I'd tried for days to fix the roller coaster, but once you set a ward it was permanent until all of its charge was used up. I could dispel it, but that would have sent Hell hurtling to the ground, and by the time I was considering that…it would not have been a comfortable fall. Even so, Hell was mad at me when he finally finished the leap course. "You said it was like a roller coaster. Nobody likes a roller coaster that never ends! I thought an hour! Two, maybe. I'm never getting on a roller coaster you designed ever again. Never again!" the two skeletons didn't mind. They were laughing when they landed. At least, they were shaking in amusement.
No roller coasters, but Hell didn't mind the single leap it took to get from the town filled with undead to Melasia. I tried to shoot off some magic in transit, but I didn't get any pets. By the time they realized their buddies were dead, I was already out of range. Or something else. I made sure to give us a high arc so we wouldn't be busting through trees the whole time, so we also had a good level of distance. Maybe you couldn't make pets from so far away in the first place, and my speed had nothing to do with it.
Either way, we blasted into another pasture with the usual fanfare of gushing viscera. That got me a dozen new pets. I'd also guessed perfectly, as we landed within sight of the city gates. Looking at them, I couldn't help a little irritation. This city was what Zezhria should be; the bridge between the north and south on this continent. The road going south was made of dirt and there were essentially nobody coming or going, but it was a road. Not quite like the beautifully paved roads I remembered from the beta and what I assumed would be heading north, but it was a road.
I wouldn't buy Melasia. I'd take it. Just like I had the town. If I could. No better time to learn than the present, after all, and affording to buy the world was a very different question than being able to conquer it. I marched through the gates, heading for the bank. What would happen if I started killing people in the bank itself? Would the fat bankers try to stop me?
Apparently, my intention was clear just from my gait. "The problem with taking this city like you did the town is the garrison." Lethe whispered low enough that Hell couldn't hear. She'd finally figured out a way to talk audibly while in stealth. Would she ever become visible again? "They won't just roll over and die. City guards are designed to be invincible at the beginning of the game. Players don't have a chance at defeating them for a long time. And then there's all the players. You could turn the npcs into vassals, but what about the players? If we kill all of them, we'll be weaker than an empire that didn't." all good points. I didn't care. I would raze this city for being the hub Zezhria should have been. And would be, once this town was razed to the ground. Maybe my crown and blood were affecting me more than I thought.
Wanting to burn Melasia was more than just curiosity if conquering was easier than buying. There was no reason for the player Void to hate Melasia. Emperor Void, on the other hand, had every reason to hate it and everything it stood for. My body was made of soul, which was me. How much was what I'd been and how much was what I was now? More to the point, should I be trying to resist being a Dark Elf? So long as I overcame all of my weaknesses as a human, did it matter if I was controlled by my new nature? The nature given to me by a goddess that allowed me to overcome my origin?
Was I really in control? I felt like I was in control. I was constantly getting feedback because I was overcoming the limitations of War World Online. But I wasn't in WWO, I was in a new reality. With a new body and a new species. Was I in any more control of my new form than my last one? Maybe I'd get feedback if I allowed the city to live…but wasn't that just letting WWO manipulate me into being the anti-player? Breaking rules to show I could wouldn't make me the full expression of myself. I'd chosen my race. Allowing my new race to influence me was exactly what I should be doing. I wasn't being limited by WWO or this new reality, I was following through with my own choice.
I grabbed an npc. He started to curse at me, until he saw my armor. Then he swallowed. "Where is the Mayor of Melasia?" he shook his head. Beating the Chief had gotten me the town. It made sense that the local government would give me the city instead of the bank. Plus, I didn't want to get banned from the bank. That would suck. Going door to door collecting taxes and rent did not sound like a fun world to live in. "I don't care if he doesn't have that title. Chief. Governor. President. Senator. King. Whatever. Where is it?"
