Private Message from Leviathan to Garath - 00/00/06 @ 14:23:
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A counter of how many members of Garath's Raid he had killed. The Necrologist didn't share the conversation with the Party. Between that obvious taunt and the previous thank-you jab, Leviathan had just made this personal.
Finally, as the last light of day faded beyond the horizon, Garath's cooldown period elapsed and he was able to change forms once again. The Party of four shifted into crow form and flew north toward HQ and Leviathan. With the brisk evening air chilling the skin beneath his feathers, Garath pumped his wings faster. Even after a very full day, he had more than enough energy for what came next.
Chapter 34
The Search for Leviathan
Soaring through the darkening sky, Garath's thoughts drifted back to the loot rewards. Everyone had received synergistic items except for him. Warrion's daggers even got a set bonus of +10 Dexterity when he had them both equipped! His pendant was pretty neat, and the chest piece was okay, but the Goddamn global cooldown no longer applied to Athios with her new gear. Sharon didn't get a set bonus, but her new forest green cloak and gloves matched and looked freaking awesome. ‘And I look like I could be a backup dancer for N'Sync,’ Garath thought sourly.
He didn't let the thoughts remain in his mind for very long and quickly shifted to thinking about how to deal with this Leviathan when they made it back to HQ.
*Remember, the other Necrologist has to be within 100 meters of HQ,* said Garath as they neared the red brick building. *Keep an eye out for anywhere hidden as we fly over. We’ll group up and make a plan when we land.*
Garath had another nine shape shifts at his disposal and welcomed the upcoming confrontation. He would kill this Leviathan and revel in the Experience Points. With that thought, the Necrologist reminded himself to drink the Crystillium as soon as they landed, as it seemed to help counter the effects of tainted soul. He already felt himself losing control at just the thought of ending Leviathan's life. It sounded absolutely exhilarating. An equal opponent, another Necrologist - and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
As the Party descended, Garath noticed Aldrasyl was missing from his roost atop HQ. They landed down on the asphalt outside the school building and Garath willed more information from the debuff denoted by a small, black skull icon that had appeared as they approached.
You are infected with Plague. You will suffer 17 (death) damage per second until you are cured or until the source is neutralized.
He willed his combat log into existence, the words and numbers displayed in front of him, hovering just above the ground.
Begin Combat Log:
[15:01:14.105] You are infected by Leviathan's Plague.
[15:01:14.105] You have lost 17 HP from Leviathan's Plague.
[15:01:14.595] You have Regenerated 30 HP.
[15:01:15.105] You have lost 17 HP from Leviathan's Plague.
[15:01:15.595] You have Regenerated 30 HP.
End Combat Log.
He checked his Profile panel for reference and was excited to see how his stats were sitting with his new gear.
Garath
Race: Human
Class: Necrologist
Level: 22
Age: 29
Health: 930/930
(base: 720; APs: +110; items: +100)
Stamina: 100/100
Mana: 1,410/1,410
(base: 720; APs: +90 items: +600)
Exp to next Level: 32,185/75,000
Attributes
Vitality: 93 (items:+10) - Each point of Vitality provides +10 to maximum Health.
Wisdom: 141 (items: +60) - Each point of Wisdom provides +10 to maximum Mana.
Regeneration: 58 (items: +18) - As a Necrologist, each point of Regeneration increases Mana recovery rate by +1.11 per second; Health recovery rate by +.25 per second; and recovery from injury by +2%.
Strength: 8 - In addition to making one stronger, each point of Strength increases physical attack damage by 1% and reduces damage received from physical attacks by .25%.
Dexterity: 10 - In addition to making one more agile, each point of Dexterity improves the critical strike chance of physical attacks by +.3%; the critical strike damage of physical attacks by +3%; and improves chance to dodge by +.5%.
Unused Attribute Points: 0
Between how much he had already invested in Regeneration and the additional Attribute points from the items he had acquired in the dungeon, Garath was in less than zero danger of dying solely from the Plague. He placed all three points into Wisdom to increase the base damage of his offensive spells, then confirmed his decision.
Athios and Sharon retreated hastily to the ladies room inside the red brick school building and left Garath and Warrion standing together near Gary's outdoor dining area - that looked exactly the same as when they left. The simple scene really put into perspective what they had been going through here at HQ while Garath and pals were out adventuring. In the few days he had known the bearded Armoron, Garath hadn't seen Gary leave a project unfinished yet.
Garath opened his MENU panels. He navigated to his Friend list to locate Gary. The small green dot on the map that indicated the bearded man looked to be located inside the large building clustered with several members of the late Raid Group, The Band of the Hawk. The Necrologist informed Warrion and messaged Athios and Sharon as he walked with the Assassin into the building.
The fear was palpable as they entered the main hall. Every head in the room swiveled to the doors as they opened and the two adventurers entered. Garath wasn't sure if it was an effect of his 300% improved sense of smell, but he could almost taste the nervousness of everyone in the hall. As he looked over the nameplates of the nearly two-hundred people congregated in the hall, he knew he didn't have much time. Most of the previous Raid members were below half health and dropping. Many looked like they were even suffering illness effects from the Plague, lying in blankets and coughing.
He located Gary sitting on a love seat with Daisy sitting on the arm of the cushy chair. All five of
