Chapter 41 – A Taste of Endgame

We face off as the Plaguebringer stares me down, his eyes pulsing green with magic. A thick green smoke emerges from his hands, quickly forming a vortex above his open palms.

“Toxic wave!” He shouts, the two vortexes expanding into a single large cloud before he pushes it forwards, stretching the poison cloud into a long wave of miasma that extends away from his body.

Oh, shit! I scramble as I turn and start sprinting. I throw a glance over my shoulder at the rapidly approaching wave of death. I watch as the wave washes over my two half-orc Hoodlums who run for their lives, only to see them fall over as if someone cut their strings. They grasp for their throats as their skin turns an even deeper shade of green while dark bubbles start appearing everywhere on their bodies. It only takes three seconds for the notifications to appear.

[Your underling (Half-Orc Hoodlum(9)) has been slain by Unknown(23).]

[Your underling (Half-Orc Hoodlum(9)) has been slain by Unknown(23).]

By then I have already shoved my way through the wooden door, closely followed by Cobra and the wave of poison. My underlings have already started sprinting down the tunnel ahead, knowing there is no point in delaying. I nearly lose my balance as I press forward, glancing over my shoulder as often as I dare. My heart leaps with joy when I notice the wave dissipating behind me. Luckily for me, the spell has a limited range, granting me a moment of respite.

I keep running as fast as I can. Knowing the enemy Villain is a higher level than me, he probably has the stats required to easily catch up. Trying to match his attributes is a fool’s errand. I need to delay him as much as possible.

The Plaguebringer curses loudly as I hear the sound of the wooden door being slammed open. I grin as I realise he must have sprung the trap. As I run, I quickly fish out one of the potions I armed the trap with.

[Minor Glue Potion. Uncommon. Restricts the target with a strong adhesive, limiting their movements for a short time.]

The glue was expensive, but right now I think it’s worth its weight in gold. The quality of the potion should be potent enough to keep a high leveled opponent locked down for a short time, and it should be more effective against a mage class character who probably has a low Strength stat.

Not one to take any chances, I refrain from trying to find out how powerful the glue really is. I keep running, following the same tunnels we used getting here. The only time I slow down is when I reach the junctions where I sat up more glue traps, making sure not to trigger them myself. The Plaguebringer’s shouting has already died down, but I’m not willing to stop and find out if he really gave up or not. We don’t stop until we’ve exited the sewers and moved three blocks away.

Gasping for breath, I find a nice alley to sit down and hide in. That shit was intense. How come there is another Villain down there? And such a high-level one to boot. I can’t believe I survived that encounter. By all means, I should have been dead; five times over. It’s only dumb luck that I ran into a Plaguebringer, and not a Witch Doctor, Blood Mage, or a Vampire Lord. God. That would have been catastrophic.

I release a deep breath. This is a real mess I have gotten myself into. The Plaguebringer is one of the least played Villain classes out there, and that is only because of its lacking combat potential. The class is still strong, don’t get me wrong, but its spell repertoire is easily countered by a group of strong assassins. It’s a mage type class that relies on using mostly damage over time type of abilities and area of effect spells. They can dish out a lot of damage over time, but they severely lack skills that can kill enemies instantaneously.

The class is perfect for killing lots of low-level enemies and they have access to some unique alchemy skills, making them able to brew extremely deadly concoctions to use against their enemies. Some of the things they can create could potentially wipe out an army, given they have enough time to set it up and an effective means of spreading the plague. The class is basically the fantasy equivalent of bio-terrorists.

This is bad. Whatever the guy is doing down there, it can’t be good. I start massaging my temples. I should probably stay as far away from that guy as humanly possible. He is far too strong for me to be able to deal with, and I wouldn’t last more than a few seconds in a straight-up fight. How did he even get down there? Being level twenty-three means he’s been playing for a really long time, and playing in this city specifically is harder than most. There is no way he should have been able to escape the Noob Zone either, which means he has probably been lurking around down here since launch day or somehow managed to sneak into the city from somewhere else.

I can easily see how a Villainous character who spends most of their time sneaking around in alleys and hiding could stumble upon these sewers, but it’s still an impressive feat for him to do so. I doubt I would have been able to find the sewers on my own, at least not before I would have spent a considerable amount of time skulking around in the alleys. Considering the guy only managed to reach level twenty-three after three months means he probably didn’t find this place quickly either.

I sigh. Sooner or later, more people will find and utilize these sewers. It’s kind of odd how the place has stayed a secret for so long, especially since I doubt Drenerys is the only city in the game with a sewer system. At one point or another, the information will leak on the internet and the place will get flooded by people. It’s only a matter of time. This is why I need to exploit this place as quickly as I can. I’m racing against the clock here, and this damned Plaguebringer is messing things up.

He put his lair in the middle of the Harbour District’s sewers. It’s really hard for me to play around him, and I need to kill the level appropriate monsters in this area if I am to make any sort of headway. Him guarding the place will only slow me down.

