The horde of savage orcs, having advanced to within a mile or two of Starlight Village, ground to a halt. They roared and bellowed toward the village, shaking their weapons in fury, but did not advance another step.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted from within their ranks. Two figures burst from the throng of green-skinned warriors. One wielded a massive greatsword, while the other, bare-chested and gasping, clutched a bleeding wound on his chest.
They fled from the orc army, their escape a desperate, chaotic scramble.
After landing clear of the horde, they sprinted toward the safety of Starlight Village. As they entered the gates, the players finally got a clear look at them: it was the First and Second Chieftains.
Fenris rushed to meet them.
“Korbin! Garrick! You’re both badly wounded. Let me heal you.”
Flashes of holy light washed over the two men. After a few moments, the tension in their faces eased, but it was clear they were far from healed.
“Don’t waste your energy, Fenris,” said Korbin the Blade, the First Chieftain. “These are no simple wounds. A warlock’s curse isn’t so easily mended.”
Kael stepped forward. “Korbin, what’s going on with those monsters? We captured Starlight Village, so why are they still surrounding us?”
Korbin the Blade sighed. “Their objective was to take this village. They won’t leave so easily.”
“Are they going to attack?” Kael asked, a new tension rising within him.
Korbin managed a faint smile. “No. Thanks to you and Fenris capturing the village ahead of schedule, Starlight Village’s protective ward was never broken.”
Kael nodded, his mind racing. How could a starting village hold off an army of high-level orcs?
As if reading his thoughts, Korbin explained to the assembled players, “My brother and I managed to kill their warlock during the fight. Without him, they have no way to shatter the protective ward. But that’s only a temporary solution. If they get reinforcements, especially another warlock, all bets are off.”
“Then what’s our next move?” Kael asked, startled.
“We’ll discuss that later,” Korbin said, his voice carrying a note of finality. “You all fought a grueling battle. It’s time you claimed your rewards.”
As if on cue, a global announcement echoed across the world.
System: Congratulations to the attacking faction, the [Blackwind Brotherhood], for successfully capturing [Starlight Village] and achieving victory in the [Battle for Starlight Village]!
System: Congratulations to the attacking faction, the [Blackwind Brotherhood], for successfully capturing [Starlight Village] and achieving victory in the [Battle for Starlight Village]!
.....
The announcement repeated three times, sending the entire player base into an uproar. Players everywhere were stunned that a small, rogue faction had actually conquered a system-controlled village.
Simultaneously, a brilliant white light filled Starlight Village as all the fallen attackers were resurrected within its walls. The defending players were nowhere to be seen; they had likely respawned back in Stonehaven.
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Kael, however, was greeted by a cascade of personal reward notifications.
System: As a [Right Wing Commander], you have led your forces to victory. You have earned the title [Dauntless Marshal].
[Dauntless Marshal]: +200 to all five core stats.
System: For achieving victory in this event, you have been awarded 1000 points.
System: For ranking first in total points, you have been awarded one piece of level 25 Ascendant equipment.
Your current point balance is 51,314. Please visit the [Points Merchant] to redeem your items.
Finally.
Kael immediately made his way to the points merchant, who was already surrounded by a throng of excited players. Ignoring everything else, he filtered the merchant’s inventory to show only Ascendant-tier equipment. There were three items available:
[Maul of the Unbroken King (Ascendant)]
The legendary weapon of a giant-king who was said to have shattered mountains with a single swing.
Redemption Cost: 50,000 Points
.....
[Bulwark of the Thorned Serpent (Ascendant)]
Heavy armor crafted from the impervious hide of a mythical beast that devoured entire armies.
Redemption Cost: 50,000 Points
.....
[Diadem of Unyielding Will (Ascendant)]
A crown that once graced the brow of a king who never bowed to fear or spellcraft.
Redemption Cost: 50,000 Points
.....
The maul was an obvious pass. Kael then compared the heavy armor and the diadem.
The Bulwark of the Thorned Serpent had two skills:
[Aegis]: Reduces all incoming damage by 30%.
[Thorned Retribution]: Reflects 80% of incoming melee damage back at the attacker.
The Diadem of Unyielding Will’s skills were:
[Spell Ward]: Negates the next targeted ability cast on the wearer.
[Unyielding Will]: Automatically purges crowd control effects and grants 3 seconds of immunity to them.
In the end, Kael chose the diadem.
System: You have obtained the Ascendant headpiece [Diadem of Unyielding Will].
[Diadem of Unyielding Will (Ascendant)]
Physical Defense +1000
Magic Defense +1000
Agility +300
Spirit +300
Bonus: +'Player Level x 20' Physical Defense
Bonus: +'Player Level x 20' Magic Defense
Bonus: +'Player Level x 10' Agility
Bonus: +'Player Level x 10' Spirit
[Spell Ward]: Negates the next targeted ability. 10-second cooldown.
[Unyielding Will]: Automatically purges crowd control effects and grants 3 seconds of immunity. 30-second cooldown.
Equip requirement: 300 Agility, 300 Spirit
At his current level of 26, the diadem gave him a staggering 1,520 defense and 560 agility, increasing his damage by more than 1,100 points.
Kael knew he’d be facing more lockdown abilities like the Archon’s Soul Tether in the future, and both of the diadem’s skills triggered automatically. He’d never have to worry about being caught off-guard again.
His only minor regret was the Spirit stat, which offered no direct benefit to his physical damage build. A small price to pay.
With his remaining points, Kael purchased a few other rare materials. Then, he opened the Ascendant item he had won for placing first, only to find that it was also a helmet. With a sigh of regret, he stored the duplicate in his bag.
He glanced at the world chat, which was once again buzzing, this time about his new diadem.
“OMG, another Ascendant piece just dropped!”
“It costs 50k points! How many people did that guy have to kill?!”
“Yo, dude, link the stats! Let us see what it does!”
“Someone saw it, said it was like +1000 defense and 300 agi/spirit.”
“That’s just the base stats, noob. Ascendant gear has insane unique skills you can’t inspect.”
“Oh yeah? Like you’d know.”
“Bro, I have an Epic. Epics have unique skills. Ascendant is the next tier up, of course it has skills.”
“So who’s more OP now? Ullr or Dawnbreaker?”
“Dude, that’s like asking what’s a better tank, a brick wall or a politician’s promise.”
“lmao rekt”
Seeing that players were already putting the pieces together, Kael smiled. He didn’t confirm or deny anything. He walked over to the teleport nexus, intending to travel to Stonehaven and return the Sunfire Bell to Elon.
But when he tried to activate it, he received an unexpected error message:
Insufficient energy. Teleportation failed.
He couldn’t leave.
Kael stared at the message, dumbfounded.
What about the auction tomorrow?
