Soldier of Xaia, Part 2 (6.1.2)
To commemorate me finally getting covid, the level 32 (my irl age) Wuhan Warrior is now available for battle in the Veil! It has a 25% chance to drop the Protective Mask item which reduces poison damage by 10% and reduces chance to be afflicted with poisoning by 30%. This item is a general accessory and can be worn by anyone.
6.1.2 [Build #141, Release Date: July 05, 2022]
New:
- A new challenge is available in the Veil!
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3a: "Get up, you've had enough sleep." - George
"What happened?" -Jack
"Shay wasted us. We're still in Auria, we've got to get moving."
*Knock knock knock* "Open up!"
George opens the door.
"We've just received word from our General. In exchange for taking Shay with you on this venture, we need you to do something for us." - Guard
"Oh, of course, now she wants to come." - Jack
"What is the errand?" - Jack
"Go to the Scarlet Cavern north of the city. Activate the glyph, and kill whatever creature comes when you do. You should be able to find a Scarlet Crystal. Bring it to us, and she'll go with you." - Guard
"Look, if it gets worse in Lvell, and the strike forces are becoming too much to handle.. if you're absolutely sure the city will fall, let us know. We'll reinforce, but we have to defend ourselves until then. We've been taking small concentrated hits all week." - Guard
"That explains her reluctancy... Thank you." - George
"Don't thank us. Thank Shay. I've got to go, get the crystal and come back ASAP."
The guard runs off around a corner.
"What do you think they need the crystal for?" - Jack
"Certain stones are said to increase the potency of an Umvi's powers. Clearly the girl has some powers. Come on. Get up. Let's go. We've got to make this quick." - George
The two exit the city through the Training Gate.
"I think this is the place." - Jack
"It is. Let us hope this is no worse than Shari." - George
They cut through the emberwolves down to the third level. George activates the glyph, and a pulse of fire radiates out of him. His hand and the glyph glow red. The ground trembles, and they hear breathing and footsteps. They turn to find a Flame Elemental. Upon killing it, the glyph shatters, revealing a Searing Titan. The Titan almost has his way with them until the panther returns and attacks with a series of combos, killing it.
3b. [Panther joins the party]
"Again saved by the cat." - Jack
"I think he likes you." - George
The panther looks at the party and waits.
"Is he waiting for us?" - Jack
"I think he wants us to follow him." - George
"He would be useful. Let's grab the crystal and go." - Jack
[George has learned Fire Bolt Lvl 2]
[Jack has learned Searingstrike & Combo 1]
"This should be it" - Jack
Jack takes the Scarlet Crystal from a chest behind the toppled glyph wall. They also find a Map Piece. The map reveals the Toxic Lair northeast of their current location.
"I think he wanted us to see this." - George
The panther hisses and then runs toward the exit. They walk to the end without speaking. When they get there, they see the panther waiting a bit to the north, on an overgrown but noticeable path looking back at them.
"Think we have enough time to take his detour?" - Jack
"No." - George
"He helped us. We kinda owe it to him." - Jack
"Fine. Quickly, though. It looks like from here to the cave on the map is about three times the distance as it was from Auria to here. We're adding a lot of time to this mission." - George
"When we get back, we'll be even stronger than we were before. Plus, for any mission given to an agent, the usual time given is at least a day. We have most of the day and all of the night left." - Jack
"Quickly." - George
"Okay." - Jack
They walk north on a quiet path, following close behind the panther until they reach the cave.
The panther looks at them and runs up the path into the cave.
Looking at the wall, George touches it and says:
"Toxic Lair. That's the name of this place. It's the training location for those in the art of Infection." - George
"There's a temple in Auria for every element the Umvi can use, right? So why is this here?" - Jack
"Every element except for poison and shadow. Those are looked upon as the dark arts of our world, and are often associated with evil in most legends. All the villans in childrens stories that were mages controlled those elements. Did you not pay attention during storytime?" - George
"I paid attention to that." - Jack
George gives Jack a glare.
