Marching in the Marsh (Solo)

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

NA / Lost / 330 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]






It was a nice day out today. It was sunny, the birds were chirping loudly in the trees, the breeze that ran through the streets of London was so comfy that it could have probably lulled anyone into a good nap. It was, overall, an awesome day to just lay back and be lazy. Most of the people back in London were probably doing just that; sitting comfortably in chairs in cafes, sipping tea and eating crumpets trying to be as British as they could possible be. Vayne would have probably done the same thing, if he wasn't so lost.

Early that morning, Vayne sought out to do a bit of exploring in the area called the "Northern Marshland of Thames". It was a mouthful to say, so he had started just calling it the swamp. Vayne had mostly wandered in and out of the Greatwood since the time he woke up in the world of Elder Tales, but he had never tried to go into the swamp yet. So our curious George, Vayne, went out to explore the swamp.


Thirty minutes in the swamp, Vayne already felt the difference of this place than the other areas. The breeze that was prevalent in the other areas was basically non-existent in the swamp. The air was stuffy and it was hard to breath, the intoxicating smell of wild flowers and rot made things a lot worse. Vayne felt like the very swamp was trying to choke the life out of him, and it wasn't a nice feeling at all. Even the bright sunlight pouring down in the other areas could not be seen as the enclosed, close-quarter canopy of the thick trees blocked out most of it, giving the swamp the eerie feeling of forlorn and death.

Vayne side as he contemplated on retreating back to town, but of course, his curiosity won out over his usually careful nature and went forth deeper into the marshes, not knowing what lay ahead.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / Escargot / 449 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]





"Godrabbit!" Vayne semi-cursed under his breath as he tripped on a partially protruding root. He had been in the swamp for as long as an hour and he was already and utterly lost.

Vayne, who was usually careful about things, got heated up in his excitement to explore that he may have forgotten to bring a map, or any supplies of any kind. As he was rushing headlong into his little adventure, within the confines of the swamp, he lost track of the direction he was going. He cannot tell where he is or what direction he is going. So in this dire situation, he was doing the only thing he could in the situation.

"I'm going to walk till I find a way out." Vayne said reassuringly to himself ten minutes earlier. He was worried of course, but surely he could find an exit if he just kept on walking. So walking is what he did. He carefully trekked the paths in between the trees, walk into bogs and reeds, even waded through an odd smelling pond. This little adventure of his was not going as planned, and if he doesn't find his way out soon, he might just have to kill himself to get back out. This was the last resort he was thinking of.

"Well, I'm still far away from being THAT desperate." he thought as he parted some reeds as he waded into another foul smelling pool of water. As he got to the other end of the pool, he pulled himself out onto the muddy banks and just laid there for a bit. He was tired and he was just a level one, his stamina as a mage is really low. He sighed and looked up at the canopy, longing to get back to London. He was still lost in thought when a rusting sound snapped him back to reality. The sound was coming from the spot he was looking at. From behind a bough of leaves a snail crawled out, and another one followed, and another one after that. These were Grimy Swamp Snails, low level mobs, but three at the same time meant trouble. The snails haven't noticed Vayne yet so he started to crawl quietly back into the brush, but as he was near, his hand slipped and cracked a twig.

The sound wasn't really loud, but the crack was enough. The snails turned their stemmed eyes in his direction and suddenly they dropped from the branches and onto the ground about 15 feet away from Vayne.

"This is really a bad day." he said with a sigh as he hurriedly got up and unfurled his whip, preparing for a fight.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

None / got Snailed / 344 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]



Vayne grunted as he weaved around the shuffling snails. It was hard to move with all the mud, as he kept sinking into it with each step. It was a blessing that the snails were slow, ten times faster than a real snail, but still as slow as probably a normal guy out for a power walk. Vayne could not afford to waste his mana by summoning his skeleton at a time like this. He might need his summon later, and therefore he can't waste it on some freaking snails.

"Ha!" Vayne grunted as he cracked his whip on one snail, hitting it right in the eye, as he easily dodge a slow moving tackle. It writhed it pain as the eyeball popped. "Ugh, well that is gross." Vayne muttered as he ran around the charging snails and raised the whip. He then again cracked the whip at the one with the busted eyeball, trying to focus on killing one first, rather than trying to attack them all at the same time. With the last hit, it let out a tiny, gurgling sound as it tried to back off. Vayne decided that letting it go might be a bad idea, so he ran at it. He knocked it over on its side and dealt one final hit with his whip. It shook and let out another gurgling noise before it popped into little bubbles of light.

