Ch. 26 – Dirge (II) (Patreon)

The shambling mound of earth, stone, wood, and rage surged forward. It was a singular mass with two arm-like appendages, The center of the creature opened in an enormous, gaping hole that was lined with jagged roots akin to a mouth of daggers, all angling inward like a lamprey. Roy and Tinuriel dashed forward to engage it. “Vigor Conversion thirty Anima. Detect Weakness.”

   The golden circles appeared around the very top of the creature. It had no eyes or any other apparent opening. Just to test, Felix fired several hardlight arrows at the weak point. They sunk into the elemental mass but did nothing. “Fine then, we do this the hard way.” He put the bow away and pulled the Photon-Blade, slotting another Charge into it. The blade extended and buzzed with power, and he ran forward to join his allies.

Tinuriel engaged the left half of the creature with several long, horizontal slashes, carving off bits of the writhing mass. The creature did not seem to care nor notice as it attempted to push its bulk into her as if to subsume her into its grip. She slashed again, a blinding flash of diagonal blows that exploded with blue light as she held it at bay.

Roy had limned his weapon and himself in the silver-grey light, and he was also carving into its other appendage to no avail. The creature surged its body forward and Roy was not fast enough, nor did he have the same explosive strength that Tinuriel had, to prevent it from engulfing his torso. It began to lift him towards its gaping maw.

I have a level saved up, right?

Yeah. What are you thinking?

Something stupid, but if it works – I bet I’ll get an Achievement. He activated several Skills in rapid succession: Execution, Fallen Flight, and Dragon Dance.

 You can’t fly. Roy’s Tier-

I’m sure I can flap them to jump. Or use them to glide.

His spectral, crimson and gold wings emerged as the blue Photon-Blade pulsed with a golden light around the edge. He flashed forward under the effect of Dragon Dance and vanished right into its maw. He swung in a wide, horizontal arc as he impacted the inside of the creature, exploding out of its back at an upward trajectory. He turned in mid-air as he began to glide down. He ejected the charge from the hilt. Load another charge! Lucifer willed another one from his inventory into his palm, and he loaded the blade once more. Again, Dragon Dance.

Execution.

He stabbed into the weak spot on the head of the creature before dragging the blade down its spine as his glide finished. The mound shook for a moment as he completed his cut, rolling and running a few feet away as he ejected the blade’s empty charge. Looks like I didn’t need the level-up to save my bacon. He used his last thirty Vigor and held up his palm as he Looted it. For the Hoard.

[Experience Awarded = 15]

[Experience Bonus from Execution Skill = 3]

[Congratulations! You have reached the Experience threshold to level up! Speak with your Versewalker Core when you are ready to Choose your next Class.]

[Loot Obtained]

·         Terrain Elemental Core

[Loot Bonus from Execution Skill]

·         Heart of the Forest

[Loot Bonus from For the Hoard!]

·         200 VC

Roy extricated himself from the mass and shook himself like a dog trying to get rid of excess water, flinging bits of mud and tree detritus all around. Felix landed next to Tinuriel as she sheathed her weapon. “Good job team.”

“What was that weapon?” Roy asked as he finished dusting himself off. Melanie also rode up with the other horse in tow.

“It’s something I picked up from another ‘Verse.”

“It’s potent. Why not use that before?”

“It’s limited.”

He nodded, “Ah, it carries its own Anima reserve.”

“Something like that.”

Roy looked at the two horses, “I’ll double up with Melanie, you two ride together. We can make it to the armory by nightfall.”

Felix got up on the horse and Tinuriel mounted behind him, grabbing the reins from him. The horse protested at the extra weight for a moment, but they were going relatively slow. Felix leaned back a bit and relaxed as they rode onwards.

Nightfall came and the armor was not within sight. Felix had been focusing on opening the VBV just in case, and he opened the portal rather than make camp on the Tier. Lucifer split off and went right to the Recreation Room. “Mind taking care of the horses?” Roy asked as he handed Tinuriel the reins. She nodded, and the Dark Lord and Melanie went to one of the guest houses.

They set up the two horses at the stables, and Tinuriel showed Felix how to brush them down properly, interlacing his hand with hers as she guided him through the motions. Once he had the basics down, they finished taking care of the animals and Felix was filled with a sense of calm. The simple, repetitive motion of taking care of these gentle giants was something he didn’t think would be meditative, but it was. His mind was able to wander and dwell on the past few days.

The thought that coursed through his mind the most was that he’d killed people. It was somewhat troubling, knowing that he’d taken lives. The monstrous creatures and the like he had no problem with killing. No, the trouble came from the fact that he had killed those assassins while they were in their home. One was on the toilet, for God’s sake. The other was sleeping. There was some sense of justification to his actions because he did pretty much die – only surviving because of a Talent. Why do I still feel bad then? He looked over at Tinuriel who was calm and softly talking to the horse as she brushed it. “How do you deal with it? The feeling of guilt for killing other people.”

Tinuriel looked over at him with a small frown, “Did they try to kill you?”

“Well, not those ones-”

“They were allied, were they not?”

“Yeah…the assassins were all part of the same group.”

Tinuriel crossed her arms and stood up to her full height, “Think of it in terms of wars. Your side is your party and allies. Their side is the whole organization the assassins on the road were a part of. In a war, would you leave survivors?”

“If they surrendered? Yeah. But-”

“Those types don’t surrender. I agree, you don’t kill a foe who has surrendered. The same goes for innocents. Think of every battle as a war. Every foe is an enemy army. Approach it from that mindset, and you will ease your guilt.”