"This is not good..." - George, looking at the Ooze ahead of them just passed the cave.
"Well, as long as we're here..." - Jack
The two decend into the Toxic Lair. Coming to an end at a Glyph wall only one level down, jaguar sitting near it.
"You wanted us here, didn't you?" - Jack says to the jaguar who is unresponsive
"Well, go on." - George
"You think it's more likely to respond to me?" - Jack
"Try." - George
Jack activates the glyph, creating a bright green light around himself and from the glyph. A rubbing on the rocks is heard, as though someone were dragging something. A group of ooze with rocks in them drag together and combine. Then it roars. A Infectious Titan lie in their path. The panther rises, tail pointed and pre-emptive strikes the titan. As the titan falls, so does the glyph wall.
[Tutorial: Pre-Emptive Strike]
"As I suspected." - George, looking at Jack's sword.
A green glow comes over the sword.
"Calling me a bad guy?" - Jack
"The wielder of the magic chooses their path." - George
"So I could be a bad guy?" - Jack
"You can be whatever you choose. Let's get back. We've taken too long already." - George
"We'd be fools not to take this." - Jack
[Jack has learned Infectionstrike]
Jack picks up a Toxic Crystal. The two look around, and the cat is gone.
3c. [Panther leaves the party]
"Think we did what we wanted it to?" - Jack
"Looks that way. Lets get back." - George
[The party can now add fire and poison damage to their weapons].
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They enter Auria through the Training Gate to find the city has started fighting off the invasion.
"This isn't good. We've got to get back to Lvell." - Jack
"Right." - George
"You're the two that went to the Scarlet Cavern. Did you get the crystal?" - Guard
Jack hands the guard the crystal.
"Great. Shay is waiting near the Trade Gate. Get back to Lvell, and hurry. Reports are saying they're taking full on assaults. You may need to evacuate." - Guard
"Understood, thank you." - Jack
The two find Shay waiting near the Trade Gate. A loud roar is heard as a Searing Titan crashes through the gate. It charges Jack and George. Seen behind it, a Shock Dragon charges Shay. The two dispose of the titan, and run to assist Shay.
3d. [Shay and Panther join the party as guests]
Before the battle is over, the panther seen earlier enters the battle, heals everyone, and combos the dragon relentlessly.
[Ixis special move - Enrage]
"We need to get to Lvell and bring both the civilian and military population here." - Shay
"It's that bad, huh?" - Jack
"Doesn't it look like it? We can't waste any time. Lets go." - Shay
[Ixis leaves the party]
The three head southeast out of the city.
4a: Upon reaching the city, Shay disengages the party and joins with the front ranks of the defense.
"Just like that, no goodbye or anything." - Jack
"She knows what she needs to do. There is no reason to talk when you can do." - George
"Fair enough. Lets get back to HQ." - Jack
They walk into the LPS building, greeted by Captain Arnold.
"Took long enough. No time to talk though. The creatures are attacking harder with every wave. We're not going to be able to take much more. Ah, Miss Reilly, you've come." - Arnold
They turn to see Shay enter.
"As the prophecy goes: 'In a war between man and beast, dragon shall reign supreme, torching the world below, leaving a crater for the crystal to rest. Should the crystal rest, the end shall befall man, and the world will be restored to its former glory. A feral landscape once more'." - Shay
"...that being said, our scouts have called in a report of a whelp gathering in Castalia. Where there are babies, there are parents. I'm going to need you two to clear it out. Sooner the better." - Arnold
"Just us?" - Jack
"Ixis will be watching over you." - Shay
"Ixis?" - Jack
"You've met." - Shay
"Go before the numbers become too much for us to take advantage." - Arnold
"Yes sir." - Jack
They leave the LPS building, heading out the South Gate.
"Do you not ever get tired of being told what to do?" - George
"It's not so bad. In exchange, I get to go to places I would've otherwise never gone. Meet people I would've never met. It could be worse." - Jack
"Not so bad when put that way. Think Ixis is the name of that cat?" - George
"I don't see who else it would be. At least we might get its attention this time." - Jack
They leave through South Gate. As they come closer to Castalia, they start running into whelps.
