Thanks everyone for all the love and reviews :) yall the best.
I'm afraid that the story is getting a bit complex if not read in one sitting. (not right now I guess. It's just Slayer & Guide vs Anti-Slayer faction) Do you think I should finish each chapter with a TLDR? or is it unnecessary. Likewise I could also reiterate the points in previous chapters - but I feel like it can be too on-the-nose. tell me what you think. Maybe just keep it in notes? i unno.
Armour: Victide (Ranger)
Weapon: Mandible Bow (Jester Arrows); Arkhalis
Acc(11/11): Band of Regeneration, Amidas Spark, Sailfish Boots, Luxor's Gift, Aglet, Rover Drive, Crown Jewel, Tsunami in a Bottle, Frog Leg, Aero Stone, Shield of the Ocean
Health: (400/400)
"A large-scale attack on The Resistance? That's… surprising."
The gentle Old Merchant raised his eyebrows, his kindly voice growing concerned. Out of the three occupants of this very strange, but incredibly well fortified encampment, this old man seemed to be the most diplomatic. The two of them were sitting beneath a large wooden pavilion overlooking the enclosed clearing - and although the scene was peaceful enough, The Demolitionist simply couldn't relax. Even though The Merchant had assured him his pursuer had turned tail, The Demolitionist remained on guard. The dwarf answered absentmindedly as he carefully scanned the treeline.
"Yessir. That ol' rat Yharim has got his panties in a bunch. Heard the rumors about our Hero and got so freaked he sent the Brimstone Bitch after us. He's scared, y'know? Paranoid. He knows his time is coming."
"Ah...Your Hero?"
"Huh? Ya haven't heard?"
The Demolitionist frowned. Did this old man live under a rock? By now, there was hardly a man, woman or child who hadn't at least heard of Braelor's new Hero. A mage, apparently, and supposedly strong enough to face The Great Witch herself! (this was likely a gross exaggeration) Until a few days ago, The Hero was The Resistance's most closely held secret. Now, Braelor had begun advertising him in order to garner support from the many splintered resistance groups about the country. If Lord Braelor saw fit to share this morsel of information, The Demolitionist saw no reason not to enlighten The Merchant. Caution temporarily thrown to the wind, he puffed up his chest proudly.
"Well, let me tell ya! A great Hero is risin' in the North. A walking legend. He appeared only recently, but already rivals the Great Witch in magical prowess. Some say he's got enough power to finish armies on his own… and apparently, he's not human. He doesn't get tired. He can't get injured. He can't die. An invincible soldier. A Terrarian."
"..."
"..."
"Ha!"
A long pause, then The Merchant scoffed and leaned back in his chair. There was feigned mirth behind his old eyes.
"Young man, Terrarian's don't exist. They're bedtime stories. Who would believe that?"
The Demolitionist grinned and waggled a stumpy finger.
"Who? The King believes it. Why else do ya think he's suddenly so desperate to stamp us out? A new age is on the horizon, Old Man. We're gonna overthrow The Tyrant. Are ya with us?!"
The Merchant chuckled. He gazed kindly, almost condescendingly at The Demolitionist, as if he were an adult watching children playing 'war' in the town square. It was obvious he didn't believe a word The Demolitionist said, but gave an affirmative anyways.
"Of course I'm with you, young man. You say you're going to win, and I believe you. But as you are now - I have to say you certainly don't look like a winner. The Nurse was complaining about you earlier. Multiple stab wounds and poison coursing through your veins. Surely not the work of The Great Witch who attacked your city. What happened to you?"
Ah...
The Demolitionist deflated and rubbed the back of his head. He'd been on the run for… how long now? And didn't have time to properly mourn the loss of his hometown. Now that he thought back on it, he wondered if his friends and family made it out alive. Dwarves were tough, but nobody survived a brimstone hellblast.
He responded in a sullen voice. His bravado fled as quickly as it had come.
"The Witch Calamitas. She attacked our sacred mountain. I ran but somebody picked up my trail. I've had this assassin on my tail fer three, four days now…" He narrowed his eyes and once again cast them to the silent treeline. "You're sure you saw 'er leave? Sure seemed dead set on killin' me."
The Old Merchant nodded assuredly.
"I watched your assassin leave. A thin man wearing a cloak embroidered with Yharim's Insignia. He sensed the magic at the border and refused to cross."
"She. A woman."
The Merchant blinked at him.
"Pardon?"
"The assassin. She's a woman, one of Yharim's Spies. A terrifying lot, that group - genetically modified by Draedon, they're small and weak lookin' but each one is strong as a bull. They report directly to The King and nothing shakes them off the trail..."
The Dwarf fixed The Merchant with a pointed look.
"And they're not affected by magic either. Got some built in resistance ta' it. Are ya' -sure- you saw 'er leave?"