What was he even doing down there though? Why would he create his lair in such a conspicuous area? If I were him, I would probably find a derelict building deep in the Shanty Town or something to set up, far from the prying eyes of players. He must have a reason for it.

From what I can remember about the Plaguebringer class after I read up on them a week ago, I already know that they can concoct some really nasty plagues. That’s probably what he’s doing with that ominous-looking cauldron he had down there. Shit. That probably explains the strong smell of death I felt from so far away. It’s basically a beacon that says something bad is about to happen.

Plaguebringers can brew some really nasty shit. The plagues he can create are dependent on a various amount of factors, like the types of ingredients he uses, the time he spends brewing it and the means of spreading the plague. I already saw he had a bunch of high-level and valuable ingredients stashed away, so whatever it is he is making, it’s definitely potent. I don’t know how much time he has spent making the plague, but from what I read, the process can take anywhere from three to ten days, dependent on the potency of the plague. It’s a lengthy process for sure, and it gives plenty of opportunities for other players to sabotage the process, but the potential results could be devastating.

A plague brewed on high-level ingredients for ten days could wreak havoc on the population above. The highest level players, guards, and NPCs might survive whatever it is he’s making, but the majority of players and NPCs could just outright die. That could be devastating for the city’s population, as the economy will take a huge hit. The NPCs may respawn after a few days, but that could be enough time for serious harm to be done to the progress of all the players in the city. For a top guild like the Dark Pegasus guild, having the economy practically shut down for two days would be a huge setback in the competition against the other top guilds.

Attempting something like this against a city with a population as big as Drenerys is extremely ambitious, and the experience gained alone would probably be enough to launch this guy’s level into the triple digits. Easily. Pulling off a thing like this should be impossible with so many players walking around, and this might not have been possible at all if it hadn’t been because the Dark Pegasus guild insists on keeping the sewers hidden. If he stays hidden down there, the chances of players stumbling across his lair are low, and the sewers’ stench masks the repugnant smell of death. Spreading the plague from such a central area as the Harbour District as well…

Damn. That’s probably why he set up shop where he did. It’s a central location, right on top of the main Cistern of the district. Whatever he puts into the cistern will easily spread to everywhere in the city, covering the entire population simultaneously. The city would need to mobilize an army of priests and paladins to clean out the plague before it kills off the entire population. Even if they managed to do that, many would still die.

Really. The mayhem he can cause. It wouldn’t be good. It really wouldn’t. Especially for me. With my low level and abysmal health pool, it would be extremely difficult for me to survive this plague if I become afflicted by it. And if I die, then it’s all over. I’d get corpse-camped at the respawn area with no mercy. I don’t know what kind of shit he is brewing, but whatever it is, it must be very hazardous to both me and the majority of the player and NPC population.

I sigh. I really don’t have time for this. I need to get rid of him somehow. The question is how.

Well, getting rid of him would be really easy actually, if it hadn’t been because it would affect me as well. Since he has already started creating the plague, he won’t be able to leave the project unsupervised until it's done. An immobile Villain is an easy target. The only thing I would need to do is to tip off Anna that a Villain strutting around in that general area, and I’m sure she would clear the guy out before I even have time to heat up a cup of tea. The problem with this though is that it would tip off the Dark Pegasus guild that the sewers are no longer a secret, and they would know Villains have managed to infiltrate it. This would probably cause either Aria to start another purge of the city, or force her to start patrolling the sewers or all the sewer entrances. I’m not sure how long I would be able to dodge those patrols, but sooner or later, my luck would run out.

I need to think of something. Anything. My first priority should be to stay alive. The plague will probably affect the entirety of the city, except perhaps the Noob Zone. I could probably hide there, but I don’t have any idea of when his plague is done brewing. It could be anywhere from right now until nine days from now. I don’t have that kind of time to waste. Sitting still in the noob zone would just result in me wasting time, followed by two days of complete chaos. Besides, my main concern about keeping the sewers a secret would no doubt be compromised anyway. Ratting him out would be a better option. Not optimal, but better.

I sigh. This would have been so much easier if I could just tell the Silver Saints and have them deal with the problem. That would have been too easy though. You can say alot about this game, but it certainly follows the trend of all its predecessors. No matter the threat looming above their heads, NPCs refuse to lift a finger unless the wrongdoing happens in front of their noses. This is especially true for things pertaining to other players. If I told them a plague was about to descend upon them, they would probably just shrug it off and tell me they ‘don’t get involved in travellers business, and they are sure I’ll figure things out on my own’. I suppose I can understand where it comes from. This is still a game, and as a player, I need to play it myself. I’m sure this is the reason why Aria had to use the notoriously unreliable players to purge the noob district instead of the city guard.

