Spell 07 : The Victory

*SLASH*

*CUT*

'Fatal Dive!'

The numerous ghouls lay in a dead pile surrounding the knight. They were terrifying creatures, of levels close to the 70s, and had vicious poison breaths that could kill a person by inflicting major damage over time. But now, they have been reduced to nothing but a heap of dead flesh. All by the work of one knight.

The knight was holding onto a claymore blade, with dragon tatoos splashed across the blade of the sword. A fiery red gem was inscribed in the hilt of the blade and was pulsing gently. The sword was roughly half the length of the knight's body and it was polished to reflect the knight's own shining armour, which was also magnificent.

Clad in plate armour from head to toe, there was nothing that could penetrate the knight's defence. Splashed across the vest of the knight was a tabard that displayed an insignia in the shape of a dragon as well.

Just then, a foot soldier entered the room where the knight was in. He gave a salute before speaking.

'M'lady, the castle has been secured. All the zombie ghouls in the other rooms have been eliminated. All the credit goes to your detailed planning and execution. The capturing of Eden Castle has been smooth so far. We've lost only 12 soldiers so far.'

The knight plunged the claymore into the stone floor, causing cracks to appear. As the knight removed her helmet, a long sheet of amber brown hair flowed out. She brandished her hair back and gave a sigh of relief. Finally, after days of careful planning and sneak attacks, they have finally managed to reclaim Eden Castle that fell to the might of the Undead army.

'Good work, soldier. Send the men back to our camp and tend to those who are injured at once. I will report back to the commander at once.'

'Yes, m'lady. It has been an honour serving beside you, Lady Vanyssa.'

'It has been an honour too. Now, go.'

The soldier gave another salute, and left the room.

Vanyssa looked around her, and felt triumphant.

I can finally relax! Now, there's only that school anniversary to look forward to...

For the upcoming battle, I stocked up on various dried foods as well as cheeses to deal with hunger. Which also reminded me that I probably will need to pick up Cooking if I have to stay well-fed in this game. RoyalRoad is quite unlike other MMORPGs that I have played so far. Everything about RoyalRoad is so realistic, and that includes problems like fatigue and hunger. You can't just bless or buff hunger away, and the only way to solve hunger is food. Fortunately, it is probably much easier to cook in the game then in reality

RIght now, in my arsenal of Invoked spells, I only have Frostflame Bolt. Powerful it may be, I still need another spell that can aid in me battle. So I decided to Invoke another spell.

'Cast Fire Strike!'

'Cast Luminous Light!'

With the spell of fire in one hand, and the spell of light in another, I used the same process to Invoke the two together. This was the first time I tried Invoking a combat and a non-combat spell together.

I wonder what I'll get...

*DING*

[p=center]Gained new spell : Flashbomb!

Flashbomb Beginner Level 7

You create a bomb that is able to blow off to stun enemy units for a duration based on the level of Fire Strike within an Area of Effect (AOE) based on the level of Luminous Light. May also blind units, causing them to miss on attacks. Chance of blinding is based on level of Luminous Light.

Caution : Affects ALL units, including allies. Unless unit is blind in the first place.

Mana-cost : 400[/p]

Ho-damn! This spell will be extremely useful if I can pull it off using a surprise attack! Or I can also use it as a distraction if I need to escape somehow. I just have to warm my allies to close their eyes before I use this spell though. If they listen to me, that is.

To be honest, I have been wondering whether I could lead them effeciently. My level is nothing to speak about, and yet I was appointed to lead the party? I wonder what was Aeyssrya thinking. True, my acquired fame is high enough to influence certain NPC decisions, but players will not be affected at all by my Fame. Real players only care about levels and gear, things which I lack.

I reached back to Yggdrasil 3 hours later, as instructed by Aeyssrya. Sure enough, there was a squad of 25 Moondori rangers waiting in attention as Aeyssrya briefed them on the mission. From what I could tell, they were all level 25 and above, carrying mostly bows or crossbows. Only about 5 held blades.

So my squad of troops is mostly ranged attackers huh... Looks like I can't use a frontal assault. I have to cripple the enemy defence from afar first somehow...

'So! You are the puny one that's gonna be our tour guide huh?'

