The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 43: Aura

Honour is degenerative. Bravery is a fever. The brave make kinship with the leper.

Crucis limped back to the [Arts Building], looking tired. His first task had been to kill some of the nearby [Novice Guards], in order to steal their equipment. There were some weaker enemies of this type to the West of the [Arts Building], guarding a small bridge, and a few level 45 ones patrolling slightly South of that. Crucis remembered the [Novice Guard] killing quest from his early days as an Assassin, and comfortably killed off the low-level enemies by the Western bridge. However, after attacking them, he lured them slightly Southwards so that, if DicingDevil checked on his map and was alerted that Crucis was in a fight, it would seem like Crucis was fighting the level 45 guards. When he had collected a full suit of [Novice Guard] armour, he returned from the quest feigning fatigue, in order to pretend that he fought the stronger level 45 enemies.

He was pretending to be fatigued and to have a light limp, because it would help him slightly when they returned to Kruxol. Claiming to fight the higher-level guards would also make him blend in better with the rough-and-tumble, swashbuckling culture of [DeathGang] Assassins.

As he entered the building, he saw that DicingDevil was facing him.

"Were you fighting the Novice Guards for the quest?" asked DicingDevil.

"Yeah, they were level 45, it was tough," sighed Crucis.

DicingDevil laughed. "I guessed, because you were wearing the [Enmity Talisman]. Anyway, it looks like you need a brief rest. Tell you what, a few weaker players in the Spy sub-class told me that there are some much lower-level Novice Guards nearby, like levels 10 to 15, and those can also be fought in this quest. In case you were finding it too difficult."

"Ah, really? That would have been nice. It makes sense, now that you mention it, since players can get the quest at level 30. Still, the drop rate on equipment was high, so I have a suit now after a few fights."

"That's true. Good show. Anyway, we'll head back to Kruxol in ten minutes, get the quest rewards and rest up."

DicingDevil walked back calmly towards Darys, to further discuss the war plans. DicingDevil hadn't felt the need to stay near Crucis in this area, since there was no real chance that Crucis could meet someone from another Guild deep here in DeathGang territory. He had instead been running errands around the area. When he briefly passed by Crucis, Crucis sat down and pretended to be resting between fights. Since Crucis could also see DicingDevil's location due to the party mechanic, it was easy for him to avoid fighting the low-level guards when DicingDevil might be watching.

As Crucis returned to [Arachon], the NPC congratulated him on completing the quest. He got a moderate level of EXP, and gained the [Spy] sub-class skill [Incognito].

"This skill will allow you disguise yourself as the ordinary denizens of this world, the guards, the townsfolk, even the soldiers," said Arachon, in a grandiose tone, "You will be able to blend in seamlessly and avoid scrutiny. To do this, you will need to gain a set of equipment relevant to this character class, typically by defeating members of it or purchasing it from local stores. Once you have enough of these to complete a set, you can use this skill to spoof the name of this character class, and you may switch your level to another number so long as it does not exceed the highest level of local characters of this type. If you use the skill without a set of armour on, you may use it to target a character class and find out what items of equipment you would need to fit in. This may all sound complicated, but you will learn it quickly by practice. You may take two quests to hone your skills, one to the East and one in Kruxol. Choose wisely!"

"I will take the one in Kruxol," said Crucis.

"Very well. Wearing your [Novice Guard] outfit, enter two of the small guardhouses around the borders of Kruxol, and kill a [Novice Guard] from each. These range from level 30 to level 45, so be careful. It is important to pay attention to the habits of enemies: if they are typically slower than you, then slow down when imitating them and being watched. Too much irregularity will lead to scrutiny. This is why the townsfolk are often the easiest disguise, since they seem innocuous but can get away with more irregular behaviour since they are not expected to behave like an acting guard or soldier."

