I'm not the only one listening to it. Even with their ears covered, the knights have excellent hearing. Several of them have noticed the watchers are missing and begin running over to investigate the crime scene. As one runs toward the horses, Ambrosia strikes again, slitting his throat with her claws and carrying him away, before the others can catch sight of her. They do, however, see me clear as day on the ground staring up at them.
The larger one has a Threat Level of 4 and jumps toward me. He moves slowly in his armor. It must weigh at least forty pounds. That is my advantage over them. They are slow. I am agile. As the knight advances, he stumbles in the mud and falls forward toward me with his sword and shield in hand. As he tries to get up, he leaves them on the ground and removes his helm, which is full of mud and hinders his vision. A lethal mistake. I step forward and grab him. Then, I use all my strength to lift him and throw him at the base of a tree trunk. He drops there with his head first. The force is so vast, that smashes his head with a splash sound, like a watermelon crashing on concrete. I feel great satisfaction watching him die. So much, I have forgotten about the other two knights.
The first knight lets out a war cry as he swings his blade. Had he been quiet, he could have chopped my head. His stupid arrogance is his downfall. I dodge his swing and watch as his sword collides into the second knight's back. It doesn't kill him but does some damage. He is down to his last 6 Hitpoints. Entangled as they are, I cast Fire Bolt and hit them both. The fire burns what skin the two knights have exposed and turns their armor into an oven. The second dies from the heat almost immediately, while the first cooks over a few seconds.
"Run!" I hear one merchant crying out. As I turn toward her voice, I see four of the Black Knights with war scythes riding toward me.
Just when I feel like I'm completely fucked, I grab one of the fallen knight's shields and cast Bright Light on it. Their horses go blind and rear up, stopping dead in their tracks. The knights are blind too and I get the chance to counter. I run toward them, careful not to stumble. I use the shield to knock the first one closest to me to the ground, and wedge my sword in between the eye slits of his helmet killing him instantly. A moment later, when the second knight's eyes start to adjust to the light, I toss the shield at him and watch as he falls back to the ground. Without their horses, they are walking fortresses with no balance.
The merchants are fighting back. I can see them gathering in mass around the fallen knights, attacking them with wooden staffs and tools. A few of the merchants, one a beautiful woman, have picked up one of their swords and are dealing significant damage to them. I smirk for a moment, proud to have inspired them to rise up for themselves.
Of course, not paying attention makes me vulnerable. One of the Black Knights, the one I had thrown off his horse with the shield, is still alive. He grabs me from behind and tosses me to the ground. I feel the mud falling into my mouth as he pushes my face down flat. I struggle to breathe and I lose the grip on my sword. I can't even call for help. I feel his knee pushing down on my spine. He's trying to break my back with his weight while suffocating me in the wet mud. Not going to happen. I give up struggling and wait. I'm not afraid. Not when the forces of hell are on my side.
My vampire protector appears and kicks the Black Knight in the chest, and he’s thrown several feet away from me. I pick myself up off the ground when I see her staring at me with a mocking expression.
I pick up my sword from the ground. I turn toward the knight while Ambrosia, my guardian angel disappears back into the darkness, without the merchants taking notice of her. With my sword in hand, I look down at the knight. He has 2 Hitpoints left and broken ribs. I see the dent where Ambrosia had kicked his armor in. I'll have to thank her for leaving him alive for me. I let him struggle as I slowly plunge my sword into his neck.
"Die already," I tell him.
For the first time in this world, I'm tempted to drink the blood of another living being, just because I want to make it suffer more.
The third of the Black Knights that comes after me has a Threat Level of 5. He still has 16 Hitpoints, despite being knocked on his ass by the merchants. He's wearing no helmet and takes his armor off where it has bent in.
He wants a duel with me. No tricks. With a sword in one hand, he holds out his other and makes a motion for me to come at him. I answer his call and rush him like a wolf. I feel the frigid wind flowing over me as I move. It's almost like the entire world is moving at a monumentally slow pace. My heart is beating faster and faster. I feel the blood rushing through my veins. Even as the Black Knight swings and hits me, and I take 5 damage from his attack, I feel no pain. I move low as he swings at me again, and I counterattack with an upper horizontal slash. Our blades collide and protest at the sheer strength, but Lush endures. The same cannot be said for my opponent's steel sword that shatters into pieces. It's a one in a million shot. I feel stronger than ever until I feel arrows hitting my back. I forgot about the damn archers.
