Ignoring the virtual pain coursing through his body, Beast quickly leapt backwards to prevent the assassin from leading onto her next combo skill, which would have definitely killed him there and then. After getting a safe distance away, Beast’s mind whirled into action to think over what exactly had just transpired.

Considering the circumstances, there could only be two possibilities, that either Kiki had suddenly flipped her switch and finally decided she wanted to kill him or Savathrox had somehow managed to control the girl. The latter was infinitely more likely and it was possible that the warlock had a mind-control skill up his sleeves.

“Foolish humans! I will destroy every last one of you!” The inhumane sound came from Kiki through her lips mirroring the lich’s own while her eyes stared blankly ahead. It all but confirmed Beast’s suspicions.

Suddenly, Beast’s priority had switched from dodging the Lurker swarm to freeing Kiki from enemy control, only that he had no idea how he was supposed to get it done. Usually bosses such as Savathrox were meant to be defeated with a party, and having one of several members controlled was usually minor enough for the rest to kill the boss and free their friend. However, as there were only the two of them present here and Kiki was the main damage dealer between them, the situation had become much more severe.

“Goddamnit. What am I supposed to do? Oh, F-”

Kiki had disappeared again into her stealth mode and for the first time in his Ages Online gaming career, Beast felt an ominous presence descending upon his back. So this was how scary it was to have someone stalk and hunt you down. There was only one thing he could do in the presence of a foe he could not see – to hide and run.

“Think… think… think…” Beast repeated his mantra as he dodged from stalagmite to stalagmite, all the while regenerating his mana and trying to avoid being stabbed in the back. His paranoia was growing by the second, compounded by the pressure from both Savathrox and the Lurkers. Anytime now, a knife would come in from the shadows and end his miserable existence from this cavern. From what he could see, there was only a slight chance of victory at this rate. There was still something he could probably use, but the risk could be fatal.

After several minutes of pointless running in circles, Beast could not take it anymore – He will just have to bet on that slight probability.

“Lurkers, hunt him! Find him!”

“Prime: Bloodline aura!”

With his enhanced speed Beast sped towards the immobile Lich, throwing all of his strength into one punch. Surprised by his sudden manoeuvre, Savathrox abruptly halted his spell casting as knuckles smashed into his skull.

“Damn you!” The Lich screeched, even as Beast landed blow after blow on him. Then, with a tumble polished by days of training at the Penguin Dojo, Beast flipped sideways just as a gleaming dagger materialise from the shadows and plunge into the space where he was in a moment ago straight into the screaming Lich. Before Savathrox could activate his Necrotic Burst again to fling him out of range, Beast grabbed onto the hands of the controlled Kiki and forcibly twisted it in the wound. The assassin's skill was forcefully activated, generating yet another otherworldly howl from the warlock.

Crash! The assassin was thrown off her feet at the same time, bringing Beast precious seconds of being safe from retaliation as the green burst activated and flung him across the room again.

As the boss monster lapsed into yet another of his necrotic storms once again, Beast sighed in relief. It was quite lucky that Kiki still retained some of her slight quirks even while controlled. Having countless experience of fighting alongside Kiki, he could grasp how the girl preferred to fight. Every single time he had tanked for the two of them, Beast had noticed that Kiki would always wait until the enemy had committed about four to five hits before revealing herself.

It was either that or she backstabbed at the first strike if she had confidence that she could immediately obliterate her opponent. She also refrained from engaging if the target’s attention was not on someone else unless she thought she could end it in a single combo.

“Well I guess this means she held me in high regards then.” Beast muttered.

In the end, it just became another matter of using the opponent’s damage against him. From afar, Savathrox health had dropped to less than a fifth left and in his desperation, the lich have started to increase the intensity of his attacks. Fortunately, the number of Lurkers had also diminished, giving Beast more breathing room in terms of evasion. Unfortunately, he was also down to his last healing potion, which means the next close quarter combat would probably be the last.

