Silver Peak, page 15
part #2 of Sky Realms Online Series
Another small fraction had disappeared from the Revenant’s Health bar.
He threw his second knife, following it with a charge at the Revenant.
The knife struck, sparks erupting, as Hall jabbed out with his spear into the Revenants back. The tip seemed to pass through the blue glowing bark and leather armor. Hall could see it within the Revenant.
BONUS DAMAGE!
Flanking Attack +7
Hall was thankful for Sky Realms Online’s flanking mechanics. The bonus damage was a nice addition to his normal damage. Any attacks from behind or the sides were able to ignore most Armor Protection values, as well as any Agility Protection bonuses. The idea was that those were the unprotected sides, with no way to use a weapon or shield for defense or to evade the attack.
The Revenant turned, red eyes fixed on Hall. It lashed out with its right arm, but Hall managed to step back, avoiding the attack. He felt the cold that fell off the creature in waves. He shivered and jabbed out with the spear, scoring another hit.
He stepped back quickly as the Revenant stumbled forward. Roxhard was behind it, swinging with his two-handed axe. The blade passed through the creature pulling a trail of glowing, fog-like material with it. Jackoby was on the other side, swinging with his hammer, the Revenant catching the weapon on its shield.
A bolt of purple lightning slammed into the Revenant’s shoulder, lines of energy spreading across its body. The creature moved, the bolts flaring. It seemed to shake, fighting against the constricting bolts. But it still swung its warhammer, not as fast or strong but still plenty powerful. The weapon slammed into Roxhard’s shoulder, sending the stout Dwarf flying. Blue lights exploded on contact, lines of frost spreading across his shoulder. He cried out, slamming into the floor. Leigh rushed to his side, her tattoos glowing light blue as soon as she laid her hands on Roxhard’s shoulder.
Sabine cast a Shadowbolt, the line of black slamming into the Revenant. She moved her hands in a complicated gesture, and a light blue-white energy dagger shot out, the Arcane Missile striking the Revenant. She fired another one, and another, as rapidly as the cooldown would let her.
Hall shifted to the side, giving her a wider target to hit. The game had flanking damage to aid the attackers, but it also had a friendly fire mechanic. Sabine could just as easily hit Hall or Jackoby instead of the Revenant. That was the problem with fighting one foe, trying to allow everyone to attack. It had been one of the aspects of the game that Hall had liked the most. It made for challenging Raids as the Players had to coordinate the timing of their attacks. He had played older MMORPGs where forty people could be attacking the same single target. A large mass, just hacking away with spells and ranged attacks ignoring the friendlies.
The Revenant raised its warhammer, the red eyes flaring, as flames spread out across the weapon. The fires crackled, flickering shades of blue. The eyes seemed a little dimmer, not as bright as before, as if it was taking the energy from within.
Which it was, Hall realized. He remembered what the Highborn had said. Something about raising the Skeletons and Zombies because he needed the necrotic energy. The Revenant was running on borrowed energy, not its own.
That fact did Hall no good as he jumped back, avoiding a wide swing of the warhammer.
Another Shadowbolt struck the creature, its eyes turning and locking on Sabine. She took an involuntary step back. She tried to cast another spell, her fingers fumbling as they shook with fear.
The Revenant pointed the end of the warhammer at her, the fires gathering at the tip and shooting out at the Witch. Gripped by the magical fear, she couldn’t move out of the way, the icy blast striking her in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, lines of white frost where the blast had hit, her skin turning a shade of blue.
Roxhard stepped in front of her, axe raised, as Leigh crouched next to the Witch.
Pike swooped in, flying low, at head height. The dragonhawk flew straight at the Revenant, beak opening and shooting out a bolt of lightning. The blast hit the Revenant in the chest, sparks spreading across the body. More Health dropped, but they had still barely made a dent.
Jackoby and Roxhard stood apart, facing the Revenant, making it turn from one to the other. It seemed to be able to with ease, blocking Roxhard’s attacks with its shield, parrying Jackoby’s with its own warhammer. None of the three were able to score direct hits, but the cold damage from the flames around the warhammer was eating away at both Wardens’ Health.
