Verdant was shocked to see hundreds of semi-corporeal soldiers solidifying before him. Whatever power had awoken inside him, he had never expected it to do anything close to this.
‘I am still outnumbered, but maybe with these soldiers, I’ll stand a chance.’ He looked to the elites on either side of him and grinned. ‘Now these guys are real warriors.’
Turning to face the champion of thunder, Verdant assessed the big man, giving him a once over. He was tall and exceedingly well built, faintly glowing flesh now sheathed his skeleton, with messy braids falling over his shoulders. His bearded face hinted at a man in the prime of his life. He was intimidating, the very model of authority. “Eirikr, I am not a leader, these are your men. What I need is a distraction, force their mages on the defensive and waste their mana. I need to do something about those trolls before they can destroy our front line.”
The big man nodded his agreement, “Very well, descendant. Do what you must, I will give you the time you need.’
Looking to the berserker next, Verdant gaped at the towering humanoid. Rimulf was a Jotnar, towering well over any present. If Eirikr was built like a powerlifter from Earth, then Rimulf made him look like a child in size and stature. Black ink swirled across his body, marking him in a way that made Verdant’s blood sing. “You’re with me supporting the troops until we can get in close to deal with those trolls.”
Not waiting for a response, he turned to the right looking for Freyja next. Only to find her deeply within his personal space. “Boo!”
Verdant jumped back in shock, reaching for his weapon.
Freyja laughed out loud, “Excellent, you’ve got good reflexes.” She stepped closer to Verdant, too close for polite company, mirth etched clearly on her face. “Don’t take life so seriously! Nobody makes it out alive!” Her blonde hair fell across her elfin features, winking playfully, as she pushed him lightly. “Thanks for the save there, I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out against that bastard.”
A light blush warmed her cheeks, fingers placed lightly on his forearm. She continued in a softer tone. “Thank you for what you said Verdant, I was afraid. I can’t say how much it meant to me that you treated me with such respect in my passing.”
Verdant was shocked. He had been in turmoil over killing this woman, even though it had been her wish. Her words now were a balm to his aching soul. “You are welcome, I just tried to do for you what I hope someone would do for my daughter or sister in their passing.”
Freyja’s soft smile hardened somewhat; the tender moment had passed. “Okay, where do you want me? I can’t do much wide area stuff while their mages are still using shields, but neither can they as long as I’m here.”
Recovering from the unexpected interaction with Freyja, Verdant refocussed back on his plan. “I was hoping you’d be able to protect our men from the lich and their mages. That seems to be within your skill set at least. When we take out their mages, I need you to drop everything you have. Take them all out, then support us with the boss.”
Taking a breath, he prepared to address the assassin next. Looking to the spot where he was, he was surprised to see a whisp of darkness fading on the air.
Freyja sighed before speaking, “Aesgir doesn’t talk much. But he will have listened. Don’t be surprised if you see some of those mages dropping very shortly or if suddenly your target is already dead. He was a well-known kill stealer in our cohort.”
She raised her hand and pointed toward a volley of oncoming magic. In a flash of blue light, a series of runic sigils ignited, forming a shimmering wall of energy in front of their force. Enemy spells slammed into it, scattering like waves against a cliff.
Freyja chuckled darkly. “My, we are impatient.”
Lowering her arm, she turned to Verdant with a knowing smile. “Are you ready to go, then? We’ve got a plan—just say the word.” Then, glancing toward her old teammates, her grin turned wicked. “Last one to land a hit on the lich pays for drinks.”
Eirikr and Rimulf tensed.
They weren’t laughing.
They were taking the proposition seriously.
The champion of thunder huffed, rolling his shoulders before quipping back at the cheeky mage. “If you even land a hit on that bastard, I’ll buy your drinks for a year. You know as well as I do—his mana barrier eats magic for breakfast.”
Verdant watched them, fascinated. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, these warriors bantered like old friends at a tavern.
‘They must have been close.’
Grasping Frost Breaker, Verdant exhaled slowly, grounding himself. He looked toward the enemy line. The lich stared back at him; its eye sockets glowed with an unnatural light.
