls of his institution, pausing to share some of his knowledge with students. There are more than I expected, and mostly NPCs, all taking notes, paying attention, and discussing strange and arcane theories and suggesting different formue for how to get results.
Mor is fascinated by everything. It’s the first time she’s been in a real city, after her ‘homend’ of Aerene and then the whole training camp in the Darkheart Outpost. This is probably the first time she’s had any actual free time that’s being given to her to spend how she likes.
Finally, we head to the Translocation Beacon to return to the outpost. I board the Devil Hunter and have her made ready for take-off, as Asteria and Mor fp up to embark. Genevieve waves us off, and, at full ahead, it takes us a day and a half to make it back to Vassim. Thankfully, Tirran and Farne are more than equal to keeping the crystals charged, and I report in to the Earl. He’s assembled his team, and I immediately forget the names of the dozen humans, Alvae, and Andromal who’re starting to load crates and sacks into the hold of my airship as it rests at a makeshift airfield in a paddock on the Earl’s nd.
The Earl smiles at me. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you so soon, but I’m very pleased! Now, you won’t be required to act as bodyguards, but the reason this is so well-paid is due to the difficulty of ENTERING the city. Anyone who wishes for entry is required to defeat the guardian. There’s no other way into Mortis City.”
I blink. “Oh, a mandatory boss-fight? I can dig it. Alright, we’ll depart as soon as your crew is ready, milord.”
He beams. “Oh, and you’ll be taking Aleesia. She’s a Lorekeeper, and our intelligence on Darkheart is… rather limited. She’ll be studying any information she can find while she’s there for the duration.”
The young woman pants up, carrying a rge backpack stuffed with notebooks and writing implements, her gsses perched on the bridge of her nose. She bows hurriedly, and, as she straightens up, the weight of her backpack pulls her over, leaving her stranded like an upside-down turtle.
“Ooohhhh, not again…” she sighs disconsotely. I reach out and help her up easily. She blushes and stammers out a greeting.
“I’m Darkheart, and I’ll be joining you on your trip to Aleesia! I mean-!”
I smile. “It’s fine, I get the premise of it. Welcome aboard!”
She bows, and then almost falls over again. I catch her before she can overbance again, and she staggers up the gangpnk. Lady Gloria Arabel Cosette Felicity Kingsley III assists, cantering back and forth with bags and boxes, her long reddish hair swishing. The three dwarves, Ungo, Bungo, and Grungo, and even the small chef Mackerel, who’s gotten himself one of those little helicopter backpacks to allow for flight.
A message comes through from Marika.
Hi, guys! Are you doing anything fun? Sionnach and I are trying to find something to do to raise our levels. I’m… trying to keep busy. Things aren’t going well for me…
I sigh. “Astie, I think we need a couple more people on this. I have two in mind, are you okay with that?”
Asteria tilts her head. “Who?”
I smile. “Marika and her foxy girlfriend!”
Asteria smirks, and nods. “Yeah, bring them in!”
I beam and send back a message, filling the pink-haired girl in on what we’ll be doing. She sends back another message.
I’ll be right there! I also wanna double-check something about that ability you made for me. It might just be me, but I think it’s kinda… too strong?
I let her know we’ll be taking off shortly, and expin to the Earl that we’re bringing a couple of specialists aboard as insurance. He nods. “As you wish, Guildmaster. I leave the matter at your discretion. Safe travels! I look forward to your success!”
He heads back inside, and Marika rounds the corner, her robes flying, a rge golden fox at her heels. The pair skid to a halt as Sionnach snaps into her bipedal Vulpa form, her huge sword on her back as Marika leans on her staff.
“We’re here!” she pants, straightening up as she brushes her pastel-pink hair out of her face.
I smile. “Hey, Marika. It’s been a while, good to see you! You too, Sionnach!”
The Vulpa grins. “Aye, good to catch ya! So, Darkheart, eh? I’ve not gone there yet, and Marika’s too scared to go there alone. Apparently there’s all kinds of horror-movie monsters and things there and she’s a wuss!”
Marika begins pouting immediately, until Sionnach warps her form into a human one with ears and a tail. Then the Vulpamorph leans up and kisses her taller girlfriend on the lips to soothe her.
Mor stares, eyes wide in awe. “More girls who like girls?!” she breathes, and I elbow her gently, smirking.
“You’d be surprised, sweetie. I think most of my friends in this world are girlkissers.”
Asteria pinches my butt, to no effect thanks to my pte armour. I blow a raspberry at her as the adorable couple board. I show them to a cabin we keep for guests, with Mor choosing to bunk down in the barracks. I spend most of the next two days at the helm, enjoying the feeling of wind rushing through my hair and feathers. Mor flies alongside the ship, and I even watch her take on a Giant Eagle in an aerial dogfight when it tries to strike the Devil Hunter out of the sky. It ends with the huge bird spiralling to the ground as Morrigan’s wings beat, undamaged, her simple katana dripping dark blood.
I cheer her on as she does an aileron roll in victory, her wings fring out, the sunlight glinting off the crimson phoenix-feathers as she celebrates her first true combat win. When she touches down on the deck, I jog over to give her a hug, her beaming smile almost blinding me
“You did great, Mor! Genevieve’s teaching really paid off, you worked so hard to get this strong!” I take a quick peek at her status window. Oh, wow! She’s passed the lvl40 mark, and her speed actually surpasses mine, though I have the edge in strength. My HP is higher, but she’s got more MP. She’s turning into quite the little magebde, if I’m not mistaken.
The rest of the trip is peaceful, and we heave-to near the triangur trio of mountains, the Darkwood Heights, at the very centre of the Darkheart region, a strange barrier linking the three peaks and forming a shield over the city built in the heart of the triangur space between the mounts.
“That must be Mortis City!” I point, the name ringing a bell in the back of my mind. I can’t recall where I’ve heard that name before…
Asteria helps out by clearing a space with a little earth-magic, Marika assisting, and we bring the Devil Hunter down, near the great gateway carved into the stone, leading in towards the city. Torches in sconces along the passage burn with an eerie green and blue fme, and I swallow. There’s a group of pyers ahead, twelve of them, and they’re moving faster than us.
“Come, monster! You and your kind will soon meet our bdes!” the main-tank roars, barrelling into the vast chamber at the end of the tunnel. The party off-tank follows, the six DPS pyers splitting into threes and backing up their respective tanks. Two mages, one for each squad, then two healers per team.