Hall threw another throwing knife, the blades magically reappearing in his bracer. Pike scored another lightning attack, more damage taken from the Revenant. It pointed the warhammer at the swooping dragonhawk, another blast of icy fire which Pike avoided. The fight rotated, forcing Hall to step to the Revenants side as the Highborn was in the way. The Elf didn’t move, didn’t even notice the battle raging behind him. The cold aura of the Revenant didn’t seem to affect the Highborn.
Even with using his spear, not having to get in close, Hall could still feel that intense cold. It sapped his Health, very little at a time but still eating away at it.
They were chipping away at the Revenant and could eventually possibly destroy the creature, but they couldn’t afford to make a mistake. Numbers were on their side, and they had to keep up the pace to stop the creature from counterattacking.
Opening its mouth again, the Revenant let out a wail. Both Roxhard and Jackoby fell backward, crying out in pain. So close to the creature, they couldn’t resist the full impact of the Wail. Hall felt it, felt the pain clutching at him, trying to stop him from moving, from thinking. He fought through the pain and stabbed out with the spear. The tip passed right through the Revenant, bursting out the other side with a spray of ghostly material.
Turning quickly, the Revenant forced the spear from Hall’s hand. The shaft stuck out of the creature, the end of the wood slamming against the head of the Highborn. The young Elf grunted and fell to the ground, unmoving. Hall stepped back as the Revenant turned to face him, tip of his own spear pointing his way.
It took a step toward him, stopping as a swarm of splinters passed through its body. The shards hit the stone wall, falling to the ground. The Revenant turned and saw Leigh, her staff pointed at it. Sabine was standing next to the Druid, her own staff raised. A purple bolt shot out, striking the Revenant and sending purple tendrils of energy across its body. The new Hexbolt replacing the old that had run out.
Roxhard was up, axe swinging, passing through the Revenant. Hall drew his short sword, stepping up and attacking from the side. He had to step in close, feeling more of the cold from the creature. It seeped into his bones, sapping his strength. He scored a solid hit but couldn’t step back in time. The Revenant hit him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. His shoulder felt numb at the impact, lines of frost crawling down his arm.
Pike dove back in, a lightning blast pushing the Revenant back. A hit from Roxhard to its shoulder turned it toward the Dwarf. The next swing was caught on the shield, and Roxhard couldn’t avoid the warhammer that slammed into his chest. The Dwarf fell to the ground, forcing himself to roll out of the way.
He was replaced by an enraged Jackoby. The Firbolg caught the Revenant’s hammer on his shield, pushing it out of the way, and slammed his own hammer into the creature’s chest. The face of the hammer passed through the creature, pushing aside the ghostly material which flowed back in and around the hammer.
Seeming to grin, the Revenant grabbed Jackoby’s hammer with its shield hand. Holding the Firbolg in place by the hammer, it twisted its body and stabbed the tip of Hall’s spear into Jackoby’s side. The Firbolg grunted, feeling the ironwood tip of the spear slice into his stomach. Red blood started to flow, dripping onto the ground.
Hall stood up, grabbing the end of the spear with one hand and pulled. He yanked it out of the Revenant, dropping the weapon on the ground. Jackoby staggered back, shield hand clutching his side. The Firbolg glared at the Revenant.
Roxhard rushed in, striking at the Revenant and got the shield to the face. The Dwarf fell to the ground. A shaft of black streaked at the Undead creature, who caught it on the shield. The bolt splashed against the glowing blue shield. Stepping forward, the Revenant kicked out at Roxhard, catching the Dwarf in the head. It turned and pointed the flaming hammer at the two casters. Streaks of blue flame shot out, Leigh catching one in the shoulder and being thrown backward. Sabine moved but got caught in the leg, blue flames and frost covering the lower part of her leg.
Swooping in, Pike got hit by the shield; the Revenant was ready for the dragonhawk. Pike fell to the floor, rolling to a stop, staggering to stand.
The Revenant took a step toward Jackoby, who still clutched his side, holding his hammer weakly. The Firbolg growled, eyes filled with hate and defiance. Jackoby was moving along the wall, turning the Revenant away from the women and the downed Roxhard, exposing the creatures back to them. He didn’t move fast enough to avoid another blast of fiery frost. Grunting in pain, he staggered to the ground, brown fur tinged in white frost.
