Glory Online

Archmage Galarad wrote:Though we are beset by times of peace, champion, I cannot shake the visions that plague me at night--and yet in the daylight I cannot bring them to cohesion, regardless of spell or study. Something malicious looms on the horizon, and I believe that the elven scouts of Highmoon may have found the first preceptors of the oncoming calamity. I will meet you at your guild hall in Highmoon tonight, and we will discuss matters further--and perhaps even take a ride to see what the scouts have seen. In fact, the longer I ponder the curiosities...yes. We will discuss matters further once we meet.

Rewards

10,000 Experience
10 Gold

Upon logging in, you are met with the familiar, weathered gaze of your character--something to be prized and held dear as Glory Online allows only one character per player, and you have reached max level through completing the content available to you. It's been a few months since the last time you downed a raid boss, though, and the new expansion is launching tonight. Log in and seize your destiny (and delicious XP!)

In Glory Online, your character's basic information can be viewed by another player inspecting your character via the Guild Menu. When one inspects you, they find:

CodeSelect all

[center][bebas]Firstname Lastname[/bebas]
«[i]Custom Title Here[/i]»[/center]

I am a [admin]gender[/admin] [admin]race[/admin] who has mastered the combat styles of the [admin]Class[/admin]. In the guild, I am the ever-faithful [dm]Tank/Healer/Sweeper[/dm]. Throughout my conquest, I have amassed a great arsenal of legendary weapons, but my most prized weapon is [djm]Weapon Name Here (i.e. Frostmourne)[/djm], (weapon type and flavor text).

[bebas]Tropes[/bebas]
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[bebas]Personality & Behavior[/bebas]


[bebas]Appearance & Habits[/bebas]


[bebas]Spells[/bebas]
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[bebas]


Unlike games in the long line of MMORPGs, Glory Online allows your character to know only five offensive spells at once; however, through a system called Cunning, you are ultimately allowed to change how those five spells work mechanically. A strong example would be during an encounter with a boss who needs to be hit hard at one specific point: an elementalist may choose to extend the cast of a Fireball that normally takes 1 second to cast to 8 seconds and amplify its damage by 850%. Melee characters tend to have more freedom with the Cunning system, as they are always on their toes; however, never underestimate the nefarious mind of a mage!



Also unlike many of its predecessors, the Profession system in GO is built directly into the combat system itself. The monsters you face are fierce, and it will take teamwork, potions, and skill to defeat even the most trivial mobs in the new expansion. You will need food to keep your stamina up during your trek through unfamiliar lands. To complement professions, each class may know two utility skills that will better allow them to survive combat. These will be decided by the Dungeon Master after all templates have been submitted.



Throughout the planet of Artomb, spell-modifying gems known as Spell Shards manifest in the bodies of strong foes. These miraculous gems modify your spells in mighty ways and can sometimes change an ability entirely.



As weathered heroes of the world of Galari, we have been called upon to fend off the alien threat of the Artoi, a race of invading forces crash-landed in the ruins of Windroc. After fending off the invasion, it is up to us to take the fight to the planet Artomb and save our world from the looming threat. But is the situation really that black-and-white? Once stranded on a war-torn world, our six heroes must fight to survive and find a way home, lest they lose all they hold dear.

Spoiler

Sylph, the elf-like race from the deep growth of the Moonwall Forest. They excel at magicks both destructive and restorative. Their lithe bodies are suited best for ranged and stealth combat, and may fall easily beneath the might of an axe.

Redeye, the dragon-like race from the wastelands of Naz Shivan. This warmongering race excels at stout melee-armed combat with hard-hitting weapons. That said, they are mightily unattuned with the magicks of the universe and take extra time to master the arts of spellcraft.

Leonai, a feline-like race of servitors brought originally to the kingdom of Highmoon as household slaves. After centuries of free living, they have proven themselves proficient tacticians and ranged attackers. History says, in fact, that the Leonai invented the bow and arrow skill set through the carefree pulling of strings with shiny, sharp objects.

Rodere, the rodent race of the deep recesses of the Warren Desert. Engineers and innovators by nature, Rodere stereotypically allow their allies to do the grunt fighting while they attack precisely from afar. Beyond engineering, the Rodere excel in tinkering and making gadgets that prove invaluable to members of their guilds.

Aviti, the harpy race from the far-western skies. With their capital city hidden beneath a mythic mile of clouds and fog, it is only natural that Aviti move with agility and swiftness. Whether with daggers or spellcraft, the Aviti are a formidable foe--especially considering their aerial advantage; however, where a true Aviti shines is in healing magicks.

Malice, the fallen human race. Betrayed by their Mage-King nearly two hundred years prior to launch, the humans were eradicated by a massive exchange of soul energy between the citizens of Windroc and the malevolent forces of the crypt warden, Banshee. Ever since, the Malice have hidden in the southern lands of Gondowan in their eternal nightfall in order to preserve themselves from war with the other races. Malice are naturally gifted with destructive magicks, even in swordcraft. It is not uncommon to find a Malice warrior, weapon ablaze, channeling spells through his melee attacks.

Spoiler

While classes are a matter to consider in the world of Glory Online, the deciding factor is ultimately what sort of weapon you carry and which race you represent. The combination of the two will determine your current class--and yes, they are interchangable. However, bear in mind the strengths and weaknesses of your race.

Swords align you with the Warrior class, which may take on tanking or damage roles.
Maces align you with the Paladin class, which may be tanks, healers, or damagers.
Staves align you with the Mage class, which may take on damage roles.
Scepters align you with the Seer class, which may be healers or damagers.
Daggers align you with the Rogue class, which may be stealth damagers.
Bows & Arrows align you with the Ranger class, which may be damagers.
Guns align you with the Engineer class, which may be damagers.
Grimoires align you with the Summoner class, which control arcane pets to deal damage.
Codexes align you with the Scholar class, which control arcane pets to heal allies.

These pure alignments may change depending on your particular race. With 9 classes and 6 races, that gives a total of 54 possible hybrid classes. And with 5 spells each, that gives our grand spellbook a total of 270 spells, all of which have variations based on Cunning and Spell Shards.

Spoiler

All players begin at level 70 as part of the same guild. You level through your own individual post count. From 70 to 80, the leveling pace follows:

70 --> 71: 2 posts
71 --> 72: 3 posts
72 --> 73: 3 posts
73 --> 74: 3 posts
74 --> 75: 4 posts
75 --> 76: 4 posts
76 --> 77: 4 posts
77 --> 78: 5 posts
78 --> 79: 5 posts
79 --> 80: 7 posts
+________________
70 --> 80: 40 posts

Every level earned in the game will gain you rewards for your character, your spells, your cosmetic items, and even some YWS rewards.

