MM - Chapter 239 - THERE WILL BE NO SHADE

Moments ago

- Recluse Mountains, ZionLine -

Thanks to the eyes of his soul flame, Raine caught sight of the Stealthily approaching enemies below. It was the largest group to enter the passes so far. He easily picked out multiple level 20 heat signatures tucked into their ranks. Lacking a real stealth skill and not wanting to give away his position, he remained tucked behind a rock outcropping to observe.

Upon cresting a rise in the pass and lying eyes on the conroi Mel was personally leading, they dropped stealth. Lavigne Monroe stood at the forefront, her expression one of utter disdain. He’d been forced to deal with her many times in the past, and while not as bad as some peak masters, she was far from a good person.

At her signal, a trio of mages stepped forward, unfurling a scroll bound with golden thread. As each placed a hand on the parchment, glowing runes lifted from its surface, dancing in the air before expanding into a vast, circular sigil. Raine was already on the move when, from within the lines of the rune, a blinding light coalesced. He knew the war asset—a weapon of devastating power: the Annihilation Ray.

It also had a critical weakness. He dove with intense focus, Discipline infusing his legs and skull until each threatened to pop from the excess energy. Grace of Nirvana, Lunge, and Connection sent him streaking low. He arrived in a blur that was less movement and more a violation of physics. Bloodlust summoned the wrong weapon, forcing him to re-activate the cursed ring three times.

Just as the beam was about to strike, Raine interposed himself between his people and the incandescent wave of destruction. Great Divide ripped apart the ground, the opposing energies colliding in a concussive blast of force and heat that kicked dirt and vaporized rock clear to the surrounding peaks. Despite the ray’s casters being half his level, he was struck by an incredible blowback that drove the air from his lungs. [-3,228]

Raine did not wait for the roiling cloud of superheated mist to settle. He charged, plunging through the fog that concealed his prey. The Soul Flame of Amanesh erupted from his body, a searing nova of crimson and gold that painted the thick vapor in hellish hues. His targets were the back line.

He was a ghost among them, a living streak of vengeance that weaved through the disorganized enemy ranks. He seemed to do nothing more than pass between them, his blade a whisper in the chaos. Two seconds later, they discovered the truth. A cascade of damage numbers bloomed in the air as his attacks finally registered. Ranged warriors and casters alike, all of whom his blade had touched, exploded into clouds of crimson stardust. 

His work was completed before Grace of Nirvana’s timer expired. With one second left, he spent three charges of Spectral Slip to trigger Phantom Disengage, and vanished.

[Primal Belt of the Phantom Thief: (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Health +500) (Defense +65) (Finesse +80) (Acuity +80) (Durability 175/175)]

[Innate Passive - Catch Me If You Can: Successful evasions grant a charge of Spectral Slip (Current Charges: 0/3)]

[Innate Skill 1 - Spectral Integration: Expend a charge of Spectral Slip to become intangible for .25 seconds]

[Innate Skill 2 - Phantom Disengage: Expend 3 charges of Spectral Slip to teleport up to 10 meters, leaving behind an invulnerable spectral image that taunts nearby enemies for 2 seconds]

[Functional quick-storage: 2 slots]

As Raine’s actual body reappeared behind a nearby boulder, the obscuring fires of the soul flame faded from the pass. At last, his enemies caught sight of the monstrosity that had reaped so many of their comrades. Standing in the center of their ravaged formation was a lone man clad in demonic armor. The all-too-real image of Alaric waved, wearing a bright, cheerful smile on its face. Its voice echoed through the clinging mist, loud and clear. “You got right fucked, didn’t ya?”

A collective roar answered him. The surviving soldiers charged the apparition, their discipline shattered by rage and disbelief. It was to no avail. Just as the first spearhead plunged into its chest, the illusion dissipated into motes of light, leaving them to stab at empty air. With their attention drawn toward the center of their formation, the still-billowing clouds of mist created the perfect cover to slip away.

He caught sight of Pamalaiha streaking in from the side, a blur of dark armor and deadly intent. Shadowy limbs pulled at the ground beneath her, adding speed until she stretched toward the confused mass of DyingNight guilders. Raine’s eyes narrowed. He Lunged in a burst of speed, intercepting her trajectory. He dodged the grasping tendrils, arriving at her side. “No you don’t!” 