The room is empty, and we watch from outside the bounds. If this is a boss-fight, I don’t want to get dragged in without knowing what we’re in for. There’s a sudden tremor of impact, and something drops from the roof of the cavern.
Rising from hunched into a full stand, a massive demon stares down at the party. It-no, SHE- is about thirty feet tall, with a single pauldron on her right shoulder. Her skin’s grey-blue, with curling ram horns jutting out from the sides of her head. Her wild white hair, tipped with mint-green streaks, shifts in the breeze whipped up by her nding. Her tail is that of a scorpion, but instead of poison, a potent acid drips from her stinger. Her huge cloven hooves grind chips of stone to powder. In one hand, she wields an absolutely GIGANTIC battleaxe, her bck fingernails long and talon-like. Her fangs gleam as she bears them at them.
“So, another band of fools seek to sy the people of MY city? Then come at me… and meet your DEATHS!” the demon roars, spittle flying from her jaws as her eyes turn from piercing grey to a solid, bloody red. Then, she bounds straight up, bringing the axe down in a relentless blow.
“CALAMITOUS STRIKE!”
The stone ruptures beneath the blow, chunks of rock flying in all directions as the demon’s stinger tail shes out, smming into the main-tank’s shield, ricocheting back before his retaliatory swing can cleave the stinger off, his blow missing completely.
One of the DPS pyers dashes forward. “Larkspur!”
He flickers, moving faster than I can follow, but the demon’s fist snaps out, and he goes tumbling backwards, using a curved sword to halt his slide as one of the healers starts casting. The demon bellows, “YOU FACE MORTIS, THE DEMON LORD OF EXTINCTION! THE CALAMITY GENERAL! THE BANE OF THE ARGONAUTS! NOW… DIE! BLOODY ROAR!”
Inhaling, the Demon Lord bsts the space in front of her with a beam of ruddy light, one of the mages throwing up a barrier. It sts all of four seconds before shattering like gss, two pyers crying out as they’re swallowed by the light. The telltale sounds of their deaths fills the arena as the beam disperses. The main-tank’s fine, but the off-tank’s shield is melting. She’s cursing and digging another out of her inventory as the healers work overtime to keep everyone topped-up.
One of them goes flying as Demon Lord Mortis punts him across the cavernous chamber like a screaming football.
The raid party’s inflicting damage on her, though. I can see cyan trickles of blood flowing from wounds all over her upper body. However, the boss doesn’t even seem to stagger or slow. Although her attacks aren’t very fast, each one hits with the force of a bomb, and I don’t like the chances of these guys. They’re fighting something WAY out of their league…
As the main-tank starts using a taunt skill, trying to bait the boss into targeting him, she… ignores him completely, snatching up one of the mages, squeezing them in a huge fist, before throwing them to the floor and bringing a hoof down squarely on top.
Four pyers down.
“What?! My taunt didn’t work! Katsunori! We’ll have to draw aggro the old way! Hit it until it hates us!”
The female off-tank shouts, “Right! Here we go! Twin Serpent Edge!” she shes out with her weapon, a nasty looking whip-sword, the bde segmenting and snaking out, cracking the air and wrapping round Mortis’ left wrist.
“That hand is mine-WHOA!”
The off-tank is tugged off the floor as Mortis begins spinning her through the air like a yoyo, spinning her over and over and over in a loop, faster and faster. Something’s got to give, though, and Katsunori’s grip fails her, sending her straight up, almost reaching the ceiling. Before she can fall back and hit the ground, Mortis swivels her axe and swings it, ft-on, like a bat, unching the hapless off-tank the full length of the chamber, sending her back through the tunnel and past us in a welter of blood and shattered armour.
“KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! BACK THE WAY SHE CAME! BYE-BYE!”
Five dead.
The Camity General sweeps her tail out in a scything blow, sending half the remaining pyers tumbling and rolling to avoid the deadly barbed scorpion-tail. Then she raises a hoof and brings it crashing down.
“SUNDER EARTH!”
Spears of rock nce up out of the centrepoint of the impact, piercing through two more pyers, the second mage and another DPS. They go limp instantly. The tank’s own axe swings, catching the Demon Lord’s next swing and stopping it almost cold. Then, her eyes seem to focus on one of the DPS pyers. He’s hiding behind the remaining healer like a coward.
“WEAKLING! YOU BRING SHAME ON YOUR FELLOWS! I WILL CRUSH YOU NEXT!”
Faster than before, Mortis’ stinger fshes out, the healer flinching. The point barrels past him, catching the DPS pyer in the shoulder and dragging him right to the Demon Lord’s hooves. She pins him down as she yanks her stinger free.
“VENGEFUL LASH!”
The axe sms down three times, the blows nding so fast they almost nd as one.
Eight pyers down. Four left. One healer, the main-tank, and two DPS.
Mortis turns on the remaining Argonauts, blood coating her weapon. “NOW… THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH… YOU BORE ME. DIE!”
She hurls the axe, cleaving the tank and his shield in twain, and then fttening the healer and two DPS guys in a single megaton punch.
The raid attempt… is over. I swallow, eyes wide.
“Asteria? Can you tell what level that boss is? She’s got to be at least level 100. She wiped out a full raid party so quickly…”
Asteria shakes her head. “Nope. Nothing. However, we should TOTALLY stream this! I wanna try and beat this boss on-camera!”
I smile. “Y-yeah. Besides, if we can beat her, we’ll unlock access to a whole new city! That alone has gotta be worth it!”
Asteria smirks. “Good job I installed a temporary Shrine on your ship. If we die, we’ll revive there. However, the penalty’s fairly steep. You lose half your on-hand money, your equipment takes a beating for durability, and you’ll lose 30% of the exp. you’ve accrued towards your next level-up.”
I wince. “Yowch, that’s pretty harsh, yeah. But… we took a job to get that group through. We can’t exactly hand the money back. It’ll trash the guild’s reputation, too… no noble’s going to offer us another lucrative quest again if we flub this one…”
We head back to the ship. I message Ulged and request a bunch of spare sets of armour, shields and spears. I’m not getting my good gear wrecked for this. And, if we’re gonna die to this superboss, I’d rather have my best equipment for the winning attempt. Asteria goes through her spell list, looking for any new skills that might come in handy.