As Vayne's attention was preoccupied somewhere else, he didn't notice that one of the snails was already right behind him. It swung its head around like a flail and hit Vayne right across the shins. "Damn it!" Vayne cursed as he jumped back and away from the snail, whipping it right on the head as he did so. Looking at his HP, he lost about 2% of health with that hit. It wasn't much, but since he was lost, he may need to try his best and not get damaged so much at this fight.

"Alright then, let's finish this." he said as he prepared for another attack.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / Stumped / 574 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]



Vayne breathed in deep as he skirted around the snail, which he nicknamed Bob, as it rushed at him in a sort of lineman's tackle. "Well, calling it a "rush" was an overstatement." he thought as the snailed went by his flank. Vayne could see the attack from a mile away as he was definitely faster than the creatures, but as a mage class, no matter how fast his senses are, his body is not made to be so agile. Vayne narrowly dodged the Bob's attack and swung his whip as he did, the whip cracking hard on the soft neck of the mollusk. Bob gave out a squeak like noise of pain before it started to turn back around for another run at Vayne. As the snail was turning, Vayne rushed at it and kicked at it's shell, knocking it over to its side before he dealt Bob the final blow. It shriveled up as its soft body retracted into its shell as it died.

Without even giving him a chance to rest, the other snail, which Vayne named Carl, moved toward his flank and tried to trip Vayne over with a bash of its shell. "Really? Just give me a chance to take a breather." Vayne told John with a sigh as he jumped over the attacking snail. As Vayne landed behind the snail, Vayne cracked his whip at the creature, hitting it squarely on the head as it turned to look at him. John backed off, cringing at the pain of the whip, and Vayne swung his whip again, easily killing off John. The snail convulsed as it retracted back into its shell, finally dead.

Vayne let out a sigh of relief before he back up into the tall grass and hid from sight. Vayne cannot afford another fight. He must conserve his energy as much as he can if he wants to survive this place. Vayne lay on his back. He needs higher ground to check his location. He needs to know where he is exactly and which direction should he go. Climbing the trees was not a viable option anymore as there might be more of those snails. Those things were small, but if they overwhelm him, he was as good as dead.


He looked around his immediate perimeter, and he saw nothing except for two stumps to his left. They were at the least 20 feet away from him, and nothing else was around. Vayne then looked again at the tightly woven canopy, trying to think of what to do next. He sighed as he closed his eyes, he has no idea on what to do. As Vayne was deep in thought, something hit his face. It didn't hurt much, but it did do a bit of damage. Vayne sat up and reached for the object that hit him, it as a rock. Vayne looked at the direction where the rock came from and saw that the stumps he saw earlier were actually Possessed Stumps.


"Oh crap." he muttered as he got up and slowly backed away. "I really can't catch a break can I?"

He was about to run off when he tripped over something. Vayne fell backwards, and hit the muddy ground hard. He cringed, but no damage was done. He looked up and saw that it was another Stump, and its roots were pulling itself off the ground and pinning Vayne down.

"Shit." he muttered.

SPOILER: Click to show

Fight Tracker

Opponents:

Possessed Stump (Stumpy)	HP 100%
Possessed Stump (Stumpen)	HP 100%
Possessed Stump (Stumpette)	HP 100%
Insert monster name	HP %

Summons:

Row 1 column 1	Row 1 column 2
Row 2 column 1	Row 2 column 2
Row 3 column 1	Row 3 column 2
Row 4 column 1	Row 4 column 2

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / notes / 615 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]



Vayne struggled as the roots of the stump, which he named Stumpy, grabbed at him. He knew that if he didn't get out of this situation soon it can spell disaster. With an audible grunt, Vayne focused all the might his mage body can muster and broke free of the roots by using his left foot to kick off Stumpy's body. The roots that were tangling around his body tore as Vayne shot himself a few feet away, rolling around the mud and finally skidding to a halt. Vayne rolled to his feet and dodged as a rock whizzed by a few inches from his face.

The other stumps, named Stumpen and Stumpette, were still trowing anything their roots can grab at him. Vayne needed a new tactic as he can dodge a few of the projectiles but not all of them. Now all three stumps were throwing things at him, so Vayne opened up his equipment menu and equipped his back up on his left hand. Suddenly a wooden puppet seemingly appeared from thin air in front of Vayne, and it stood there, blocking Vayne from the flying debris. "Sorry to call on you in such a crappy situation, Plank." He said patting the puppet on the back. He had taken to calling his puppet "Plank" as the plain, faceless features of his puppet reminded him of a wooden plank from animated show he had seen as a child. Plank never answered his acknowledgement of course, but Vayne nodded as if it did.

