Invent ~ 45!

Joe directed an Orb in front of himself and initiated the Ritual of Remote Activation as rapidly as possible. The time from start to activation was approximately one second. Novice rituals didn’t need much in order to get going. As the rain of liquid stone started to splatter down, a golden light shone up through the magma. “The building is intact enough that the stasis effect went through. That’ll give us ten minutes to figure out how to save them!”

“Yes! Good! I highly approve.” Herr Trigger clapped as his team leveled their weapons at Joe’s face. “Give them time to come to the realization that they are in the hands of a World Boss! An area where space is locked, so not even their last-resort teleportation artifacts can function. A creature so much more powerful than them that they cannot hope to win in a direct confrontation, even if the Royal family and the Oligarchy were to work together… but they won’t. The Royal family will do everything to ensure that the Oligarchy falls in this moment. The Ascetic has given them their mission, and they will fulfill it.”

Something within Joe trembled as the bounty hunter said ‘Ascetic’. It took a moment to realize that it was a hunger, and it was coming from his title ‘Tatum’s Chosen Legend’. Somehow, he knew that if he ever managed to find a way to destroy that person, Tatum would make it worth the effort with rewards he couldn’t even fathom.

Shouting and screaming was starting to overcome the now-fading sirens that Joe had set off as people began to realize what had happened. The echoes of metal-clad boots filled the air as the remainder of the Legion Elites swarmed the area. Herr Trigger’s team looked at him with concern as the troops closed in, but their leader merely shrugged. “We knew it was a one-way trip. Our reward will be waiting for us in our next life. Take them out as well, and the bounty will more than cover our losses!”

“What a very zealot thing to say,” Joe commented as his group worked to avoid or mitigate the incoming volley. “Have you gone native, Trigger?”

*Bang!* A clearly enchanted bullet tore into Joe’s Exquisite Shell, held in place by the barrier for a moment as it reduced his defense by a third with that single shot. Trigger’s grin matched Jaxon’s for width and creepiness. “There’s nothing religious about this, Joe. We respawn; our afterlife is merely waking up and stepping out of a portal in a few hours.”

Seeing that all the other enemies were engaged, Joe took on Trigger directly. He sprinted at the man as a barrage of bullets zipped his way, vaulting into the air to avoid the volley, then pushing off an Orb to change directions and dodge the second strike. He threw his icicle Orb out and behind Trigger, though it stopped midair and started spinning in place once it was positioned behind the gunslinger. As Joe landed, he dropped flat and slid under another attack, much to Trigger’s frustration.

“Each of these bullets cost me hours of my time! Stand still so I can kill you!”

“No!” Joe succinctly made known his thoughts on the matter. Trigger had apparently anticipated his unwillingness to accept his fate, and left his current position to flow across the ground toward Joe. Bullets created puffs of ash and powdered stone as they missed their marks and ricocheted off the ground. Joe skidded to a full stop as his momentum faltered, and Trigger stood above him, ready to execute the Reductionist at point-blank range.

*Thwap!* Trigger cried out in agony as Joe’s icicle Orb slammed into his right scapula, causing him to lose control of that arm. Fury filled his eyes as he pulled out a revolver with his left hand and unloaded each round, laughing cruelly when his target couldn't manage to move again. “Herr Trigger always hits the mark.”

Just as he lifted his barrel to sniff the gunpowder residue, his body was flooded with an internal Cone of Cold and hit by a Dark Lightning Strike. Seizing in place and then remaining frozen there, a look of surprise and anger was locked on his face. Joe stepped into his line of sight, a slight grin playing around his lips. “You missed, Trigger. What were you aiming at?”

“What… did you… do to me?” Trigger chattered through a mouth he could barely force to do his bidding. Joe was going to answer, but Major Cleave’s axe swept through Trigger’s neck and sent the man to respawn.

“We don’t have time to mess around. You also never tell an enemy how you beat them!” She shoved her axes in the direction of the collapsed Guildhall. “We need to save the Oligarchs!”

Joe checked his system clock and winced. “Less than six minutes to come up with an answer. What’s a World Boss, and how do we get it to let go of the building?”

