Everlast Online

Gloria’s lifeless body hit the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut and the match was decided. Damien had won, but unlike the crowd of spectators who cheered in a frenzy, he knew it was by the skin of his teeth.

He wasn’t entirely sure why he knew this, but he did. Even Damien could tell from Gloria’s movements that she was a first-class fighter with experience beyond his lifetime and yet she had acted erratically when fighting him.

Damien’s win was something to be proud of, but he did not allow himself to fall to arrogance since he had come mere inches away from a loss.

After some time Gloria’s body began to dissolve into blue light, drifting into the wind as she reappeared in the waiting room with her death penalties waived thanks to the effects of the guild war. 

Instantly the hulking she-warrior fell to a knee, her head hung low in shame as she faced her master.

“I have failed, Master.” Her face remained stoic as she spoke, but internally her mind flooded with doubts she had thought were long since banished, “I will do anything you wish to amend my mistake! I shall even take my life if that is what you desire.”

Liz looked at Gloria and felt strange. She was disappointed, but not necessarily at Gloria since an outcome like this had been considered when they planned for the guild war; there was just one thing that Liz felt confused about:

“Why did you rush in?” Elizabeth asked simply. She stared right at Gloria, her button eyes never wavering.

“I… Underestimated his ability.” Gloria spoke after a moment of consideration, but Liz was not appeased.

“That’s possible, but you’re better than that.” Liz stated, taking what she believed about Gloria to be facts, “The moment you first realised he was more capable than anticipated you would have backed off and reconsidered your approach.”

“From what I saw, you failed to do so twice.”

Gloria remained silent for a while, her body trembling in the shame she had felt.

“I… I…” Gloria stuttered, unable to bring herself to say it, “I wished to prove myself. To finish him in moments so that I could prove myself worthy of serving you, Master.”

This was the truth and Elizabeth could tell. The bond between a necromancer and their undead was a binding of the soul and for one as proficient as Liz, even emotions could be transferred along that connection.

She could feel Gloria’s insecurity much stronger than it had ever been before; she could feel the shame and fear that Gloria would typically suppress.

“I should have anticipated this…” Liz sighed, understanding that Gloria’s failure had stemmed from her own.

“No! I-” Gloria began to shout, but Liz cut her off with a wave of her cloth hand.

She had already seen the tension between her guardians and her other undead but had done nothing to resolve it and now it could have potentially lost her the guild war.

“I’ll deal with this soon.” Liz said, only now recognising the kind of rot that had been festering right under her nose, “Winning the guild war is more important.”

“We can only hope our friend is as strong as she claimed.”

- - -

Loki had found far more enjoyment out of the duels than they had expected.

Most gods found mortals to be little more than dust in the wind; it existed, but was not worth considering. Loki was not one of those gods.

Trickery and deceit were tools of the weak and so gods had no reason to make use of them. Only puny mortals would need to resort to cheap tactics and lies to secure victory; and so Loki loved to watch mortals, being one of the more generous gods when it came to blessings.

However, even Loki found fights between mortals (on an individual scale) to be tedious and boring. 

Even the weakest of those who stepped into the realm of the divine had power far superior to any mortal creature, power that could erase planets with a single attack, so watching their puny skills at work was like watching children flail around - it was not fun.

And yet Loki had found both rounds of duel to be rather tolerable. 

They had taken pleasure in how Smokey had mocked her opponent by holding back right until the very end.

They had been surprised when Damien continued to reveal more and more tricks that led to his victory.

And now, Loki found themselves eagerly awaiting what the next match would hide. Learning only now, after an eternity of living, that even the tiny conflicts of ants employed deceit.

- - -

Walpurgis’s final gate began to open as the bridge came to a stop, sunlight hit the meagre waiting room that held Smokey’s final competitor as they stepped into the light.

Long, smooth legs strode out into the open as a woman revealed herself to the crowd. She was adorned in a pristine, white robe with golden detailing that perfectly clung to each curve of the woman’s body; in her hand was a staff that radiated with some kind of unknown power, its white shaft made from a sacred species of tree that only a handful of players had even seen with an artistically carved emerald inlaid at its head.

However, neither of those perfect objects detracted a single gaze from the one who wielded them.

From the shadows a woman almost everyone knew appeared from a place no one had expected.

Her body was like a divine gift, like a statue that had been carved from the hands of Michelangelo himself while her hair flowed down her back like a river dyed in shining gold. The woman’s face was pure and with a blemish in sight, her nose was small and tilted ever so slightly upwards; her lips were as red as strawberries and gentle like a calm river. But most striking of all were her emerald-green eyes that shone brighter than even the real emerald that adorned her staff.

She was perhaps the most beautiful woman anyone had laid their eyes upon.