With a deft snatch, Raine grasped the back of her collar. The abrupt halt of momentum nearly yanked her out of her chestplate. With unyielding Potency, he hoisted her back toward the friendly conroi.

“You’re alive?!” Pamalaiha twisted in his grip to eye him, voice a mixture of shock and profound relief.

Raine’s tone was tightly controlled, reining in the annoyance he felt at her attempted suicide. He had spent far too much gold bringing her here to watch her throw her life away. “I wouldn’t have jumped in front of that if I thought it would kill me. Why were you charging in like that? I didn't take you for a fool.”

The usually unflappable ninja hesitated in answering. “I… uhh. I was intending to avenge your death, Master.”

Raine sighed, disappointed at being right about her motivations. “You do realize death here isn't permanent, right?”

“It… It’s not?” She blanched; the conviction, so hot during her charge, bled away completely. “This world is so real. I assumed…”

“Unbelievable.” Raine shook his head. Seeing her dejected, downcast gaze, he sighed, the frustration melting away. “No. This isn’t your fault. I should have known better than to leave your ZionLine introduction up to Melbelle.”

As if her name was a summons, the woman herself appeared through the thinning fog, the rest of her conroi close behind. Three imposing figures with blazing attributes stood with her, Varak’s heavily armored form among them. Raine recognized one of the other Vaaterrans as a caster. He dropped Pamalaiha and pointed at the man. “Clear out this fog!”

“Sir!” The caster shouted. He drew a deep breath and released a Gusting Blast. From between his lips, a tremendous gale blew up through the pass, tearing the mist apart and scouring the air clean.

The formation of CronGate and DyingNight soldiers was revealed. They stood with weapons bristling, a porcupine of steel and terror, not knowing from which direction Alaric would come next. Already, their morale was in tatters.

Raine sought to crush it entirely. He rose into the air, and flames erupted from the seams of his armor, forming wings capable of delivering very real pain. He was a blazing deity of war. A freshly summoned spear pointed toward the heart of their formation, and his voice blasted over the momentary calm. “Charge!”

His intimidation had the desired effect. After a moment of hesitation, Astra’s enemies broke. They turned tail and fled back the way they came in a panicked rout. A malicious curl found Raine’s lips. He spoke just loud enough for Varak to hear over the wind. “Don’t actually catch them. Just keep pace. Their entire purpose for being here was to lure us into their trap.”

“Should we stop, then?” Varak questioned. He was not the only one whose expression held doubt.

“Nope.” Raine chuckled, a dark, predatory sound. “They went through all this trouble; it would be a shame if we didn’t accept their invitation.” His fingers flew across the holographic interface, opening and typing a short command in the officer chat. “Fizgore, Rhino, it’s time. You know what to do.”

There was no need to wait for their acknowledgement. Both men had been chomping at the bit for the real battle to begin. A second, private communication went to Celeste. “Come back in the next thirty minutes or you’ll miss all the fun.”

Her reply was instantaneous. “I’ll be there!”

The chase led them up and over the rise, where the smoking remains of those who died to his soul flame alone remained. There was no loot to collect. That was hardly a concern. Each of those recovered drops would fall if their owner were killed within two hours. In Raine’s opinion, that was plenty of time.

The vast expanse of the central highlands was revealed far below, a rolling sea of gentle hills, hardy shrubs, and short, durable grass. Of the massive enemy army, there was no sign. But Raine’s blazing eyes saw the truth. A quarter-million distinct heat signatures littered the landscape, an invisible tide of bodies stretching so far he could not see the end of them, even from the high pass.

A single, dominant notion rose to the surface of his mind. So thoughtful of Torune to deliver all this loot. I can’t wait to thank him personally.

Beside him, a soft inhalation sounded from Mel. She had taken well to the observation training he’d put her through. Despite them approaching from a blind spot, she spotted the other forty-nine conrois of Astra Infernum. Nearly fourteen thousand souls, their only purpose being to ensure that there would be no escape, and no shade for the likes of CronGate and DyingNight.

Lavigne Monroe

- ZionLine -

Lavigne cursed Damian Tafell’s name under her breath for the tenth time. She’d had a feeling that being forced into the role of bait was going to be an unpleasant experience; it was so much worse than she imagined. When Alaric appeared in front of the Annihilation Ray, she foolishly allowed jubilation to seep into her emotions. If not for the brief ray of hope, the horror that followed would have been so much more bearable.

