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CHAPTER III
(Devotions and loyalty)
[AN: I need a proofreader. Anyone who's interested can PM me. Thanks and happy reading to everyone!]
After he made all his preparations and is now ready to face any threat that may come at him, he teleported back in the throne hall and appeared right in front of the iron throne, his back facing the audience. He turned around and saw Malik the overseer of Helmurus lowering his head to him. He took away his eyes from Malik to see the audience in the hall with similar stance as the overseer, they are wearing all sorts of equipment of great value, based from the equipment's design and the aura it gave.
These audiences were [Custom NPC's] of the guild given the task of protecting Aegremont from invaders. They are of different race which is mostly consists of heteromorphic of the vilest of its kind – demons, undead, and other abominations, as the guilds has one policy that only allows these kinds to be in their ranks. They have this demon king castle theme and most of [The High Lords of YGGDRASIL's] members are all playing demons and devils, undead, insectoids and other dreadful existence.
There are 27 NPC's present in this meeting lined at the base of the throne forming an arc. They are separated into two ranks – the guardians and the army generals; where the former were the strongest.
There are a total of 6 guardians that guards the key areas within the castle; they're all level 100, with build that can adapt to any enemies and their battle tactics, each one of them is wearing highly customized divine equipment that is comparable to what the members of the guild equipped. Then, there are the 4 generals that command's the 4 armies of Helmurus, specialized in moving the army and fights in groups; they are equip with divine items but it cannot be compared to the equipment that the guardians equipped.
The level cap of Helmurus is 1600, one of the top 10 highest level dungeon ever discovered in the game. There were 2 guilds that had tried conquering the dungeon but had failed, but then their guild had managed to conquer it with 22 members in the expense of various dispensable and other valuable items. The reward for conquering Helmurus were various items below legacy class and some low level divine class, 10 billion YGGDRASIL gold and additional 400 level cap increase to the dungeon if they planned on making it their guild base. So the total level cup of their guild base is 2000 and with additional cash items they managed to increase it to 2400, making them the guild with the highest level cap dungeon/base.
With a vast number of Custom NPC's, Mercenary NPC's and an army of stronger POP's had made them the guild with the greatest number of NPC's in all servers.
And they needed it as their main advantage is that Helmurus increases the overall defensive capability and stats of everyone within the guild and it counts the NPC's. Therefore, these numbers were their main method in repelling their enemy, forcing them to expend their energy on these dispensable NPC's and then defeat them. Though these numbers were huge, this won't suffice.
If the invaders would really expend real efforts, their army would be reduced to ash in mere blink! 10th tier and over-rank spells will do the trick! And with their enemy's strength, they could mow down this army of low level POP's and Mercenary NPC's.
But that is the true purpose of these NPC's – to be cannon fodders and sacrificial lambs for some of their spells. Therefore, an army of 500 thousand isn't enough to stop these players and their own army of summon mercenaries and NPC's from advancing, but it is enough to expend their forces, exposing their cards and taking it away from them, stripping them of chances by limiting them of their movements. However, if 1500 players where to step in their domain to claim their treasures, their guild can only pray of their survival; after all, the highest number of players that had invaded Helmurus is 920, but this number is enough to pinch their heart because of the losses they had suffered, albeit not major losses for them but still this loss is enough to make regular guild's go bankrupt.
But of course, this number may also be their disadvantage as their expenditure skyrocketed because of the high cost of their upkeep. But this disadvantage is surely not their disadvantage. However, even if all of its members were rich, they still made necessary improvements to slash these expenditure's in half, they've done it by investing quite an amount in some of the facilities they had built around Helmurus.
The NPC's were arranged in the order of strength; therefore, the guardians are closer to the throne, then, the generals.
Kevin or now Nivek remained standing in the presence of all the NPC's but he maintains his vigilance for any hostile approach from them, especially to the guardians near him, if they make a jump at him he can't dodge it in time.
He recognizes each one of them as he swept them his gaze.
In the front-left corner, an insect like creature is standing proud like a true warrior. He is the tallest amongst them with the height of 2.5m as tall as Nivek in his true form.