"Damnit, Ambrosia, what are you doing?" I cry out. My health drops another 5 points. That's 12 out of 28 HP. Not good. This isn't how I imagined the fight going. The Black Knight grabs my wrist and twists it. I drop my sword from my hand and he hits me in the gut. My leather armor isn't enough to protect me from the iron knuckle he has in his hand. I lose another 2 points.
"Ambrosia!" I scream. My insides feel like they are turning inside out. I'm reminded again how real everything feels. I wish I could logout. Not even my impending death is enough to force me out of the game. Smeme would get a good laugh out of this one. He'd probably remind me this is what I asked for, a visit to the real world.I place my hands on the Black Knight's face as he grabs the back of my head and starts fidgeting for a dagger from his belt. I feel my tongue bleeding from where I had bitten down on it too hard. The taste of copper spreads in my mouth as I begin to growl. Somehow, I escape his grasp and retreat a few steps, then I cast Catapult, my Tier-1 spell, on a small rock. The item lifts in the air, then accelerates and crashes at enormous force in his face. His head splatters like a piece of abstract art. If it wasn't so morbid it would actually be beautiful.I take a deep breath. Another Black Knight is running toward me with his war scythe holding it
My health begins to regenerate. I feel my heartbeat slowing to a normal pace. I can still taste the blood on my lips from where I bit my tongue. I feel my shoulder swelling.It sucks being in the real world, I think as I sheathe my sword back into my scabbard.I try to stand but lose my balance and drop to my knees. The merchants are looking at me with nothing but shock and awe on their faces. Nine of them survived the onslaught. I'm glad. I smile at them and watch as several take a few steps back. I can sense their fear almost like it's some kind of passive ability. Each and every one of them looks like they have just escaped certain death. Their clothes, mostly old tunics, rags, and a few canvas coats are covered in dirt and blood.The night is lit up by the moon and the fire of the burning tree. I see two wagons are destroyed. Merchant horse tracks ran off into the woods. Not all of them belong to the Black Knights. Many of them also have a crest sewn onto th
I'm ready to make her mine. She unlaces my boots and I kick them to the side. She runs her fingers up to my leg with one hand and with the other unbuttons my trousers. She stops suddenly and I gasp. She's teasing me. As she stands up, she grabs my shaft and pauses momentarily to kiss me on the neck. I feel dizzy as she runs her other hand back down my bare chest. She takes a step back admiring me like I'm a piece of meat. Slowly she begins undressing for me. Her corset falls to the ground along with the white dress she had on underneath."I don't normally do this," she says, dropping back down on her knees while pulling down my pants.She doesn't seem as innocent after all. Her tongue is long and soft, as I feel her pulling every inch of me inside her mouth. She moves my hand to the top of her head and I grab hold of her fire-red hair in the palm of my hand. I continue to swell inside her mouth, wrapped in her warmth until I feel like I am going to cum. My heart is bea
"Handsoff," Ambrosia shouts, picking Esteri up by the throat as she appears near her in the blink of an eye. All the merchants stand up and ready themselves to attack her. The entire forest feels like it is filling with an unearthly fog.Ambrosia's fangs show. "You will not hurt my pet," her voice echoes through the camp."Ambrosia! What are you doing?" I shout back."Look around you pet. Don't you know when you are being tricked?" Ambrosia says, still holding little Esteri up in the air."See what? That you have gone crazy? That you've lost your mind? Let her go!" I demand."Pet, you really have no common sense, do you? These filthy creatures mask their scent with lilacs and lavender. They are not merchants. Nor they are as weak as they are making themselves out to be," Ambrosia insists."All I see are people hurting!" I shout back, my hand is next to my sword now. I'm not sure what I'm thinking. I can't and don't want to fight Ambros
Looking at it from the ghoul's perspective, I understand now their motives behind all that façade. They need me not only because I am of the living, but because in their eyes I'm a powerful magic caster, at least as far as they know. Ghouls gain their powers by consuming their enemies and that's how Immenithes has gained his strength. He is the Alpha of their pack, while Esteri is his second. She was the perfect puppet, one that meant to make me feel safe and drop my guard.Scanning them with my Insight, I get their full stats. Esteri is Threat Level 10 while Immenithes is Threat Level 7. Many of the others aren't that far off. Strange, if Esteri has a higher Threat Level, then she must be the Alpha and her father the Second. That cunning bitch… Well, it doesn't matter right now. The thing is that I helped the villains of this quest while I slaughtered the rightful Black Knights. It's evident though, that even if I hadn't appeared, they would have held their own