I turned around to look at the speaker. It was a middle-aged looking man, with two gigantic axes strapped to his back. He sure looked menacing enough to scare people. I'm guessing this guy's a Berserker. Berserkers are a crazy bunch. They get stronger the longer they fight, and whenever they get into their bloodlust... Let's just say they aren't able to distinguish friend from foe. From the looks of it, this guy will probably be the least likely one to follow my orders.

'Yes, I am.' I answered.

'Look, you're a nice kid. And I'm sure you love the taste of adventure. But boy, this ain't just fun and games. This is a battle we're talking about. Where real men fight, and death is everywhere. You do best t-' Before he finished, I cut in.

'I was appointed leader of this party, and that is what I shall become. If you have problems following my orders, I ask that you leave the party now. Otherwise, you can stay. And you will listen to me.'

He guffawed loudly at this.

'Listen to you?! What the hell are you saying, boy? Just look at yourself. Do you think the trolls will be afraid of you? No! They'll just laugh at you and finish you off! Let me lead the team, and the trolls will have something decent to fight with!'

I was about to lose my cool when I stopped myself just in time. I knew this guy will not back down unless I prove my worth. Since he wanted to do this the hard way, then I had no choice.

'Alright. I'll let you lead the party, if you can take 3 hits from me without dying. Deal?'

I was planning on him on taking the bait. I knew his pride would not let him back down on a challenge from someone he just called weak. So, I definitely have to take this chance to exploit whatever advantage I have over him. And just as I expected, he fell for it.

'3?! I'll even let you hit me 10 times. Come on then, let's get it over and done with. Then I can bring us to go fight some trolls!'

He stood up and moved to the center of the room, folding his arms as though waiting expectantly for some presents to come to him. Everyone else in the room were looking at this scene unfold with much interest. Aeyssrya and the Moondori moved back to the walls, as though giving us more space to carry on with our fight. The rest of the players in the party remained seated in their chairs, also watching carefully.

So to be a leader, I have to prove myself. Man, this sure is exciting!

Sure, 3 hits from any other level 18 mage may amount to just a scratch on a warrior class, even on a low-defence class like the Berserker. But, as I smiled to myself, I am not just any other mage.

I am the Invoker!

'Cast Frostflame Bolt!'

With Mana Manifest, I continued empowering the spell. The Berserker looked at me cautiously. He had obviously not seen a mage that could launch a ball of fire and frost before, much less put it together and hold it in his hands. When I judged that I had reached the limit, I released the spell.

It was a direct hit! The spell exploded right in his abdomen, causing him to stagger and fall in a ball of fire. He hurriedly tried to put out the flames and stood up, albeit with much effort. He opened his mouth to speak, but somehow, he could not get his words out. Obviously, he was in much pain.

I was also surprised by my own ability. I did not expect the spell to cause so much hurt. All the added Intelligence I have received had increased my spell power by bounds. I began to cast another Frostfire Bolt when he put up his hand.

'No! Stop! That spell just took out nearly half of my HP! If you cast another spell like that, and if it's a critical hit, I'll die! Enough! I give! I give!'

Feeling a moment of satisfaction, I put out the spell. Just as I expected, this Berserker had invested all his stats into Strength, and had not even bothered to train up on either his Stamina nor Endurance. In short, he was a glass cannon. Glass cannon is a common term used in many games. It refers to gamers who just focus on bringing up their damage as much as possible, thus neglecting other stats that could have helped raise their chances to survive. Though glass cannons would be exceptionally good damage-dealers, they die so easily that they might not even get a chance to dish out damage in the first place. Luckily for me, I took him out first.

I sensed a stony silence, and glanced around the room. Everyone had shocked faces, including Aeyssrya. I cleared my voice.

'Okay. So that's settled. Anyone else have disregards with me leading the party?'

Nobody said anything.

'Fine. Can I have everybody to gather outside please? I just have some things I would like to confirm with Amazon Aeyssrya.'

As everybody filed out, I went up to Aeyssrya. Just as I opened my mouth, she cut me short.

'Impressive, Magi Crow. You put up quite a display of ability. I believe you have quelled all the misgivings your party had of you previously. I must say, you mages continue to impress me. Now, I know what you want to ask me. The troll encampment just lies south from here. Take this voodoo doll. I acquired it from one of their kind. It will vibrate when you point it towards the direction of the encampment, in case you lose your sense of direction in the forest.'

