Emerilia Box Set, page 104
part #1 of Emerilia Series
Steve was at just thirty percent armor. He had taken a beating.
“Dave, is there anything you can do for Steve?” Suzy asked.
“Gimme a seat and I can see what I can do,” Dave said.
“Jump over,” Suzy said.
Dave did so, and was caught by another metal creation.
“Bloody carriage I am,” Steve muttered.
“Induca, can you warm up Steve’s legs?” Dave asked.
“Sure,” Induca, whose feet were covered in flames, lowered herself down to Steve’s leg heights and cast Fire on him.
“I am so happy I don’t have nerve endings!” Steve said.
“Don’t move your head.” Dave put his hand on Steve’s head. White light traveled down his arm.
Suzy couldn’t see anything happening but Steve’s armor level started to increase, restoring strength to him.
“Move upward, Induca,” Dave said.
“Oi!”
“Shut up, Steve. You don’t have anything anyway. I’ve seen you without your cloak,” Dave said.
“Well, it’s the essence of the matter!”
Suzy saw Dave grinning, his eyes closed.
Great, just what I need, these two idiots becoming friends!
Chapter 16: Not Your Normal Rescue
Elinar Dosfo watched as her guards and the PKP savages fought one another with everything they had. In their midst, there was a Person of Emerilia. You could tell the Players and the people apart by the way they fought, the way they moved.
This one had earned the trust and adoration of the PKP.
All the guards who came near to the PKPs had their enhancements from the city’s strengthening circuits reverted. They were nothing but lowly People of Emerilia with some decent weapons and gear. Their boosts were gone, yet still they were fighting. Elinar was proud of her people, but she knew that they couldn’t win the battle. Already twenty guards lay dead or dying. Necromancers pulled the dead to fight once more.
She slashed at Belindor, one of the people she had trained with, rising in the ranks of the guard. They had talked about adventuring off once they had become strong enough to fight for Selhi. Now his reanimated corpse was swinging at her, his eyes dead and cloudy.
She’d whistled but nothing happened; no one came to save her.
Did they lie? Did that Player just want for them all to die? Did he even give a fuck? Frustration burned at her very core. She wanted to cry at it all, to lash out in anger, but all she could see was Belindor’s face, his neck cut open, his armor punctured.
“My, my. Such a waste.” The voice was calm but cold.
The hairs on the back of Elinar’s neck rose in fear. All of the people of the land could feel the auras of those around them. This one was powerful, stronger than any Player or POE Weapon Master she had faced. Even the grand wizards of the college didn’t boast this power.
Standing there on a pillar of shadows was a man with black eyes. He held a book in one hand; his eyes cut obsidian as he looked at them with disdain.
“Return,” he said.
The single word sent a shiver through her body, yet it did nothing to her. She heard something fall. She turned to find Belindor, who had been poised to sink his blade into her side, fall, a puppet with his strings cut.
“From Darkness, there is Light. Shadow’s speed.” The man’s face stretched, hungry and cold.
None of the PKPs had made her as scared as this man.
“Darklings!” He called out the name, as if singsonging to a child.
Angered, hungry, and pained screams erupted from the early morning shadows, attacking the PKPs and the second Dark Lord’s champion.
“He has magical suppression!” She yelled, pointing at the Dark Lord’s Champion.
The man’s eyes thinned as a woman with Fire around her feet raced past him. Her Fire slammed down onto the PKP who fired back up at her.
“Reaper!” Elinar’s opponent called out. They slashed faster than Elinar could see, cutting through her stomach and up into her ribs. She fell to the ground. Blood pooled beneath her as she looked at her wounds in shock.
“Fuck this. Throw me in, coach!” a man said.
“What do you mean?” a screeching and deep voice asked.
“Throw me, you tin can—right at that grinning bitch in the back!” the man said.
She saw a large streak of silver armor slam into the Dark Lord’s minion.
“Good morning, bitch!” the man yelled.
Elinar felt Strength return to her. She was on death’s door, but her attacker, thinking her out of the battle, was turning to tear into her fellow guards’ sides. She drove her sword up, through their groin and into their guts.
Fuck your pretty elegant moves. “Welcome to Selhi Capital, fuck-stain.”
Elinar passed out, swearing she saw a grinning metal giant running into the fray.
“Dude, we’re so doing that again!”
***
Dave had pulled all of the magical suppression champion’s attention from messing with the guard’s gear; however, his own armor and rod’s runes were not working. He couldn’t even use simple spells. He straight conjured weapons, drawing from his internal Mana pool. Nothing.
“You are one of those at Boran-al’s Citadel. My lord will be happy to hear I brought about your end!” The weirdo wore some black cape that didn’t allow Dave to see their face.
Well, I have the same kind of hood, so I can’t really say much about his style choices without it looking back on me. Just kill the fucker and think about wardrobes and this shadow-hood crap later.
The suppressor-dick attacked Dave, moving faster than anyone Dave had seen, except possibly Alkao and Anna.
But those two were freaks of nature.
The black blade skimmed Dave’s armor, leaving a trail across his chest, cutting the steel easily and scoring the Mithril underneath.