Crucis had seen these guardhouses before. Most were inaccessible to non-guards, and were staffed by high-level guards who he couldn't fight yet. However, a few were watched over by a [Novice Guard], mostly in places where few players entered Kruxol. All guards in these positions would quickly attack players with red names who tried to enter the city. He checked his quest log, and saw that he would have to both enter two guardhouses, and kill two guards. He figured that it might be easier to just get a red-name and lure the guards out, then enter the guardhouses after killing the guards. While this wasn't as nifty a use of the disguise feature, it did prevent him from having to try attacking in Novice Guard armour. Instead, he could use his favoured weapons, and the Novice Guards would probably die quickly.

Once DicingDevil was ready, Crucis followed him through the trees until they reached near Kruxol. Crucis saw a few players patrolling the East, but not as many as before. Crucis heard the sound of loud voices coming from the town centre, and guessed that players had left their patrols here to conference with their Guilds. The East of Kruxol was mostly empty, and DicingDevil turned down a small alley into an empty street that led to a closed building.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you, but I have an alt who's in [The Fountain] Guild," said DicingDevil, "I use him to spy, he's much smaller than this account. However, he was given a command in Guild chat yesterday to come to the East of Kruxol today, with other members. I think they said to gather shortly before 6am, around daybreak. That made me suspicious, and maybe it relates to their plans for war."

"Is that part of why you guys were having a meeting?" asked Crucis.

"That, and more harsh fights with organised groups voyaging out from Kruxol, probably to document our locations and weaken us in early skirmishes."

"Interesting. We should make sure to return to the East by daybreak, to prepare for war."

"Sure thing. Anything you need to do in Kruxol?"

"Place my inventory in Storage, then we can go into the wild freely. There's no urgency."

"I also need to do that. Let's go."

They both walked up to the Storage building, and stood in line. Crucis had been walking tiredly and with a slight limp, so he ended up behind DicingDevil in the queue. This had been his plan: if DicingDevil entered the Storage building first, then he would have to leave after depositing his items. If players weren't in queue or inside the building, they were required to stand some distance away to clear space for other players. The result is that Crucis would be able to store the golden dagger without much risk of it being seen. Hence, walking with a slight limp had an immediate advantage here. The other advantage is that his own Agility was much higher than DicingDevil's, and this would allow him to conceal it and act as though DicingDevil was clearly the senior, more developed player. This initial impression might make DicingDevil less suspicious, and less worried that Crucis could run away and hence needed to be watched carefully.

When it was Crucis' turn to enter Storage, he first slowly off-loaded the Novice Guard armour, until DicingDevil was some distance away. Crucis then quickly slid the golden dagger and placed it into a box, that then went into Storage. Since it was nearly 3am at night, the glow of the dagger was not highly pronounced, and it did not bring much attention. After depositing most of his inventory, he walked slowly back to [DicingDevil].

"Did you learn anything else from The Fountain Guild chat, involving DeathGang?" asked Crucis.

"Yeah," replied DicingDevil, "They were complaining about DeathGang being South of Kruxol. I don't think that our members go there often, so I'm not sure what they on about. They mentioned that one member was found there and his face looked as though it had been acidified or even eaten off, he had died in extreme pain. I think they had patrols just because people were scared of dying similarly. It didn't look like DeathGang."

"Ah, I see. Well, they were patrolling it earlier, but decided that it was all clear. So it probably wasn't DeathGang. But it should be safe to gank some players down there, maybe the Guilds will divert resources from the war in order to deal with any DeathGang to the South."

"You're also into ganking?" said DicingDevil, amused. "Yes, that sounds like a good plan."

"Then I should switch to my alt, he's a Mage. We already have one Assassin, don't need two."

"Alright, where will he spawn?"

"Near the inn entrance."

"Alright, walk over there then switch, I'll watch and make sure that it's your alt."

"Sure."

Crucis followed DicingDevil towards the street in front of the inn entrance, and then switched his character to Cael. He was still in the same party.

DicingDevil looked surprised, "This Mage is also high-level. Well done."

"I fought solo during the draugr war," said Cael.

"Ah, alright. Before we go South, I need to get some weapons."