Kiki had disappeared from sight again.

After the necrotic blasts had blown away much of the Lurker enemies, it was time.

“Prime: Bloodline Aura!”

Beast infused all of his remaining mana into his next punch. Every 3 mana dealt 1 bonus damage; with his current mana pool it would assure at least 600 damage to the enemy. Everything hinged on whether Kiki was as predictable as he thought she was. By this time, the eyes of Savathrox were showing something else other than the usual contempt – fear. This boy, wearing nothing more than rags was crazy enough to charge right at him, dealing tons of damage every single time one way or another. Right at the current moment he was currently doing so with a resolute gleam in his eyes that stated his intention to end everything once and for all.

There was nothing Savathrox could do but to take it to the face.

Critical Hit!

The flurry of blows began, sapping away at his undead health. He activated his Necrotic Burst to try and displace him but the boy, as though he already knew what would happen, just swung himself onto his back and grappled him. The skill activated with a force strong enough to displace boulders, but he held on without concern for damage and pain.

He could not get him off. Should he use Necrotic Burst again? No, his newly acquired puppet would take care of the boy. All it would take was one single hit. At his mental command, his puppet appeared to put the boy in his place, her knife viciously stabbing towards the boy’s heart. He smiled in victory, the same smile appearing on his puppet’s face through the mental link.

Suddenly, the boy released his grip. Using gravity, he let himself fall, exposing Savathrox to the blade.

“No… No!”

For all of his hopes that it would finish off the boy, the attack was easily dodged and plunged once again into his undead body. Using the same trick as he did, the boy forced his puppet into her combo, dealing yet another damaging blow to his ailing body and incapacitating her with a sweep of her legs.

Then an elbow struck his head from behind with a battle-cry, followed by a series of lightning fast punches that rapidly drained his health towards the end.

“Necrotic Burst!” It was either this or death. If the boy did not care about the damage then he would just keep Bursting till the pest die from it. A sickly green flare exploded around him and the boy grabbed him again. But what he did not expect was for the boy to grab his head as a support. The disharmony of forces pulled at each other, ultimately cancelling each other out, but not before the boy pulled his skull off his neck with a clean snap.

His long undead life was finally at an end.

“Grhrkk.” The skull of Savathrox heaved in Beast’s hands. The Lore Keeper had not landed far. “I cannot fall. The Sundering... must… continue.”

Kiki had recovered and was getting on her feet. Beast threw away the skull with a look of disgust and hurriedly ran over to restraint the girl. He would be damned if he allowed her to enter stealth again.

“If only... that damned Vanadic…”

Beast stopped even as he maintained his grip on the hands of the struggling assassin.

“What?” The Lore Keeper found his voice after a pregnant pause. “Vanadic?”

There was no answer as the unearthly glow in Savathrox body scattered from the corpse and left the skeletal figure.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up.

You have levelled up

Chi has increased to Basic 6

Bare Handed Mastery has increased to Intermediate 2

Iron Body has increased to Intermediate 2

You have defeated Savathrox the Conqueror!

+95 Fame

+ 200 Public Relations with Scelenia

You have completed the quest The Secret of Lanos Part 2!

Deep under the Fortress of Lanos, you have discovered the remnants of the Sundering that had occurred hundreds of years ago locked in conflict with the remnants of the Lanos Knights of Scelenia. Both have been cursed by the other to remain even after death and it was only with your defeat of the Lich warlock Savathrox the Conqueror that the curse is released. Now the Lanos Knights can finally rest in peace.

Collect your reward from Agor.

Multiple windows popped up as soon as Savathrox died along with the rest of his summoned Lurkers, but Beast paid them no attention. He grabbed hold of Kiki who immediately crumbled like a puppet with its strings cut. She was still alive, if not a little injured. Only after making sure that the girl was okay did he then search the Lich’s remains for the one thing gamers look out for the most – loot.

And he was not at all disappointed.

You have discovered the artifact -

Sundered Gloves of the Conquerer

Type: Historical

Artifact, Equipment.

