When he opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was greed.
A strong feeling to take something, anything, to himself.
His brethren all felt the same and, day after day, they stole, plundered and snatched whatever they saw, always thirsting for more with every new object that entered their possession.
Perhaps it was luck, or destiny, but one day he found a book with weird symbols that seemed to call for him. It was then that things started to change. He didn't go out to plunder anymore, he didn't go out to increase his possessions, he didn't even protect whatever little he had; all that mattered were those weird symbols.
Days went by, weeks even, and he continued to try and understand them, steal them, make them HIS, and when he did he began to crave more, to want to learn more, and the more knowledge he hoarded, the more he understood how big the world was, how vast it was … and how much he could turn his.
It was during his research that he came upon The Lord.
The Lord was different from him, that he learned the moment they met, their sizes and appearance were a giant giveaway, but it was their difference in power that showed how different they were. And, if that wasn't enough, The Lord had GIVEN him something.
The simple act of giving something that was his to someone else was completely repulsive in his mind, an act akin to taboo. It took him months before he came to realize something, something that would set him on the path he was now treading.
The Lord wasn't giving something he owned to someone else, no, he was giving something he owned to someone that he owned. He was but an object to the Lord, and He hated it.
He wanted to be like The Lord, capable of having everything for himself, so he learned under him. Planning, scheming, and binding his time for the right moment to strike and take over everything. Finally, the moment when his plan could finally start working arrived.
He had done everything according to the instructions. The Runes were written correctly, the circles drawn with fresh blood and ashes, the sacrifices had been secured and offered; he even went to the point of using his own brethren as fuel but he didn't care!
He rested on the altar, anticipation screaming inside of him as his body became ready to receive the power that he so much wanted, so much desired. He could feel it, coursing through his veins, his muscles, his bones, his everything. Everything was going perfectly, and then, nothing.
Silence permeated the chamber, the entire process halted midway. At first he thought it had ended, but then he felt something, something tugging at the power inside of him. The energy was ripped back viciously, his body going limp from the event before waves of pain tore through his body.
To say that 'He' was angry would be an understatement at that point. Everything he had worked for, everything he had, everything that was HIS BY RIGHT! All of it had been taken from him in a single moment!
He rose from the altar, body shaking from rage and fatigue, eyes bloodshot from the backlash scanning his room, searching for someone, anyone that could have been responsible for this when he stopped. He couldn't see anyone, but he could hear something.
Voices.
His eyes shrunk.
They had entered his lair.
His legs moved, one step at a time.
They had stolen what was his.
His soul burned with rage.
They would pay!
*****
Mack and the others stared at the creature in front of them. Game or no Game, their instincts were saying, no, screaming to run away. The detached trio moved closer to the group, eyes never leaving the figure.
It was during this motion that Mack got a glimpse of a purple orb in the goblin's right hand, an eerie glow blinking in and out of existence so softly that the orb would look just like another rock.
A piece of information flashed in his mind, adding to what he knew about the circles drawn in the walls. He knew very well that their situation was dare, that thing in front of them was capable of more than any of them combined, but that wasn't true at the moment.
He opened his mouth but closed it right after. The creature in front of them was smart, smarter than a human even if the complex array was any indication. If he said anything out loud it would only warn and help the enemy. He gave a quiet command under his breath, barely a whisper, and a clear message rang on the ears of his companions.
[Don't speak openly. Use the Party Chat to talk. We can't risk him hearing us.] It took the others a few seconds to process what he had said before a response came.
[What the Hell is that thing?!]
Mack narrowed his eyes while scrutinizing the enemy.
[My best guess? That's an Apostle candidate]
[A what now?]
[In Archeon there are two main factions that fight against each other, the High Gods and the Demon Gods, or how most call them, Demon Lords. The High Gods live in the Higher Realm, their number varying from 10 to 20, and the Demon Lords are in the Demon Realm, with a total of 9 Gods. In between them is a third realm, the one we are currently in, the Mortal realm.]
[And what does that have to do with creepy guy over there?]
[Those Gods can't intervene with the Mortal Realm, they can descend or ascend to visit and walk, but they can't use their powers here. It's against the ancient rules. For that reason they have to select a representative among the mortals, an Apostle; they are the ones to fight for the God's interest, and in exchange they receive part of their power.]
[And how are we supposed to deal with a God empowered freak?!]
[We won't have to.]
He finally looked at his friends, then back at the 'goblin' in front of them.
[Look at his status and you will understand.] The group did as they were asked, and something very weird appeared for them.
Goblin Shaman R!¨%$/Level 15
[What's with that thing's Rank?]
[He doesn't' have one, or rather, his Rank is being reassigned as we speak.]
[Reassigned?]
[The runes and circles are part of the Ritual to become an Apostle. When we arrived the process was stopped, and thanks to that the guy in front of us had most of his power drained, which means that his Rank fell giving us a chance to win this.] The group smiled a little at the piece of good news.
[Now listen up, that guy is most probably a Caster, the lanky body and glowing orb are the biggest signals, so we are going to bring the fight to him. He is smart, so don't leave you guards down. Let's go!]
*****
This was getting annoying very quickly.
He wanted to burn those pests the moment he found them, but his body wasn't in any shape to do that. He had to wait until he recovered so he took his time to study them and see if they would show some kind of weakness in the meantime.
It was only when the thought that maybe they had passed away from fear of seeing him that they took action and began sprinting towards him.