The scroll stated that it combined the Elemental Power of up to three casters, then magnified that energy by a factor of ten, turning it into non-resistible damage. Alaric should have taken in excess of fifteen thousand damage. Yet, instead of being turned to slag, he stopped the attack cold, then used the cover to almost instantly appear in their midst.

She now realized surviving the brief encounter with the man was cause for celebration. He was so much more dangerous than Torune’s reports that it was laughable. She could only thank the Old Monsters that whatever horrific ability he had used to cut down her casters had a short duration, and he left as soon as it concluded.

In the brief few seconds, his soul-searing flames had engraved agony on her skin. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, and that was saying something; Lavigne Monroe had not led a sheltered life. Insult to injury, the damage she took was not being restored, no matter how many times she healed it. The burns across her body were now a constant, smoldering reminder that some people should not be trifled with.

When she gave the order to retreat, it had been less a tactical ruse and more a genuine, primal urge to escape. Alaric was not a man; he was a force of nature she could not face in this world. The entire flight back, she could feel the presence of that demonic entity right behind them, a hunter toying with its prey. Somehow, they had reached the location of the Stealthed army without being burned to cinders.

With the unbending will of a peak master, she forced Alaric from her thoughts. He was the Halnugen’s problem now.

Turning, she watched Astra’s people trickle from the mountain passes. There were so few of them, mere hundreds. It was a laughably small force compared to the massive combined army concealed all around her. The lunacy only mounted when, for no sensible reason, they stopped dashing forward and unleashed their skills against the ground. Vast clouds of dust and dirt billowed into the air, blocking the view.

Lavigne assumed they were trying to create a smokescreen to hide some nefarious plan. Yet, when the dust settled, they were simply standing there, waiting. The land ahead of them was now dashed with straight, long scars stretched horizontally across the front of their formations. If she didn’t know any better, Lavigne would assume they were the foundation trenches to build defensive fortifications.

Apparently done with whatever plan they were hatching, a small group of about fifty streaked forward. They came from each of the five passes that led into the mountains and joined forces quickly, Alaric at their head. They picked up speed, an impossible velocity that made it clear these were the Vaaterran mercenaries who had been plaguing her forces. It was now sickeningly obvious she had not escaped; she had been allowed to run.

Lavigne’s brows knit together in confusion. Why would he allow us to escape? Why prepare to erect fortifications? What is he planning to…

Her thoughts never finished forming. A strobing notification appeared in her interface, which popped up unbidden. It had never done that before.

[Astra Infernum has activated the wardec monthly ability: Lockdown]

[All teleportation activity in and out of the Central Silvergate Highlands is sealed for the next 23 hours and 59 minutes]

The surprises were only beginning. A gasp sounded beside Lavigne.

“I… I can’t log out.”

“What?! How could a game not let us log out? That’s got to be against the law!”

A dozen pointed fingers drew her eyes upward. High in the sky, darting through the clouds like phantoms, she found the real army of Astra Infernum. They dropped in elevation, several thousand of them becoming clear against the roiling white canvas. 

Held aloft on the high winds by expensive sky drifters, they released a shower of tiny blue flecks. The flecks fell not on her position, but on the front lines of CronGate’s hidden guilders. Guilders who were, at that moment, supposedly concealed by Stealth.

Lavigne’s breath hitched. Well before the first released fleck landed, she realized what they were. She owned one herself, liberated from a rare chest inside a dungeon. Despite demanding her people search far and wide for more, her entire guild possessed barely a handful. Somehow, Alaric had hundreds, perhaps thousands.

Just before the demon and his mercenaries reached the front line, the first bombs struck. They detonated not with fire, but with expanding waves of frigid air fueled by Elemental Power. There was no escape. Every soldier caught within the circular area of effects was encased in a tomb of jagged ice, frozen solid and stuck in place as the pure, unadulterated death that Alaric represented, descended upon them.

[Glacial Snap Grenade: (Lustrous Blue - Level variable) This throwable explosive is charged with Elemental Power that is released upon impact in a 2 to 10-meter circular AOE. Encases all targets in unyielding ice for 1 to 10 seconds, immobilizing and reducing Frost Resistance by 5 to 50%]

As the grenades fell like rain, a chilling realization burrowed deep into Lavigne’s gut, colder than the ice spreading across their armies. Alaric had known about their trap all along. And if ‘that man’ had chosen to spring it, then he undoubtedly, terrifyingly, believed he could win.