A/N: First the Draenei and now the Coldwolves. Lightning and all the other players sure are having some allies beyond the tenth floor. I wonder which team is going to join on team Against-the-Inflamed-Legion...Yeah, I gotta work on my team titles.
APRIL 13th, 2023. FLOOR 14, AUCHINDOOM RUINS
Level 87.
13,940 HP.
485 Strength.
Strength. My strength is determined by numbers. I'm an elite soldier with nothing standing in my way or holding me back. In this world, my strength is only limited in a period of time. I can become stronger, or my strength remains as it is once I reach the maximum level or wear the strongest of weapons and armor.
How I wish I could return to the real world. But I can't unless we clear the other 36 floors.
The fourteenth floor is some kind of discolored forest, like dark green of some sort. The forest isn't dense, just a few trees everywhere. Everywhere but the center of this floor, which is a gray dead zone, literally.
This gray dead zone, the Auchindoom Ruins, is a large dome building in crumbling ruins. All the mobs here are dead creatures. Living skeletons, phantom warriors, ghostly spellcasters.
I'm with Rokel and Hope. They both need help with this quest: Rest in Peace, where we need to kill a certain number of the undead in these ruins.
I'm in combat with a skeleton knight. My attacks are getting blocked by the monster's shields, but it doesn't matter. I only act as a vanguard, making the hits so that Rokel and Hope can attack with their offensive spells.
The skeleton switches to attack with its sword. I parry its attacks while Rokel casts his Fireball spell. The Skeleton staggers from the spell, then I give it a hard swing of my sword.
The Skeleton Knight dies.
Rokel falls on one knee, using his staff for support. He's exhausted. "Man, I'm getting tired."
"Says the guy who isn't fighting as the vanguard," I say. "So, we have all the kills we need?"
Hope checks his quest log. "I still need another 23 kills."
"And I need another ten," Rokel says.
I look around. There are no mobs around. We probably wipe the area clean. "Well, I guess we'll just wait for the enemies to respawn." I sit down to rest for the moment. Rokel and Hope does the same.
"Man, the monsters here are getting tougher," Rokel says.
"I agree. I can hardly solo anymore." Hope says. "It takes me like two minutes just to kill a mob. Makes me wish I had chosen Wavemaster over Cleric."
"Which is why I stick what I'm good at," I say. Swordsman is very similar to being a Guardian Corp. The only difference is that I'm using swords instead of a Gunblade. I can only slash, not shoot.
"Oh really? When were you good with video games?" Hope says with a laugh.
I give Hope a mad look. I can tell he means I'm not good with video games. Well, that's no lie. I've never played with them in my entire life. But I don't really like it when he turns it into what I just said about doing only the things I'm good at. He should know the one reason I joined this death game.
Hope laugh slowly dies down then swallows hard. "Sorry."
"Right." I stand back up. "Some enemies should have returned by now. Let's get back to finishing this quest."
There were only a few monsters that reappeared, but it was enough to finish the quest Rokel and Hope had. Once we were done, we turned it in. Now what to do for the rest of the day? It's only 8:30. Rokel and Hope decided to check out the Auchindoom area. Rokel believes he'll find some rare treasures inside. Inside the building, there are no enemies at all.
"This place makes the dread lands look more alive," I say.
"I agree," Hope says.
We just wonder about the high floor levels of this abandoned dead building. As we wonder, we spotted something on the ground level, in the center. It's hard to make out, but one is large and dark, the other is a bit small.
"What's going on down there?" Rokel asks.
"I don't know, let's check it out." Hope is about to jump down, but I stop him by grabbing his arm.
"We can't just jump in there. It could be dangerous." I say.
"We'll be fine. Even if it is, we'll just teleport out." Hope says.
That part is true, but I'm still concern. We jump to the ground floor, approach the little event that's happening in the middle. We hide behind some rabble to make sure we don't get spotted. The large creature is some male Harpy in black and green, and a small one is...some strange bird.
I can't exactly make out its appearance. It's flightless and very ugly.