Each level will reward 1 stat point. At level 70, you have 10 stat points, and at level 80 you will have 20. This essentially doubles your strength by the end of the game.

Stats are broken into Power, Piety, Stamina and Haste.

Power increases the power of offensive attacks and spells.
Piety increases healing power, buff power, and mana regeneration.
Stamina increases the amount of damage you can take before dying.
Haste increases the speed at which you move, cast, attack, and recover health.

1. Malek | Redeye Warrior | Lumi
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Those who need to be pinged for loyalty:

Spoiler

@ReisePiecey | @Verser | @15253 | @Blaspherica | @Caesar

"It's not that I'm leaving for good--you should know more than any other that there is no turning my back on you or our family--but this is simply what life has shelved out for me at the moment."

Malek tilted his head back against the creaking, ancient wood of the Sylvan ship docked in the port town where he'd founded his guild's home. Through the years, they had come to own most of the businesses and exports in the city, and that small ship was no exception. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

Elyn looked away over the sprawling teal sea to the west. The horizon's curve seemed to go on forever, without end, but he knew there was land to be founded somewhere beyond the mists. "Perhaps not long. Though it could stretch on endlessly--or it would seem."

Malek stood, abandoning his breakfast sandwich on the floor of the ship, and clasped arms with Elyn, pulling the two friends--brothers--together in a tight grip that held on until Elyn stood back. "You know, this has been dramatic and all, but it's not as if we'll be out of contact, Ty."

Malek sighed. "I'm allowed to worry about you, Lou!" He threw out his arms. "You could be facing actual combat! Guns! Bombs!"

Elyn shook his head and opened a trade window with Malek, placing just shy of 400 gold in his inventory. "I'm a med student. I won't be seeing any guns." He stretched and looked at the sun on the horizon line. "I mean, at least not aimed at me."

"There's one matter remaining before you leave." Malek reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of profiles, each containing a member of their guild. "I'm not going to have my right hand anymore."

Elyn blinked, and then decompressed. "Damn, you're right."

"My first instinct is Kahli. She makes the most money out of any of us, so having her messing with our pockets could be beneficial to our gold-hogging."

"She makes the most because she steals the most." Elyn flipped through the pages and raised an eyebrow. "Merrik has the most achievements in the lot. I imagine he could be a nice authority to have in raids."

"He also camps out in the Gobmarsh and ganks newbies flagged for PvP."

Elyn folded his arms. "Then our choice should be obvious."

"How is it obvious? I've been staring at these papers for days now."

"Fallyn. Strong, compassionate, smart from what I can tell." The sylph shrugged. "And she's a healer. It'll be like I didn't even leave."

Malek checked the in-game clock and nodded. "You're right. I'll make the announcement in the morning. How long until you--"

"Two hours until I need to be at the airport."

The warrior was stunned. After a long moment of silence, he nodded. "Then this is goodbye for now."

Elyn shrugged. "Only until they lift the satellite block on Prague."

"You will be sorely mi--"



Both men checked their alerts to find a new quest in their log. The face of Archmage Galarad appeared on the side.

"I don't remember reading about this in any patch notes."

Elyn grumbled under his breath. "I know I need to go, but...surely we can just go check it out. Right?"

Malek hesitated, thinking of his offline guildmates, but then grinned. "It'll be our farewell adventure."

The Sylph rolled his eyes and finally nodded, summoning his gryphon mount. "You really need to lay off the Netflix dramas."

Malek mounted his black dragon and launched into the air. "It's not like I have anything better to do." The two launched into the distance towards Highmoon. "After all, it pays the bills."



When they landed on the balcony of the capitol building, there was already a crowd gathered around the glowing body of Galarad. There were a few other guilds present, but no one else from Facepalm. Malek was a bit disappointed--but at ease at the same time. After all, it would be precious time with Elyn.

"Ah, Champions! You've come at last!" Galarad sucked Malek and Elyn into an instanced room where the whole of space was displayed around them, magically. "What you see before you is a vision of the Astrolabe of Rerenega, a magical technology hidden in the mythic city of the Aviti." He pointed to a comet streaking across the blue-and-pink coils of stars in the sky, headed to the planet Galari. "By our calculations, the vessel will land any moment now in the Windroc Basin, which I'm sure you know is the home of our Malice brothers and sisters."

Malek shifted uncomfortably and looked at Elyn, whose eyes were star-struck, fixated on the vessel approaching Galari.

"Fear not, champions. My magi have gone ahead to Gondowan to alert the Malice. No innocent lives will be lost on my watch." Galarad crossed his arms and shook his head. "However, our seers have detected life within the vessel, and while we cannot be certain of their intention, your mission is clear: defend Galari at all costs!"

The instanced room phased out, and they stood back in the chamber with the remaining dozens of players. "I will open a portal to The Windroc Plateau, where you will confront whatever--whoever--is on our doorstep. Good luck."



"Think we can clear this place with a pug group before I leave?" asked Elyn. He was staring at the dungeon journal inquisitively, as he always did, and Malek simply began stretching, as he always did.

"This is probably just a filler dungeon while they tease us with new content, right? We can clear it, just the two of us."

"Aaaand there's the cocky Malek I'm used to."

The Redeye stood by the portal and downed a regen potion. "You can't spell Victory without Ty."

"Okay, that's just over the top. Let's go." Elyn stepped through the portal, followed by Malek, and emerged in a vast plateau, sky decorated by falling purple debris like comets. A new music track filled the atmosphere.

The ground shook, and an eerie green energy fluctuated through the rocks. Elyn's ears twitched as he listened for signs of life--but there was simply the mechanical whirring and roaring in the distance. "I don't feel any lifeforms."

Malek yawned and walked ahead, arms stretched behind his head. "Maybe Lumicorp hasn't filled it with bodies yet. Could be a bug."

"Or a trap," the Sylph allowed.

"Hm." Malek rounded the corner of a boulder and peered down into the ravine where the Malice city of Windroc lay in ruins. In the center of the walled city was a towering spacecraft that looked 300% stolen from a sci-fi movie he'd seen before. He swallowed a tinge of nerves and balled his fists as fog poured from the vessel, an armada of blue-skinned troops spilling out like ants.

And then they vanished.

Malek raised an eyebrow as Elyn rounded the corner. "The bugs in this place are legit." He pointed at the parts of the city still crumbling, but squinted where he could have sworn a smaller pod had been earlier.

"Bugged or not, let's proceed with caution. You keep things off of me, I'll keep you off the ground."

They proceeded down the cliffside and into the ruins of Windroc, but there was nothing and no one to be found. Malek kicked a mound of debris and sighed. "Looks like the mission is a wash. Which is a real shame." He turned his back on the ship to face Elyn, who was standing, frozen, mid-cast.

