Hey people Kess is back and this time it's a DFO collab with Amiacon from DeviantArt and Ze Awesome P12ussia. These are our characters in the game. Rated M for a cussbucket Berserker and gore. Anyone who has not played Dungeon Fighter Online will be supremely lost. (It's a great game - go play it!)
Suisha's tavern in Hendon Myre is a favorite stop for adventurers for a few different reasons. The elven landlady, infamous for her low-cut dress, has always drawn a large male crowd. If a dungeon fighter brings her ingredients, she will make a batch of healing drink to take on the next adventure. And, of course, the food and drink are just really good.
In this bar on a particularly rowdy night, a novice adventuring party was relaxing after a long day of monster hunting. The Mage Evecil had abstained from any intoxicating drink, but attacked his food with abandon. Eronel, a Thief, sipped a glass of wine and vigorously ate as well. The final party member, a Slayer named Komlin, swigged from a frothy tankard between large bites. They laughed and joked and Eronel and Komlin joined in whenever a rowdy drinking song rose from the ragged mass of fighters, slowly losing any sense of key.
The door creaked open and those nearest it gasped in shock. A terrifying scarred, white-haired, red-eyed man had entered the tavern, but most weren't looking at his odd coloring or the marks of many battles. They were staring at his right arm. The skin was the angry red of one under Kazan's curse, but the mark had spread far past what was considered safe, consuming almost half of his torso, and only the broken remains of a sealed lock hung on his wrist. He also held a heavy bludgeon that seemed to be made of some scaly material. Hendon Myre did not see many Berserkers.
Suisha stepped from behind the counter and approached the man. "Sir, I have to ask you to leave your weapon with me."
He threw his head back and roared with laughter. "'Sir'? When were you ever so formal with me, Suisha?"
"Do I know you?" she asked tentatively.
"Suisha!" the Berserker cried, feigning distress. "How could you forget one of your best customers? Eromreven's back in town!"
Suisha's eyes widened in surprise. "E? You've sure changed, kid! I thought you'd left town for good."
With Suisha's recognition of the man, her patrons returned to their own business.
"You won't be rid of me that easily," Eromreven said with a wink. "Doin' GSD a favor. Might be heading back to Sky Tower soon."
As the elf conversed with her customer, Evecil leaned in and said to his friends, "Look at that guy! I'd hate to come against him in a fight. And shouldn't he have more on that arm than half of a broken lock?"
Komlin nervously eyed the man and rubbed his own arm. "Maybe he don' need it. Lotsa Demon Knights learn how'ta use ther powers. That kind don' wanna lock it."
Eronel said with a mischievous grin, "D'you think yours'll ever get that bad, Komie?"
"Maybe," the Slayer said, "but I really don' wanna think 'bout it."
Thump. The Berserker now occupied the empty chair at their table. "You the kids GSD said're lookin' to get deep in the forest?" he asked.
They all nodded hesitantly.
"Great," he said with a grin. "Name's Eromreven." Only Komlin shook his proffered hand – the demon hand.
The three introduced themselves, then Komlin said, "GSD said'ja don' usually like partyin'. Why come?"
"We Slayers help our own. Not many others will," Eromreven said simply.
"I wonder why," Evecil muttered sarcastically under his breath. If Eromreven heard the remark, he ignored it.
"You two are pretty drunk," the Mage said sharply to his party members. "If we want to get out and do anything tomorrow, bed. Now," He rose from the table. "I get the feeling you'll be able to track us down once these two have gotten over their hangovers. See you tomorrow," Half dragging his comrades, Evecil shepherded them upstairs to the rooms they had rented for a few days.
Eromreven strolled across the tavern to the bar, where Suisha was mixing up drinks for a pair of Gunners. "Just a beer for now," he said, sliding some coins to her. "Oh, and my dearest barmaid, before I forget…" He dug around in his pack and pulled out a smaller sack filled with things he had collected in Sky Tower, which he also passed over the counter. "Think I could come back tomorrow and pick up something tasty?" he asked with a grin.
Shaking her head but smiling, the elf traded sack for beer, then began to go through the items. "You drink too much, E. I could probably keep this place open just on you. Oh, Simarilion Hearts, Dragonoid Eyes, Fire Stones – stopped by Blazing Grak on the way in, did you? You found some good stuff! This batch'll have your name on it," she promised.
The Berserker hopped off his stool and downed the last of his drink. "You're the best, Suisha!" He spun the empty tankard on his finger and handed it to her, backing away from the bar. "Until tomorrow, then." Someone smacked into his shoulder – a decidedly deliberate collision – as he turned to leave. Eromreven snarled up at one of the Gunners, a tall, gangly fellow, as his eyes began to glow demonic red.
"Watch it, freak," the Gunner said.
"Watch yourself, bastard," the demon growled. With a great force of will, he resisted punching the man out. Inhale, exhale… Inhale, exhale. The easily kindled fury slowly vanished as the Gunner walked away.
"What's this, E?" Shiusha teased. "Restraint?"