The Ghast is ten feet tall and has a long tongue that stretches down below its chest, across its naked blue skin. Its long thin hair runs down the back of its head in patches. It wears a necklace made of skulls that sways back and forth as it comes forward. It grabs one paralyzed ghoul and bites its head off. Long claws dig into the ghoul's body as it swallows its head, downing the whole thing in an instant, then casts the carcass aside, into the fire that burns around us. I understand perfectly now what the Ghast is. A giant ghoul that eats the flesh of both the living and the dead."Fuck," I say, trying once again to move my body. Ambrosia was right. Without us, the ghouls stood no chance. Even with us, I can't shake the feeling we were all about to die."Fall in the damn pit," I hear Ambrosia whisper.I am unsure what a four-foot pit will do against a giant of this size.The Ghast knocks back another ghoul as it runs up toward it. It flies into a tree
Ah, the city of Tlos! I've heard so many things from Ambrosia during our journey here. This place is one of the oldest and largest settlements in Lycia, making it one of the six principal cities of the Kingdom. To put it simply, the city is urban just like I thought. From the way she describes this place, something tells me she's been here before, but when I ask for clarification, her response is blurry, not wanting to give a simple yes or no answer. I'm not sure if she's holding a secret but knowing her, time will show.Standing before the city gates, I see several dozen NPCs flooding the entrance even though it's late. To be honest, I'm not sure if they are NPCs or Players, as there's no way for me to understand or distinguish one from the other. This makes me wonder if my Neural Control Interface will obtain that ability with some kind of Mod or Upgrade. I can't deny it would come in handy. On the other hand, the Real-World Gam
I can see where this goes and Ambrosia has Charmed the poor guy already. A tooltip appears above him with the Charm Notification. I've been the victim of the Vampire Charm several times so far and I know that she can be irresistible. Seriously, I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I recall the feeling. When you are charmed you feel like you would do anything for that person. My understanding is Charm is pretty much a level down from Dominate.Ambrosia rests her hand on her hip. "Find me at the Crazy Shrimp," she tells him and ruffles her hair as she winks at him. I see the guard staring down at her legs as he leans closer. The second guard starts to move closer. She casts her gaze toward him. "I'd be more than glad you join me."Now I feel bad for the guys and I think about warning them, but if I'm honest with myself, she will be mad at me and I'll have to pay the price for the both of them.The two guards gulp and nod at us, allowing us to get into the city. "You
And here it is, like a performer entering the stage. It's a sad creature from what I can see, some kind of abomination that must have escaped from the pits of the Evil Domains."A blood fiend,"Ambrosia says and takes the vanguard.At least I now know its name. The Threat Level 24 Blood Fiend is an enormous creature, reddish in color, and has a maw with several lines of razor-like fangs. It walks on all fours and its razor-sharp claws extend from each of its limbs."Anything specific I should be aware of?" I ask Ambrosia."These deadly creatures are known for their ferocity and tenacity. They even prey on other fiends. We should watch out for its Terror Gaze. Its effects are similar to the lich's Frightening Gaze that you experienced earlier, although it can only affect one target. If it affects you, then you will be an easy feast," she tells me, now back at her casual snobbish and carefree look."Fuck, there's something wrong with the difficu
What kind of world is this? I'm at a loss and unable to do anything now. Locked in place. I can't believe what I just witnessed. For our good luck, Ambrosia takes the initiative again and grabs Elektra and me by the wrist and forces us to follow her. The place is once again a perfect pandemonium of death, with the remaining adventurers trying to fight off the advancing undead, and our former leader gone mad.Behind the bone throne there's a door, but smaller in size. Ambrosia quickly opens it and throws me and Elektra across the other side. As she follows, she shuts the door behind her."That was close!" She exhales with her eyes closed.I must admit, it's one of these few times I've seen Ambrosia actually worrying.Tears stream down Elektra's eyes as she tries to get a grasp on what happened. I'm in a state of dismay as well. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest and my hands are
Cadmus was once considered one of the most prominent and brilliant wizards when he joined the Wizard Academy in Lycia. Working his way through the ranks, he joined the Adventurer's Guild at eighteen and began dungeon diving in as many ruins as he could. He even uncovered a city buried beneath the rubble of Podalia. It was there, where he uncovered sacred manuscripts that allowed him to unravel his unnatural talents to create constructs, golems, and other powerful inventions.Gradually, he gave up spell-casting for technology. Fusing magic, alchemy, and technology, he became known as a powerful artificer, upgrading his class and everything. The wizards that he had grown and trained with, envied and despised him for that, eventually leading to his seclusion from the outside world.His story was confided in me by Elektra in the Commander's Inn before our departure, but I paid no attention at the time. All I thought then was that it was some kind of backg