As DicingDevil entered the Weaponry Store and browsed carefully, Cael sat outside. Drawing out a piece of paper, he sighed quietly. It would be trivially easy for him to use Mage skills like [Minor Illusion] to communicate with players in larger Guilds, meaning that DicingDevil's scrutiny was ultimately useless. Since DicingDevil was not a Mage, he had underestimated Cael's ability to avoid detection. Regardless, Cael had more interest in a DeathGang victory than a victory for Kruxol's big Guilds, as the latter would give more confidence to anti-ganking forces and this would soon prove a hindrance. So DicingDevil needn't have worried, though Cael was now tempted to message the big Guilds some information just because he could.

He wrote the word 'sarcophagus' with the [Illusory Quill Pen], and saw his mana deplete slowly. He then used the spell [Lesser Aura], as he was curious if the little-used spell would have an effect on the mana placed on a page. He found that the mana on the page suddenly stabilised, and the text seemed to be slightly more boldened. Since the text was his unused mana and was located within the aura cast by the spell, it had also been converted into a part of the spell's mana aura. He found that he no longer had to spend MP to keep the text upon the page, only as upkeep for the [Lesser Aura] spell. However, [Lesser Aura] would only allow him to cast offensive spells, and there were no targets for this outside the Weaponry Store. Due to this, he withdrew the mana around him, and the text disappeared.

Opening the Skill Mastery window, he saw that an upgraded version of [Lesser Aura] would not only allow for non-offensive spells, but would also remove the MP cost for upkeep of the aura. However, it would also prevent you from regenerating mana for the duration of the aura and an additional minute after this. Cael had read on the forums how this was a net negative, as removing MP regeneration would still sap a lot of MP without using it to strengthen the aura. In the case of [Lesser Aura], this was debilitating: it drew on the mana in the aura to convert into spells, so if it couldn't gain MP then you would be limited to only casting spells with the small amount of MP used to cast the spell initially. That would limit you to one weak spell at best, at the expense of no MP regeneration for a minute. Even in more powerful versions of the spell, it would reduce the effect of the aura over time, while the lack of MP regeneration would be impractical in most battles. Most players barely used the move to begin with, and did not develop it in Skill Mastery because it would take up space that could be used for better spells.

However, for Cael, converting the aura into spells did not require it to draw on MP, because it was supplemented by the effect of the [Illusory Quill Pen].

When DicingDevil returned, Cael said that he wished to visit the Alchemist's Store briefly. As he entered it, DicingDevil waited outside. Cael bought a cheap [Lesser Aura] scroll, and looked through a couple of other spells that were now available. He picked up scrolls for [Mana Sphere], a spell which allowed the caster to gather mana into a sphere and then cast it at his opponent, and [Vein Ice], a spell which sends a line of mana that attaches to the opponent and causes damage over time. These cost 3,500 gold each. He also purchased a few buff spells, including the Dexterity buff [Thief's Hand], and the Strength buff [Charging Bull's Heart]. This would make him more useful when travelling in company.

He used the extra [Lesser Aura] scroll in the Skill Mastery interface, to upgrade his [Lesser Aura] skill. The new skill had the following description:

[Lesser Aura* | Turns your mana into an aura, which can be converted into any non-elemental spell. Costs 20 MP to cast initially, and prevents you from regenerating mana for one minute after the aura is withdrawn.]

He also studied the other scrolls.

[New spell! Mana Sphere. 30+ MP, grows stronger with more MP used.]

[New spell! Vein Ice. 70 MP.]

[New spell! Thief's Hand. 50 MP.]

[New spell! Charging Bull's Heart. 50 MP.]

[Notice: If outside of battle, you may cast a combination of up to 5 buff spells at once, for a total cost of 120MP.]

"Done in there?" asked DicingDevil teasingly, as Cael left the store.

"Yep. Sorry, had to learn a few buff spells."

"Ah, that's reasonable."

They walked quickly towards the South of Kruxol, and since nobody was around they headed into the woods. It was about half an hour until 4am, when the night would be darkest. They wandered among the trees, and Cael cast [Young Deer's Speed] so that they moved faster. Soon, they heard two players fighting mobs in a nearby clearing.