Eromreven grinned and blew her a kiss. "You got the best booze around!" he replied. "Now that I'm back, no way am I letting you kick me out for brawling again!" After a few steps, he paused and turned around, remembering something. He vaulted over the bar to collect his bludgeon from the rack on the wall, jumped over the bar again, and left the tavern.
Midmorning the next day, the three novices found Eromreven lazily sprawled on the grass where he had camped near Grand Flores, bottle in hand. He had found them when he stopped by the tavern earlier that morning and told them where to meet him.
"Hey," he called, waving them over. "Ready for some fun, kids?"
Evecil sniffed at the sight of alcohol. "Should you really be drinking right before a fight?"
The Berserker shrugged. "I done it enough. My tolerance's through the roof."
Rolling his eyes, Evecil turned towards the forest and took his staff in hand. "Whatever. Let's just go."
Eronel and Komlin produced their blades; Eromreven planted the tip of his bludgeon in the ground and used it to haul himself to his feet. "Coupla things you oughta know before heading out with me," he said. "I'm gonna need to beat the shit out of some of these nasties, but I plan to leave most of it to you kids. Sound good?" They all nodded. "And the other thing. When I'm sitting back watching, you might run into trouble. Not sayin' you will, but you never know. Long names are a bitch to yell in a fight, so just call me E if you needta."
"What if we come up with a different name for you?" Eronel asked with a mischievous smile.
Eromreven gave her a 'don't-screw-with-me' look. "Then I don't answer and you keep on needing help. Got it?"
"Got it."
They entered the forest. Eromreven led the party on until the main path vanished, splitting into small footpaths, and eventually they were following only a deer track. Along the way, he asked questions about their dungeoneering experience, gauging their strength so he could decide where to go. He took them into the heart of Tau territory: the personal domain of King Shauta. "The real Shauta's been dead for years," he informed them. "But there's always another idiot to take on the name thinking he can survive longer than the guy before."
He quietly pushed aside a screen of leaves revealing one of the clearings that the Taus and goblins made in their territories. Taus of varying sizes and colors mingled with Higaves and Sigaves and goblin Throwers. "This bunch is mine," the Berserker whispered, teeth gritted. He adjusted his left hand's grip on his weapon and clenched and unclenched his right fist. "Soon, you bastard," he murmured. "Keep it down for another five seconds, willya?"
He jumped from the brush and stuck two fingers in his mouth, shrilly whistling. "Come and get me, bitches!" he shouted, then charged in. A Berserker loose in battle is a fascinating sight: due to the power gained from their demon arms, they have a unique fighting style. While his left arm brutally swung the bludgeon into skulls, knees, stomachs, and anything else it could hit, his right clawed out, slashing into the monsters' guts and spraying their blood and organs in a deadly burst, often hitting and harming other foes.
As the last Tau dropped in front of him, Eromreven plunged his hand into its chest and tore out its heart. Claws punctured it, freeing a gush of blood, and he waved the other three over to join him. They stared at him with new respect seeing the destruction that one man could so easily wreak.
"Awright, your turn," he said easily, watching the Tau blood drip up his arm, vanishing into his skin. The novices also watched in fascination as the red liquid defied gravity. "Yeah," Eromreven said, noting their gazes, "the fucker can control blood. Makes cleanup a breeze." It was true; the gore that had been splattered all over his body was being drawn to the red skin, leaving him unstained.
"Well, let's go," Evecil said. The undead Mage was the first to get over the unusual sight and took the lead. Eronel followed him, and the Demon Knights trailed behind.
"So what's it like bein' a Berserker?" Komlin asked.
"You mean being a monster?" Eromreven said dryly. "Total honesty, it sucks ass. Hard. Kazan Syndrome only gets worse. Hurts like hell sometimes. If I go too long without fighting, the demon tries to take me over. That's why I drink - makes the bastard sleepy. I do the shit I do because it's the only shit I can do. People hate and fear us, so I accepted that fear. It fueled my anger, made me what I am. The only real happiness I can feel anymore is in battle." He broke into a lopsided grin. "But it's my life, and fuck if I give up living because of a few stupid mistakes!"
"Wow. I don't think I could handle that if it happened all at once."
"Meh." Eromreven shrugged. "You get used to it. Or go nuts trying."
"... I might go nuts?" Komlin looked worried.
"Yeah, it ain't an easy burden to bear. I've heard about a few guys who just snapped from the strain of trying. Went demon, killed a lot of people. Were eventually killed themselves."
Komlin gulped. "I don' wanna die."
Eromreven laughed. "It's not like 'Zerkin's your only option. Go ask GSD about it later, he'll have some advice."
"Thanks, Eromreven. That really-"
"In case you weren't aware, we still have more monsters to go after," Evecil said in an annoyed tone.
"You're leading the way, magey boy," Eromreven called back. "Find any?"
"Yeah," Eronel said, slipping away. "They're just up ahead." She silently stalked through the trees to sneak attack the monsters.
"Finally, I can kill some stuff." Komlin huffed.
"Well, I'll kill them from back here," Evecil added.