Malek blinked. "Elyn? What are you doi--NNNG!" He jutted forward as a spear pierced his spine from the back, clearing a path cleanly through him. He coughed and sputtered, and then, behind the radiant glow of lasers charging, he blacked out.

"You know, it's an indisputable fact that the British are superior to the Americans in many ways, but being the only one from Britain in your guild sucks."

Fallyn allowed the doors of Facepalm HQ to slam shut behind her, hoping the echo would lure a fellow guild member from within the building, but it was eight in the morning. All her comrades were asleep.

She sighed and headed for the kitchen. Malek and Merrick insisted on gorging themselves each time they ate, but of course, they never replaced the devoured food. Revan refused to buy food, Hoilo was already the cook, and Kahli would simply steal what she couldn't find in the HQ, so that left Fallyn. (Elyn and Sylas somehow always kept their food on them.)

Just as she finished moving all the bread and cheese from her inventory to the cupboards and began removing the wine, a voice asked, "Who are you talking to?"

Fallyn started, closed the inventory menu, and spun around to face the speaker - Kahli - but pressed the wrong button and caused the wine to slip from her grasp. (Why did Lumicorp's development team have to think of everything?) "Now look what you made me do!" she scolded, glaring at the other Aviti. "And for the record, I was talking to myself. I didn't think there was anyone else here."

"Well, surprise. There was." Kahli looked down at the red puddles and glass shards on the floor. "Malek won't be happy when he sees there's no wine left in the cellar."

Fallyn frowned. "There was plenty left before I logged off yesterday."

"Yeah, before you logged off. Merrick and I had a drinking match afterwards. I hope you brought more than just one bottle."

"I brought three," Fallyn replied, pulling the other two out of her pack by equipping them. (Filled wine bottles made surprisingly good improvisatory weapons, as she learned during her only visit to a tavern with Merrick.)

"Great!" Kahli nimbly snatched the bottle from Fallyn's right hand.

"Not so fast!" Fallyn snatched the bottle back, though with far less finesse. "I buy alcohol for the boss only. You can get your own."

She marched down to the cellar, which was adjoined to the kitchen via a heavy, oaken door, and placed the two bottles in a crate. She made to leave, but an object hitting her foot and making a lot of noise as it spun away drew her gaze to the floor. Dozens of empty bottles were scattered across the stones.

"Did you actually hold your drinking contest in the cellar?"

The muffled reply drifted down the stairs. "Not at first, but eventually Merrick and I got so wasted, we couldn't find the door."

"Yet you were sober enough to find the rest of the wine?"

"And the mead, ale, and beer."

"Ye gods..." Fallyn muttered. She began climbing the stairs. "How did you two get out in the end?"

"Sylas found me down there and dragged me into the lounge."

"What about Merrick?" Fallyn asked, reentering the kitchen.

"I lied and said he got out on his own."

"You mean he's still in there?"

"Pretty much."

"Someday," Fallyn declared, stomping back down the stairs and squinting in the dark, "I'm going to invest in a lantern for this place, since you're all too stingy to buy one." Spotting Merrick propped up in one of the corners, she grabbed him by the legs and pulled him into the kitchen.

"Those stairs are gonna leave a mark," Kahli commented wryly.

"Don't be daft - nothing can penetrate that thick skull of his. That's why he makes such a good tank."

"True, though he sweeps too."

Fallyn ignored Kahli and regarded Merrick with her hands on her hips. "How is his body still here if he's offline?"

"Probably because he forgot to log off. His computer's likely on idle."

"I'm glad he can afford to waste his internet like that." She turned around and headed up the stairs towards her room.

"What, are you just gonna leave him there?"

"Yes, I am."

Once Fallyn arrived at her room, she emptied her hip pack onto her bed and admired the new jewellery before stashing it in her chest.

"By the way, have you received the first quest of the new expansion yet?" Kahli called from downstairs.

Fallyn checked her Quest Log. "Nothing yet. Have you?"

"Yes. I'm guessing Malek will want to set off ASAP, so I'll be hanging around until the gang's all here."

Fallyn locked her chest and returned to Kahli, who was hefting Merrick onto a couch in the lounge. "Listen, I have a few errands to run in real life, so keep holding down the fort until I get back."

"Who works on a Saturday?"

"I never said anything about working. I have groceries to buy, a fixed microwave to pick up, and a doctor's appointment to get to. I need to get a tetanus-shot because the neighbour's bloody dog bit me."

"Sounds like fun."

"Not as fun as pushing you out on the sea while you're asleep if I catch you with my jewellery."

"I wasn't-"

"I nevertheless saw the look in your eyes - stay away. I'll be back in six hours or so."

"Fine. See ya."



It was seven. While driving home from his appointment with the doctor, Jake encountered a massive traffic jam. Shortly thereafter, his car's brakes malfunctioned, so he drove it to the mechanic and took the bus home, getting stuck in traffic again.

"Sorry, I know I arrived an hour later than I'd said I would," Fallyn said after Jake logged on. She did a quick body count upon entering the lounge. "Where's Malek, Elyn, and Hoilo?"

"Hoilo left ten minutes ago," Sylas replied. He sat in the corner next to a bookshelf, a book open in his lap. "He mentioned something about having no flares left and being low on smoke bombs. As for Malek and Elyn..." He rose and returned the book to its shelf, "nobody has seen them since yesterday."

"Hmm. Should we wait? They are our Guild Leaders, after all, and Elyn hasn't announced his replacement yet."

"Bah!" Merrick bellowed. "If that Redeye were here and someone else was missing, he would give some dramatic speech about a missing member's ability to catch up on their own and his faith in them. He would also say we must work together even without a leader. I say we meet..." Merrick turned towards Revan, who was leaning against the wall to his right (Fallyn's left). "What was the dude's name again?"

"Archmage Galarad. Seriously, it's in your Quest Log."

"Whatever." Merrick turned back to Fallyn. "I say we go meet this Archmage Galahad."

"Galarad," Revan corrected.

"Like it matters."

"I have to agree with the large ham," Kahli said. "Malek's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

Fallyn chuckled. "More likely, his pride will land him in hot water and Elyn will have to drag him out, if he's still around by then."

"Elyn departed several hours ago," Sylas said.

"Then we'll have to do it instead. Anyway," Fallyn declared, briefly gaining the two bickering boors' attention too. "I'm going to summon Quinlan fully now, so we can leave once I'm done. Hoilo better arrive soon."

Fallyn went upstairs and the closed the door behind her. She sat down on her bed and produced her Codex, flipping through the pages until she reached the final spell. She began chanting, but halfway through the fifth verse, she heard a commotion downstairs. She couldn't risk losing her concentration right at the end, so she blocked out the noise. Forty-five seconds later, a majestic, winged grey wolf stood before her.