Raising his weapon above his head he called out. “Move forward in formation, stay on…”
A gruff voice interjected from his left side. “Hold men.” Eirikr approached raising his hands in apology. “Before we engage, descendant. If you have any outstanding notifications, you should accept them all now. Skill levels and achievements will not apply until you accept them. We should go into this as strong as possible.”
Verdant dismissed his first instinct to be upset with Eirikr for interrupting him and silently acknowledged the man’s suggestion by nodding his head. Lowering his arm, he willed his notifications to appear as a summary.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Summary of Notifications
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Combat Summary
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
15 x Rattling Dead [Ash-born Elementalist] level 25{Corrupted} Slain
Rimulf [Ragehowl Berserker] Level 32 [Elite]{Corrupted} Slain
Aesgir [Shadowcaller Assassin] Level 32 [Elite]{Corrupted} Slain
Freyja [Stormflame Magi] Level 32 [Elite] {Corrupted} Slain
14,740XPs +20% Hubris’ Folly bonus.
Total XPs = 17,688XPs
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Loot Summary
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
15 x Small Aether Crystal {Corrupted}(Common)
15 x Raeskir Soul Fragment {Corrupted}(Uncommon)
3 x Large Aether Crystal {Corrupted}(Rare)
1 x Rimulf’s Soul Fragment {Corrupted}(Epic)
1 x Aesgir’s Soul Fragment {Corrupted}(Epic)
1 x Freyja’s Soul Fragment {Corrupted}(Epic)
As this is an active quest scenario, currency rewards will be assigned upon its successful completion.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Skill Summary
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Assess(C) – 7 > 8
Target Weakness(R) – 7 > 9
Bloods Wrath(B-U) – 7 > 8
Stormbound Spark (B-U) – 15 > 19
Weapon Mastery: Warpick(UC) – 9 > 11
Piercing Resistance(C) – 1 > 2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Summary Complete
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Access System log at any time to view old notifications at your leisure.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
‘It seems like the items that have been used since I got these notifications are indicated with a line through them, nice to know.’ He opened the next notification and whispered a silent prayer to the dead gods that it wasn’t another fifty points to all attributes.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="601">
Achievement Earned: Hero Slayer III (Mythic)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="601">
You have defeated 3 [Elite] named enemies whose level exceeded your own by 30+
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="601">
+40 Free Attribute Points
+70% Free Efficiency
Enemies of equal level or lower cannot inflict Fear upon you.
[Elite]’s hesitate in their attacks when facing you (5% chance per hit to slow their reaction time).
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="601">
Some call it fate. Others call it a mistake. Either way, you’re still standing.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
‘Okay, I can work with that.’ Looked to his status screen and did some math quickly. ‘I’ll bring wisdom and intelligence up to fifty percent efficiency and put the remaining thirty percent in dexterity… then I’ll put all forty free points in intelligence.’ He still held hope that there would be achievements for reaching one thousand points in a stat while at level zero.
‘Gained almost two thousand mana on my cap but it won’t do me any good now. Fuck.’ He dismissed his status screen after confirming the changes and opened the last notification.
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Weapon Mastery: Warpick (Uncommon) 11
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" width="600">
Your affinity for the warpick has awakened, granting you enhanced precision and control over this versatile weapon. With every swing and strike, your understanding grows, honing your ability to wield the warpick with devastating efficiency.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="600">
Tier Zero 1-10 (Completion Bonus - +10 Dexterity)
· Damage Bonus: +5% per level to all attacks with a warpick. (Max +50%)
· Improved Handling: Slightly reduces stamina cost for each attack and increases recovery speed after a missed strike.
Tier One 11-20
· Critical Strike Chance: +3% per level when targeting vital areas.
· Dextrous Handling: Moderately reduces stamina cost for each attack and increases recovery speed after a missed strike.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="600">
Every strike hones the edge of skill; every swing bends the will of the storm to your hand.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
There were no more notifications for Verdant to accept and he looked back Eirikr. He raised his eyebrows at the big man, seeking approval to command the men now. In return he received a slight nod.