Gloves worn by Savathrox the Conquerer, one of the commanders of the dark army of the Sundering. It is said to hold mysterious powers that enable one to manipulate the very essence of mana around them for their own benefits.

Durability: 39/45

Value: 350g

Defence: 25

Magic Defence:25

Level restriction: 95

Job Limitation: Warlock

When equipped:

+ 35 Intelligence

+15 Wisdom

+ 300 Mana

Artifact Power:

Mana Drain

Cost: 0 Mana

Cooldown: 120 seconds

When activated, the wearer steals mana essense from the surroundings to recover mana at 5% of maximum per second for over 10 seconds. If an enemy is within 30 metres range when the skill is activated, their mana will be drained at 5% of the user’s maximum mana per second.

+2 Dexterity

+5 Stamina

+15 Intelligence

+ 8 Wisdom

Mana drain, a skill that is most definitely useful and it also has very good synergy with his Chi skills. Needless to say, Beast immediately wore his first piece of proper equipment since the start of the game. The job limitation did not even apply to him, he who can equip artifacts of all kind, and the level restriction of 95 had been halved by his profession.

You have discovered the artifact -

Phylactery of the Conquerer

Artifact, Item

The Phylactery of Savathrox the Conquerer, a commander of the Dark Army of the Sundering. It is said that the warlock used the Phylactery to contain his soul upon his defeat at the hands of Vanadic, Lord Historian of Alvastra and is how he still lived to wage war against the Knights of Lanos. The owner of the Phylactery has ownership of Savathrox’s soul, but be warned that he do not take to new masters kindly.

When used:

Summons Savathrox the Conquerer.

+2 Stamina

+10 Intelligence

+8 Wisdom

Your Archaeology has increased to Basic 8

“Oh my god.”

Beast was literally trembling with excitement by the time he read through the item description. Never mind he was receiving stats by the bucket-load and levelled up seven times. Never mind he received public relations for an ancient kingdom that was not supposed to exist. Never mind he just managed to catalogue Mana Drain. Everything paled in comparison to being able to summon a level 90 boss monster as his personal pet at his beck and call, though he probably would not do it until he became much stronger at the description’s warning.

The icing on the cake came when he spotted the same ring he had noticed during the battle at the feet of the Lich’s corpse. Now that he had seen it more clearly, it was a signet ring with a very familiar symbol on it. Picking it up immediately registered it on his notification window.

You have discovered the hidden artifact -

Vanadic Signet Ring

Type: Historical

Artifact, Equipment.

This is the signet ring of the House Vanadic of Alvastra. The bearer of this ring gains the authority of the Lord Historian as well as all power related to the position. People who knew of the legacy of Vanadic will recognise this ring and acknowledge its bearer. During the Sundering, the Lord Historian used this ring to bind the undead Savathrox the Conquerer to the catacombs of Fort Lanos so as to slow down the advances of the dark army when he discovered that the Conquerer would not stay dead.

Durability: 99/99

Value: ---

Defence: 1

Magic Defence: 50

Job Limitation: Lore Keeper

When equipped:

+10 Intelligence

Artifact Power :

Enhanced Prime

Passive

The power of the Signet Ring enhances the Prime skill, increasing the power of Prime spells through invocations for up to 30% increase in effectiveness. Cast time will increase based on the incantation.

+2 Strength

+2 Dexterity

+8 Stamina

+7 Intelligence

+ 6 Wisdom

Straight away, a scene similar to the one he got when he obtained the Vanadic Tome flooded his vision.

.................

He stood tall against the daemon in the Caverns of Crystals, not backing away even a single inch. After battling with it all the way from the surface down to the subterranean tunnels, he had finally cornered the commander of the Dark Army at the place he wanted it to be. Bodies of goblins and human soldiers laid around them, a tribute to the grisly outcome of the war. Now, it was time to take down the head with everything he had.