Another step, raising the warhammer, the Revenant prepared to strike Jackoby. The Firbolg was unable to defend, staring at his death coming.
The hammer descended and struck Hall as he dove in front of the Firbolg. He collapsed to the ground, clutching at his side where the ghostly hammer had struck. Frost covered his leather armor and his exposed arm.
Hall’s spear stuck out of the Revenant’s face, the tip piercing the skull. Somehow while being hit by the hammer, Hall had managed to strike the Revenant. The creature staggered back, shield arm reaching for the wooden shaft. Roxhard swung his axe at the thing’s legs, coming from the side. The axe sliced through both legs. He stopped the movement of the axe, and swung back in the other direction, again through both legs.
Sabine’s Shadowbolt struck the Revenant in the back, splashing against the glowing translucent body, black spreading from the bolt. Standing up, Jackoby stood protectively over Hall, reaching for the wooden handle of the spear.
He pulled it out and immediately jammed it back into the Revenant’s face. The creature tried to open its mouth and moan but the spear cut through, somehow blocking the sound. Again, Jackoby removed the weapon, and again, he stabbed the Revenant with it. Roxhard kept hacking at it, the Revenant unable to mount an offensive attack. It couldn’t even defend itself.
Pushing himself along the ground, clutching his side, Hall tried to get out of the way. He thought his ribs were cracked, probably broken. Breathing was hard, each breath painful. His body felt cold, spreading from where the hammer had hit him. He hadn’t thought about what he was doing, he had just seen Jackoby about to die and acted. Hands grabbed at him, pulling as he crawled. He looked up and saw Leigh. She was watching the fight as she pulled.
A safe distance away, Hall felt her hands on his side, saw them glowing and felt the warmth of her healing magic spread through his body, driving the cold away. He felt the pain in his side lessen, no longer as painful to breathe. It still hurt, but he could breathe, and that was what mattered.
Leigh helped him to stand. He leaned against the wall watching Jackoby and Roxhard attack relentlessly. Sabine shot Shadowbolt after Arcane Missile after Shadowbolt after Missile, an unrelenting barrage. Hall looked at the Revenant’s Health. It was barely past half. All the damage they had done and the Revenant was not in danger yet. They couldn’t keep this up. Already the creature had landed a couple of strong blows to them. The chances of that continuing would only increase.
Jackoby, still in immense pain, slipped and almost stumbled. The Firbolg dropped Hall’s spear and managed to get his shield up in time to block the Revenant’s weak attack. He pawed around at the ground until he found his warhammer.
There had to be a way to end the creature. They couldn’t just hope to keep chipping away at it.
The Highborn was still unconscious, somehow managing to avoid being trampled. He would be no help. Hall drew his sword, pushing off from the wall. Leigh started to protest but stopped, knowing it would be useless. He took a couple steps, each one hurting. The healing had helped, but his body still hurt. Watching the combatants, he waited for his chance for an opening.
He thought about all the ramblings that the Highborn had said. The Elf had talked about necrotic energy, gathering enough. The Zombies and Skeletons had been raised to provide energy to eventually summon or raise the Revenant? How had that worked? How had the energy gotten to this place?
Taking a step closer to the Revenant, he thought of something he had forgotten about. It was what had first led them to the tower. Reaching into his pouch he brought out the Eye of Death’s Gaze. The small orb glowed, pulsing. Holding it out, he saw the Revenant turn his way. It started to take a step, but attacks from Roxhard and Jackoby stopped it.
Hall looked down at the orb and back at the Revenant. He examined the orb closer. Perfectly round, perfectly smooth, glowing with a green inner light. The pulsing was new. It had not been doing that when Hall had first found it.
The sound of someone grunting drew his attention. He thought Jackoby had been hit again, the Firbolg already weakened, but it was Roxhard. The Revenant had backhanded the Dwarf, hitting him full-on with the shield. Skidding across the floor, Roxhard pushed himself up, frost covering the side of his face where the shield had hit. The deep-set eye was black, puffing up.
