452: Troubles Under Paradise

Troubles Under Paradise

****

Conquest Server Announcement!

Player Kis'Shtiengbrah has successfully thwarted the plans of the Ash King to offer players of the Western Kingdom his Demonic Powers.

Henceforth, the Ash King's Western Temple of Fire is no longer active!

***

"Oh, that's gonna piss off so many players," Dave sighed, then he looked ahead, he had more important matters to tend to, than to deal with some salty players.

Dave inspected the creature facing him.

***

Sworn Stalwart

Level 620

Tier (Ethereal)

Alignment [Demonic]

Danger Level :skull_and_crossbones: :skull_and_crossbones: :skull_and_crossbones:

DN 250,000

MA 250,000

HP 250,000,000

Skills: 

[Infernal Aura] Causes 500 HP of flat damage every second. Continuous and cannot be interrupted unless the Sworn Stalwart is stunned, once the Sworn Stalwart regains his senses, the aura effect will resume.

[Ray of Flames] Shoots a torrent of blazing flames that can melt terrain. Deals 20% of the target's max HP in flat damage value.

[Granite Skin] The Sworn Stalwart is a creature made from the wrath of a volcano, it coats its body with a thin layer of Granite that can negate 20% of the damage dealt to it. Once the granite skin is broken, the Sworn Stalwart will receive a 20% additional damage increase.

Lore:

A creature of the depth, bound to serve the Ash King as a slave and protector.

These creatures feed on magma and are immune to fire, in their presence, heat in the area increases to an alarming rate inducing DOT of 500 HP/second.

***

The Sworn Stalwart dashed toward the small dirt road that spanned the width of the pool to the the altar. It crashed both its arms on the small bridge and roared quaking the cave and making some stone stalactites fall in the lava.

The creature had a wide jaw, but no eyes or ears, and at the front, there was a twitching nose, he sniffed around to locate Dave. As soon as it had confirmed Dave's general direction the creature began heating up, turning from dark obsidian to coal red.

***

 You are experiencing Overheating.

-500HP

-500HP

-500Hp

***

"You haven't changed much from the last time I saw one of your kind. On the other hand," Dave grinned, "I'm not the level 80 Draugr I was when I last fought one of your kind."

Dave stomped his foot as strongly as he could on the ground, a baleful miasma of eldritch magic coated him. It was his own Aura Skill, [Infernal Tyrant's Oppression].

The passive effect of the Sworn Stalwarts Aura failed to contend against Dave's mix of auras. The dark ignition summoned a skull above Dave's head that looked down on all creation. Even the Sworn Stalwart failed to change the skull's expression from scorn to so much as mild interest.

***

[Infernal Tyrant's Oppression] has negated [Infernal Aura].

You are no longer overheated.

***

"You have no power here!" Dave laughed like mad. And perhaps the Sworn Stalwart realized that his Aura no longer worked, causing it to screech once again in rage.

The Stalwart raised one of its arms, dripping with lava and swung down.

The mighty arm of the Stalwart was easily three times the size of a tree trunk, its claws were made of sharp obsidian, and Dave had no doubt that taking a direct attack from the creature would put him in a world of pain.

Dave rolled away, dodging the brunt of the strike that fell on the bridge he stood on. A large portion of the lava engulfed the now destroyed section of the passage to the other room.

Dave instantly realized that if this fight was to continue on, he was doomed to die in the fire. The lava didn't harm the Stalwart, but the same couldn't be said about Dave.

He turned to the altar and touched the Core.

***

Access to dungeon modification is temporarily suspended due to combat!

***

"Damn, you're lucky I could have changed this place to a damned ice cave!"

Dave used [Immortal Apparition] and appeared right above the Stalwart's head.

***

Fear Effect Failed to apply.

***

"Oh, that's different from last time. This time it didn't apply due to proc chance, and not to level difference!" Dave grinned and stabbed down with Durandal.

-120,600

"That's a low damage value," Dave sighed mid hop, as the Stalwart had no interest in keeping the Undead above his head.

Dave pointed his shield forward, "Defile!".

The Sworn Stalwart was slowed as gigantic roots rose from under the creatures, growing thorns sharp as swords stabbing into the creature. The thorns found difficulty at first to penetrate the granite skin of the lava monster, but in a matter of seconds, the first of the thorns forced the creature to screech as it made its way past the thick skin applying the [Laceration] status on it.

More and more screams rose higher and higher in pitch until the Stalwart forced itself away from the path and into the lava.

Soon the creature came back, with the roots having turned to ashes. Dave dodged to the right as a retaliatory swing came his way, breaking another part of the bridge.

"Shit, this isn't good," Dave cursed, he turned, jumped and ran as fast as he could toward the exit.0

The Stalwart sensing that its target was moving away from him was hot on the pursuit, breaking the pathway behind Dave and charging at him.

"You got lucky in there, bro. You have a terrain advantage otherwise I'd rip you a new one!" Dave taunted the creature before he left through the pillar he first came through.