"Looks like the Captain was right. This place is crawling with them." - Jack
"Simple extermination." - George
Just before entering the city, they're caught by a whelp scouting party. They keep coming until one of the two falls. At that point, they're resurrected and fully healed.
4b. [Ixis joins the party as a guest]
The cat comes in with a combo to kill half the remaining whelps. From there, they pick off the rest, ending the battle.
"Hm. Knew you were Ixis." - Jack
The panther looks at Jack, and starts to walk into the city. George and Jack follow. After several battles, they reach the center of the ruined city. They kill off a few whelps, and the rest run away. All at once, they stop, and turn toward the group. A roar is hear. A Searing Dragon swoops in and attacks.
After the battle, the Searing Dragon flies off, leading the majority of the whelps out of the city. Some run into the nearby cathedral. The party follows and walks to the back where there is an altar. On the altar is a book.
"What have we here?" - George
In the sky, city of crystal, made not of man, but of gods
Become one with land, earth made anew
Overrun by beast, hope to despair
The Tyrant awakes. So shall Altima
"Any idea what this means?" - Jack
"There's supposed to be some city in the sky.. it's all just legend, so I'm not sure about any of this. I think it's saying that the city that was once part of the ground will crash back into the ground." - George
A bright light radiates from the book, and it is gone.
"Well there goes the proof." - Jack
"I think it will appear where we need it to." - George
"You think? Wonder what we'll hear next. I think I heard about this when I was younger. The crystal city... it exists. Umvi in the past kept it afloat when Castalia and Shari fell." - Jack
"How did it fly in the first place?" - George
"Air and earth magic? I don't know. It's all just speculation. The city has long since been cloaked, so there's no proof anymore that it even exists or ever did exist." - Jack
"Nothing more we can learn here then." - George
"Yeah. Let's get back." - Jack
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They return to the city, and go to LPS building.
"I see. So, we're lucky the dragons haven't been trampling through our castle yet." - Arnold
"Looks that way. We should continue neutralizing clusters. If they pull enough weight together, they will strike in overwhelming force." - Jack
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. We need to evacuate." - Arnold
"So soon? There's barely any buildup." - George
"In the south, no, but there's a mass moving in on us from the East. They've been focusing so much on coming here that they haven't hit Auria hard yet. If we get there and reinforce, they won't even be able to breach the walls." - Arnold
"Dragons from the East? The Dragon Wastes are in the Scarred Land to the West." - George
"We think the dragons are coming from the northeast. The rest of the attacking ferals are from the desert in the east." - Arnold
"Then what's our next move? Just round up everyone we can and lead them out?" - Jack
"I'm afraid we have no other choice." - Arnold
"You two are going to lead the way to Auria, cutting down anything in your path. Ixis will be joining you." - Shay
"Could be worse..." - George
"Before you get there, I want you to light the glyph at the bottom of the Ruins of Alpha." - Shay
"You don't think that will actually work, do you?" - Jack
"We have got nothing to lose by trying. Take this, and light the glyph. If all goes well, a city in the Outland should respond with help." - Arnold
[The party receives a map fragment, revealing Toxic Lair, Scarlet Cavern, Auria, Castalia, Shari, Lvell, Ruins of Alpha, Desert, Crystal Lake.]
"So the history books say..." - George
"Get going. We're moving via airship and ground to Auria at dawn. If you activate the glyph overnight, our timing should be perfect. " - Shay
"Activating the glyph... doesn't that draw in more ferals?" - George
"That's why this is on rush. Go now. Once you complete your task, get to Auria. They'll need your support. - Arnold
"Yout got it." - Jack
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4c.
The two walk out, Ixis following. They leave the city through the northeast exit on route to the Ruins of Alpha.