Leigh ran to Roxhard’s side. She wanted, needed, to get to Jackoby, but the Firbolg was too close to the Revenant and would not back away. Her hands touched Roxhard, face and chest, glowing and spreading the healing warmth.
Smiling, Roxhard stalked back to the Revenant, but Hall got in his way, taking the position he had been.
Holding the orb in one hand, attacking with his short sword, Hall tried to get the Revenant’s attention away from the Firbolg. Stronger, a heavier weapon, Jackoby was doing more damage. He needed the Firbolg free.
“Behind,” he yelled at Roxhard, motioning with the hand holding the orb.
The movement caught the Revenant’s attention, the eyes fixed on the orb. The green glowing eyes. Hall lifted his hand, the orb moving up, and the Revenant’s eyes followed. It ignored the Dwarf that moved behind it, only turning away from the orb when Jackoby’s hammer slammed into its side. Hall struck out, cursing the Firbolg for distracting it. His sword stabbed into the Revenant’s head, tip poking out the other side.
It didn’t seem to care.
He could feel the cold from the creature, so close he was almost touching it.
Roxhard attacked from the side, axe slicing through the Revenant. Jackoby’s hammer slammed into its shoulder, forcing Hall to step back.
“Stop attacking,” Hall shouted at the Firbolg.
Jackoby gave him an odd look but didn’t stop.
“Dammit,” Hall cursed. “I need you to smash this,” he yelled, thrusting the Eye of Death’s Gaze at Jackoby.
Again, the Firbolg Warden gave Hall an odd look but then saw how the Revenant’s attention was drawn to the glowing orb. Quickly, Jackoby grabbed the orb, stepping back out of reach as the Revenant made a grab for it. Hall intercepted the creature’s hammer strike, barely catching it on his sword. He grunted in pain, the impact felt through his bones and especially his cracked ribs.
Jackoby moved to a corner of the room, away from everyone else. The Revenant tried to follow, but Hall and Roxhard got in the way. That was what told the Firbolg the small orb was important. It was the only thing the Revenant paid attention to.
He placed it on the ground, taking a step back and aiming his hammer. He sneered at the Revenant and brought the hammer down with all his strength. It slammed into the orb.
There was a cracking sound, small and quiet but somehow audible to all. No great explosion or light or force. Just the cracking. Jackoby lifted the hammer to see shards of glass, dust and green smoke swirling away.
The Revenant stopped. The green glowing eyes flickered. Then the body started to flicker. It disappeared, came back, disappeared and came back even more translucent than before. The eyes still glowed, but not as bright, a dull green. Checking its Health, Hall saw that most of it had disappeared, dropped. Just a thin bit of red showed.
Reaching down he grabbed his spear in his left hand. He jabbed with the spear, sliced with the sword. Roxhard swung the axe, sideways, up and down. More bolts of magic came from Sabine. Jackoby wanted back into the fight, but Leigh stopped him, finally able to heal the Firbolg.
The attacks continued, the Revenant unable to do anything. It stood there, trying to mount a counterattack, to do anything, but failed. Bit by bit, the Health dropped, quicker than before.
Until there was none left.
Roxhard’s axe sliced through the Revenant’s chest, not just passing through. It left a large gash in the translucent body, the wispy substance no longer flowing back into place. The Revenant stumbled, shaking, looking duller and duller. Sheathing his sword, Hall grabbed his spear with both hands. He lined it up and stabbed it forward. Through the Revenant’s head.
It flickered, appearing solid and then disappeared.
SLAIN: Elite Firbolg Warden Revenant
+100 Experience
Skill Gain!
Light Armor Rank Two +.1
Polearms Rank Two +.2
Small Blades Rank Two +.2
Thrown Rank Two +.1
QUEST COMPLETE!
You have investigated the Tower of Yorsif the Shaman and found him returned as a Lich along with a summoned Revenant and a Highborn Elf Necromancer that has been living in the tower’s cellar.
THE ROAMING DEAD II
Investigate the Tower of Yorsif the Shaman 1/1
Reward: +200 Brownpaw Firbolg Reputation
+50 Experience
You have defeated Yorsif the Lich and the Firbolg Revenant but are no closer to discovering why the Undead are plaguing the Brownpaw Firbolg.
