Karp
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Diplomacy 101: Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2024-08-04 21:37:19 +0000 UTCDespite the sound of calming waves, and idyllic cooling sea breeze, the air surrounding the Heroes was tense.
None imagined that a creature this huge was capable of life on Azeroth.
Many Elves were white knuckles as they grasped their weapons tightly.
The smiles and laughter from minutes ago was gone as the realization that another brutal battle awaited them.
Furthermore, every Elf was equipped with the racial trait for magical sight/sense. This made them into expert trackers, able to find the most distant foe, so long as they had a magical signature.
This sight, however, had the dual function of acting almost like a scouter from DBZ. While there was no number or hard quantification of the mana in a creature, it was like on Earth, a gallon jug of water would always be a more impressive sight than a water bottle. No one needed a measuring tool to know that that gallon held more than a bottle. That sudden, and easy judgment that any normal guy could make was second nature to Elves when it came to judging mana levels.
If Kael’Thas’ mana reserves were considered an Olympic sized swimming pool compared to the average High Elf archmages luxury bathtub, then the amount of mana Kith’ix radiated could be considered enough to fill a small-or even medium-sized lake.
This sight alone was enough to drive many of these thousand year old-bonafide Heroes-into solemnity.
Varrus couldn't blame them. If he was right, then this was one of the two bugs that tag teamed Lore Keeper Tyr into a suicidal self-explosion.
For context, a Lore Keeper was a demi-god like existence created directly from the Titans: Titans being cosmic level entities so powerful, they were widely regarded as gods by many.
Tyr’s silver hand was the symbol for the Order of the Silver Hands, the most famous paladin order in all of Azeroth.
If such a powerful, and influential figure could be driven to such drastic measures such as self-detonating himself, then Varrus would treat Kith'ix with the fear and respect he deserved.
However! This was not Kith'ix at the peak of his power! The child of the Old Gods had been wounded and forced into a slumber for thousands of years. Sometime in the last ten thousand years, before the Sundering, he had awoken and attempted to overthrow the Amani.
Back then, the Amani were one of the strongest, most technologically and magically advanced societies. Though they suffered greatly, the Amani killed Kith'ix for good.
At least, that is what Varrus thought had happened. True to the story of Warcraft, there were seldom any complete, absolute deaths in this world.
Anyone could be resurrected given a sufficient price was paid-such as the resurrection of Lei Shen thousands of years after his demise-death was rarely final in the Warcraft universe if someone had enough resources (or plot armor).
Thankfully, Varrus noticed that the servant of the Old Gods was not 100% healed during the resurrection.
As a long time gamer, Varrus’ eyes were trained to spot any irregularities in color or tone on any enemy.
Kith'ix, for all his frightening grandeur had pock marks the size of watermelons lining his chest, exposing pulsating white flesh beneath the thick exoskeleton. His sinewy muscle looked something akin to crab meat, and just as soft.Another wound-a long gash-ran along his right knee, exposing even more flesh.
Furthermore, the ritual to resurrect him must have had some fault, because Kith'ix was bleeding!
Great globules of purple blood flowed out of his left armpit into the depths below. The water sizzled as the ocean drank in the toxic goo.
Disgusting as it was, Varrus took this for a good sign. Weakened from an incomplete summoning, Varrus felt like they actually stood a chance against this demigod!
Turning to assess the Heroes, Varrus counted 18 Heroes, among them were familiar faces such as Koren, Rho'dan, Syra.
Each one of them was worth at least 1,000 common enemies or more. Any one of them could stand in as a boss during a dungeon instance or raid.
They were some of Quel'Thalas’ most important figures, each one lost would be an irreplaceable burden that could take decades or centuries to replace.
Varrus almost wanted to send them home, afraid to risk his peoples hopes of rebuilding. But that was the arrogance talking.
While he whole heartedly believed that between him, Kael, and Syra, only the three of them would be needed to take Ki’thix down, he had played enough raids to know that every chip against the boss counted.
