Chương 79: Empire of Whales

The white-flame elemental was less cooperative than the wyvern. It stood near the ridge, its body pulsing like a furnace heart. Every bright flare pushed heat through the black rock under Meno's boots. Damage numbers came fast once the raid engaged, but every two seconds, a ring of fire burst from the elemental and rolled outward far enough to reach even the ranged players. [Elite Hostile: Ashwake Whiteflare | Type: Volcanic Elemental | Threat: High | Ability: Ember Pulse] The first pulse hit hard.

The second pulse hit harder because everyone understood it was coming and still had nowhere clean to go. Morfoos and Orlaqt tried to keep healing across twenty bodies, but two healers could only patch so many burn bars before someone's HP started falling faster than their casts. Meno's Self-Control shield dropped from twenty-five percent to fourteen.

"Bad," he said. He had no time to explain, so he used Preypool. A globe of water expanded around the elemental and swallowed most of the melee group with it. Almos, Sabra, Junebug, Latch, and half the front line immediately started scrambling for air. Nix somehow saw it coming and kicked out of the edge before it fully formed. The next Ember Pulse hit the water, hissed, and died before reaching the raid. Then the entire Preypool evaporated. Steam blasted across the slope. good save? bad save?

Meno drowned raid stop running cowards water gone lol"Keep up the damage!" Meno shouted. The melee reengaged with less confidence and more coughing. The rest of the fight turned into a damage race. The elemental kept pulsing, the healers focused mostly on Almos and Sabra, and everyone else learned to accept that burn ticks were part of their day now.

Meno started timing False Wings with each pulse, kicking just before the ring hit so the wing shield refreshed his Self-Control buffer instead of letting the fire chew into his one HP. It was clumsy, but it worked. The False Wings shield did not stack over Panic Pump's cap. It only pushed the buffer back toward twenty-five percent, and the moment Meno landed, the remaining shield settled back into the same battered line.

He held at fourteen percent through the last few pulses, cutting with axe and dagger while the white-flame elemental cracked apart. Five raid members died before it collapsed, including Latch and Junebug. [Elite Kill Confirmed: Ashwake Whiteflare] The corpse left a bright essence in the ash. [Raid Loot Roll] [Rare III Whiteflare Core] Type: Magical Ingredient Material Trait: Radiance, Volcanic"Useful," Meno said. Almos rolled one hundred.

100 tank privilage rigged perfect roll he ate the dice Almos sounded embarrassed.

"I guess I win?"

"You do," Meno said, annoyed because he could not even pretend to contest it.

"Congratulations." He summoned the Gravewurm as the dead players respawned, then opened the map to check their location. The five had resurrected near the southern ridge line, closer to the Vulcanic Breach entrance than Meno liked. A shrine sat beside a cracked stone road, and five Grave Crown dots waited inside shrine protection. Meno grabbed the reins.

"Get ready. Rescue mission." charge save Junebug rescue Latch He could not approach in a straight line. An elite magma hound prowled between them and the shrine, and the Gravewurm would pull it if he tried to cut through. Meno had to circle wide, fighting the mount's urge to go straight while nudging its head around trash packs, magma streams, and jagged rocks. The delay cost time.

By the time the shrine came into view, Meno spotted two hostile players waiting with weapons drawn, clearly hoping the dead raid members would get impatient and step out of protection. Junebug stood inside the safe zone with arms crossed. Latch paced like a rogue whose pride had taken more damage than his HP bar.

"Jump clean," Meno said.

"Do not pile." The raid jumped before he even dismissed the mount. Progress. [Mountstone Recalled] Meno landed near the front, and the raid crashed into motion around him. The two campers tried to back away, then realized too late that nineteen players and one irritated streamer were already on top of them. They died fast. [Player Slain: BigPillar] [Gold Awarded: 5g] [Karma +10] [Player Slain: Durnman] [Gold Awarded: 5g] [Karma +10] The two resurrected at the very shrine they had been camping.

Junebug waved at them before leaving protection, and Latch bowed with one hand over his chest, receiving rude gestures in return. Meno resummoned the Gravewurm.

"Enough. Hound next." The magma hound was a large rock dog dripping liquid flame from its jaws and shoulders, every step leaving small burning pools behind it. [Elite Hostile: Ashfang Magma Hound | Type: Volcanic Beast | Threat: High | Ability: Molten Gorge] If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. This fight went smoother. The hound's main attack was ugly but understandable.