"Alright, let's take care of stumpy first." Vayne instructed as he gestured with his left hand. The puppet creaked and shook mechanically before it started to move forward. It was having a hard time due to the soft and muddy ground, but it moved slow and steady. Vayne walked right behind the puppet, using it as a mobile shield. As the got in front of Stumpy, it stopped throwing twigs and rocks, and switched to attacking, using its roots to claw at Plank. Vayne, with another sharp movement of his left hand, instructed the puppet to attack Stumpy. The puppet creaked as it lashed out with a kick, not dealing a lot of damage, but the kick did stop the flurry of attacks Stumpy was making. The momentary opening allowed Vayne to step out from behind Plank and dealt a swift hit against Stumpy with his whip. It shivered as the whip struck Stumpy hard across its wooden body. Vayne struck again and again until it died. The evil spirit that possessed the stump left the body as the stump now crumbled to dust.

"Geez, this is getting too tiresome." Vayne muttered as he sent sent his puppet to move toward the other stumps. They all focused their ranged attacks on Plank as Vayne calmly walked and hid behind the puppet. As he got within 3 feet of Stumpen and Stumpette, they switched to clawing at Plank just as stumpy did. Using the stumps' preoccupation with Plank, Vayne deftly ducked out from behind plank toward the left. Using the same tactic as he used with Stumpy, he quickly took care of Stumpen, attacking over and over again with his whip. As the stump died, Vayne sent plank to pummel Stumpette with kicks and punches. The damage was minimal, but it was there. Vayne pulled back Plank as he dealt the final blow on Stumpette.

"Phew." he sighed in relief. "Well I should move along, there might be more of those things."

He opened up his equip menu and removed Plank, as the mud made the travel hard for the wooden puppet. With that Vayne moved on again deeper into the swamp.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / Omnomnomnom / 615 Words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar:after]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]


After the ordeal with the Possessed Stumps, Vayne trudged through the swamps more carefully this time. He made sure to walk slowly and carefully behind the cover given by the surrounding reeds and trees. Taking his time to look for paths in between foliage rather than on open areas lessened the chances of him running into random monsters that littered the marshes. Here and there he saw haunted stumps littering the open areas, some randomly throwing stones at one another. There were also some animated sludge that leisurely rode on the shells of Grimy Swamp Snails. Though these monsters did not posses a face capable of showing expressions, it was obvious to Vayne, who understood what they were feeling. "I guess monsters get bored a lot too, no wonder they are all so grumpy."

As Vayne walked for nearly an hour, he finally came to a large pool of stagnant, placid water. He sat there for a bit to check on his status. The life that he had lost during the fight with the stumps and snails have now been fully recovered. At the least, if he gets into another random fight, hes good and ready. Vayne also took this time to examine the large pool in front of him. The pool did stretch out really far. It could hide some really dangerous monsters, so even if he was thirsty, he cannot risk getting a drink. The water appeared calm and peaceful, but he took his time and rested in the shrubbery, thinking of his options.

"Well the pool is large, so walking around it would take time." he thought. "Should I wade through it then?"

As Vayne was deciding on what to do, he noticed that the the shrubs far to his left were rustling. Sensing danger, the man backed up a bit farther into the reeds and watched the spot. From the reeds, came out a patrol of five Weak Goblin Scouts. They shuffled and clumsily walked toward the pool. They were chattering in some incorrigible language as they got near the banks of the large pool. They all looked like your general fantasy realm goblins: Small, green and mean. They carried what seemed to be crude weapons made of sharpened wood and stone and were dress in dirty, muddy leather jerkins and pants. They were a tad on the small side though, like adolescent children. They took out flasks, so obviously they were looking to get some water before resuming their patrol. One of them, carrying a wooden pike, knelt and started filling the flask with water. Vayne watched intently, waiting for anything in the water to get disturbed and attack the goblin. After a while, nothing happened. The other goblins also started to fill up their flasks.

"Alright, I guess the pool is safe enough." he thought as he prepared to wade in the water. "All I need to do now is wai~"

Vayne's thought was cut short by a mighty roar from the direction of the goblins. Vayne turned back to them just in time to see three enormous crocodiles burst out of the water, snatching up the goblins so fast like they were lightning bolts made of teeth. "Razor sharp teeth." he thought as he back away from the edge of the water.

"Uhh... I guess its time to walk." he said as he kept his eye on the crocodiles, who where now lying on the muddy banks opposite to where Vayne is. They all were looking content and full as they lulled in around in the mud.