The large enemy is channeling some Fel energy to the lesser creature. "Why do you resist your fate? Give in and you will be free from the Sethekk curse!" The Raven Lord says.
The small creature kaws, with a deep rusty voice. "The path you have chosen is dark, Iskar." His voice is eerie deep when talking. "We are the Arakkoa, a proud tribe of the shadows. You brought nothing but shame to our people by joining the Inflamed Legion."
"Inflamed Legion. Why do they have so many allies?" I ask in a whisper.
"Many villains have multiple allies and teams. It's common knowledge." Hope says.
"Then you and the rest of your kind will all dwell in darkness!" The Raven Lord channels dark energy. Then a black and green large raven and four shadow priests, that are the same creatures as the captive ally, appear. "Destroy them, minions!"
The Raven Lord vanishes, and the minions he leaves behind attacks on the ally NPC. "We have to help him," Rokel says.
"You kidding? That...thing could be an enemy." I say.
"That's what you said about the Orcs. While that is mostly true, but what about the Coldwolf Clan?" Hope asks.
I know about the Coldwolf Clan. They're Orcs, friendly but untrustworthy. Slave is different however, even so, I still don't trust him. He's an Orc. Well, I suppose this one is worth giving a chance given to the Draenei and the Coldwolves.
We come out of hiding and attacking the minions. The second I attack one of the shadow priests, the rest attacks me like I did some AOE attack. Rokel supports me with his offensive magic. I focus on blocking the Corrupt Ravens attack since the Mind Burst spells the Shadow Priests cast aren't delectable. I rely on Hope's shielding and healing spells against them.
I leap back, the moment I land I charge up my Blade Beam ability, then send three slash beams at the Shadow Priests. I only manage to kill one of them. The Corrupt Raven flies towards me. I dodge its charging attack. While it's flying away, I start attacking the Shadow Priests. I kill the remaining three, just in time for the Raven's return.
I cut that bird down to size.
Once the fight was over, the Raven Lord's dark spell on the NPC breaks. "Kraw! Ah...Thank you!" He doesn't sound too thankful, then again his voice is only deep and rusty. "You must be these outsiders I have heard, who are rebelling against the Inflamed Legion. You are strong, indeed. But you are clearly outnumbered. My people can help you outsiders, but first, you will have to gain the trust of our leader, the Raven King Terokk. My name is Vashra the Illusion. Should you seek assistance against the Inflamed Legion, come to my village."
A quest log opens up. We don't receive an escort quest, but a meeting quest of some kind. We are just to go to some village in the southern field of this floor. First the Draenei, then allied Orcs, and now these weird bird creatures. I'm beginning to have a habit of encountering weirdness in this world.
I accept the quest. "We'll meet again, strangers." Then Vashra walks away, slowly fading until he disappears.
"Well...that was...odd," I say. Rokel and Hope agree. "Should we go after him?"
"Actually, I'm gonna return to town." Rokel's stomach is growling. "I need to get something to eat."
"Same here. Care to join us, Light?" Hope asks.
"Nah. I'm gonna do some more kills around here," I say.
"Oh. Okay then." Hope and Rokel use their teleport crystals to teleport them to Valley of Peace on the first floor. Now I'm on my own.
FLOOR 14, SOUTHERN FIELD
I told Hope and Rokel I would just make a few kills around the Auchindoom, but instead, I decided to do this quest given to that weird NPC. I want to take a look at these 'Arakkoa' creatures. Just want to make sure they are not enemies. Not like the Inflamed Legion or the Metal Horde.
I am near the destination. From a distance, I can see it's a small village with tents and magic stuff like dangling books, ritual circles and orbs, and such. But they're not the only ones I see.
Outside the village, there's a Shadow Sniper standing just outside the village, staring at it. The Shadow Sniper who is afraid of guns.
"Shinon!" Shinon flinches and turns to see me. "What are you doing here?" I ask.
"Oh. Lightning. I received a quest in Auchindoom a while back. I was just about to get started on it." Shinon says.