The next morning, Marika, Sionnach, Asteria and I stand at the mouth of the tunnel. Everyone’s made all the preparations they can. The moment of truth… Asteria and I have our streams running, and have done our intros and expined the situation. And now, to a growing audience, we begin our first attempt.
Stepping into the arena, I raise my basic tower-shield and rap my swordspear against it.
“Good morning! If possible, we’d like to pass without a fight! Would you be willing to let us through, Demon Lord Mortis?”
The boss drops down from the ceiling, nding with an earsplitting crash. Her piercing blue eyes fix on me.
“WELL, THIS GROUP HAS SOMEONE WITH GOOD MANNERS IN IT! UNFORTUNATELY, THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS. IF YOU WANT TO ENTER MY CITY, YOU MUST PROVE YOU CAN DEFEAT ME! NOW… ARE YOU READY? WE’LL START NICE AND SIMPLE!”
We all start moving as Mortis brings her axe up and swings it. My shield catches the blow as I take off, putting myself between the honed edge and Marika. She nods in thanks, before swinging her hands up and a huge fist made of thorny vines bursts from the ground and grips onto the axe, trying to wrench it from the boss’ hand. Sionnach goes after the tail, trying to prevent the stinger from coming into py, as Asteria chants rapidly, her sword weaving a pattern in the air as glyphs fsh into existence the moment she traces them.
Mortis’ axe pulls free of the vines as she roars, her horns twisting as she lunges, headbutting the ground in an attempt to smush the Vulpa Bdebreaker. Sionnach dodges, her greatsword striking sparks from the calcified horns as she sshes at Mortis’ face.
The blow snaps the Demon Lord of Extinction’s head sideways, but she doesn’t even seem to feel it, leaping up and back as Asteria’s spell finally comes to fruition, a bolt of blue lightning striking the ground where Mortis had been a second ago. A second bolt, then a third, but the demon dodges the second, then her axe swings up, blocking the third.
“NOT BAD… YOU’RE MAKING THIS FUN FOR ME! GRAAAARGH!”
I leap again, taking a second blow on my shield, as Sionnach darts past behind me, running in a wide loop to get into a more advantageous position for her next strike.
“Wyvern-Cutter!”
The Bdebreaker’s swing causes a shockwave to ripple outwards, kicking up dust as she sinks the edge into Mortis’ thigh. The Demon Lord shes out with her tail, the barb missing its target, but the sheer speed still causing Sionnach to be thrown back, her cws grating on the stone.
Asteria’s bde flickers out as the Alv Mana-Knight darts in, thin cuts opening on the boss’ greyish skin, cyan blood flowing from each one. However, Astie’s STR can’t be that high, since her blows seem retively ineffective. Then, the outcome we’d expected comes to pass.
Marika raises her hands, summoning another thorned vine fist, but Mortis punches it apart, her axe coming round in a quick and brutal one-two combo. Marika disappears in a cloud of dust and a short scream that’s quickly cut off.
Sionnach lunges, snarling in furry rage, as Mortis rips her axe back upwards. The Vulpa utterly goes feral, her bde smming down and round over and over, every single blow nding on Mortis’ pauldron or the bde of her axe. Then, Sionnach overreaches, putting herself too close to the raidboss.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, Mortis grabs Sionnach’s greatsword, catching it mid-blow.
“NAUGHTY! NOW, SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOUR!”
Sionnach suddenly explodes, as Mortis steps on her, and I swear under my breath. My arm’s already numb, and I’ve only blocked two hits! Asteria cackles, before screaming, “I’mma firing mah zor!”
Naberius twines around her arm, the winged serpent’s mouth open wider than it should, before Astie’s power flows through her monster pet, a brilliant beam of Indigo light searing through the distance between her and Mortis. I cover my eyes as Mortis roars in pain for the first time. Then, everything goes bck as I’m killed.
Sitting up on the wooden deck of my ship, I blink at the small, glowing shrine that now occupies one of the smaller store-rooms on the mid-deck. Sionnach and Marika are smiling at me, casually holding hands.
Morrigan hugs me, and I pat her head awkwardly as I try to stand. “Well, that went about as well as I expected, guys. This one’s no joke, she’ll kick your butt if you’re not prepared. I recommend a full party, even though that might not even help. We saw her destroy a twelve-man raid group yesterday, so… yeah. She’s got to be beatable, though, the devs wouldn’t put an impossible fight in. People would riot if they did!”
Marika nods. “I mean, I think we did pretty well, even if we all got- oh, hi, Asteria!”
My girlfriend’s appeared in a fsh of sacred light, blinking and gasping for breath. She sits up as Mor switches her hugging to the buxom Alv.
“Ugh, yep. She got me, too. Seriously, though, she’s REALLY tough! I never got the chance to fire off another big spell once it turned into a 1v1. I wanna fight her again, but… we need rest, food, and more levels, I think! Sounds like a pn? We fight her first thing in the morning, then grind for exp. the rest of the day?”
We all share looks, then nod. “You wanna help us, Mor? You could get some free combat training in?”
“Yeah! I’ll get my sword!” Morrigan bolts, her wings twitching as she rounds the corner at full-speed, her bck hair swishing. It’s gotten longer since we’d basically adopted her, and she even has to tie it back now. It looks good on her, making her look a little like some kind of warrior-angel.
She returns in less than a minute, and those of us who fought the raid-boss have re-equipped ourselves with fresh armour and weapons. Then, our little hunting party sets off to grab as much exp. as we can!
We hunt down everything we can find, working and working until the sun starts sinking below the horizon, and then head back to the ship. Asteria pces a barrier around it, shielding us from mid-level monsters or lower, and we sit around a table in the mess, eating Mackerel’s delicious cooking, and comparing our gains. Marika’s level 58, Sionnach’s level hit 62 today, I’m level 68, and Asteria’s level 77.
The most shocking thing is Morrigan, who’d started at level 29 thanks to her training with Genevieve. She’s hit level 50!
The next day goes about the same. Enter the raid-boss’ arena, get pulped, go training. The third, fourth, and fifth day pass in the exact same way, and I’m getting frustrated.
It’s so hard to tell if we’re even making progress! I can’t see how anything less than 20 people could beat her. Her HP must be in the hundreds of thousands! And she’s so damn STRONG! If we don’t find some way to win, we’ll fail in our expedition. The survey team’s already getting impatient and antsy. Luckily, the ones who insisted on trying to march through were saved, even if it cost us all another death to buy them enough time to run for their lives.