Vayne was gone from the area quickly after that, making a mental note to never, EVER wade through ponds ever again.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / notes / 1618 words

[newclass=.bar]line-height: 20px; position: relative; display: inline-block; width: 220px; background: rgb(11,11,11); outline: 1px solid rgb(11,11,11); height: 12px; vertical-align: text-bottom; margin: auto 0;[/newclass][newclass=.bar > div]margin: 0 auto 0 0; height: 100%; background: rgb(21,21,21);[/newclass] [newclass=.hp.bar > div]background: rgb(21,142,11);[/newclass] [newclass=.mp.bar > div]background: rgb(12,171,164);[/newclass][newclass=.bar]content: attr(title); display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top:0; left:0; text-align: center; line-height: 12px; font: 10px Fjalla One;[/newclass]




It was already night when Vayne stumbled out of the reeds. He was exhausted, hungry and cold. Each breath he took, a white mist of moisture escaped his lips. He was so tired that he couldn't walk anymore. Vayne grunted as he crawled up to a tree and sat beside it, propping his back against the tree's hard surface. Vayne sighed as he curled up in a tiny ball, trying to bear the pain in the pit of his stomach. He had not eaten since last night, and the fact that he had been walking for hours in this god forsaken swamp that his energy reserves were almost gone.

His stomach rumbled audibly like a beast as he sat there. Its obvious that all the noise hes making would attract attention, but he didn't care anymore. It seems that the only way he can get back to town was dying. He didn't like the sound of it, and the idea of death positively scared the living shit out of Vayne, but it was the last thing he can do. He had set out without any preparation whatsoever, and this is just him reaping what he had sown. Vayne looked up groggily as he surveyed his surroundings. Most of the marsh is now livelier than when it was in the daytime, as apparently the stronger monsters are now much more active. With this situation, Vayne is looking to his new options.

"So, at the hands of which monster do I die to?" he asked himself as he checked out the viable candidates. Just as he was considering to just wade in some random pool await a quick and painless death from a crocodile chomping on his body, something slithery and cold dropped onto his lap. Vayne looked down and realized that it was a Ember newt. The newt blinked up at Vayne, and Vayne blinked right back as he looked down at it. Vayne smiled uneasily, knowing that dying against one of these things would be painful, as it was only two levels above him. He'd rather not die from a slow, painful burn.


"Oh hi there!" he said, that strained smile still on his face. "I don't mean any harm, so can you just leave me be?"

At first it seemed like the newt would leave him alone, as it hopped down from Vayne's lap and turned away. As Vayne sighed in relief, however, the newt turned around and breathed a bright ball of flame at him. Vayne, rolled away just in time as the fireball hit and set the tree he was sitting beside on ablaze.

"Ahh Jeez." He said as he rolled back to his feet. He put a hand on his cheek as even with just a graze, the newt's fire attack left a 2nd degree burn on his face. The graze shaved off 20% of his HP, a direct hit from that would prove to be extremely painful, but not enough to be instantly fatal. Physical torture via burning is not something he wants to experience. He knew that running away won't do any good as newts are notoriously fast on their feet. So there was only one thing he can do.

"It's fight, or die trying." he said with a strained mutter was he took out his whip. Vayne started to chant his spell cast and the hand holding his whip glowed an eerie green as from the empty air in front of him, a ghost like creature appeared in a sudden gust of ice cold wind. It was floating in midair, its face and body covered by black and tattered robes. The only things visible are the grisly, deformed clawed hands that protruded from the robes' sleeves. It let out a shrill, haunting wail as it floated there.

"Alright, keep that things busy!" he said as he commanded the phantom to attack, just before he started to chant another spell. It let out another deathly shriek before it rose in the air and swooped down on the newt. The newt however paid no attention to it as it sent another fireball at Vayne before the summoned Phantom could swoop down and deal it a hit with it's clawed hands to get the aggro. Vayne was still chanting his summoning spell as the fireball rocketed toward him and in the last moment, he finished the chant and from the ground a skeleton burst forth in with an ungodly roar. Vayne braced himself for impact as the skeleton took the full brunt of the fireball.

There was a magnificent explosion as Vayne was thrown backward, severely burnt, but evaded a critical hit by sacrificing his skeleton. Nonetheless, as he was still two levels below the newt, the force of the impact on Vayne's summoned Skeleton was so strong that he was sent off flying backward. Vayne rolled and skidded on the muddy ground, but he used the momentum to get up on his feet. 30% from his life is gone, but he can still go on.

The newt was now paying more attention to Vayne's summoned Phantom. The Phantom had higher mobility than himself, so it had no problems dodging the newt's fireballs. The phantom weaved in and out of attacks, and swooping in to deal an attack of its own. It didn't do lots of damage, but the amount of attacks is stacking up pretty well. Vayne's mana ticked off as the contract of the summon skeleton was still in effect. Another skeleton rose from the ground as before and let out a blood curdling roar as it rushed at the preoccupied newt.