However, even with her long ears, those revealing her as an elf whose beauty was known across the world, no one dared to think that was the source of such perfection.

Everyone knew who she was and all, but one person was excited to see her in the arena. In a VIP booth, high above all the fighting, a single man seethed in rage:

What the fuck is she doing there! Golden Monarch raged. He had quickly lost control over his emotions and it was the subordinates he had surrounded himself with that suffered for it; it was only as he calmed down and saw those around him trembling that he schooled his expression and regained control over his emotions.

Annie and Elizabeth had struck a deal quite a while ago, much to the chagrin of the NPC elves she had surrounded herself with. Ultimately the deal amounted to a single favour; in return for Annie subbing in for the duels Liz was required to help in return when asked - within reason.

“Why would you offer something like that?” Liz asked, not understanding in the slightest. As a child from the slums she was used to the world being stacked against her, not deals that were mostly in her favour.

“You don’t seem to understand just how important and powerful you are.” Annie giggled while refusing to elaborate, “So. Do you want my help or not?”

Liz didn’t understand that to Annie, her help was worth quite a lot. 

Not only was she exceptionally powerful, never falling from the list of the top ten players, but it was an undisputed fact that she was the most famous player in all of ELO - and for a streamer nothing was more important than fame.

“... Fine. I accept… Not like I have a choice anyway.” Liz responded, though the second part was muttered under her breath.

“Good.” Annie laughed, clapping her hands together, “Then I’ll see you soon.”

Many would be surprised to understand how anticlimactically a meeting between two powerhouses ended.

Golden Monarch continued to seethe silently until he finally remembered something key, which allowed an arrogant smile to spread across his face.

She’s not the same as she was during the beta. Golden Monarch thought. She’s not a [Spirit Master] yet. And her opponent is more than capable.

Soon enough the second gate opened and the final fighter stepped forward, their steps heavy and slow. He was perhaps the most ordinary of all the fighters from that day, as where undead and werebeasts had tread was now a regular, old dwarf.

His long bushy beard obscured the majority of his front, leaving almost nothing but his bulging, muscular arms with which he carried both a battle-axe and a tower-shield - though it would only be a tower-shield in the arms of a dwarf.

Behind his beard the dwarf’s face betrayed no fear nor interest; the confidence of one above everything oozed from him.

The clock ticked down towards the fight and the very moment the duel began Annie acted. 

Her skill activated with a wave of spiritual water wrapping around her like a chiton robe, until it eventually condensed into the shape of a dolphin that orbited around her figure in a protective stance.

(A/N: A chiton is the robe that Greeks and Romans would wear - look it up and you’ll know what I’m referring to)

She continued by preparing a defensive spell, only to realise that her opponent - Dex - had yet to act. At most he had moved his shield into a more defensive position.

Confused Annie continued to cast her spell [Spirit Barrier] that she had gained from her prior class [Spirit Mage]. Yet even as the casting was complete and a glistening light washed over her body and faded, Dex did not act.

Is he maybe a tank? Annie thought as she continued to watch, prepared for anything, but eventually she realised that she was right. Dex was a tank, a player who focused more on defensive abilities to support a party's DPS. Still, there must be more to him if they sent him to fight in a duel.

Realising her opponent would not make the first move Annie grinned. For a [Spirit Summoner] there was a need for prep time and thankfully she had been given that.

In quick succession Annie activated three weak [Spirit Mage] spells, not ones she had acquired naturally, but actively sought out.

First was [Downpour] that caused a temporary bout of heavy rain; second Annie cast [Soaked Soil] that increased the water quantity in the ground beneath its caster; and finally she cast [Enhance Tides] which causes stronger waves in the nearest body of water.

With each concurrent cast Annie watched Dex become silently more cautious, but she could tell he was uncertain of her true purpose; missing the gradually increasing aura coming from her contracted spirit.

As a [Spirit Summoner] Annie had access to the [Summon Contracted Spirit (C)] which allowed her to summon one intermediate grade spirit per level; with each step the summoner passed down their path (from [Summoner] to [Master] to [Grandmaster] etc) the skill would increase in rank and allow the user to summon stronger spirits.

(A/N: Ranks of spirits at the end)

Intermediate could be considered the first step into the world of spirits, which is why the [Spirit Summoner] class could be considered weak.

At the [Master] stage one could summon advanced grade spirits, who themselves could summon their own low grade spirits, which is what made Annie so powerful during the beta. However, most people misunderstood what it was that made her more powerful.

With so many spirits of the same element in one place, that element would become highly abundant and empower the spirit - that buff was what made her strong, not the increase in rank.

Annie learnt this fact quicker than most and devised a strategy to maintain her power once the game was complete. If she could not summon more spirits to saturate the environment with elemental mana, she would simply do it herself.

