***

Conquest Server Announcement!

Player Kis'Shtiengbrah had successfully thwarted the plans of the Ash-King to offer players of the Northern Kingdom his Demonic Powers.

Currently, the Ash King's Northern Demonic Temple is no longer active!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 some salty players.

Dave inspected the creature facing him.

***

Sworn Stalwart

Level 620

Tier (Ethereal)

Alignment [Demonic]

Danger Level ☠☠☠

DN 250,000

MA 250,000

HP 250,000,000

Skills: [Infernal Aura] Causes 0.5% of the target's Max HP in flat damage. 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] Shots a torrent of blazing flames that could 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 could negate 20% of the damage dealt with it. Once the granite skin is broken, the Sworn Stalwart will receive 20% additional damage.

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 5,000HP/second.

***

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

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. Once having confirmed his general direction the stone making 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 kinds. One the other hand," Dave grinned, "I'm not the level 80 draugr I was when I last fought one of yous.

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

The passive effect of the Sworn Stalwart aura failed to contend against the mix of auras making Dave's. 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 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 from 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, 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 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 keeps on, he was doomed to die in the fire. The lava didn't harm the Stalwart, but that was a different story for Dave.

He turned to the altar and touched the orb.

***

Access to dungeon modification is temporarily suspended due to combat!

***

"Damn, you're lucky I could have changed this place to a dammed 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 said mid hop, as the Stalwart had no interest in keeping the undead above his head.

Dave pointed his shield forward, "Defile!" he cast.

Gigantic roots rose from under the Stalwart and grew thorns sharp as swords to stab 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.

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 nothing but burnt ash surrounding it. 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.

The Stalwart was hot on the pursuit, breaking the pathway behind Dave and charging at him.

"You got lucky in their bro, you have terrain advantage otherwise I'd rip you a new one if you were outside," Dave spoke one last sentence at the stalwart and entered through the pillar he first came through.

Dave was back on the compounded floor. The room's temperature was much cooler than the over he was in a few seconds ago. He disabled his aura and looked around.

The Blood Eaters were moving about aimlessly until they all looked up at Dave.

"Small fries," Dave joked.

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.

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, 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, this worked the same for the Stalwart 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, a 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 wasn'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 and into 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 said and sprinted out of the dungeon.

The stalwart kept moving fast after Dave, he even believed that the creature wouldn't fit in the small tunnel that led to the bottom of the church, but he sure was wrong about that.

The Stalwart's next action had put the king of molds 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 it.

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, NPCs are trapped here, bud! Where are you?" Dave called.

"I'm still where you have last left me,"

"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.

Dave 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 said, nothing short of a fire could force people out of a building fast, though if they knew the embodiment of such a thing was going to rise soon from under them, Dave was going to bet that they would double up on the evacuation.

"Now, leave you can 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!" Dave said.

Almost immediately, 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 head.

-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 to his words, and the new arrival, 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?"