“You have spent so much time here.” Savathrox hissed maniacally. “So much effort, just to kill me. So many lived lost, just to corner me.”

The demon gestured to the bodies around them.

“It will be well worth it. I call upon the frosted wind of the spear Frigidaebolg. Prime: Celsius Lance!”

An ice spike materialised and shot towards the demon, initiating the start of the showdown. For a while, neither of them spoke as spells continuously flew, shattering the crystals adorning the walls of their location. Mana from both the casted spells and the broken crystals saturated the dank air of the tunnels, making it increasingly difficult to breath as the battle carried on.

Finally, he spotted an opening.

“Prime: Spark Light!”

At his command, his tome fluttered to the page of the invoked artifact where a huge beam of the light burst from the book towards Savathrox the Conquerer. The demon immediately countered with a green deathly blast of his own, but was quickly overpowered by the beam and blown all way into the cavern wall. He did not dare rest on his laurels, quickly following up with the ice spike spell used to drive through the demon’s heart.

“Hahahaha! You think that would kill me, but I cannot die! Hahahaha!” Savathrox lurched forward, ignoring the spear of ice that was piercing him, leaving blue demon blood in the process. A blast of green fire flew towards him and he sidestepped the attack, returning another ice spear. Savathrox simply did not bother to dodge anymore. It was obvious that life was leaving the Conquerer but what was it that was making him say that he could not die? Given the confidence and ferocity in Savathrox’s movements, it horrified him that there could be some truth in his words.

He panicked. Time was not on his side. He could not waste anymore killing something that could not die. The Sundering was still happening. There were places he still needed to reach. Now that it had come down to this, there was no other choice but to resort to his backup plan.

He would seal this monster under Fortress Lanos.

Removing the last object of power he had left on him – his signet ring, he began to mutter a spell as the crystals pulsed in resonance to his incantations.

............

Beast shook his head to clear his vision after the memory ended. It was interesting to say the least, but nothing he had not guessed from all the fluff text he had been getting. So Vanadic had been in this area before as well. Who was he, besides being the Lord Historian of Alvastra? Where did he have to go or do during the incident known as the Sundering? What was the Sundering exactly and his role in it? There were so many questions and yet no answers. Feeling that he would just waste his brain cells trying to speculate out an answer, Beast turned his attention to the present.

Bad luck does come before a windfall.

After a gruelling phase in his game life, he had finally gotten four artifacts in one haul and one of them was part of the legacy he was chasing after as part of his class quest too. It did not matter if the ring provides a paltry physical defense, the effects alone were much more than he could ever ask for. The Invocation mention should be the system that the mages of Ages Online use, where they chant before casting the spell proper as a way to power up the spell’s effectiveness in exchange for additional casting time. It was kind of similar to what Vanadic had been doing inside his visions and Beast could foresee many benefits to arise from the skill.

Suddenly, all the crawling through the dirt tunnels and surviving solely on antroach eggs did not seemed too bad after all. He could barely hide his joy and smile as Kiki began to stir in his arms.

“Urghh… no… Beast!” The moment she woke, Kiki began to murmur, the aftereffects of the mind control still lingering. After she finally recovered from her disorientation, the girl was very flustered when she found out where she was.

“I am so sorry!” She was on the verge of tears. “I mean… I almost died after that blast and then… I fell under his control … I was watching when I stabbed you… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Beast replied, still high on his discovered fortune. Kiki only gave back an incredulous look, surprised that there was little or no hostility at all even after her attempt at murder. It was not the reaction she had been expecting; Beast was actually smiling.

“Are… you sure?” The air of guilt hung heavily from her face.

“Yea. So did you get the experience from killing Savathrox?”

Kiki mutely nodded in reply. Indeed, she had gone up by a total of nine levels just from killing the Lich alone.

“Well, let’s get back to Agor and maybe we can say goodbye to the tunnels once and for all.”

……………

Back at Earth Lake, the inhabitants of the town were overjoyed to see the duo. Everywhere they go, they were welcomed with praises and thanks.