My entire body trembles, my eyes water, and my pupils dilate. I immediately feel the hotness of my body taking place, my heart racing, and my brain being on fire. The agony is so intense that sweat starts trickling down my neck and I'm about to explode. I cannot move, I'm frozen and terrified, nothing can make my tense body relax. This is what true fear is! I think that the creators of this world have gone a little overboard with realism. This is far from enjoyable and someone should tell them that there's a limit to how realistic a game should be.It seems that several other adventurers have fallen prey to the legendary action of our great opponent. It will be impossible at the current Threat Level I am to defeat this creature.My NCI informs me that Elektra, Alexander, Zoe, and the rest of the team have been affected and they are unable to move as well. I want to scream and shout and tell them to move, but it seems I'm unable to do so. Command as I might, this body-a
Leveraging the momentum, I cast my next Tier-1 spell called Thunderwave. A wave of thunder force shoots out from my hands and all the creatures are pushed ten feet away from me, while sustaining another 30 by 40% damage. Elektra doesn't waste any time and immediately rains down Fire Bolts, reducing my remaining opponents to ash. A surge of energy floods my body and I can see I've leveled up once more, reaching Threat Level 6 and HP 28."Yes!" I shout out, smiling at Elektra as she continues to rain fire down at the horde in front of us.Compared to before, Alexander and his team support me in the best possible way, burning down all the undead that attempt to support my flanks as I tank. We continue like this for what feels like an hour. Every time we gain some ground, the dungeon throws something new at us. Freakish mutations. Undead with two heads. Assassins with four arms. Twisted variations that are stronger, faster, but blend in with the regular undea
When I accepted this quest, I thought that we would have a carte blanche and we would be able to penetrate the underground as we deemed necessary. But all I've been doing is following orders which I must obey. I'm an adventurer, not a soldier. I'm not pleased and it seems my team isn't either. I can't say that I'm not happy with how the plot is developing though. In fact, it's interesting and soon everything will unravel. I can't help but feel excited. Standing at the front of death's door… in front of the complete unknown. I've never experienced this kind of looming anxiety before. Despite my worries, I'm thrilled to be down here.My goal for now is to gather as much information as possible and level up the faster. I'm sure this battle will make me stronger."We need to talk," I tell Alexander as I grab him by his wrist and bring him closer to me so that neither our leader nor the Black Knight will hear us.Alexander pulls his hand and releases his wrist
To my surprise, Ι quickly find out that the approaching duο is none other than the Black Knight and his sorcerer sidekick we met earlier in The Commander's Inn. Each has leveled up by one Threat Level, but their HP is down to 60%. For some reason, our great leader had decided that it would be an excellent idea to split our forces and have the strongest of adventurers invade from other entrances. I have no clue who decided this man was to be the commander of this expedition, but common sense says that you should have all your forces concentrated, instead of splitting them like sprinkles of light in the darkness, then have them invade such an enormous underground tunnel system."I thought we were the only people who survived," the Black Knight booms at us in a harsh, reverberating voice as he takes his enormous, two-handed sword from his shoulder and places it in front of him with the point of his blade touching the hard brick floor, penetrating it an inch or two.<
She's right and we quickly make our retreat, leaving the innumerable undead behind. Connecting with the others, I see that Zoe is still alive, though I'm not that thankful seeing Alexander right beside her and in full health. But I can't say the same for the rest of the adventurers. This battle has left us weakened and the damage we sustained is enormous. I don't have a clear view of our army, but I think we lost at least a third of our total forces. Half of what remains is barely holding. This mission is a failure and we'll be lucky if we get out with our lives.The rearguard has exchanged positions with us, so we can catch our breaths and retreat organized. But most of my fellow adventurers are in a panic, and I can hear their piercing screams from all over the place. Their faces are desperate and terrified. It seems all hope has abandoned us."Please, someone help me," a brunette girl holding one of our fellow adventurers pleads."Please, help me, I can't see
The two undead assassins give me a sinister smile as more of their kind gather behind them. Fighting two of them took all my wits tohold my ground. It will be impossible for me to fight five of them and I get the feeling that this will be game over for now. I'm ready to quit, thinking once more how broken the difficulty level of this game is. My body protests, telling me I should fight to the bitter end. Could it be that if someone dies in the real world, instead of respawning, all that awaits is oblivion? Terror gnaws at me, not wanting to believe that a game over is a permanent state here."Do not fret pet!" The voice of Ambrosia whispers to me from over my shoulder."I will protect you," sexy Elektra says as a Fire Bolt flies and hits an undead assassin in the torso, decreasing his HP by 10%.I'm relieved now that my seductive aides are by my side and battle-ready. We should finish them off quickly before they cut us off from the rest of the adventurers