'Now, off you go. Use the translocating orb outside to bring yourself to the bottom of the tree. Your party is waiting for you. Best of luck to you.'

When I went outside, the Moondori were in a file and standing in rapt attention. The non-NPCs were discussing things in a group and fell silent when they saw me.

Gosh, must they always hear some sort of a speech from me everytime before we do something?

'Right. We will complete this mission, do or die. The citizens depend on us! Of course, I will definitely have a battle plan once I assessed the situation there. For now, we shall travel south. May the Spirit of Nature bless us all!'

The Moondori gave a cheer and one by one, they lined up behind the orb and disappeared. The effect of Fame on NPCs was really great. Even something that was not really inspiring could bring about such morale when one with a high Fame says it. Soon, everyone was translocated.

The roots of the trees. This place here is nothing like the above. It was like a cloud of despair hung over the place, causing everything to look gloomy. The fact there was nothing except roots did nothing to improve the situation. We were all standing on gigantic tendrils that arced downwards. There were so many of them that it looked like a symphony of roots down here. I peered through the roots and saw something like a civilisation beneath some of the trees. The gigantic trees here were supported by their equally gigantic roots, so naturally there were spaces beneath the trees for civilisation to grow. If you cannot picture it, open up your fingers and curve them downwards like claws. Now, put your hand on the table with your fingers supporting your palm. That's exactly how the trees are grown like here.

I suppose these settlements were Wood Elf cities. Well, they had nothing to offer me right now to fight these trolls, so I should probably move along. I assessed the Moondori, and had them spread out a little with the 5 blade-wielders encircling them. With so many ranged attackers, it was necessary to give them some sort of cover if we were to be attacked. Of course, 5 was definitely not enough, but I had to make do with the small number of bladers I had. Using the voodoo doll as our guide, we set off.

For a while, we walked in silence. Then, the only female character in the party spoke up.

'Hey, let us not be so hostile to each other. Well, since I'm the only girl, I expect you guys to protect me! I'm Kiry by the way. I'm a monk. How about you guys?'

'Hello, I am Felix. I am a warlock and I specialise in summons. I have plenty of curses too, in my arsenal. I know what the trolls can do, so leave it to me to counter their spells.' The one who was hooded spoke up.

'Hey all, I'm Connor. Paladin here. I can heal and tank.' The one who wore the most amour spoke up, though his was not that difficult to guess, looking at his weapon of choice, which was a mace.

'Alright, I'm the oldest here. My name's Gabriel. Berserker's my class. Word of caution though, don't stand too near me when you see me going red.' And of course, the unruly one had to introduce himself.

Silence followed afterwards, and I realised it was my turn to introduce myself.

'My name is Crow. Well, I'm a mage.'

'C'mon, there's definitely more than that. You can't be just a mage. I saw the spell you used. That wasn't something any normal mage could throw out!' Felix said.

'Well, you could say I specialise in combining magic, I guess. It's only a little more powerful. That's all.'

I decided not to reveal too much about my class. I wanted to be as low profile as possible. At least, among the human players. Too many questions really can annoy the hell out of me.

Then, all of a sudden, we were attacked! Shadow imps appeared out of nowhere and started to shoot cursed flames at us. Demon guards that held blades of green fire charged towards us.

I recovered from the shock and took hold of the situation.

'Bladers, protect the archers! Use your swords to protect the archers from the cursed flames! Archers, shoot down the imps first! Felix, use your summons to protect the archers as well!'

And with that, the fight began. Gabriel and Kiry immediately leaped forward and started attacking the Demon guards. Connor furiously used Holy magic to smite the enemies and heal those who were injured. I shot Frostfire bolts at the imps as well, taking most of them out in one hit, thanks to Mana Manifest.

Fortunately, we were attacked only by a small party of demons that were probably scouts. We took them out rather easily. None of us died, thanks to Connor's healing and blessings. Morale went pretty high after the battle.

Felix, however, was not happy.

'Sorry to break the moment, people, but I do have to warn ya something. When we warlocks use summons, we create a pact with each demon we summon. Though the pact only lasts as long as the demon is in this world, once it is prematurely ended, we can feel the loss. Sad to say, when we killed these demons, I have a pretty good feeling those warlocks who summoned it felt it. Those trolls will be on their guard now. We better be more careful.'