As the newt fired another ball of flame at the Phantom, the skeleton came up to the newt and dealt a slash from behind. The newt let out a hissing noise as it was hit, changing it's target from the Phantom, to the slower skeleton. It fired another fireball at the skeleton, but the skeleton, by chance, raised it's shield and blocked the ball of flame. There was a loud explosion as the ball expanded and exploded as it hit the shield's surface. The skeleton survived the attack, but it's HP was in the red. As the Newt was preoccupied with the Skeleton, the Phantom let out a shrill wail as it dove and dealt another swipe at the newt.

During this exchange, Vayne's mana took another drop as the maintenance cost for his phantom kicked in, and the maintenance cost for the skeleton contract summon ticked off as well. As this happened, another skeleton rose from the ground behind the newt, and it used it's shield to knock the newt aside. The newt, as it was of a higher level, withstood the shield bash, but it flinched.

Vayne used this opening to give the order with a crack of his whip, suddenly all three of his active summons dove in and attacked the newt. The skeleton gave a demonic roar as they drove their rusty swords into the Newt's body, blood from the wounds splattering on the reeds around them, and the phantom dove and dealt the final attack by using its bare, ghostly hands to sever the newt's throat.

As the newt died, it gave of one last burst of flame breath and shot a ball of flame at Vayne's direction. The ball was too fast to evade fully, so Vayne did his best by jumping to the right. The ball however caught him directly on the arm, and it blew apart his left hand.

"Argh!" Vayne yelled out as he rolled and drove his hand into the muddy earth to put out the flame that was eating his hand. Vayne teared up in pain as the cooling effect of the mud was both painful and soothing. He rolled onto his back and with cancelled his summons. The summons let out wails of victory as they disappeared into the wind. Vayne was still cringing in pain as he lifted his left hand to inspect the damage.

"It looks like ground meat." Vayne commented as he examined his left hand in the weak moonlight. The muscles and sinew on his hand were torn and badly burnt. Blood didn't flow as the hand itself was almost burnt to a crisp. Miraculously, his hand could still be flexed even though it was no more than a lump of burnt meat and charred bone. Apparently, as long as he had HP, even if he had a gigantic hole in his chest, he could probably still move. "Well, knowing that is nice, but its definitely not worth the pain."

Vayne now just lay there quietly on the ground, taking a bunch of reeds and soft mud, and wrapped the hand up nice and tight. He had no bandages or any medical supplies, so this will have to do. The mud will help cool down the throbbing pain in his hand, but he did not know for sure if things like infections still existed here in the world of elder tales. Since even if he died, he'd just revive in the Cathedral, he decided to risk getting infections for the feeling of relief.

Vayne sighed as he sat up, cradling his hand. At the least, he did not lose his whole hand. It seemed that he can still use it properly, albeit he would also have to withstand the pain. He sighed as he looked across the marshes. "I guess dying quietly isn't in my personality." he said. Suddenly he started to laugh uncontrollably and maniacally as he stood on his feet.


"Okay, lets go die kicking and screaming then." he said under his breath, dripping blood as he disappeared back into the darkness.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / notes / 2224 words

HP:
40%

MP:
60%

SAIRRI of GS

Vayne was sprinting through the marshes, huffing profusely, trying to catch his breath. Vayne was clutching his injured hand as hes being chased by a rather tenacious bunch of Weak Goblin Scouts. Hes confident that he could take on two or three of the things, but five is a bit too much with his current health and injury. Vayne skirted between reeds and trees, trying to just to get enough distance between him and the goblin scouts. Vayne grunted as he jumped over a fallen tree trunk that was in his path. As he landed on the other side, he noticed that the goblins, who were shorter than regular humans, took a bit of time to climb over the trunk. Using this opening, Vayne equipped his puppet. The puppet appeared out of nowhere and Vayne sent it to block the path of the goblins. The chasing goblins bumped unexpectedly onto the puppet, and they took to attacking it instead.

“Alright you idiots, it’s my turn!” Vayne said before he started chanting his summoning spell. A moment later a skeleton rose from the earth, its eyes alit with a fiery green light, and it gave out a deathly roar as it fully came out of the ground in a nightmarish image. The skeleton automatically rushed at the nearest goblin and slashed at it. The goblin howled and tried to fight back, but Vayne used his puppet to block the goblin’s retaliation with its body. The wood creaked and groaned at the hit, but it remained steadfast against the goblin. Another skeleton rose from behind the party of goblins and hacked on them. Both Skeletons were in a rampage as they hacked over and over at the party, with the puppet keeping up giving them cover as they dealt the onslaught. The night was filled with the cries and wails of pains of the goblins as more Skeletons arose from the ground. Their number was four skeletons now, and with one final unified attack, severed limbs and heads flew in the air in a shower of blood.