"Good day, my dear," the canine said warmly.

"Have I ever told you that you sound like Liam Neeson?"

"Not that I recall..."

"Well, I have now." Fallyn hugged the wolf. "It's still great to see you. The last time I had to summon you was about two months ago, right?"

"Indeed. If memory serves, you had to face a Malice sorceror, four Sylph and three Leonai archers, and two Redeye warriors. What is the occasion this time?"

"The latest expansion has been released."

"Exciting. I assume we leave now?"

"You assume correctly."

Fallyn and Quinlan headed downstairs, where everyone was gathered outside, their various mounts by their sides. Hoilo was tossing a smoke bomb in the air and catching it as it came down, much to Sylas' worry.

"Hey, Q!" Kahli called, waving. "It's been a while. Dhisa's been complaining about having no-one to talk to."

"I look forward to speaking to her," Quinlan responded, "should the new dungeons permit it."

"Speaking of which, I should probably check my Quest Log," Fallyn mused. After reading it, she added, "Hmm, it sounds ominous. Well, let's go speak to this Archmage Galarad, then."



When Fallyn landed on one of the capitol's many balconies, the other members of Facepalm had already dismounted.

"Finally!" Sylas exclaimed.

"I wasn't gone for that long. Ten seconds at most."

"Don't worry," Kahli said reassuringly, "Merrick isn't here yet either."

It was actually another minute before the brute arrived.

"Your connection is even laggier than mine," Fallyn said.

"Thank you for the update, Captain Obvious," Revan replied. "What took you so long to get here, Merrick?"

"We talked about this. I live on a hill. Life is hard for interweb fairing people on hills."

"How about we chat later and go speak to the Archmage now," Sylas ordered more than suggested.

The throng surrounding the Archmage, though, wouldn't allow it. In fact, they couldn't even step into the observatory due to the number of people already in it. Merrick provided a solution by laughingly bulldozing a path to Galarad, provoking many curses and insults from the displaced.

"Yeah, yours too, you scrubmunkins!" he bellowed.

"I don't even know what that means..." Sylas muttered.

"No-one does!"

Fallyn squeezed past her fellow healer and tapped the preoccupied archmage on the shoulder, resulting in more complaints when the other players' conversation with him was cut off. Merrick placed himself between Galarad and the masses to prevent others from repeating the act.

"Hello, Champions," Archmage Galarad said. "I fear that our current circumstances dissuade me from pleasantries. Suffice it to say that we are under siege by a force greater than that we've faced before, and I fear that your comrade has been captured by their forces."

"Wait, what?" Fallyn, Kahli, and Sylas said in unison. (Hoilo and Revan had joined Merrick with the crowd-control.)

As explanation, the archmage produced a panoramic view of space around them. "What you see before you is a vision of the Astrolabe of Rerenega, a magical device hidden in the mythical, floating city of the Aviti." He pointed to the planet Galari. "A vessel has landed in the Windroc Basin, destroying much of the city of Windroc in the process. Whether it is the vanguard of a much larger army or simply an expeditionary force, we do not know, but it is clear our Malice brothers and sisters are in grave danger."

"Do we know who the invaders are?" Fallyn asked.

"Hey, I didn't have that dialogue option," Sylas objected.

"Maybe your speechcraft isn't high enough. But shush, he's still speaking."

"...but we believe the leader of the invading forces is this individual." The archmage displayed a hologram of a funky blue-skinned Malice with extremely long hair. "All we know, and this knowledge came at a steep price, is that his name is Fedya." Galarad removed the space vista and handed them a map of the dungeon. "Good luck."



"Hey, look," Hoilo exclaimed, pointing at a red, ethereal disturbance behind them, "the portal has appeared!"

"Well spotted," Kahli replied, rolling her eyes. "You go first."

"Why?"

"If there's more than just cheese on the other side, your sacrifice will be fitting."

Hoilo narrowed his eyes at the Aviti but stepped through anyway. When he didn't return screaming a few seconds later, Merrick and Revan charged off after him. Kahli shrugged and followed.

"You're the old maid," Fallyn declared to Sylas before dashing through the portal herself. Once on the other side, she gasped.

"I know, isn't it pretty? It looks so weird to see a purple sky instead of a blue one!"

"Shut up, Hoilo," Kahli snapped at the Rodere. "Can't you see this is a broken world? I mean look at it! There are meteors falling from the sky and smoke on the horizon. Besides," she lowered her voice and glanced over at Merrick and Revan, "their first glimpse of their homeland is of it in ruins. They must be devastated."

"Not devastated," Merrick corrected, a fire burning in his eyes. "Angry. I'm not really attached to my kind, but whoever did this, we'll make them pay. For our Malice Brethren!"

Merrick was about to charge in a random direction, his hammer lifted in the air like a sword, but he dropped the notion when a group of adventurers who had used the same portal ran into them from behind. He swung around, accidentally catching one of the hapless adventurers in the stomach and sending him flying.

"Get outta here, you slugs, or I'll make you beg for salt!"

The wide-eyed adventurers field without a moment's hesitation. Merrick grumbled under his breath, while Revan and Hoilo were laughing so hard, they resorted to hanging on to each other for support. Fallyn shook her head, but smiled, despite herself.

"Now that we've scared the competition off, how about we get a move on? Malek's probably twiddling his thumbs, wondering why his team is taking longer to save him than boiling water to freeze."

"Really, Sylas?" Kahli gave the Sylph an uninressed look. "That's the best comparison you can come up with?"

"Any more scientific, and those children-" he gestured at the Rodere and two Malice, -"would ask me to speak English."

"That's because you're the only one of us who's fluent in Snob," Revan countered.

"As opposed to Idiot?"

"Shut up!" Fallyn shouted. "Firstly, that's ableist, and secondly, squabbling won't get us anywhere. You two-" Fallyn pointed at Revan and Kahli, "-scout ahead. And you-" she pointed at Sylas, "-stop provoking them."

"Who put you in charge?"

"Merrick and Hoilo are too pig-headed, our scouts are too fiery, and you are too blunt. That leaves me."

Sylas wasn't happy with the explanation, but he grudgingly accepted it by crossing his arms in front of his chest and pulling a face. Fallyn was strongly reminded of a sulking child.

"There's a group of invaders up ahead," Revan whispered, having returned. "If we get closer, I might be able to identify them."

"I can't really read them either," Kahli agreed.

Fallyn crested the hill and crouched on top. "Will that outcropping do?" she whispered to Revan, who had stopped beside her.

"I can't see the smurfs from here," he admitted, "so I'm not sure how close to it they are. But it's probably our best bet."