He has 6 eyes like orbs made of red crystals, 3 on each side of his head and has long powerful mandibles that could crush a man's arms. He has 2 pairs of arms but the extra pair is small which is good enough to hold a dagger and not his great weapon, the [Twin Blade of Blazing Inferno] which is two huge blades joined together to make one weapon. He has long tail that comes from his back with layers upon layers of thick fiery hides which covers his entire body, it is very thick and durable which is comparable to the divine class armor. However, even if his hide is tough enough that protects him from piercing attacks, he is still wearing few armor plates as additional protection that cover his most vulnerable and vital part. This is the guardian of the underground hellish city of Aegremont, Gyuki the Primal Flame Lord.
Standing next to Gyuki is a huge muscular winged demon, a few inches shorter than the insect warrior Gyuki. This demon has 2 massive long horns on his forehead which forms a perfect curve upward. He has dark fiery eyes which filled with hate and bloodlust. Underneath of his heavy dark and sinister armor is a thick rubbery dark-reddish skin which is impervious to normal means of attack. His name is herald as the strongest guardian in terms of raw strength – Jurmon the Strong Arm and he guards the entrance of Aegremont.
Then there's the beautiful creature, Hedazel of the North Star. A beautiful woman with angel-like features whose allure and grandeur is not of this world, it rivaled the goddess of beauty. Though, she is angel-like, she is no angel as her eyes and wings were clad in darkness, for she is known as The Fallen. She's wearing light armor that emphasizes her beautiful body that can only be described as seductive and tempting. She has long silky straight black hair which is neatly tied by 3 silver ribbons behind her back.
Hedazel guards the top floor of Aegremont.
Then next to her is a small young girl. A petite girl around 10 years old with charms unique only to her, she is overflowing with cuteness beyond compare. Her long twin tailed hair and eyes were crimson red, in her teeth were two sharp needle-like canine, her small ears were a little pointy, her skin is a little bit dark but soft, and she has a tail that is flat and heart shaped at the end covered in red metal plating which is part of her armor and it complimented her small stature. Her name is Liana and she's the strongest of the guardians, she is known as the Helmurus Princess and she guard the floor that leads to the inner section of the castle, to which the core sections of Aegremont tower such as the throne hall and the guilds personal quarters or residences are located.
Then another devilish beauty with long wavy lavender hair is standing next to Liana, a vampire. But unlike the other vampire race of her origin, she is known to be unique for she's a cross breed between true vampire and true werewolf, a hybrid. This new race or a hybrid is a beta which released in the game few years ago, the hybrid has strength unlike its known origins which had eliminated the known weakness of vampires and werewolves, but at the same time, it also limits the known strength of these two race; therefor, the balance is still there.
Her form is no different from that of a human, because even the known qualities of vampires and wolves such as eyes, ears and canines were not visible. Her name is Catalina of Clandestine and she's wearing revealing armor which made her looks even sexier and tempting than Hedazel although they possess equal beauty.
And then, the last one is a young looking man that has long and straight white hair he let loose on his back. He almost looks like human and very handsome as such if not for the left side of his face being covered with creepy golden half-mask which hides his hideous face and terrifying magic eye which enables him to defeat high level players with magic class.
Then there's the four generals that command the 4 army, three of them were heavily armored, these are: the ugly-looking creature with great physique is Volgohr which commands the orc, he's an orc but he's much better looking than the other orcs in Helmurus; next to him is Nemrod which commands the undead and demons, he's an undead with similar stature to a knight; then there's Feora which commands the air support unit, she's an aviary but even if she's is, she still possess the qualities of a human, except for her deep yellow eyes, feathery hair and wings and sharp claws, she is the only one with light equipment; and the last one is Gorvath an undead lord which has a diverse army at his commands, he also has the authority to command the other generals, he has the look of a middle age man with his long white hair and beards with scar on his cheek and neck which only shows that he is a veteran of war.
Politically, Gorvath holds the most power in all Helmurus that even Malik didn't have the authority over him. He only answers to the lord of this realm and this status is what he prided the most to which the others could only dreamed of.
"I summoned everyone here, for I was bothered with uncertainties."
When he confirmed that they are not going to make a move, he spoke in a calm tone, but since he has a voice of a villain as he customized it as such, he gives off a very threatening presence.
He cast his gaze to everyone and when he saw that they remained still in their position, he continued.
"Do any of you have a wish to challenge me and take my place?"
He asked indifferently to test their loyalty and if they did take the bait, then he could only answer the challenge to which he is confident of winning.
He felt no fear of death. No. It shouldn't suffice it, since he felt nothing at all!
Added that he fears no one in his previous world as he is a rebel of his family and often gotten involved in fighting in some random clubs. And now, he gains the body of his avatar, he felt that death is insignificant to him now… he felt that… he is fear itself – the manifestation of true fear.