DicingDevil faced the source of the noise, and scanned the clearing with sword raised. The players were levels 40 and 25. The level 40 was a male with a garbled name, and the level 25 was a female named [Blozom] who was carefully emulating the more experienced player. Both were covered in fairly thin armour. DicingDevil leapt towards the level 40 character, who was a Knight, and surprised the player with a [Slash] just below the neck before using [Stealth Cloak] to hide. Cael remained crouching in a set of bushes, difficult to see in the night. He used [Spark] to keep the Knight in place, so that DicingDevil could get a clear strike. He was surprised to see that the Knight dropped to the ground helplessly.

"Some guy got my neck! I can't see him in the dark!" screamed the fallen player, "Run, Bella!" Seemingly the player had confused the powerful [Spark] with the after-effects of a slash to the neck, and hence over-estimated the wound and fallen down in resignation. DicingDevil had actually missed the player's neck.

As DicingDevil knelt down and grabbed the level 40 player in a firm [Chokehold], the level 25 Blozom started to run off haltingly through the dark in the rough direction of Kruxol. It was difficult to run through the woods at night. Cael used [Minor Illusion] to pretend that a tree branch was in the way of the player's flight, and, as Blozom tried to jump over it, Cael used [Mana Push] on the player's legs to shove them aside while still in the air. Blozom hung horizontally in the air, and eventually crashed to the ground.

DicingDevil had used [Silent Stab] to pierce the back of the Knight's neck, followed by [Dagger Twist]. As the Knight tried to get up, DicingDevil easily grappled him back to the ground, leveraging the chokehold and slashing at the neck and spine until the Knight fell flat back onto the ground. Cael guessed that DicingDevil was of the [Ariston] sub-class of Assassins, a class which was based on trapping the enemy and then striking relentlessly. Its grappling skills were not as strong as the [Snake] sub-class, but its spatial awareness and harsh strikes meant that it had several adherents.

The Knight changed his approach, and stopped trying to get up. Instead, he used slightly higher Strength to shove DicingDevil away from him, eventually sending the Assassin skidding away across the ground.

Cael was preparing to help, but saw Blozom scrambling to her feet to attempt to flee once more. She was using a tree to support herself, as she did this. Cael used [Mana Strike] to shove Blozom harshly into the tree, sending her tumbling to the ground again. He then used [Vein Ice] to create a cold line of mana, which he then cast at Blozom. It attached itself across the back of Blozom's left arm, and froze painfully across her skin. She had difficulty moving her arm.

"I think there's a snake!" screamed Blozom in alarm.

Meanwhile, DicingDevil had tripped up the Knight as the Knight tried to get back to his feet. Resting back into a [Chokehold], the Assassin used [Dagger Execution], grabbing his dagger in a reverse grip and dragging it harshly across the back of the Knight's neck. The Knight tried to scream, but DicingDevil had shoved a spare shirt deep into his mouth. Smiling, DicingDevil rose up from the ground and used a [Forceful Kick] to the Knight's throat, killing the Knight.

While Blozom was trying to get up, Cael had been preparing [Mana Sphere], gathering his mana slowly into a sphere. When Blozom finally began to scramble away again, after about 20 seconds, Cael cast the [Mana Sphere] at her, and the gathered mana struck her hard. She collapsed to the ground. Cael had used about 110 MP on that sphere. She only had 4% HP left. DicingDevil quickly walked up to the female, crouched, and held her in a [Chokehold] until she died.

"This pig was squealing," said DicingDevil softly, "so we should get away from here before someone comes to check."

They both rushed away from the corpses. Cael saw that this couple had been carrying plenty of gold, but other than that held mostly fashion items.

"There's a cave South-West of here, I was told, it has some rare enemies in it. Let's head in that direction," said DicingDevil.

However, they were interrupted by a loud rustle in the bushes behind them. Someone had heard the cries of their victims, and had pursued them.