Verdant, raised Frost Breaker and cleared his throat. “Move forward in formation, stay on Eirikr and hold their line steady.”
A battle cry rose from the three hundred troops, the front row made up of villagers began to move in, their shield wall supported by the more experienced soldiers in the second row while the archers loosed a volley from the third. In the rear were fifteen mages who all moved to form on Freyja and follow her commands.
Eirikr took up a position directly behind the spear wielding shield wall calling commands to the formation as they moved.
Verdant looked to Freyja, “Just support them where you can, if you see an opening drop hell on their heads.”
She nodded before walking forwards with her mages, supporting the melee fighters.
The bowmen approached at a slower pace, take aim and firing mana projectiles into the enemy troops. Most deflected ineffectually off the barriers, but some made it through, striking the undead.
He strode forwards, shield in his left hand, Frost Breaker in his right. “Rimulf, let’s show these bastards what a real warrior can do.”
&&&
The formation moved across the field. Closing the distance between the two sides. Mana projectiles rained down on either side continuing to be deflected by mage barriers.
As the two sides met, Eirikr threw his warpick striking the enemy barrier with a physical force, limned with electricity as lightning surged out from it. The barrier cracked, before swiftly repairing as the weapon returned to him.
Verdant approached with Rimulf, the formation split on either side of them, allowing them through. He activated Bloods Wrath and felt within for his power before seizing it and charging up Frost Breaker with screaming plasma, using near twenty percent of his mana reserves.
The barrier deformed as he, Rimulf and Eirikr all struck at the same time. A sound like shattering glass sounded through the field and Verdant was suddenly overwhelmed by the rotting stench and howls of the undead horde.
‘What the hell? That shield broke a lot easier than I thought it would, with all the mana I used earlier I didn’t even break through it, now this attack breaks through like it was made of glass… Eirikr and Rimulf aren’t that strong… What is going on?’ Deactivating Bloods Wrath he and Rimulf, broke a hole in the front line, crushing superior skeletons of various races under their weapons.
They moved through the enemy formation, their targets stood towering over the rest. Like a beacon for their attacks.
Verdant was startled a moment later as a howling sounded behind him, glancing over his shoulder, he saw dozens of flaming missiles making an arc over both formations heading towards his intended targets.
One after another they struck home, blowing chunks of putrid flesh from the rotting trolls. They bellowed as each landed. Flames engulfed their figures from head to toe.
Looking to the west, he searched for the mages he thought would be shielding the trolls and was surprised to see Aesgir bouncing between them, striking out with kicks and the hilts of his knives.
‘Fuck me. They’re not playing around, huh?’
Verdant continued to fend off the ineffectual strikes of the superior undead as he turned back to the trolls, just as the last flaming projectile struck the larger of the two in the head. It snapped back with astounding force before flying from the creature’s shoulders and bouncing across the crater around it, still smoking.
He watched on as the enormous body continued flailing its enormous limbs in long sweeping motions, sending more than a few of its allies flying in all directions.
‘Why isn’t it dying… it even looks like it’s healing. What the fuck are we dealing with here?’
“Rimulf! Why is the troll still alive, its bloody head is gone!”
Between swings of his axe, Rimulf barked out a laugh, his voice a deep baritone laced with barely contained rage. “Abominations are different. The lich empowers them. Focus crystal. Somewhere inside.”
Verdant sidestepped a heavy blow from an undead swordsman, retaliating with a quick arc of Frost Breaker. “A crystal? Freyja blew its head clean off! Where the fuck else would it be?”
Rimulf grunted, hurling his axe into a hulking undead before ripping another in half with his bare hands. He bellowed his rage into the storm above, then turned and drove his fist straight through another enemy’s skull. “Use your fucking head,” he growled. “Did you see the skull itself get destroyed?”
Verdant’s breath caught. His gaze flickered to the scorched mound of flesh, smouldering in the grass beyond the battlefield.
‘Wait… The severed head. It’s still intact.’