And with that, everyone became sober and more alert. We continued walking, and soon, we saw the encampment.

It was pretty lively with activities. From afar, we could see that there was a gigantic green fire in the middle of the camp, and there were Demon guards poised around the perimeter of the camp. There was no way we were getting close without getting spotted. We definitely need something to protect us if we were to attack.

Bingo! I could try creating some spell to help us!

'Cast Frostbolt!'

'Cast Barrier!'

Maybe infusing something with protective magic like Barrier could give us something useful...

'Invoke!'

*DING*

[p=center]You have gained a new spell : Mistcloak

Mistcloak Beginner Level 7

You create a temporary cloak of invisibility using the powers of mist that shields you from the eyes of the enemy. Amount of presence masked by the cloak depends on the level of Barrier, and the duration of the ability depends on the level of Frostbolt. Any damage received will break the invisibility.

Mana-cost : 80[/p]

Not quite something I had in mind, but this will give us the element of surprise we need! However, the mana-cost was too high even for me to keep up with for 30 people including myself.

'Connor, do you have something to bless me with to increase my mana-pool?'

'I do, but it's not that strong. I can increase your mana by 300 with a blessing.'

'It will have to do.'

I was bathed in golden light, and my mana pool increased by 300! I had only just about enough mana to cloak 25 people.

'Alright, people. Listen up. I will now cast a cloak of invisibility over you. I only have just about enough mana to cloak only 25 people. And this cloak will only last for about 7 minutes. It will only break if you take any form of damage. So here's the plan, I will cloak the 20 archers, myself, Connor, Felix, Kiry and Gabriel. We will move stealthily past the guards and directly into the camp itself. From there, we will spread from the center of the campfire. Take care not to touch anything. The moment you are inside and your position is secured, I want you to close your eyes. I need you to believe in me, alright? Just close your eyes, until you hear a loud bang. Then we will commence the attack.'

'The 5 bladers! You will be in-charge of causing a distraction along with Connor. I want you to charge straight into the Demon guards and attack them. Connor will heal and protect you with Holy magic while under the cloak. Try not to let him take any damage or he will be revealed. I want you to hide yourselves behind those bushes. Once you see a bright flash in the village, commence the plan. Keep the Demon guards busy. Remember, timing is key for this to work.'

'Any questions?'

Connor put up his hand.

'Yes?'

'What is this bright flash you're talking about that seems to important?'

'It's a bomb I will make. Do not worry though, it will only serve to blind and stun those who look into it when it explodes. I plan on throwing it into the campfire itself, where everybody is performing their rituals. Anything else?'

No one said anything. They looked confident. I then proceeded to cast Mistcloak on the people I mentioned. Those under the effects of Mistcloak vanished immediately! I cloaked myself last.

'Alright, we shall begin the plan now. Remember, we only have 7 minutes. I will keep track of the time. Once the 7 minutes are up, I will launch the bomb. Therefore, move swiftly and position yourselves well. I cannot afford to have the invisibility broken before I set off the bomb. Since we can't see each other, I can only trust you all to follow my lead.'

'Everyone, foward!'

I picked up my pace and ran towards the encampment. All was good so far. From where I was standing, the Demon guards should have been able to see me. But they gave no sign of surprise. So all was good. I proceeded up the slope and walked towards the campfire.

It was quite a sight to behold. The trolls were all dancing in some sort of a ceremony, hollering themselves dry with wicked words. Their imps were dancing along with them. I counted the trolls. There were about 30 of them. The Demon guards amounted up to about 30 as well. Only the imps were in large numbers. There were close to about 60 of them! Fortunately, they had low health, and were easy to take out.

I moved myself near the campfire and waited patiently. I had only about 2 minutes left.

'Cast Flashbomb!'

Using silent casting, I formed the spell. With Mana Manifest, I continued charging the spell with power. Some of the imps stopped dancing and looked around. Beings of magic such as imps could tell when magic was cast. I cursed myself for forgetting that little bit of information I picked up from the readings in the Enchantium. However, the imps looked away and continued dancing.

I knew I only had seconds left. I stood up, and shouted.

'LOOK AWAY NOW!'

All the trolls and imps stopped dancing and immediately turned their heads towards the campfire. I immediately threw the Flashbomb in the campfire and bent down to cover my ears and eyes.