That at least kept the rest from trying, and, thanks to the prolific abundance of monsters in the area, we’ve been powerlevelling like crazy. Plus, all the drops are filling the cargo holds nicely. We’ll be able to make a fortune from selling all the hides, fangs, cws, and stuff!
The sixth day is better. We’ve decided to do two attempts a day in order to try and brute-force it. As of now, our levels stand as follows.
Asteria: level 86
Marika: level 67
Sionnach: level 71
Me: level 74
I’ve been saving the Ability points for something big, and, with 54 in the bank, I’m thinking now might be the time to spend them. I’ve allocated my Attribute points for strength, dexterity, and a big bump to constitution.
Kettrin
Bulwark Level 68 -> 74
CON: 53 -> 60
DEX: 50 -> 60
STR: 59 -> 60
WIS: 40 -> 40
INT: 40 -> 40
LUCK: 50 -> 50
I peruse my ability options. I need SOMETHING, ANYTHING that’ll give us an edge and let us seize victory… but WHAT? There’s a whole bunch, sure, but… nothing seems like it’ll be worth it, and I can’t see some passive or buff that’ll do the trick either. With a sigh, I pump 50 points into my Skill-Forge, and then freak out.
SKILL EVOLUTION
Skill-Forge has reached level 9. You have met the requirements to evolve this skill. From now on, Skill-Forge can produce Legendary-tier Skills, as well as improve the effects of Skill-Scrolls produced by this Ability. Skill-Forge’s level will reset to 1 and its name will change.
I stare as the skill in my menu changes, the icon becoming shinier, and the name alters to read, Greater Skill-Forge, level 1.
I check the new improvements, and my jaw hits the ground. Buffs, debuffs, spells, attacks… there are so many options now! I can make ANYTHING I WANT!
I sit down at the entrance to Demon Lord Mortis’ boss arena and dive right in. “Guys? I just evolved one of my skills!” Time to fill Marika and Sionnach in on Skill-Forge…
Ten minutes ter, the pinkette is staring at me in absolute shock.
“That expins the spell you said you’d made for me! I KNEW it was O.P, but now I know WHY!”
I giggle. “Yep! I figured it’d be useful. I can improve it now, if you want!”
“No thanks! It’s broken enough as it is, I don’t want it to be MORE powerful!”
Sionnach, meanwhile, is thinking, her tail floofed out like a bottle-brush.
“Could you make ME something? I’ll pay the cost of it, but I need something that gives us an edge here. Maybe a passive that boosts damage against demons, or somethin’?”
I nod. “That’s a good idea. Let me do what I can.”
Crossing my legs, I tinker with the Greater Skill-Forge, slotting various effects together to craft a brand-new passive ability.
“And… there! ‘Demon-Hunter’. It boosts all damage inflicted on demonic entities by 15%! It’ll cost… 150k, though.”
“Deal! I’ve got more than enough! Gimme!”
I smile and create Sionnach’s new skill, the Skill-Scroll plopping into my outstretched hand.
“Read it, and you’ll learn that passive immediately! Hope it helps!”
I toss it to her, and she pays up, unrolling the parchment. As soon as she finishes, it crumbles to ash, disintegrating into nothing. The Vulpa grins, before letting out a foxy ugh.
“Ohhh, this is gonna be FUN now!”
I look up at Asteria. “You want anything?”
She smiles. “Actually, yes. I think, if we can restrict Mortis’ movement, we’ll have a better shot at taking her down. Maybe…”
She leans in and whispers in my ear. I start grinning evilly. “Oh, that’s DEVIOUS, love! Sure, I’ll do my best!”
I settle in, my fingers flicking through the air as I wrestle with compiling this brand-new type of magic. I look up at her and smirk. “I won’t accept payment for this. However, I want you to go and show this to Dr. Frank. He’ll probably ask you to teach it to people, though! Apparently, he’s convinced that, once a skill or spell’s been made, it becomes learnable by anyone with the correct training.”
“Ugh, deal. I can’t say no to you, Kettrin!” My girlfriend sighs, as I finalize the creation and a scroll appears in my palm once more. I hand it to her, then turn my attention to the newest member of our party.
“Let me make you something now, Mor. I’ve got two things in mind. One attack, one defence. You’ll get the defence passive from me as a gift, but the attack, you can decide on what you want it to do!”
The young Skyborne squeals, and I wince pyfully. “Okay, Little Miss Megabat, no need to use sonar on me!”
“Sorry! Thank you! Ohhh, I need to think about what I want. Maybe…? No, too basic. I want it to be that thing that looks really over-the-top and fshy, but still really powerful… ‘something very anime’, is that what it’s called? I think so… anyway, focus Mor, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…”
I smile as the young Skyborne Samurai begins pacing back and forth babbling quietly to herself. I start working on her new passive.
Absolute Defence
A st-resort skill, the pinnacle of protective magic, Absolute Defence has two effects. The first, when an attack would drop the bearer to 0 HP, it instead doubles the damage inflicted that exceeds the final hitpoint and reflects it back on the attacker. Then the second effect triggers, teleporting the bearer back to the st Shrine they interacted with. This skill has a 3-day cooldown, due to its perfect defensive utility.
I smile, finalizing the Skill-Scroll and creating it. This will save Mor… I couldn’t bear the thought of her being killed… especially since, if she dies, she won’t come back…
I hand the scroll to her, and watch as she reads it. “Oh, cool! This sounds awesome. I don’t know what it means, but still, very cool!”
I sigh. “Just trust me, it’ll keep you safe against anything, ONCE every three days. If it’s used, you MUST wait for it to recharge before throwing yourself back into trouble. Okay? Promise me, Morrigan.”
The tone of my voice makes her realise that I’m not messing around or joking. She nods. “I promise, Guildmaster. I will not make you worry about me unnecessarily.”
“Good girl. Now, what awesome attack are you going to make, hmm?”
“Oh, yeah! I had an idea! What do you think about…?”
She outlines the conceptual function and effect of her potential new ability, and I start working, my fingers flicking through empty air as I add effects, bonuses, and damage types to the base ability, evolving and twisting the fabric of reality until I’m satisfied that this will live up to Mor’s expectations.