“Alright, that’s enough, you guys can leave.” He said as he unsummoned the skeletons. They all gave a victorious howl before they crumbled to dust, returning back into the earth. Vayne was on the verge of passing out. His eyelids were heavy, and his body felt lifeless. He back up onto a rock and slid on his back. Vayne closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping still to recover a bit of his HP. He was not a tank type, so his HP regeneration is quite slow, but he does feel that the pain in his burnt hand lessening over time.

“I guess this is the perks of being an adventurer.” He muttered as he started laughing maniacally at himself. He was wondering how get got so far, trying so hard to cling to life, when earlier he had already given himself up to the idea of death. His mind told him that dying right now would be the best choice, as the prolonged suffering is not worth it. Every inch of his body was aching, screaming for the pain to stop, and he would gladly oblige if his pride would let him. His body may have given up, but his “heart” has not. Every time he found monsters to surrender to, his heart would force him to fight, to live. It was getting really annoying, as he never knew himself to be this courageous or prideful. For him to be like this, kicking and clawing at a chance of life against such odds was truly out of character. When he played games in the old world, this would be the time where he just gave up and tried again next time. “I guess playing through a computer and actually putting my life on the line are truly different.” He explained to himself as he got his heart rate down.

Vayne sighed as he hugged himself tight. It was getting cold, and his body did not have enough energy to create any heat. He shivered as he pushed up the frame of his glasses, trying to calm himself down. As he sat there, he thought of nothing. It was the first time his head was so quiet. Usually his mind would be full of plans for escape, attacking or evading. Now, however, his mind was a complete blank. For his situation, there was no Plan A or B, it was just a matter of trying to survive the best he can.
He gave an audible sigh as he got back on his feet. He was so weak that he used the boulder behind him to support his weight as he pulled himself up. He would never have imagined in the past that getting back on his feet would be such a tedious task. He grinned as he worked through the pain. It was like needles were pricking him in every molecule of his body. What he wouldn’t give to have less heart so that he can just give up on going through the torture.

“Tough luck, cause apparently you have a lot more heart than you give yourself credit for.” He muttered under his breath with a derisive laugh. Vayne then walked off back into the darkness.
After half an hour of walking, Vayne busts through the reeds and fell flat on his face in the muddy soil. Vayne groaned more out of hunger than in pain now. His body had regained HP and MP the past 30 minutes albeit it was a just minute amount. The time he spent without any encounters however, has given time for his body to physically heal. The burn on his face was now nothing more than a bruise, and he can now flex his left hand with only a slight stinging sensation.
“Damn it, if I had some food I could probably last the night.” he said as he grinned. It was odd that he can still find his situation amusing, even though it was already past the point where he could just laugh things off. “God I want a burger.”

With a grunt, he raised himself up to kneel, as he doesn’t have the energy to fully get back up on his feet. As he surveyed his surroundings, he felt a bit of déjà vu. He was on the banks of a large pool of water. It seemed calm and stagnant, as if it was a solid mirror instead of water. He kept on thinking on why this place was so familiar. In his mind, the event seemed so long ago, but as he remembered, the memory hit him like a mallet to the brain. 

“Ah! This is the crocodile pool I stumbled on earlier!” he finally realized that in the span of hours he had walking in a complete circle and was back at the pool.
“God damn it.” He cursed under his breath, as he looked at the pool. “All that walking was pointless.”

He was about to curse some more when he noticed the moon peered out from behind the clouds rising over the moor. As Vayne studied the height of the moon against the familiar constellations in the sky, it seemed that it was probably more or less 7 o’ clock in the evening, which meant he had been in this swamp for almost 12 hours. "How could I be so stupid as to walk that much and just go around in circles?" he thought as he beat himself up about it.

Vayne sighed was he sat down on the banks. As long as he did not disturb the water, the crocodiles shouldn’t bother him at all. So he took the time to relax and admire the full moon in the sky. The scene was so relaxing that he almost forgot that he had been, in more than one occasion that day, in life and death situations. Vayne stretched and lay on his back, not minding the cold or the pain anymore. He stretched out as he lay in the mud covered banks of that pool and gazed up at the sky. It was a night sky that he had never experience in the old world. The sky was so clear that it looked like thousands of diamonds across the sky. This beautiful sight, even though the day he had was absolutely shitty, made it all worthwhile. Some would say that the he had such a shallow outlook on life, as the littlest things that give him joy. “It’s the little things in life that sometimes turns out to be the best.” He muttered, as if answering all those that ridiculed him back in the old world. It is serene moments like these that sometimes make him wish that he can stay here in the world of Elder Tales forever. Returning to the mundane, dirty and forsaken old world was a sad reality for Vayne, a reality that he would rather stay a distance as long as possible.