Top tier dps was important for any group, but without support, and drawing aggro, that so-called top tier would be soloed and scattered to oblivion. It hurt his ego, but to avoid an early-arrogance relate-grave, Varrus was all too happy to partner up with Quel'Thalas’ champions.
“We can all see its weaknesses, and know what is on the line. We don't have time to tarry, however, take these Mana Stones to recuperate while you can.” Varrus said, handing out the stones as he looked each and every one of the Heroes in the eye.
When he handed the last stone over to Syra, she beamed at him her signature smile, and clunked her forehead into his.
Varrus grinned back, and stole a kiss on her lips.
Syra gave him some tongue, winked at him, then pulled back, and drew her massive buster sword.
While Varrus was busy flirting, Kith'ix had fully emerged from the water, and took his first step onto land.
Kith'ix's massive foot was mighty like Earth's thickest trees. Resembling a clawed, steel plated boot, the foot crashed into the steep sandy beach, and flattened a section of it like a kid running through a sand castle.
Another wave of corrupting forces spread out, like a cloud of fog enveloping the beach.
Varrus was ready this time, and sprayed his allies with the healing spell, Infinite Light.
Infinite Light: Stream of healing energy that diffracts between targets, healing 150 points per second.
Diffraction between all those present-including himself-any possible mental instability was washed away by the cleansing energy.
Waving off the one second stunlock created by the madness, the Elves reacted almost as one, and began to unleash their strongest attacks.
Halduron Brightwing ran to the beast’s right, shooting enchanted arrows into the gap on Kith'ix's knee. Each arrow bolt took on a white hue as he infused his own mana into each strike.
The ranger's arrows were scarily accurate, and exploded deep within Kith'ix's flesh. Many of his other shots entered the watermelon sized holes pock marking Kith'ix's chest, causing purple, tainted blood to gush out onto the beach below.
In response, one of the giant crab leg looking appendages on Kith'ix's shoulders formed a laser beam made of the darkest umbra, and followed after Halduron like a person playing with a laser pointer and their cat. The ranger was forced to do inhuman acrobatics, jumping, rolling, and handstanding unlike any Human athlete could ever pull off.
Everywhere the beam struck, the sand would become goopified, and oozed like the vilest of oil spills.
What was impressive is that Halduron was returning fire with his bow all while he was sprinting for his life!
Varrus was immensely appreciative of his level of athleticism. If it was true that Brightwing owed much of his position due to Varrus’ fathers’ machinations, then he would be a man worth allying with!
While Halduron was busy dodging laser beams, more and more Heroes started making a move.
Archmage Ne'thul, co-founder of the Shattered Sun Offensive finished chanting a spell, culminating in a starry barrage of arcane comets.
Hot white energy balls the size of basketballs made of pure arcane streaked down from the heavens, blackening Kith'ix's umbra armor. Unfortunately, the arcane comments, while visibly stimulating, did little to no damage. They did, however, distract Kith'ix for a moment, interrupting his umbra beam attack.
Angered at being interrupted, Kith'ix raised a claw, and snapped it several times, creating multiple waves of mental corruption.
Varrus had yet to act, waiting in support for just an occasion. Casting another round of Infinite Light, he freed everyone from another second long stunlock.
Kith'ix took another step onto land, fully lifting himself out of the water. His towering form cast a shadow on the Elves, completely blocking out the sun.
Varrus caught movement within the shadow from the corner of his eye. A big blueberry looking ghostly apparition began to form underneath Syra. It was a voidwalker!
He wanted to shout out in warning, however, all Varrus saw was a blur, and Syra's sword was resting at his feet.
A voidwalker that had been forming behind him screeched as light energies poured into its essence, forcing it to explode into motes of light.
Where that voidwalker died, Kith'ix's shadow was permanently damaged. It was difficult to describe, but the dark umbra shadow lost some of its luster, and had turned more towards grey, like a printer's ink running low.
Varrus managed an appreciative smile at his wife, and blew her a kiss, yet quickly switched his focus to the thousands of voidwalkers surrounding them.
Varrus’ new favorite Restoration spell, Infinite Light sprayed from his hands in a beam, slicing through hundreds of voidwalkers, and healing his allies. The beam acted both as a concentration attack, and was similar in function to chain lightning.