"The Keep, Majesty." The civilian was on the verge of tears. It really was a full world. Everyone could be intimidated, even monsters and npcs. I tossed him into a wall and resumed my march. If I wasn't buying Melasia, it made no sense whatsoever to go to the bank. Plus, it was a world power. They could have much more powerful guards than a mere city. They were also neutral. I couldn't imagine that fat teller at the bank being intimidated no matter what I did. It was strange that the fact didn't seem to bother me. Then again, it was the same as threatening a kiosk. "The guards will stop you before you reach our governor."
"They are welcome to try." I growled. Killing every guard in the city would debilitate their military might. I needed them powerful. Melasia was one of the smaller cities. Their army would already be weaker than that of the other cities of the northern continent. Nothing that bore my sigil could be weak. Unless I gave them an undead garrison. To do that, though, I'd need every npc in Melasia to be my vassal to avoid familial issues when I turned their beloved ones into undead. Maybe I should have spent more time learning if undead raised from npcs could retain their old personalities if I allowed it.
I was still thinking about the pros and cons of an undead garrison when I reached the Keep. Governor. I marched right up to the gates before I was surrounded by ten guards. Each were over level eighty. Impressive, if Ryne hadn't just increased their maximum level. Another point for an undead garrison. I was more than prepared for them. I activated the summoning circles I'd been building since I walked in the gates of the city. Demons the size of houses emerged in the dozens from the eighty gates that appeared around me. The guards barely had time to scream before their lives ended. The demons didn't completely destroy the corpses. Good. I destroyed the gate they'd barred in an effort to keep me out. Their guards hadn't had time to rally, though. There were only two inside. My demons crushed their chests with a single blow each. "I was expecting a more prepared welcoming party."
"You realize that every time you get serious, you make everyone else look bad. Right?" Hell grumbled as he hefted the ax he hadn't needed since the beginning. As if to make his point, he chopped at one of the pieces of wood that used to be a gate, didn't even leave a scratch. Or even tremble, really. Must be really heavy.
"For now, maybe. The enemies are weak. You will make me look bad when we meet a dragon." Magic wasn't very effective against their enchanted scales. My swords would make short work of them, though. I had all his classes. I laughed as I walked through the broken gates into the main chamber.
A level ninety seven High Elf sat on the throne, separated from me by a hundred guards. I'd have thought they'd be at the gates. Apparently they liked the spectacle better than controlling choke points. Since they couldn't learn classes…did they have no abilities? Or did they have a ton and I couldn't know which ones because they didn't have classes to type them out? That was a daunting idea.
I wasn't taking any chances. My summons didn't have infinite duration, that would have made them really weak, so I needed to make this short. Massive area of effect spell circles sprung up around the room as my demons charged, laying waste to the soldiers. They were good for taking care of level ten thieves, but pushing through my debuffs while fighting demons was above their pay grade. City soldiers, not used to battle with monsters of equal or higher levels. Seeing how effective my debuffs were, I decided I didn't need to focus on them so hard. I activated a sonic spell I'd wanted to see in a more realistic setting. From this distance, it just looked like they went to sleep. No head popping or gouts of blood from their ears or eyes. The spell liquefied brains without atomizing, burning to ash, or melting beyond repair the corpses of the victims. It also had the distinct advantage of being able to cut through armor like it wasn't there, though that reduced any damage to zero unless the instant death procced. The soldiers were all dead. The governor was not. "Governor. You have two options. Option one is to become my vassal and help me turn this whole city into a loyal place where I can do whatever I want. The other option is to resist, in which case I will kill you and go down the list of citizens until I find one willing to accept option one. What do you say?"
"Neither." He called from his throne. Honestly, I was kind of surprised he was still sitting there. He should have the thousand times buff, right? Instead he chose the classic response whenever you gave someone a question with two answers. Classic, but kind of stupid. If he was going to fight back, now was the time for it. "I choose option three. You cannot defeat your own kind!"