Finally, I pay the cost for creation and a shining Skill-Scroll appears. Unlike the other scrolls, which had been made of pale vellum and bound with red ribbons, sealed with a silver talisman, this scroll is different. The parchment is crimson, with a white ribbon bound in pce with a golden wax seal. It almost sparkles, as I hand it to Mor. She coos over it for a second, then breaks the wax and unfurls the scroll, reading it from top to bottom. Her eyes begin to glow, a warm green light, before the scroll disintegrates. I sigh, rubbing my forehead against the building headache from making several skills in quick succession.
Swigging a few mouthfuls of water and receiving a kiss or two from Asteria makes me feel better, though, and we ready ourselves to start streaming.
“Hey, guys, this is day six, and we’ll be making two attempts today. Plus, we added a member of my guild to our party for this! She’s adorable and strong, so hopefully we’ll have more luck this time! Her name is Morrigan, and she’s a Skyborne, like me! she’s been learning the way of the Onna-Bugeisha, so I have a feeling she’ll be a big help! So, who’s ready to see us either get our butts kicked, or beat the raid boss?!”
As Mia Katz, Ravi Dechaines, and Cassie Lindbeck are at work as usual, moderating my stream and keeping the trolls in check. I roll my shoulders, wings shifting, as I smirk at the camera-orb. “And, take 6! Aaaand… ACTION!”
We march out, and the Demon Lord of Extinction drops down from on high, nding in a superhero crouch and straightening, her axe in hand.
“WELL, LOOKS LIKE YOU BROUGHT A FRIEND WITH YOU THIS TIME… SHE’S ADORABLE! BUT I WON’T GO EASY ON YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE TRYING TO WEAPONIZE CUTENESS AGAINST ME!”
I blink. “Uh, no? We brought her because she’s good at fighting, her adorability notwithstanding. But yes, she is a cinnamon roll. Anyway, time to fight!”
“AS YOU WISH. NOW THEN, WE BEGIN AGAIN! HRAAAARGH!”
Mortis’ greataxe whirls, sshing out faster and harder than I’d like, but my shield takes the blow as I jab my spear forward, the point scoring a deep gouge in her upper arm, just below the pauldron. Her tail shes, the wicked barb raking across the ft of Sionnach’s bde as she guards herself with it. Marika peppers the huge demon with a hail of elemental bolts as Asteria chants her own incants, light coruscating around her palm. Then, Morrigan goes in. she takes flight, swooping up, kicking off the stactite above her and using it as a springboard. Her katana fshes as it leaves the sheathe at her waist, the gleaming steel cutting thin gashes in the greyish skin of the raid-boss.
“PESKY FLIES! BEGONE!”
Mortis’ chest expands as she inhales, and I dash forwards with Sky Hammer, using it as a mobility option rather than an attack, putting myself between our mages and the incoming breath attack. The beam of howling crimson light sms into my shield as I crouch, bracing myself on the rock as the sheer force pushes me back, little by little, even as my shield starts to liquefy around the edges, the leather backing curling and sparking slightly. As the beam fades, I hurl my shield, throwing it directly at the boss’ left hoof. It crashes in with a solid ‘clonk!’ and I pull a second shield from my inventory, ready once again, as Morrigan dive-bombs the demon, her bde chiming off one of Mortis’ horns.
The Demon Lord of Extinction swats at the red-winged nuisance buzzing around her head, and I take my opportunity to start casting a spell.
“Michael!”
A church-bell begins tolling, its deep and sonorous tones rising even above the din of battle. I count to 11, before invoking the next name.
“Gabriel!”
A second bell joins the first. Another 11-count.
“Raphael!
11-count, three bells.
“Uriel!”
Four bells.
“Jophiel!”
Five ringing bells, filling the air with sound.
“Camael!”
Six bells, cnging in synchronization.
“ZADKIEL!”
The final bell begins tolling, louder than the rest. I thrust my spear towards the roof of the cavern. “I call upon the Heavenly Host!”
The sound of several pairs of wings beating in symphony come from above, as two golden gates appear, opening to allow a pair of angels to emerge into the chamber.
They… AREN’T the Principality of Lightning and Principality of Thunder.
I blink. “Wait… what?”
Instead, the two angels before me have three pairs of wings each, and are cd in ornate armour of gold and silver pte. One bears a golden scythe, and the other a red-and-gold mace and broadsword. Their halos are fming disks above their blond hair, and they incline their heads towards me. Their names pop up over their heads as I focus on them slightly.
The scythe-wielder is the Ophanim of Raging Winds, and the dual-wielder is cssed as the Ophanim of Torrential Downpours.
I ask, “Uh… why are you guys not the Principalities I called forth the st time I used this ability?”
Raging Winds smiles. “As you grew in power, your Authority increased to match. Thus, you have summoned we two, the seventh-tier angels of the Heavenly Host. We are Thrones, or Ophanim, the third-highest in rank. The only ones who exceed us are the Cherubim, and above them, the Seraphim.”
I splutter. So, if I level up, I get stronger summoned angels? What would happen if I improved the ability in my Greater Skill-Forge?! Kickass!
The Ophanim of Raging Winds turns to face our opponent. “I see. I must admit, even our strength may be insufficient. But we will do what we can to bring you victory. Brother, let’s go!”
“Right!” the second angel twirls his sword, the edge fshing with golden light, and the pair leap forward, taking flight as their six wings apiece unfurl and beat the air into submission. Mortis snarls at the sight, Raging Winds’ scythe fshing as he swings it like a baton, spinning it and twirling the weapon as it cuts deep gouges into the Demon Lord’s flesh. I frown.
“What do you mean, you don’t think you’re strong enough??? Just how tough IS this Raid-Boss???”
Shrugging, I rejoin the attack after necking a couple mana potions. With four fliers, Mortis is having trouble focussing on the groundlings as we hack and stab at her face and neck, her filing becoming gradually more uncoordinated. She does nd many good hits, but they’re less and less frequent, thanks to her growing efforts to dislodge the angels, Mor and I from poking more holes in her hide.
“RRRRGH… STUBBORN INSECTS! YOU’RE REALLY STARTING… TO PISS ME OFF!”
Inhaling, Mortis fires off an even-more powerful beam attack from her gaping maw, her fangs glinting in the crimson light.
“BLOODY…. ROAR!”
I get my shield up and almost jam it in her face with Sky Hammer. The blow causes her head to snap back, and the beam of energy carves a deep gash across the floor, up the wall, and partway across the ceiling before it peters out. Morrigan takes her chance to nd her brand-new attack.