The creatures of Void hissed, and Kith'ix roared in anger, bringing his clawed foot down towards Varrus in an attempt to squash him.
Varrus gripped Syra, and prepared to Blink away, however, his heart seized as his Crossguard were still inside the impact zone!
He held a strong belief in the enchantments placed upon their armor, but he didn't think they could withstand this amount of force!
“Go Highlord! Do not worry about us!” Rho'dan said, as if he could sense Varrus’ hesitation.
Varrus felt his wife squeeze his hand, and he knew he had to move, or risk death.
‘Damnit!’ Varrus internally swore.
However, a second before Varrus was going to Blink out of the way, a giant plate armored golem the size of a gundam sporting a horned helmet, and massive blade ran down the beach's sandy embankment, and placed itself under the foot.
The golem, reaching a height of Kith'ix's knees, reminded Varrus of a scenario, like a death battle between one of the robots from Pacific Rim vs Godzilla.
Varrus mentally cheered to himself. The investment into the two scientists had finally paid off! They were late to the Troll party, but they showed up when it counted! However, the golem, despite its impressive height and design, seemed to be on the back foot!
Struggling to gain ground, the golem was slowly beginning to be pushed downwards. The time it bought, however, was ample enough for everyone caught in Kith'ix's path to scatter out of the way.
“If you would be so kind, Telonicus as to demonstrate your new contraption. Or would you rather I claim all the glory?” A smug, intellectual voice boomed from within the golem.
“Ha! Death awaits you, Tae'thelon, and you are still so assured of yourself. Are you so sure I won't withhold my fire? They are after all, short sighted designs, correct?” The black armored Master Engineer, shouted down from the top of the beach, beside him 33 mana cannons slowly rumbled into place.
The golem's armor began to shriek as the pressure placed upon it grew more, and more.
“Telonicus!” Tae'thelon hissed.
“Oh, very well. You may fire when ready.” Telonicus said to his subordinates.
A moment later, the mana cannons unloaded upon Kith'ix.
Balls of arcane, fire, and frost energy launched outward like ballistic missiles.
As they struck Kith'ix's chitin armor, rings began to dot him like the mark of a cigar burned into flesh.
None of the cannons could pierce the thick armor, however as the ammunition was purely magical, and fed by a Mana Crystal, there was little more than a 2.5 second delay between each discharge.
Furthermore, as some of the cannon barrels began to overheat from shooting fire balls, the operators would swap to ice elemental rounds, cooling down the barrels and preserving their functionality.
This deluge and constant barrage of elemental/arcane attacks was about as powerful as Archmage Ne'thul’s arcane barrage from earlier. However, under the direction of Telonicus, every cannon could direct their firepower at one specific point, that point in question being the face.
Such concentration started to do some damage, and the soft, fleshy fins on Kith'ix's head began to break.
Kith'ix’s sight was hindered, and he was forced to raise one of his giant claws to block out the attacks.
Kael’Thas, his phoenix, and Jan'alai all harassed the monster from the sky, their flames burned relentlessly into Kith'ix's exposed wound under the armpit when Kith'ix raised his arm to defend his face.
The purple umbra blood within boiled, burst and blackened like an overcooked steak. In return, Kith'ix was forced to lower his arm for the rest of the fight, lest his weak point be exploited any further.
Taking this moment while the monstrosity was distracted, the golem personally piloted by Tae'thelon-leader of the Reliquary-lifted with all his power, and toppled the imbalanced servant of the Old Gods.
With its collapse back into the shallows, its shadow was no longer drawn over the Highborn Heroes, and voidwalkers no longer spawned underneath them. Freeing them up to re-engage the enemy.
Kith'ix once more began to claw his way up toward the beach, all the while he was under a constant barrage. His thick armor was turning color from deep purple-umbra to slightly orange here and there.
The beast was down, but not out. Varrus looked at the hopeful determination on his comrades faces, and nodded along with them.
Round one was over, and they had pressed the monster back without suffering any casualties.
Preparing powerful magics, Varrus was ready for round two!