Fallyn motioned the others over and explained the plan to them. Revan and Kahli went first, followed by Hoilo and Merrick, and then Quinlan and Fallyn herself, with Sylas bringing up the rear. About thirty seconds later, Kahli nodded to indicate she had finished scanning the enemies.

"There are five soldiers and one... something," she reported in a whisper. "They are travelling in box formation, with the leader at their head, two mages behind him, and the remaining two soldiers at the back. The creature they have with them is in the centre."

"What are they doing?" Fallyn asked.

"Probably patrolling, though your guess is as good as mine."

"Are they still moving?"

"No, they're stationary now. The creature is thrashing about, so the leader is trying to get it to calm down."

"Is it smelling us?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, otherwise the leader would have picked up on it from the creature's behaviour."

"Okay, thanks. Revan, your turn."

The Malice got down on his stomach and peeked around the corner. He cursed and immediately crawled back.

"Holy crap! They have a hulking worm with them! It looks like it could swallow me in one gulp."

"That's reassuring..." Sylas remarked.

Fallyn waved him off. "What else can you see?"

Revan went prone again and took another look. "Wow, okay. The worm is a level seventy-five Gnasher Berserker. Its handler is a level seventy-four Artoma Beast Commander, the two mages are level seventy-three Artoma Paladins, and the two at the back are level seventy-one Artoma Sharpshooters." He crawled back to the party. "We're gonna have our asses kicked."

"Or chewed on," Hoilo added.

"Thank you for that thought," Fallyn said, pronouncing the words in a staccato and pursing her lips, "but no, we'll have our asses neither kicked nor eaten. They may be of a higher level than we are, but we have the one thing all AIs lack: creativity."

"I take it you have a plan, then," Sylas said, not snarky for the first time that day.

"I'm still working on it, but first, Kahli needs to summon Dhisa. But do it over there, at the hill. We don't want to give away the element of surprise."

The other Aviti crouched and dashed back to the hill. Less than a minute later, she was back, with the white weasel beside her.

"Hello, my dear'" Quinlan whispered, nuzzling the smaller animal affectionately. "How are you?"

"Excellent, now that a battle is looming."

"Err, guys and gals," Revan said, peeking around the rocks once more, "they got close really quickly. The Gnasher is giving the Commander problems again, but if we move out from behind here, we're guaranteed to be spotted. I'd say we have less than five minutes before they're on us."

"Then we need to discuss the plan now," Fallyn declared. "So, that Gnasher Berserker is obviously our first boss. As tempting as it is to take the biggest threat out first, it's never possible, due to the minions' constant interference. We'll have to deal with the Artoma escort before we can take on the Beast Commander, and eventually, the Gnasher itself.

"We're going to need as much power as we can, so I'll summon Neala. I had expected us to have a bit more time, though, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to do it during the battle. Just one verse won't be enough, which means I'll be preoccupied during the first fifty seconds of battle. Quinlan will have to guard me during that time."

"So we have to survive a minute of hell before you can actually join the battle?" Kahli asked.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but yes. And though Quinlan will keep me safe, all of you need to keep the enemies occupied."

"What do you want us to do?" Hoilo asked eagerly.

"You and Revan will each keep a Paladin busy. Initially, they may gang up on Merrick, but eventually, you'll become too irritating to ignore and they'll come after you. Merrick, that means you'll be under immense pressure at the start. Attack the Sharpshooters aggressively to ensure the Paladins will come to their defense. After the Paladins are lured away, you should be able to gain traction on the Sharpshooters."

"And I'll have no healing for that whole time?" Merrick asked.

"None whatsoever, because Sylas and Kahli will have to engage the Commander and his pet."

"I had a feeling you would say that..." Kahli said, sighing.

"You two are the only ones who are cunning enough to distract them long enough for me to summon Neala."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Sylas asked.

"Unless Lumicorp gave the Gnasher Berserker an evilly misleading name, it will make coordinated charges under its Commander's leadership until the Commander dies, after which it will enter a frenzy. Therefore, you will use Iris Incandescent to keep both in place. The Commander will probably use magic during that time, but the Gnasher will be immobilised. At first, only cast it once on each. Thereafter, cast a Pool of Malice to assist Merrick, and then cast Iris Incandescent twice more. You'll then have a Primordial available, which you will use for a Pool of Solace to assist Kahli. Once that has been done, do as you see fit.

"Meanwhile, you will relentlessly attack the Commander, Kahli. Dodge his attacks until Sylas has cast his Primordial Pool of Solace, since you'll then need no mana for your spells and he can heal you if you're hit. You two will have to be watchful of the Gnasher, though, as Sylas may be too focussed on healing you to continue keeping it in place. I fully expect it to be capable of OHKOing either of you, so avoid it at all costs.

"Dhisa, you will naturally help Kahli. She will distract the Commander, but your main priority is to watch the Gnasher. Kahli and Sylas will forget about it, despite my warnings, so just alert them if they're in danger. Of course, they might not hear you, so attack the Gnasher, should it be necessary. Since the Commander will be distracted, the Gnasher ought to be less organised."

Fallyn took a deep breath and licked her lips. Her throat was dry.

"Okay, that's it. I really hope you remember the plan, since we don't have the time to go through everything again. Am I right, Revan?"

The ranger withdrew his head from the edge of the outcropping and nodded. "They're here," he mouthed.

"Let's do this!" Fallyn whispered.

As one, they all rose and shouted "Facepalm!" at the startled patrol. Fallyn wasted no time opening her codex and flipping to the appropriate pages. She immediately started reading the verses out loud, but after just a few seconds, it was already a challenge; her teammates taunted the Artoma (the reverse was also true) and the Gnasher unsurprisingly roared and shrieked. Quinlan also gave the occasional snarl and swipe of the paw to discourage the enemies from coming closer.

"Fallyn, how much longer?" Merrick called, his voice strained.

"Silence, you fool!" Sylas responded. "If she loses her concentration, we're all doomed!"

"Done!" Fallyn announced a few seconds later, her Sabre-Toothed Tiger materialising from the ether. Neala disregarded the pleasantries and joined right in the battle. "Let's show these Artoma what happens when you invade Windroc," Fallyn said, jumping onto Quinlan's back. "Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!" the winged wolf continued.

"Saving my face from devastation!" Hoilo finished, diving underneath Quinlan as a collection of lasers flashed past.

"Quinlan, use Tempest's Shock!"

Her mount responded by flapping his wings and bringing forth the expected gale. The force staggered the Sharpshooter, causing him (at least, he looked male) to fire his weapon off at the Paladin with whom Merrick was grappling. The Artoma gasped, loosening his grip on Merrick's hammer as the lasers struck him in the back. Archon rose into the air and crashed down on the Paladin's head, felling the soldier.

"Well, that took me long enough," he said, wiping his brow.