A moment of silence as The Merchant digested the information. He didn't appear to be lying; The Dwarf couldn't think of any particular reason he should be suspicious of the Old Man. In fact, the moment he drew near The Compound's high walls he himself had noticed he was no longer being chased. Now that his wounds had been bound and there was some sustenance in his belly, he could focus on trying to figure out his new situation.
It appeared The Merchant's was also thinking carefully. After a long moment he sighed and shrugged.
"Perhaps it's not a spell on this place, then. How concerning... Sir Dwarf, I did not mean to deceive you. I simply assumed we were kept in this place via sorcery. This is a prison, you see. Once you enter, you cannot leave. Perhaps Yharim's Spy could sense that and fled as a result."
"A prison!?"
The Demolitionist quickly stood from his chair, forgetting the recently stitched the stab wound in his calf. He stumbled and collapsed back down with a pained groan. The Merchant nodded sagely.
"I won't ask who you are to The Resistance, Sir Dwarf, but considering Yharim's Spy pursued you all the way here - I can't help but assume you are a man of some significance."
The Demolitionist narrowed his eyes. It was true. He was in charge of digging (blasting out) the secret underground routes The Resistance used for transport and communication. He needed to get back to the headquarters sooner or later, and absolutely could not be caught by Yharim - lest the routes be tortured out of him. This old man is sharp.
As promised, The Old Merchant didn't probe further.
"There's a mysterious power keeping all of us within these borders. If you ever want to get out of this place to rejoin your battles, then listen carefully to what I'm about to say… "
Everything was different underwater. He didn't expect the sounds to be as muffled as they were, nor the liquid to support him the way it did. Water… was hard. He was about to engage in an epic battle with the giant fungal crab when his companion rudely interrupted him. The Guide had thrown him across the cave like a baseball, and he flopped - belly first - into the surface of a deep pool with a mighty, and surprisingly painful slap. It'd stunned him briefly and the momentum carried him beneath the surface. The water was cool and held him suspended, but didn't seep through his airtight armour.
*whirrr*
A strange sensation was rippling through his armour. The bizarre organometallic substance he had crafted his armour from was reacting to the water, stiffening, strengthening, filtering the toxins from his body. He felt his lungs flush with clean, filtered air. The spores were expelled from his bloodstream. His limbs were once again under his control. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his diamond hook and flung it. It attached to the edge of the raised plain and, with a lurch, yanked him clear of the water and rammed him up against muddy cliff's edge. He crawled up onto the battlefield and...
Guide?
"Slaaaayyer!"
The Guide was rushing him down, his legs jackknifing through the mushroom fields so quickly he left a trail of uprooted fungi in his wake. Behind him the tremendous fungal monstrosity scuttled towards them. Its collosal claws poised for attack. Explosive spores rained down from the ceiling, damaging anything they touched with lurid poison.
Ah...
He saw the monster and, like clockwork, his blood began to boil. His senses grew sharp and his nerves drew like wires. Liquid adrenaline strummed through his veins and he was filled with the overwhelming desire to chop that monster to bits. He summoned his weapons. He stood his ground. This time he was ready.
The Guide grabbed him by the arm and shook him frantically.
"Hurry and kill that thing!"
He didn't need to ask twice.
Guide: What the heckity! what are you doing?
Slayer: *Holds aloft mushroom Plasma root* ... I will eat this
G: ...
S: ...
G: you have literally never eaten anything in your life, and the first thing you actually want to ingest is a psychedelic drug picked from the corpse of a monster that just tried to kill you. Are you serious right now- HEY, I SAID NO! SLAYER GIVE ME THAT!
1) The same conversation you have with your dog when he's trying to eat a roll of toilet tissue ^ lmao 2) Mushroom plasma root is actually a drop from crabulon which permanently increases Rage mode by 15% 3) Lol Merchant. Slayer is gonna be in big trouble when he gets home. It's 3 vs 1 so far 4) I'm thinking of keeping the cast of characters smaller than the actual Terraria game, because iirc they're like 33 NPCs and holy moly I don't think I can deal with 33 real fleshed out characters without tying my brain in a knot. I'll have the other guys get mentioned in passing, but only a few are going to play a role in the story. Amidas included. 5) Terrarians don't exist u guys.
So just a quick overview of the politicks: Yharim is going ham on Resistance right now because he's heard rumors of a big hero running around who can threaten his power. Nurse ran from capital because Lunatic cultist had a falling out with the king and she doesn't wanna replace him. Arms Dealer is here because he was in Resistance Jail, and Yharim's army came through and he managed to escape. Demo is here because ^^^ read. Merchant is here because running from crimson. Guide is here because he wants to kill the Lunatic Cultist & fight the Crimson. Slayer is here because he has nothing better to do.
yeeee