“Sevenfold Flurry Ssh!”
She sheathes her bde, crouches, and then blurs in six different directions at once, leaving temporary afterimages of herself behind. Then, as the images follow the path she took, their bdes glinting, the REAL Morrigan appears overhead, bringing her katana down at the exact moment the half-dozen replicas of herself meet in the centre. Each bde cuts deep, before the fakes all disappear. Mortis… staggers, actually staggers, stumbling back, before she rallies, her greataxe swinging up, catching Mor high in the side. I scream, watching the red-winged Skyborne go rocketing out of the air, skipping twice on the floor like a pebble.
Mortis leaps, bringing her axe up, and sms it down. A sound like a gong being torn in half by a storm giant fills the arena, and, with awe, we watch as MORTIS goes flying, her axehead buckled and split, as Mor winks, before being forcibly teleported out of the fight.
I shout. “NOW! WE HAVE THE UPPER HAND!”
I charge, the two angels at my back, as Asteria begins casting the new spell I’d made her. Marika and Sionnach are busy patching themselves up and restoring their MP.
I can hear my girlfriend’s chanting, her words flowing faster and faster.
“By the seven stars, I call forth the violet power of the deepest heart of the void. I summon the very essence of deep bck, and combine them into one. I command my target to kneel before me and taste despair! SINGULARITY CRUSHER!”
Mortis lurches, as a miniature bck hole forms beneath her hooves. She struggles, managing to swat the Ophanim away. The pair retreat through the gates, and I wave them off. Approaching, I raise my spear as Mortis sinks to one knee. She looks up at me, smirking, and whispers, too quietly for the camera-orb to pick up, “I hope that show we put on was entertaining for your viewers. Now, do it!”
I frown, but shrug. I’ll puzzle that out ter. Thrusting my spear home, I watch as Mortis, the Camity General, the Bane of the Argonauts, the Demon Lord of Extinction… slumps, then shatters into particle effects.
A heap of loot spawns in, and I fall backwards, nding on my armoured butt, and gasping for breath.
“Let’s… not do that again… please? At least for… a while?”
Then, the exp. rolls in. my eyes fly wide open. “Whoa… s-six hundred and fifty THOUSAND?!”
I open my menu. I’d been just about a quarter past lvl 74, but now…
“NINETY-SIX?!?!?!”
I’d just gained…. 22 whole levels…
“Raid Bosses are REALLY not worth ignoring, guys. Check your status menus! I just gained 22 levels!”
Everyone else starts having their own minor freak-outs as Morrigan soars into the boss room, heading right for me as she nds in a beautiful skid right in time to face-pnt right into the mound of loot. She sits up and spits out a handful of coins.
“Pgh, bwegh! Yuck! Don’t eat money!”
I smile, leaning over to help extract my guildmember out of the pile of money, giggling.
“Yeah I don’t think it’ll taste very nice, Mor. Well done! You were a huge help!”
Turning to my streaming orb, I wave. “Well, that’s all for this short stream, guys, but I’ll be right back after a break. We now have access to Mortis City, and I wanna explore it! This is Sky-Queen Kettrin, taking off!”
I end my stream, before cuddling Morrigan happily. “I’m so gd my defensive passive worked! I am SO happy you’re okay!”
She snuggles into my arms, before Asteria joins us, wrapping her arms around the younger girl.
“That was reckless as all hell… but I’m so, SO proud of you!” she beams, as Morrigan bites her lip and enjoys the praise and affection she deserves.
We divide up the treasure, and I cim a pair of earrings that boost my lightning damage resistance by 50%, giving me Mid-tier Resistance to the element I should be weakest against, while the others all take prizes that benefit them. The money gets divided evenly between us all, with Mor’s eyes bulging as she feels the weight of her now-stuffed coinpurse. I smile.
“We literally couldn’t have done it without you, Mor. You’ve earned that! Now, let’s collect the nerd herd and bring them into the city!”
Finally, we all turn towards the doors leading into Mortis City. Someone’s coming through, their small frame backlit by moonlight.
As she gets closer, I blink. “Oh, hey! Aren’t you that Andromal pyer Asteria and I met in Vassim? You wanted a selfie with us, I think? You never introduced yourself, though, so I can’t put a name to you…”
The tiny Andromal smiles up at us. Her blue-grey skin glows a little under the light of the turquoise torches. Her short white hair with mint-coloured highlights swishes as she raises a fist and pounds her chest with it.
“I’m Mortis! Demon Lord of Extinction, Camity General, Bane of the Argonauts, and Gatekeeper to Mortis City! Pleased to meet you again, Sky-Queen Kettrin, WildRoseOfTheWest!”
I blink. “No, you’re not. Demon Lord Mortis is like 25 feet tall, has horns and a scorpion tail! YOU are… what, four foot eight? And you have no horns and an arrowheaded tail!”
‘Mortis’ grins. “That’s only SOME of the time! Watch this!”
She hops back a few paces, her hooves clicking on the stone, before her body expands rapidly, her horns bursting from the sides of her head as her tail thickens and warps into a scorpion’s. I stare.
“…Uh, okay, I retract my previous statement. So… what do you want? Another fight?”
Mortis colpses in on herself, returning to her fun-sized form. Her modest chest bounces a little as she hops from one hoof to the other, her tail flicking.
“As much as that sounds like fun, I’m not here to pick another fight. I’m here to show you around! You came here for a reason, right? Well, you can bring those nerdy types that were so adamant about entering my city!”
I cough politely, as Marika and Sionnach pick their jaws up off the floor. “Um, yeah, that reminds me. What do you mean, YOUR city?”
Mortis grins. “Well, after I left Vassim, I headed here on foot, killing every monster that got in my way. I was levelling up like crazy, thanks to this scroll I bought from a random shop. It was pyer-made, and it gave me a passive which provided a 100% increase to all exp. earned through combat! So, by the time I got here, I found a group of pyers ruining this city. They were killing NPCs, bullying them, acting as overlords or conquering heroes. So, I kicked their asses over and over until they left, then set myself up as a Raid Boss! I figured that, as long as I made it really hard to beat me, everyone would leave the people here alone!”
I blink. “Why were they doing that??”
Mortis shrugs, starting to skip towards the huge double doors. “The people that live here, well… the vast majority of them aren’t human. They’re vampires, wraithkin, gargoyles, ghosts, were-folks, demons, fallen angels, and all sorts of other monstrous races. After I drove those pyers out, I was crowned as the city’s ruler, and it was renamed in my honour. So… yeah. That’s the story of how I became a Demon Lord!”