"You were supposed to handle the Sharpshooters!" Fallyn scolded, grabbing on to Quinlan's neck as he soared into the air, dodging the other Paladin's plasma blast. "Why didn't you stick to the plan?"

"The Gnasher started chasing Revan after it was paralysed the second time," he replied, swinging Archon at the Sharpshooter that had targeted Hoilo. "The Paladin he had been attacking just continued fighting me."

Quinlan descended upon the Paladin with tooth and claw, but was forced to take flight again when a mace struck him in the face.

"Begone, uncivilised warmongers!" the Paladin called at the retreating pair. "As savages, you attacked without just cause, but as cowards, you will flee in disgrace!"

Fallyn ignored the AI's taunt (though she was grateful for fresh dialogue) and instead scanned the ground. "Where is the Gnasher n-Argh!"

Fallyn clutched her back and looked behind her. The other Sharpshooter grinned wickedly and took aim once more. Fallyn held his gaze defiantly, but before he could deliver the finishing shot, Hoilo stuck a dagger in his neck. The Rodere sprinted away, and with good reason - the dagger exploded.

Hoilo said something as he looked back at the flames licking at his tail, but failing to notice what was in front of him, he ran full into the Paladin. With agility that astounded the spectating Fallyn (Quinlan was also engaging the remaining Sharpshooter), he produced a black rod and jabbed it at the Artoma. The blue-skinned soldier jerked slightly, but not nearly as much as the victims ordinarily did. He knocked the rod from Hoilo's hand and kicked him over.

Fallyn's gaze darted around her. Everyone else was occupied, save for Revan, who was bent double. She couldn't see the Gnasher anywhere, so she called his name and pointed at the Paladin, who was about to kick over the Rodere's proverbial bucket.

Revan nodded, nocked an arrow, and loosed it into the Artoma's chest. The soldier simply looked up and scowled at Revan, aiming the weapon's head at him and firing off another plasma blast. The Malice Ranger stumbled backwards and fell onto his back.

"We have suffered abuse from worse hands than yours!" the Artoma Paladin jeered. "Our resolve will not waver!"

He grimaced and made to dispatch Hoilo, only to find the rodent had made a run for it. He didn't have long to ponder where his prey had gone, for Neala crashed into the ground behind him, causing him to somersault forwards. Quick as a flash, Revan stood over him.

"Not so fun, is it, you blue blighter?" Revan asked. With barely a flick of the wrist, five throwing knives sliced open the Paladin's throat.

Fallyn faced forwards upon hearing a groan. Merrick lay on the ground, holding his right hand in his left.

"What happened to you?"

"Bastard slashed my hand with a dagger..."

Fallyn had to admit she was impressed by the Sharpshooter's tenacity. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't impressed enough to allow him to harm her guild members.

She turned in her seat, looking for Neala. She thought the tiger might be at the Commander, but he was fending off only Sylas, Kahli, and Dhisa. Fallyn was worried that all three looked exhausted, whereas his countenance displayed only grim determination, but she could not dwell on the thought. A movement behind him drew her attention: Hoilo had taken over Revan's role as Gnasher bait, while Neala was holding on to the foul worm like a flea to a dog.

"Neala!"

The cat unattached herself and gracefully dropped to the purple rock that was the ground. She regarded Fallyn with tilted head.

"Impaling Spikes!" Fallyn called and pointed to the Sharpshooter.

Neala smashed her paw onto the ground, and Fallyn turned just in time to see a very surprised, very impaled Artoma lose his head. Quinlan spat the thing out with distaste.

"Will you be all right?" he asked Merrick.

"Yeah, I can patch this up just fine. Although, I'd appreciate it if you could prevent that from happening to me."

Both Fallyn and Quinlan followed the direction of Merrick's index finger to see Neala being tossed in the air by the Gnasher. After she hit the ground on all fours, an identical copy appeared beside her.

"Hah, Duplicanimus!" Fallyn cheered, punching the air. "That backfired."

"What in the name of Highmoon do we have to do to get some assistance?!" Sylas' frustrated voice rang out.

Revan broke off from shooting at the Gnasher and turned his arrows upon the Commander. Quinlan joined in and flapped his wings, staggering the Commander as well. The sudden addition of attacks took him by surprise and finally broke his resolve. Panic was evident in his eyes.

"We did not endure decades of misery and survive the horrors of the Calamity simply to be slaughtered in a strange land by barbarians! No, we have suffered too much to be thwarted so close to the end!"

"Roses are red, violets are blue," Dhisa sang, crawling up the Commander's leg, over his stomach, and onto his shoulder, "so are you, but now. You're. Dead!" She breathed fire into his ear, likely turning his brain into charred mush.

"That was super cheesy, Dhisa," Kahli admonished playfully. Picking up the elemental, she scratched the white weasel's belly.

"I think..." Sylas muttered, breathing shallowly, "I'm going to... take a nap."

Just like that, he passed out. Luckily, Quinlan caught the Sylph before he could break his head against the rock. Carefully, he laid him down beside Merrick.

"Is it panting?" Kahli asked.

Fallyn evaluated the Gnasher's rhythmic upwards and downwards movements. In the end, she concluded it was. Nevertheless, having a massive worm stare at you was highly unlikely to be on anybody's Christmas List.

"Can I take a break, now?" Hoilo asked. Whether he had actually asked for permission, no-one knew for certain, since he took a seat beside Merrick.

"Just stay out of our way," Revan warned.

"Quinlan, use Thundering Howl."

The winged wolf craned his neck to see his Aviti mistress. "Are you sure? It will probably only serve to infuriate it, and I don't think sending anything with "berserk" in its name into a frenzy is a good idea."

"Yes, we want to infuriate it, because we're going to play chicken."

"There are rocks here and there," Kahli pointed out, "but no walls or cliff faces."

"They will do. All we need is for it to make enough charges to kill it. Quinlan, howl now."

The winged wolf did as he was told, and as was expected, the Gnasher went berserk. However, before he reached them, he turned right and tossed Neala into the air again. Fortunately, it was Duplicate Neala, so Fallyn was able to use the critical strike to fuse the two, thereby doubling Neala's power and health.

It was a good thing the Gnasher Berserker had tossed a summon, as it showed the members of Facepalm how close they could safely get. In the end, the Gnasher collapsed from exhaustion, a fate Neala had prevented the others from suffering, allowing Kahli to squash its head with one of the Paladins' maces.

"I am so glad that is over," she said, sitting down on the worm and using it as a bench. "And to think, this was simply our first boss fight."

"And we outnumbered the Artoma," Revan added, equally exhausted. "The taunts were weird, though. They sounded like fanatic martyrs."