Maybe. Depends on the players. Very much so. I grinned as two demons rushing the throne were blasted with holy light, and two Saints stepped out from behind the throne. Each of the four demons that followed were rushed, and cut in half by a Knight. Three Crusaders dropped from the ceiling right into the middle of my demons, pulverizing some but drawing control from me for the rest as they rushed ineffectively against the holy shields they were carrying. An explosion on either side of me proved the value of spell mines as a Vanquisher was revealed on either side. Each of them was over level one hundred, and none of them were wearing full sets of basic gear. With the Crusaders controlling my demons, their immortality undoubtedly activated, they were essentially useless. They'd need all three to keep their taunts up, and killing the demons was more difficult for them than keeping them busy, but they'd done well. Their teamwork was also impressive.
"Hell. If you would." He understood. His time had come. A shiny black shield appeared around him as he made sure to keep the Crusaders as stuck as they were keeping my demons. He even decided to go theatrical as he rolled his shoulders and bellowed a battle cry. He didn't need to scream to activate the taunt, but to each their own. Seeing the Vanquishers turn to follow Hell, I nodded to the side, masking it as cracking my neck, for Lethe's signal. One of them screamed as her blade appeared in his back, and I knew she'd understood my signal or just knew her role.
My attention turned to the Knights and Saints. It was a powerful combination. Knights were the hardest to kill of all the classes, and Saints were the best healers. Together, they were almost unstoppable. Almost. Overwhelming force was always good enough to beat any level of teamwork.
"Skeletons, kill the Saints." They nodded and rushed to the sides, leaving the Knights to me. I smiled as I put my staff away and drew a pair of swords. Each one was higher leveled than me. The odds were three to one. They should have built a bigger guild. They may have the buffs from all being aligned in their classes, but that wasn't going to be anywhere near enough. I plotted a Lacerative Rush around the melee, right into the middle of their formation. It was so much faster than a leap that it almost felt like teleportation.
"Heathen monster! We purged the darkness from our fair city! Thus, you too shall fall! Behold!" Role Players. Of course they were. Probably all High Elves as well. Dedicated to playing their character, chose a race that was racist, of course they immediately went full genocide. Maybe the Governor helped. That was when I noticed their cursors were pink. Player killers. With good gear. Yeah, they went full genocide to get on the Governor's good side. Probably even gave them some hardcore experience boosting for killing any Dark Elf player that started in Melasia. "You are beyond repentance!"
"Maybe if there were more of you assholes. Maybe then you'd have a chance. Chose the wrong side, jackass." As I looked, I saw that one of them had a helm that glowed from within, blocking the features but illuminating the world. A legendary. Another had a sword and shield set that dripped black liquid of some sort that exploded when it hit the ground. Those I recognized, they were unique. Another either had a full set of lackluster stuff, or he only got rares. The last one had a two-handed ax that had six blades. It was more of a pole-arm than an ax. Another legendary. I grinned as I realized what amazing loot I'd get from this battle. They'd concentrated all of the best loot in the city in one place. I activated a massive maelstrom of blade energy surrounding my body as they realized I was among them. Mr Rare didn't block properly and got blown back. "Thanks for the gear, though. I'm going to love pulling it off your corpse." No harm playing into their game. I'd always enjoyed playing the bad guy.
"All of the other players might be dead, but we are all the stronger for it! They refused to see the truth in front of their faces!" too bad. Meant I had to have monsters guard the city until more players populated it. Damn. I would have to kill every soldier in the city, probably. Or I'd need to ferry players from Zezhria personally, which I wasn't interested in doing. Maybe letting the players that came back from their missions eventually would be enough.
Four simultaneous arcs of blade energy shot toward me, but I was in the middle for a reason. I rushed aside before charging at the pole-arm wielding Knight. He didn't move fast enough to stop my blade from cleaving his head from his shoulders before the aura blade slammed into his chest and sent his corpse rolling across the floor. Luckily, I'd known it would happen and I'd grabbed the ax before it could be sent to the other side of the room. It instantly entered my inventory since I couldn't wield it and the swords at the same time.