"Really? So am I...Only I discovered the quest a few minutes ago." I say.
"I see. How about we do it together?" Shinon says.
"I suppose so." I have a feeling we would be doing it together anyways.
We go inside the village. As we wonder we are getting strange looks from the guards. Some of the muttering under their breaths. I wonder how NPC's could act lively like us. Warlords Wrath Online is a very strange world for a death game.
In the center, we see Vashra talking to a group of the Arakkoa. The middle one seems big, he must be the leader. "I'm telling you, Terokk. They could be the key to the Inflamed Legions defeat." Vashra turns around and sees us. "Ah! Would you look at that? They're here after all."
"So, these are the strangers you talked about," Terokk says. "Hmm...they look nothing like the Legion."
Terokk steps down and approaches us. He gets a good, close look at us. If he gets any ideas I'm gonna pluck those feathers of his! He checks me out first then Shinon.
"Hmm...interesting." Terokk returns to his previous position. "They are powerful indeed, but are they really worthy to serve the Arakkoa?"
'Serve' is a word that has me suspicious. Makes it sound like they're gonna treat us like servants maybe. "I have little doubts as well, Raven King. But what little choice do we have? Iskar will overrun us if we don't defeat him."
"Very well," Terokk says. "Should you outsiders wish to serve the Arakkoa? First, you must prove that you are worthy to be bearers of the shadows." The quest is complete. If only offers small EXP.
With one quest complete, there are a few more the NPCs in this village have to offer. The funny thing is all four of them lead to the same area. An enemy base just northeast from the village, nearly at the edge of the dread lands. Everywhere are the male harpies and members of the Black Council.
We have three quests for this area:
Kill as many Legion agents
Destroy a certain amount of Dominion Orbs
Steal a dozen Shadow Tones from the Fel Illusionists.
I fight in Vanguard, this time I focus on blocking with my sword and dodging attacks since we don't have any healers. Shinon is pretty skilled for a Shadow Sniper. Level 90 even. I handle cutting down those close by while she shoots down the long-ranged.
"Shinon! Behind you!" I shout as I rush to the Black Council warrior that's about to attack her.
Shinon turns and screams as it prepares to strike, but I strike first, cutting its arm off, then I slash it in the torso until it dies. Shinon looks surprised, even after seeing the corruptive orc dead.
She looks at me with a thankful smile. "Thank you, Lightning."
"Don't sweat it." Is all I say. "So...that's everything?"
Shinon opens her menu, going over her quest log. "I still need two tones and one Dominion Orb," Shinon says.
"Well, there's gotta be an Orb around here somewhere." I look around. "As for the tones, we'll have to wait for the Illusionists to respawn."
"Shouldn't take too long," Shinon says. "Hey, you know." I look at Shinon confused. "When I met you...I always thought you were...stone-cold."
"I've been told," I say.
"Yeah. Well, whenever I had group runs with my guild and Espeon, he always talked about what a caring person you can be." Shinon says.
"Yeah, well I guess you could see it's part of being in the Guard...Wait. Espeon has group runs with you guys?" That surprises me cause I thought he would be having group runs with his guild, those immature NORA gang.
"Well, we needed a Cleric in most of our runs. Leafa can hardly keep up with the healing after what happened in the eighth-floor dungeon." Shinon says. Now that makes more sense. "Anyways, I think he's very lucky to have someone like you. I had a friend back in the real world who understands me very well."
"The whole gun incident?" I ask.
Shinon says. "Yeah. He was pretty much my only friend in school."
"I'm guessing you're a little shy." Shinon nods. "You and Espeon can relate."
Shinon slightly gasps, then ends up blushing. Almost like I said something like her and Hope being together.
Once the enemy respawns, we get our last two tones and destroy the last Dominion Orb. Now we turn in our quests, which is in the center of this town. Must be another event happening, I've seen enough of this on the previous four floors. Shinon and I head to our destination, and there we find Terokk and Vashra. Terokk and Vashra are looking at some event that's happening.