"Whatever their motives, they are to be engaged with caution. For now, I think we can rest for five minutes," Fallyn suggested.

Revan shook his head vehemently. "Make it ten, and we have a deal."

Merrick

Now that the turbo sized squid was down, Merrick breathed a sigh of relief.

"Guys! Hey guys I'm gonna go grab a drink IRL yeah?"

Multiple groans sounded from the team.

"We need some healing though!"

Merrick typed a quick /salute then jumped out of his chair and walked over to the fridge.

Merrick was not named Merrick out here in the real world. His name was Kenny. Yes Kenny. He was not in any way associated with South Park if you were wondering.

"Merrick! Where going to leave you to die if you don't hurry up!"

That was Kahli's voice. She (assuming she was a she) was always annoyed at him, even when they were drinking.

"Sure yeah, I'll be sure to take my time." Kenny shouted from the kitchen.

He grabbed a beverage from the fridge and, closing the door, walked out to the living room.

His apartment wasn't all that big. The living room taking up most of the space with two couches and a Flatscreen T.V. The "kitchen" was a minibar connected to the living room and his bedroom was off to the left, separated from the rest of the apartment.

That was where the angry voices of his friends emanated.

Sighing, Kenny stood again and walked back over to his monitor.

"Jesus guys, what's the rush?"

"We don't want to wait around for you while you enjoy yourself. We have a commander to save!"

Fallyn was always the voice of reason. He/she was more annoying than Kahli.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I'm ready."

Merrick hefted Archon, his hammer, and trotted forwards, Fallyn and the others in tow with Revan leading the way.

The next five minutes saw the group winding their way through the jagged hills, taking out smaller groups of enemies as they came. Luckily, none were as strong as the turbo worm thingy.

"So guys. Where exactly are we heading again? How are we supposed to know where Malek is?"

Fallyn chuckled at him.

"The dungeon isn't exactly an open world. If we keep following the path it'll lead us to the end of it, and hopefully our leader. Duh."

Merrick gave her a nasty look.

"Guys! There's a big tunnel up ahead with some evil looking guys guarding it. I cant see their levels but there's no Gnashers or anything. Should we form a plan or something?"

Everyone turned to Fallyn, waiting for another of her brilliant plans.

"What?"

Silas cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, you are the leader as of now. What's the plan?"

Fallyn groaned.

"Seriously guys? Why don't you come up with a plan. Merrick? Hoilo? Revan?"

"You are the leader dear Fallyn." Kahli laughed.

"Guh. Fine. Let me do everything will you? Give me some space, I need to think."

The group dispersed. Kahli running off to god knew where to lord over her loot or something. Revan continued to keep an eye on the enemies. The others milled about, waiting for another master plan.

"Okay. Guys I got something."

Everyone, including Revan this time, huddled around Fallyn. listening carefully.

"Right. Now, this may be a longer battle seeing as that is indeed a tunnel and tunnels in this game are most likely filled to the brim with enemies. So everyone has to protect the healers. Merrick will lead the charge and the rest of the strikers will make a ring around us mages and Revan. Like a spearhead, you got it?"

The group nodded.

"Good because there's more. We only have one defensive line so we have to rush through this. Sylas, the line will protect you so you can cast Pool of Malice and Pool of Solace accordingly. You have to cast these ahead of the group otherwise it'll bring the enemies down on top of us. Revan will take out the enemies affected by Malice while Merrick and the others will deal with the other enemies at close range."

Fallyn, without pausing for breath, turned to the members of the proposed line.

"I'll start with you Kahli. You'll be third back next to Hoilo. Your job will be to support The others preferably with Voided Feathers and Birdsong. The goal is to keep a constant wall of spells in front of you guys so you don't take to much damage. Quinlan and Neala will be with you guys."

"So I'm not doing to much am I."

Fallyn sighed.

"You wont be in the action but you will play a key part in defending the others and making sure they don't get killed. Good enough for you?"

"No."

Fallyn ignored the remark and turned next to Hoilo.

"You will be one of the main damage dealers. Your job is to keep the enemies disoriented and hopefully get double damage off of some sneak attacks or backstabs. Smoke Bomb and Blind will come in handy. If you are given status damage use Cloak of Shadows. Clear?"

The striker nodded, grinning devilishly.

"Oh this'll be fun."

Fallyn then turned to Merrick.

"Jeez. Finally, this plan is way to long."

"Shut up you...scrub...and listen carefully. You'll be doing most of the melee damage. Your job is to keep enemies that get past our spells away from the healers. Use every damage buff you have in the book. There wont be any time for AoE buffs but keep Boon of the Blade active at all times."

"Can we go now?"

Fallyn glared at him.

"Fine, I'll make the rest of this plan shorter. Revan. Shoot anything that moves."

"Even you guys?"

"Try not to please or I'll stick Quinlan on you."

The wolf growled in response.

"Okay, I'll be using my familiars to aid you and healing. Now, are we all clear on what we're supposed to do?"

Merrick stifled a laugh.

"Yeah. One question though, could you have been any more confusing? Seriously, lets just kill 'em already."

Fallyn sighed in disgust.

"I hate to agree with him but I do. Lets get on with it."

Merrick raised his hammer in salute.

"Well you guys suck. Fine, lets just kill them all."

With that, they charged forwards.

"Form up! Watch out for the mages!"

Merrick found his place in front of Sylas. Hoilo rushed up next to him, Nightdagger shining darkly with Kahli holding position next to the Rodere, letting loose a flurry of deadly feathers. Ahead of them, the enemies roused themselves. The paladins rushed towards them, weapons raised, but were instantly funneled into the first Pool of Malice. Then Revan's arrows found their heads and they went down. Then came the first volley of magical attacks. From the corner of his eyes, Merrick saw Kahli cast Rerenega's Arms.

Most of the attacks exploded well out of range but some flew past Merrick as he ducked slightly.

"Up with the spells guys! We cant have another volley at a closer range!"

Up ahead, the group of mages suddenly withered under a hail of arrows. Then Hoilo cast Blind.

Merrick smashed the oncoming enemies into the ground with a point blank Burst Chaos. With Boon of the Blade active he did enough damage to wipe the floor with the Paladins. By now the group had made it to the entrance of the tunnel. Already, more enemies were swarming out, shouting war cries and charging magical attacks.

"Sylas, cast Malice! Is Primordial ready?"

"Not yet!"

Merrick watched as another pool appeared in front of him. Instantly, a storm of feathers and arrows bombarded the enemies that were unlucky enough to be sucked in.

The next few minutes included magical attacks, artful combinations, and intense button mashing.

"Primordial is ready!"

Merrick dealt another lethal blow and looked back. The light of the entrance was already far behind.

"There's another wave ahead!"