I start to ugh, unable to help myself, as Mortis’ tiny figure twirls to smile back at us, her eyes shining merrily. She kicks one of the doors wider.
“Welcome, travellers, to the only true city in the Darkwood Heights! Mortis City!”
As we step out of the boss-arena, onto a small pza, I gasp. The city is… gorgeous! Buildings of pale stone fill the hollow between the triangle of mountain peaks that comprise the ‘walls’ of the city boundaries. The sky above is night, a reddish glow suffusing everything. I spot a glimmer up above. Mortis notes my look and grins.
“Yeah, that’s my idea. The Night Shield. It’s a magic barrier that covers the whole city completely, turning this space into eternal twilight and dusk. Daylight’s dangerous to many who reside here, so I had some of the best mages in the city create a ritual that weaves night into reality. It’s practically self-sustaining at this point, and it gives everyone here a better life than just… hiding indoors all the time.”
Asteria’s eyes widen. New magic always gets her jazzed, and she starts to ask a question, before the tiny Andromal interrupts her politely.
“I do have a favour to ask all of you. No streaming, and no telling anyone about the Night Shield. If they were to figure out it’s not just some fancy sky effect, they could cripple the city and wipe out everyone caught in full sunlight. And, if I found out one of you guys was responsible in any way, I’d have no choice but to go all-out.”
The tone in her voice makes it clear. She’d been holding back against us, and, if we betrayed her trust, she’d show us just how MUCH she’d been reining herself in. I nod quickly.
“I swear. No streaming, and no Night Shield talk. I REALLY don’t wanna ruin something this cool. I LOVE spooky stuff!”
Asteria’s looking a little pale, but agrees as well. Oh, right. I forgot she’s not a fan of horror-themed content.
Once Mortis has all of our agreement, she uses the communication magic all pyers use to get in touch with someone. “Make it clear, we have guests, they are to be allowed access to trade documents, businesses and the commerce guilds, but no restricted information. The library’s open to them, but not the Dark Archive.”
She ‘hangs up’ and smiles. “Okay, I let my second-in-command know what you’re all up to here. Now, how about I treat you to a meal? It’s the least I can do after you helped me work up a good appetite!”
I shrug, smiling. “I could eat. Guys?”
Mor nods. “I’m always hungry!!” she decres proudly, and I roll my eyes. “Ain’t that the truth, little phoenix?”
Sionnach and Marika share a look, and then nod. “Food sounds good to us!” The Vulpa Bdebreaker adds, as Asteria bites her lip.
“It’s not gonna be… like, blood, or human flesh, is it?”
Mortis fixes the much taller Alv with a dry look. “NO, it’s not going to be blood and human flesh! We might be monsters, but we’re not SAVAGES, thanks for that!”
Asteria flushes, as several passing monsterfolk spot their Demon Lord with a bunch of strangers in tow, and whisper excitedly. A young boy approaches, holding out a letter he’d written. His crimson eyes and small little fangs denote him as a vampire. He bows as Mortis accepts the letter, before she pats him on the head and thanks him. The vampire child scurries back to his parents, who look pretty chuffed as they keep walking.
Mortis tucks the letter away, and her face dares me to make fun of what just happened. I smile.
“You’re clearly doing an awesome job, Mortis. Everyone here seems to adore you!”
She colours, her cheeks flushing a rich vender, as she shrugs. “I guess. I get loads of these letters, and I keep every single one of them. They’re important to me, y’know. I like seeing everyone happy. Of course, some of the Dark Council aren’t suuuper pleased that I’m not decring genocide on humankind, or whatever, but… eh. If I did that, we’d be wiped off the map in days. We can’t deal with a war.”
I shudder. “Yeah, that’d be bad… there are pyers out there that would totally love the excuse to ruin things for others just for the hell of it… I’ve met one personally. He’s a complete arse.”
Mortis snrrks. “Ohhh, that guy who tried to kill you, like… three times now?”
I shrug. “Three, five, twenty-seven, who’s counting? But yeah, him. He’d be the exact kind of pyer to ruin someone else’s fun if he thought it would benefit him in the slightest way. “
Mortis snarls in annoyance. “I HATE pyers like that. If he comes here and tries to gain entrance, I’ll crush him like the insect he is.”
I shudder. I get the feeling that, should such an event come to pass, it’d be less ‘raid-boss fight’ and more ‘cataclysmic ass-kicking of Biblical proportions’. Mortis stops, her hooves clicking on the cobblestones.
“Ah, this pce is great. The food’s good, the prices are fair, and the drinks are made-to-order! And, it’s all on me today! Eat and drink as much as you like!”
The door we’ve halted at is carved from the dark wood of the bckpine trees native to the Darkheart continent, chased with silver iny depicting a circle above trees and a howling wolf. Mortis grins. “Welcome to the Full Moon Tavern!”
I smile as the diminutive Demon Lord pushes the door open, light spilling out, warm and golden against the pale stonework. Wee troop inside, Mor and I making sure to keep our wings tucked tight so as not to buffet anyone with them, and a raucous cheer goes up from some of the patrons.
“Lord Mortis!”
“Drink with us, won’t you?!”
“Are these the travellers who’ve been battling you every day?”
Mortis grins and roars back, “Yep! And they’re my guests here! Treat ‘em to the best hospitality we have, on me! And the same goes for everyone here! Drinks are on the Demon Lord!”
The cheering redoubles, and we find a rge table, chairs shoved towards us from the occupied tables around. Burly were-folk, shadowy Wraithkin, even a troll or two and a couple of vampires. The tavern’s patrons run the gamut from the humanlike to the monstrous, and I even spot a trio of humans in a corner, not openly bothered by those surrounding their table.
Mortis takes her seat, resting her forearms and chin on the table as she smiles at us. “So, I wanna know more about what your business here is. You didn’t JUST come to help some nerds get into my city, did you?”
I cough awkwardly. “Uh…. Well, the funny thing is…”
Mortis’ eyes widen, and she cackles in delighted amusement. “OH, YOU DID DO THAT!”