"Great, you can hang out with me!" Eromreven said with exaggerated affability, putting an arm over the Mage's shoulders. "The coward and the demon, what a team!"
"I'm not a coward, damnit! I have more long-ranged spells than melee attacks. Duh."
Eromreven cocked an eyebrow. "Prove me wrong, then," he challenged coldly. "Go on, they're right there."
"While you two were arguing, Eronel and I cleared the room!"
"You guys sure are slow," the Thief added, wiping her daggers on her pants.
"Damnit!" Evecil yelled, "Why did he even have to come along?"
"'Cause he's fuckin' awsome!" Komlin cried.
"Thanks, kid." Eromreven gave him a small bow.
"Is there a way to make you less irritating?" Evecil asked.
"Nope."
"Well, shit," Evecil hissed. "You guys might be the second death of me."
"Oh, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Eromreven said sarcastically.
Eronel decided it was a good time to step in. "Guys, knock it off!" she said sternly. "We've got more important things to do than bicker like small children!"
"Whatever," Evecil said, and stalked off.
Komlin mumbled "Why does he have to be so annoying?"
Eronel shrugged. "Zombies aren't happy people?" she suggested.
From a distance Evecil yelled, "Not a zombie, you idiots!"
"Zombie with anger issues," Eronel whispered.
"Got that right," Komlin snickered.
"I heard that!" Evecil yelled back.
"Fine, then," Eronel shot back. "Let's keep moving." She took off, not bothering to see if the guys followed her.
"I like her," Eromreven whispered to Komlin.
"Oh do ya now?"
"Keepin' goin' and trying to shut up the dead kid? Yeah."
"I'd rather rekill the dead kid," Komlin whispered back hoping Evecil didn't hear that. Of course he did, and with that Evecil left to scout the next room, hoping to leave the two annoying males behind.
Roars and shouts ahead told the Slayers that Eronel had already found the next batch of monsters. "Go get 'em," Eromreven said, grabbing Komlin's shoulder and shoving him forward. "And go actually fight alongside your teammates instead of with them!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That this is, right now, a pretty dysfunctional group." Eromreven jogged ahead to watch the fight.
"O-okay..."
Eronel sent a burst of flame at the goblins in front of her, jumped away from them, and kicked the Tau behind her in the face as Evecil shot magic bolts into the fray. They worked well together. Komlin was letting off a Mountainous Wheel when one of the magical bolts seemed to hit him in the back but went right through him.
"The frig? What just happened?"
"I can make it so that my magic will just hit the monsters. I told you when we first joined up as a party, remember?" Evecil asked.
"Nope." Komie said while decapitating a goblin.
"Handy, isn't it?" Eronel called, stabbing a Tau at the base of its neck.
The three quickly cleared out the monsters and ran off to find the next batch. They blasted through the next two areas easily enough, their teamwork tightening up as the rage over Eromreven dissipated. The Berserker watched from a safe distance, never interfering.
"When do you think we'll find Shauta, Eromreven?" Komie inquired.
Eromreven sniffed the air. "Judging by the stink, soon."
"He's probably through that big black gate," Evecil said with much sarcasm.
"Good point," Eronel said. "Let's go get him!" She dashed off to find the Tau King.
"Kill the Tau King, kill the Tau King." Komie sang the overused melody.
"Blood makes the grass grow! Kill, kill, kill!" Eromreven shouted as encouragement.
"The Hell? You are crazier than my brother," Evecil added.
"Thank you! Now git!" Eromreven lightly tapped the Mage with his bludgeon to 'encourage' him to follow his teammate.
"I'm not a dog," Evecil seethed.
"Wha? Where's a dog?" Komie was... excited? That's new.
"Never mind that." Eromreven shoved them both after Eronel. "You're a party. Act like it and go help her!"
"Okay!" Komlin yelled and ran off after the Thief. Evecil fired bolt after bolt at the Tau King's soldiers, and started using his more advanced spells. The three easily took out Shauta's minions, and when they finally started on the Tau King, attacked him from all sides. The flustered beast roared and lashed out wildly, but rarely hit.
"Hey, Shauta!" Eromreven shouted from the sidelines to rile him up further. "Your mother was a dairy cow!" The furious Tau charged him, but he easily leapt to the side and delivered a whack to Shauta's legs. Evecil ran up to the Tau King and attacked him with his ice sword spell, then backed off to fire more long-ranged attacks. Komlin attempted to rip off Shauta's head but his aim was off and sliced the horn instead He and Eronel dashed back in at the same time and delivered simultaneous killing blows as a final spell exploded on Shauta.
Komlin yelled "Dibs on the horns!"
"Take 'em," Eronel said, going through the rest of the loot Shauta had hoarded. She picked up a nice pair of new daggers, sliced the air with them to test the balance, and, satisfied, tucked them into her belt.
"There's never anything for me besides the usual stuff. Why do these guys never carry any staves?" Evecil questioned.
"Because they don't cater to whiny corpses," Eromreven shot from his position on the edge of the clearing. Komlin snickered at the remark, and Evecil chose to ignore it.
That's it for the first chapter. Review please.