A grin spread across Annie’s face as she was finally prepared to attack. In an instant her mana was syphoned into her water dolphin as she commanded it to use [Ocean Jet] and a blast of highly pressurised sea water burst forward as if shot from a host and crashed into Dex.

The damage was devastating, the water ripping up the earth beneath it as it collided with its target. However, the battle was not over.

The jet of water flew forward like a missile, but only managed to push Dex back a few feet. He had raised his shield and bore the brunt of the attack, digging his feet in to block it all - surviving with minimal damage. 

And as the attack reached its end, with Annie too shocked for words, Dex swung his axe upwards to shoot forward a crescent of orange energy.

Annie was hit by the attack, shaving off half of her HP from Dex’s attack.

What the hell happened! She screamed internally, glad she had cast [Spirit Barrier] before the fight since it had likely saved her life. Annie could not comprehend how little damage she had dealt to Dex; beyond a few splinters and marks on his shield, he looked fine.

This fight was going to be hard and Annie knew it.

- - -

(A/N: Trying something more structured with my perspective work. Might be a longer chapter, so let me know if you prefer this)

Dex was not exceptional, but he believed that effort would bear fruit.

However, for the most part this wasn’t true. In a society that hated those born at the bottom no amount of effort would change how it saw them.

One of the only places that effort truly paid off was the virtual world and that was what drew Dex into games like ELO; and the lore about dwarven endurance was what drew him to select one as his race.

When he had begun, Dex had gained the race skill [Sturdy Body (B-)]. Its effects were simple and balanced, they did not make him exceptionally skilled nor was it a useless skill:

[Sturdy (B-): Your body is naturally sturdier than normal to protect from injury. Reduces damage taken by 10% when {Damage Taken} = {Defence}.  Reduces damage taken by 20% when {Damage Taken} < {Defence}]

(A/N: [Damage Taken] should be obvious, but [Defence] is pretty ambiguous. [Defence] is a hidden stat based primarily on equipment like armour and weapons as well as the END stat, but also shield-type skills)

It was a skill that further reduced the damage Dex would take based on his defensive power, which in turn made him well suited to being a tank. So that was what he did.

He purchased a shield to match his axe and practised defending against attack with whatever part needed a tank at that time; eventually he gained the [Defender] class that forewent most attacking skills in favour of defence and taunting skills.

Slowly but surely he became a niche celebrity in the tank community. He was not the best by any means, but he was trustworthy and often a first pick for any party that needed a defender for their raid.

It was during one of these raids that his effort finally paid off, the skill that had allowed him to excel evolved.

The conditions should have been impossible, surviving two fatal blows in a row without healing was not an easy feat, but he had managed - if only barely.

(A/N: Fatal blow in this context refers to damage equivalent to 150% of a player’s HP before any conversions)

With it [Sturdy Body] had evolved into something vastly superior:

[Dwarf-Steel Body (S): Your body resonates with its dwarven ancestry and endures like steel, you become highly resistant to damage. Reduces all damage taken by 10%. Reduces all damage taken by 25% when {Damage Taken} = {Defence}. Reduces all damage taken by 50% when {Damage Taken} < {Defence}]

To some the change would seem minor, but it was anything but.

To eliminate half of all damage taken by simply defending could be the difference between life and death; especially for a build dedicated to defence. The [Defence] secret stat already weakened attacks without extra skills buffing it, so for Dex, with his [Dwarf-Steel Body] passive skill, players and monsters below a certain level couldn’t so much as inflict [1HP] worth of damage.

Dex’s stats and equipment were dedicated to maximising defence and so he had been more than capable of blocking Annie’s attack.

That was more powerful than I had expected. Dex thought as he looked at his HP gauge. The bar had decreased by less than a tenth, but even that was surprising.

He had been confused about what Annie was planning as she cast useless skill after useless skill and realised her spirit had become stronger after its skill had been cast. However, he did not falter and the moment the attack ceased he launched his own back in return.

Dex made use of [Counter-Attack] which became more powerful when used directly after an enemy’s powerful attack; with Annie being as strong as she was, [Counter-Attack] became that much more dangerous.

However, after his counter, Dex didn’t chase. Fighting alone was hard for a tank, but their strategies usually boiled down to a single move: Defend, counter, heal - repeating that until the enemy ran out of stamina would guarantee a success (most of the time at least).

Dex had confidence it would work for that match though. He didn’t have all the info, but could tell [Spirit Summoners] were an all-rounder-type of class, the kind a defence specialist excelled against.

The boss has a lot riding on this. Dex thought, briefly glancing up into the translucent crowd. I’ve got to win.

This fight was going to be hard and Dex knew it.