The two metal clad humans ran straight at him, one brandishing a spear pointing to his stomach and the other a hammer towards his arm. He back stepped, the orb in his hands glowing before a bolt of energy sent one of the brutes staggering back and falling on his ass.
He didn't have time to snicker, though, for he saw the spear holder closing in, followed by two pale blue bolts. He waved his arm, a purple circle appearing in front of him and dispersing the bolts. The spear passed right beside him, grazing his stomach when he saw two others closing on his sides.
Kiiekee!
An angry shout escaped him followed by another purple circle on the ground, a surge of negative energy sending all three attackers flying back. He ran towards the closest one, a hooded male, when a pillar of flames engulfed his body.
His eyes shone brighter as his teeth clenched, it hadn't been even a second or two and the heat was already unbearable. Demonic energy gathered on his foot before it crashed against the floor, dispersing the storm of flames. His 'robes' were partly burned, his arms and legs were stinging and his precious mask was tainted with burn marks.
However angry he was before now he was definitely thrice as much.
A hard impact on his front followed by another to his head turned the situation even worse as he became disoriented. A flash to his side warned him of an incoming attack and he willed the energy on the orb to spread around him, the sound of metal clunking against the barrier coming right after alongside with the disbelieving gasp of a blonde female.
He licked his lips at the sight. Maybe he should keep a snack or two for later.
Two battle cries filled the tunnel in succession, one overlapping the other as the sound bounced off the walls. The event sent another jolt of pain through his head, demanding him to clench it in an attempt to make it stop. The orb fell to the ground as a result but that was the least of his worries.
The next thing he saw were 20 streaks of pale blue light flying in his direction alongside with a hammer head crashing against his face.
*****
Joy watched as Sal ran straight into the Shaman, bashing his shield against the ugly monster's torso followed by a hit to the head with his hammer. He really seemed to be enjoying himself while beating the crap out of him.
Carol was next, blade ready to cut the bastard's head when that damn marble glowed again, encasing the 'Boss', as she suspected, in a protective lair. The shock on her friend's face didn't scape her, nor did the ugly monster's more than depraved gaze as he appraised the swordswoman, and it seemed Sal had noticed too.
She inhaled as much as she could before letting out a battle cry that was followed by Sal almost at the same time, the Skill that both had received before reaching Gue activating.
< Your skill [Battle Cry] has merged with Player SledgeHammer's skill, increasing their power! >
< The Goblin Shaman has been stunned for 8 seconds! >
< Yours and Player SledgeHammer's attack power have been doubled for the next 30 seconds! >
She smiled and started to run towards the monster, Sal already swinging his hammer towards him when Mack's voice screamed into her ears.
[Dodge!]
She looked behind her in confusion before turning into astonishment and immediately scurried towards the wall, 20 Ice Bolts fell where the Shaman was standing followed by a large explosion of icy mist, blocking their vision.
The group moved closer and waited as the mist dispersed, weapons and spells ready in case they had missed. Sal was lying against the wall, his right side covered in frost, while Carol was faring a little better with only a leg being frozen. Both Mack and Lud gave them an apologetic smile with some awkward chuckling when both were struck by black sludge, the impact sending them rearing back and onto the floor.
Joy wiped her head around, shield lifted at the right moment to intercept another shot of the black substance aimed at her. She brought her spear closer to her body and charged forward, using the shield to receive the blunt of the attacks. A spark of purple appeared besides her and she promptly brought the metal plate to defend.
Gabi ran towards the duo, fear visible on her face as her eyes scanned the two. She had stayed behind to use her healing skill when necessary, but that didn't even seem to be necessary until this moment. Black marks were spreading across their arms and faces, a curse most probably. Thankfully she had a way to deal with it. Kneeling beside them she brought her hands together as in oration before opening and resting them on their chest.
"Purify"
Light flashed followed by a single white circle as the marks started to recede. The two stood up slowly, their bodies aching a little from the fall, but now wasn't the time to whine. Mack looked at the receding marks and an idea sprang to mind, making him crouch down and whisper something to Gabi.
Joy was starting to regret her decision of charging alone against the boss, her body was feeling heavy and sluggish after taking the repeated shots of sludge. Even with the shield, those things were like weights being thrown at her, and her arms were feeling tired already.
A loud shriek came from the monster, catching her attention and making her look back at him. On his leg was Leo, biting down with what seemed to be glowing fangs while Jake attacked the back with a flurry of strikes; on one of his hands she could make the outline of Mack's Kukri.
'Mack must have given him during our way down here,' she mused as the person in question jumped in the fray, 5 pale blue cards rotating around his arm as he sprinted towards the boss and punched him in the gut. The cards exploded upon contact, covering the area in a thick lair of ice. The boy immediately distanced himself, the same lair of ice covering his right arm.
"Joy, Now!" she heard him scream and went to work, throwing the shield against the Shaman's body, forcing him out of balance and into the ground. Jake and Leo moved back right in time as Joy jumped and plunged her spear on the Boss' chest, blade crashing ice and piercing skin in one motion.
That was supposed to be the end of it, no one could survive an attack to the chest, but the goblin wasn't going down so easily. His hand grabbed her arm while purple lightning cracked on his other one, ready to fry her.
Time had slowed down; Joy could hear her heartbeat as she tried to escape the hold. Suddenly a female's voice shouted, followed by a bright surge of light.
"Purify!"