Quinlan went forwards, summoned by Fallyn. The wolf roared, then bought forth a gale. The next wave was buffeted by the powerful gust. This gave Merrick and the others time to hit them. Instantly, the line was immersed in a sea of swords and maces.

"To your left!"

Hoilo appeared amidst the enemies, teeth bared and dagger slick with blood. Kahli had his flank, cutting down those that threatened the line with a hail of magical death.

"Merrick! Push them back, they're swarming Hoilo!"

A blast of lightning and fire put a dent in the wave, allowing the rodere to catch his breath.

"Quinlan is going to push them back again, Revan charge your ultimate. We're going to make one last push."

Merrick lay about with his hammer, taking out the enemies Hoilo had blinded. Quinlan flew ahead and charged yet another attack.

"Revan now!"

A flurry of silver arrows rained down upon the surging enemies at the same time Quinlan staggered them. Sylas cast Solace and Malice accordingly then activated Primordial. Instantly, a hole opened up in the wave. Merrick took advantage of it, trying his best to ignore the attacks hitting his exposed right flank.

"Guys! Their moving left! Stop pushing right and just go mid!"

Merrick grunted as a blow to the side knocked him back.

"Sylas! You got mana left to cast another Solace?"

"Negative!"

Fallyn's voice broke through the madness.

"Merrick just keep pushing, Use your ability If you have to. We have no healing as of now."

Suddenly, Kahli was there, clotheslining an oncoming warrior and diving into the fray ahead of Merrick.

"Hoilo use a smokebomb!"

"Cant! I have to use my Cloak! To much status damage."

Merrick covered the rodere with his hammer, batting away the oncoming attackers.

"You left the right flank open! Come back!"

But it was to late. Merrick desperately flung himself at the oncoming line of warriors as they surged past him. Neala was there, laying about with elemental damage but it wasn't enough, The first hit staggered Fallyn.

"Guys fall back!"

Kahli turned around, just in time to receive a critical blow.

"Fallyn, you have to hold out! Kahli's hurt." Hoilo yelled, driving towards the fallen Aviti.

"I'll take them! Let Hoilo go." Revan yelled, activating Radiant's ability.

Merrick positioned himself between the oncoming wave and Sylas and desperately hacked away with Archon.

"I'll agro them! Just pull back for now!"

Fallyn, Sylas and Revan dropped back, leaving the wave of enemies to Merrick.

It was at this point that Merrick activated Abandon. The stack had reached five over the course of the battle and now was as good a time as any.

With Boon of the Blade still running, Merrick quickly mowed down their shields. However, the amount of enemies soaked up more damage then Merrick could give out. Each enemy took massive amounts of damage but their numbers forced Merrick to switch targets constantly.

"Guys! Abandon isn't helping! Is healing ready yet?"

Hoilo turned back to fight his way towards Merrick but he was to far away.

"No! Not yet! Fallyn, send over Quinlan and Neala!"

The wolf flapped over, and discharged a massive bolt into the horde.

"How's that Merrick?"

Merrick shook his head as a volley of magical attacks whittled down his health.

"Not enough. Guys we have to push forwards. Ignore the damage here. If we can get to the end of tunnel we can escape into the next room!"

"Agreed! Everyone pull back to Sylas and I, We're going to regroup and speedrun it."

Neala appeared over near Kahli and Hoilo as they desperately fought off the ever encroaching enemies. The smaller familiar opened up a hole in the enemies circle, allowing the two strikers to retreat back to the others.

"Sylas cast Solace now."

The pool of healing opened up below the group. Merrick watched as his health suddenly jumped.

"I don't have enough for Malice now but I will in a minute."

Fallyn nodded.

"Revan! You're using the knives now, we're making an opening then booking it through there."

Revan slung Radiant back over his shoulder.

"Ready! Go!"

The group met the oncoming enemies, casting every spell they had. Merrick had just enough time to pull off a small Immolation. Hoilo cast another Blind while Kahli shot out another volley of feathers. Fallyn along with Quinlan and Neala devastated the enemy, the three combined casting a withering storm of spells.

The opposing wave bent, then broke.

"Now! Just run!"

The group bolted, barely slipping through the opening.

"There's light ahead!"

A volley of magical attacks struck Merrick and Sylas who bought up the rear.

"Almost there!"

Sylas went down under the rain of fire. Merrick paused to pick him up, then turned him around. A massive blast of Iris Incandescent burst forth from the Seer, rooting the opposition to the ground.

"Great! Now lets get moving!"

Merrick helped Sylas over to where the others were waiting.

Together, they burst through the door and entered,

The dreaded Loading Screen.

"So uh..."

Merrick was cut off as his character was loaded into complete blackness.

For years our people ruled as gods

Slowly, a massive figure appeared in front of him, data flowing around him like a halo, holographic windows opening and closing around him.

"Is anyone else seeing the massive smurf in front of them?"

Revan's voice came over the mic.

"If you mean the Artoma then yes. That's what they're called."

Yet in our supremacy we grew weak, lax in all things as we had nothing to fear

The Artoma suddenly raised his hands to the sky, as if waiting for something.

The Artoma. A people who had bent an entire planet to their will were cast from the heavens down to this puny rock

"Wait. Why cant I see any of you guys?" Merrick asked, realizing that his friends were nowhere in sight.

"The hard part about this boss fight is that we fight a version of him on separate planes. So essentially were soloing him."

Merrick gagged.

"We're what!?"

But we knew we were not destined to be crushed underfoot like some insect. We were gods!b]

The ground shook, and a purple light shone in the blackness above.

[b]We knew our fate was not intertwined with this puny planet's. We knew we would ascend once more!

With that, a massive energy beam fell from the sky. Merrick barely had time to raise his hammer before the attack rammed into him at full strength.

Instantly his health plummeted, all kinds of status effects popping up on his screen. Merrick was blown backwards by the sheer force of the strike. He struggled to stand again, elemental damage still chipping away at his health bar.

"Any chance of healing?"

Sylas was the first to reply.

"No. We are all on our own now."

Merrick gathered himself, readying his hammer. This was going to be a long fight.

The Artoma floated forwards, a summoning ring appearing around him.

You should be dead already. No one stands against the might of the Artomauughhh!

Suddenly, the boss flinched, as if stricken.

"Haha! Guys I knew it!"

Revan's voice came over the call, filled with excitement,

"Okay, so when he uses a heavy attack like the one that I believe hit you Merrick. The way you block it is by ulting at the last moment to reflect the attack!"

Spoiler

More progress. Trust me I've gotten farther than this but some....unfortunate errors popped up. I'm sorry guys. I know this sucks but bear with me ._.

"Well, I cant take another hit. He got me with that first attack."

Fallyn made to reply, but was cut off by what Merrick assumed was the Boss launching another attack.