- - -

The crowd screamed with excitement as Dex launched his counter attack, the battle beginning in earnest.

Annie recovered quickly and fired off yet another skill as three empowered tridents formed from the rain and flew forward like bullets.

Yet Dex defended once again. The first trident burst against his shield, the second was parried away and the third was crushed under his axe; but all was not pointless as this left him exposed and Annie could make use of another attack - exploiting this opening.

In a split second she used a skill to empower her water spirit Eve before having it fire a blade of wave-like water from its tail.

For the first time real damage could be seen on Dex as blood seeped from his chest; and while the crowd went wild in excitement, those with experience could tell the damage was still minimal - Dex still had the upper hand.

Recovering almost instantly thanks to a posture related skill Dex attempted to close the distance, something Annie desperately wanted to avoid and so activated another skill.

By using Eve’s skill [Heavy Wave] Annie was able to summon an abnormally large wave from the moat below that did not affect her, but crashed brutally onto the rest of the arena. 

Nevertheless, Dex remained steadfast in his approach and activated [Bunker Shield] that had a long cooldown, but created a large defensive barrier around hims; blocking the knockback effect of the wave.

However, he had miscalculated.

Between the heavy rain, the irrigated land and that last attack, Annie had inadvertently created a quagmire. Dex had not expected a change in environment and left himself open for a second time.

Annie released another devastating attack by firing off three more tridents that all penetrated Dex’s dwarven skin.

“GRAAAAH!” Dex screamed out, allowing his emotions a quick release as he attacked in retaliation, swinging his axe with another wave of power.

This time Annie was prepared and activated a real defence-type skill, but could not entirely escape the danger and took yet another large amount of damage.

It was hard for the crowd to tell who had the upper hand at that moment. Annie had lost far more health than Dex, but she was also attacking far more frequently such that she had begun to chip away at her opponent.

It was truly anyone’s game and as they continued to trade blows back and forth, the crowd exploded with excitement.

More and more powerful spells came forth from Annie’s spirit, but each time Dex defended perfectly; their fight was much longer than both of the others, but infinitely more exciting as Annie and Dex gradually became more tired.

However, as it always had to, the end of the battle approached.

Annie was running low on mana and a single counter from death and while Dex surely had the upper hand, he too was in danger as all Annie required was one undefended attack to kill him.

Annie knew that the next attack would be her last and so she had no choice but to put everything she could into it.

Annie empowered her spirit as much as she could, syphoning her mana into Eve so that she could use its most powerful skill: [Deep Sea Drill].

It was a single, highly condensed and pressurised blast of water that could shatter diamonds; by far the spirit’s strongest ability, but to manifest such pressurised water drained Eve of all her spiritual power so it could only be used once before Annie’s spirit would need to rest.

The dolphin stopped moving and hung over Annie’s shoulder as a swirling ball of dark liquid appeared at its snout, gradually growing in size and extending to form a shape longer than an arrow, but shorter than a spear.

Dex did not hesitate to lower his stance and ready his shield - he too knew that it would come down to this final attack.

The water began to spin faster and faster as it increased in size, the rain almost seemed to be drawn in; finally it fired.

The spinning bolt flew faster than almost anyone could perceive as Annie fell to her knees, held up only by her staff, and Eve dispersed into the water around itself.

In an instant the rain around Dex was blasted away as the spear collided with his shield, drilling into it with immense power like nothing he had ever felt before.

First contact pushed him back immediately by three feet and even as he regained his stance he continued to be pushed back for almost a minute longer as the attack continued, drawing in all the water around it to remain powerful.

“AAAAAAAH!” Dex released a battlecry as he came to a stop and attempted to push back - gathering the last of his strength to face off against a ranked player’s most powerful attack.

Annie watched with hopeful eyes and the crowd had gone silent in her ears as she desperately watched her attack drill into Dex’s shield.

Everyone watched with bated breaths to see how the final clash would end and soon it did, with a single resonating sound:

*CRACK*

The shield had splintered under the weight of Annie’s spell and like opening a floodgate, the waves washed over Dex.

In the next instant his entire shield shattered and the [Deep Sea Drill] pierced through him.

His lifeless body flew through the air with a grin spread across his bearded face.

He had failed, but not even that could dampen the joy he had felt from that last bout.

The rain ended as his body hit the floor, blood pooling up beneath him while his body faded:

“Annie wins!” Loki announced, their cheer genuine but unenthused - a sentiment unfelt by the rest of the crowd who exploded into frantic excitement as the last duel concluded.

Annie only smiled as she too faded away, unable to stand for herself.

That was fun. She thought while closing her eyes.

[Duels] had ended in Walpurgis’s victory and so it came down to one final event.

Not that Loki intended to allow it to be as normal as it should be.