I ugh a little. “Yeah, actually. My guild’s been hired as transportation for a human nobleman, one Lord Aethelford, Earl of Wayrest. He’s been interested in establishing a trade route between Mortis City and the other side of the continent. His people’s purpose here is to learn more about the goods sold here, and the culture of the citizens, so he can offer products that would be most sought-after.”
Mortis grins. “Ah, that expins the ‘nerd herd’! Well, I’ll read over whatever proposal this nobleman has to offer with great interest. I’m certain that we’ll have things he wants as well. Goods from here might be widely-sought as well. And what about the rest of your little band?” she eyes each of us in turn. Asteria pces a hand on my waist.
“I go wherever my heart’s wings goes. She’s captured all of me, and I can’t let her have ALL the fun!” she says warmly, and I melt a little inside.
Marika shrugs. “I was bored and wanted to do something fun. And I know Kettrin’s always doing crazy-cool stuff, so I thought I’d join in for a while.”
Sionnach grins. “Not to sound like a copy-cat, but I’m here for the same reason as Asteria. I’ve fallen for this one and, if I can’t keep her out of trouble, I can at least get into as much as she does!”
Finally, Mortis’ eyes turn to the other Skyborne among us. Morrigan rustles her feathers, the movement as natural as the one I make when I adjust my wings.
“I was born without wings. When Guildmaster Kettrin and her lover found me, I was being bullied like normal. She chased them off, and called a very big, hairy friend to make me these.”
She unfurls her wings slightly, dispying the crimson phoenix-feathers and gleaming metal. Mortis’ eyes bug out a little.
“He MADE you wings?!”
Mor nods. “Him, and an old human sage, Dr Frank, and a Dwarf, and a cat-person. They worked together for days until they finished. And now, I can fly! I can really fly, whenever I want, to anywhere I like!”
I smile as Mortis’ tail flicks rapidly. She grins at the excitable young warrior. “That’s so fuc- uh, freakin’ awesome!”
A waitress comes over, smiling at us. “Welcome, Demon Lord. Would you and your party care to order?”
Mortis grins. “Yes, please. I’ll have my usual, and these fine folks can make their own orders!”
I try and figure out what I’d like, while Mor asks, “Mortis, what’s your ‘usual’?”
Mortis grins. “A heap of grilled bird wings, sthered in a smoky, spicy sauce, and a couple foaming tankards of beer!”
Mor grins. “I’ll have that too! Not the beer, though, I’m not old enough to drink!”
I smile. “Good girl. Don’t worry, once you’re of age, we’ll make sure you enjoy a drink or two!”
Asteria chooses a berry wine, and I pick a fruity blue thing. Marika and Sionnach go for something vibrant gold with silvery bubbles rising in its depths.
I smile, sipping at my drink as the waitress comes over with two ptes of smoking-hot wings, and the two who’d ordered them go to work, the little Andromal and the Skyborne teen already starting to compete with each other over who can get through their portion first.
Then, I frown. A notification is blinking in the bottom left corner of my vision. I access it, and my eyebrows rise. It’s a quest update to the one about the books! There are… three here, and they all seem to be held in the Library, specifically, the deepest part!
I clear my throat. “Um… Mortis? Would you mind if I had a couple of copies of some books made? There’s an academic I’ve been working with for some time now, and he’s asked me to keep an eye out for interesting tomes. According to my quest-log, there’s a total of three here, but it doesn’t give the names. It just says they’re in ‘The deepest part of the Library’.”
Mortis frowns. “The deepest part? That’s the Dark Archive. Even I have only limited authority when it comes to that pce and the guardians who make it their life’s work to maintain and expand the repository. I won’t stop you, but, if you go in… you might not make it back out….”
I swallow. “Well… I DO need those books… if I can get out, I’ll be safe, right?”
Mortis nods. “Yes. The guardians NEVER leave their domain. I guarantee, you’ll be out of danger as soon as you exit the Library.”
She strips a wing to the bone in a second, her sharp little teeth glinting as she licks her lips. “But, I’ll give you some advice. That armour? No good. It’s too bulky and noisy. They’ll hear you the moment you set foot in the Dark Archive, and you’ll be done for in a heartbeat. And flying? That won’t help either. Wings beating will attract their attention just as sure.”
I blink. “So… what do I do?”
Mortis picks up another wing from her rapidly-dwindling pte. “Stealth it, duh. The guardians are blind, but their hearing is incredible. They know the halls and passages of the Dark Archive like no-one else. They’ll hunt you relentlessly from the moment you draw their attention, and they will NEVER stop until they catch you. Also, their weapons are known as Soulbdes, and they’ll cut through any armour or shield spell, any defence at all. They’ll attack your life-points directly, s’what I’m saying. The damage isn’t that high, but you don’t need high damage when you can just completely ignore your enemy’s guard. ”
I gulp. “Okay… that sounds really cool, but really, REALLY tough…”
Mortis inhales two more wings. “You’re telling me. I once farmed the area for chests to find three pairs of those Soulbdes. It took two solid months of nightly dungeon-diving before I got them all, and I NEVER wanna do that again…”
I pause. “About those weapons… is the defence-ignoring property an innate one, or an enchant?”
“Innate, why?”
I grin at Asteria, and she catches on. “Well, if we can get a couple of them, we might be able to melt the metal down into ingots and make a new weapon of the materials, with the same ability!”
Mortis’ eyes widen slightly. “That’s an idea… but there’s not a smith in the city THAT good. Believe me, I’ve looked.”
Asteria and I start snickering, then giggling, then full-on ughing. “Ohhh, WE know a smith who’s ‘THAT good’!” my girlfriend cackles, and I nod, wheezing a little.
Mor blinks. “You mean Mr. Ulged? Yeah, he makes really amazing weapons! And these wings are the best thing I’ve ever been given!”
Mortis thoughtfully eats the st of her chicken wings. “I’m gonna want to meet him. I’ve been pnning something special with those Soulbdes, and if he can pull it off and make my fantasies a reality, I’ll pay him with enough gold he could swim in it!”
I imagine the huge Gnoll doggy-paddling in a plunge-pool filled with coins, and shrug. “I’ll ask him if he wants to take on a commission, but you’d probably be added to the queue. He’s pretty popur, since he’s an absolute savant when it comes to crafting. It’d be fair to assume he’s got I.R.L bcksmithing experience or something.”
Mortis nods. “Alright. Now, it’s starting to get te, and I’d better bounce. I’ll swing by to take you to the Library tomorrow. Get plenty of rest. You’ll need it..."