"Do any of you wished to challenge me?" He asked again.
Then, he heard a small sound of shaking metals. This sound won't be heard by a normal person, he was able to hear it because of his enhance senses especially now that he possessed the Frost Giant.
He looked around to find where it came – from a small child, Liana.
Then another sound was heard, and then another. It is the same from before, these sound is being produce by their armor and weapons from the uncontrolled shaking of their body. He felt that they're trembling.
"Thud!" something drops in the floor. It was loud that it echoed throughout the hall. It was the overseer… kneeling, and the fear is obvious in his face.
Nivek is now very sensitive to sentient emotions, specifically fear. It must be because of his [Race Class: Fiend Lord] and [Job Class: Dreaded Lord] which made him extremely sensitive to this particular feeling. But he felt that, this fear he felt from them is different from all fears, it was the fear of losing someone.
"Mi-mi-l-lord please… w-what have we done wrong?" He voice is cracked, but is filled with devotion. "W-we wouldn't dare raise a weapon to our master who created us."
Then, he crawls forward while clasping both of his hands, like a beggar begging for alms. An unsightly sight for a powerful undead who oversee the great realm of Helmurus but for him, this is not a form of humiliation, this is something to be prided and the audience seems to greatly admire him.
"Please milord… if there's anything that bothers you, make the order and we will take care of it. We will put a stop to all your worries, we will kill all your enemies and we will fulfill all your desires and wishes. And if it pleases you o great lord, I will gladly offer my soul to you. After all, our life was given to us by the Supreme Beings, if you wish to take it back, we will be happy to offer it. Milord, you're the only one that remained, and if you abandon us, with the other masters had long been gone, we will be servants without a master. We will no longer have a purpose and reason to live; then we will be like swords rusting in the darkest cave. Please milord, make use of us once more. Make us a sword with unsurpassable sharpness and beauty – your sword. For a sword is as great as its master. Milord, I beg of you…"
When they all heard Malik pleads their lord, his words seep deep into their hearts.
What they've done wrong that their lord is upset and questioning their loyalty? These words will make anyone from Helmurus break their spirit. For all they know, they have served him and the other Supreme Being with utmost loyalty, that they'll follow any orders without question, even if it means to die in their own hands under the order of their master.
They will follow their master until the end and they will die for their master, their loyalty is unquestionable, it is absolute and everlasting.
But now, their master doubts this loyalty. This is worse than an insult coming from their enemy. This is worse than anything, even worse than death!
They all kneeled asynchronously and take on a position like Malik.
"Milord… we beg!" They said in unison, as though it was rehearse.
Ho ho… as expected of the programming… they won't defy me at all. He he… Now, now… what should I do?
In a short moment, the room was filled with darkness swirling around him. He got out from the frost giants body and like a statue the body stayed still.
"I can see your loyalty and devotion… I can feel it… and I accept it."
For once, no one make a move. But then Malik readied himself to speak.
"Milord, I, Malik and everyone present, the guardians and generals, and all the servants of Helmurus… pledge our loyalty to the most high, exulted amongst the highest and the lord of lords… lord Nivek Rellim, the Great Evil. GLORY TO THY LORD! GLORY TO THE HIGHEST! GLORY TO LORD NIVEK RELLIM!"
Ugh! please stop that, it's demeaning… who would want to recite that…
"We pledge our loyalty to the most high, exulted amongst the highest and the lord of lords… lord Nivek Rellim, the Great Evil. GLORY TO THY LORD! GLORY TO THE HIGHEST! GLORY TO LORD NIVEK RELLIM!" Just like a well rehearse verse, they repeated the words of the undead, they all proclaimed to their hearts content and repeated it 3 times.
Okay… okay now stop… why must exaggerate it?
Still Malik isn't done yet as he shouted "FOR GLORY AND HONOR!" and they followed suit. And then they stopped, they remained kneeling.
Now it's finished, why are you still not standing? He watched them for almost 15 minutes now. Oh! Must I make them?
"Arise, my faithful servants."
He said graciously and they got up, well-sync as ever.
"We express our gratitude to our lord supreme!" Again, they said in complete sync.
He turned to Malik and asked "Did you find anything?"
"Yes milord, I did what you have asked. Indeed, we are faced with the unknown. The Mountain of Doom, the portal to our world is no more. It was replaced with an unknown mountain of great height and perilous steep but it cannot be compared to our Mountain of Doom. It resembled our great mountain with its unique sharp peak, but like I said before, this mountain cannot be compared to our Great Mountain of Doom, it won't be its match."