"This is the place." - Jack
"Come here often?" - George
"Only a few times. Was here not too long ago with Miles and Andy." - Jack
"Preparations for this, I assume?" - George
"We were sent by the Captain to find the glyph... yeah. Think we caused this?" - Jack
"Anything is possible. It wouldn't be too out there to assume that any tamerping with the glyphs set them off." - George
"Yeah well, lets fix this while we can." - Jack
They get to where the first glyph was.
"This is where the first glyph was. Fire Elemental charged us before the wall collapsed." - Jack
"What colors?" - George
"Black and white." - Jack
"That's unusual. Usually the glyps amplify the powers of the Umvi who activate them based on the element the Umvi controls. You do have a difinitive element, don't you?" - George
"Here and there I've been able to use fire." - Jack
"And electric, I presume?" - George
"Yeah. How'd you know." - Jack
"I had a suspicion. You're special. Like her." - George
"You mean Shay?" - Jack
George nods. The two continue deeper until the third underground tier of the ruins. The back wall with another glyph, similar to the one on the first floor, but with more design. George walks up to it and touches it, with no response.
"You started it... looks like you have to finish it." - George
Jack walks up to the glyph and touches it. A radiating black and white light comes from around Jack and from the glyph. The ground shakes as the light begins. The light stops and there is silence.
"No fireworks?" - Jack
With earthquake force, the ground shakes again, rock falling from above. Humanoid shapes come from past the glyph through the walls.
"Shadowspawn!? What are they doing here?" - George
"Lets ask it before we kill it." - Jack
[Immunities]
The shadowspawn falls to magic, and the wall collapses.
"This is going to get worse before it gets better. If demons are walking this area... If the spawn are going to walk among us, this fight is going to get much more difficult." - George
"They attack without prejudice. At least they might kill off a few ferals." - Jack
"I think we'll lose more people in the process." - George
"I hope you aren't right." - Jack
Fighting through shadowspawn, bats, emberwolves, rats, and ooze, they reach the glyph wall at the bottom of the ruins.
"You know what to do" - George, motioning to Jack.
This time, the panther stands facing opposite the wall, waiting. Jack walks up to the glyph, similar to the last. This time, before he touches it, writing lights up on the wall. He jumps back.
When the Tyrant awake, so shall Altima.
"This was in the writing at Castalia." - George
"What's Altima?" - Jack
"It's supposedly an Umvi, locked away in sleep. " - George
"I assume no ordinary Umvi." - Jack
"No... not ordinary by a long shot. He was able to command both Holy and Shadow magic. Opposing forces all in one." - George
"What's this have to do with us?" - Jack
"Well, the powers of Umvi are passed on when they die. Sometimes to someone they know, sometimes back to the planet, for the planet to decide. Altima didn't die when he stopped the First Invasion. He's simply sleeping, in an earthbound stasis. He's said to be somewhere in the Ruins of Omega." - George
The glyph lights up, almost asking to be activated.
"Do it. We have to get back to Auria." - George
Jack touches the glyph, and the same bright white and black light surrounds him and radiates off of the wall.
Auria and Ma'Shara as one.
The panther growls, and the two turn to find all the creatures die one by one. Out of them arise shadowspawn. One approaches and ignites, taking the form of a Flame Titan.
After the fight, before it falls, Jack radiates a blue and white aura and slashes through the titan with an icy cut. The titan freezes over and shatters.
"Nice trick. Most Umvi are lucky to master one element." - George
"I don't even know how it happened." - Jack
"Luck's on your side. We're going to need it getting out of here." - George
"Yeah lets ignore the frozen rock from a power I'm not supposed to have." - Jack sarcastically.
"Works for me. There's no sense thinking about it now." - George
"Yeah.. we've got to get back to Auria." - Jack
[Jack has learned Froststrike. The party can now add Ice/Water to their weapons]
They return to the top of the cave, fighting shadowspawn along the way. As they get closer to Auria, they see strike forces attacking the North gate.
"We should sneak in through the Trade Gate. Let's not be seen by the creatures." - Jack