Breaking from the melee, he ran over to the grotesque lump on the ground. Milky eyes swivelled to look at him as its maw chomped at open air, trying to get to the warm flesh within arm’s reach. Unfortunately… it had no arms to reach with.
Jumping from a distance, Verdant brought his warpick down in an overhead swing, splitting the troll’s head like an overripe melon. Grey matter, riddled with maggots exploded from the impact. He landed and gagged as the scent of putrid flesh hit his nostrils; keeling over with his hands on his knees, he emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground.
He recovered moments later, looking back to the troll’s skull; flesh and gore slid across the grass, like leeches drawn to a warm body. ‘Fuck, it’s still healing!’
Stepping over to the ruined mess, Verdant looked for any sign of a crystal in the exposed brain cavity. ‘Where is it? It’s got to be here!’
Frost Breaker warmed in his hand as electricity shot up his right arm, it seemed impatient.
For just a moment, he forgot what kind of world he was in and what kind of power he had at his disposal.
Grabbing the now familiar power within him, he channelled his energy down his arm and focussed it through his weapon, discharging a bolt into the opening at point blank range.
He smiled as a notification informed him of his kill.
A ground-shaking thud echoed from behind him as he turned to see the, now fallen, body of the properly deceased troll. Looting the creature, it exploded in a massive cloud of black dust.
Verdant spat some of the dust from his mouth and searched for the second troll. He saw it at the other end of the formation trying stop Aesgir from killing the undead mages.
‘Wait where is the lich, I don’t see it anywhere. Did it leave?’ He ran towards the back of the enemy formation. “Rimulf, the crystal is in the head. I’m going to take the other one down. Help Eirikr with the rabble.”
Keeping his distance, Verdant ran past dozens of undead before he came to a sudden stop. Not one of the enemy soldiers had turned to face him. ‘The mages are busy with Aesgir, Freyja already proved that. What if I let loose right here.’
He felt for his power within, his resource bar indicated that he still had around… fifty percent of his mana remaining. ‘Right yeah, a bunch of my mana hasn’t recovered because of the new cap.’ He circulated the energy, running it through his heart and directing it to his weapon.
Then, he remembered the destruction he had wrought with his lightning. The massive crater in the field. ‘I would kill my own soldiers, not just undead puppets but true resurrected individuals. Eirikr and Rimulf would get caught up in it, Aesgir could probably get away… I can’t throw them away like that. That’s not who I am.’
Letting go of his power, it settled back into his body, ready to be called on at a more appropriate time.
‘You gave them all targets for a reason, now do what you said you would and take out that troll.’ He swore under his breath before continuing towards the monstrosity.
He was sorely tempted to strike out at the exposed backs of the undead, but knew that in doing so, he would be dragged back into the melee and had no way of knowing how long it would take to fight his way out again.
As he drew closer to the troll, Verdant saw several robed undead scattered across the area, standing in place. He could hear muttered words from them and saw evidence of their spell casting in flashes of light or magical projectiles leaving their hands.
These were a target he could engage without risk of being drawn in and he did so with pleasure. Activating Bloods Wrath, he felt his muscles swell and his speed almost triple as he moved in a whirlwind of motion from one mage to the next, striking out with Frost Breaker over and over.
Each strike was followed by a welcome chime, confirming the death of the undead nuisance.
‘Why wait for them to run out of mana when I can crush their skulls into powder.’ The enemies were so vulnerable he didn’t need to use any skills to support his attacks, they simply fell under his blows.
Moments later he was surrounded by a fine cloud of black dust as he looted the remains of his fallen foes.
As the dust cleared, he looked to the troll, Aesgir was there, assaulting the troll launching a series of attacks inflicting damage before flipping away or disappearing into shadows. He had done well in keeping its attention until now. But it was clear that he lacked the stopping power required to overcome the monstrous regeneration of the creature.
Verdant sprinted towards the fighters, unhindered by combat, now that the undead had been cleared from the vicinity.
Activating Target Weakness, it clearly marked the crystal within the troll’s head as a reddish halo around the target. ‘Huh, I guess it remembers where the last one was… How am I going to get up that high though? I don’t have the same level of mobility as Aesgir…’
He thought through his options as he got closer, when he was struck with a realisation. ‘If I can’t climb the fucker, then I’ll just have to chop it down to a more manageable height.’