“Oh my, here come our heroes!”

“You have banished the Lich Savathrox and saved our town!”

“You are worthy to be part of the Lanos Knights!”

Agor himself was smiling from end to end, although there remained a sad look in his eyes. Beast could not help but notice this as he sat himself down back in the stone abode that provided him shelter in his duration here.

“Thank you.” The ghost of the past bowed deeply in gratitude. “By removing Savathrox, you have also removed the curse of un-death he had placed on my people. I wish I could reward you both with something substantial, but I have nothing left to my name. “

This probably means that getting one additional artifact to the haul was out of the question.

“I could offer you a chance to be one of us.”

You have received a Job Change offer

Hidden Job: Lanos Knight

The Lanos Knight is more chivalrous than other knights of the land, being renowned for their ferocity and skills back the Age of Conquest. Changing into this job will require you to abandon your current job and all learned skills.

Do you accept? YES/NO

A hidden job change! A look at Kiki’s eyes told Beast that she was thinking the same thing. A hidden job is usually rare to obtain and better than the normal run-of-the-mill jobs that one can get from major cities. Surely, being a Lanos Knight might be as advantageous as Derrilene’s Guardian class.

“I am honoured to receive such a request but I am sorry I cannot accept this.” Beast mildly refused. There was absolutely no way he was going to change his job after all the blood, tears and sweat he had vested into it, much less right after he had obtain an artifact haul to use. Furthermore, the story of Vanadic had grown onto him.

“I also refuse. Sorry.” Kiki quickly added. It seemed that her job had a few hidden perks that she could not give up on. Who would, after seeing how much damage she can deal in a single strike?

A quiet ding sounded as the notification window cancelled itself.

“Yes… yes surely. If this is the case, in the end I can only give you my word.”

“Word?” Beast inquired. The denied prospect of a tangible reward left a slightly bitter taste but anything was better than nothing.

“A favour I would say. That is my word.”

“Aren’t you guys going to leave for a better place?” Kiki asked.

“No, only those who are aware of their mortality will. The rest will probably remain until they are enlightened.”

Beast already knew this would happen. Logically speaking, a town cannot function without its inhabitants, and Agor also had a favour to return. Therefore the game would not really let them disappear and make Earth Lake a real ghost town. What he suspected however, was that a selected few NPCs would disappear, namely the secret craft skill trainers. It was fortunate that they already discovered them and learnt all that they needed to.

“I see.” Beast nodded. “Then we shall take our leave for the surface.”

Agor bowed once more as the spectre saw them out of the door. “Anything for the inheritor of our benefactor. There is a shorter way to the surface other than the fort sewers. Follow me, I will show you the way myself.”

You have completed the quest The Secret of Lanos.

Agor has acknowledged you as the successor of the Vanadic Legacy and promise you a favour in return for removing the Savathrox threat on Earth Lake. In the future in times of need, you can call upon the Lanos Knights for aid.

+ 20 fame

+ Agor's Word

You have levelled up!

You have levelled up!

The assassin girl gave Beast a raised eyebrow at Agor’s words.

“Beast, you are secretly smiling like a maniac.” Kiki quietly pointed out.

“No I am not!”

“…”

There was the absence of the usual banter between them. The Kiki in the past would surely have continued with her accusations and also wanted to know what Agor actually meant, but she did not. Beast chalked it up as the girl still getting over the effects of the mind control.

The rest of the journey upwards was conducted in silence.

…………

“FOR HONDURIA!”

A wave of cries chorused the shout.

“FOR CAERHEIM.” A lady clad in full iron armour with a gleaming exquisite longsword and shield in her hands yelled at the head of the Caerhiem Joint Operation Army.

And the drums of war rang true.

Intermission: Map of Caerheim

Author's notes:

This marks the end of my second volume. :)

If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review.

If you have some problems with the story, do leave a review or comment too so I can address the problem and improve.

Cheers!