The Raven Lord stands in place in front of the image of the demon elf from the twelve floors. In front of the Raven Lord are Yrel and Slave, on their knees.
"Those are some strange creatures Iskar has. You think they are friends of the strangers?" Vashra asks.
"They all look the same to me, Vashra. It does not matter." Terokk turns. "Well. Look who's here. I trust you've done what I asked?" We both turn in our quests. I made level 88, Shinon even congratulated me. Now we have to do the next quest, 'Lord of Illusions'. "Excellent. Without reinforcements, Iskar will have no choice but to surrender."
"Don't be too sure about that, Terokk. Iskar must not be underestimated. No matter what." Vashra says.
And so the quest begins. "My lord, I have unlocked a powerful illusion spell that allows me to bind the minds of mere mortals. Allow me to demonstrate."
The Raven Lord begins channeling dark magic. "The light will protect us from your dark magic!"
"I only honor the elements and my ancestors!" Slave says.
The Raven Lord unleashes its spell. Yrel and Slave look no different, but the minds are certainly not in the right place. At the same time, they both say, "Lord Chaos. I am his to command."
"Impressive indeed, Iskar." The elf demon says. "I care for a demonstration. Use these insects against the intruders you allowed to roam your base!"
"Wait! What?" The Raven Lord turns in our direction. "Well! If it isn't the pathetic Arakkoa! And what's this? More outsiders? You will all make fine serves for the Legion. Seize them!"
The Raven Lord turns into shadowy mists, vanishing into thin air. "Yes, master!" Both Slave and Yrel say.
"We're now going have to fight Yrel and Slave?" Shinon asks her tone sounding unbelievable.
I draw out my sword. "Well, I have no problem with Slave. So I'll take him."
I charge in, directly at Slave, and attack. Slave's not the only one who starts attacking me, Yrel also joins in on the fight. I can tell Shinon is hardly friending. I'm guessing it's because she doesn't want to hurt our allies, well ally, and Slave.
Terokk and Vashra help out though, Terokk fights in Vanguard with me while Vashra stands back, casting shadow magic. Yrel and Slave fight hard, only ten seconds of the fight and I've gone full health to 45%. I switch from offensive assault to evasive defenses.
"Shinon! A little help!?" I say.
After taking a deep breath, Shinon joins the fight.
Yrel and Slave have such high health, I'm not even sure if we can do this. Unless of course, it's one of those moments where you just fight a while then the enemy surrenders or becomes subdued. Well, there's no point in escaping, so all I can do is fight.
Slave and Yrel are tough. I begin to start having trouble avoiding. We only have each of them at 80%. Slave strikes me, I block his attack. But during that, he took his advantage and casts a Lava Burst spell on me. The spell hits me hard and causes me to be knocked back. I even crashed into Shinon.
We lay on the ground, me on top of her. My HP is reduced to 592. This is bad.
Slave and Yrel have the upper hand against us. They make a strike, only it suddenly stops midway. "What...happened?" Shinon asks.
I wonder the same thing. I look past them to see Vashra shackling them with shadow energy. "They are being mind-controlled by Iskar. Oh, this is bad." Vashra says.
"Mind Control is a level 15 shadow spell. Highly dangerous. Extremely forbidden. You can reserve it, can't you?" Terokk asks.
"Perhaps. I'll have to look into it. Strangers, meet me back at the village." Vashra says.
Vashra and Terokk make their leave with Slave and Yrel. The quest is complete but we have to turn it in back at the village.
While we're here, I take the moment to eat up, restore my HP. "Man, that was close." Shinon bends down to me. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. I endured worse." I tell her.
"Do you think Yrel and Slave are going to be okay?" Shinon asks.
Her tone kind of sets me off. She sounds worried. She's worrying over computerized data creatures. They're not even real or human. "They're just NPC's, they're not even real."
"I know that, but they're still people," Shinon says.
They're still people...That might be true, but they're still not real. I guess I shouldn't complain about people treating them like they're real. I know they're not and that's all that matters.