As he entered striking distance, Verdant waited for the creature to turn away from him, following Aesgir, before lunging and striking the beast in the knee with the flat of his weapon, Bloods Wrath empowered his strike as a resounding crack was heard and bone splintered, protruding from the corpulent flesh.
The beast howled, not in pain but in outrage that one so small would dare strike him so effectively. It spun its long arms in a wide arc, sweeping low and connecting with Verdant’s side.
As the blow landed, he braced against it. The troll’s clubbed hand smashed into his ribs with brutal force.
Verdant felt bones creak as he was hurled backward, the wind torn from his lungs. He crashed into the skeletal horde like a wrecking ball, pulverizing several before skidding to a painful stop.
He rolled off the crushed forms of the skeletons beneath him and got to his feet. Looking over to the troll, it appeared that Aesgir had re-engaged the beast, preventing it from pursuing him while he was in such a vulnerable state. His assessment of the taciturn hero increased by several notches in that moment.
Striking down a couple of opportunistic enemies that had moved to attack him, he broke from the formation once more and closed the distance between them. ‘Damn, that one hit took almost a thousand health out of my pool. I can’t afford to tank hits like that.’ He looked away from his depleted health bar and continued towards the battle.
He noted that the troll’s leg was still broken, though as he looked on, the protruding bones sunk beneath rotting flesh as its regeneration demonstrated its famed qualities.
‘That regen’s insane. Freyja’s fire slowed it down before… Maybe lightning will, too.’ He called on the power in his wyrd heart, eager to find out.
Channelling ten percent of his remaining mana to Frost Breaker, he felt it as it began to hum with power; electricity arced across the surface.
Verdant called out to Aesgir, “Get it to turn away, I’ve got a plan!”
Aesgir landed out of a backflip after his latest strike, looking to Verdant he nodded, before disappearing in a puff of dark smoke, only to appear a moment later on the back of the trolls neck, a wicked foot-long blade in each hand, before plunging them to the hilt into either side of the troll’s head; retrieving them from their rotting holsters, Aesgir flicked fetid blood and gore from his blades.
He jumped off the creature’s shoulders, landing lightly on the ground, before running away activating the glitching movement technique he had used against Verdant so many hours ago. The troll followed in a great lumbering gait, incensed by the assassin’s brazen attack against its sensory organs.
Verdant watched as Aesgir fled, blades slick with gore. The assassin didn’t look back; he didn’t need to. He’d done his part. Now it was Verdant’s turn.
Feeling the mana in his weapon reach a crescendo, Verdant launched towards the troll. His Bloods Wrath skill coursed through his body in preparation for his strike. Closing the gap in a bare few moments, he heaved Frost Breaker in a two-handed swing, aiming to strike the recently healed knee he’d crippled earlier.
On impact Verdant released all his pent-up mana amplifying the already considerable force of his strike. A deep resounding crack sounded out from the tower of rotting flesh as it gave way under the power of the strike, separating flesh and shattering the bones beyond all recognition.
He looked on in satisfaction as the beast continued in its pursuit of Aesgir, lifting the damaged leg and placing it down before it gave way and the creature, weighing several tonnes, fell to the ground with a thunderous quake.
Running to the fallen troll, Verdant noted that his magic had burnt deep glowing gouges in the flesh of its leg, and it did indeed appear to be slowing his foe’s natural healing.
Seizing the opportunity, he mounted the fallen abomination, running along its body before raising the spiked side of his pick.
Frost Breaker hovered mid-air, mana thrumming along its length, when the troll’s eye swiveled toward him; just in time to see the spike plunge down. The skull split like wet bark, lightning pouring into the cavity.
Black smoke billowed and its eyes popped as electricity arced from every orifice; unearthly shrieks left its rotting maw for a time, like nails hammering into his hears, then… silence.
A moment later a chime sounded and Verdant confirmed the death of the second troll.
“DOWN NOW!”