“Bad. Very bad.” Cleave whispered nervously, unable to formulate any other explanation on the severity of the subject. “A World Boss is literally the strongest opponent on each plane; it’s also the only source of Mythical cores and Sage skills. Just by existing, they produce a myriad of effects. Damage dealt to them is a fraction of what it should be, and protections are only half as effective against them. If it has the building, it’s guaranteed to be lost. Our only chance is to get in there and get the people out. But there’s already a layer of lava in the way, and-”

“Magma,” Jaxon chimed in as they gathered around the edge of the new magma pool.

“Whatever it is, it’s between us and the people we need to save!” Cleave barked at the frustrating man.

“Oh! Oh! I have a thing for this!” Joe pulled out one of his Ritual of Bubble Travel tiles and started powering it up. “I’ll get down there in a bubble, and gather them into one as the building is crushed. I’ll be right back!”

“How do you plan to navigate?” Daniella quizzed him with exasperation while pulling at her hair. “You won’t be able to see anything!”

“We’re all just kinda hoping for the best here, Daniella!” Joe grinned at her, attempting to present a confidence he didn’t feel. “Anyone wanna tag along? Kidding, kidding. Jaxon? No? Okay, it’s just about ready-”

Quest failed: Shatter the Elven Theocracy. The Elven Theocracy has prevailed against the Dwarven Oligarchy! As your quest has failed, you do not earn anything, nor do you get to see the top contributors!

Anyone with the trait ‘Dwarven Superiority’ has been given a maximum ‘Excommunicated’ Title, which can only be cleared away by the King, Queen, Ascetic, or ten deaths followed by supplication at an Elven temple. These people will now glow red to anyone with the ‘Elven Superiority’ trait. Root out the Dwarf lovers among you!

Title gained: Excommunicated (Mandatory). Magic is the domain of higher beings. All spells or skills that use mana are 20% more unstable. There is a chance for  all of these skills or spells to suffer negative effects or a direct backlash when you use them!

The Ascetic of the Theocracy commands all humans to destroy the Dwarves around them! Instead of spending their own lives, any human that kills ten Dwarves will lose their ‘Dwarven Superiority’ trait as well as their ‘Excommunicated’ title, and can apply to an Elven chapel or temple for reeducation into Elven ways!

Server alert! Congratulations to all Humans! Your actions have destroyed the racial enemy of the Elves, and the Bifrost will open to Jotunheim in the Capital city of the Elves when either 2 of the 3 Dwarven cities have fallen, or 75% of the Dwarven population has been eliminated!

Dwarves, fear not! If you somehow survive against all odds, you will have a very slim chance to reclaim your land!

Quest failed: Ranker II Peerage. No Oligarchy, no way to be one of their nobles. Hold your land through absolute force, or not at all!

“What… what just happened?” Major Cleave whispered as she gaped around at all the equally shocked faces. “We… thousands of years of fighting, and humans made us lose within a year of arriving? Why did we ever listen to your calls for peace? We got annoyed into becoming a Shattered race? You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“But…” Joe was staring at the ritual, which was right on the cusp of activation. “But how? I had at least five more minutes until stasis wore off. I had time! This isn’t fair!”

“Defenses are only half as effective against World Bosses.” Daniella repeated Major Cleave’s earlier words in a hushed tone. “The system must have considered the ritual as a defense and cut the effective time in half.”

“What… what are we going to do?” Jaxon let out an uncomfortable whimper. “I don’t like being on the losing side. I’m not used to it. Makes me all itchy.”

“You’re going to defect? I’m surprised, but not shocked.” Cleave whirled her axes around. “Just try and come after my people so you can get rid of a pesky title you don’t like!”

“Stop it, Cleave,” Joe ordered with a soft sigh. “None of us are going to go after the Dwarves. Listen, all of you.”

The steel in his voice made the entire group go silent and turn to look at him with hope in their eyes. He took a few deep breaths, doing his best to keep his simmering rage below the surface. “We’re going to survive. When we get the chance, we’re going to strike back and destroy the Elves. I refuse to let the Dwarves be the Shattered race, especially since the Elves forced this in such a dishonorable way. We’re going to turn the Shoe into an unbreachable fortress, the last bastion of the Dwarves. The first thing we’re going to do is get out there and bring back the best and brightest of this race, and prepare ourselves for the long haul.”

He met each of their troubled eyes and pointed to his workshop. “Somebody find anyone that is in charge of anyone, and get them to my workshop. We’re going to go make a plan.”