Seeing the girl smile Ian was satisfied. He kept his promise in the end, barely. This whole day really changed his view on the game.
Ian had thought of this game as a fun adventure. A lighthearted journey through a magical world. Not to say that it wasn't, because it was. By every definition this was a dream come true.
But confronted with a darker side of the game Ian couldn't help but change how he saw this world. It felt a lot more real than it used to. Now this wasn't a game to him, Ian was taking this completely seriously.
As they left Diane behind Ian turned to his friends.
"We have to kill that guy in the forest. He saw me, and now that his skeletons are dead he knows I survived. I bet sooner or later he'll attack with his army."
His words hung in the air for a second before all three of them got a notification.
_________________________________________
Player [Ian Nightgale] has discovered a hidden quest!!
West of Canopy City, hidden in the forest is a dark mage. His ritual was interrupted by the player's intrusion. Now he's coming to attack, players pick up your weapons and fight the undead invasion coming from the west.
[Rewards] ??? (Depend on performance)
[Penalty] Possible Death
[05:29:58]
_________________________________________
Around 15 minutes earlier in the forest west of Canopy City. A gaunt man sat infront of an altar. He rocked back and forth while biting hil nails.
"Damn it! Someone saw me! Now I have no choice but to change my plan!"
Corvus was a rouge mage belonging to no organization. The only thing he cared for were bones. He believed his purpose was to spread death as its apostle. Deluded thoughts that often came when dealing with dark and dangerous energies.
Only the truly powerful and tempred could overcome those erratic thoughts and remain sane. Dark magic was a quick path to power but it came with a heavy toll if you couldn't handle it. Corvus couldn't handle it.
In just 2 years since coming into contact with his [Tome of Summoning] he had gone mad. At first Corvus planned to summon spirits to impress his father but after half a year of nothing he gave up. Skeletons on the other hand were much easier to summon and manage. In his desperation to prove himself and learn magic, Corvus delved into necromancy.
At first it was just animals, boars he hunted. But as he got more powerful he got tempted to move up to something better. After that it was a slippery slope of blood and magic.
Corvus ran from home and traveled the surrounding area for a year and a half. He would kill people to use their skeletons as tools. Gradually an army began to form. The more he expanded the more powerful he grew.
Eventually Corvus found himself outside Canopy City. His legion now reached 5 figures for a total of 12,456 skeletons. During his time here he came across 3 special corpses. They like himself were low silver level experts. An assasin, a knight, and a monk. These would be his commanders, his champions!
"Now that's ruined! Damn that elf!"
Because of Ian's intrusion Corvus lost focus. The summoning for the monk's body was interrupted. That made it void and forced his hand.
Despite the failure, this could be salvaged. It wouldn't be a perfect solution but it would be a solution.
With determination Corvus approached the altar once more. The monk could bot be summoned anymore but she could be used.
The summoning circle changed to a sacrificial one. Corvus was sacrificing the corpse in exchange for dark mana. This was why dark magic was a slippery slope. Anyone with a slight aptitude for it can make sacrifices for power.
This made dark magic very attractive to the weak. Those desperate for strength would stop at nothing to get it. A few lives meant nothing to someone desperate enough.
Corvus fell exactly into that category. He wanted strength more than anything.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! It worked! Yes!"
The monk's body began to disipate as a torrent of black mana flooded into Corvus. Power surged through him as he reached the high sulver realm.
"Now we can get started! I will spread death throughout the continent!"
A disturbing grin split Corvus's face. His eyes were wide open in excitement and pure ecstasy. His hands rose and black mana began to converge in them.
Once his hands reached their highest point a ray of darkness shot from his hands. The sky immediately went from orange to pitch black as his barrier took form.
"No one will escape. Canopy City gets taken off the map tonight! This is where I begin my divine mission!"
Back in Canopy City every player was looking at their display when the sky turned black. Every resident of the city looked up in surprise and fear.
The players on the other hand knew the situation. They had five and a half hours to prepare for a battle againsg this dark mage. The western area of ghe city became crowded as players gathered to discuss their plans.
Ian and the party were no different. Back at The Knight's Rest, they all sat in Ian's room.
"This is crazy man! A dark mage with an army of undead is attacking. This battle will be fun."
Ty sat on Ian's bed cleaning his greatsword before the battle.
"Yeah this should be something. We're definitely killing that mage."
"Hell yeah! Let's kill that boss! Those rewards are looking good."
From the side Jasmine chimed in.
"You can't even see what they are though?"
Ty quickly snapped back.
"That means they guaranteed to be good!"
"Yeah you're right but that's just the bonus. That guy almost killed me, I need my get back."
Ian sported a determined expression. His eyes fiery as he recalled the events of the day.
"And we're getting it. There's no stopping us man! That mage is dead already."
_________________________________________
Chapter 17! A bit of a shorter one but this wraps up the beginning of the dark mage arc. now it's time for the actual siege. In the next few chapters a lot of characters will get introduced as other playeds get involved. Let me know who you like and why and maybe they'll come back later. I'll decide which characters to keep up with based on who seems interesting to write about but any recommendations are also appreciated.