It vomited a wide stream of magma at its target, and when Almos ate the first one behind his shield, his HP dropped so fast Morfoos made a strangled sound. Sabra stepped in before the next cast, took aggro, and angled the attack away from the party.

"Swap after every vomit," Sabra shouted.

"Copy," Almos said. They actually did it. Almos took one, Sabra took one, then Almos again. The healers got time to top each tank between attacks, and the raid kept the magma aimed away from everyone else. Meno stayed behind the hound, cutting into its back leg and building Chain while trying to ignore how much better the fight felt when people used their brains at the same time. The hound dropped under twenty percent just as the two shrine campers came back.

"Really?" Meno said. BigPillar and Durnman rushed in from the side, probably thinking the raid was distracted by the elite. They were not fully wrong. They were just too late to learn that Meno had built significant Chain on the hound. He turned, dumped five hundred stacks of Hundredfold Cleave into Durnman, and caught both shrine campers in the hit. The arc hit hard enough to send both players staggering.

They activated defensives immediately, pale shields and red damage reduction effects flashing over their bodies, but the shock had already cost them a second. Nix appeared behind BigPillar. Latch appeared behind Durnman. Both enemies locked up under stuns. Ruinelle raised her staff. The crimson bolt she fired was the largest Meno had seen from her so far, thick and bright, and it struck between the two players before exploding outward. Their HP bars almost vanished.

The rogues finished the rest before either player got to move again. [Karma +10] [Karma +10]"Good timing," Meno said. Ruinelle sounded pleased.

"Thank you." Meno used Panic Pump again, regained one hundred Chain, and went back to hitting the magma hound. A few seconds later, it died. [Elite Kill Confirmed: Ashfang Magma Hound] This time, gear dropped. [Raid Loot Roll] [Rare III Cinderwake Orb] Type: Offhand Focus Durability: Maximum Ashcast III: Fire-aspected spells deal 30% increased damage. Heatbank III: After casting three Fire spells, your next Fire spell costs no Mana. Ruinelle won it.

Meno watched the trade resolve and felt petty, selfish irritation crawl up his spine. Sharing loot with twenty people was misery. He knew that thought made him sound like an entitled streamer who wanted nineteen people to risk death while he collected every shiny object. He knew the raid had earned the drops. None of that stopped him from wanting the orb, the greaves, the core, and every other object the system had the decency to make lootable. Chat started spamming a name.

The Meta Desk META DESK LIVE Sera talking Grave Crown Mina has faction leaks watch watch watch Meno looked toward the ridge and checked for nearby patrols.

"Okay, five-minute break. I need to check the talk show. If any trash wanders near, big burst." He opened a stream overlay. The Meta Desk filled the corner of his view, clean studio backdrop, bright panels, and two hosts who looked far too well-rested for launch weekend. Sera Voss leaned toward the camera with a smile that said she had watched every disaster.

"PrayerBeadGod has done what he does best, Mina. He touched a system nobody understood and made everyone mad in under an hour." Mina Calde laughed.

"That is one way to describe planting a Grave Crown banner on Ashfang's Crown Vent and turning the most popular forty-to-fifty XP route into a faction war zone." Sera tapped her tablet.

"The big story is not only Ashfang. This forces the major guilds to pick factions earlier than planned." Mina nodded.

"Our sources say Kestrel, Thornwake, Moonwake, and PikeNorth are currently arguing about which kingdom to choose. They want to stack the same faction, which is expected, efficient, and honestly a little disappointing."

"Stacking the deck is standard," Sera said.

"The more interesting part is that guilds have already paid players to join the other factions just to reveal the bonuses." Meno straightened on the Gravewurm's saddle.

"Oh, they got the bonuses." The raid went quiet behind him. The Meta Desk pulled the details onto the broadcast. Eastveil Faction: Veil Court Theme: Karma, quests, reputation, NPC favor. Faction Bonus: Non-PvP sources provide 100% more Karma. Quests provide one additional reward option. Faction Quartermaster sells items that begin quests for Karma.

"Eastveil looks like the reputation and quest faction. Very strong for players who enjoy long NPC chains, and lore hunting," Sera said.