Fortunately, Dave found himself back on the compounded floor and not in yet another random room. The room's temperature was much cooler than the altar area he had just left. He disabled his Aura as it was a drain to keep it up and quickly looked around.

The Blood Eaters were moving about aimlessly until they all noticed that Dave was back.

"Small fries," Dave looked derisively at them.

Then almost as if they understood what he said, they all screeched and ran in different directions, away from Dave.

"Oh, I guess that beating did teach you some respect," Dave laughed as he continued on his way, happy about not having to waste time with them again.

The room's temperature began increasing, the temperature strangely came from his back.

Turning, the pillar he came from began shining brightly. Dave took a step back, he was sure the Stalwart was in no way capable of going through the pillar and into this area, as the pillar was simply too small for it to use. Dave's fears were proven true when the pillar blew up in radiating fire and light and the Sworn Stalwart screeched loud.

"Fuck, Flanker, I swear to god man!" Dave didn't finish his sentence and ran away.

A wide smile was plastered on his face, he wasn't worried about the Stalwart, in fact, it was good if he could leech it into somewhere with less lava. This place wasn't bad, but the terrain wasn't favorable to Dave as he needed to do a lot of climbing to even stand face to face against the Stalwart.

Yet, the Stalwart would have it even worse, the size of the creature would make its movement and fighting awkward, and give Dave a good advantage.

Dave poised his shield and Durandal forward, just as he was about to initiate combat again, the room's temperature increased several folds in seconds. Light came surging from the abyss under the compounded floor and lo and behold, the sea of magma was rising fast, Dave didn't even need to think to understand that the lava only needed to engulf the compounded floor before he would die a fiery death.

"Damn Ash King, that's a low blow," Dave called and turned to the bridge.

The Stalwart followed after, and Dave kept moving forward. 'If this place isn't gonna work, then the upper floor.' He moved fast. Crossing the bridge came with little surprise and a small yelp, as the last step Dave had taken was the moment when the lava went up and engulfed the bridge he stepped on.

Dave hopped over the perch and went inside the pillar to the top floor. He didn't wait for the Stalwart but moved farther ahead, bypassing the praying Imps not caring about their well being and simply pushing them aside, as he rushed to the other side of the room.

Waves of magma burst out from the pillar followed by the howling Stalwart. The creature chased after Dave with eyes screaming bloody murder. Thankfully the Stalwart broke the pillar he came through and smothered the lava's flow. That, however, only lasted for seconds, as lava began seeping from the walls.

"Shit man, you really want to take this fight outside? Church guys are not gonna like this…" Dave cursed under his breath and sprinted out of the dungeon.

The Stalwart kept moving fast after Dave, he had little hope that the small tunnel that led to the bottom of the church would fare any better than the pillars...

The Stalwart's next action could put the king of moles to shame. It smashed its gigantic arms at the cave's entrance and began digging its way forward with deadly ease.

Dave had thought about sending projectiles toward it to stop its advance, but sadly, most if not all of Dave's long-ranged Skills were fire oriented and the Stalwart was immune to them.

The creature screeched and howled at Dave as it chased after him. The latter climbed up the trapdoor under the torture room and looked around.

'Shit, I totally forgot about the NPCs that are trapped here' 

"Bud! Where are you?" Dave called to the Shadow Ghoul.

"I'm still where you have last left me, awaiting your return."

"That's perfect. I need a distraction, make everyone leave the building."

"May I know why, Lord?"

"A Sworn Stalwart is coming up,"

"That's all I needed to know."

The connection between Bud and Dave cut off, Dave had to focus on the NPCs trapped in the rooms if he wanted to save them. The Draugr went with the brute force solution and swung Durandal at the bars trapping them, setting them free and smashed a foot into the doors of the flagellation chambers.

"Get the hell out!" Dave shouted.

"But, if they see us coming, they'll capture us once again," a badly wounded woman spoke.

Just as she finished her words, loud bells rang in the church, and the loud shouting of a paladin convoyed the following, "The Church is on fire! Everyone get out, now!"

"Good job, Bud!" Dave would thank him later. Nothing short of a fire could force people to leave a building in a hurry, though if they knew the embodiment of such a thing was going to rise soon from underneath them, Dave was going to bet that they would double up on the evacuation time.

"Now, get out of here and just mix in with the people leaving, you won't get caught!"

"What about you, Lord Draugr?" asked the same woman.

Dave grinned, "I have a demon to stop. Just go, I got this!"

As if on cue, the floor burst out as one of the Stalwart's arms ripped the cobbled floor open.

Dave spun mid-air and smashed down with the grit of his sword on the Stalwart's protruding hand.

-180,000

The surprise attack caused the Stalwart to screech yet again, the pesky Draugr was not letting it eat it with ease.

"GO!" Dave shouted, and with the new arrival of this abomination, the NPCs found little room or words to argue as their feet led the way to safety.

"I wonder what the Devis are gonna be thinking when they see your ugly ass in their territory?"

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