That shit is sharp and he’s fast. Fuck this!
Dave swerved out of the next attack. The man was stronger and faster, and his magic suppression fucked with Dave’s mojo. They traded blades, their weapons ringing out. Dave couldn’t see his opponent’s face but he could sense his anger. Dave fought hard, but his opponent was more skilled; every hit was made to hit him in a place where his armor was open.
I’ve been relying on my runes too much. He let out a hiss of pain as his dragon scale was opened along his right leg, cutting deep into his outer thigh.
“Leech!”
Dave felt his power being drained from him; not even his Mana barrier could keep his Strength and power from draining away. Dave saw the red tether that connected them. Dave didn’t know how the man was doing it. He must have held in his magical suppression field everywhere but along his blade and where it hit; it allowed him to use the magical abilities of the sword.
Dave couldn’t try to understand how long it had taken the Champion to figure out those abilities.
He needed to cut off this guy’s feed; he was getting faster, more powerful. Any of the glancing blows Dave had given in order to hurt the little shit were healed in no time. Dave slipped up. A blade slammed into the breach between his torso and armored breastplate.
Dave yelled out. It fucking hurt. “You little fucking! Holy shit! Oww!” Dave fell backward. The blade’s back serrated edge came free, causing more damage. Dave’s Health plummeted and his armor wasn’t functioning.
Dave was going to die but he needed to make sure this fucker didn’t get too much of his Stamina and Mana.
In a burst of energy, Dave grabbed the man and slammed his forehead into him. The man reeled from the hit; the red tether disappeared as he lost his fine control over his Mana suppression.
Dave tackled him to the ground, mounting him.
The man beneath him screamed unintelligently. His long fingers tore at Dave’s armor.
Dave’s barrier didn’t work anymore. His rods were slowly disintegrating, the conjuration and soul gem that powered it failing. Dave swung his rods for all they were worth; if he didn’t win, then his friends would die next.
Dave’s rods broke the man’s hands; still he continued to attack. He jabbed his fingers into Dave’s wound, making him cry out, and giving Dave an opening. He slammed his rods into the man’s head.
The man’s crazed smile fell away as he had a dazed look on his face. Dave didn’t dare let up; his limbs got weaker as his lifeblood continued to pump out of his body.
Dave had underestimated the Champion, but he didn’t care whether he lived or died, as long as he killed or wounded the bastard so he couldn’t use his abilities on anyone else. He kept swinging his rods, denting the man’s head. His barrier came back as his armor tried to keep him alive and fix his internal wounds.
Dave closed his eyes, feeling lethargic. His hits barely made any impact. The pain left him as he felt himself falling.
He opened his eyes, looking around a large, empty white room. The pain was gone and he was fully intact.
You have died in Emerilia
You have been returned home.
You have 5:59 hours (game time) until you can respawn at (Alephir)
Or
1:59 hours in real life
Would you like to play a different game while you wait?
Dave waved the screen away and looked at the blank room. “Well, I’m going to get some damn sleep. After making Steve work and then fighting in Selhi, I need a fucking nap.” Dave accessed his menus, creating a simple bedroom, living room, and television.
He’d just finished making the television when one of the guild members who was also dead invited him to the Stone Raiders’ lobby house.
“Fucking right on!” Dave disappeared from his shoddy home.
***
Deia and Anna fought the aberration with everything they had. The damn bastard was so strong, he threw out spells without needing to call out their Actions.
While he was decent for a Player, he wasn’t to their level. The issue was that his stats were so high that they were unable to land a finishing blow. It was always glancing hits, his Strength and Agility so high as to make up for his lack of skill.
It was infuriating.
Still, his Health was slowly declining, bit by bit. Dropping ten percent.
No others tried to jump in on the battle, the three combatants moving too fast to engage. Anyone who did was cut down by one side or the other in the fight.
He pulled out a staff; black energy coursed from it and struck Deia’s armor. Her Mana barrier protected her as another snaked out to slam into Anna.
Her Air attack was unable to shake it. Anna fell back a few feet; the two of them braced themselves against the Dark energies hitting them.
“Mother fucker!” Deia yelled. The wind whipped around her, throwing her hair up as her eyes blazed with determined fire. She pulled the heat of the surrounding area into her, enough heat to melt metals and set dirt on fire. Heat shimmered off her as she focused the blast through her eyes, willing the heat to follow her sight. Her eyes burned, as if she had not slept in days. She screamed out in pain and defiance.
The sneer on Hevard’s face turned to confusion and shock as the beam of concentrated heat ripped through his Mana barrier. He was so sure of his new stats that he thought nothing could defeat him. He was showing off with his staff, using it to gain experience with the weapon. He moved, trying to spread the damage out and not lose his staff’s connection with the two ladies. He strained, having to hold the staff against the forces it was spending.
Deia used her Fire magic.
A clear liquid fell on and around Hevard.
He wrinkled his nose, opening and closing his eyes at the noxious fumes. He looked up at Deia, realizing what it was.
Alcohol is not just good for drinking.
