Chương 65: Voices (I)
<Zero>
The slumbering people that were once affected by Dion's ability slowly awakened, and confusion set in among them. They groggily stood up, trying to find their footing; some had temporary amnesia.
"What happened?" one of the soldiers of the city asked as he held his throbbing head.
"I'm not sure…" the one next to him stated.
"Where are we?"
"Am I dead?"
The voices of the sleeping people could be heard as they were jolted awake by the sound of booming magic. They cast their eyes upon their fellow brethren and noticed they were continuously fighting. Picking up arms, even though they did not know what was going on, they followed after. Their instinct kicked in, screaming to fight or die.
The obliteration of the dying bats sped up as more and more joined in on the hunt.
The bats skittered and flew around, dodging the attacks that were aimed at them. The sound of their flapping wings filled the battlefield.
"Get him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
The people ran and cast swirls of magic that brilliantly lit up the sky. Screeching from the fallen bats could be heard throughout the dark night.
"We're going to win this!"
"Keep going!"
None escaped the determination of the people, who were bent on winning this fight. Zero too did not stop. His eyes gazed upon the prize that was to come.
"There!" Zero yelled. He dashed forward, slicing the bat in half with his sword. Agnis shot two more arrows right behind him, impaling the two bats perfectly. In a wisp of smoke, the bat dissipated into thin air.
"Are there any more?" asked Agnis as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"I'm not sure. I think I saw some fluttering around over there." Zero ran towards the direction he indicated the bats to be. Agnis followed closely behind him, backing him up if he needed help. The number of red bats had already decreased dramatically in a matter of minutes. Zero knew that time was of the essence before Dion eventually came back together into one being.
Dion's voice rang clear in the darkness. People turned their heads, trying to find the source of his voice.
"To the fools that have closed their eyes, I laugh at your naivety. You who have given up your most precious gift to receive another, I welcome the era of a true beginning." His voice rang with harsh laughter.
"Look," Angis pointed out. "He's over there."
As more bats fell down dead, the remaining bats swarmed together. Only a handful remained, and so Dion's body was only partially brought back together. Parts of his flesh were missing and were faded like the mist. His right eye, the side of his stomach, and even his arms had large gaping holes that were shrouded with a thick mist.
He appeared in the middle of the field where tall grass grew. It swayed from side to side from the strong magical energy pull that built up around the swarming bats.
Even though Dion was badly injured, his voice was loud and clear. He stumbled onto the ground, catching himself before he fell. He coughed up blood that decorated the ground like scattered seeds.
"Puny humans. You do not understand the depths of what you have done." Spitting on the ground, he wiped his mouth and got up. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust. "You have rejected the bliss you could have received when you embraced mother earth to rest eternally in her bosom and become one with her once again, and instead you have chosen to live. To continue to suffer through the countless agony that will persist."
With heavy breath Dion stood proudly in the field. The people charged forward, not taking any chances. Dion did not waver nor fear; instead, he raised his hand to cast another magical spell, chanting in an ancient language. His voice grew stronger with dedication and power. Swirling black magical power streamed around him, forming in the palm of his hands. He raised it towards the crowd.
Zero headed towards Dion at full speed; he did not want to miss this opportunity to gain special items, money, and fame. The thought of it drove him faster. A handful of people followed right behind him, ready to strike the final blow.
"Hah! It will cost you all. You will see. I'll get—" His words were cut short as a spear pierced him directly through his heart. The black magic dissipated and he stumbled forward. "What?"
Zero was one step too late to give the final blow and saw the spear at the last moment. He screeched to a halt and stumbled aside before he could be impaled by the spear that was protruding out of Dion's chest. Agnis skidded to a halt, wildly flailing to regain her balance. She yelped and grabbed ahold of his clothes, but the sudden momentum threw her off. From the sudden turn and the weight, Zero lost his footing and fell as well.
"Kyah!" Angis shouted as she hit the ground and rolled a few feet. Zero tumbled down mere inches from Dion and was splayed out onto the ground.
"My love…" Dion's eyes rolled back, and his body burst into smoke and dissolved into fine dust. "I'm sor-r-y…" His last words merged into the air, echoing softly into the wind.
Behind the disappeared body of Dion, Aldran was barely standing, panting heavily with a sword in front of him. Beads of sweat and blood mixed together like water and soaked his armor red.
"Aldran!" Angrist ran past Zero and Agnis to help, his arms outstretched to catch Aldran who collapsed onto Angrist's shoulder.
"Thanks." Aldran sighed with relief. "You're a great shoulder rest," he jokingly stated while he was resting on Angrist's head. Angrist only reached up to his shoulder.
"I can't believe it. You killed him," Angrist excitedly stated. He almost dropped Aldran onto the ground from his carelessness. "Whoops! Sorry."
"Whoops my ass. You purposely did that." Aldran lightly punched him in the shoulder, but fell short.