Felix nodded, “Right. Thanks. Do you mind finishing up? I want to go use the Crafting Station.” Tinuriel nodded and went to the Loot Forge.

[You have placed a <Terrain Elemental Core> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Boots of Earthen Resolve

·         Earth Affinity

Tough decision. Earth Magic/Powers could be potent in their application. But boots that slowly heal you if you’re standing on earth…That is excellent for any combatant.

He brought the hammer down. There was a flash of light, and the boots were created. He put them aside and placed the other Looted object down.

[You have placed a <Heart of the Forest> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Forester’s Cloak

·         Wood Affinity

He swung the hammer once more, making the cloak that would let him turn invisible in a forested area. He immediately put it on.

He picked up the boots and went to the Shop.

[Items purchased]

·         Photon-Blade Charge (x3)

o   600 VC

[Monies Paid]

·         600 VC

[Current Balance]

·         16,007 VC

Last, he walked to the Mailbox. No messages. Tinuriel walked over and he handed her the boots, explaining what they did. She grabbed them and grinned, giving him a kiss before pushing him towards his house.

The group readied themselves and Felix opened the portal once more, returning them to Dirge on Heficyre. They mounted up as the day before and continued following Roy’s directions. After a few hours, they came upon a castle. Its walls were seventy feet tall and turreted on top. The gates were shattered off their hinges, and in their place was an enormous barricade made of splintered wood and rock. Small, squat, green-skinned humanoids were atop the wall and chattered as soon as the riders came into line of sight.

Roy laughed, “Ha! Goblins survived. Good. They are weak-willed and follow orders well enough.” He pulled his blade and assumed his Dark Lord appearance. The goblins – who were preparing slings and pathetic-looking bows, stopped their preparations as Roy shouted, “I am the Dark Lord! Returned once more to lead you to a bright future!”

The barricade was rapidly disassembled, and over a hundred goblins ran out of the gates as the group dismounted. They all bowed their heads as an older, female one of their kind dressed as a shaman approached. “The Dark Lord. We have awaited your return, passing knowledge of your appearance and personality so we would recognize you.” She bowed.

Roy sheathed the blade but kept his hand on the hilt, “Your ancestors served me well. Please, everyone, rise.” The goblins did so, “I tasked your forebears with carrying my armor away from the battlefield, were they successful?”

“Yes!” The crone turned around and led the group inside. The goblins looked at the horses, licking their sharp teeth, but the mounts were well-trained war steeds from Invictus, and they did not balk in the slightest. The fortress was a dump. Whilst the exterior may have held up decently, the interior was not nearly as neat. The buildings that lined the inside of the wall were no longer the stone structures of the past, but instead ramshackle wooden and mud huts. An enormous metal cauldron was sitting over a fire, being stirred by a large, human-sized goblin with more bulk.

Those are Hobgoblins. They’re like the stronger cousins of these smaller ones.

Good to know.

They were led to the inner keep, which had been converted to some sort of temple or shrine. And sitting on the altar was an immaculate suit of silvery-white full plate. Roy walked up and touched it. There was a blinding flash of light as he was suddenly wearing it. The same armor that manifested when he was holding his sword. He looked down at the goblin shaman and bowed, “Thank you to your people for keeping it safe. We go to my citadel.”

“Before you do, your lordship. You should know that the Ogre King has taken up residence.”

“He will bend the knee or be deposed.” Roy glanced over at Felix, “I have a request. I know I have been asking a lot of you. Would you open the VBV and allow these people to go into your realm for a short time? Just until we finish clearing the citadel.”

Can they mess with my stuff?

You can always use one of your Functions to do it. You have two Functions and two Rooms on standby.

Right. Let’s use a Function to specify that no one can mess with my stuff. And let’s use a Room to make a medieval-style town.

Alright. Setting it up.

Felix nodded, “I can do that.”

Melanie stepped up, “Wait. I had a thought.” She turned to Felix, “Your VBV is unlimited in space, yes?”

Is it?

You can make a Function to make it increase in size depending on your needs.

Let’s do that.

For sure.

“Yes,” Felix replied to Melanie.

She turned to Roy, “And you want to have a place where everyone is equal.”

“Yes...” Roy replied.

Melanie turned back to Felix and grinned, “Then there’s no need for any conquering of the Tiers!” She pointed at Roy, “He can take back his citadel, and do his declaration thingy so that anyone who wants to leave their home and go somewhere that they are all treated as equals can live. They just have to travel to Dirge to the portal you’re going to make.” Then she pointed at Felix, “And you can get me up the Tiers to take back my throne and make another portal up there.”

“That is a good plan,” Tinuriel said. “It would be the foundation for your own realm’s growth. But,” she put her hand on Felix’s shoulder. “You would have to dedicate more Rooms or Functions to giving them the means of society. Farmland, pastures, tradesmen.”

“My own realm inside the VBV.” Felix felt a little overwhelmed at the idea. He didn’t want to be in charge of a whole realm, and responsible for all of the people in it.

Melanie seemed to read his mind on his face and walked over to him, looking him dead in the eyes. “I’d be able to help administer it for you.” She smiled, “Plus, then I could go use that hot tub more frequently!”

“Alright, let’s do it,” Felix replied. “Just give me the four hours to open it up.” He sat down and began to focus.

Roy shouted to the goblins to pack up, and they began to do so. He walked over to Melanie and gave her a kiss, “You’re a genius.” He pulled out an amulet that he had grabbed from some hidden alcove on the altar that held his armor and put it around her neck.

She giggled, “I’m smart, but not a genius.” She looked over the necklace and smiled fondly.

Tinuriel sat next to Roy and pushed him to lean against her as she threw an arm around his shoulder.

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