Some screams and drivel followed his death, but one was actually trying to win. I had to duck as the spear of Legendary-Helm flashed over my head. I chopped his legs off with the greatest of respect for his attention. My swords were almost cheating. There wasn't a piece of armor yet that could withstand their touch. He screamed as the second blade entered his chest. I grabbed his helm and felt that enter my inventory as well as I pulled his corpse into the way of another attack.
The last one was backing away slowly. Not a chance, Unique-One. I put both swords back into my inventory and drew my two-handed sword. His shield was unique. It might be able to withstand the first blow. I rushed forward in an instant, a rogue's skill, and swung the blade as if to cut him in half at the waist. It could have just been momentum, but his sword met my blade with the sound of a thousand snakes hissing at once. The explosive acid coating the blade sprayed onto the ground, blasting with enough force to make me stumble. It was truly a daunting piece of equipment. When they finished the unique set…it was a terrible mixture. I knew. My Berserker had worn the whole set. He'd have been better off trying a shield slam, but he obviously didn't know the full power of his gear. Mr Rare was dead, as he'd been across from Mr Unique at the beginning and had gotten blasted pretty hard. He'd probably never met someone with strong enough armor to be thinking when he made his second move. Rookie. I sniggered as his legs remained standing a full second after his torso hit the ground. I grabbed the unique gear and turned my attention to the rest of the battle.
I glanced around. Lethe was still stealthed over the corpses of the two Vanquishers. She was looking at Hell, who was still bashing away at the Crusaders. All three were hunkered down behind their shields. Apparently they didn't trust their immortality timer, as that should still be active. As I watched, Hell's ax broke at the center of the haft. He cursed and smashed his gauntlet against the closest shield. "Hell!" I called as I tossed the pole-arm legendary to him. He laughed as he caught it. He should. It was a good weapon. Level eighty. He pulverized the shield he'd punched after another ten blows. The Crusader's invincibility time was finally up. The next strike bent the next shield into a useless piece of slag. The other Crusader tried to attack while Hell's back was turned. Lethe's dagger slipped through the eyehole of his helmet, digging into his skull. He dropped to his knees before falling on the knife. As Hell finally finished off the last one and Lethe started looting, I turned to the Governor. "So, as I said. One or two?"
The Governor was sitting on his throne, but his position was slack. He stared at me, eyes as wide as they would go. "I would rather die than be a vassal to a Dark Elf!" his words were tough, but his voice was weak. Trembling. I could probably break him with minimal effort. He definitely didn't have the buff. Could he control a city without owning the keep?
I nodded to the skeletons on either side of his throne. Each shoved a metal hand into either side of his skull. Before the blood could even start to spread, they'd thrown his corpse off of the throne so hard he didn't touch the ground until he landed on the broken remains of the door. One skeleton brought me a black robe and a glass orb in a bone cage. Both legendary. And from the way they looked, designed for a Cultist. I glanced through the stats and realized they were perfect for a Cultist. Melasia wasn't as pure as I thought, apparently.
A whimper revealed another npc. This one was a man in robes with ink-stained fingers. I thought I'd need him to lead me to the new governor, but checking his cursor told me that's who he was. "Congratulations, little man. You've just been promoted to Governor of Melasia. What an honor." I clapped sarcastically. He damn near wet himself as I got closer. "Option one or two?" This one wasn't a High Elf, so he was reasonable. He nodded hurriedly before speaking the same words Delfina had. I wasn't expecting the flash of yellow light that connected his forehead to my wrist. A new tab opened for vassals this time. So there was a difference between vassals and familiars big enough to warrant a whole tab. I looked out the door to see if the lighting had changed. It had. The white-yellow light was gone. Red light revealed what was mine.