"Hey, hey. The last time you dropped me on the floor."
"What are you talking about? I slipped." Aldran's lips curled into a smirk. "You can't prove anything."
"Pft. We'll see about that." Angrist slapped him hard on the back, making Aldran fall forward. Angrist burst out laughing and Aldran couldn't help himself and followed after.
"How's Gullifer?" Aldran stopped laughing and tried to get himself steady on his feet.
"He's being taken care of," Angrist said.
"Take me to him." Aldran hobbled forward, but Angrist stopped him.
"Not a good idea. You look like you can barely stand. Leave the rest to our friends. They'll take care of him."
"I know, but I want to see if he's okay."
"Aldran, he's okay. I was with him a moment ago, and one of our priests is already taking care of him."
Aldran sighed with relief. "I'm glad to hear that." He hobbled over to where Dion had died. Fine black sand lay out on the ground.
"It's seems there no loot. That's so odd." Angrist searched the ground where Dion had fallen. "Chh." He clicked his tongue. "What a pathetic boss character. Here I thought there would be something great."
Groups of people streamed to Aldran and passed by Zero and Agnis. They jostled and pushed making their way towards Aldran. Zero almost got trampled. Their voices called out in excitement and were filled with praise at the downfall of Dion. Their jubilant laughter excited the surrounding people as loud cheers erupted in the crowd.
"Aldran! Aldran! Aldran!" The chant continuously grew louder and louder.
Aldran raised his hands to silence everyone. Zero and Agnis got up out of harm's way and curiously listened to what Aldran would say.
"This is not just me who has accomplished the task. In reality we have all made it happen."
"Aldran, but you hit the last blow. You did more work than all of us in holding off this wave," Angrist stated. He was already reeling with pride from Aldran's accomplishment.
"No. Without you guys getting his health down close to zero, I would not have had such an opportunity," Aldran humbly stated. "I personally thank you." He bowed to the people.
"Aldran, don't bow. You're our leader!" They gasped at the display he had shown. They tried their best to keep him from bowing his head.
"You're making us feel bad. Please keep your head up!" his guild mates cried out one by one. They were touched by their leader's humility. Even the other NPCs and players were filled with delight as they looked up to him with more respect than ever before. Their voices continued to praise him for his kindness and humility.
Zero got up and shook himself free of the dust and grass. He was not happy at what just happened. For a second there he thought he saw his life flash before his eyes for a second time. The life-and-death struggle was already difficult enough, but to continually get close to it and almost lose his chance of completing the quest was not something he wanted.
A message appeared alerting the people who had joined in on the boss fight, rewarding them with experience points and status. Zero silently skimmed through his, in a hurry to quickly pick up the prizes left behind by the dead monsters and leftover loot from dead players. The amount of gold and items he could receive from collecting had his head spinning with anticipation.
You have leveled up from helping to defeat Dion the Insane Vampire.
100 in leadership
150 for fame
You have gained the ability to encourage the living with your words to bolster up their fighting spirit. The duration of the effect is five minutes, but not all your words will have such impact. Certain conditions must be attained for this ability to go into effect. Your title Beacon of Hope has been changed to Torchlight of Hope.
Even though he hadn't received much from the battle, he was still happy that he had received something in return. Chipping down Dion's health was not an easy task, especially in his human form.
Luckily, he was still able to pick up something special. He lifted his tongue and opened his mouth. Coughing, a small black ring fell into his hand. He wasn't sure how it happened, but at the last moment when he slightly opened his mouth during the tumble away from the spear, the ring must have gotten in his mouth.
It wasn't that he didn't want to speak up when Angrist stated that there weren't any rewards, it was more along the lines of him trying not to choke. Only now he was able to get it out of his throat.
I'm not so sure if Aldran wants this. Anyway, getting near him right now is impossible. He lamented over what to do with the ring while looking over the massive crowds that encompassed Aldran.
It was a pitch-black, opaque ring that it did not shimmer or glow underneath any light. Instead it seemed to suck it in like an empty void. The ring had an ominous feel that he did not like. A message automatically popped up in front of him.
Ring of Sylph
Level 1
This item cannot be given away. It chooses its master to serve. It does not like elves, trolls, dwarves, or humans, but there are exceptions to this as well. It likes hybrid races only. The ring has a fickle personality and does not like to listen to its master. It gives its master status boosts and other small forms of magic whenever it wants to. It also has the knack to annoy the owner, and it's a pervert.
5 fame
5 leadership
Accessory that grows with the owner depending on the owner's strength. It restarts at level 1 whenever it changes to new owners.
Gives random status boosts to the holder, either good or bad, but most of the time bad.
Likes to talk
"Likes to talk and a pervert?" Zero couldn't help but be confused at what he was given.
Yeah, have you never seen a talking ring? A voice cut through his mind.
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