"What else?"
"Then, there are other monsters lurking within the vast barren land around the mountain. However, they were very weak compared to the monsters that spawned in the abyss of our great mountain."
"You say they are weak, how weak are they? Can two 8th tier spell be able to defeat them?"
"A single 4th tier spell is enough to kill them, 5th tier will burn them, 6th will charred them and 7th will completely disintegrate their flesh… I don't think you would waste an 8th tier spell on such a weak monster, o great lord."
"I see… these monsters are lower level, around 30-40 I assumed. Perhaps, there are stronger monsters that hide in the deepest and darkest place?"
"No milord, I have an entire team of hanzo's to scour the entire plain and they found nothing. However, they've found a team of humans, elf scouts, and a band of orcs. The humans were surrounded and are dying in the hands of these orcs, while the elves are simply observing nearby."
He could hear some of them converse, especially the 3 female guardians. Along their words contains "Good for them… they are fun to watch", "Filthy humans", "kill them all" and or "Humans are weak". It all showed their disdain over the human race.
"Show me." He told the undead overseer.
And Malik made a wave using his hand and the user interface was seen floating in front of Malik.
Oh! The UI of our guild base is still accessible!
Malik then manipulated it and multiple wide holographic screens were seen floating in front of them. It displayed the image of an unfamiliar place, a barren land. Then, Malik close up the image to show a particular scene – a fight to the death between the humans and orcs. The humans were greatly outnumbered and are fighting desperately. However, even if they are at the disadvantage, the humans managed to keep the orcs at bay because of a wizard that threw fireballs at the orcs, until he saw 3 orcs different from the rest made their way to the group of humans. He saw that these orcs were very strong that they managed to push back two of the knights. He witnessed how these three orcs battled this knights, it was a great battle that the rest of the orcs stopped in their assault to watch the battle that is unfolding in their very own eyes and cheered. He saw how one of these orcs had mowed down 2 of the knights but the knights got back on their feet, stand their ground, and valiantly fought once again. The wizard assisted the knights and with her magic, she managed to pin down one of these orcs.
Oh~ is that tier three spell [Fire Ball]? The looks and feel of that spell is similar to the game. A thought suddenly came at him. What is this? I am seeing this slaughter yet I am not affected! This is disturbing. The blood is real, I can see the reality in the eyes of this men. Their sufferings and will to fight, these are real! I wouldn't think that this is possible with CGI's and special effects; well, it could replicate this particular scene but not emotions. This is real!
He then came into a realization. I lost my humanity huh.
"Feora!" He called out.
The aviary had made her way in the front. She then kneeled while placing an arm on her chest. "Yes milord." She said.
"Capture all of them. I need all of them alive… specially those humans. Make haste and help them."
"Your will shall be done." She answered bowing her head before leaving the hall.
He chose Feora to carry this mission as he felt that she was well capable at this task than any other, as she's one from the four who didn't expressed their disdain for the humans. The other three were Malik, Gyuki, and Gorvath; but he need Malik to oversee all Helmurus, Gorvath to plan their defense and Gyuki is not suited to this mission; so it all falls to Feora and he knows that she has the capability.
The other people that share the same opinion about humans cannot fathom their master's words, especially when he told Feora to 'help them'. They all think that aside from Helmurians, the other species were of lower life forms and should be treated as such, particularly the humans which they thought as cattle's to be butchered and worms to be trampled. However, they never contradicted the words of their master.
"Malik, Gorvath!"
"Yes milord!" The two said in unison.
"Gorvath, go and fortify our defenses. With the other generals, make counter plans to a possible invasions coming from the outside. Now go!"
"Yes milord! I will now carry your will." He proclaimed. He gave a look to the other generals indicating that they should follow him and they all left the room.
"And Malik, I have three tasks for you. First, provide assistance to Gorvath. Second, make sure we could maintain the cost of our upkeep and other expenditures, if you have an idea to effectively cut costs without compromising the proficiency, do it. And lastly, form an intelligence unit and gather intelligence as soon and as much as possible. They will be under you. Make it without expending too much of our resources and elites."
"Yes milord. I shall do as you command."
"The other guardians shall remain in their area and wait for my command if I deemed it necessary. Now go!"
"As you will, o great lord!" The guardians all proclaimed.