"Also the potential home for BrineSaint if he completes his Karma item route," Mina said. Meno winced. There was no way BrineSaint would choose that faction. The hosts were wrong. Once he had the item, he did not need the bonus, and Meno could not imagine BrineSaint chain-farming quests. The second panel opened. Southreach Faction: Sunring Concord Theme: dungeon progression, boss farming, organized PvE gearing. Faction Bonus: Final dungeon bosses drop trophies and one additional equipment item.

Each dungeon boss drops at least one crafting material. Faction Quartermaster sells gear in exchange for boss trophies.

"That is the dungeon guild faction. Extra equipment from final bosses and guaranteed crafting material on every boss is enormous for organized groups," Sera said with a low whistle.

"Solo players can benefit, but this is clearly designed for guild progression and gear pipelines," Mina said. Meno found that extremely annoying because it sounded good. Then the third panel opened. Northspire Faction: Red Bastion Theme: gold economy, bounties, monster farming, direct gear purchasing. Faction Bonus: Bounties and quests grant double gold rewards. Junk items from slain monsters sell for double. Faction Quartermaster sells gear for gold.

"And there it is," Sera said, eyebrows lifting.

"The gold faction," Mina said, spreading both hands.

"Double bounty and quest gold, double junk value, and gear for gold. This is going to attract merchants, whales, bounty grinders, and anyone who believes money solves combat."

"Which, historically, it often does," Sera said, looking straight into the camera. Meno closed the overlay. For several seconds, he only heard the volcano.

"I got scammed," he said. Grave Crown cope Red Bastion busted gold printer Southreach PvE Eastveil roleplay bone tax Eastveil was the chill route for quest enjoyers and karma farmers. Southreach was for dungeon grinders and organized PvE gear. Northspire was a gold printer with a quartermaster attached. Meno had no idea which faction the top guilds would pick, but Red Bastion looked broken in the simplest, ugliest way. Buying gear with gold changed everything.

Gold could be traded, pooled, gifted, laundered through item sales, and moved between players with far fewer restrictions than boss trophies. If Karmabeast was right about real-credit loopholes, Red Bastion would become the cleanest way for rich players to turn money into gear without leaving obvious fingerprints. Southreach's extra drops looked good on the surface. But why grind dungeons for bound trophies if thirty people in your guild could spam bounties and funnel gold to one carry?

Boss trophies required full clears. Gold only required enough people willing to be bored for a stronger player.

"Broken, unbalanced system by drunk AI," Meno said. He turned to the raid.

"You guys saw the other bonuses?"

"Yeah. And you got us locked to Grave Crown," Pip said.

"Hey, do not blame me. Nobody forced you." Pip laughed.

"Calm down. I was teasing. I don't mind. Grave Crown is the only faction with the XP banner."

"And we have not seen the Karma gear yet. It might be really good. Stats are stats, even if the faction earns them through PvP," Nix said.

"Bounties are soo meh anyway," VeeVeeZap said.

"You can only pick up one at a time. It sends you to kill a specific monster in a zone, then you have to go all the way back to turn it in before grabbing another." She flicked sparks from her staff.

"The gold is good, but the travel is going to be tedious even with mounts." Meno thought she was probably right. That part of Red Bastion mattered less to him than the gear shop, though. Players would optimize the travel. Guilds would station people, rotate hunters, find the fastest bounty board, and turn something miserable into a wage. Gold buying gear was the real danger.

"Once we are above fifty, each kill steals five hundred gold," Almos said from near the front.

"They can farm bounties, and we will take their gold. Simple."

"You have big villain energy," Junebug said.

"I was being practical," Almos said, shifting behind his shield.

"Same thing sometimes," Nix said. Meno ignored the nonsense because the thought had already settled.

"Northspire is about to become the Empire of Whales," he said.

"Probably the most popular faction by far, because gold is always good, even in the real world, unfortunately." Chat filled itself with sad whale noises. mmmwoooooooaaahhh huuuuuuuuurrrrrroooooo oooooooommmm-bwaaaaaa whaaaaaaaalllloooooohhh muuuuuuurrrrroooooo Meno summoned the Gravewurm. The huge, ugly mount rose from green light again, its head turning toward him with its blind maw slightly open.

"Okay," Meno said.

"Get on. The Wurm Express is only getting started." The raid climbed back up in a messy line, and Meno took the reins.

"Soon, we get visitors. They just have to finish arguing first."