The heat vision and the concentrated alcohol combusted. A clear flame shimmered over the area where Hevard stood. He tried to get out of the flames. He stepped backward, only to find them following him.
Deia controlled her flames.
His fear turned into panic as he couldn’t get away from the flames. His Mana barrier was undoubtedly draining quickly. He made a misstep and stumbled, breaking his staff’s connection.
Deia and Anna didn’t wait. Anna’s blade whistled through the air as Deia’s blade of Fire rushed toward the bastard.
He tried to get out of the way, but was slapped by the two attacks. His Mana barrier failed as Deia and Anna kept up their attacks.
Deia commanded her flames to rush over Hevard’s body.
He could have tried to extinguish the flames with his Dark magics, but he hadn’t learned that yet. He screamed in rage and pain as Anna and Deia hit him so fast that he couldn’t deal with the flames covering him and both of them at the same time.
It was a hard battle; both Deia and Anna stayed just out of the guildmaster’s reach, slamming him with spells and blade-focused attacks.
Finally, he slumped to the ground. His Health hit zero. Anna stabbed him in the neck, making sure he was dead.
The flames disappeared as Deia and Anna moved on to the few remaining PKP. The majority were fleeing after seeing their leader’s death. They were simple opponents, more focused on getting away instead of truly fighting.
Deia and Anna cut through them with ease.
Deia and Anna rested on their knees, the last of the PKP dispatched. They breathed heavily, looking for a new fight or opponent. They panted, sharing a water skin and downing Stamina potions.
Deia tried to contact Dave, but found she couldn’t. She opened a voice chat with Malsour. “Why can’t I get Dave?” she asked.
“He’s respawning,” Malsour said.
Deia’s chest clenched as she forced herself to remain calm. In a few hours, he would be back. “Thanks.” She let out a shaky breath.
She cut the voice chat and looked around Selhi Capital. There were burnt and broken houses all over the place. Guards and Stone Raiders worked together, moving out to scour the streets and make sure that there were no PKP left behind.
Wounded were being administered to in the street. Those with healing spells and Health potions got them stable enough to bring them back to the tavern.
They’d won, but Deia wondered what the cost would be.
***
Jules felt like she did after every battle: tired, overwhelmed, and in need of either a triple shot of espresso or a bed to collapse in.
Now that they had the vault classed soul gems, she was able to heal more people than ever before, though it also meant the mental strain on her was something to behold. She rubbed her temples, looking at the different People of Emerilia who were coming in through the door.
There were so many of them.
Her medics were doing a good job of prioritizing them over the Players. Sure, they might die and lose a few levels but if the POEs went, then they wouldn’t come back.
After Boran-al’s Citadel, that type of thinking had sunk into the Stone Raiders’ normal methods of operating.
She looked at a guard who had a number of superficial cuts and then a nasty gash on her abdomen and down her side.
“Well, shit, could you manage to try to keep your bits inside of your body?” Jules went to work, scanning the woman with her medical skills and calling out different items she would need from her assistant.
The woman groaned. Even with her massive injuries, she was somehow conscious and fighting.
“Don’t worry. You’re in good hands now,” Jules said, keeping her metallic implements out of her view and nodding to the assistant.
The assistant pressed their hand to the injured woman’s head, knocking her out.
“Now let’s get to work!” Jules used her magic to heal up the worst of the injuries and followed up with stitches, clamps, and sutures on anything that wasn’t completely life threatening.
Her assistant continued to pass her items as Jules hoped that her patient would wake up afterward.
***
Josh and the captain of the guard looked out over Selhi Capital. Both of them assessed the varying degrees of damage that had been visited on the town. Thankfully, with the Players around, there was a ready supply of people ready and willing to take on quests.
The city had moved funds from the monster hunt to try to help those who had their homes destroyed and their loved ones killed. A big chunk of it had gone into a contract on all of the PKPs. It was sent to all of the main guilds, from the traders to the mages.
The captain of the guard sighed, shook his head and walked away from the sight.
Josh followed, headed toward where the magistrate of the city waited.
The guards all watched him with barely veiled suspicion as he walked through the halls. Dwayne, Induca, and Malsour were with him. The others tended to the wounded or helped out where they could.
In Kim’s case, putting herself back together.
Josh tried to not blame himself—it wasn’t his fault—but it was hard not to. He’d lost Players and a number of POEs who had turned into Stone Raiders. They would be remembered and their families earned a stipend for their sacrifice.
And we will destroy those who remain loyal to the PKP. We will tear the guild down until it is but a footnote in the history of Emerilia.
He moved into the room with the magistrate, who was talking with her advisers over a large map that depicted Selhi Capital and the surrounding area.
The captain of the guard walked up, being greeted before they continued their talking and planning. It was clear that Josh was not invited to join them at this time.
Josh waited to be called on.
They continued to ignore him, so he started using his interface. He had many guild matters to deal with. People had logged off, checking out the guild home. They’d found those who were there, running their names against those they had lost and making sure that they had their gear set aside for when they came back.
The loot pool was being looked over by the Exdar’s Traders who were still in town. They’d been able to escape the fighting and were being loaded down with all of the PKP’s gear to be sold throughout Emerilia.