Without meaning to Vayne started to sing a song that he absolutely loved back in the old world out loud:

“I dig my toes into the sand
The Ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy happy)

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here

I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a backlit canopy
With holes punched in it
I'm counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy happy)…”

At this point Vayne cut off as the added exhaustion of the day along with his numerous physical injuries have caught up to him. The feeling of utter calm and joy at the stargazing at that beautiful starlit sky was the last nail on the coffin. As his eyes closed, the last thing he saw was the gigantic full moon amidst the starry night sky, right before he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

It was almost an hour since the time Vayne had fallen asleep. Due to some odd good luck, Vayne was never disturbed during this hour, allowing his body regain some its strength and stamina. Vayne would have continued to sleep till sunrise if dawn if he could, but as the time struck at 9 o’ clock, the serenity of the surroundings were broken.

Vayne jolted awake as the earth started rumbling, he sat up, not knowing where he was at first. Then he remembered that he passed out in the Marshes, after a long tedious day of pain and misery. He looked around and noticed something strange going on. The swamp had grown deathly silent, as even the chirping crickets he had heard before he fell asleep were now gone. Even the random creature noises that monsters made were not to be heard as some creepy, malevolent aura was enveloping the swamp. The chilling aura he felt was actually coming from the large pool right in front of him.
The once still and placid surface of the pool was now rippling and bubbling as things seemed to be moving from under the pool. Whatever it was, the simple act of moving around was shaking the whole area like there was an earthquake. To his surprise, as the moon was reflected by the pool right in the middle, the pool started to glow purple. The pool started to slosh and bubble more violently now, as the glowing intensified, bathing the area in an eerie purple shade.

Vayne, who was frozen in awe at the event, started to get back up on his feet. The exhaustion his body had felt was long forgotten as he kept his attention at the pool. Vayne heard a suction noise coming from the spot where the moon was being reflected, it was as if something gigantic was rising from the depths. Vayne took a step back into the reeds, as he felt a wave of intense fear wash over him. A whirlpool started forming in the moon’s reflection, as if a giant evil eye was opening on the face of the moon itself. Vayne trembled as a chill went up his spine. He had never felt such overwhelming fear before. The fear he had felt throughout the day paled in comparison to what he felt now. His legs felt like rubber, his blood cold as ice. He wanted to run, but he felt as if invisible hands were rooting him down on that spot.

Vayne gulped as the whirlpool started to move toward the banks. It moved slowly and forebodingly, as if it was such a creature that does not give any cares as it is at the top of the food chain. Willing himself to move, Vayne back up farther into the reeds. His body could only manage one step as he stumbled on a fallen tree branch. Vayne lay there on the ground, as dark shadows rose from the purple lit pool. And finally, with a burst like a water spout, the creature that showered him with intense fear emerged. The gigantic form took in a deep breath, opened its jaws and let out a demonic roar.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Vayne]

Death is only the beginning.

tagged / finger flipping / 1418 words

HP:
0%

MP:
0%

SAIRRI of GS

Vayne trembled as he watched as the shadows came clearer into sight. Under the light of the purple pool, he saw that it was a gigantic gator, followed by a parade of four swamp crocodiles. An odd realization comes to Vayne’s mind as he watched the daunting figure romp on the banks.

“It’s a damned field boss.” Vayne muttered in a quaking voice. He was the frozen in fear at the sight of such a monstrous being so near to him. The imposing aura that the monster gave off was so intimidating that he felt that he might just faint. Vayne gulped as he raised a shaking hand in midair and used his index finger to “click” at the monster to open up its partial profile.
A small window popped up in front of Vayne and he read the monster’s profile.

Ancestral Ammut
Level 30
Type: Reptile
Rank: Field Boss
Found in: Northern Thames Marshland
Weakness/Resistances: Resist [Fire, Ice, Water, Physical, Mind], Weak [Lightning], Null [Poison, Slow, Sleep]
A scaly reptile roughly the length of three grown men, its body and jaws as tough as steel. It is the ultimate predator of the swamp, attacking with its sheer mass to suffocate the opponent, striking with its thunderous tail to stun them, and then finally devouring the victim whole. Every evening at 8-9 PM in the Thames Marshland, where the swamp forms a dark purple pool, this monster emerges along with several Swamp Crocodiles.

This was not what he expected. It was too strong, too malevolent. “What kind of bad luck is this?” he asked himself as he cowered in the reeds. All he wanted was to grind up his level and explore, but all throughout the day, all he did was fight for his life. The reality of the fact that this was not a game anymore once again slapped Vayne in the face, as he could probably never feel such fear if this was just a game. This monster was an ultimate symbol of death, and Vayne was nothing more than an ant in its path.

Vayne backed up more, his weak legs scrambling feebly to get out of there. As he mustered enough energy to turn around and run, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. There he was, unnoticed by the monster, he could escape if he wanted to, but why did he stop?