The only way I could actually have the NPCs murder the Plaguebringer would be if I hired a team of NPC mercenaries out of my own pocket. While that certainly is a possibility, I really don’t see the value in it. To kill a player thirteen levels above me, I would have to pay a premium to hire several mercenaries close to level thirty. That would cost me several hundred pieces of gold! I don’t have that kind of money.

Think, Ryan, think. If you can’t kill him yourself, and you can’t tell the Dark Pegasus guild, then what options are left?

…

I get up on my feet and start pacing around. This is quite the conundrum. No matter how I look at it, there’s no winning. The better option would be to have him eliminated as soon as possible. Could I perhaps talk Anna into killing him without telling Aria about it? How would I do that without sounding suspicious as hell? No. Perhaps if I managed to draw him out of the sewers somehow. That could work. I just need to figure out the closest exit and set some bait. Hell, the guy probably has to leave the sewers to get some ingredients at one point or another anyway.

No. There is no guarantee he doesn’t have everything he needs already. I should try to bait him out. It’s risky as hell, and there are no guarantees I’ll succeed, but it’s my best chance to get rid of the Plaguebringer while keeping the sewers a secret and Aria out of my hair for a while longer. I wouldn’t even consider this plan if it wasn’t because I’m still fairly low level and having to reroll my character isn’t a complete disaster yet. I just wish I had a safe way of doing it though…

I need some time to think.

I do some light stretches before I round up my underlings and send them off to gather at the warehouse. No matter what I decide to do, I need to pick up some more supplies and get my two half-orcs up and running with some new gear.

I set a slow pace northeast while mulling over my disposition. No matter how I think about it, I just don’t have a good solution to drawing the Plaguebringer out into the open. I need an ace up the sleeve, an ace I just can’t seem to find.

My first stop is an alchemy store that sells all kinds of potions and ingredients. The store is a dime a dozen around the city, and since I’m a fair distance away from the Market District, there are no players nearby to interrupt my scheming. I pick up half a dozen more glue potions as well as an assortment of oils and vials of acid. I’ve really come to like creating traps that utilize liquid substances and it has brought a certain amount of flexibility to the way I can approach most fights. I don’t think I will ever not create more glue traps. Those things are freaking amazing!

The next stop I make is at Odin’s place. The grumpy little halfling is nowhere to be seen, and one of his NPC apprentices man the store while he is off god knows where doing whatever Grandmasters do at this hour. I decide to stock up on materials to last me a week as I’ve noticed that my profession skills still advance steadily despite only using the most basic recipes. I should probably upgrade these sometime down the line, but it’s an expensive endeavor, and the basic traps have worked just fine for me so far. My main focus should be to grind some more skill levels first.

The final stop of my round of shopping is all the way back in the Shanty Town. I need some new gear for my dead Hoodlums, and the best place for this is at Ulf’s Weapons’n’Armor.

“Oy! Where tha’ hell have ya been, boy? We have been lookin’ for ya all over town.” The silver toothed fence grunts as I walk into the store.

“Uhm, hello to you too.” I say, furrowing my brows. “What do you mean you’ve been looking for me? Who’s we?”

“Tha’ organisation. Who ya think it was? Tha’ fairy queen’s aunt?” He grunts while shaking his head. “Useless little…” He mutters, the last part of his sentence disappearing under his beard.

I rub the bridge of my nose. Let it go, Ryan. You’re too young to get a brain aneurysm. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. What do the Silver Saints want with little old me?”

“Shh! Keep it down ya dimwit! Ya want the entire city tha’ hear?” He hisses at me, throwing a cautionary glance at the door. The dwarf jumps off the crate he’s standing on and hurries over towards the door, cursing with every step he takes. After shutting the door and closing the shutters on the windows, he hurries back over towards the counter.

“Listen, boy. Tha’ organisation requires ya skills for a little… excursion of ours.” He says with a hushed voice.

Wait a moment. Is this what I think it is? It sounds an awful lot like I’m about to receive a-

Syndicate Slaughter

Class Quest. Difficulty: Hard (?). Deadline: 5 Days. Rewards: 1000 Experience, 1 Class-Unique Soulbound item.

A local crime syndicate has been trespassing on the Silver Saints’ territory as of late. The syndicate has raided several of the Saints’ warehouses and murdered a few of their members. The group is led by the fourth son of a disgraced Dark Elf noble named Alzahr Farq’Mel. The Saints demand you take his head.

Do you wish to accept this quest?

Holy fudge nuggets on a stick! Is this an NPC generated class quest? Do they even exist for Villains? Wow. I have been scouring the internet for three months about anything related to quests or end-game content for Villains, and I’ve come up with nothing. This is huge! Not only have I accidentally stumbled upon an NPC faction that deals with Villains, but I’ve also managed to get a chance at a class quest. Am I the first to stumble upon this secret? If no, then how many know about this and keeps it secret? This is huge. I think I just got a small taste about what the end-game content for the Villains is in this game.

“So wha’ do ya say, boy. Ya up for it?” Ulf says.

I take a deep breath. “Oh, hell yes.”