*BAAAANG!*

It was like a crack of a large cannon! The green fire must have added some strength to the spell as well! Even with my eyes closed, I could see white light.

I opened my eyes, and shouted.

'ATTAACCKKKKKK!'

The archers appeared one by one out of their invisiblity and immediately fired arrows at will towards the trolls. All the imps and trolls were blinded and stunned. Most of them couldn't move and were sitting ducks for the arrows. Kiry, Gabriel and Felix immediately pounced on the trolls as well. And then, there was a commotion outside. The 5 bladers were commencing their attack as well!

Luckily, my Fire Strike was at a rather high level to allow a greater stun duration from the bomb. Plus with Mana Manifest, the trolls and imps were immobilised for a whopping 6 seconds! During that time which a lot of them were taken out by our attacks. By the time they recovered, only about 12 trolls remained, and a quarter of the imps were still alive, but barely. They begun counter-attacking, but from our fierce onslaught, they were not really a match for us. Some of the Moondori took fatal hits, and perished, but it could not be helped as Connor was outside protecting the bladers. There were some other troll warlocks that were in tents when the attack began, but were also taken out by the archers who positioned well that they had advantageous vantage points.

All in all, it was a huge success. The attack from within dealt a swift and deadly blow to the trolls. I left the situation in the camp to the rest, and ran out to check on Connor and the bladers. They were fending off well on their own as well. Connor was diligently healing and blessing them. I lent my aid by shooting at the Demon guards. Before long, they were all dead. We headed towards the campfire to check on the situation.

Every single troll warlock was dead, though a few managed to escape. But considering the damage we dealt to them, I don't think they would be back anytime soon. From killing higher level trolls, I gained 2 levels! And learnt a new spell as well!

[p=center]Gained new spell : Sunflare!

Sunflare Beginner Level 1. 0%

You call on the heat of the sun to strike an enemy from above. Usable only when outdoors. Extremely powerful against units weak against fire.

Mana-cost : 100[/p]

Excellent! Something new I can Invoke with! But more on that later...

With triumphant cheers, the human players looted everything while the Moondori stood at attention, waiting for possible troll reinforcements to come. When everything was cleared, we headed back to Yggdrasil.

During the battle, 6 archers unfortunately died. It was inevitable, but luckily, the human players all survived.

Aeyssrya was waiting in the audience chamber, and she came out when she heard news of my arrival.

I nodded to her and reported the results of the battle. She was saddened by the loss of the archers, but was satisfied that the trolls were banished.

'You have done a remarkable job. All of you will get your due rewards. Moondori, you are relieved of your duty for now. Please go back home and visit your familes. I will personally visit the families of those who perished. Magi Crow, a word please.'

She went back into the audience chamber, and I followed.

She sat down, and gestured me to sit as well.

'You have shown bravery and remarkable battle wit in overcoming your odds. From organising your troop formation to commencing a rather unorthodox battle plan that took out a an entire battlement of troll warlocks and their demonspawn. Not many I know today possess that kind of ability. You have proven yourself well.'

*DING*

[p=center]Quest Completed!

You have managed to destroy the entire troll warlock encampment! Though a few managed to escape to perhaps bring news to their masters, you have assured the safety and peace that the forest will continue to have!

Quest Rewards : + 2750 XP, + 150g, + 700 Fame[/p]

I leveled up 4 times! A D-grade group quest that was so difficult to complete had such rewards!

'Of course, we will grant you free passage through the portal gates as promised. In addition, I have some good news for you. Ghanda has sent word to us that you shall be his representative in the Council. What this means that though you are not an official member of the Council yet, you shall take his place in meetings. Of course, you can participate in the meetings and your views will be considered by the Council though you are not able to make any decisions as yet. We are happy to induct you into the Council once you have proven yourself further. Right now, we are most interested in having you as a representative of Ghanda.'

*DING*

[p=center]New Title Acquired!

You have been nominated by your master to be his 'secretary' during Council meetings. You will earn a quarter of his wages from the Council and you are able to sit in on meetings. Do you accept?

Yes | No[/p]

'I accept!'

[p=center]Congratulations!

You are now a : Representative in the Council

You are given a : Mark of the Council![/p]

Another ring? Woah this is a little too good to be true!