“Is this what you will do every time something fearsome comes across your path?” a voice in the back of his head asked. “Will you always run and hide? Will you just cower in fear until the danger passes or someone else takes care of it?”

“What do you expect me to do?” Vayne asked himself. “That thing is too strong for me.”

“So what if it is?” the voice from his subconscious answered. “If you run now, you will die anyway. Now is not the time to run. This is the time you learn to overcome your fears and face things head on.”

“So it is your choice.” the voice continued. “Will you face your fears now, or let it control you forever?”

Vayne stood there for a second. His body was trembling and he was on the verge of passing out. All his instincts told him to run for the hills, but slowly he raised his right hand and took the whip that was holstered on his waist and suddenly the shaking in his hand stopped. Vayne chanted under his breath and from the earth, his skeleton summon burst forth. Its hollow green fire-lit eye sockets looked Vayne over as it stood in front of him. Vayne then started to chant another spell and the air around him started to drop in temperature as a ghostly phantom formed in midair and floated by his side. Vayne took in a deep breath gathering his courage. The shaking of his body had already stopped, and he felt calm and collected as he usually did. Vayne finally reached a decision on what to do, and he wanted to show his summons his resolve.

“Alright guys”, Vayne said as he addressed his summoned creatures, giving a tone as if he were talking to regular people. “I know that you may or may not listen, but I need a favor.” He told them of his plan and at first they showed no apprehension whatsoever, but suddenly the Phantom nodded and the skeleton’s fiery eyes changed from green to red. From this, Vayne understood that they agree with his plan.

“Thank you guys.” He said with a bow. “I know it’s not easy running into a losing battle, but if we do this, I can assure you that I will be a better partner in the future.”
With that, Vayne turned around to face the Ancient Ammut. He still felt a pang of fear, but it was not as bad as before. Vayne equipped his puppet on his injured left hand and as it appeared in front of him, he patted it on his back. “Let’s go buddy.” He told the puppet.

With that, Vayne and his summons charged forth. As they ran, another Skeleton rose from the ground and joined the charged. The Swamp Crocodiles immediately saw their assault and they came charging at the group. The phantom, which was faster than anyone there, flew up higher and dive bombed one of the leading crocodile, clawing it on the snout. The Crocodile bellowed as the phantom got it’s agro and led it away. One of the skeletons then rushed forward and attacked the second crocodile with a slash. The crocodile retaliated by snapping the skeleton’s head off with its jaws, but it gave Vayne and his puppet enough time to slide past. The other skeleton did the same with the other crocodile, giving Vayne another one second window to dash past it. Finally one crocodile was left in between him and the Ammut. Vayne gave out a yell as he sent his puppet forward to do the puppet skill “Act One”. The puppet tackled at the crocodile, but of course it can’t hold out for more than a second. Vayne used that second to step on his puppet’s back and jump over the crocodile, launching himself right at the Ammut. The Ammut gave a roar as it opened its gigantic mouth to swallow Vayne.

“Not yet!” Vayne yelled out as he swung his arm and sent his whip and it coiled around one of the Ammut’s foot long teeth. Vayne pulled and used the leverage to change direction in midair. The jaws of the Ammut snapped shut, but Vayne escaped an instantly fatal injury, but his right arm got caught and the Ammut just tore it out of its socket like it was a toy. Still, Vayne was alive, and now that he was right at the face of the Ammut, battered and a shower of blood pouring from where his arm was supposed to be, he used his burnt left hand and swung it as hard as he can, hitting the Ammut right in the eye.

The Ammut roared, more out of irritation than pain, as Vayne landed on the ground. He did what he could, smiling proudly as he lay there on the ground, bleeding like a faucet. “And now I can finally rest for a bit.” He muttered as he looked onto his partners.

The summons, who were now returning to dust gave him one triumphant look and gave a victorious howl before they returned to wherever summons lived. Then he looked at his obedient puppet, which lay on the ground beside him in a broken heap. “Thanks guys. I couldn’t have gotten here without you.” He said in a weak whisper as Vayne gave the puppet a slight pat. Looking up, he saw the Ammut staring down at him in wonder, possibly shocked at the man’s audacity and stupidity to hit it, the king of the swamp.

Vayne smiled and raised his left hand, and flipped the Ammut his middle finger. “neep off man you won’t be the king forever.” Vayne said defiantly, right before the Ammut lowered its jaws and tore Vayne’s head off.

Vayne woke up in the cathedral minutes later. Vayne sat up to make sure that he was really back in town. Vayne when he was sure, Vayne got up, and as he walked out of the cathedral, he started laughing uncontrollably like a maniac, already planning for the next time he goes to finally kill the Ammut.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS